Pleasant Hill Elementary School (PHES) is helping all students develop the World Class Skills of the Profile of the South Carolina Graduate by concentrating on our vision to “Empower each child to design the future” and our mission to “cultivate a caring community where ALL learners are extraordinary communicators, collaborators, creators, and critical thinkers”. In 2023-2024, PHES followed the theme “Our Future is Bright!” where we focused on the future adults our students will grow into using the Lexington County School District One’s System Commitments as a guide.
All students, regardless of circumstances, advance on time, prepared to graduate and ready to enter college, the military, or industry with certification.
PHES created a school workplan that focused on increasing student achievement, specifically the school-wide goal to increase the percentage of students who are progressing on-time with the requisite skills for success at their current grade levels. Teachers analyzed data, differentiated instruction, conferred with students individually and in small groups, and provided flexible grouping. Our teachers used i-Ready reports to guide instruction and used Personalized Pathways to meet individual student needs. We focused on individual student growth and embraced the following quote from John Hattie: “Success is not high achieving; success is high growth.”
Teaching and Learning develop power skills in all students.
Our emphasis on behavior and mental health learning continued with daily “morning meetings” designed to connect and build relationships with one another. This year, our staff introduced students and families to the newly created Lexington One Graduate Profile as we concentrated on a different competency each month. These competencies include Knowledgeable, Creative Thinker and Problem Solver, Independent Learner, Communicator, Collaborator, Future-ready Literate, Personally and Socially Responsible, Kind and Resilient. Our PHES Student Assistance Team, which included a district behavior specialist, met twice a month to determine ways to support our students and to provide resources to support our teachers. During this school year, students were recognized for demonstrating observance of our school-wide norms and every Friday, student names were drawn during lunches to receive prizes. Students also served as leaders in our school by serving on Principal’s Cabinet, Safety Patrol, Office Helpers, Sunshine Readers, and Flag Helpers. Students were celebrated throughout the year for their academic achievement as well as for award-winning artwork, musical talent, and athletic skills.
Our school is a service-oriented center of learning, committed to family and community partnerships.
Serving our community, creating a unified school family, and including feedback from all stakeholders are core values we uphold. This year, PHES students collected coats and backpacks for those in need, created cards for local senior citizens, and donated items for the local children’s shelter. They also helped maintain our certification as a Certified Green Steps School by participating in a variety of conservation projects to restore, protect, and preserve. Our PTA provided monthly family events such as Bike Night, Fall Festival, “Let’s Glow Golfing” and International Fair, and our PTA volunteers served as Watch D.O.G.S. (Dads of Great Students), mentored students, chaperoned field studies, displayed artwork, and provided monthly duty-free lunch breaks for teachers. We partnered with students from Lexington High School who assisted our students in reading and math instruction, served as Teacher Cadets, read with our students, assisted at school-wide events, and greeted our students in the car lines. The PHES School Improvement Council (SIC) worked with our PTA with school leaders to enable our school to become a Special Olympics Unified Champion School. This initiative focuses on accepting, including, and respecting all. Our school participated in a school-wide book reading and accompanying activities to promote positive relationships. Our SIC also surveyed families to get their ideas and feedback, and then based on the responses, worked with administration to improve our Field Days, outdoor lighting, and grounds maintenance.
Every adult will be equipped with the skills and resources necessary to advocate for and ensure the success of all students.
Instructional coaches, interventionists and administrators collaborated to provide professional learning focused on improving student literacy and mathematical skills. Teachers participated in a book study on The Vocabulary Playbook, and teacher leaders shared strategies that all teachers could use to increase students’ vocabulary development. PHES applied for and was awarded an Innovation Grant from the Lexington One Educational Foundation for the “Spiking Learning Through Robotics” project to purchase a set of Lego Spike kits to introduce students to coding and computational thinking as early as kindergarten, as well as ensure that more students have access to computer science and STEM education.
We thank all who worked with us this year to support us in so many ways. We are grateful for our students, families, staff, community members, PTA, SIC and Central Services staff.
Margaret B. Mitchum, Principal
Crystal Levine, SIC Chair
