Our school is helping all students develop the world class skills and life and career characteristics of the Profile of the South Carolina Graduate by cultivating students who are problem-solvers, effective communicators, and lifelong learners. The infusion of academia by means of rigorous standards is recognized by means of our accreditation process. In 2017-2018, Lexington District Two was granted ongoing accreditation through AdvancED and will continue to hold this distinction.
Springdale Elementary School completed a very successful school year by providing a quality education to over 480 students in child development to fifth grade. Our school motto, "Transform Springdale...Think Differently!" has become a reality. Through strategic planning, intentional instruction, and high student engagement our teachers strived to ensure that each and every student we served was moving towards the world class skills and life and career characteristics that are a part of the Profile. We made this possible through providing a family friendly environment, collaborating with stakeholders, and the continuation of "digging deep" in data analysis for continuous improvement of instruction. These efforts will increase the proficiency of all students. The use of Renaissance STAR 360, Developmental Reading Assessment (DRA), classroom pulse checks, Benchmark Writing, SCREADY and SCPASS data have been instrumental in addressing the specific needs of our students and charting the growth of our students. Our Response to Intervention (RTI) team was able to continue to match tiered interventions to students in grades 5K through fifth this year. Throughout the school year, there were 84 students who received RTI tiered interventions for reading below their current grade level. Twenty nine of these RTI students are no longer receiving RTI interventions. Fourteen of the RTI students qualified for Special Education services. Also, Springdale Elementary had an enrichment math class in grades 3, 4, and 5 for students who met the district criteria. A student was considered for the enrichment math class placement if he/she met two of the three district criteria. In addition, technology was an integral part of our curriculum, through use of wireless access, including Smart Boards and iPads. We are excited to have an electronic device for every student to use to support learning, create original works, and uncover the world we live in. During the 2018-2019 school year, teachers will receive additional training on the use of technology in order to use it more effectively to engage students and enhance learning opportunities. Employers have indicated the need for students to be able to think at higher levels upon graduation. To that regard, we have concentrated on building world class skills within children by promoting thinking skills, regardless of diverse needs.
Our school focused on instilling life and career characteristics in our students, such as integrity, self-direction, perseverance, and interpersonal skills by implementing the Dolphins D.I.V.E. Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) philosophy. Students were D.I.V.E. -ing into learning by showing Dignity, Interacting well with others, Valuing their education, and Encouraging self and others. We believe that if we teach each child to D.I.V.E., then they will have prosperous careers. We continued to implement Dolphin P.O.D.S. (Positive Outreach for Dolphin Students). Each child in our building had someone in which they met with monthly to discuss the various career clusters in the state of SC and STEM activities. Lastly, we worked to develop soft skills, as well as, skills needed to work with others through Problem Based Learning and Cooperative Learning.
Springdale Baptist Church continued their support of our school this year. Through their support, Springdale Baptist Church has supplied our school with school supplies for our students, as well as, an afternoon program at the church. The Town of Springdale continued to support our school this year. They have been a vital part in our efforts to implement D.A.R.E. Springdale Elementary School is the only school in Lexington District Two to offer the D.A.R.E. program to our fifth graders.
Our celebrations would not be complete without special recognition for the support and dedication from our faculty, staff, students, parents, and community. Our PTO and SIC continued to be an essential part of our school by supporting our Dolphin Splash Awards Ceremonies, as well as the Buy-A-Brick Campaign. The Buy-A-Brick Campaign (ongoing through 11-30-18) is a brick fundraiser to build a Little Free Library in front of our newly renovated school. By purchasing a personalized, engraved brick for placement in the sidewalk, this will fund new literacy material for our school's media center and help construct a Little Free Library by the flagpole. During the 2017-2018 school year, our school underwent extensive renovations and additions. During this construction period, we were temporarily located at 2305 Frink Street, Cayce, SC 29033.
Also, through collaboration amongst our PTO, SIC, and PE teacher, we continued a health and fitness focus with the incorporation of a Fall 4 Movement Day and daily "Morning Moves" on the Springdale Live morning show. We were able to teach and promote healthy lifestyles as well as continue to add to the visionary master plan of the Healthy Fitness Zone, otherwise known as Cindy's Place. We also celebrated our 18th year of Celebration of the Arts. This program allows us to study various cultures across the globe and explore various forms of art, music and dance.
Thank you for your support as we continue to strive towards "excellence" at Springdale Elementary! We remain committed to building world class knowledge skills, as well as life and career characteristics for our future graduates. It is with eager anticipation and celebration that we look forward to returning to the beautiful, brand new surroundings at our original Springdale location for the 2018-2019 school year!
Hope Vrana, Principal
Lee Ann Murray, SIC Chair