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Our school culture is one of always putting students' needs first through respecting and caring about each individual. We have added Kelso's Choice Conflict Management Program to help students to engage in behaviors that show personal respect, appropriate techniques of handling difficult situations, and being a positive member of our school community.

Describe specific programs in place to ensure that families are involved in the success of your school and students.

We start the year with a Back to School Night where we serve dinner, explain our programs, have a Title 1 parent meeting, distribute parent compacts and student handbooks. All families are also invited to our monthly math or lit. nights. Monthly calendars go home to keep parents informed of activities such as assemblies, ball games, programs, and evening activities that they might want to take part in. Along with the monthly calendars fliers are sent home as reminders as these extra activities come up.

Describe the most successful activity your school has initiated to strengthen ties to your community.

Our school partners with community organizations to strengthen our ties. We have a very strong lunch buddy program where members of the community come weekly to have lunch and engage with students from an assigned grade level. We also have a large group of volunteers that read one or two days a week to primary students through our SMART reading program. Community members also run our Yello Dyno safety program for all grades K-6. SKORE, our after school program, includes the use of community volunteers to be able to offer special programs such as: wrestling, tumbling, cooking, sewing, readers' theater, tutoring, etc. Our PTO partners with our staff to offer monthly family literature nights. We have many volunteer coaches who volunteer many ,many hours so that our school is able to offer sports programs even during tough budget times. Community members are also invited to many assemblies we have throughout the year. Our community and school are devoted to serving the kids of our county.

What is the single most important factor in the success of your school that others could replicate?

I believe the single most important factor in the success of our school is our districts motto, "Working Together to Put Student Success First." It starts at the top with the school board and administration having this as the first and foremost goal and doing what they can to ensure that this happens through funding programs, staffing, goal setting, and professional development opportunities, to name just a few. It then trickles down to the teachers and support staff who have the exact same frame of mind and who have administration and board support. Next, comes the community and families who are actively sot out to get involved in making our school their school and making it the best it can possibly be. Public schools belong to people who create them, and are only as strong as the support received from an informed public. Support for education is based on knowledge and understanding of their schools. It is highly critical to keep families informed!

Describe the program or initiative that has had the greatest positive effect on student achievement, including closing achievement or opportunity gaps, if applicable.

Using data to drive instruction as explained above has had a great positive effect on student achievement. Using this data to provide extra instruction through our regular classroom teachers, title and/or special ed. teachers is geared towards closing the achievement and opportunity gaps. Every classroom also has a very generous amount of aide time which allows teachers to offer more specialized assistance whether that be reteaching, grade level support, or enriching individual students. Another huge positive factor is all the ways we have utilized community members and agencies, as mentioned above, to assist in all that we do to develop life-long learning and well rounded individuals. This strong partnership has so enhanced what we as a staff are able to offer our students.

Identify the critical professional development activities you use to improve teaching and student learning.

We have implemented many professional development offerings for our staff to enhance our school success. Some examples of these trainings are: use of technology, methods of delivering instruction, differentiating instruction, analyzing data, writing across the curriculum, learning to set rigorous student learning goals, and peer observation opportunities.

Describe how data is used to improve student achievement and inform decision making.

At Sherman Elementary School we believe that assessment drives instruction. In other words, it helps the teacher map the next steps for varied learners and the class as a whole. These assessments are not always time consuming tests, but we do use pre and post tests along with formative and summative assessments as regular parts of the planning, teaching, and learning process. Assessments are often differentiated as to give the clearest picture of what is an appropriate goal for each individual student. At our school, assessment is focused on personal growth not peer competition. In an effort to more effectively engage students in their own learning and growth we also assess interests through interest surveys, interest centers, and self-selection when possible. This helps us to not only address cognitive factors, but also the motivational piece which can be very powerful.

Describe your school culture and explain changes you’ve taken to improve it.

Our school culture is one of always putting students' needs first through respecting and caring about each individual. We have added Kelso's Choice Conflict Management Program to help students to engage in behaviors that show personal respect, appropriate techniques of handling difficult situations, and being a positive member of our school community. We believe in pursuing intellectual, artistic, and athletic excellence through relentless commitment to results and growth as learners. As a staff we are constantly reflecting on prior knowledge and data to guide instruction and apply new learning techniques. We have implemented many professional development offerings for our staff to enhance our school success. Some examples of these trainings are: differentiation of instruction, use of technology, methods of delivering instruction, analyzing data, writing across the curriculum, learning to set rigorous student learning goals, and peer observation opportunities.

• Category 1

  Selected in 2015

• Grades: k - 6
  School Setting: rural
  Town Population: 164
  Student Enrollment: 135
  Student Demographics:
  

  Black/African American: 0%
  White/Caucasian: 86%
  Hispanic: 8%
  Hawaiian/Pacific Islander: 0%
  Asian: 0%
  Native American: 4%
  Other: 2%
  

  Teacher/Student Ratio: 1:13
  % Reduced Lunch: 49%
  % ELL Learners: 0.7%
  Founded: 2009
• PRINCIPAL:
  Cindie King
• CONTACT:
  PO Box 68
  Grass Valley, OR 97029
  541-333-2250
  cking@sherman.k12.or.us