• Category 1

    Selected in 2014

  • Grades: pre k - 8
    School Setting: rural
    Town Population: 800
    Student Enrollment: 108
    Student Demographics:

    Black/African American: 0%
    White/Caucasian: 95.4%
    Hispanic: 1.9%
    Hawaiian/Pacific Islander: 0%
    Asian: 0%
    Native American: 2.8%
    Other: 0%

    Teacher/Student Ratio: 1:9
    % Reduced Lunch: 41%
    % ELL Learners: 5%
    Founded: 1915
  • PRINCIPAL:
    Lori Brown-Chauvet
  • CONTACT:
    PO Box 189
    Ulm, MT 59485
    406-866-3313
    dwhitmore.ulm@gmail.com
Ulm Elementary
Ulm, MT
Describe specific programs in place to ensure that families are involved in the success of your school and students.
Ulm School District is a small school. Many of our parents went to school in Ulm and some even had the same teachers as their children. We have an Open House in the fall, Christmas Programs and Concerts, a Spring Concert with a Community Barbecue, Parent Teacher Conferences, and an Eight Grade Graduation. At Eighth Grade Graduation, each student has a slide show that celebrates them. These events are all well attended by parents and community members. We also have an active ABC school parent club that holds basket raffles, plant sales, brings in Missoula Children's Theatre, and celebrates Red Ribbon Week and Teacher Appreciation. The ABC club is made up of teachers and community members.
What are your school’s top two goals for the next year?
The Ulm Schools top two goals for the next school year are:
1. To implement Response to Instruction (RTI) and PBIS (Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports) practices into our school systems.
2. To successfully integrate a new reading series
What is the single most important factor in the success of your school that others could replicate?
The greatest asset of the Ulm Schools is it feels like a family. Students are nurtured and cared about by all staff, community members, administration, and board members. We refer to our Ulm family often when making decisions, during tough situations, and when we have celebrations. We have small class sizes and provide a lot of individual attention while maintaining high standards and expectations.
Identify the critical professional development activities you use to improve teaching and student learning.
The Ulm School District has three critical committees: School Improvement (SI), MBI, and Technology. The SI Committee is made up of teaching staff members and administration and charged with leading the school in the area of curriculum, schedules, professional development, Response to Instruction (RTI), etc. This committee meets monthly. Our MBI Committee is also made up of teaching staff members and administration and meets monthly. This committee is responsible for providing and maintaining a school-wide positive behavior support system. This system allows students and staff members to thrive socially, personally, and academically. Our Technology Committee is made up of staff members, administration, and the district technology consultant and assistant. This committee meets three times a year to develop and maintain a 5-year technology plan. The Technology committee is also responsible for making decisions regarding future technology purchases and trainings.
Describe how data is used to improve student achievement and inform decision making.
The Ulm Schools use the DibelsNext data to benchmark and progress monitor our students' reading. We use the data to determine and make changes to our Walk to Read reading groups. During Walk to Read, our students receive instruction for 30 minutes with peers who have similar reading abilities. The students are given additional assessments, such as phonics and phonemic awareness screeners; sight word, vocabulary, and comprehension assessments; and fluency timed readings to determine the specific instruction used in the Walk to Read groups. The teachers meet with Title I staff weekly for common planning to look at results, discuss current instruction, and make necessary changes. The DibelsNext benchmark and progress monitoring results are shared with students and parents to ensure that everyone is working together for our students' success. We, at Ulm, believe it takes a community to raise and educate a child.
Stats
  • Category 1

    Selected in 2014

  • Grades: pre k - 8
    School Setting: rural
    Town Population: 800
    Student Enrollment: 108
    Student Demographics:

    Black/African American: 0%
    White/Caucasian: 95.4%
    Hispanic: 1.9%
    Hawaiian/Pacific Islander: 0%
    Asian: 0%
    Native American: 2.8%
    Other: 0%

    Teacher/Student Ratio: 1:9
    % Reduced Lunch: 41%
    % ELL Learners: 5%
    Founded: 1915
  • PRINCIPAL:
    Lori Brown-Chauvet
  • CONTACT:
    PO Box 189
    Ulm, MT 59485
    406-866-3313
    dwhitmore.ulm@gmail.com