Our school is helping all students develop the World Class Skills of the profile of the South Carolina Graduate by implementing our vision “Sailing Beyond Excellence”. Our 2021-2022 school year was not exactly what we had anticipated based on the additional restrictions brought on by our continued COVID challenges. Nevertheless, our students and staff were focused on making gains in their academic and social emotional growth.
It was a pleasure hosting our district virtual students this year as we added over 75 new families to the Gator Family. These students spent the entire school year working from home, but were thrilled to interact with one another at the end of the year during our Gator Games and our 5th Grade Promotion Ceremony. The Lake Carolina Elementary Upper culture continues to thrive in these ever-changing times for education. Our students feel welcomed and know they have the support of a loving staff and community.
A primary focus for our stakeholders has been to provide a consistently strong social-emotional environment for each student and their families as well as our staff. We use the 7 Mindsets Social-Emotional Learning Platform as our base by teaching weekly lessons about topics such as “Everything is Possible” and “100% Accountable”. We have learned to embrace our circumstances and learn from our experiences so that we can begin new learning and step away from our old routines.
As an AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) School, we have been increasing rigor school-wide by using strategies that challenge our students to expand their thinking. These WICOR strategies focus on writing, inquiry, collaboration, organization and reading skills. Over 90% of our staff has been trained in AVID and we continue to make training a priority for our new staff. Our teachers have implemented these strategies across each grade level and our students have increased opportunities to practice these skills. AVID research has shown that students who practice these strategies are more likely to be prepared for college and beyond. We will continue to provide professional development opportunities through AVID for our entire staff so our students may benefit from these diverse learning experiences.
As we reflect on the 2021-2022 school year, we are reminded that our learning community has evolved into more than we would have anticipated when we opened over eight years ago. Our families are more concerned than ever before that we provide a safe haven for their children. We are continually focused on nurturing our students and providing them with engaging experiences to help them reach their full potential. Our stakeholders continue to provide their time and support. We look forward to consistently bringing our families back in the building as their participation in the learning process is critical to our success. As we celebrated our first graduating class of seniors this school year, we were reminded that "Once a Gator, Always a Gator" is our belief and goal!
Jeff Williams - Principal
Sharon Nelson - SIC Chair
