Van Buren Elementary School is located at 225 Shaw Street in Plainfield, IN. The current enrollment in Van Buren Elementary is 528 students. The staff consists of one principal, 23 classroom teachers (K-5), 1.5 special education teachers, 3 Title I instructional assistants, one music teacher/interventionist, one computer science teacher/math teacher, and one art teacher/interventionist.
At Van Buren Elementary, teachers strive to participate in weekly STEM activities, learn Indiana Computer Science standards, develop Communication/Creativity/Critical Thinking/Collaboration skills, participate in Project Lead the Way (PLTW) modules, and become proficient in Design Thinking to better address the new College and Career Readiness standards.
It is part of the culture at Van Buren Elementary to incorporate cross-curricular STEM opportunities on a regular basis. Through professional development and collaboration, staff members have worked to provide a STEM education program that engages students while preparing them for their future.
By incorporating a Computer Science class at Van Buren, students are able to access the Computer Science Academic Standards set by the Indiana Department of Education. In addition to that dedicated time, a partnership with the Town of Plainfield allows all students to access a device to further implement computer science in all classrooms.
Teachers implement Project Lead the Way (PLTW) courses throughout the school year to engage students with real world applications while providing them with opportunities to explore careers and topics related to STEM. Students are also presented with investigations that utilize the Design Thinking process as they develop empathy and problem solving skills to solve real world problems by testing various prototypes.
Creating successful habits at a young age is imperative as Van Buren implements the College and Career Readiness standards, along with the Employability Skills. In doing so, teachers have been trained to teach lessons that focus on “The 4 C’s”: Critical Thinking, Creativity, Collaboration, and Communication. The Employability Skills are also enforced through student announcements and their trips to the Imagination Lab.
It is the mission of Van Buren Elementary to bring joy to learning for our students as they are presented with a STEM program filled with inquiry and innovation.