• Category 2

    Selected in 2018

  • Grades: 4 - 5
    School Setting: rural
    Town Population: 9,498
    Student Enrollment: 470
    Student Demographics:

    Black/African American: 3%
    White/Caucasian: 73%
    Hispanic: 8%
    Hawaiian/Pacific Islander: 1%
    Asian: 1%
    Native American: 5%
    Other: 9%

    Teacher/Student Ratio: 1:23
    % Reduced Lunch: 40%
    % ELL Learners: 1%
    Founded: 1951
  • PRINCIPAL:
    Lezlie Larsen
  • CONTACT:
    561 Briggs Street
    Box Elder, SD 57719
    605-923-0060
    lezlie.larsen@k12.sd.us
Vandenberg Elementary School
Box Elder, SD
Data is critical to our school.
Describe specific programs in place to ensure that families are involved in the success of your school and students.
Within our Title I Program: Annual parent meeting; Every Trimester - PIE Event (Parent Involvement Experience) - parents receive training/activities in reading/math. Pie is served and it provides an opportunity to build relationships; Books for Bingo - free event, snacks and drinks are provided and all students leave with a minimum of two books.

- Parent-Teacher Conferences - two times a year
- Parent Walk-Through at the beginning of the year
- Bullying Presentation for Parents
- Family Fun Night
- Newly formed PTO
- IEP meetings - we strongly encourage parent involvement and attendance
- Staff use Remind, Class Dojo, email as well as phone calls for parent communication.
- We utilize Campus Messenger as well as a monthly online building newsletter to communicate important information to parents.
- Many classroom teachers also invite parents to help out in the classroom, attend Reader’s Theaters performances, etc.
Describe the most successful activity your school has initiated to strengthen ties to your community.
We have several that we feel help to strengthen our ties to the community. This is an area that we are always evaluating and looking for ways to improve.
● Family Fun Night - this is a family event/building fundraiser where students along with their parents have a variety of activities that they can choose: dance, food, face painting, photo ops, cakewalk, as well as a basket raffle.
● Student Council Bingos/fundraiser - Spooky Bingo as well as a Spring Fling Bingo
● Books for Bingos - is a Title I event and every child is guaranteed to go home with at least two books, if not several.
● A Parent Support Network/PTO has been started. It is a small group of parents but they are a mighty group and willing to help out when needed.

Describe your philosophy of school change or improvement.
Our philosophy supports our District goal in preparing all students to meet the challenges of an ever changing world. We have a shared vision in which all team members are responsible for improving student achievement for ALL students and that we must be preparing ourselves to guide students through those changes as well as growing in our own understanding of student learning and engagement. We also believe in relationship building and creating an environment where students and staff feel safe to take risks, identify needs/gaps and making those data driven instructional decisions in order to work smarter, not harder.
What are your school’s top two goals for the next year?
Our top two goals are to continue to improve student achievement and to continue to improve our school culture and Tier 1 instruction.
What is the single most important factor in the success of your school that others could replicate?
-Building positive, caring relationships with students
-Recognizing and utilizing high-yield student engagement strategies
One of the ways that we have been able to focus building positive, caring relationships with our students was bringing Top 20 training to the district. It has helped us to focus in on school culture, not only, amongst ourselves, but also with students. It has helped us to be aware of what we say and do impacts ourselves, our peers and our students and being more aware of making sure students feel cared for and enjoy coming to school. One of the ways that we are Improving student engagement is to specifically teach three high-yield strategies to our staff with the expectation that they are to incorporate those strategies into their lesson planning so that the strategy is visible to administrator during a classroom walkthrough.
Describe the program or initiative that has had the greatest positive effect on student achievement, including closing achievement or opportunity gaps, if applicable.
● Continuing to Improve our Tier 1 core instruction and intervention by providing resources, training and personnel and having a common understanding and expectation
● Continuing to Improve student engagement strategies where teachers are using common strategies and language
We have a common vision on what positive student achievement looks like in our building and we are committed to doing whatever it takes to help children feel that success.
Every Child! Every Day! Whatever it Takes!
Explain how ESEA federal funds are used to support your improvement efforts.
In our building we have access to a Literacy Coach as well as two Title I Interventionists and one Title I Tutor.
Within the Title I program, differentiated instruction is given based on student’s current abilities and growth projections. Research-based curriculum is provided for all interventionists that includes small-group intervention instruction. CBI individualized leveled instruction, technology supports, parent-involvement funding, and resources for students and parents.
Identify the critical professional development activities you use to improve teaching and student learning.
● Effective & focused PLC(professional learning communities) meetings
● Shared vision between the elementary schools in the district
● We are moving to providing CORE and DIBELS training for ALL instructional staff to strengthen our Tier I instruction and intervention
● Intervention Block
● Literacy coach
● Access to professional development opportunities
● Learning from one another
● Action research
Describe how data is used to improve student achievement and inform decision making.
Data is critical to our school. We have a data retreat at the beginning of the year and the end result is a building level plan. Data is reviewed quarterly for goal progress.
Data is gathered in a variety of ways and the data is then reviewed during our twice monthly professional learning communities. Small group allows for a more focused discussion about where students are and what is needed to move them forward. Large group allows for an overall discussion of what the data shows and sharing of what is and is not working.
Students that have not met expectations even after given specific instruction and practice opportunities during intervention blocks are then referred for intensive interventions which may be provided by Title 1 Interventionists and Special Education Staff.
We also have moved to Standards Based Report Cards.
Describe your school culture and explain changes you’ve taken to improve it.
-Is a continuous process
-Shifting toward ALL are responsible for student achievement for ALL students.
-PLCs are focused on data analysis and strategy implementation.
-A building leadership team
-We believe in Every Child, Every Day, Whatever It Takes!
-School Counselor activities: bullying classes, weekly kindness challenges, Scatter Kindness Wall
-Patriot Pride Notes - we “catch kids” being kind, being responsible, being respectful and being safe.
-Classrooms and lunch room have positive reinforcement plans
-Common area expectations
-Trimester celebrations
-WE BELIEVE wall in main lobby.
-A staff SHOUT OUT board and a Staff Recognition Wall
-Start monthly staff meetings with Celebrations
-Staff created non-negotiables for Accountability, Building Relationships, Modeling Expectations, Mindset and High Expectations for All.
-Top 20 Training - the components build on strengthening our school culture.
-We believe that when staff work as a team, the students benefit.
Stats
  • Category 2

    Selected in 2018

  • Grades: 4 - 5
    School Setting: rural
    Town Population: 9,498
    Student Enrollment: 470
    Student Demographics:

    Black/African American: 3%
    White/Caucasian: 73%
    Hispanic: 8%
    Hawaiian/Pacific Islander: 1%
    Asian: 1%
    Native American: 5%
    Other: 9%

    Teacher/Student Ratio: 1:23
    % Reduced Lunch: 40%
    % ELL Learners: 1%
    Founded: 1951
  • PRINCIPAL:
    Lezlie Larsen
  • CONTACT:
    561 Briggs Street
    Box Elder, SD 57719
    605-923-0060
    lezlie.larsen@k12.sd.us