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School Motto:
“Where success is the norm and excellence is the goal.”
About Lawson Elementary School:
Last year, Earl M. Lawson Elementary School exceeded Adequate Yearly Progress. From 2003-2005, Lawson Elementary School has increased its reading proficiency performance from 51.5% to 68.1%, and math proficiency performance from 37.1% to 71.8%. Lawson Elementary School has a wonderful academic support system for all students that are below grade level in reading by providing twenty minutes of individual tutor time, four days a week. Additionally, Lawson has resources and instructional time for those students who are below grade level in math. Though our focus is currently on reading and math, students have the opportunity to participate in our Extended Day Program that helps to develop the whole child. Students have the opportunity to participate in our computer club, art club, reading club, history club and science club. Technology continues to be an area in which we strive to excel at Lawson. Half of our classrooms have mounted projectors and Classroom Performance Systems available for students use. All classrooms are equipped with at least five computers for students’ use and one for the teacher’s use.
Success for All:
Our excellence in technology is complemented by our newly adopted Success for All (SFA) reading program. This is a comprehensive reading approach designed to ensure that every child will read at grade level or above. The program, for grades Pre-Kindergarten to 5th Grade, emphasizes prevention and early intervention to respond to and solve any child’s learning problems. SFA is an approved model in accordance with the “No Child Left Behind” legislation. Success for All provides schools with:
Research-based curriculum materials.
Extensive professional development in proven instructional strategies.
Assessment and data-monitoring tools.
Classroom management techniques.
One-to-one tutoring for struggling students.
Ongoing family involvement and community support.
The Success for All reading program is based on extensive research into the ways children learn to read and write. At the heart of the program is 90 minutes of uninterrupted, daily reading instruction. Beginning in the first grade, children are grouped across classes and grades by reading level. Regrouping gives each teacher the opportunity to work intensively with students one reading level at a time. Cooperative learning embedded throughout the program focuses on individual student accountability, common goals, and recognition of group success. Providing the opportunity to work with peers enables students to master basic reading skills as they continue to grow as thoughtful learners. To learn more about Success for All, visit the program website, (www.successforall.com).
Not only is our academic life important at Lawson Elementary School, but we also take students’ health very seriously. We participate in a mobile dentistry program, in which a dentist comes to the school four times a year. We also have a vitamin program and a preventive dental health program.
Last but not least, a very active parents’ support group, Parents Involved in Education (PIE), has funneled both volunteers and money into the school’s academic life. High parental involvement in Earl M. Lawson Elementary School committees, social and academic programs, and their annual monetary support to the Leavenworth Public Schools Education Foundation has marked this group of parents as committed, informed and dedicated to excellence in education. The cooperative learning environment at school is reinforced by the excellent home and school relations enjoyed at our school.
Activities:
Junior Color Guard, 4-H, Family Reading Night (quarterly) - parents and children read together and take Accelerated Reader tests. Each child who participates receives a free book; Family skating night.
Additional Information:
A strength of the Earl M. Lawson system is the employment of a full time home-school coordinator who serves as a liaison between the school and the community. The school community also sponsors various parenting classes to support and further the skills and abilities of their parents. A Businesspersons’ Breakfast has been held each year in appreciation of the support given by neighborhood businesses.
Lawson Elementary School classes begin at 8:15 a.m. and end at 3:15 p.m.
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