Our school is helping all students develop the world-class skills and life and career characteristics of the Profile of the South Carolina Graduate by engaging in a rigorous curriculum fostered by high expectations among our school community. Powdersville Elementary School is committed to developing learners and empowering leaders. This mission reflects our intense belief that all students can learn at high levels and each student has leadership skills and potential. This year marked the eighth year of our 1:1 iPad implementation for all students. Students and teachers showed innovation on a daily basis in the ways in which they use the technology in the classroom to support their research and presentation of material to communicate their learning effectively. Students and teachers have also explored ways in which to differentiate and expand their learning through programs such as Dreambox, Reflex, Edulastic, Seesaw, and more. In an effort to understand, support, and teach the whole child, the staff at Powdersville Elementary worked hard this year to teach skills to students that extend beyond the academic curriculum and connect the students with our community. We enjoyed hosting a virtual Literacy Night to encourage families to read at home and to stress the importance of literacy. We invited men from around the community to read to our students during our “Real Men Read” event. In an effort to prevent and educate our students about bullying, Powdersville Elementary continues to implement OLWEUS, an anti-bullying program that promotes student education on the topic and ways in which to prevent it in the classroom and community. Powdersville has also implemented the House System across all grade levels to create a sense of belonging for each student. Houses were created based on our P.R.I.D.E. acronym which stands for Purposeful, Respectful, Innovative, Determination, and Excellence. Administration, teachers, students, and other staff members each randomly selected one of our five houses to belong to. Each month the students and staff gathered at their meeting place with their house members to discuss qualities that promote good citizenship. Teachers of each homeroom then recognized students who were demonstrating these qualities in our P.R.I.D.E. practice ceremonies. Professional Learning Communities, or PLCs, were one of the ways in which teachers ensure that all students learn at high levels. Teachers worked to review essential standards, engage in meaningful conversation about student data and assessments, and create an action plan for how to address students’ needs. Teachers met weekly to review student data and engage in discussions that led to future adjustments with intervention and enrichment in the classroom. During this collaborative time for teachers, students enjoyed an extra related arts experience in which they engaged in various opportunities such as foreign language, guidance lessons, leadership 101, and financial literacy lessons as part of our “Thriving Thursday” program. Our PTSO has supported our teachers and school in many ways by raising money through partnerships with community businesses and hosting events for our students and parents all throughout the year. This has created opportunities for our students to excel. This year our PTSO helped design and install various sensory paths for all of our students to utilize during the school day. We have found an increased need for movement and social-emotional support. Teachers implemented “What’s up Wednesdays” in order to provide opportunities to support social-emotional learning for our students. Our School Improvement Council (SIC) remains active and supports improvement efforts in multiple areas. Students were able to show their Powdersville PRIDE in our district Olympics competition in which they brought home awards in several events. Powdersville students, staff, and teachers are pursuing excellence by constantly looking to push themselves and take learning and community relations to the next level while embracing the many challenges that lie ahead. #pvespride