Marion Intermediate School is committed to providing students with the skills needed to meet the criteria of a Profile of the South Carolina Graduate by providing an environment conducive to learning, academically challenging, and meets their social and emotional needs. The staff at MIS, works to create a school culture that lends itself to excellence through the implementation of our district and school core beliefs of educating, preparing, and inspiring students to be citizens and leaders in an ever-changing global society.
The staff at MIS works to provide instruction that leads to student growth and the ability to become analytical thinkers through collaboration. This is accomplished through weekly Collaborative Planning for all teachers and Administrators. We use collaboration as a framework to ensure that all staff know that growth is achieved through mutual efforts. At MIS, we align our instructional practices to the South Carolina Teaching Standards 4.0 Rubric. Through our E3+ (Empowering Educators to Excel) grant, we conduct weekly CP (Common Planning) and ILT (Instructional Leadership Team) meetings with the Assistant Administrator and Reading Coach. During this time, we analyze data, share best practices, and conduct professional learning opportunities. Each grade level holds weekly team meetings to identify and solve a common challenge in their classrooms to improve student outcomes. Balanced literacy is implemented with all ELA teachers utilizing the workshop model for reading and writing in a 130-minute block. Math teachers utilize 90-minute blocks which allows Math Workshops to take place. During this time, South Carolina College and Career Readiness Standards Support Documents and the i-Ready Curriculum are utilized. Math teachers incorporate whole group instruction and provide guided practice, small group instruction, and independent opportunities for students to grow academically.
Because we are intentional on what we do here at Marion Intermediate School, we have various programs outside the academic world to focus on the development of the whole child. As a PBIS (Positive Behavior Interventions and Support) school, we celebrate student successes with special incentive days. MIS also supports SEL (Social Emotional Learning). These activities are based on students and staff applying the knowledge and skills to achieve positive goals, show empathy, and establish and maintain positive relationships. Each month at MIS, we recognize a student from each class who displays a certain character trait. These students are known as our Top Foxes. We also have a Gardening Club and a Book Club that students can take part in.
In addition to what we are already doing, we also provide Character Coaching and a Mentor Check In/Check Out System. We have a strong Guidance Department that fully supports the PBIS framework by counseling our students, teaching character traits along with social skills through highly engaging classroom lessons. Our Guidance Department allows our students to lead our Academic Awards Day and Character Assemblies. Furthermore, we have a partnership with DJJ in which they come out and talk to students and eat lunch with them. We know ‘it takes a village to raise children’ and that is why we are constantly involving family and community members.
As a school, we try to make sure we keep the lines of communication open between us, our parents, and the community. MIS connects with parents and community members through several different events throughout the year. Our parents were given the task to complete a Pumpkin Book Project with their child in October and complete a Black History Historical Figure Wax Museum Project in February. With both events, parents along with community members were invited to attend the program that displayed all the hard work parents and students did together. In the Month of March, MIS had a 30-Day Reading Challenge. This challenge allowed over 30 readers to come out and read to our students. These readers included high school students, teachers, parents, county council men, pastors, district office staff members, Superintendent, Assistant Superintendent, board members, police officers, and a State Department representative. Because of what we already have in place, our students see that we are all in this together.
At Marion Intermediate School, the Administrative Team, teachers, staff, students, and community members work together to build relationships and partnerships that enhance the development of the whole child. Through rigorous instruction, social/behavior initiatives, support systems, and community involvement, MIS continues to strive toward educating, preparing, and inspiring our students to be productive citizens in a changing global society.
Dr. James H. McCall Jr., Principal
Kimberly Edwards, SIC Chairperson
