Shoally Creek Elementary School is helping all students develop the World Class Skills of the Profile of the South Carolina Graduate by implementing a team approach to providing students a quality education in a positive, safe and supportive learning environment. Our dedicated faculty and staff commit to engaging all students in a rigorous curriculum that provides opportunities to educate and develop the "whole child".
SCES is a proud Title I school that provides resources and opportunities that meet the various levels of needs among all of our students. We embrace positivity and a growth mindset, which creates a more energized and motivated staff and student body. The SCES administration, staff, and School Improvement Council (SIC) work together to utilize relevant data and survey feedback in order to establish goals that positively impact readiness in all student growth areas - academically, socially, emotionally, and physically.
Student success is facilitated through academic assistance, a wide range of special services, engaging learning activities, and RtI (Response to Intervention). A focus on John Hattie’s study of visible learning and ‘what has the greatest influence on student learning?’, along with common formative assessments, data analysis, teacher clarity, and student learning progressions are guiding specific instruction within our classrooms in order to improve the academic achievement of all students. Using the High Impact Teams “Evidence, Analysis, and Action” (EAA) protocols, grade level teams are able to dive deep into a variety of data points, as well as unpack the state standards together for teacher clarity, which plays a critical role in planning and differentiating instruction during our two weekly collaboration meetings with instructional coaches known as Teaching and Learning Teams (TLTs). Small group, differentiated instruction is the catalyst for addressing individual student needs based on students' strengths, weaknesses, and interests. Within our school, teachers participate in TLTs where they work collaboratively with our knowledgeable math and literacy coaches, as well as administrators, to create assessments and review a variety of data in order to identify and meet the needs of our students.
Teachers also collaborate with one another in preparing rigorous and engaging lessons based on the SC College and Career Ready Standards. The following initiatives are monitored and provide students with the support they need to be successful: Initiatives such as Social-Emotional Learning (SEL), Response to Intervention (RtI), the “Blue Jay Scholars” afterschool program, i-Ready Diagnostics/Learning Paths, morning computer lab time, the Orton-Gillingham approach to reading, a gifted and talented program, and Leveled Literacy Intervention (LLI). Teachers also spend time with instructional coaches learning about the components of effective teaching strategies, such as Guided Math and Guided Reading instruction and practice calibrating and scoring text-dependent analysis writing samples.
Our dedicated teaching staff participates in continuous professional development opportunities at the school and district levels. The Student Learning Objective (SLO) process assists teachers in targeting areas of growth at each grade level. From those areas of growth, teachers write goals and submit a plan to target the areas that require improvement.
Technology remains increasingly important for our students. Spartanburg School District Two continues to implement 1:1 technology at SCES in all grade levels. SCES welcomes the integration of technology into academics.
We also encourage and welcome parent involvement as a way to strengthen home and school relations. Some of the events that took place during the 2022-2023 school year were Meet the Teacher, a PTO Open House, SIC meetings, Veterans Day Performance, Family Nights (Literacy, Math & Science, and Fine Arts), Awards Day Celebrations, as well as our monthly Spirit Nights. We value parental involvement.
Realizing the importance of educating the whole child, our entire staff engages in The South Carolina Resilient Schools Initiative. Being able to understand each child’s story is another means of better serving and meeting the needs of our students and their families. Throughout the school year, SCES students participated in special activities to help them develop academically, socially, and emotionally. SCES staff and students were recognized for their participation in community outreach projects, such as The Carolina Miracle League, the United Way annual giving campaign, canned food drives to benefit the Upstate Family Resource Center, and the D2 Dollars for Scholars campaigns.
Effective communication among all stakeholders is critical for a positive sense of community, and we engage our community across various platforms at SCES. We communicate with SCES parents through social media, weekly electronic newsletters, Language Line, a language interpreter, a marquee, the SeeSaw app, and School Messenger continues to be a priority, so that they are informed.
SCES is committed to cultivating educational excellence for all students and we are proud of the positive strides we have made. Our dedicated team will continue to grow each year in order to meet the diverse needs of all of our students as we prepare them to be college and career ready.
Laura Meyer, Principal
Tamika Prince, SIC Chair
