Midway Elementary School helps all students to develop the World-Class Skills of the Profile of the South Carolina Graduate by fostering a safe and nurturing environment for the development of each student through inquiry-based learning and the workshop model. Social and emotional learning, physical activity, and the Lexington One Graduate Profile were utilized to meet the needs of the whole child. Professional learning is provided by our math and reading coach. Our learning in math focuses on the Choral Counting & Counting Collections. This is extremely meaningful as it facilitates the focus on providing individual strategies and goals for students in math. Teachers were provided training in reading and writing by our literacy coach on goal-setting and high-quality academic feedback. To meet the needs of all students, the workshop model played a greater role in personalizing learning, and meeting each student on his or her level. This allowed for small-group instruction as well as individual conferring opportunities as teachers used student performance data to guide instruction. Student progress and goals were set and monitored by iReady Benchmark Testing, text-level assessments, and formative and summative assessments. Enrichment and school programs continued to bring relevant learning that will extend beyond the classroom through our Partial French Immersion program, Spanish class, and STEM-focused Computer Science. We strive to make all students bi-lingual whether through a written or digital language. Students are provided extra support through our daily Mustang Minutes block which provides small group and individual instruction by our team of interventionists. MES implemented Reading Recovery as a reading intervention for grade one students. All students participated in Dreambox which allowed students to work independently on their current math levels. Morning Meetings continued to be extremely important as we sought to meet the needs of the whole child. Teachers utilize lessons and resources to support students and their emotional and social needs. The Lexington One Graduate Profile was utilized to grow citizenship. Counselors sponsored small group and individual lessons to meet the identified needs of students. Our school counselors also worked with students in their recognition of their emotional states and how to better deal with these feelings. This school year a focus was placed on community service projects as we modeled reaching out to serve others. The year began with a continuation of our kindness rock garden in which each student designed and painted his or her rock to add to the garden. Our students began work on a school vegetable garden where students learn how to grow vegetables and live a healthy lifestyle. Our school was recognized as one of America’s Healthiest Schools by the Alliance for a Healthier Generation. Our School Improvement Council partnered with our PTO to provide new benches and landscaping on our playground. The PTO provided teachers with grants that assisted in building classroom libraries, purchasing math manipulatives and sponsoring teachers to attend outside professional learning. Our School Counselors and community members worked with our PTO and the school administrators in providing morale boosters for our staff. Games, treats, food trucks and more, were arranged to increase interaction for staff and to provide support. Local churches and businesses reached out to provide support and treats to our faculty and staff. As physical movement impacts emotional health, we continued to provide our after-school Run Hard Program during the fall and spring semesters. We partnered with Kids Heart Challenge and set individual goals in Physical Education classes. Teachers continued to include additional movement in the classroom through the use of programs such as GoNoodle.com and instructional strategies. While this school year continued to bring many challenges it also brought celebrations! Our MES family including our students, staff, parents, and community, pulled together in supporting each other. Together, we are providing an environment where ALL students can learn, grow and excel.
Timothy Carnahan, Principal
Nick Mayes, SIC Chair
