"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... ."
providing effective instruction and programs to meet the needs of all the students. Our goal was to develop the minds, bodies, and character of our students. We provided opportunities for students to participate in numerous learning activities involving reading, math, science, social studies, and the arts. These planned and coordinated experiences not only helped the students grow academically, but they also helped them mature, develop character, and learn important life lessons.
CIS’s professional development concentrated on the implementation of effective instruction. Our reading teachers focused on small group reading instruction utilizing diagnostic, targeted reading strategies and writing instruction, especially work with decoding of words. Our teachers were involved in extensive professional development of the reading and writing process in which teachers were trained to identify reading deficiencies and then efficiently implement strategies to promote accelerated growth. As a result of these specialized trainings, our teachers provided stimulating and engaging instruction for all students. Our math teachers participated in professional development led by Mrs. Jill Livoti. All teachers were involved in art integration training and acquired strategies to use the arts to provide engaging learning experiences for our students.
Being an Arts in Basic Curriculum (ABC) certified school was great for our students and school. One emphasis and goal of the arts this year was to integrate STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math) lessons into the curriculum. We partnered with artist in residence, Ms. Gail Glover, who worked with fourth grade students on African Dance and Culture. These students put on a performance for our students, highlighting what they had learned with Ms. Glover. In addition to these experiences, our students also competed in various art contests: Cheraw Christmas Card Contest; the Jazz Festivals’ Chalk Drawing Contest; and the school district’s Superintendent’s Elementary Art Award. Programs and experiences like these afforded our students opportunities to develop interpersonal skills, teamwork, self-confidence, and self-discipline.
CIS was proud to have a great PTO Executive Board and parent volunteers to work to support our students and staff. We are thankful for our parent and community partnerships and their commitment to the school. Thank you for a successful year!
