A Blue Ribbon, Cognia STEM Certified School
At Creek Bridge STEM Academy (CBSA), our primary aim is to help students develop the World Class Skills outlined in the Profile of the South Carolina Graduate. We strive to nurture independent and creative thinkers as well as proficient problem solvers. Through our dedicated focus on high-quality instruction, rigorous academics, and personalized support, our students are equipped to make positive contributions to society. At CBSA, we proudly embrace our motto: "We are Committed, Balanced, Successful Achievers."
CBSA places a strong emphasis on the importance of reading and math skills for our students, staff, and parents. We prioritize "People over Programs" and focus on teaching standards while using programs as resources to support our efforts. Our elementary students benefit from Open Court Foundational Skills, which helps them develop strong reading abilities. Additionally, our new math curriculum, Ready Math, is designed to build foundational math skills and provide challenging opportunities for mathematical practice. Students who need extra support in reading or math receive intervention services through Reading Recovery and Leveled Literacy Intervention, as well as daily small-group instruction models. For middle school students requiring additional help, we offer daily support through a tiered system during small group instruction. Our teachers are dedicated to engaging students in daily socio-emotional learning activities to ensure that their behavioral, wellness, and academic needs are supported.
At CBSA, we provide numerous opportunities for students to engage in personalized learning experiences with immediate feedback for academic growth, allowing them to take ownership of their knowledge and express their mastery of learning. We believe that students must understand how they learn to increase their success. This year, students have engaged in Personalized Learning experiences through choice boards and the iReady learning pathway. They have also practiced Text Dependent Analysis during ELA and social studies classes, receiving immediate feedback using MyWritingAccess to support growth.
This year, CBSA hosted several learning events. One of the most popular events among students was the "One Book, One School, One Day" event, which we held during both the Fall and Spring semesters. During this event, students and staff read books such as Wishtree, How to Eat Fried Worms (for elementary students), or Holes (for middle school students) in a single day. They also completed a choice board that covered all content areas.
In addition to the "One School, One Book, One Day" event, we also organized family math, STEM, and reading nights, where we shared tools with parents to support their children's learning in math and reading. We also held a Parent University, where we provided parents with content review sites and activities by grade level to continue supporting their children's learning.
During the 2023-2024 school year, we continued to provide our students, staff, and school community with numerous opportunities to create a STEM culture grounded in collaboration and inclusivity- we are committed to our Cognia STEM Certification. Creek Bridge is proud of our STEM initiatives and efforts for this school year. CBSA is equipped with a state-of-the-art STEM lab with 3-D printers and other maker-space materials. Through STEM, our students engage in the Engineering Design Process, creating various projects such as drones, remote-controlled devices, solar ovens, and robotics.
Our Robotics Team and Beta Club attended a competition, and our students placed in numerous categories. We integrate STEM into our classrooms and hold weekly STEM Friday activities. We also collaborated with our communities by hosting a well-attended STEM Night and STEM Day. We have increased student engagement by implementing the 4Cs - collaboration, communication, creativity, and critical thinking - which are integrated into teachers’ planning to foster student learning practices.
While CBSA continues to make great strides, we recognize the need for continued academic growth. Our Instructional Leadership Team actively works with teachers through instructional coaching, planning, observing, modeling, and co-teaching to support student growth. We use Classroom Mosaic to provide immediate feedback to teachers and monitor data to inform instructional decisions. Teachers participate in weekly common planning activities and biweekly Professional Development sessions based on student and teacher data. We empower teachers to make data-based instructional decisions and implement promising practices in every classroom. We are confident that continuing this level of support will lead to significant student growth and achievement.
Dr. LaShay Barksdale, Principal
Mr. Keith Godbolt, SIC President
