• Category 2

    Selected in 2018

  • Grades: pre k - 5
    School Setting: urban
    Town Population: 71
    Student Enrollment: 627
    Student Demographics:

    Black/African American: 3.4%
    White/Caucasian: 20.4%
    Hispanic: 56.6%
    Hawaiian/Pacific Islander: 6.2%
    Asian: 4.5%
    Native American: 0.3%
    Other: 8.6%

    Teacher/Student Ratio: 1:17
    % Reduced Lunch: 74.3%
    % ELL Learners: 40.5%
    Founded: 1969
  • PRINCIPAL:
    Lenny Holloman
  • CONTACT:
    1005 37th Street SE
    Auburn, WA 98002
    253-931-4952
    lholloman@auburn.wednet.edu
Gildo Rey Elementary School
Auburn, WA
The vision where "all of our kids are all of our kids" and prioritizing every student in our differentiated Instruction program have proven to be key in our school's success.
Describe the most successful activity your school has initiated to strengthen ties to your community.
Gildo Rey Elementary explicitly communicate with families regarding achievement, attendance, school events and volunteering opportunities. There is not one single activity that definitively strengthens the ties to our local community, but a variety of partnerships and initiatives that cultivate this partnership. We host events throughout the school year including Open House, Curriculum Night, Parent Teacher Conferences, and Achievement Award Assemblies to both communicate and celebrate the work of students and staff. We host numerous PTA events including our Family Dance, BINGO Night, and Kids Day. We also have a strong partnership with the Washington Youth Soccer Foundation running our Soccer for Success Program after school.
There is an incredible sense of pride in our diverse community. We partner with the City of Auburn to communicate our needs. Our school year concludes with the Gildo Rey Multicultural Celebration honoring our families with festivities, dance and food.
What is the single most important factor in the success of your school that others could replicate?
The Differentiated Instructional Program and the Data Meetings to support it could be implemented at school across the nation. Resources vary from district to district but a commitment to the scheduled instructional time, the collaborative work after school through data meetings, and the focus on prioritizing the use of data to make decisions will support the framework for a targeted instructional program.
Describe the program or initiative that has had the greatest positive effect on student achievement, including closing achievement or opportunity gaps, if applicable.
The vision where "all of our kids are all of our kids" and prioritizing every student in our Differentiated Instruction program have proven to be key in our school's success. The attitude of no excuses trumps the concerns that many of our students have as learners. Our school works to neutralize many of the challenges students may bring into the classroom. We believe in kids! Every student can achieve and we will exhaust resources to make it happen.
Having a laser focus on our SIP moving forward and the continued believe in every student will keep the focus on student academic success.
Identify the critical professional development activities you use to improve teaching and student learning.
All professional development activities at Gildo Rey Elementary are aligned with our School Improvement and District Strategic Plans. Professional development activities are embedded in our day to day work through PLCs, common planning meetings, Data Meetings and formally scheduled events at the beginning of the school year along with afternoons throughout the year.
With our first year following our revised SIP in 2018-2019 we have changed the format of our weekly staff meetings moving away from a school operations focus to a professional development focus on instructional practices. These include behavioral and instructional routines, strategies supporting our languages learners, Focus Five for pacing, and learning targets and success criteria.
Describe how data is used to improve student achievement and inform decision making.
Gildo Rey Elementary has an intentional focus on the use of data to create our School Improvement Plan. Data is the primary driver for instructional decisions to assure each student achieves. Multiple data points are used and monitored regularly to adjust instruction for Tier 1, 2, and 3 supports.
Students are benchmark assessed several times during the year and progress monitored every month. Data is shared and reviewed in multiple arenas. Staff utilize our weekly PLC times to discuss and align instructional resources based on common core standards and current needs based on assessments. Each grade level K-5 also meets every 6 week for ELA and 8 weeks for Math. These Data Meetings are used to take a comprehensive and collaborative review of all students across each grade level to adjust our Differentiated Instruction program. Each student is reviewed and their plan is adjusted based on data to assure they have the support and targeted instruction to assure success.
Stats
  • Category 2

    Selected in 2018

  • Grades: pre k - 5
    School Setting: urban
    Town Population: 71
    Student Enrollment: 627
    Student Demographics:

    Black/African American: 3.4%
    White/Caucasian: 20.4%
    Hispanic: 56.6%
    Hawaiian/Pacific Islander: 6.2%
    Asian: 4.5%
    Native American: 0.3%
    Other: 8.6%

    Teacher/Student Ratio: 1:17
    % Reduced Lunch: 74.3%
    % ELL Learners: 40.5%
    Founded: 1969
  • PRINCIPAL:
    Lenny Holloman
  • CONTACT:
    1005 37th Street SE
    Auburn, WA 98002
    253-931-4952
    lholloman@auburn.wednet.edu