New Providence Elementary School is helping all students develop the World-Class Skills of the Profile of the South Carolina Graduate by creating a safe, nurturing, high-performance learning, family-oriented, culture of excellence. Our students acquire 21st-century learning experiences in the arts, academics, leadership and global citizenship. Through the efforts of our highly qualified and dedicated staff, our 15-year history of academic excellence is well-established. Our parents have continued to fully support all of our school’s academic and social needs by participating in fundraisers and events which strengthen the home-school connection. As a team, we have continued to demonstrate the four pillars of our school’s vision statement: Be Kind, Be Confident, Be Respectful, Work Hard!
English language arts is taught to all students through the reading, writing and phonics workshops in kindergarten through fifth grade. Teachers regularly work together to examine student work, reflect on teaching practices and analyze assessment data in order to adjust instructional priorities in their classrooms. NPE teachers work collaboratively with support staff members and administration to develop personalized instructional strategies and interventions to address individual learning needs. We have also continued the implementation of the math workshop model to meet the various needs of our children in mathematics. All kindergarten through fifth grade teachers completed Student Learning Objectives related to perseverance and problem-solving in mathematics (reading or science for teachers who do not teach math) to look closely at student data and set student growth targets. More than 95% of our students met their goals with regards to the SLOs.
Life and career characteristics are exemplified at NPE through a focus on the Lexington County School District One power skills and integration of a focus on LIFELONG GUIDELINES and LIFESKILLS. Our staff fosters discussions, and models and celebrates character traits such as humor, common sense, perseverance and organization through daily conversations and morning meetings. Each week our students had the opportunity to earn tickets for demonstrating good character and children had the opportunity to be featured on our “Wall of Fame” and receive a treat if their ticket was drawn. Twice this year, through the generous donations of our PTA, students who had earned a ticket anytime throughout the semester were entered into a drawing for prizes during our “Lions Roar with Character” events. Life and career characteristics are also taught through lessons provided by our school counselors.
Each year, students at NPE have many opportunities to be leaders in our school and local community. Fourth and fifth grade students have opportunities to apply for various jobs such as card sorters, office runners and Paw Patrol (safety patrol). Students also have multiple opportunities to give back to the community by participating in fundraisers and service-learning projects such as Linking Lexington (Cancer of Many Colors), Relay For Life, Toys for Tots and several others. In addition, four members of our student body who are active Girl Scouts led a campaign to recycle used markers and cut down on environmental waste.
Beyond building a strong academic foundation and developing student leaders, we provide students with advanced technology instruction. NPE completed another year as a computer science immersion school providing all of our students with the opportunity to learn and apply the fundamentals of computer coding. Through coding programs, students develop critical thinking, creativity, communication and collaboration skills. Students have a unique avenue to apply problem-solving, team-building and presentation skills as they collaborate and share their thinking process with peers. Multiple showcases highlighted the accomplishments of our kindergarten through fifth grade students and allowed stakeholders to experience projects created by our students using Scratch, Tynker, Minecraft, LEGO Robotics and much more! We were excited that students, once again, had opportunities to participate in LEAD (Lions Exploring in All Directions) time this year. Groups ranged from cooking to book clubs to learning cooperative games to jam sessions in music and much, much more!
Through the incredible support of our PTA, School Improvement Council, parents and community, NPE continues to develop students who will be successful future leaders through a continuous focus on collaboration, communication, creativity and critical thinking. We are proud of what we have accomplished during this challenging school year and are excited about our 16th year together and all that we will accomplish in the new year.
Robert Candillo, Principal
Lindsay Alexander, SIC Chair
