St. James-Santee Elementary-Middle School is helping all students develop the world-class skills and life and career characteristics of the Profile of the South Carolina Graduate by providing a safe, caring, and academically challenging learning environment. The faculty, students, and staff of St. James-Santee Elementary-Middle School continued with improvements in all areas of school culture, which has strengthened our core instruction and placed an emphasis on rigor and student outcomes. St. James-Santee Elementary-Middle students, parents, teachers, and administration continue to pursue excellence in all areas of education.
A rural school on the northern boundary of Charleston County, it is located in beautiful McClellanville, South Carolina. Surrounded by the Francis Marion National Forest and minutes away from Bulls Bay and the Intercoastal Waterway, the school provides the school community with unique conservation, environmental, and recreational opportunities through partnerships with Friends of Coastal South Carolina and SeeWee Environmental Center.
St. James Santee scholars continued the school-wide reading initiative, increasing the quality of time scholars read. Pop-up reading sessions allowed scholars and parents to choose books to add to their home libraries. Throughout the year, the middle grades scholars paired with the elementary scholars as reading buddies. During the final quarter of the school year, parents and community members were invited to read with scholars during the school day. In addition, we continued the partnership with the I-Beam organization and expanded the reading initiative to include a collaboration with three of our local organizations peering additional scholars with Reading mentors.
We are elated to add a numeracy acceleration course for this upcoming school year. This initiative aims to strengthen conceptual understanding, strategic reasoning, and problem-solving to help scholars achieve automaticity in math. This allows scholars to build confidence and ensures grade-level academic performance.
Our school continues to use the PBIS model for school-wide behavioral expectations. Our (HERO) motto allows our students to demonstrate characteristics that prepare them to be Helpful, Engaged in their learning and community, Respectful, and Organized. Students have the opportunity to participate in HERO activities and receive daily and weekly recognition, along with scheduled, incentive-based events. As we expanded our HERO initiative, each scholar and staff member is part of a team that fosters team-building, promotes academic success, and provides peer and staff mentorship.
Our school has always been committed to students, families, and the community we serve. As our students reach new heights, we are hopeful that our growing and active partnerships with all of our stakeholders will continue in the lives of our students. The expectation at St. James-Santee Elementary-Middle School is to become a model school for academic achievement as we prepare students for high school and beyond.
LaCarma McMillan, Principal
Tracee Coleman, SIC Chair
