Pee Dee Elementary is the home of the Busy Bees. We are a Title I school just west of the Grand Strand in beautiful Conway, SC. The staff of Pee Dee Elementary is proudly working toward our vision to be “a school where respectful relationships and a growth mind-set allow us to encourage, educate and empower everyone, every day.” We have embedded Mission Possible throughout our academic, social and emotional experiences to help our students develop a sense of the possibilities available to them and to believe anything is possible with determination, perseverance and work ethic. Our goal is to enable all students to develop the World-Class Knowledge and World-Class Skills of the Profile of the South Carolina Graduate. We do this by fostering critical thinking, collaboration, creativity and communication.
Our instructional program is grounded in the South Carolina Curriculum Standards and enhanced by strategically planning rigorous tasks and engagement structures. Our teachers are highly qualified and have spent countless hours in professional development learning how to deconstruct the standards and provide relevant thinking opportunities for students. Lead teachers have worked with consultants to grow their professional knowledge and mentor the teachers in their grade levels to improve instruction and student learning. We have one to one technology supporting these goals in third, fourth and fifth grades. To help students reach their fullest potential, we provide whole group and small group instruction allowing for differentiation of instruction based on learners’ needs. We also provide intensive reading intervention, gifted and talented education, English language learner instruction and special education services for students who need additional services. In addition, we hosted a Readers and Writer’s Club and Pre-Algebra Class for learners afterschool. New technology in the form of Osmo programmable devices, robots, augmented reality and VR headsets and STEM dramatically transformed our library into a Learning Commons that our students were eager to visit weekly. Several students and student teams were able to participate in the Horry County Schools Technology Fair.
Students have been empowered to serve in roles outside of their daily academic routines. School Ambassadors and Student School Improvement Council Members have shown leadership skills as they have interacted with parents, special guests and community members. Our Empower Kids project has allowed students to do multiple service learning projects. Our students are proud that they have been able to contribute to something bigger than themselves. Our Jump Rope for Heart campaign had its most successful year yet in regards to participation and fundraising.
In the arts, we were able to offer many exciting opportunities. Third, fourth and fifth grade students performed in a memorable rendition of the musical Annie. Pee Dee students participated in the district and state honors choir. Ballroom dancing instruction resulted in fabulous dance performances by 5th grade students. We also had a talent show where our students were able to demonstrate their wide variety of skills. Healthy living is encouraged and taught through twice weekly physical fitness classes and an afterschool “Bee Fit Club.” New playground equipment was added this year to further fitness goals.
Students’ social-emotional well-being is important to us at Pee Dee Elementary. Each day teachers conducted community circle in the classroom. They discussed life-skills, classroom norms and built respectful relationships. Weekly life-skill leaders at the school level reinforced this. Growing family partnerships is a valued part of ensuring that students feel emotionally safe. Multiple opportunities for parents to join us at school included Literacy Night, Technology Night, parent conference evenings, the Sweetheart Dance, Fall Fest, Spring Fling, Muffins for Mom, Donuts for Dad, Thanksgiving Feast and more.
Building community partnerships was an important goal for Pee Dee this year. We were able to develop working relationships with Coastal Carolina College, the Horry County Library system, Blue Cross / Blue Shield, local churches, businesses and clubs such as Rotary and Lion’s Club. Our School Improvement Council (SIC), Title I Committee and Parent-Teacher Organization (PTO) all played a role in growing Pee Dee Elementary closer to our goal of being a school known for making dreams possible.
We are blessed to serve the students in our care and will continue to do our best to provide exemplary experiences for our students while they are on the path to becoming college and career ready.
