 | | Joey Page, principal, Sheridan Hills Elementary School |
2008-2009 MESPA Minnesota School of Excellence
Richfield Public Schools, ISD #280
"Today’s children will face new challenges in an ever-changing world,
and the knowledge and skills they learn today must prepare them with
the tools they need for future success and to be productive citizens...The validation of Sheridan Hills as Minnesota School of Excellence is a
testimony to our strong teaching staff, shared leadership, parent and
community support, and the overall school climate that supports
learning and high-quality instruction.”
Joey Page is the principal of Sheridan Hills Elementary School, which serves primary students in Kindergarten through Grade 2. Page states that: “Today’s children will face new challenges in an ever-changing world, and the knowledge and skills they learn today must prepare them with the tools they need for future success and to be productive citizens. The validation of Sheridan Hills as Minnesota School of Excellence is a testimony to our strong teaching staff, shared leadership, parent and community support, and the overall school climate that supports learning and high-quality instruction.”
The mission of the Richfield Public Schools is “to help prepare all learners for a changing world by developing their knowledge and abilities within a climate of mutual trust and respect.” Consistent with this mission statement, Page outlines the educational philosophy practiced at Sheridan Hills: “In a stimulating and nurturing environment geared toward young children, students are grounded in the early learning fundamentals of reading, writing and math and begin to explore other curriculum areas as well. Here at Sheridan Hills we work very hard to create an environment that develops the skills needed for our students to be successful. Like most educators today, we have been changing our practices to reflect new knowledge about learning and teaching. Teachers are continuously receiving training and support in literacy, mathematics, and technology instruction.”
At Sheridan Hills Elementary the teachers have learned extensively about balanced literacy through a five year partnership with The Ohio State University called the Literacy Collaborative. The goal of this framework is to allow numerous opportunities for reading and writing to occur in authentic contexts. Through these opportunities students develop into independent readers and writers. The program provides a framework that connects reading and writing throughout the day. Children and teachers engage in reading aloud to students, shared reading, guided reading, and independent reading. They participate in shared writing, interactive writing, writing workshop and independent writing. Letters and words are learned within authentic reading and writing tasks.
As principal, Page believes that: “Responsibility for student learning is a collaborative effort among the classroom teachers, specialists, gifted and talented teachers, special education teachers, ESL teachers, Title I teachers, , the social worker, the school outreach worker, and parents.”
Sheridan Hills Elementary makes use of numerous initiatives and approaches to serve its students. Through the L.E.A.R.N. initiative and the building’s equity plan to address educational equity and institutional racism, teachers consistently communicate high expectations for all students and reflect the belief that all students can succeed. Nearly all Sheridan Hills Elementary teachers have been trained in and employ the philosophy and teaching of Choice Theory/Reality Therapy (CT/RT). Its fundamental idea is that no matter what has happened in the past, our future is ours and success is based on the behaviors we choose. It has become a technique widely studied and embraced by people throughout the world.
In addition to CT/RT, teachers are cycling through extensive development in the National Urban Alliance (NUA), Responsive Classroom and S.M.A.R.T. (Stimulating Maturity Through Accelerated Readiness Training) training. The focus of NUA training is t toward high intellectual performance through students’ culture, language, and cognition. Responsive Classroom is an approach to teaching that strives to fully integrate social and academic learning throughout the school day and to create a caring community where students are able to become strong and ethical thinkers. S.M.A.R.T. is a multi-sensory approach to learning, designed to develop and enhance physiological and neurological readiness skills students need to succeed in school. The curriculum consists of activities for developing and/or enhancing students’ large and fine muscle skills, visual perception and eye-hand coordination, all necessary tools for learning to read and academic success. The staff at Sheridan Hills is committed to using this approach and many teachers have spent weeks attending workshops to develop their understanding of the Responsive Classroom approach.
To sum up Sheridan Hills’ secret to success, Page maintains that: “Teams are not created, they are built. Here at Sheridan Hills, all teachers are actively involved in all facets of the organization. Teachers participate in a substantive way and communicate regularly with other team members. Sheridan Hills experiences a high level of success because teachers embrace the goals of the school.”
Sheridan Hills Minnesota School of Excellence Celebration:
date to be scheduled
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