SC Report Card Summary: Bethel Elementary
Bethel Elementary School has 388 students; grades Prek to 5th, two administrators, 40 certified staff, and 20 classified staff members. The mission of Bethel Elementary, in partnership with the parents and community, is to prepare students to become productive, confident, and responsible citizens by creating a safe, friendly, child-centered environment that effectively addresses the social, emotional, and intellectual needs of each child.
School Celebrations
A review of our most recent school achievement data/extracurricular opportunities has given us a reason to celebrate. Those achievements and opportunities include:
1.) SC Ready preliminary data shows that overall percentage of students achieving met/exceeded in Math decreased 5.4% for 72.6%, reading increased 1.3 points to 77.7%, and science increased 12.1 points to 73%. We implemented iReady pathways and diagnostic testing. The Spring iReady data shows that 35% of our student met their stretch growth in reading and 21% in math. 3.) Our school has opportunities outside of the classroom to grow the whole child: Student-run television news show (WBET), Mock Trial, 4-H, Scrambled Legs, and Student House Council 4.) Our school's Fine Arts Department represented us well at District and School Art Show, Artistic GT Showcase as well as Carowinds Music Festival.
Key Strategies:
Our school is helping all students develop the World Class Skills of the Profile of the South Carolina Graduate through strategies that integrate critical thinking, communication, collaboration, and creativity:
Academic Excellence
Personalized Learning
Learner Profiles- Learners take ownership of their learner profile, routinely making adjustments and utilizing it on a daily or weekly basis to steer both their learning experiences and life choices. The teacher creates learning experiences that incorporate the experiences and strengths of each learner based on data from their learner profile.
Goal-setting and tracking- Students take on leadership roles as they independently track progress against their academic and non-academic goals. They also reflect on their strengths and areas for growth. Students consistently receive timely, frequent, and detailed feedback from both teachers and peers to support their plan for continual improvement.
Assessment -Students actively participate in developing assessments and play a role in deciding the most effective method and timing for demonstrating their mastery. Students showcase their learning through a range of formative and summative assessments that are diverse, authentic, relevant, and rigorous.
MTSS/RTI
Implement a multi-tiered framework promoting school improvement through engaging, evidence-based academic and behavioral practices. Meet monthly to review student progress and utilize data-driven problem solving to maximize growth for all.
Community Feeling
House System
The house system is an idea adopted from Ron Clark Academy to give students the opportunity to connect with students across classes and grades that they may not normally have a chance to interact with. This helps students gain more friendships and create a family-like culture at our school.
TEAM Time
Provide "Together Everyone Achieves More" time within the master schedule to allow for flexible grouping of students across the grade level. During this time, students will be engaged in data-driven remediation or enrichment instruction.
PLC Meeting
Provide time within the Master Schedule for teachers to meet as a Professional Learning Team to collaborate, reflect on data for flex grouping opportunities, data-driven instruction, and create engaging lessons for students.
Productive Citizens
SOAR Behavior Matrix
Implement a PBIS Matrix of expectations to encourage good behavior. Communicated the contents of the behavior matrix to students and parents early in the school year through assemblies and guided practice with the classroom teacher and the use of colorful posters, consistent feedback, and reteaching.
Classroom Dojo/RCA House App
Implement the use of Classroom Dojo as a PBIS incentive program. Teachers will work with students to create classroom rules/expectations that align with the school-wide expectations. Students will also assist teachers in creating a list of incentives that they would like to earn. Parents will receive daily notifications of students' behavior.
Professional Development
This year, our K-5 and special education teachers are working through Inclusion Bytes series to further implement successful inclusion strategies. Time has also been held in the master schedule for weekly planning to ensure strategies are used.
All staff members are participating in a book study facilitated by school administrators on the book by Amie Dean Behavior Interventions.
Teachers participated in professional development (PD) that aligned with our Impact Team goals during the extended planning sessions with our Innovation Coach. They were also given time to develop a plan for implementing the strategies outlined in our goals.
There were several mini-sessions throughout the year, including the beginning-of-year training, MTSS updated process training, and TEAM Time plan training.
Parent and Community Engagement
Our focus is on students not only learning but also having experiences that will last a lifetime. To make that happen, we rely on the support and collaboration of our community, whether through in-school partnerships or field trips. These connections with the community enrich our students' learning experiences and foster a sense of belonging and pride in our school.
We have partnered with our community and other schools several times this year. A few examples are as follows. Clover Middle School Jazz band joined us during our House tree decorating celebration. We collaborated with the Chef at CHS for our Cupcake Wars and Fraction Pizza Cafe. Board members, district office staff, and community members joined us as the jury for our Mock Trial. Various CHS sports teams opened car doors for us, which our students loved. Community members donated bikes as part of our attendance incentive.
Our PTO is exceptional at connecting with local businesses. During Teacher Appreciation Week, staff members received gift cards and meals from local companies. We are grateful for the partnerships we have created throughout this year and look forward to continuing to grow in this area.
