ACCENTUATING THE POSITIVE AT JOHNSON ELEMENTARY

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ACCENTUATING THE POSITIVE AT JOHNSON ELEMENTARY
Johnson Elementary feeds Ardmore High school, we
hope that our students have a positive influence
and are part of Ardmores positive image in the
Limestone County School system
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Welcome to Johnson Elementary
K-5 school
As students pass through the front doors of our
school we hope that it is the beginning of a
wonderful educational experience.
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Johnson Elementary

• Where children think, dream, believe, and achieve

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Johnson Floor Plan

• 2001 Addition/Renovation
• 33,000 sq. ft.-67,000 sq. ft.
• 8 classrooms
• Art room and Music room
• Cafeteria and kitchen
• Computer labs
• Administrative area
• AC/Heated Gym
• Enclosed building
• Media Center
• Capacity of 450 student

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• Media center is heart of the school.
• Collection of over 10,000 books, audio books, and
  videos.
• Automated card catalog and checkout

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• Over 6000 AR books and quizzes
• 65,000 grant helped outfit the library with new
  books and materials
• Used for small group programs
  

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Library enrichment programs
Mr. Leath talks about Alaska
Author Darren Butler
Author John Cooper shows Reading is FUN!
JES Witch Esmerelda reads to school.
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Multimedia System
studio

• Multimedia system with
• 15 DVD/VCR channels
• Rolling bulletin board has updated pictures,
  announcements, menu, special information

• Allows live morning announcements
• Broadcasts into every room

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MORNING BROADCAST
Pledge of allegiance and moment of silence
Mrs. Jackson reads Project Wisdom message
Program is produced, written and directed by
Holly Roberts
Menus, announcements, day in history and trivia
questions make up the news
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Accelerated Reader Program

• STAR Reading determines students individual
  reading level.
• Individual Student Goals set
• Over 6000 AR books with quizzes in library and
  classrooms

The Accelerated Reader program has always been an
important part of the culture at Johnson. AR
encourages individual student reading which
leads to improved reading achievement. STAR test
helps teachers set individual student reading
goals taking into account their beginning level
and ability. Students have the material necessary
to meet and or exceed their goals during the
year.
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AR Cooperation
The AR program begins at the kindergarten level
with books being read to students and the tests
being read to them. Here you see some of the
fourth or fifth graders who work weekly with the
kindergarten students to help them take their
tests.
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AR Rewards
AR PEP RALLY
CLASS HIGH POINT WINNERS
SEMESTER DIVISION WINNERS
The AR program includes rewards to encourage
student participation. Students can spend their
points in the AR store. This allows All students
to be rewarded for their effort even if they
cannot be the highest point winner.
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• AR store to spend points allows every student to
  receive rewards
• END OF THE YEAR
• Students who met goal get to make Mrs. Austin
  into a sundae
• Last year 108 students met their goals

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AWARDS ASSEMBLY
Award ribbons
A and AB Honor Roll
Academic achievement is encouraged with an awards
assembly at the end of each grading period.
Parents, grandparents and others are encouraged
to attend the assembly where the whole school
gathers to recognize students who are given A or
AB honor roll ribbons, principals award ribbons
for improvement or effort, and or 9 week perfect
attendance ribbons
Principals Award
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National Junior Beta Club

• 5th grade
• 88 average
• Good citizenship
• Fall induction ceremony
• Helps school and community

Academic encouragement includes membership in the
Johnson Elementary School chapter of the National
Junior Beta Club
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Supporting Our Troops

• 40 boxes mailed to former PTO president Terry
  Grisham in Iraq

This year the Beta Club headed a project
supporting our troops by collecting 40 boxes of
supplies sent to our former PTO president Terry
Grisham in Afghanistan.
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All students participated
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Terry Grisham
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Collecting Glasses for the Lions Club
204 pairs of eyeglasses
Canned Food Drive
183 cans of food
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Tech Club

• 5th graders trained to clean computers
• Students learn important computer maintenance
  skills

Besides Beta Club students have an opportunity to
participate in other service clubs such as the
Tech Club.
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Tech Club at Work

• Students make scheduled visits to classrooms and
  labs to dust and clean computers

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COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT
New playground work day
Thanksgiving Lunch
Winner??
Parents help with book fair during Grandparents
week
Harvest Festival 2004
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New playground work day
PTO raised money for 2 years and with help from
Senator Butler were Able to remodel the main
playground and create a playground for
Kindergarten and First grade students away from
PE area
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Joy Brewer teaches quilting
Students enjoy the quilts Ms. Brewer loans the
library to hang during the school year. Ms Brewer
demonstrates and teaches quilting to students.
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PTO Chili Supper/Story Glove
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PTO Field Day
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ACADEMIC ACHEVIEMENTCOMPETITIONS
As part of academic encouragement, we provide
opportunities for students to participate in
academic achievement competitions.
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• Scholars Bowl
• 2004 4th/5th County Champions
• 2002 4th/5th Second Place County Team
• 2002 6th Second Place County Team
• 2001 4th/5th Second Place County Team
• 2001 6th County Champions

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Choosing Scholars Bowl Team
4th grade teams compete
5th grade teams compete
In an effort to inspire students to participate
in the scholars bowl competition, each 4th and
5th grade class fields a team for a competition
round played before the school.
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Grade level winners get plaque
4th grade winning class
5th grade winning class
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2005 Scholars Bowl Team

• School team chosen based on their performance
  during the class competitions.

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• Annual competition open to any 3rd to 5th grader
• School wide spelling bee
• Average of 40-50 participants
• 2005 winners

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Science Fair
Last year the science fair generated 43 entries
and was a great success.
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WRITING ASSESSMENT

• 5TH GRADE WRITING ASSESSMENT SCORES
• Level III or Level IV
• students who meet or exceed standards
• 2001 5
• 2002 19
• 2003 58
• 2004 79

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WRITE ON !
As part of encouraging the writing process,
beginning in first grade each class or grade
writes, illustrates, and has published a book.
Parents are able to buy a copy of the book and
the library has a copy of each book written by
students at the school.
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YEARBOOKS

• All color yearbooks beginning in 2001
• Set up in a scrapbook format with every page
  different.

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Ability Achievement Scores

• SAT10 scores published are achievement only
• School System Objective
• Each students achievement will be at 100 of
  his/her ability
• Analysis of how well students perform compared to
  how well we could expect them to perform based on
  their ability
• Help determine effectiveness of instruction
• Example
• student achievement score-50
• student ability score -50
• Student is performing at 100 of their ability

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Group Report Achievement /Ability Comparison
2003-2004 School Year
Each number students whose achievement score
was LOW, AVERAGE or HIGH based on students
ability on the SAT10 Total Battery of Tests
Scoring LOW Scoring AVERAGE
Scoring HIGH
GRADE 3 3 71 26 GRADE 4 8
63 30 GRADE 5 2 63 35
These scores help us determine the effectiveness
of instruction and thus help improve instruction
in specific areas, and let us know where we are
being the most and least effective with
instruction
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TEACHER IMPROVEMENT
Teachers working on NBCT
Commitment to 3 year program with Alabama
Improvement Grant Make Sense Writing Strategies
Teacher professional development and improvement
is one of our priorities. Ms. Rebecca Valenzuela
(NBCT) counsels 4 teachers working on national
board certification. This years professional
development focuses on using Make Sense Writing
Strategies involving think sheets to help
teachers individualize instruction in the
classroom.
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Think Sheets
These are examples of think sheets used at
various grade levels to help students clarify and
plan their writing activities. They start with a
first grade sheet, then 4th, then 5th and one
used in the resource room. Teachers are working
by grade level after leadership team training by
the state department to incorporate this type of
thinking into all aspects of the curriculum and
curriculum planning.
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Training Teachers
Learning to drive the school bus in case of
evacuation
Teachers are not only involved in academic
improvement but also with learning whatever it
takes to be the best that they can be.
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Improvement through Grants

• 10,800 - Automate library (Dekko)
• 5,000 - Multimedia computer and cart (Dekko)
• 1,200 - Writing software (Bell South)
• 20,000 - Lego Program laptops (Dekko)
• 1,000 - Life Cycles Grant (ADECA)
• 11,799 - Multimedia computers grade 3-6
  classrooms (Dekko)
• 1,000 - Outdoor classroom (HATS)
• 800 - Smart Board for 5th grade classroom
  (Dekko)
• 1,000 - Governors Alabama Wildflower for
  outdoor classroom
• 485 -Smithsonian book collection (Einstein
  Grant)
• 770 Lego League materials (HATS)
• 63,566- Media Center computers, books, software
  (Dekko)
• 21,000- Apple Computer Lab set up (Dekko)
• TOTAL GRANTS 136,420

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Helping students dream
Students learn about animals from different
biospheres
One of the goals of our elementary school is to
give students experiences that will give them
knowledge on which to build their learning. Each
year we try to provide students with new
experiences through assemblies and field trips.
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Benjamin Franklin Assembly
Learning about Ben Franklins accomplishments
and being inspired to read to become an expert
in an area that interests you.
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Outdoor Classroom

• Pond
• Native plants
• Picnic tables and benches

Our outdoor classroom has been a work in progress
for several years. It became an enclosed
courtyard with the completion of the new
building. It provides a wonderful place for all
types of learning and activities. Teachers use it
for reading, science, art and just plain
relaxing.
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Outdoor Classroom

• Fourth graders use the outdoor classroom for
  reading time on Dr. Suess Day

• Second graders release butterflies they hatched

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Hot Air Balloon Assembly

• Students learn about hot air balloons

• Sitting inside an inflated hot air balloon inside
  the gym

One of the most exciting assemblies that we have
had was our recent hot air balloon assembly where
students and teachers had a chance to go inside a
partially inflated hot air balloon and learn how
it works.
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Coach holds open the balloon
The balloon inflates in the gym
The balloon basket
Heat rises!
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Bear Creek Educational Center5th Grade Field Trip
Canoeing
Rappelling Spelunking Archery Nature studies
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5th Grade Field Trip

• As part of our effort to give students an
  opportunity to think, believe, dream and achieve,
  the 5th grade takes a 3 day 2 night field trip to
  Bear Creek Educational Center in Russellville,
  AL.
• Bear Creek is a nonprofit state agency whose goal
  is to provide quality outdoor and environmental
  education.
• Our students are accompanied by Ms. Valenzuela
  and Ms. Dawson, the fifth grade teachers, Coach
  Davis, and many parents who seem to enjoy the
  experience as much as the students.
• The learning activities such as canoeing,
  rappelling, spelunking, archery, and nature
  studies are designed to help students develop
  confidence, self discipline and self control, all
  attributes we hope they will use when they move
  on to Ardmore.
• It is a chance for teachers and students to get
  to know themselves and each other better in a non
  academic environment.

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High Ropes
The high ropes course is the ultimate experience
for many students. It is an effective tool for
confidence and team building, often giving
students who do not excel at academics the
opportunity to shine before their fellow students
and teachers. At 20-30 in the air they learn
discipline and confidence in themselves and
others.
The Bear Creek experience is an opportunity for
students and teachers to forge a respect and
understanding of each other that the classroom
does not always provide. We think it is an
invaluable experience for our students. It is a
trip that they will never forget and which may
change their attitude about themselves for the
future.
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Bus of the Year

• Monthly reward program
• End of year reward

Aside from academics and experience, we want to
emphasize character and responsible behavior. One
successful program has Been the Bus of the
Month. Drivers rate their riders daily, the top
scoring bus each month is rewarded with a popcorn
party and a Plaque to carry for the month. At the
end of the year, the highest scoring bus is given
a trip to Kids Dugout and a pizza party.
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At the end of the day

• As students leave we hope that today and every
  day, they had an opportunity to think, dream,
  believe and achieve at Johnson Elementary