Mission

The mission of Shady Spring Elementary School is to provide a quality education for all students, one that develops their content knowledge, skills, and attitudes that will enable them to reach their maximum potential as responsible, productive citizens and life-long learners.

Vision

Shady Spring Elementary School will be an outstanding school that is characterized by its caring community of learners where everyone plays an important role in creating an inviting and engaging learning environment.  As a result, students will have the knowledge and skills necessary to participate meaningfully in a global economy and multicultural society.

Goals

·         Our students will become strategic readers who read for a variety of purposes.  They will construct, extend, and examine meaning from what they read.

·         Our students will become problem solvers who utilize math for a variety of purposes.

·         Our students will clearly communicate what they know through writing.

·         Our students will demonstrate good citizenship by showing respect, responsibility, preparedness, safety, and being their personal best each day.

Belief Statements

·         We believe in the potential of all human beings and in their desire to learn and succeed.

·         We believe that potential can be realized through positive instructional experiences that engage students and differentiate for their learning styles and intelligences.

·         We believe a quality education requires:

ü       Highly qualified personnel throughout the building that have a shared vision.

ü       Daily instruction that is rigorous and incorporates differentiation that meets the documented data driven needs of students.

ü       A professional learning community in which collaboration between staff that leads to rigorous and engaging lessons is the norm.

ü       An administration that is focused on instruction and promotes a school climate in which each individual is able to reach his/her potential.

ü       All staff is provided with opportunities to participate in engaging and meaningful staff development on a consistent basis.

ü       A home/school connection in which parents and teachers are partners in helping students develop their skills and content knowledge in order to reach their potential.

ü       Consistent support from the BCPS central office concerning curriculum, instruction, and technology.

·         We believe that we will meet standards for every subgroup on the MSA.

 We agree to establish high and consistent expectations for students and staff by:

·          Continuing our PDS partnership, lesson study, half-day release opportunities, peer coaching opportunities, triple choice professional development opportunities, and common planning time schedules in order to enrich our professional learning community with multiple opportunities to refine our understanding of research-based instructional practices.

·          Consistently engage students in a variety of meaningful learning experiences that are based upon the Maryland Voluntary State Curriculum.

·          Providing quality daily instruction that utilizes the 4-step strategic learning model in order to increase student achievement.

·          Incorporating effective research-based practices within instruction on a daily basis such as “Think-Pair-Share,” “Think Aloud,” and a VAKT approach.

·          Creating and consistently utilizing on-going and formative assessments and analyzing the results in order to drive instruction.

·          Developing a program in which the ESOL teacher, GT Catalyst, math resource teacher, reading specialists, special educators, and instructional assistants provided VSC-based instruction that reinforces and enriches the learning capabilities of identified students.

·          Consistently recognizing and affirming, through assemblies, announcements, visual displays, and technology, the quality work that is engaged in by our students.

  Implementing an educational framework that includes small group, reinforced small group, and individual tutoring in order that all students are able to construct and demonstrate enduring learning.

·          Continuously developing individual, work group, and school-wide goals that are aligned with the School Improvement Plan and help each subgroup meet standards on MSA.

·          Consistently utilizing climate surveys, observation feedback, up-to-date research, and professional development opportunities to gather information in order to create standards based instruction that is based upon individual needs.

·          Providing opportunities for resource personnel from the Elementary Office to refine and extend our understanding concerning curriculum development and instruction.

·          Continuing our “Open Door” policy and providing parent meetings, Home/School visitation programs, evening academic nights, meaningful parent newsletters, meaningful SST, IST, and IEP meetings, and conferences that enable parents to become effective partners in their children’s education.

·          Providing interactive home/school experiences such as the “Waterford” and “Read With Me” programs and the HUB Club that extend the school day with meaningful experiences that improve achievement.

·          Continually seeking highly-qualified personnel that share our vision and the belief that all children can and will succeed.

·          Promoting a multicultural perspective and celebrating our uniqueness in our daily curriculum and instructional strategies.

·          Maintaining and supporting our PBIS partnership and Code of Conduct in order to facilitate our students’ ability to develop a strong values system and promote ethical decision making.