Bethel is helping all students develop the World Class Skills of the Profile of the South Carolina Graduate by focusing on critical thinking, communication, collaboration, and creativity across all subject areas as well as in extra-curricular activities. Students at Bethel have many opportunities to develop these skills. Our students collaborate and work in groups to complete projects or solve problems that require critical thinking daily in math, science, English language arts, and social studies. Students compete and work as teams in our school/district Battle of the Books Event, during Field Day activities, games in P.E. classes, the Carolina Panther Play 60 Camp, etc. Our Student Council works as a team to plan and implement activities such as designing and painting art work in our student restrooms and collecting drink tabs for the Ronald McDonald House. We have a news studio where students operate the equipment to run the daily news show and create, design, and deliver the news each morning. Our recycling team works together to collect items throughout the school to send to our county recycling center. Fifth grade students participate in the week long residency program offered through Porkchop Productions where students take on the creative journey of play production. Through character development, stage direction, vocal projection, dialogue interpretation, creative movement and dance, this residency culminates in a student production of favorite fables, fairy tales or folk tales. Our fifth grade students also have the opportunity to apply for a summer computer coding camp where they complete an application to be chosen for a limited number of slots. This camp hits on all four of the world class skills. Students also do coding in our computer lab classes. We have purchased a 3D printer that is used when doing STEM activities with our students. Parents of students in grades K-5 can enroll their students in an afternoon engineering program offered by an outside company but takes place at the school. All students in grades three through five are assigned an ipad to use at school and they are allowed to take the ipad home to use when needed for assignments and projects. Students in grades K through two are assigned an ipad to be used only in the classroom and our K4 students have a set of ten ipads available for use in their classrooms.
The staff at Bethel participates in professional development opportunities that provide them with knowledge and strategies to assist our students in developing the world class skills. Many of our teachers are now Apple Certified on their ipads and /or their MacBooks. All certified staff have an ipad and a MacBook. All teacher assistants have an ipad. We have a full-time technology coach at Bethel to assist teachers with technology and to help them design lessons using technology. We have district instructional supervisors in all four core subject areas as well as a part-time reading coach who work with teachers to make sure they are providing lessons that require students to engage in and develop the world class skills.
Bethel Elementary is fortunate to be located in the Clover School District where we receive outstanding support from our parents, community, district office staff, and school board when it comes to helping students develop the world class skills of the Profile of the South Carolina Graduate.