Smithville ISD

Program Description  

The ACE program at this campus serves to provide academic, emotional and social support for students in grades Kindergarten through Grade 5. The uniqueness of this center’s population can be found in the description of the community and the characteristics of the families it serves. Smithville is an old town with a lot of history and a number of movies have been filmed in and around the town of Smithville. Smithville has a population of approximately 4,500 people, yet the school district is the largest paid employer in the area. The average household income in Smithville is $77,792 and a poverty rate of 8.98%. While the Smithville Public Library provides services for ACE students during the summer program, the librarian attended an ACE family event this year and read a book to the students and their families. There are a number of businesses in the area that provide donations to schools and organizations during the year. These include numerous restaurants, the First National Bank and other small businesses such as art studios, clothing and plumbing establishments. The Smithville Indoor Recreation Center provides after school care for a fee and hosts a number of events such as little dribblers. While Brookshire Brothers grocery store provides groceries and gas, the Dollar General is really the only place to buy supplies and material in town. Buescher State Park is located nearby and is open to the public for recreational purposes.

The ACE program is tailored to collaborate with the elementary campus and the requirements of HB4545. ACE provides support to the students that did not pass the 2020-21 STAAR exams in grades 3 through 5. All campus students are entered into a point system based on their STAAR performance plus additional criteria and the students with a highest number on the point system are chosen first to attend ACE. Siblings of students selected for ACE may also be enrolled in ACE next. Then their siblings were enrolled next. The criteria for ACE program selection includes students who did not pass a STAAR test, were retained, were identified as at risk, were reading below grade level or had poor attendance.

The ACE program offered a variety of academic activities. Offered were interactive activities that kept the students engaged and brain breaks that allowed time for the students to regain focus. The SEL activities allowed students to use the tools they need to deal with challenging situations, cope with new environments, develop a growth mindset and build relationships with others. The academic enrichment activities provided students with advanced academic instruction, provided extra help with homework assignments, or helped students discover new hobbies and interests. Homework help was primarily student driven with the support of the teacher upon student request, while tutorial help was done in small group or a one-on-one basis and was used to help students become more independent learners.

A variety of enrichment activities were offered during the school year. These included:

• Arts & Crafts- involves creating something new and different, or something innovative

• Robotics- allows for problem-solving, teamwork, and even visual programming

• Games- help with problem-solving and teamwork

Family engagement opportunities were extended to the parents of ACE students. Those parent activities included ACE Q&A , Lights on Afterschool, ACE Movie Night, Lighted Parade, ACE Bingo, ACE Family Fitness, ACE Art Extravaganza, ACE Family Game Night and ACE CAC Meeting 

The success of the ACE program can be attributed to a number of individuals. All of the ACE staff members from the previous year or years returned again for 2021-2022. The campus principal and assistant principals were supportive of the program and kept an open line of communication with the ACE program. Also giving feedback were the regular school day teachers. The counselors provide information on “Self-esteem and Confidence Building” and help with strategies to help with the SEL lessons. The elementary instructional coach provided data during enrichment data digs and provided regular day lesson plans and ideas for lesson activities.

In addition to the various individuals named above, there have also been community resources that have contributed to the ACE program this year. These included the Smithville Public Library and Smithville Police Department who participated in the Lights on Afterschool event. The librarian read a book to the students and their parents while the police officers gave out Halloween safety tips. Angels Unaware was an organization that provided snack bags for a number of ACE students. Others included the Bastrop County Conservation office and the Bastrop Master Gardener. The campus administration allowed the ACE program to use a variety of campus locations during the ACE program hours. These included The ACE program is located on the elementary campus. The gym is used for sport activities, the cafeteria for STEM challenges, large group activities and snacks and the playgrounds for brain breaks.

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