Meadow Glen Elementary School is helping all students develop the World Class Skills of the Profile of the South Carolina Graduate by creating a culture of critical thinking, communication, collaboration and creativity. We enter each day with the motto “Believe. Work. Grow... We are CREW” as our guide. Our expectation regarding this year has been through cooperation and creativity — we will work as a community to grow our young learners. Following the Lexington One vision to Empower Each Child to Design the Future allows us to focus on the needs of each student.

“Through casual conversations in the halls, lesson planning in team meetings, the ideas expressed during professional development and in the meetings we have with our families, it is incredibly evident that teachers at MGES share love in promoting the development, growth and success of the students we serve. But what makes me most proud to represent this fine group of educators is that this love extends beyond the classroom.” —MGES teacher

The 2022–2023 school year has taught us that to best support each other, students and families, we must look beyond the classroom. Building connections is an important step in gaining trust and honoring the needs of all students. One of the strongest ways for students to invest in their learning is for them to see value beyond the classroom. At MGES, a few ways students invest in learning and community are:

• Award-winning fourth and fifth grade robotics teams

• Inaugural Archery Team

• Gardening Club

• Student-led Conferences, Kindergarten — Fourth Grade

• Passages — Fifth Grade

• Grade-level expedition work

  • recycling at MGES

  • creation and distribution of feathered-friend savers

  • interviewing and honoring community members who have overcome challenges

  • food and product drives to support local needs

• SIC-sponsored Community Coat Drive

• Chinese New Year celebration led by immersion students and staff

MGES continues to focus on core practices and design principles that promote mastery of knowledge and skills, high levels of character and leadership, and the production of high-quality work in every classroom. Through the development of our school work plan, MGES impact goals are identified as:

• MGES students have a strong conceptual understanding of content. They can collaborate, communicate, create and apply critical thinking skills.

• The MGES family desires to build a better community and world because relationships matter. MGES students have a strong sense of belonging and they care about making thoughtful and meaningful decisions. MGES students are kind, courteous and respectful.

• MGES will graduate students with the habits of success needed in college and beyond including perseverance, responsibility, craftsmanship, respect and an ethic of service.

“In the younger grades, students learn about what the habits (Respect, Responsibility, Perseverance and Craftsmanship) mean, but in fifth grade, students learn to demonstrate these habits. For example, I'm working on responsibility. I want to keep up with things and remember to bring or take them with me. I decided that I would make a list to help me remember things better and know what I need for a project or something else.” —MGES fifth grade student

"...Student Expeditions [provide for] transferable life lessons [that] will undoubtedly help our children in future decision-making and other endeavors in ways greater than any curriculum lesson could offer. After all, life has taught me that some lessons are best taught through experience. Overall, there seems to be an even greater extension and appreciation by all. Teachers are sharing their nonschool hours for tutoring, robotics, archery, Run Hard, Garden Club, news team and much more. There’s a great collective action also seen in how our community supports our school and, in turn, how the school serves our neighboring communities with various donations of time and goods.” —School Improvement Chairperson

As we Empower Each Child to Design the Future, our Explorers exemplify the characteristics of young learners and leaders.

Jennifer McNair, Principal

Valencia Bostic, SIC Co-Chairperson

Sri Lakshmi Ramya Sreedharan, SIC Co-Chairperson