• Category 1

    Selected in 2019

  • Grades: k - 5
    School Setting: suburban
    Town Population: 0
    Student Enrollment: 616
    Student Demographics:

    Black/African American: 20.6%
    White/Caucasian: 23.1%
    Hispanic: 40.4%
    Hawaiian/Pacific Islander: 0%
    Asian: 9.4%
    Native American: 0.2%
    Other: 6.3%

    Teacher/Student Ratio: 1:21
    % Reduced Lunch: 59.3%
    % ELL Learners: 26.1%
    Founded: 1977
  • PRINCIPAL:
    Alyson Ewald
  • CONTACT:
    500 King Arthur Way
    Bolingbrook, IL 60440
    630-739-3603
    ewaldae@vvsd.org
Jonas E Salk Elementary School
Bolingbrook, IL
We believe that everyone is responsible for the growth of students and school success.
Describe specific programs in place to ensure that families are involved in the success of your school and students.
At Jonas Salk, we engage families by inviting them to attend events aligned to our continuous improvement efforts around operations in math. Parents and students work together on math activities that provide parents with ideas and resources to help support their children at home. Teachers are expected to build positive relationships with families through regular communication and sharing celebrations of success for all students. Jonas Salk also partners with the Southwest Suburban Immigrant Project to provide assistance in classrooms through parent mentors. Families are invited to attend Meet and Greet, Curriculum Night, Parent Teacher Conferences, Muffins in the Morning, Donuts with Grownups, Family Reading Night, Art Fair and the annual Music Concert.
Describe the most successful activity your school has initiated to strengthen ties to your community.
Jonas Salk partners with Operation Christmas to help families in need throughout the community. Students organize a drive to collect hats, gloves, clothing, and food to over 420 families within the community. Each student is encouraged to donate at least one item to meet our school goal. Classrooms engage in a friendly competition to try to collect the most items.
Describe your philosophy of school change or improvement.
We believe that school change and improvement is continuous. We learn from each other and are open to receiving feedback. Jonas Salk teachers and administrators engage in professional learning communities to collaborate with their peers, share ideas, and create a shared vision of success. We embody the quote by Maya Angelou, “Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.”
What are your school’s top two goals for the next year?
Our top two school goals for the next year include:
-continuing to increase student growth in the area of math through problem solving, peer discussion, and mathematical practices
-increasing collaborative partnerships with the students, staff, families and the community.
What is the single most important factor in the success of your school that others could replicate?
We have found success through the implementation of our continuous improvement model. The school identified our greatest area of need after a deep analysis of schoolwide data. We developed a three year SMART goal that drives action planning for professional development, allocation of funds, and monitoring the progress of targeted student outcomes. Our focused SMART goal is aligned to the district’s Strategic Plan and informs the work of the Building Impact Team. We engage in a continuous improvement cycle that provides the structure for teams to plan, do, study, act to monitor student data and measure their impact as an educator.
Describe the program or initiative that has had the greatest positive effect on student achievement, including closing achievement or opportunity gaps, if applicable.
One initiative that Jonas Salk has implemented is Progress Monitoring during every math unit. Grade level teams meet regularly to review student pre-test data, participate in backwards design by analyzing post test assessments, determine common formative assessments and unpack the skills taught in each topic of all units, develop common proficiency scales, and plan for intervention and enrichment opportunities. Progress monitoring allows teachers to have a pulse on every students’ understanding throughout each topic and address misconceptions as they occur.
Explain how ESEA federal funds are used to support your improvement efforts.
ESEA federal funds are used to provide educators with job embedded professional development that is facilitated by our Teaching and Learning Coaches as well as to purchase materials that support our responsive learning environments. Materials are also purchased that support our family engagement events that support our school improvement efforts.
Identify the critical professional development activities you use to improve teaching and student learning.
At Jonas Salk School we engage teachers in professional development through our district’s student centered coaching model. We believe in building the capacity of teachers through individual and team coaching cycles aligned to our school improvement goals. Teacher teams participate in six to eight week coaching cycles with Teaching and Learning Coaches. Coaching cycles focus on goal setting, weekly planning, and analyzing student work, to impact instruction that increases student outcomes. We believe that the most effective professional development is delivered through coaching and that all teachers, regardless of teaching experience, deserve a coach to grow their practice.
Describe how data is used to improve student achievement and inform decision making.
Data is analyzed frequently at Jonas Salk School. We use data to guide instructional decisions, determine interventions and enrichment, as well as to determine professional development for staff. We collect student, staff, and family voice through surveys to inform our decision making. We also monitor our SMART goal measures to determine if we've met our targets.
Describe your school culture and explain changes you’ve taken to improve it.
At Jonas Salk our school culture is “all in.” We believe that everyone is responsible for the growth of our students and our school success. We have intentionally engaged in professional conversations around creating a
Shared leadership. Building impact team, shared leadership with grade level reps, liaison between Building Impact Team and grade level teams, empower then to lead teams through continuous improvement
Stats
  • Category 1

    Selected in 2019

  • Grades: k - 5
    School Setting: suburban
    Town Population: 0
    Student Enrollment: 616
    Student Demographics:

    Black/African American: 20.6%
    White/Caucasian: 23.1%
    Hispanic: 40.4%
    Hawaiian/Pacific Islander: 0%
    Asian: 9.4%
    Native American: 0.2%
    Other: 6.3%

    Teacher/Student Ratio: 1:21
    % Reduced Lunch: 59.3%
    % ELL Learners: 26.1%
    Founded: 1977
  • PRINCIPAL:
    Alyson Ewald
  • CONTACT:
    500 King Arthur Way
    Bolingbrook, IL 60440
    630-739-3603
    ewaldae@vvsd.org