The team at Thomas E. Kerns Elementary School is fully devoted to the Graduation Plus initiative of Greenville County Schools: Cultivating Superior Graduates: Producing Career and College Ready Students. We take immense pride in the tireless efforts of our staff, students, and parents this school year.
The mission of Thomas E. Kerns Elementary School is to foster successful, accountable, and respectful lifelong learners. We attain this goal by ensuring our school is staffed with skilled and proficient faculty and staff.. Our commitment to high-quality professional learning communities, instructional coaching, and professional development enhances our Tier 1 instruction, providing our learners with an exceptional education. Teachers meet weekly to collaborate and analyze data, improving outcomes for all students and reflecting on their teaching methods. Our ongoing efforts to strengthen Tier 1 instruction, support diverse academic, socio-emotional, and behavioral needs, and bolster our professional learning communities have led to our removal from the state school priority list. Additionally, we received the Superintendent Award for academic improvement in ELA for the 2023 school year.
The school administration, behavior coach, and guidance counselor foster responsible and respectful learners by creating opportunities for students to demonstrate these traits. Our students participate in classroom guidance, daily social and emotional activities, student of the month celebrations, attendance incentives, academic and behavioral rewards, tutoring, monthly clubs (such as Good News Club, Girls on the Run, Cub Scouts, Financial Literacy, Chess Club), STEAM Lab, Read Across America activities, WTEK morning news show, and more throughout the year.
Thomas E. Kerns Elementary School envisions an environment of excellence for students, staff, parents, and the community. Our social worker collaborates with religious institutions and local organizations to provide essential resources like school supplies, clothing, and food for some of our families. This social worker also builds relationships with community partners dedicated to supporting our students. Furthermore, our students actively contribute to their community by organizing a toy drive during the festive season.
The Parent Involvement Coordinator and Title I Facilitator offer workshops to help parents with social-emotional learning, academics, and behavior management. The PIC has secured over twenty mentors to support our students weekly and recruited volunteers to start English-speaking classes for parents. The School Improvement Council's initiative to provide every student with a home library encourages students to positively impact through literacy-focused endeavors. Additionally, the school's leadership team has obtained grants to mentor novice teachers and sustain our commitment to Conscious Discipline.
At Thomas E. Kerns, we are a close-knit community dedicated to developing future leaders. Our educators, support staff, and community partners work tirelessly to ensure every student's success. We are bold dreamers, envisioning the extraordinary and striving to make these dreams a reality. Catch the Wildcat Spirit!
Shayla Abercrombie,
SIC Chairperson
