SNAP SHOT of our school: an overview of programs and grade levels in the Samuel Mickle school, from Albert Wagner (Principal)

The Samuel Mickle School houses grades three to six with an enrollment of 380 students. The curriculum taught by all teachers of East Greenwich Township is based on the adopted Core Curriculum Content Standards of the New Jersey Department of Education. The teachers work in committees to implement teaching strategies and select materials for each academic subject area. All pupils receive music, art, physical education, library, computers, and Spanish from teacher specialists. The Samuel Mickle School has a strong music program. We are very proud of the students in our fifth and sixth grade bands. Our sixth grade band consists of forty-three students, which is a forty-eight percent participation rate. The fifth grade band consists of seventy-one students, which is an eighty percent participation rate. All children who participate in the band are given instrumental lessons during the school day at no cost to the parent. Special performances for all of the musical groups occur during the winter holiday season, Music In Our Schools celebration in March, and also during the late spring.

The art program at school offers all students the opportunity to express themselves in several mediums. Each spring the talents of our students are displayed in the annual show. The children also study art history and the impact that the arts have on society. The fifth grade students often complete their intensive art history study with a scavenger hunt trip to the Philadelphia Art Museum.

The library/media center is the hub of many activities at the school. The library has been fully automated since 1995. The computers are capable of assessing all information from the card catalog and the computer programs from the lab. Twice a year, book fairs are held with all proceeds being invested in the purchasing of new library books. An exceptional group of volunteer parents donate many hours of their time repairing books, checking out books, organizing shelves, and making the library a wonderful place to read and learn. The librarian has implemented the Accelerated Reading Program. The goals of this program are to improve reading skills, encourage children to read different genres, and to create lifelong readers. The students read designated books and then take a test on the computer to check on their understanding of the book. If they pass the test the student is awarded points. All of the students try to earn at least as many points as their grade number.

Field Days are an important aspect of the physical education program. These are held at the end of the school year for all grades. The physical education teacher and the school nurse work closely to oversee the health and safety of all of the children.

The technology coordinator is instrumental in assisting all teachers to make the best use of technology in the school district. Computers have become an integral part of our instruction. A computer lab of twenty-five computers services the children in the computer lab. Each classroom in the Samuel Mickle School has at least three computers and a printer. All students in grades three and four attend the computer lab once a week for classes. The students in fifth and sixth grade attend classes twice a week. Through a R.E.A.P. (Rural Education Achievement Program) grant we were able to purchase two wireless labs with 25 computers each. The wireless labs afford greater flexibility for all students.

Last year we purchased a building license for a web-based program called Study Island, which is accessible to third and fourth grade students from home and school. We are excited about the potential benefits this program can bring to our students. This year the new sixth grade social studies book is available at home to the students via the Internet. We are looking to purchase Internet access rights to the other grade levels as well.

During the last few years a distance-learning program has been implemented in grades 3 through 6. Many of the programs enhance and enrich the curriculum in social studies, science, math, and the arts. The children have met their pen pals from Logan via distance learning and also have competed in a Spanish game show with the Logan School District.

A certified language teacher is instructing all students in Spanish this year. The children in grades three and four meet once a week and the students in grades five and six meet twice a week. The children are acquiring a second language and also learning about the cultures of the Spanish speaking countries around the world. Other special courses include: Advanced Art, Advanced Math, and Junior Great Books. The district also has a program for gifted students, Special Interest Program. The students in this program meet twice a week with a special teacher. They also participate in regional activities with students from other school districts.

The Samuel Mickle School houses the Child Study Team, which is comprised of a director, psychologist, social worker, speech teacher, and learning disability specialists. During the 2004-05 school year we implemented a co-teach model at each grade level, three through six. The classrooms in this program have two teachers, a general education teacher and a special education teacher. The benefit of two adults in the classroom is more personal attention per student, instruction in small groups, and the opportunity to increase individual student achievement. The heterogeneous class may include a maximum of eight identified special education students while the other students are a random academic sampling of the particular grade level. All students have their needs met without being pulled out of the classroom. Children who are in need of remedial help attend classes in basic skills math and literacy. We are also happy to have a full time guidance counselor in our elementary schools to meet the needs of our children.

Along with the teaching of the required curriculum, the third grade teachers have developed the Young Authors Program. Each third grade child writes, illustrates and publishes his or her own book. What is unique about this program is the assistance the children receive from the Kingsway High School Senior Honors English students and art students. The upperclassmen assist the students with revisions, editing, and illustrating.

In fifth grade the teachers work in teams of two to deliver the curriculum to the children. This is a new experience for the children who were in self-contained classrooms during the first five years of public school education. All students in fifth grade participate in the Spring Musical.

The sixth grade classes are departmentalized in preparation for their middle school years. All sixth grade students participate in the D.A.R.E. program that is sponsored by the East Greenwich Municipal Alliance and the East Greenwich Police Department. The students begin the school year with a team building class trip at Camp Ockanickon. This sets the stage for their school year and D.A.R.E. classes. They also participate in Project Aware.

In October of 1993, a Wild Site was dedicated in the rear of the Samuel Mickle School. This special spot continues to be a source of pride for the school and community. In April of 1999, the New Jersey Environmental Education Organization awarded the Wild Site as a certified Schoolyard Habitat. We are recognized as a school that represents the tip of the iceberg in regard to habitat development and use of school grounds for learning. The Wild Site is a team effort. Community groups, local Boy Scout and Girl Scout troops, parents, students, teachers, and staff members all work together to create a safe, pleasant nature place where children have the opportunity to observe, learn, question, and become sensitive to the delicate balance of nature. Planning is taking place for the redesigning of the Wild Site to accommodate the new building wings of Samuel Mickle School.

A character education program emphasizes respect, sportsmanship, patriotism, integrity, honesty, responsibility, kindness, courtesy, and tolerance. These character traits are infused into daily lesson plans of all staff. In conjunction with this curricular development, a committee of teachers plans special projects and programs for each school year.