New Providence Elementary School is helping all students develop the World-Class Skills of the Profile of the South Carolina Graduate by creating a safe, nurturing, high-performance learning culture of excellence. Our students acquire 21st-century learning experiences in the arts, academics, leadership and global citizenship. Through the efforts of our highly qualified, dedicated teaching and support staff, our 13-year history of academic excellence is well-established. We are thankful for our parents for their continued support and patience, and proud of our students and staff for joining together and overcoming the many challenges we were presented with, resulting in a successful year of learning and growing together.
English language arts is taught to all students through the continued implementation of Lucy Calkins’ Units of Study — reading and writing in kindergarten through fifth grade along with phonics in kindergarten through second grade. These units of study ensure vertical alignment and increased rigor as teachers work together to examine student work, reflect on teaching practices and analyze assessment data in order to adjust instructional priorities in their classrooms. Teachers work collaboratively with our reading coach and interventionists to develop personalized instructional strategies and interventions to address individual learning needs. All kindergarten through fifth grade teachers completed Student Learning Objectives in the area of writing to look closely at student data and set student growth targets.
Life and career characteristics are exemplified at NPE through a focus on the Lexington District One Power Skills and integration of a focus on LIFELONG GUIDELINES and LIFESKILLS. Our staff fosters discussions, modeling and celebrating character traits such as humor, common sense, perseverance and organization, through this leadership model. We implemented a weekly Character Compass challenge, giving classes opportunities to earn badges for demonstrating good character. Life and career characteristics are also taught through guidance lessons and one child from each homeroom was selected to receive the 2021 NPE Perseverance Award. Homeroom teachers scheduled 20 minutes each day for focused social-emotional learning time in the form of a morning meeting. In January, we began using the QuaverSEL program and our school counselors designed lessons to reinforce the character traits, Power Skills and other topics that promote a positive self-concept.
Each year, students at NPE have many opportunities to be leaders in our school and local community. Students had the opportunity to give back to the community by participating in a local fundraiser in honor of a former NPE student, raising money to donate to Happy Wheels. Fifth grade students were afforded leadership opportunities by participating in our NPE morning news program and serving on the Student Advisory Council.
Beyond building a strong academic foundation and developing student leaders, we provide students with advanced technology instruction. NPE is designated as a computer science immersion school where students have the opportunity to learn and apply the fundamentals of computer coding. Through coding programs, students develop critical thinking, creativity, communication and collaboration skills. Students have a unique avenue to apply problem-solving, team-building and presentation skills as they collaborate and share their thinking process with peers. This year, even though we were unable to host showcases in person, we successfully held two virtual showcases to highlight the accomplishments of our kindergarten through fifth grade students in Scratch and Minecraft.
Through the generous support of our PTA, School Improvement Council, parents and community, NPE continues to develop students who will be successful future leaders through a continuous focus on collaboration, communication, creativity and critical thinking. We are proud of what we have accomplished during this challenging school year and are excited about the upcoming school year and all that we will accomplish together.
Robert Candillo, Principal
Becky Kubinak, SIC Chair
