Welcome to A.W. Becker Elementary School! I d like to extend a special welcome to our BOE and families this evening as we gather to celebrate achievements of our students and recognize the many exciting things occurring in our school. 1
The new sign at the entrance of our school embodies the true spirit of A.W. Becker. As a former student, I have fond memories here and it is a top priority of mine to assure that every student leaves this building with a positive experience. We truly work hard to be a loving school and welcome you as a member of our extraordinary family. 2
There are a number of ways we build a positive culture of learning at A.W. Becker. This ranges from school environment to programs. 3
The entrance to our school has changed to enhance our positive school culture with large pencil columns. I particularly love these pencils because it is a symbol that we are RISK TAKERS at A.W. Becker. Pencils have erasers and we know it s okay to make mistakes. We learn and grow from mistakes and become better for them. 4
Not only have we enhanced our entrance and created student pride with every child having a part, but we re teaching our students the value and importance of positivity and perseverance with this school wide project. At AWB, each student is celebrated as an individual- there s only one you. 5
One of the ways we ensure a positive culture is through our PBIS Program. Here is our kickoff consisting of a parade and assembly reminding students of our rules and expectations for the year. You can see, our staff fully participates in our PBIS program in multiple ways making this a highly motivating program for the students. 6
We re proud of our referral data over the past 4 years, directly linked to our success with PBIS. As you can see, our discipline referrals have decreased significantly. Our positive referrals continue to increase, as well. One of our building target s this year is focused on increasing our positive referrals by 25%. 7
Another critical element of teaching our students positive behavioral strategies is our Second Step Program. This is a K-5 push-in program taught by our guidance counselor and social worker. Second Step is an evidence-based program that integrates socialemotional learning into school using lessons filled with music, pictures, videos and activities. 8
If you walk around our building, you ll observe signs like these everywhere. This happens to be our school nurse, Mrs. LeFevre. My belief is that every one of our staff members at A.W. Becker (teachers, aides, bus drivers, custodians, kitchen staff, secretaries) are all superheroes to our students. Research shows the link between students social-emotional well being and academic growth to help students achieve their maximum potential. 9
We are developing students for 21 st Century career and college readiness beginning at the elementary level. Last month, Mr. Jones highlighted many of the wonderful things PBC is doing in the area of STEM, such as technology and enrichment. At A.W. Becker, we also have a strong focus on STEM and are working to use it for social change. 10
Before we can expect the students to reach levels of proficiency and mastery with STEM, teachers need to COLLABORATE and PARTICIPATE to become active learners in STEM activities. Our teachers are regularly utilizing faculty meetings as Professional Development to explore new ideas and activities to use with students. 11
Students are using Google Suite of Tools including Google Classroom to learn to how to effectively become a digital age learner. Our 5 th graders utilize a Chromecart in their classroom daily and all students work in our library media center. Our instructional technologist, Ms. Cara Buckley has been assisting the teachers and students with support in implementation of technology and learning, as well as offering general Professional Development for all teachers in the building. 12
We are fortunate to have technology throughout our school: two computer labs, Smartboards or Dell boards in all classrooms, two Chromecarts, and ipads to meet the needs of numerous students in every classroom. Our interactive boards, utilized regularly for instruction (Journeys, EngageNY Modules, etc.) increase engagement, and thus, overall achievement. 13
We are very fortunate to have regained a full time enrichment teacher at each elementary building. Mr. Verga will continue servicing students in the Scholars and Challenge Math programs, but now will spend a large portion of each week providing STEM based enrichment to all K-5 classrooms in the school. Some possible units our K- 5 classes may explore this year include Experimental Design, Little Bits/STEM kits, Coding, and LEGO Mindstorms. 14
A.W. Becker is the proud recipient of a $4,000 Lowe s Toolbox for Education Grant. Mr. Verga will be developing STEM skills with our students to design and build aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems This grant also offers our students the opportunity to work with our own 3-D printer for designing. Students will be using INQUIRY skills to develop strategies for social change to begin the conversation on how to limit damage, conserve or restore the living world around us. 15
Our teachers work to integrate STEM activities into the WIN block (or What I Need block) in addition to the regular instructional blocks. Here you will see Mr. Brown s 5 th grade students collaborating on a STEM project called the Creative Catcher. You can see the students are having fun. What may not be noticed, especially by them, are the skills being developed which will help them as they move on from A.W. Becker into the real world: collaboration, problem-solving, inquiry, risk-taking, and participation. Developing these core values and STEM skills make a big difference in how our young students and future leaders see the world and solve problems. 16
Along with such STEM projects is Project Based Learning. Project-based learning is a dynamic approach to teaching in which students explore real-world problems and challenges. We will be working on PBL this year at all levels so our students can learn how to take initiative and responsibility, build their confidence, solve problems, work in teams, communicate ideas, and manage themselves more effectively. 17
One could say we live in a very advanced technological age and I would agree. I believe in the old proverb, though, that it takes a village to raise a child. Through solid home and school communication and cultivating community relationships, we can build a school to give students the strongest foundations possible. 18
We begin fostering community relationships at the earliest levels. This is one of our UPK classes for their annual Grandparents & Special Friends Celebration. Such events are always well attended and build the foundation for the upper grades. 19
A.W. Becker is a proud host to six STARS this year. The STARS program bridges senior citizens and students together in meaningful ways, benefitting both. Our teachers and students love our STARS and the extra support they provide, academically, emotionally and socially. Pictured here is Mrs. Janice Sacco in Mrs. Guntert s first grade classroom assisting with a math lesson. 20
We love parent participation at A.W. Becker. The Bring Your Parent to PE Week, pictured here, is just one example. Weekly, we have guest readers (known as the Mystery Reader) in kindergarten and invite parents in to assist with classroom activities. Our PTA sponsors a host of events, as well as our well attended Literacy Nights, Math Night and Science Fair & Art Show. 21
One of the ways we empower our students to become global citizens is by connecting school events with organizations to help in the community. For example, this year, our popular One School One Book program is linked to Read for Ronald McDonald House building EMPATHY in our students. Our annual Apple Run kicks off our annual American Heart Association Jump Rope for Heart. Since 2010, we ve raised over $20,000. 22
The RCS Community Library is one of our community partners as is apparent by our new Little Free Library officially registered this past month. The library was constructed by Betty Nolan and Lavergne Brockett, and encourages the community to take a book, leave a book, or both. Judith Wines, Director of the RCS Community Library, was instrumental in bringing this project to fruition. Judith regularly works with our school for community outreach. 23
A.W. Becker has established a partnership with the High School and students volunteer in various ways. Last year, the Natural Helpers served as peer mentors to our third graders in reading helping to increase proficiency. To support the Second Step program, pictured here are HS art students creating the Problem Solving Steps that students will use when having difficulties on the playground. 24
A.W. Becker is pleased to provide the Backpack Program, run by the Regional Food Bank of Northeastern New York. The program, focused on meeting the needs of hungry children on weekends when other food resources are not available, provides backpacks filled with nutritionally balanced food to participating school districts. The PTA provides backpacks for 13 families, serving numerous children within those households. 25
Creating a positive culture, including the community, STEM for social change, but what about academics? A.W. Becker is a school continually focused on academic targets and raising achievement. 26
One academic learning target we have for our students this year is to increase proficiency by at least 5% on the Developmental Reading Assessments (DRA s) from Spring 2017 to Spring 2018. The DRA s are utilized to measure whether students are reading on grade level. Students work on reading activities during their ELA/Literacy Block and/or WIN block. 27
We continue to improve our reading proficiency at A.W. Becker. These are the NYS ELA Scores showing the percentage proficient in 2016 and 2017. Over the past 4 years, we have increased the reading proficiency level at A.W. Becker by 14%. With our newly adopted Journeys program, a newly developed K-5 curriculum map, and Response to Intervention (RTI) program assisting our students requiring additional support, our school is sure to see continued progress and growth in the area of reading. 28
To be successful learners, research shows that the mind learns best when allowed short breaks. In this video, you will see an example of a Mindfulness Minute, allowing the students a quick burst of activity stretching their bodies and resetting their brains to focus them back to the task at hand. 29
and now that we re refocused, onto math! Student are learning different strategies and models to solve the same problem helping them to become critical thinkers. Here you will see Mrs. Moutopoulos, one of our math teachers, providing early intervention. Students use manipulatives to better understand the abstract concepts and develop a solid number sense to serve them well in future years. 30
Our students diligently practice math facts and fact fluency. Whether with timed tests or with newer technology, such as with these math Power Pens, students are regularly improving their math fluency skills. 31
Our A.W. Becker NYS Math Scores also climbed this past year, up 5%. Over the past 4 years at A.W. Becker, we have increased our proficiency 23%! With this large increase, we were recently recognized by the Times Union on their Most Improved list for math. This improvement is due in large part to consistency: a consistent K-5 curriculum map and K-5 common assessments. With our second target set on 80% of students reaching proficiency on at least three common assessments in math, we re confident that the overall proficiency level in math at A.W. Becker will continue to climb. 32
A.W. Becker is a collaborative, caring community working toward making a difference in the world. With core values, strong academic program and purposeful learning experiences, we will prepare tomorrow s leaders today. 33