Executive Summary

Description of the School

Jennings County School Corporation is located in southern Indiana. The county’s three hundred seventy-six square miles are rural with beautiful landscapes and rich soil, but the small communities scattered about are economically and culturally disadvantaged. Approximately 43 percent of the county’s students receive free and reduced lunch. Jennings County has six elementary schools that are nestled in each small rural town. Each school is the community’s main center for children's activities and community members have a strong sense of pride in their school. Approximately twelve percent of the adults in the county have more than a high school education. Graham Creek Elementary School, built in 1969, has approximately 251 students housed in a two-section K-6 building located in Commiskey, Indiana. Our school facilities are in outstanding condition with complete upgrades and additions made in 2000. Graham Creek is used and enjoyed by school groups and community groups frequently throughout the year. The school population reflects the community and has only a few minority groups represented and approximately 68% of the students are free and reduced lunch. Our K - 6 staff have an average age of 46 years. GCE has 19 professional teaching staff and 15 paraprofessionals. The average attendance rate for the past three years is 97.3 %. We have one special education teacher and one physical education teacher. One teacher is part-time in music and part-time in art. Our STEM teacher as well as our Speech Pathologist are part-time. We have one staff member that is a part-time Title I teacher and a part-time instructional coach.

Summary

Graham Creek Elementary's principal, staff, and parents are dedicated, supportive and are always asking the question, “What is best for kids?” when implementing new programs. We have an active school committee made of teachers and paraprofessionals that meets regularly to address the needs of staff and students. Our school-wide goals of Inspire-Empower-Educate are pursued by all. These goals have resulted in a rich culture of hard working staff and students who have respect for others and pursue a challenge. GCE’s PTO is outstanding and makes it possible for our students to travel and visit unique places outside the community. The PTO provides the travel expenses for class field trips. Other individuals are often brought in by the PTO as a resource to share their special areas of interest and expertise with students. We have an outstanding parent, grandparent, and community volunteer program. Many kind hearted dedicated individuals can be seen working daily with students on individual needs. GCE gives great effort in public relations and community services by participating in Food Pantry drives, Mercy rescue supply drives, Jump Rope for Heart (American Heart Association), GCE 5k scholarship run, and Earth Day community clean-up. We try to spotlight students' successes in different areas by submitting news to the local newspaper and sending home a weekly newsletter with students as well as posting student spotlights on social media.

Academically, our teachers and support staff work extra hard to meet the individual needs of each student. Our Title I program works not only with students who need academic help but also with their parents by providing free academic materials and training at Title I parent nights. Speech and special education support classes serve specific student needs. In order to help our students master State Standards, the following programs are in use: Reading Renaissance Accelerated Reading, Orton-Gillingham, Fountas and Pinnell, BARTONS Reading and Spelling program, SRA Reading, A-Z Reading, Freckle, and IXL. A differentiated curriculum for high-ability students is offered to approximately the top 10% of students in grade levels K-6. Professional development is encouraged and ongoing with the implementation of Five-Star Technology which allows teachers to participate in free professional development. Our Instructional Coach and teachers lead sessions on a variety of topics that help our teachers integrate technology. Our school system enjoys superior technological resources and training.

SCHOOL'S PURPOSE

Graham Creek Elementary's mission is to, "Inspire and Empower our students to reach their full potential to be lifelong learners and productive members of a global community." We put great emphasis on building qualities that match our mission by having staff model lifelong learning and being productive members of our community. Graham Creek Elementary cultivates student growth and has rigorous expectations for its students. We provide students with one-to-one access to technology, teaching them how to use the device, how to expand their learning opportunities, and how to be responsible digital citizens. Teachers analyze data regularly in order to provide additional support, interventions, and strategies that each student needs to show growth. Teachers are regularly collaborating and are evaluated to ensure students are receiving equitable learning opportunities and that the curriculum is extensive and rigorous. Family and community are important to GCE. Title I Family Night, Grandparents’ Days, and Career Days are just a few examples of the numerous times our doors are open to the community to show the importance we put on relationships.

STEM FOCUS

Graham Creek Elementary School began implementing a STEM-dedicated learning model with the 2017 school year in order to prepare our students for their future careers. Through professional development, collaborative planning, and rigorous curriculum maps, teachers have been able to design project-based learning and performance-based assessments aligned with grade-level standards. Integration across subject area curriculum creates a challenging environment with real-world authentic application.

Learning experiences occur in classrooms and during STEM specials. In the classroom, teachers and students work in critical-thinking teams, collaborating and problem-solving to create innovative solutions to real-world problems using STEM EIE kits. During the STEM special, students test hypotheses, solve problems, and share solutions through an inquiry-based learning approach.

STEM educators at GCE have implemented a collaborative planning model, sharing practices, and core strategies that support an inquiry-based approach to teaching and learning. Teachers have been trained in PBL, UDL, Makey-Makey, Cubetto, Dash and Dot, Cubeletts, Cue, Ozobot, Code.org, Picture Perfect, and Sphero. A large majority of our teachers have completed Google Certification in Level 1 or Level 2. Teachers participate in ongoing collaborative meetings to discuss research-based methods to engage students in STEM activities using grade-level curriculum maps. In addition, teachers meet with the STEM special teacher for assistance in implementing STEM learning experiences. Educators consistently share STEM exemplars at monthly staff meetings.

Monthly STEM committee meetings provide another time for planning and sharing school wide STEM-based projects and goals. Members meet to plan and facilitate STEM-related projects within the school day, as well as extra-curricular evening activities. Engagement and connecting to student interest by incorporating examples of the world around them are central to the success of STEM.

In conclusion, STEM involvement, exposure, experiences, and understanding are evident throughout Graham Creek Elementary as students, teachers, paraprofessionals, and volunteers are continuously and actively engaging in critical-thinking teams, collaborations, and problem-solving situations with real-world applications daily. The design process and the scientific method are embedded within all activities at Graham Creek Elementary.