Colchester Elementary School

Colchester Elementary School (CES) was opened in September 2006 to educate students in kindergarten, grade one and grade two of the growing Colchester community. CES became home to Colchester Early Childhood Program, formerly known as APPLE Preschool, which had formerly been housed in portable classrooms at Bacon Academy, Colchester's high school. The reconfiguration of the elementary and intermediate schools allowed our school's focus to be on the primary grades. Safety and education go hand in hand at CES.

There are 61 certified staff members, 48 classified staff members and two administrators and 1 director. 89.8% of our certified staff have a Master's Degree or above and average 17.2 years of experience in Colchester or beyond. All our paraprofessionals have either an Associates Degree, accumulated 60 college credits or have passed the ParaPro exam.

Teaching reading and math is crucial at CES. Reading is taught using the Open Court program. DIBELS (Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills) are administered three times a year to all students K-2 by a team of educators, with the data used to drive instructional decisions and to identify students in need of extra support. At-risk students are progress monitored every other week and this data is used to aid intervention development and revision. A fluency lab is used for students in second grade who need additional practice reading connected text. Students identified for support may be enrolled in Title I. Students K-2 are instructed in math using Every Day Math 3. Students in need of additional math support may receive this from our Title I Math program. It is expected that students in first and second grade receive a minimum of 90 minutes of reading and 60 minutes of math each day. It is expected that kindergarten children receive 60 minutes of reading and 45 minutes of math each day. Social studies is integrated with other curricula. Science is studied one day a week. Student performance in writing is measured three times a year, with data reviewed quarterly at Writing Reviews.

Students in first and second grade have 6 specials a week, including art, music, media, physical education (2x/week), and health. Kindergarten students have art, music, media, and physical education. Technology education is provided a minimum of ten times a year for students in K-2 and all classrooms are technologically rich with SmartBoards and up to four computers.

At the core of all we do are three school rules: Take Care of Yourself, Take Care of Each Other and Take Care of Our School. These rules are in turn infused into the curriculum and throughout the school day. These three simple rules are posted throughout our building and help guide student behavior throughout the day as well as on buses.

As a Positive Behavior Supports (PBS) school, we created a safe and supportive climate for learning by creating a team of staff members who developed activities and lesson plans to teach and reinforce the school rules and our classroom character traits of Cooperation, Assertion, Respect/Responsibility, Empathy and Self-Control (CARES).

At CES we are committed to supporting the family's role in the education of our students. Each year we offer one fall and one spring parent conference. The conference serves to enhance the home/school connection. Progress reports are sent home on a trimester basis. Phone and written contacts are encouraged. We host a fall Open House, where the children serve as guides for their families. Story Time is held five times a year, designed to help transition those eligible for kindergarten in the upcoming year and educating parents and day care providers about the registration process, curriculum, and school adjustment.

Communication is encouraged as we partner with families. Each kindergarten teacher writes weekly newsletters; teachers in grades one and two write monthly or quarterly. A monthly news letter, written by administrators, teachers and staff members, keep parents apprised of events and activities. We have an incredibly active PTO, which has been instrumental in providing enriching experiences for our students through fine arts programs, grants, family activities, and grade level programs.

All of our classrooms are fully inclusive and integrated, benefiting all children, with or without disabilities. Inclusion is enhanced by our literacy staff, which includes special education and Title I staff, by the development of a three-tiered approach to reading that provides differentiated supports to students based on their individual strengths and weaknesses.

Each year we start the school year off and end the school year with an all-school assembly, designed to focus and then celebrate our accomplishments. Each year we have reached out to our community and have celebrated Veterans Day, Jump Rope for Heart, Dr. Seuss' Birthday and Read Across America, as well as Martin Luther King Day/Diversity.

We cordially invite you to contact us if we may answer any questions or concerns that you may have. We value parent feedback. We thank you for your support as we build on our partnership as a "Community of Enthusiastic Learners."

Much information about our school can be found on our Strategic School Profile.