Robert E. Cashion Elementary School is helping all students develop the world class skills in life and career characteristics of the Profile of the South Carolina Graduate by following our vision: we will provide an academically challenging program in a safe, caring and nurturing environment. Our ‘tag line’ summarizes our actions – Reaching… Educating… Caring. We demonstrate this by challenging our students with best practices to assist them in reaching their full potential, and providing our teachers and staff with continuous professional development necessary for guiding students toward goal attainment. Our teachers are engaged in ongoing professional development focusing on learning effective methods and instructional strategies. These researched based methods and strategies strengthen our teacher’s ability to deliver the most effective and challenging instruction supporting world class life and career skills. This year the focus was continuing to improve our students reading through a variety of ways including strengthening our balance literacy program, motivating students to read through a variety of Reading Programs, tutoring students in reading through our Reading Rocket Program. Through Title I we purchased a 450 classroom library set for every teacher in our building to help support a quality reading program. First in Math and RAZ Kids are computer programs which support our Reading and Math foundations in order for our students to be successful in higher order questions in all subjects. We utilized a certified teacher to provide all students Writing Intervention every other week. Students in K5 through 5th grade participated in TDA writing opportunities. Our writing program crosses all subjects and student writing samples are proudly displayed around the school. At Robert E. Cashion Elementary we also have programs outside of the academic program in order to provide the life skills necessary for World Class participation in today’s society. This year we had programs in place to introduce and support these necessary life skills. A partnership with the Greenville Rotary, Evening Division, provides our students with a character education through the Early Act, First Knight program. This program was supported through our school counselor classroom lessons and through our morning news show. For select group of 5th grade girls we had a successful "I'm A Lady" program. This program introduced the girls to several life skills to help them beyond academics. At Robert E. Cashion Elementary we have a quote from Henry Ford that sums up our philosophy for our school community: “Coming Together is a Beginning. Keeping Together is Success. Working Together is Success.” We believe the school, family, and community must share the educational responsibility of our students. We realize there are students still needing to close the basic skill gap. However, we are very aware of the need to rapidly expand our opportunities for all of our students to attain the world class skills and life and career characteristics of the Profile of the South Carolina Graduate. To this end, we at Robert E. Cashion Elementary, with the assistance of the family and community, are dedicated to finding and implementing ways to help our students develop these skills.