During the 2022-2023 school year, “Taking Flight” was our theme and the focal point of our school culture. This theme ensured that we focused on moving Ebenezer forward so it can continue to thrive. Rock Hill School District began the year with an adjustment to our school zones to support all schools. This adjustment was instrumental to instruction and promoted academic and social/emotional growth for our Eagles where we were able to ensure all staff members had adequate space to meet the instructional needs of students.
The mission at Ebenezer Avenue Elementary is to empower ALL Eagles to be passionate about learning. World Class Knowledge for our students begins with our staff continuously engaging in professional development on best instructional practices, such as creating an inquiry approach to learning, maintaining highly engaging classrooms, and small group instruction, to meet the learning and growth of our students. In an effort to expand our inquiry approach to learning, our staff continuously spent time this year learning through professional development. Four classroom teachers participated in learning at the Duke School of Inquiry and four staff members will continue their professional growth this summer by learning how to kick off a project, engage in web and wonder, and grow in their instructional practices. They will observe the impact of student collaboration, critical thinking, problem solving, and self-directed learning. We take pride in our choice programs at Ebenezer and were also able to allow two teachers to participate in the National Montessori Conference in Boston during the.
We take tremendous pride in nurturing relationships with our students and supporting their academic growth. This year our data from rubrics on PLC’s showed we grew in the effectiveness of our PLC’s to support student learning. We ensured that we used data to make informed decisions. We were the Quarter 3 district winners for the district for our DreamBox usage as a school and we also had several staff members who received grants through the Rock Hill Education Foundation to support learning outside and building culture and community for our Eagles.
Our approach to learning at Ebenezer fosters student discovery, reflection on learning, and curiosity that leads the learner to be innovative in their growth so they will thrive as world class citizens. This year all of our third grade classes implemented an integrated approach to learning using the inquiry framework to build student curiosity. Through this approach students continuously asked questions, researched, learned from archaeologists and became hands-on with an integrated science unit that captured their learning and provided real world experiences. Through students' passion for extending learning outside of the school and making real world connections, our Eagles wanted to support the American River Foundation, which protects the endangered rivers of America. Together they raised $740 dollars to support this organization.
Community partnerships are important to us now more than ever before. Our partnerships with Oakland Presbyterian Church, Old Town Church, Transformation Church, and Williams and Fudge enabled us to build the support of our stakeholders. Through these partnerships our students were supported during the holidays, provided school supplies, and participated in mentor programs. Additionally, our staff were provided countless measures of support as a result of these generous community partners. Our partnership with Winthrop University welcomed teacher interns to our school campus, allowing us to support aspiring educators. We also developed a partnership with Rock Hill High School’s girl’s basketball team who supported our Eagles in our after school program.
As we take flight and approach the 2023-2024 school year, we will continue to cultivate collaboration, provide innovative learning experiences while continuously creating an environment of student leaders filled with compassion and commitment. We will continue to strive for improvement that builds on our foundation.
