Edmund A. Burns Elementary School is helping students develop world-class skills and life and career characteristics as outlined by the Profile of the South Carolina Graduate by ensuring that our students are prepared for academic excellence, social responsibility, and personal success. Our focus has also been on instructional quality, literacy and mathematics improvement, and co-teaching.
All classrooms have two certified teachers who provide our students with standards-based instruction through co-planning and co-teaching. Staff participates in weekly grade level planning meetings, monthly faculty meetings, biweekly Teacher Curriculum Team meetings, and differentiated professional development sessions.
Our school is a 1:1 learning environment where iPads are integrated into daily instruction to communicate, problem solve, and collaborate while creating content that demonstrates student learning. Students participate in critical thinking curriculum units that are aligned to standards and include problem-solving activities in reading and mathematics. The school continues to implement a structured Multi-tiered system of support that provides at risk students with remedial instruction and accelerates the skills of advanced students. School-wide reading strategies such as walk-to-read are utilized as a way to encourage and support student collaboration as they develop the skills necessary for life beyond graduation. In addition, all classrooms are equipped with a MacBook Air, Apple TV, and interactive SMART Boards. All students participate in our biweekly science lab. Targeted assistance is provided through itinerant teachers to meet the individual needs of all of our students. Student survey data indicate that more students are satisfied with the learning environment since the implementation of iPads in the classroom.
Students participate in a variety of activities throughout the school year in addition to instructional field trips. We have basketball, strings, student council, book club, chess club, and safety patrol. We have a student-produced morning news show. This opportunity has increased student exposure to media and technology.
We host an annual Meet the Teacher/Open House night, Family Night meetings, Parent Power meetings, School Messenger calls, weekly parent communication folders to build and maintain strong partnerships with our parents and community stakeholders.
Our successes are defined by a rigorous curriculum, strong leadership, and clear goals for student achievement. At Edmund A. Burns Elementary, “Students Come First.”
Marvin Taylor, Principal
Tanang Strachan-Williams, SIC Chair