At the beginning of this school year, we learned that our school earned the high distinction of becoming a Professional Learning Community (PLC) At-Work Model School due to our hard work and seeking continuous improvement in student achievement both academically and behaviorally. Because of this, we have had the honor to host and work alongside schools seeking to also improve, as they look to our school as one they strive to align with. We are humbled and grateful! These efforts and areas of progress at Marshall Primary School have positively impacted our school this school year.
Similar to last school year, we have provided professional development days for our teachers to engage in PLC collaborative planning sessions district-wide. Additionally, several staff members have attended PLC workshops/conferences this school year. After these professional development opportunities, our staff members have been given the opportunity to create action plans. Most of our teachers are trained in Orton-Gillingham (OG) for phonics instruction, a science of reading approach. However, we look forward to extending our knowledge in literacy instruction best practices by offering a 2-year Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling (LETRS) training, provided by the South Carolina State Department of Education, for all of our certified teachers.
In looking at our diagnostic assessment data, our kindergarten through second grade students have continued to show academic improvements in reading and math. As a part of the PLC process, our certified teachers, school administrators, and instructional support staff meet weekly to identify essential standards, plan for units of instruction, review assessment results, and create action plans for students not mastering skills. The hard work by our teachers, staff, and students this year has proven effective and we are so proud!
We continue to support our students’ social and emotional development. We taught our students behavior expectations with the acronym of BEAR (Belong, Excel, Apply, Respect). These school-wide expectations were rolled-out in January 2024 and taught by various staff members in the specific school locations (cafeteria, hallway, restroom, playground, classroom). In addition to teaching these expectations to our students, we have asked our students to be on the lookout and select a class that our Marshall Teddy Bear will visit each week for following our BEAR Expectations. Also, our teachers choose one student per month who demonstrates BEAR expectations for our Hall of Fame celebration. We love recognizing our well-behaved students with their families at this special ceremony each month! Our school is also continuing to use a curriculum called Move This World, as we continue to help our students with self-awareness, self-regulation, and self-esteem skills. We are intentional to balance teaching academics with teaching behavior skills at Marshall Primary School.
Parent involvement is an area we always seek to strengthen at Marshall Primary School. This year we have sent home free books and materials to promote learning at home. Our teachers have planned Parent Engagement Activities again this school year, inviting our families into our school building (during the school day) to participate in a lesson alongside their child. We also had after school family events, including our highly attended Spring Fling.
We are excited about the 2024-2025 school year at Marshall Primary School as we strive to have high levels of learning for all students and prepare students so that they are college and career ready.
