Catawba Trail Elementary is helping all students develop World Class Skills of the Profile of the South Carolina Graduate. This is being accomplished by providing meaningful, challenging and engaging learning experiences as we prepare our students to lead and excel in their chosen pathway.
As we conclude our 11th year, Catawba Trail Elementary continues to progress. We have 45 Highly Qualified Certified Teachers to include 6 teachers with National Board Certification. Catawba Trail was awarded the “Victory Initiative Department of Defense grant along with the Promoting a Military-Connected STEM Mindset DODEA project grant which has provided special resources for our students and teachers to further enhance the educational experience for all students. Over 20 percent of our school population is military connected family members. The partnership with the Department of Defense provides materials, staff development, field studies and other opportunities to help us better meet the needs of our students.
Catawba Trail Elementary School is located in Elgin, S.C. two miles from the Kershaw County Line. We service a diverse population of students all of whom are eager to learn and excel on their chosen pathway!
While test scores alone cannot depict the exemplary efforts and achievements of our students; we continue to see positive strides of growth in our academic data. This school year we initiated another level of formative assessments called Benchmark Assessments. This data proved beneficial throughout the year and allowed teachers to adjust to meet the instructional needs of our students through personalized instruction that included small groups and technology enhanced instruction. We continue to study our growth data from the NWEA’s Measures of Academic Progress (MAP). We anxiously await the release of the 2022 SC READY and SC PASS results so that we may carefully analyze and implement strategies for continued improvement.
Our children model diversity, democracy, and citizenship through service learning and character education. Students are provided opportunities to participate in the full elementary school experience through Clubs, Chorus, Steel Drum Band, Art, Karate, Gymnastics and Cheerleading. Whole school activities involving integration of curricular areas can be found in walking or biking to school, walking on the track during morning run, Earth Day celebrations and one to one computing for all grades.
CTE has a strong commitment to our military families and their children. To extend existing military support systems the Department of Defense established the Military and Family Life Counseling (MFLC) program to help service members and their families cope with the typical reactions created by deployment and reintegration. We are fortunate to have an MFLC counselor on campus each week to serve our students. We have also established longstanding partnerships with Ft. Jackson. We’ve been adopted by a Ft. Jackson battalion since 2015. This year our Colts Alliance with Military Organizations (CAMO) team organized a school-wide CAMO Care Package Drive that garnered community support for donations. As a school, we wrote over 600 letters to share with each of the new recruits stationed at Ft. Jackson along with their care package. During the Month of the Military Child in April, the troops volunteer each year to organize an Operation Field Day for our entire school. Our military population and support have grown each year. We continue to learn more and offer more resources to our students and families each year.
Throughout the year, Catawba Trail’s Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) sponsors a variety of events to bring our families and community together. This year they hosted a pizza night, Boosterthon Fun Run, along with several evening PTO meetings that provided a wealth of information and opportunity for parents to be informed of our latest school happenings. Additionally, CTE celebrates diversity by hosting activities such as choir and steel band performances along with an abundance of in house guest speakers and showcases. We honor our Veterans throughout the year and partake in several Service Learning campaigns such as the Walk for Life, the United Way, Jump Rope for Heart, and the Principal’s Heart Challenge. This year Catawba Trail was recognized by the American Heart Association with the Heart of Gold Top 25 School Award.
At Catawba Trail Elementary we believe the school, family, and community must partner together to ensure our children have the educational foundation needed for academic success. Through the partnerships with our Catawba Trail community, strong relationships have been formed to create a progressive learning climate. The school has an involved SIC and PTO which works collaboratively to help create an inviting and exciting school culture. PTO events have high parent attendance and parents are invited to provide feedback to the organization. The SIC is continually seeking to involve parents in their initiatives of greater parent information and school beautification. Our community partners continue to volunteer time, talents, and resources to our students on a daily basis through our TRAILMATES Mentoring program to include our adopted Ft. Jackson battalion, local businesses, area churches, nursing homes and more. This year we were excited to welcome the AmeriCorps Seniors Foster Grandparent Program.
Our students, families, faculty and community continue to partner to create “Many Paths to the Future.” Thank you for your continued support and dedication to our school. Catawba Trail is proud of its successes and we will continue to support students in achieving their very best.
Jennifer Gillespie, Principal
Danielle Snyder, Chair
