Each year, the staff at Cecilton Elementary School works together to create a plan to ensure academic growth so that we show increasing student achievement - the School Improvement Plan. The purpose of the plan is to ensure that every student is prepared for the rigors of middle school and beyond. We look at the needs of the whole child from academic to school environment to readiness to learn. In addition, we look for ways to support our families so that children come to school each day ready to learn. As you can imagine, this is a complex task with many interrelated parts that must work together - much like the gears in the diagram above. Over the next few editions of our newsletter, we will learn about many of those "gears" that are working together for your child.
This week, we will begin with our goal for Safe Schools. Every successful learning environment is built upon a foundation of safety. We have a Crisis Emergency Response Plan which helps our building remain organized and prepared by outlining safety procedures and includes a schedule of safety drills. We also must ensure that all students feel safe within the building so that they want to come to school. This is where our PBIS program steps in. Under the direction of our school counselor Mrs. Simpson, the PBIS team supports a number of initiatives to teach students Tiger Pride (safety, responsibility, and respect). Students who exhibit Tiger Pride receive individual passport points while whole classes can earn Power Paws. You will hear your child talking about "cashing in" or whole class rewards and this is a result of earning positive reinforcement of Tiger Pride behaviors. Through guidance and PBIS, we also work to help students build the skills to be good friends and to resolve conflicts in a healthy manner. The third component of our safe schools goal is under the direction of our Community School Advisor (CSA), Mrs. Morris. This position is a new grant funded position at our school and the CSA focuses on several support areas for students including helping families who may need to connect with county services, connecting with community organizations to meet school and student needs, and supporting improved attendance for all students.
All of these initiatives work together under the goal of Safe Schools to create a positive learning environment for the students and staff at Cecilton Elementary School.
