Oak Grove Elementary School continues to help all students develop the World-Class Skills for the Profile of the South Carolina Graduate. We foster this work by creating a positive culture where students have the opportunity to be creative, collaborate, communicate and use critical thinking skills.
We began this year by launching our new school motto: Be Kind, Work Hard, Be Brave. Each morning during our 30-minute Morning Meeting time, students and teachers engaged in discussions and activities that helped them learn ways we can show kindness, work hard to achieve our goals and be brave by taking risks with our learning. Not only did we talk about the work, but we also talked about how it felt. Letting students express their feelings and thoughts was important to building a safe and supportive learning environment.
Social and emotional learning was a focus for learning this school year. As students, staff and families were all experiencing different emotions to the pandemic, we wanted to be able to support each other. Teachers made it a priority to share their knowledge gained about social and emotional learning, and taught students ways to express feelings and strategies to assist them. Each classroom was equipped with a calm-down basket, supplied by our school counselors, that provides a variety of strategies for students to use if they need a 5-minute break to reset and refocus their emotions.
Students, teachers and parents all had a learning curve this year as learning modalities looked different. Teachers were provided with multiple professional learning opportunities, starting in the summer, to gain the skills needed to provide learning on a virtual platform. Students became 1:1 with technology as they were equipped with a learning device, either an iPad or a Chromebook. Using Title I funds, we purchased additional educational software to meet the educational needs of our students. Whether it was face-to-face or virtual learning, we appreciate how hard everyone worked to make sure a quality learning experience continued to be at the forefront.
A virtual platform was essential this year to keep families engaged and connected with our school. At the beginning of the year, we provided welcome back videos and virtual tours of the school to help everyone feel familiar with the school and classrooms. Parent conferences were conducted by Zoom to accommodate parent schedules and adhere to safety guidelines. Some teachers had parents join the class virtually as a guest reader. Through the support of our community, the counselors were able to create a virtual Career Fair for our students to learn about different job options. Our weekly school newsletter and social media platforms were key components to keep the families connected with the school to share snapshots of the work and celebrations that were happening throughout the school year.
As a school, we offered students free lunch and breakfast this school year. The students waited patiently each morning at the breakfast cart to fill their bag with healthy food options. More than half of our student population was fed breakfast each day. For more than half of the school year, our school served as a food pick-up location for virtual learning students. It was great to see our virtual families on Fridays during food pick-up as we ensured that any family in need of food received what they needed.
Preparing our students for the summer, we wanted to make sure they were equipped with the tools to continue learning. With Title I funds, each student was able to choose four books on their reading level to enjoy this summer and add to their home library. Supporting our students and their growing reading skills is a priority at OGE.
What ultimately made this school year successful was the continued support of an amazing community. One parent wrote, “I am very blessed that my kids get the best education. Thank you all, and know that my entire family (extended family too!) is grateful for how you have helped my kids this year.”
We are very grateful for this community. Thank you to our families, students and staff for being a family that works together, cares together and grows together. Together, we are stronger!
Christy M. Graham, Principal
Kathryn Swift, SIC Chair