• Category 2

    Selected in 2013

  • Grades: 1 - 6
    School Setting: rural
    Town Population: 50
    Student Enrollment: 380
    Student Demographics:

    Black/African American: 0.5%
    White/Caucasian: 84%
    Hispanic: 14%
    Hawaiian/Pacific Islander: 0%
    Asian: 0.5%
    Native American: 1%
    Other: 0%

    Teacher/Student Ratio: 1:27
    % Reduced Lunch: 68%
    % ELL Learners: 3.5%
    Founded: 1980
  • PRINCIPAL:
    Tami Roth
  • CONTACT:
    2200 Havasupai Blvd.
    Lake Havasu, AZ 86404
    928-505-6926
    bgardner@havasu.k12.az.us
Nautilus Elementary School
Lake Havasu, AZ
At Nautilus, we provide quarterly award assemblies every nine weeks, and every six weeks we provide character ed. assemblies with specific grade levels presenting during the assemblies. This has been very successful because students are addressing College and Career Ready speaking standards and families love to attend!
Describe specific programs in place to ensure that families are involved in the success of your school and students.
Nautilus provides many opportunites for families to be involved in the succes of our students. Communication is the key! We offer communication through Powerschool grading tracker, phone blasts, PTSO Facebook, blogs, individual class Facebook pages, newsletters, district and building site web pages, and nightly agenda entries. At Nautilus, we provide quarterly award assemblies every nine weeks, and every six weeks we provide character ed. assemblies with specific grade levels presenting during the assemblies. This has been very successful because students are addressing College and Career Ready speaking standards and families love to attend! Many individual classes offer Readers Theater Plays, learning based projects, and nonlinguistic displays such as Power Points, posters, in their classrooms. As a staff, we offer Literacy Evening to aid parents in their ELA awareness, Math and Science Evenings, Bingo Nights, and Winter Fun Fair. Nautilus Elementary has great family involvement!
What are your school’s top two goals for the next year?
Nautilus Elementary will be focusing on math during the 2014-2015 school year. We know math is the gateway for higher professional success. At Nautilus, we will examine and implement best practices dealing with mathematical reasoning in verbal form as well as written expression. Currently, our K-6 students utilize "math talk" during their first portion of daily math class. Students are becoming more comfortable explaining their mathematical algorithms. It is crucial other math students are able to ask mathematical questions to the speaker so they can explain their mathematical thinking. Presently, our immediate classes are exploring mathematical writings in their math journals. It is our goal to have immediate teachers offer professional development next year about their written mathematical practices and learnings to our primary teachers. Currently, our immediate teachers have offered the primary teachers opportunities to observe their math lessons.
What is the single most important factor in the success of your school that others could replicate?
The single most important factor that has attributed to the success of our school has been our teachers' ability to reflect on their teaching practice through honest, collegial professional conversations. It is that courage to reflect and adjust that has led to our teachers' success and utimately student success. Our willingness and ability to implement high quality teaching practices has had the greatest positive impact on student achievement.
Describe the program or initiative that has had the greatest positive effect on student achievement, including closing achievement or opportunity gaps, if applicable.
The initiative that has had the greatest positive effect on student achievement at Nautilus Elementary is the continued and daily practice of differentiated instruction by certified and classified staff members. Formative assessments are given with each lesson, and students are placed in enrichment or reteach groups based on the formative assessment outcomes. We adjust our teaching practice based on our students' abilities, skills, knowledge, interests, and family circumstances. Careful analysis of a wide variety of data assists informing small fluid groups based on student needs and abilities. Our school community consistently promotes and reinforces a safe, responsible, and respectful climate. Differentiated instruction has become a steadfast and very effective practice at Nautilus Elementary. Our improved scores in daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly assessments are a direct reflection of differentiated instruction.
Explain how Title I funds are used to support your improvement efforts.
Title 1 Funds are used in a variety of improvement efforts at Nautilus Elementary. First and foremost, we are able to place highly qualified educational assistants with our students! We have a stellar EA team who is very capable and solution driven! Last year, many College and Career Ready materials were purchased to assist teachers in implementing the new standards. Nonfiction books of different genres were ordered for each grade level along with class sets. We live in a digital world, and our teaching practices need to be relevant for our students! We purchased 18 new IPADs, along with the support of PTSO funding. The IPADs are checked out on daily basis by many classes-kindergarten through six grade. We will continue to purchase more electronic devices to support teaching practices. Technology is an important and needed access tool for our students!
Describe your school culture and explain changes you’ve taken to improve it.
The culture at Nautilus Elementary is one of pursuit of excellence. The hub of pursuit of excellence is constant communication. As a staff, we meet on a weekly basis for grade level collaboration, review specific data, and to monitor and adjust our practices. The educational assistants meet on a monthly basis to discuss concerns and celebrate successes. Office assistants create a weekly bulletin for staff members. As a staff, we meet once a month. Through a wide variety of communication styles, patterns are identified and drive professional development at Nautilus Elementary. This communication includes all levels-educational assistants, teachers, facility service providers, and office assistants. We consistently reflect on our practice, engage in professional development and learn from our experiences. We find ways to work collaboratively and creatively with parents, families, and our community, engaging them productively to support the work of Nautilus Elementary School.
Stats
  • Category 2

    Selected in 2013

  • Grades: 1 - 6
    School Setting: rural
    Town Population: 50
    Student Enrollment: 380
    Student Demographics:

    Black/African American: 0.5%
    White/Caucasian: 84%
    Hispanic: 14%
    Hawaiian/Pacific Islander: 0%
    Asian: 0.5%
    Native American: 1%
    Other: 0%

    Teacher/Student Ratio: 1:27
    % Reduced Lunch: 68%
    % ELL Learners: 3.5%
    Founded: 1980
  • PRINCIPAL:
    Tami Roth
  • CONTACT:
    2200 Havasupai Blvd.
    Lake Havasu, AZ 86404
    928-505-6926
    bgardner@havasu.k12.az.us