• Category 2

    Selected in 2016

  • Grades: k - 6
    School Setting: rural
    Town Population: 440
    Student Enrollment: 67
    Student Demographics:

    Black/African American: 1%
    White/Caucasian: 93%
    Hispanic: 2%
    Hawaiian/Pacific Islander: 0%
    Asian: 2%
    Native American: 2%
    Other: 0%

    Teacher/Student Ratio: 1:11
    % Reduced Lunch: 52%
    % ELL Learners: 0%
    Founded: 1885
  • PRINCIPAL:
    Brian Heupel
  • CONTACT:
    820 Leola Ave
    Leola, SD 57456
    605-439-3142
    Kim.Hill@k12.sd.us
Leola Elementary
Leola, SD
We have a very friendly and welcoming atmosphere! Every staff member is concerned about every student's success.
Describe specific programs in place to ensure that families are involved in the success of your school and students.
While we still have work to do, our staff firmly believes that family involvement is crucial to the success of a school. Our school sends home "Wednesday Folders" to communicate events, schedules, signature required correspondence, and critical announcements. Our high school produces a bi-monthly newsletter which is sent to all community patrons and showcases the happenings in and around our school and classrooms. Each morning an electronic announcement is created that communicates daily schedules, lunch menus, and other pertinent information. Aside from our annual Parent Night, our school also hosts a spectacular Veterans Day program for the community to honor community members who have served our country. We also have an amazing music instructor who orchestrates four concerts annually for the community. Our school also assists community programs such as 4-H, Girl Scouts, and a Dance Team, by opening our doors to support these meetings.
Describe the most successful activity your school has initiated to strengthen ties to your community.
The most successful activity our school has initiated to strengthen ties to our community would be our Title I Parent's Night. This night has become an event that many elementary students, and parents alike, look forward to each fall. This event gives parents the chance to come into the classrooms and actively engage in the curriculum and technology being integrated into each classroom. Teachers and staff set up interactive stations for students and their parents to receive credit on a punch card for visiting each station. This completed punch card entitles parents and students to be placed in a drawing for prizes. Each year we build the evening around a fun theme. Leola Elementary also hosts a senior citizen meal every Tuesday. Students provide entertainment during their meal. In addition, our school also builds positive community outreach by inviting community members to school programs, and supports the local Piggy Bank where students buy presents for family members at Christmas.
Describe your philosophy of school change or improvement.
Our philosophy is to provide students with support both academically and emotionally to show that they can be successful. We believe that raising the bar for academic performance can be met for all students, regardless of their socio-economic background.
What are your school’s top two goals for the next year?
Our first goal for next year will be to focus extensively on writing across the curriculum. The data analysis continues to reveal that our students perform below our expectations in this area. Our second goal will be to put in place a more extensive intervention program for mathematics. While our students perform exceptionally well in mathematics, we feel we would benefit from a more sound data driven intervention program like DIBELS CBM for math which would allow us to progress monitor students more closely.
What is the single most important factor in the success of your school that others could replicate?
When asked this question, our staff could not identify just one factor that makes our school successful. Instead, we believe that serving the "whole" child is what makes our students successful. We do this by providing support to homeless families, providing free coats, shoes, gloves, and hats to children in need. We do this by having an exceptional lunchroom staff which serves our students delicious, nutritious breakfasts, brain-break snacks, and lunches. We do this by looking at students as individuals and providing both academic and emotional support/intervention programs based on each student's needs. We do this by having a staff that goes above and beyond the school day. We do this by working as a team and a family.
Describe the program or initiative that has had the greatest positive effect on student achievement, including closing achievement or opportunity gaps, if applicable.
Aside from relationship building and emotional support, there are several initiatives that we implement that have proven successful for closing the achievement gap. First of all, our RTI program focuses on student's reading ability. We create a plan for students and offer coaching time to students who range from well below grade level to above grade level in the areas of phonics, fluency, comprehension, and writing. This program allows us to close gaps and challenge students in a small group setting. Second, the adoption of new CCSS aligned curriculum in both math and language arts has had a significant impact on student achievement. After analysis by a curriculum committee, our school selected Go Math and Journeys. The students are receiving a consistent curriculum in both academic areas which supports teaching all learners. Finally, our Title I program provides much needed support by scheduling based on the most need. This includes, small group, pull-out, and direct instruction.
Explain how Title I funds are used to support your improvement efforts.
Title I funds are spent primarily on staffing to support the initiatives we have found to be the most successful in closing the achievement gap. Leola Elementary has one highly qualified Title I Director and one highly qualified paraprofessional. These two staff members provide pull-out instruction for intensive students in math and reading instruction. In addition, they assist with small group teaching in the classroom, and small group during RTI. Title I also helps to fund reading programs such as RAZ-Kids and Headsprout. Just this year, we are using Title I funds to assist with our after school tutoring program which assists students with homework help and skills in reading and math.
Identify the critical professional development activities you use to improve teaching and student learning.
Each school year, a professional development plan is created to best support the students, staff, and families in our school and district. We typically have one PD day a month which allows for round-table collaboration on curriculum, technology, attendance, discipline, modifications, etc. Some of the more critical PD activities have been data analysis, Student Learning Objectives development, Conscious Discipline, technology support and training, behavior intervention training, and classroom management training. In addition, staff are encouraged to attend state-wide training throughout the year, as well as serve on state-wide committees for instruction and accountability.
Describe how data is used to improve student achievement and inform decision making.
Leola Elementary staff analyze student performance on Smarter Balanced tests each spring. In the fall, teachers build their Student Learning Objectives (SLO's) around the analysis of this data. Teachers meet with the principal to discuss their SLO three times a year. Adjustments to their goals are based on mid-year benchmark data analysis. In addition, our staff uses DIBELS to benchmark students three times a year. Students are placed in RTI groupings based on this data, or they receive intensive intervention time. All students who are not at benchmark are progress monitored at least twice a month so that interventions can be adjusted. At the same time, students at risk in reading are monitored closely using our Journeys progress monitoring resources which allows staff to make modifications/interventions that are based solely on current skill practice in the classroom instruction. Our staff is currently researching the DIBELS CBM Math program for monitoring at risk students in math.
Describe your school culture and explain changes you’ve taken to improve it.
Our school culture is best described as a family. Here in Leola, we strive for excellence from each of our students. The school culture is one of acceptance of all types of students. We strive for a positive attitude each morning from both staff and students. The staff remains focused on only those things they CAN control inside the school building, and not the things the CAN NOT control outside the school day. Many students are from low income families. As a result, we strive to provide additional supports for these students such as one-on-one counseling, relationship building, and intensive early interventions in K-1 reading.
Here in Leola, we have a very friendly and welcoming atmosphere! Every staff member is concerned about every student's success. We have just begun implementing the Conscious Discipline Program which integrates social-emotional learning, discipline, and self-regulation so we spend less time policing behaviors and more time teaching vital life skills.
Stats
  • Category 2

    Selected in 2016

  • Grades: k - 6
    School Setting: rural
    Town Population: 440
    Student Enrollment: 67
    Student Demographics:

    Black/African American: 1%
    White/Caucasian: 93%
    Hispanic: 2%
    Hawaiian/Pacific Islander: 0%
    Asian: 2%
    Native American: 2%
    Other: 0%

    Teacher/Student Ratio: 1:11
    % Reduced Lunch: 52%
    % ELL Learners: 0%
    Founded: 1885
  • PRINCIPAL:
    Brian Heupel
  • CONTACT:
    820 Leola Ave
    Leola, SD 57456
    605-439-3142
    Kim.Hill@k12.sd.us