Ben Hazel Elementary School remains committed to ensuring our students develop the World Class Skills of the Profile of the South Carolina Graduate. Our goal is to be student focused in our planning, developing, and assessing of instruction in order to reach our vision of each child making at least a year's growth in math and reading based on district and state assessment results. We embed other content areas, art, and technology into the core subjects to provide skills for the student that will enable them to be prepared for future career paths.
During weekly Professional Learning Groups our teachers collaborate and use research-based, effective strategies in the classroom. Some of these include: Authentic Reading and Writing experiences, small instructional grouping, Progress Monitoring, Calendar Math, science kits, STEAM, Math and Reading Intervention, Reading Recovery, and cyclical review. Six of our teachers have taken the Early Literacy Course and are serving our first graders that struggle with reading. All of our reading teachers in grades K-3 have received the R2S endorsement. All teachers and administrators have been trained in using iReady, and have completed or are enrolled in LETRS professional development.
Ben Hazel Elementary School’s staff is involved in ongoing training to implement Conscious Discipline. Conscious Discipline is a comprehensive classroom management approach and a social-emotional curriculum. It is based on current brain research, child development information, and developmentally appropriate practices. It is an adult first model that teachers have embraced. At Ben Hazel Elementary, we also have various programs outside the academic world to focus on the development of the whole child. Community projects are an essential part of helping us teach our students about life. We actively participate in community events such as the Watermelon Festival, Community Food Bank projects and support our local animal shelter. Our students participate in the decorating and beautification of our school grounds and our downtown area.
Our school participates in the Boeing Health and Wellness Program and received a grant as a result of our wellness initiatives. We implemented water refill stations, flexible seating options, water challenges and planted a garden. We hosted our first Walk-a-thon this year and it was a great success. We will continue to promote health and wellness and grow in our efforts.
At Ben Hazel Elementary we believe the school, family, and community must share the educational responsibility of our young people. Through our BEE book agenda we communicate daily with our parents. We also utilize Parent Square to inform parents of emergencies and events. All students have access to and use Microsoft Teams for communication and teaching and learning. The administrator and teachers send newsletters, Parent Square, Facebook, Instagram, and use the school website to keep parents community stakeholders involved. We appreciate all of the support we receive in helping with the development of our future South Carolina graduates and world class leaders!
Brandy Braxton Noll, Principal
