St. Andrew’s School of Math and Science (SASMS) is helping all students develop the World-Class Skills and Life and Career Characteristics of the Profile of the South Carolina Graduate through shared decision making, a positive learning environment, and high expectations. With the addition of the partial magnet program, our vision, mission, and purpose realigned to not only support our science and math focus but it also drew closer to the district’s focus of developing a South Carolina graduate who possesses world-class knowledge, skills, and life characteristics. Our vision supports the inclusiveness of the entire family: “We believe that education is a triangle of three partners who are equally responsible for a child’s education: the child, the parents, and the school.” Our Mission aligns very closely with the overall district focus, to “...prepare students to become confident, competent and responsible and self-motivated 21st Century learners by providing an environment where students think critically and creatively, communicate clearly, and respect individual differences, rights, and responsibilities.” Each day our students recite a Creed that serves as a daily reminder of our goals that we strive for: “As a student at St. Andrew’s I pledge to accept the opportunity to grow and learn all that I can today. I will be responsible for my words and my actions. I will respect the rights and feelings of others. I pledge to be kind and helpful to my classmates, friends and teachers. Today, I dedicate myself to becoming the best that I can be”
We attain strong academic results through effective instruction from highly qualified teachers on a daily basis. Our teachers are always seeking to learn new and effective strategies to use data to guide instruction in the classroom. Small-group guided reading, cross-curricular lessons, and the workshop model drive our literacy initiative. We continue to focus on the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) practices in our instruction to provide opportunities that promote collaboration and critical thinking. Students work together closely to design, construct, and revise products throughout many facets of their learning experiences. While COVID-19 prohibited a full collaboration within the community we were able to keep our connections virtually. SASMS saw an average of 10 points gained at the Spring MAP administration. We attribute these gains to the Bridges Math Program that supports critical thinking starting in Kindergarten. IPad/Chromebook class sets have proven to be another strategic tool that guides the development of our students. Our first through fifth-grade students who need intervention in reading and/or math receive additional instruction during the school day. Students involved in these interventions have demonstrated positive gains.
At SASMS our vision contains a strong bond between our students, teachers, and parents. Working together collaboratively, our School Improvement Council (SIC) and Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) support our children, teachers, and staff. Both groups provide supplies, guidance, and opportunities to develop our future South Carolina Graduates.
St. Andrew’s responded to the COVID Crisis with courage and grace. We served students in a Face to Face model as well as a Virtual Model. In both settings, decreasing the impact of COVID-19 disruptions and students’ needs were kept at the forefront of our focus. Increasing small group lessons, 1:1 sessions and parental contact was our faculty and staff’s approach to supporting all of our students during this difficult time. As the year progressed we conducted data reviews as well as attendance reviews to make sure that we targeted those that were most in need of assistance.
Amy Cario, Principal
Bryce Donovan, SIC Chair
