WELLFLEET ELEMENTARY SCHOOL Accomplishments - Goals - Priorities

November 2013

The Mission of Wellfleet Elementary School is to ensure that each child develops skills, knowledge, and respect for themselves and others. These are the foundations for life-long learning, responsible citizenship, and the realization of one’s potential. We will accomplish this by providing a rigorous curriculum, healthy school climate, and family and community involvement.

As a result of our exemplary Educators, research-based curriculum, and small class sizes, Wellfleet Elementary School (WES) is a Highest Performing Level I School District. WES met the 2013 MCAS Cumulative Progress and Performance Index (PPI) and is on target in narrowing the proficiency in English Language Arts and Mathematics. Our licensed and Highly Qualified Educators utilize research-based instructional practices and assessments and analyze student work and data to improve individual student achievement. Educators are skilled in the Nauset Tiered System of Support (formerly Response to Intervention); the process that emphasizes how well students respond to changes in instruction. WES Educators match instruction, including enrichment and interventions, to student needs and monitor that process. All students receive appropriate, effective, and challenging instruction. Wellfleet Elementary School teachers are skilled at matching instruction and interventions to student needs and monitoring that process. Interventions, which include enrichment, are incorporated into planning so that all students receive appropriate, effective, and challenging instruction. Students are assessed three times per school year (fall, winter, and spring) in the Dynamic Indicator of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS) and two times per school year in

the Nauset Writing Performance Tasks. All students receive 90-minutes of core reading instruction each school day and 40-minutes of skill-based instruction. Team Works reading groups for grades Kindergarten –3 are determined during the fall, winter, and spring literacy data meetings. The school week includes comprehensive health and physical education, art, library, technology, and music instruction. Students in grades 4 and 5 are encouraged to participate in band and chorus. Instrumental and chorus instruction is offered one-day per week. Teachers of these special area subjects enhance interdisciplinary instruction providing extra Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks support to students and classroom teachers. All elementary schools in Nauset utilize the Cape Cod Symphony’s Music Works! and the Music Memory program. Students in grade 4 participate in the Young People’s Concert and the Symphony performs at an annual all school assembly. The school’s Wellness Committee oversees the Hoop House that provides students the opportunity to grow and harvest an edible garden while integrating nutrition education across the curricula. They also sponsor a Stress Reduction Show and the 4H Health Fair. The WES Cafeteria Manager recently attended a 2-day workshop at the John Stalker Institute of Food and Nutrition at Framingham State University and continues to support the Massachusetts Farm to School Project including the Harvest of the Month program. A Food Play Production designed to bring nutrition education to schools — using the power of live theater to inspire, empower, educate, and entertain students, teachers, and families throughout the WES community will perform in early December at an all school assembly.

The school day continues past dismissal with various programs. The Figure It Out! math program and the After School Enrichment Program (ASEP) are popular and well-attended by students K-5. Students participate in programs such as Yoga for Kids, STEM, Legos, Cooking Class, and Running Rascals. Educators schedule after school assistance for students needing extra practice in skills areas. An MCAS Academy is planned annually for students in grades 3 – 5 following the December break. Participation in after school activities strengthens students’ academic and social development.

The WES School Council is developing the new School Improvement Plan (SIP) and will present it to the Wellfleet School Committee in Spring 2014. The goal of the School Council is to develop a three-year school improvement plan with goals that align to the Nauset Public Schools District Goals and are based upon current performance levels, data analysis, and feedback from staff, parents, and students. The School Improvement Plan includes three focus areas: Academic, School Climate, and Parent/Community Involvement. Wellfleet Elementary School welcomes community involvement throughout the school year. Local artists, authors, and community helpers visit our classrooms regularly and provide enrichment opportunities. Partnerships and collaborations have flourished with the Wellfleet Public Library, Council on Aging, Cape Cod Symphony Orchestra, Wellfleet Harbor Actor’s Theater (WHAT), Mass Audubon, IFAW, Nauset Disposal Single Stream Recycling, Polished Dental Program, CHIP, Cape Cod Elder Services, and the Cape Cod Children’s Place. The Cape Cod Elder Services hosts two after-school programs, Robotics for grade 5 students and an Intergenerational Book Club with students in grades 4 and 5. We continue to welcome the Hay family of Mac’s Seafood, who donates fresh fish to the cafeteria, Wellfleet Firefighters during Fire Prevention Week, Town Librarian Anna Nielson, Community Resident Volunteer Fred Naas and parent volunteers.

To financially support enrichment opportunities, the staff readily applies for grants. Staff has been the recipients of Cape Cod 5 Mini Grants, The Big Yellow School Bus Grant, the Massachusetts Cultural Council Grants, and the Jan Chase Rutz Community Foundation Grant. Additionally, our Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) generously gifts the school a field trip and assembly budget. As we plan forward, our goals and priorities include supporting Educators and students with the new Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks in English Language Arts and Mathematics that incorporate the Common Core State Standards, staying current with technology needs in the classroom, utilizing and updating the district’s Atlas Curriculum Mapping application, analyzing student data to guide Educators in data-driven dialogue and instruction, implementing a school-based mindfulness program to enrich our current anti-bullying resources, and ensuring that Wellfleet Elementary School meets the State’s Highest Performing standards. To do this, we must maintain our professional and support staff and provide students the materials and resources that support our rigorous curriculum and foster social responsibility and cultural awareness. On behalf of the Wellfleet Elementary School students and staff, thank you for your ever-present support. Respectfully submitted, Mary Beth Rodman, M. Ed., Principal