At Chester Park Elementary School of the Arts (CPESA) we are helping students develop the World Class Skills of the Profile of the South Carolina Graduate by providing our learners with differentiated instruction through the integration of arts in our core curriculum. We introduce our learners to multiple areas in the arts including dance, strings, visual art, and music. Through such experiences, we tap into various learning styles to present the content in an engaging and meaningful way. To ensure effective infusion, our teachers participate in differentiated professional development that is geared toward integrating the arts into the core curriculum. The aforementioned professional development is offered in the form of learning labs, peer observations, professional learning opportunities, professional book studies, external consultants, and teacher-led trainings.  We are proud to be an Arts in Basic Curriculum (ABC) and an applicant of the Distinguished Arts Program.

Since 2021, all of our Kindergarten through third grade teachers, special services teachers, reading interventionist and coach, and school level administrators participated in the Language Essential for Teachers of Reading and Spelling (LETRS) training. LETRS is a professional development course that empowers educators to understand and implement the science of reading into their daily literacy instruction. In addition to this robust professional learning, K-3 teachers were also provided with a systematic and explicit program for teaching phonics to students:  the University of Florida Literacy Initiative Foundations, or more commonly referred to as, UFLI. UFLI was implemented with fidelity for daily whole group instruction during the 2024-2025 school year, and teachers received ample supports from CPESA's literacy coach as well as a district partnership with the University of Florida. Fourth and fifth grade teachers utilized UFLI as an intervention for striving readers as a way to close the gap in students' foundational reading skills. Just after the first year alone, we observed great gains in our youngest students' ability to decode and encode grade-level appropriate words, sentences, and even stories. We are so excited to see this continued growth as we enter the 2025-2026 school year and beyond.

Here at the Arts’ school, we have established a collaborative culture which is embedded into our school's instructional practices. Our teachers are engaged in weekly professional learning communities (PLCs) where they create engaging lessons, design common formative assessments (CFAs) to measure student progress, analyze and discuss data, examine the South Carolina State Standards, and share creative instructional strategies.

In addition, the use of technology is encouraged throughout the building to support our collaborative culture. Our Pre -Kindergarten classes are equipped with 1:1 Lenovo Think Pads sponsored by Waterford. Access to this technology allows students to engage in daily instructional family activities centered around the State’s Early Literacy initiative. In grades Kindergarten through fifth, students have access to 1:1 technology. Every classroom is equipped with an interactive Clear Touch board. Technology in our school is used to assist students as they access materials needed to support their learning.

Our family events this school year included Teacher Meet and Greet and the Family Literacy and Math Nights along with other academic achievement recognition activities which gave families an opportunity to engage with teachers and staff. Teachers were creative in meeting with parents/guardians for conferences, including virtual conferences, phone conferences, Parenting and family engagement materials were replenished in the Parent & Family Engagement Resource Center. Each month, families were invited to participate in School Improvement Council (SIC) and Title I meetings virtually and in-person. A quarterly school newsletter is sent home and additional information is available via the school website, Facebook, and automated phone messages through ThrillShare Messenger.

 We are looking forward to the 2025-2026 school year as we continue to cultivate a school of excellence through the arts.