Duncan Chapel Elementary School is helping all students develop the world class skills and life and career characteristics of the Profile of the South Carolina Graduate by providing a safe, caring, and academically challenging learning environment where each individual student can S.A.I.L.(Serve, Achieve, Inspire, Lead) to Success!
The “S” in S.A.I.L. is for Serve, and we are committed to helping students grow as model citizens who understand and value service to others. Our students participate in various service learning and community outreach projects including managing school-wide recycling, making weekly lunches for the homeless, collecting food and clothing for those in need, raising money for cancer and cystic fibrosis research, and organizing our annual Empty Bowls Soup Night. Through such endeavors, we demonstrate our commitment to community and provide our students with hands-on opportunities to positively impact their world.
The “A” in S.A.I.L. is for Achieve, and we ensure optimal learning opportunities so every child achieves success! Through the use of research-based strategies and state of the art resources, we provide rigorous learning opportunities for all students. On-going Title I funding enables us to offer intervention and enrichment for students who need additional academic support and/or additional academic challenge. This funding also provides personal learning devices (i-Pads, Chromebooks, Laptops) for each student’s daily school use. Our implementation of creative scheduling allows for greater opportunities to individualize instruction based on student needs. As a result of our schoolwide focus on achievement, our students continue to excel, and we have maintained high ratings in all academic areas.
The “I” in S.A.I.L. is for Inspire, and we have created an environment where everyone has daily opportunities to inspire one another to grow and reach new heights. We view our school community (faculty, staff, students and parents) as a community of life-long learners, who seek continued growth and improvement. Through various initiatives and activities, such as Lego Robotics, Run Hard, PTA Reflections, and Book Buddies, our students inspire each other to be their personal best. Students take ownership of their learning and social development by setting personal goals, maintaining personal data notebooks to chart growth, and sharing this information during student-led conferences.
The “L” in S.A.I.L. is for Lead, and we provide our students with a variety of experiences and opportunities to be active leaders in our school and community. Student Council, DCTV, Safety Patrol, Letter Buddies, and PE Helpers are a few examples of student leadership roles. Our Student Council members are the voice of our student body and are given opportunities to lead and organize school-wide service projects as well as activities to contribute to school spirit. In 2018 our Safety Patrol team led the way with initiating a Safety Improvement Project modeling how to cross the street and use the crosswalk appropriately. With the hard work of our Patrol leaders we were excited to be named the Safe School Grand Slam Champions by Safe Kids Upstate for our Safety Improvement Project.
Through the collaborative efforts of our faculty, families and community, Duncan Chapel Elementary continues to make great strides in preparing students to S.A.I.L to Success beyond their elementary years and meet the challenges of our changing world!
