At Anderson Mill Elementary, our staff is helping students develop world class skills and life characteristics to prepare them for college or the workforce. Our school mission is to develop competent and confident lifelong learners by creating a safe, positive, and innovative environment where the staff, parents, and community work together to provide a curriculum that recognizes individual differences and allows for students to reach their maximum potential. It is the intent of the faculty and staff to lead students toward being disciplined, productive, informed, and fulfilled individuals. To achieve these ideals, mutual respect and understanding must be present in the learning process on the part of all participants: faculty and staff, students, families, and the community. We are committed to fulfilling our mission by creating a safe and innovative environment where staff, parents, and community work together to meet the rigorous demands of the SC College and Career Readiness Standards. Our teachers attended yearlong professional development sessions to increase their knowledge of effective instructional strategies, the integration of technology, and the depth of knowledge in their content and assessments. These programs and strategies help our teachers increase rigor in the classroom. Our school also continues to offer a variety of intervention programs for both reading and math to assist our struggling learners. The implementation of these programs, in conjunction with a rigorous curriculum and an individualized approach to instruction, have increased student achievement on standardized and classroom assessments. By creating a more individualized approach to teaching and learning, we are working to meet the needs of learners from every subgroup in our diverse student population.
In addition to academics, our school continues to focus on service learning projects to instill a sense of purpose and civic responsibility in our students. Our children had the opportunity to experience personal gratification as we embraced several community outreach projects such as Bags for Love for our local police officers, fire fighters, and EMS staff, Spartanburg Humane Society, Relay for Life, and Cards for Veterans. Social and emotional health are important components to our instructional program, as well. Our guidance counselors teach monthly guidance lessons to students in grades one through five and weekly guidance lessons to students in kindergarten. The lessons are designed around six key character traits: a positive mental attitude, perseverance, respect, cooperation, initiative, and integrity. These character traits are also connected to our school discipline policy and students are taught how their infractions violated one of our six character traits. Incentives for good character such as our Terrific Kid program, Good School Citizen Award, and Keeping an Eye Out Award (Anti-Bully Prevention) reinforce positive behavior and recognize students who display good character. Our school also embraces activities designed to improve student nutrition, physical fitness and overall health. Students have the opportunity to participate in activities such as First Tee Golf, Youth Nutrition Advisory Council, and Girls on the Run. These activities in conjunction with our physical fitness initiatives generate enthusiasm for maintaining a healthy lifestyle. At Anderson Mill, our intent is to create an educational experience for children that upholds the ideals in our mission statement and supports students on their journey toward college or career readiness.
Anderson Mill Elementary is committed to providing a high quality educational experience for students of unique backgrounds, talents, and interests. Our goal is to work toward providing a more individualized educational plan for all students as we adapt our policies and practices to meet the needs of a diverse learning community. We understand the challenges that we will face as we move toward a more rigorous curriculum and accountability system in our state and we embrace the opportunity to improve through the process.
