2. We bring you GIANT greetings from Marion Community Schools & Allen Elementary School in Marion, Indiana!!!
Anthony Williams; Principal
Brenda McVicker; Director of Elementary Education
Tara Asbury; Grant Manager

3. Session Objectives
Objective: To share ideas and strategies that worked for Allen
Objective: To observe educators in the room with the “We’re doing something similar…” look
Objective: To encourage you to stay the course!”
Focus #1: Culture > Learning?
Focus #2: Sustainability with & w/out having to use Title I and School Improvement Grant (SIG) funds

4. Questions?
WHO?
WHY?

5. “We fought a war on poverty and poverty won”

6. School Improvement Grant (SIG)
Option 1: Focus/Priority School + External Consultant + Collaborative Quality Analysis + Needs Assessment = 3 years of funding Option 2: Opportunity to fully utilize 3 years of funding + amending our grant yearly based on need + VISION for sustainability after funding = Allen Elementary
Let’s Take a Walk…

7. August 17, 2006 What does this date mean in history?
What does this date mean to you?
What does this date mean for me?

8. August 17, 2006 “I CAN CHANGE THE WORLD ONE STUDENT AT A TIME!”
NERVES & ANXIETY
CONFIDENCE (WITH A SLIGHT TOUCH OF ARROGANCE)
“OMG…THEY ARE SO CUTE!”
“THIS IS THE REASON WHY I’M HERE”
TRUE
PASSION

9. “Fake it until you make it”

10. What makes you feel like this each day?
80 – 20 Rule 1

11. July 3, 2013

12. August 13, 2013 19 “new” staff members in the building 13 new teachers
Includes a brand new 4th grade team
10/22 classrooms teachers were 1st year teachers (including 2 special education teachers)
S.I.G. Funds: Guidance Counselor, Assistant Principal, Parent Volunteer Coordinator, Discipline Secretary

13. August 2013 Do you teach/work where you grew up?
Do you live in the community where you teach/work?
Do you truly “know”
where you work?

14. 2 September 2013 Key To Sustainability Local Church
University or College
United Way
Large Corporation
What are we currently doing to partner with…?
How can we increase our partnership with…? 2

15. Community Partners Hanfield United Methodist Church B.E.S.T. Bags
Kids Hope USA Mentor program
Weekly Encouragement for teachers and staff
Indiana Wesleyan University
Mentoring practicum students
Grant funded opportunity for masters program
Professional development (Eric Jensen, Dave Burgess, etc.)
Writing Project
Wildcat Books (children’s literature students)

16. Community Partners Donations for teachers
Wal-Mart (Corporation)
Donations for teachers
Donations used as incentives for “Community Day” prizes
Samaritan’s Feet Foundation/Shoe Drive
United Way of Grant County
Quarterly brainstorming sessions w/ director
United Way fundraising campaign
Leaders 4 Literacy initiative
Connections to other community partners

17. 3

18. October 2013: Community Day
GIANT Tickets
Shout-Outs
Teachers recognize students
Students recognize teachers
Certificates
Good Behavior Referrals
Prizes
Areas of Improvement
Student Leadership
Teacher Leadership
Community Partners

19. May 22, 2014: Field Day

20. June 2014 Numbers Don’t Lie! 3 administrators 900+ referrals
202 suspensions
1.12 suspensions per day
Minimum of 72,720 minutes of instructional time lost
1 building showing signs of TRUST & a RECOMMITTMENT TO TEACHING & LEARNING!
4 principals in 5 years
90 4th grade students with no trust in leadership
10 first year teachers

23. Address our concerns for suspended students, and the educational and personal growth opportunities they were missing.
New Beginnings is not an in-school suspension program.
It is a multi-faceted and multi-tiered approach to responding to and improving student behavior.
Students work one-on-one with behavioral interventionists and instructional aides
Students meet frequently with a school counselor and social worker.

24. New Beginnings Remember… Parent University
‘The behavior didn’t start overnight, so the behavior cannot be changed overnight” Non-compliance of parents/guardians with the provisions of this policy may be considered educational neglect with the child being considered a “child in need of services” in accordance with Indiana law (I.C ).
Purpose:
Increase parent engagement and involvement in their child's schooling
Intentionally connect and partner with them to provide parenting support and encouragement.
Method:
6 session family enrichment program
Bringing families together: to eat, for parent support/education, and for family enrichment
Modeling family time together
Family activity
Parent support activity designed to encourage parents in the difficult task of raising children.

25. October 2014: Extended Learning
Traditional
Allen Elementary
Selected Teachers
Small group sizes
25-30% of targeted students participating
“Drill & Kill” instruction
1 hour
All classroom teachers participating (except 2)
Teachers had almost 40-50% of their students after school
At our peak, we had more than 50% of our entire student body
Based on teacher interest and skill
2 hours

26. November 2014: Privilege Walk
If there were more than 50 books in your house when you grew up
If one or both of your parents have a college degree
If you were raised in an area where there were drugs, gang activity, etc.
If you parents told you that you could be anything you wanted to be

27. January 2015 Literature Expansion of current PD clusters
Teacher Showcase
Expansion of current PD clusters
Promoting Teacher Leadership
Building Confidence in instruction
Increase “buy-in” for specific strategies

28. August 2015 Technology 1:1 in Grades 2, 3 & 4 RTI 2 Computer Labs
Laptop carts & 5 iPads in grades K-1
Google Classroom
Student Documentation
Learning Slides
Apple TV
Learning Lab
“All Hands on Deck”
Leveled Learning Intervention
Read 180/System 44
IREAD (Scholastic)
Student Ability Grouping
RTI Interventionist: High Ability
RTI Meetings
Data Analysis
“Wrap Around Services”
KNOW your students!

29. November 22, 2016

30. Closing Thoughts 1/3: “The Power of the Tongue”
“Make it a great day…or not…the choice is yours”
“Family and health ALWAYS come first”
“Whatever it Takes”
“It’s all good!”
“Team…”
What would your colleagues or students say is the phrase or quote you say the most? 4

31. Closing Thoughts 2/3: Lessons from Disney
“Ah Yes, the past can hurt; but the way I see it…you can either run from it or learn from it” – Rafiki, The Lion King
Belief that the future holds more than the present
“All it takes is faith and trust” Peter Pan
Belief that you can go from nothing to something
“When you believe in a thing…
believe in it all the way…implicitly
and unquestionably!”
– Walt Disney

32. Closing Thoughts 3/3: Graduate Class of 2015
BUILDING RELATION-SHIPS
EDUCATION
ALWAYS COMES FULL CIRCLE 5
“No significant learning occurs without a significant relationship”
– James Comer

33. THANK YOU!!! Anthony Williams – Allen Elementary School; Principal
Brenda McVicker – Marion Community Schools;
Director of Elementary Education
Tara Asbury –Marion Community Schools;
Grant Manager