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School Improvement Plan
About Our School: Located in the Wakefield neighborhood of the city of South Kingstown, Wakefield School serves students in grades kindergarten through five in 16 classes. Main Street shops are just across the river behind the school. The area is known as a relaxing seaside community with frequent family events such as local parades, art exhibits and cultural events. The close proximity to The University of Rhode Island in Kingston offers many benefits to residents. The original Wakefield Grammar School was destroyed by fire during the night of March 11, l963. The present Wakefield Elementary School was built in l964 and had a new wing dedicated in 1990. The school had eight principals from 1964 to 2003. It housed kindergarten through fourth grade for many years and then changed to a grade one through grade six school for eight years. 2004-2005 marks the fourth year it is home to kindergarten through fifth grade students. Wakefield School has a strong reputation as an educational environment which seeks to foster the social/emotional as well as rigorous academic needs of its students. Wakefield School was the first in South Kingstown to develop a Site Based Management Team. Currently the demands of the school are divided between the School Improvement Team and the Advisory Communication Team which helps handle the day to day issues that arise. Teachers and staff are well invested in their young charges and pitch in with creative problem solving ideas as needs arise. Wakefield School has a strong history of community service and connection. The Wakefield Wizards are encouraged daily to follow the Golden Rule, to put forth their best effort, to help others succeed, and to make good choices as in the words of Ghandi to "be the change they wish to see in the world." Wakefield Wizards are encouraged to be PEACEMAKERS, an acronym that reflects the Word of the Month which encourages the development of strong character traits. Character traits emphasize making positive choices. Students strive to be: Children are recognized for positive actions that reflect a peaceful and caring environment. We are all reminded daily to Treat Others the Way You Would Like to be Treated and to Be the Change You Wish to See in the World. Wakefield School is the grateful recipient of a grant which will strengthen the collaboration with The Center for Nonviolence and Peace Studies at The University of Rhode Island. Staff and students will be trained in the Principles of Nonviolence and the Steps which are life skills that will help us work through conflicts. We are embracing this philosophy in an effort to build a truly caring community in which every child and adult feels connected and respected through a common language and a personal commitment on the part of staff, students and parents. A new district created Language Arts Curriculum has been developed which will help direct the efforts in the school as well as in the district. A new Math Curriculum is currently being written and the work will continue throughout the school year. Many teachers are being trained in Guided Reading instruction. Cast-A-Spell is making a significant impact on the Wakefield Wizards. These initiatives related directly back to our School Improvement goals as we seek to reach all learners. We are looking closely at our needs, as in Problem Solving, and setting our course to make improvements in Differentiated Instruction. Staff will participate in Job-Embedded Professional Development in Write Traits. We are a community with strong parental involvement. The South Kingstown School District has committed to the Principles of Learning through the Institute for Learning, Learning Research and Development Center out of the University of Pittsburgh. 2004-2005 marks the second year of this work with school administrators. We are committed to the challenge of bringing all students to high standards at Wakefield School. |
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