Elementary Schools - Cottage Lake Profile

Cottage Lake Elementary School Profile


	Learning Improvement Plan

Balanced Literacy

A major focus of our staff's School Improvement Plan (SIP) is the ongoing instruction of comprehensive and balanced literacy experiences that link oral language, reading and writing. Our teachers attend workshops that offer best instructional practices in writing and in reading comprehension.

We have purchased leveled books through grants from our PTA and the Northshore Public Education Foundation for a school leveled book room in order to assist teachers in implementing the District vision of Balanced Literacy, a teaching philosophy that encourages students to read appropriate grade level materials.

Students are taught reading through a systematic approach that involves a balance between traditional teaching methods such as group work with a basal reader, and newer research-based methods such as a whole group mini-lesson with the teacher modeling, followed by independent reading with teacher guidance and student-teacher reading conferences. In addition, "word work" is used to teach new vocabulary and to help students de-code words they don't know.

Teachers at Cottage Lake believe strongly in the importance of students being able to write clearly and fluently. Beginning with our youngest students in pre-kindergarten and working with them as they progress through 6th grade, we work daily with students to gain the confidence and skills needed to successfully express themselves. In the classrooms you'll see examples of the Six Traits, various stages of the Writing Process, and students participating in Writer's Workshop.

The Six Traits of Writing are Ideas, Organization, Voice, Sentence Fluency, Word Choice, and Conventions. Teachers employ a variety of strategies to teach these traits to our students, with some lessons focusing more heavily on one specific trait. Student writing pieces are assessed using rubrics that closely parallel the Six Traits.

The Writing Process includes prewriting, writing, revising, editing, and publishing. As students are working toward their finished products, they will be in various stages of this process. Some may be working on brainstorming or outlining (prewriting), others are busily writing their first drafts (writing), and still others are proofreading their work (editing). During this time, we are working with individual students offering ideas, asking questions, complimenting their word choice, and encouraging them to keep working hard.

In Cottage Lake classrooms, students participate in Writer's Workshop. This is when all the mini-lessons, talking about writing, and actual writing takes place. During this time, students know the expectations are that they are either writing, thinking about their writing, or conferencing. Students also have the opportunity to share their writing with their peers.

Mathematics

Math Expressions: Our district has begun an adventure with a new math curriculum this year. The students in kindergarten through fifth grade are learning math using the Houghton-Mifflin Math Expressions curriculum. This curriculum was chosen after thoughtful testing by experienced teachers. This curriculum is a balanced system that allows deep mathematical thinking, as well as practice of math facts and traditional algorithms.

Teachers attended training workshops before school began in the fall. Cottage Lake Elementary partnered with East Ridge Elementary School to present a workshop to support accountable talk in mathematics. Allowing all students to talk about math and think about math deeply helps them to generalize the information they are learning to make sense of how math works. We participated in a session of Developing Mathematical Ideas, a proven math in-service opportunity that has been used for quite some time in our district in other large districts across the country. Teachers read actual classroom case studies, discussed student strategies, and learned about how to support deep math thinking in class. We will be providing another opportunity for this with East Ridge later in the year.

We were able to use some of the manipulatives from our old curriculum to support hands-on learning, especially in the younger grades. This saved some money in a time when budget cuts are drastic. If you visit your child's room, you might see Tens Blocks that were a part of our past curriculum and are very useful for hands-on learning. Math Expressions also came with new whiteboards and other games and resources that help teachers to differentiate instruction for all students and motivate deep mathematical thinking.

This curriculum was chosen because it supports our new state mathematics standards, especially when we look at the thinking and understanding standards. Students are encouraged to use real math language at young ages. Students will recognize those terms and processes when they move on to junior high and high school. Students are given the opportunity to meaningfully explore mathematics to find patterns and extensions that will aid them in solving complex problems now and in the future. Students are writing about math and talking about math in math class and across the curriculum.

There are good supports for students, families, and teachers provided by Houghton-Mifflin on the excellent website created to challenge students, support families, and train teachers. This website can be accessed at http://eduplace.com/mthexp. You will find glossaries, explanations, games, and many other exciting resources at this site.

This curriculum is being monitored and tracked throughout year to make sure the pace is effective and that the lessons really do meet the standards. Students are given a test at the end of each term and these scores are used to make sure the curriculum is delivering what we expect across the district.

Connected Math and the 6th Grade Pilot: The sixth grade continues to use Connected Math until March of this year as the curriculum. Experienced teachers have tested new state-approved math curricula this year, in anticipation of a new math adoption for sixth grade. Connected Math allows in-depth discussion and exploration of math concepts and supports the Washington State Standards.

Math Club: Math Club is a competitive experience provided at Cottage Lake for students who would like to participate in group and individual contest experiences. It is a challenge for students who have strong math skills, but all students are encouraged to participate, because the competition requires teams of members with different gifts. Some students can really understand the problem and set up a plan. Some students are excellent artists who can represent solutions and plans accurately. Some students are good at organizing the group to complete the problem on time and work together. The teams participate in a district wide competition in the spring.

Math Club and Math Olympiad provide individual and group experiences to allow students to explore challenging math beyond the school day. Currently, Math Club meets after school on Wednesdays. Mrs. Lemmert and Mrs. Phan are the faculty sponsors.

Special Programs

LC - Learning Center: The Cottage Lake Learning Center staff works with children identified as needing Special Education help in grades K-6. Instruction is done with small groups, individually or with the general education teacher on a collaborative basis. Children must be identified as having a learning disability and the need for remediation determined. The Learning Center comes under the umbrella of Special Education services. Students who receive LC support have been identified in an individualized educational program (IEP) developed by the IEP team and are assigned to regular classroom teachers for the majority of a school day.

The Learning Center teacher also provides support in the form of consulting services by utilizing evaluation data for the modification of instruction and
curriculum, and/or identifying resources appropriate to individuals with exceptional needs to regular staff members, parents, and guardians

Direct Instruction programs such as SRA Reading Mastery, SRA Expressive Writing, Phonics for Reading, REWARDS Writing as well as programs used in general education such Step-Up-To Writing are used to assist students in improving their academic skills in core curriculum for Reading and Writing. K-5 Students with goals for math receive instruction in the NSD adopted math program, Math Expressions, that is modified to meet the students' needs.

CLC - Contained Learning Center: In addition to our general education classes, Cottage Lake also has two elementary-grade Contained Learning Center classrooms for students with severe to profound disabilities.

These CLC classrooms are designed for students who need a high level of environmental structure and support, including those with Autism Spectrum Disorder, Down Syndrome, traumatic brain injury, seizure disorders, Cerebral Palsy, mental retardation, various other chromosomal and genetic disorders, and students who are considered medically fragile. This is the highest level of classroom support that the Northshore School District provides. The average class size is 8-10 students with 1 special education teacher and 2 para-educators, making approximately a 1:3 or 1:4 ratio of teacher to student. The students in these classrooms are placed in the Least Restrictive Environment available to meet their specific needs. Students in these classrooms work to improve skills in many areas including academics, social and communication skills, fine and gross motor skills, adaptive and self-help skills, and self-management in the areas of behavior and sensory regulation.
The staff at Cottage Lake avidly supports the implementation of inclusion. Classes offer inclusion in a number of different ways, including reverse inclusion, mainstreaming, small group inclusion, peer tutoring, social skills groups, etc. In addition, inclusion with their general education peers occurs regularly at recess, lunch, and other school events (assemblies, field trips, field days, etc). The amount of inclusion/inclusion opportunities is based on each individual student and his/her unique needs.

Students in our kindergarten CLC program attend school five days a week for a half-day. Extended Day kindergarten CLC students attend school four days a week full-day. All other elementary CLC students attend school five days a week full-day.

CLC Preschool Programs: The CLC Preschool programs staff works with preschool students, ages 3-5, with special needs. Our preschool provides opportunities for children to learn through experiences based on their individual developmental needs. We address all developmental areas, including social/emotional, adaptive/self-help, communication, intellectual/thinking and physical skills.

Each student has an individualized education plan (IEP), developed by staff and parents, which targets specific areas of need and helps to determine the direction of instruction. Our goal is to provide our children with the foundation and confidence to be successful in the next step of their education.

Our preschool staff provides many opportunities for our students to engage in social and learning activities with typically developing peers. Our inclusive activities include weekly music, activity time blocks and Second Step social skills curriculum in conjunction with the general education preschool and pre-K classrooms also located at Cottage Lake.

Tuition Based Preschool and Pre-Kindergarten Programs: Northshore School District offers four early childhood classes at Cottage Lake Elementary. These classes charge a monthly tuition and are intended for the typically developing 3-5 year old.

The preschool program is for children who are 3 years old by August 31st. Pre-Kindergarten is for children who are 4 years old by August 31st. All classes have a maximum of 12 children with an AA certified teacher and Para educator. The program is open to all neighborhood children.

We have a literacy-based curriculum with art, math, science, calendar and read aloud circle times, snack, recess, music and movement. Preschool focuses on learning how to make friends, share, acquire basic large and fine motor and have fun as a group.

Pre-Kindergarteners continue to work on social and classroom skills that will prepare them for success in Kindergarten. We use the pre-reading programs: Zoo-phonics and Alpha Tales, as well many others such as Explode The Code and Number Tales.
Our mission is to provide a safe, nurturing environment with developmentally appropriate activities, and lots of friends and fun.