• Category 2

    Selected in 2015

  • Grades: k - 6
    School Setting: rural
    Town Population: 0
    Student Enrollment: 135
    Student Demographics:

    Black/African American: 0%
    White/Caucasian: 87%
    Hispanic: 3%
    Hawaiian/Pacific Islander: 6%
    Asian: 0%
    Native American: 2%
    Other: 2%

    Teacher/Student Ratio: 1:15
    % Reduced Lunch: 52.3%
    % ELL Learners: 1%
    Founded: 1953
  • PRINCIPAL:
    Jacquelyn Johnson
  • CONTACT:
    307 Southside Schools Rd. (PO Box 159)
    Cocolalla, ID 83813
    208-263-3020
    jacquelyn.johnson@lposd.org
Southside Elementary School
Cocolalla, ID
Our school and district’s number one goal is to strengthen student writing.
Describe specific programs in place to ensure that families are involved in the success of your school and students.
Southside Elementary School’s success in closing the achievement gap is not because of a program or an initiative. Teacher and staff initiative, willingness to work as a team, and the ability to be flexible is the secret to meeting the needs of our students. Southside staff knows every student by name and every student is treated as a valued individual. Our school is a family. We care about all of our students.

Our teachers are life long learners. They work hard to keep their strategies and interventions updated, stay current with technology, and seek ways to improve their instruction.

Teachers at Southside Elementary dedicate much of their time (recess, preps, before school) to tutor and work with individual students.
Describe the most successful activity your school has initiated to strengthen ties to your community.
Teachers and staff are readily available and families are encouraged to take part at Southside Elementary! Communication is an essential ingredient in parent involvement. We have established a strong link between school and home: weekly folders, e-mail, message stickers, Synervoice, PTA, etc.

We are a small school and host a variety of classroom and schoolwide events that welcome parents and help build relationships. Our most popular events have been our Family Science Night and Family Math Night.

• This year we implemented a Thursday S.T.E.A.M. program. It has been our biggest tie to the Cocolalla community. The program has brought guest speakers and professionals into many classrooms and has increased parent interest and participation. S.T.E.A.M. has also expanded students' awareness of their world outside the classroom. Some S.T.E.A.M. classes have worked directly with local organizations.
Describe your philosophy of school change or improvement.
Focus on student outcomes, keep an eye on current research, and empower your teacher leaders!

What are your school’s top two goals for the next year?
1) Our school and district’s number one goal is to strengthen student writing.

2) We are excited about our new school-wide focus on S.T.E.A.M. We offer multi-age S.T.E.A.M. classes each Thursday afternoon for one hour. Classes include topics such as “Rock Hounds”, “Creative Movement”, “Building a Nature Trail”, “Creating Arcade Games”, “3-D Printer Coding”, “On Stage Fun”, “Photography”, etc. Through these classes students are exposed to a larger world of possibilities. Students select a new S.T.E.A.M. class each quarter, giving them voice and allowing us to enhance and develop their interests.
What is the single most important factor in the success of your school that others could replicate?
Relationships! Relationships with students, families, each other and the greater community.
The value of long-term commitment, dedication to providing the best education, family support and community involvement.
Describe the program or initiative that has had the greatest positive effect on student achievement, including closing achievement or opportunity gaps, if applicable.
Southside Elementary School’s success in closing the achievement gap is not because of a program or an initiative. Teacher and staff initiative, willingness to work as a team, and the ability to be flexible is the secret to meeting the needs of our students. The Southside staff knows every student by name and every student is treated as a valued individual. Our school is a family. We care about all of our students.

Our teachers are life long learners. They work hard to keep their strategies and interventions updated, stay current with technology, and seek ways to improve their instruction.

Teachers at Southside Elementary dedicate much of their time (recess, preps, before school) to tutor and work with individual students.
Explain how Title I funds are used to support your improvement efforts.
Title 1 funds provide a certified teacher for our school. The Title 1 teacher coordinates the RtI process, schedules for paraprofessionals, provides push-in and pull-out support for struggling learners, coordinates our family nights and provides professional development.
Identify the critical professional development activities you use to improve teaching and student learning.
Our school and district’s number one goal is to strengthen student writing. We are using Step-Up writing strategies across the grade levels. Our teachers meet monthly district-wide to discuss implementation. A “leadership” coach is on site, and we have two district writing coaches. Teachers have fine-tuned writing rubrics for our District Writing Assessment (DWA) which measures student success in writing at all grade levels.
Describe how data is used to improve student achievement and inform decision making.
Southside Elementary School was the first school in our district to implement RtI and has been a leader in the effectiveness of this process ever since. On-going data is continuously used to ensure our students are receiving the specific interventions they need. We keep groups and ideas flexible with student needs and growth at the very heart of what we do.

This year we are learning to compile and analyze our data using “Milepost”, a data management system. Our Title 1 teachers facilitate regularly scheduled RtI meetings for each grade level. Together we review progress monitoring, universal screenings; using the data to develop programs and interventions. We are beginning to gather behavior data that will allow teachers to identify patterns or unusual changes in student behaviors, which ultimately affect immediate and long-term student achievement. All data is collected with the goal of improving student achievement.
Describe your school culture and explain changes you’ve taken to improve it.
Our school culture is one that families and students feel the moment they walk in the door. We work together in creating a safe, loving, and respectful environment. With the advantage of a small population we are able to know our students on a more personal level. We uphold high expectations. Every teacher in the building assists students with achieving successful goals.

Southside has a large population of students living in poverty and facing unsettling harsh realities. Our staff has always provided a haven from the storm and nurtured the academic best in every student.

Our Friday Community Circle encourages sharing and participation, fosters pride and acknowledges individual student efforts. Our motto is SOAR to Success: Safety, Ownership, Attitude and Respect.
Stats
  • Category 2

    Selected in 2015

  • Grades: k - 6
    School Setting: rural
    Town Population: 0
    Student Enrollment: 135
    Student Demographics:

    Black/African American: 0%
    White/Caucasian: 87%
    Hispanic: 3%
    Hawaiian/Pacific Islander: 6%
    Asian: 0%
    Native American: 2%
    Other: 2%

    Teacher/Student Ratio: 1:15
    % Reduced Lunch: 52.3%
    % ELL Learners: 1%
    Founded: 1953
  • PRINCIPAL:
    Jacquelyn Johnson
  • CONTACT:
    307 Southside Schools Rd. (PO Box 159)
    Cocolalla, ID 83813
    208-263-3020
    jacquelyn.johnson@lposd.org