Tega Cay Elementary School is helping all students develop the World Class skills of the Profile of the South Carolina Graduate by providing a safe, authentic, and academically challenging learning environment.
During the 2019-2020 school year, students, faculty, and parents of Tega Cay Elementary were committed to carrying out our school’s mission of building a school that parents value, where teachers thrive, and children learn and grow. We demonstrated this mission by challenging our students with standards-based content and rigor, best and data-driven instructional practices, and individualization in order to reach their full potential … as well as the ongoing professional learning opportunities, coaching, and mentoring of our teachers, all within the framework of our district’s mission and strategic plan. Our faculty and staff participated in a variety of professional learning opportunities that focused on developing instructional best practices, mental and behavioral health, school safety, and Professional Learning Communities.
Teachers, School Counselors, and Administration participated in site based and district trainings and also attended national conferences. Learning opportunities were selected based on our needs assessment survey although not all goals and events were completed due to our shortened school year.
Instructional goals for our sixth year remained “Literacy” within our Professional Learning Community, including several new school-wide initiatives and/or accomplishments included the following.
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We hosted a Literacy/STEAM Night which acted in part as a culmination of our first One School, One Book, Cleo Edison Oliver, Playground Millionaire. The night was filled with literacy, inquiry, and fun for the 600 students and their families in attendance.
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We brought our family and community partners together by hosting the second annual Holiday Lunch and Grits for Grands events.
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We furthered our Discovery Education partnership by hosting Learning Labs centered around Instructional Spotlight Strategies as well as embedding the 5Cs into daily lessons.
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Our teachers participated in many off-campus Professional Learning Opportunities including: Solution Tree’s Professional Learning Communities at Work, Teacher’s College, and an Evidence-Based School Counseling Conference.
In order to determine areas of growth and strengths as well as progress monitor, we administer all required state assessments along with formative assessments such as STAR and Fountas & Pinnell Reading Benchmark Assessments, which work in conjunction with anecdotal records and in-class testing to ensure students are provided instruction based on their individual needs and state standards.
With regard to career readiness, many of our classrooms function as mini-economies where students have leadership or functional responsibilities that earn rewards that may be redeemed for desired or needed goods or opportunities. Additionally, numerous classes engage in Junior Achievement initiatives. To enhance life skills, TCES partners with the Tega Cay Police Department to host several safety workshops for our students and their families. With regard to student health and well-being, we partnered with the Tega Cay Lion’s Club to offer extensive and diagnostic vision screenings for all students. Additionally, this was our second year to formally implement the 5-2-1-0 Program to end Childhood Obesity. Our PE Coaches worked in conjunction with our Healthy Titans Wellness Committee, a dedicated group of parents and community supporters, to ensure that our students were provided opportunities to recognize and live a healthy lifestyle.
The School Improvement Council’s goals for this school year promoted student achievement and fostered a relationship between the school, families, and community. The SIC met monthly to discuss topics consistent with Tega Cay Elementary School as well as Fort Mill School District’s mission and vision. The topics related to student achievement, school and community growth, as well as safety. Discussion regarding district initiatives, school initiatives, the school budget, community/city impact, and strategic/improvement planning was both engaging and beneficial to all involved.
At Tega Cay Elementary we also have various programs outside of the academic realm to focus on the development of the whole child. Through the efforts of our school counselors along with our classroom teachers, character education is a cornerstone of our curriculum as we seek to build both academic and leadership skills to benefit our students through their school years and beyond. In addition, our upper grade students serve as role models in the role of reading buddies to our primary students. Approximately 25 of our upper grade students applied for and served on our Safety Patrol, providing leadership/service to parents and their students in our lengthy car line.
With regard to service learning opportunities, our students and staff participated in the Great Kindness Challenge and one grade level collected funds to provide a heifer to an impoverished village in a third-world country. Our school also raised money for Pediatric Cancer as well as other organizations geared to providing funding for research and cures.
In an effort to expose our students to a wide variety of learning experiences, Tega Cay Elementary offered co-curricular activities before/after school such as our Robotics’ Club, STEAM Clubs for primary and upper grades, Choir, Girls on the Run, Let Me Run, Chess Club, Kickball Club for upper grades, Safety Patrol, and an after-school care program in coordination with a local community provider/supporter.
At Tega Cay Elementary we believe our staff, students, parents, and community must share the responsibility of educating our future citizens and leaders. We are blessed with strong and generous support from the entire Titan family … and for this partnership, we are extremely grateful.
Brigitte A. Wagner – Principal
John "Jay" Niles – School Improvement Council Chair