Grassy Pond Elementary School is building an ethic of excellence. We are instilling the world class skills and life and career characteristics of the Profile of the South Carolina Graduate in our students by working throughout 2018-2019 as a team. Teachers are inspiring, motivating, and equipping students with the learning experiences they need to be successful in school and beyond. The school continued to work with community stakeholders in an attempt to provide as many opportunities for all students to be successful. Local churches, colleges and business partners volunteered time and resources to help support and foster learning. Our PTO planned several successful fund raisers this year as well as provided incentives for students and after school activities to help build a positive community atmosphere. Field trips were planned strategically to support lessons being taught in the classroom. This enables students to make life connections with their learning. In addition to academics Grassy Pond helped students build life skills through our Character Education program. In this program valuable character traits are taught on a monthly basis and students are rewarded for exhibiting these traits. The use of technology increased this past year with the purchase of devices for every classroom and one to one provided by our district in third, fourth and fifth grade. Many online subscriptions were purchased as well, to ensure the effective use of our technology. Several programs were continued this year to ensure student growth. Jan Richardson's Next Steps to guided reading was practiced in all classrooms this year to build consistency within our small group instruction. We utilized Title 1 money to purchase leveled literature of varying genres in all grade levels to support the Next Steps program and aid in its effectiveness. Grassy Pond continued Accelerated Reader and STAR testing to help with our classroom reading instruction.Books of varying interests and levels were purchased to build classroom libraries. LLI, which has proven effective in our upper grades, was used for students in all grade levels. Teachers analyzed student data continually throughout the year and used this data to differentiate instruction according to student's needs. Teachers monitored data with the effective use of data walls and data notebooks. Teachers and staff participate in meaningful staff development to transform teaching at GPES and meet the needs of 21st Century learners. Teachers eagerly participate in book studies, peer observations, conferences and share outs regarding current trends in teaching, learning and technology. Our students were awarded numerous recognitions, from their many accomplishments, throughout this school year. The GPES school family has enjoyed celebrating these successes along with them. The following highlight some of those accomplishments:  Martin Luther King Jr. Art and Essay Contest Winners; Science Fair Winner; District Free-Throw Contest Winners; District Young Writer's Gala Award Winners; Ginger Lipscomb, Principal and Kim McCall, SIC Chair "