• Category 1

    Selected in 2017

  • Grades: k - 4
    School Setting: suburban
    Town Population: 31
    Student Enrollment: 71
    Student Demographics:

    Black/African American: 1%
    White/Caucasian: 87%
    Hispanic: 6%
    Hawaiian/Pacific Islander: 0%
    Asian: 0%
    Native American: 0%
    Other: 6%

    Teacher/Student Ratio: 1:14
    % Reduced Lunch: 50%
    % ELL Learners: 1%
    Founded: 1880
  • PRINCIPAL:
    Dr. Erin Mahoney
  • CONTACT:
    5 Cocheco Ave.
    East Rochester, NH 03868
    603-332-6486
    mahoney.e@rochesterschools.com
Nancy Loud School
East Rochester, NH
Relationships, relationships, relationships. Build them, embrace them, change with them, and celebrate them.
Describe the most successful activity your school has initiated to strengthen ties to your community.
We have had a few activities which we feel have been successful in strengthening ties to our community. During the holiday season, our families, students and staff come together and donate time/resources for those in need. This has consisted of efforts by both our PTA and staff collecting food & clothing donations and delivering to families in our community. Doing this has raised awareness in the ongoing need for basic resources families have.
Because we are a small school with limited resources, we often bring community businesses and figures into the classroom for our students. This provides our students the opportunity to see what paths lay ahead in their future as they grow up.
Describe your philosophy of school change or improvement.
To ensure successful adoption of an initiative, educational leaders must recognize the role and influence of the change process. Change should not be viewed as a linear event. Instead, change should be handled as a journey influenced by the ongoing fluctuating dynamics of human behavior. In order to respect teachers and administrators as adult learners, understanding the role organizational citizenship (or teacher and principal citizenship) behavior is critical. Understanding the process of educational change and the role of organizational citizenship behavior will assist in one's ability in making positive change visible in the school setting.
What are your school’s top two goals for the next year?
1. Becoming a more efficient Trauma-Sensitive School: continuing the work we have started this year and diving deeper into relationship building and teacher self-care.
2. Personalized Learning: While we continue to adapt to the needs of our students, we will in turn, create more opportunities for our parents and families to become involved in our daily school activities.
What is the single most important factor in the success of your school that others could replicate?
Relationships, relationships, relationships. Build them, embrace them, change with them, and celebrate them. This builds a sense of community. Laugh with each other, laugh with your students, laugh with your families. Be sure to take time for yourself at the end of the day (this includes paras, teachers, custodians, lunch staff, support staff, and administration).
Describe the program or initiative that has had the greatest positive effect on student achievement, including closing achievement or opportunity gaps, if applicable.
Honestly, there is no single magical program or initiative that can solve everything. It is a combination of things. Implementing programs with fidelity is critical. Providing and knowing clear expectations for everyone (students, parents, and staff) is needed. We are all a part of a big puzzle and all play a role in making a picture. We all own our piece and take the initiative to figure out to get to the end point.
Identify the critical professional development activities you use to improve teaching and student learning.
Two critical professional development activities used to improve our teaching and student learning are reflective practices and creating Trauma-sensitive classrooms. These two topics are the backbone to our every day work.
Describe how data is used to improve student achievement and inform decision making.
Data generated by ongoing student summative and formative assessments, in addition to district/state testing (PACE, NWEA, SBAC) allow us to respond accordingly. We are able to analyze the academic strengths and weaknesses of each student. Daily/weekly conversations on this data also provide us with the time to discuss the student as a whole learner. Yes, we use data to drive instruction and to determine what is working and what is not working for students. However, our biggest emphasis is on the student as a individual. If the student had a great experience in class, what was done so we may replicate that? If a student is struggling, we look for patterns. What time of day does the student struggle? Have we connected with parents to discuss how to help the child? Data is more than just numbers. It is also the personality of the child and how that individual responds to our practices and lessons.
Describe your school culture and explain changes you’ve taken to improve it.
When asking staff, they said the following:
Our school culture is open-minded, warm, flexible. There exists a strong framework of support and team collaboration.
Changes we have made over the past couple of years:
We focus on relationship building; between staff and students, staff and families, staff and staff. We integrate practices/programs such as Responsive Classrooms, Student Grit, Zones of Regulation, and Trauma-Sensitive Schools.
Shared Leadership has also played a roll in our school culture. This has allowed our team to be flexible, embrace change as an ongoing process. In addition, it has allowed us to think critically when analyzing our strengths and weaknesses. Embracing the roll of the learner in addition to an educator is key. Modeling this for our students, parents, and each other has led to a culture of positive collaboration and change. It is all about the relationships and acknowledging we have a dual role; a teacher and learner.
Stats
  • Category 1

    Selected in 2017

  • Grades: k - 4
    School Setting: suburban
    Town Population: 31
    Student Enrollment: 71
    Student Demographics:

    Black/African American: 1%
    White/Caucasian: 87%
    Hispanic: 6%
    Hawaiian/Pacific Islander: 0%
    Asian: 0%
    Native American: 0%
    Other: 6%

    Teacher/Student Ratio: 1:14
    % Reduced Lunch: 50%
    % ELL Learners: 1%
    Founded: 1880
  • PRINCIPAL:
    Dr. Erin Mahoney
  • CONTACT:
    5 Cocheco Ave.
    East Rochester, NH 03868
    603-332-6486
    mahoney.e@rochesterschools.com