West Park Elementary School
is located in southwest Columbus, Nebraska, and is one of
five elementary Columbus Public Schools. In 1997, Highland
Park Elementary and West Park Elementary merged together
in the newly remodeled West Park Elementary building to form
a two-track school with an average of 250 students.
This modern facility houses
two sections of grades K-5, and includes a media center,
computer lab, music classroom, special education resource
room, speech pathologist, counselor, and a gymnasium. The
West Park Elementary School staff is a family of skilled
professionals who engage in skills-based learning and standards-based
instruction. Among these practices are ECRI reading instruction,
literacy enhancement in reading through Jr. Great Books,
6 Traits Writing instruction and ongoing assessment through
Standards Assessments, IRI's (Independent Reading Inventories)
and curriculum-based assessments. Consistent and aligned
integration of technology is part of classroom and technology
instruction through team teaching and collaboration enhance
the curriculum and raise student achievement.
As a staff, we are engaged in on-going professional development through
the Educational Service Unit (ESU7), advanced degree programs, the district
Teacher Mentor Program, district level curriculum committees, and monthly
building level staff development opportunities. Members of this staff
serve as officers in their professional organizations and some of our
faculty instruct in teacher degree preparation programs at the college
level during the summer. Paraprofessionals meet on a monthly basis with
the principal for staff development in areas of classroom management,
effective student academic assistance, and specified areas of need by
the paraprofessionals.
The West Park Elementary academic
program is also supported through a variety of Parent Advisory
Committee (PAC) sponsored events that are designed to build
a sense of community and involvement in addition to enhancing
academic success. The monies raised by PAC sponsored fund-raisers
have been used to directly impact student learning through
curriculum related field trips, classroom materials, and
events such as Reading Night for grades K-2. Parents are
encouraged to take an active role in the education of their
child through monthly newsletters, opportunities to volunteer
in school, parent-child classroom take-home activities, and
family events.
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