• Category 2

    Selected in 2018

  • Grades: k - 5
    School Setting: rural
    Town Population: 110
    Student Enrollment: 77
    Student Demographics:

    Black/African American: 0%
    White/Caucasian: 99%
    Hispanic: 1%
    Hawaiian/Pacific Islander: 0%
    Asian: 0%
    Native American: 0%
    Other: 0%

    Teacher/Student Ratio: 1:10
    % Reduced Lunch: 83%
    % ELL Learners: 0%
    Founded: 1965
  • PRINCIPAL:
    Adam Cook
  • CONTACT:
    9530 HWY 5
    Grovespring, MO 65662
    417-462-3288
    cooka@hartville.k12.mo.us
Grovespring Elementary School
Grovespring, MO
The foundation of our school culture is relationship.
Describe specific programs in place to ensure that families are involved in the success of your school and students.
Ensuring their child(ren) attend school regularly and consistently is the first and easiest step parents can take to safeguard academic success. Our school strives to promote and reward attendance. When a student is absent and we have not been notified in advance, the parents receive a phone call. Students are rewarded in various ways for being at school. Each day that students attend school, they can earn an ‘Eagle dollar’ that can be spent at the Eagle Pride store. At the end of each week, those with perfect attendance for that week earn an additional bonus dollar. Trips to the Pride Store occur on a monthly basis. At the end of every two weeks, all students with perfect attendance during that time period are rewarded with extra free time with the principal. At the end of each quarter, the principal rewards students with perfect attendance for that quarter with a mini-field trip to a local park. Because our principal strives to build positive relationships with our students, our students covet spending extra time with him. Time and attention are very effective rewards. Students with perfect attendance and their parents are featured in newspaper articles. Since implementing this program, attendance has improved significantly. Students and parents enjoy the recognition as well as the rewards.
Describe the most successful activity your school has initiated to strengthen ties to your community.
Our school has annual activities that the community looks forward to and attends in large numbers, such as our Chili Supper and Auction. This activity brings a significant number of community members into our building whether they have children in school or not. Student work that is on display in the hallways and classrooms draws attention to concepts being taught. By observing the quality of student work, the condition of our building, and visible resources, the community is made aware of our students’ achievements as well as our school’s needs. All attendees have the opportunity to be actively involved in showing their support of our school with their time as well as their finances or other resources. Gathering this way, in a social setting, helps build relationships, which is key to success.
What is the single most important factor in the success of your school that others could replicate?
The single most important factor in the success of our schools that others could replicate is building relationships. Our staff and faculty take an interest in getting to know the students and their family members by sight and by name. We have conversations with our students, take time to listen to them, praise them, and correct them when needed. Our students belong to all of us, not just to one teacher. Our cooks, custodian, secretary, etc. are all willing to give our students a little extra individual time, reading to them, listening to them read, celebrating an achievement with a high five or pat on the back, sympathizing with a bad situation, or whatever is needed at that moment.

Describe how data is used to improve student achievement and inform decision making.
Data is one of the factors used to help determine placement in the Title One program, where students receive small group and/or individual instruction on a daily basis. Along with classroom performance and parental involvement, data is used to determine candidates for after school tutoring. Based on which objectives students struggled with and excelled at the previous year, teachers are able to adjust the amount of instruction time given to each concept accordingly. Students have received recognition as well as rewards for showing improvement, as opposed to only being recognized for achieving at a particular level.
Describe your school culture and explain changes you’ve taken to improve it.
The foundation of our school culture is relationship. Faculty and staff take the time to get to know each other personally as well as professionally and strive to treat each other with caring and respect. When a need arises, whether it is a student need, or a personnel need, a group effort is made to address it and bring about resolution.

Our school dynamic is much like that of a second family. Students are comfortable approaching any of our personnel in and out of school to share a story, to seek comfort, or just to say hello. They know they will be accepted just as readily during off school hours and at other locations as they are at school.

Our faculty and staff is open to new ideas and ways to improve communication and build relationships rather than clinging to only what was done in the past. We continuously look for new ways to make the community aware of student accomplishments through technology and the media as well as word of mouth. We want our community to know that we care about our students as individuals, and we are proud of their efforts and achievements.

Our faculty and staff endeavor to protect the balance between professionalism and relatability. While maintaining a professional image, we participate with students in special events. We join in the fun and dress up for such occasions as Red Ribbon week and school spirit weeks. We interact with students during their free time rather than simply supervising. Students learn to show respect to the adults in our school while relating to them on a more personal level.

Stats
  • Category 2

    Selected in 2018

  • Grades: k - 5
    School Setting: rural
    Town Population: 110
    Student Enrollment: 77
    Student Demographics:

    Black/African American: 0%
    White/Caucasian: 99%
    Hispanic: 1%
    Hawaiian/Pacific Islander: 0%
    Asian: 0%
    Native American: 0%
    Other: 0%

    Teacher/Student Ratio: 1:10
    % Reduced Lunch: 83%
    % ELL Learners: 0%
    Founded: 1965
  • PRINCIPAL:
    Adam Cook
  • CONTACT:
    9530 HWY 5
    Grovespring, MO 65662
    417-462-3288
    cooka@hartville.k12.mo.us