A New Path for Toomer Elementary!

ConsistencyFamily EnvironmentRetentionUnifying Theme

The K-8 Vision

What?

Where?

How?

Why?

Under this plan, Toomer Elementary would become a PreK-8, community-based public school. “Leadership” will serve as the unifying theme for enrichment/electives programming as well as cross-curricular planning. This focus will manifest itself in three (3) major areas that are critical for burgeoning leaders:

1. Leadership / Skills for Success2. Service Learning / Community Participation3. Communications (including journalism, speech and Mandarin Chinese)

The current Toomer school site. This plan ensures maximum use of the facility and creates economies of scale for a site that is currently under capacity and under-utilized.

To stay informed about the K-8 proposal , to get involved and/or to receive Toomer’s monthly newsletter , p lease emai l us at k8toomer@gmail .com or v is it k8toomer.com.

Private fundraising to support enhanced programming for all students.

Longer day that includes enrichment activities, communications-focused programming and charac-ter education for elementary grades. The latter is based on clear evidence across the country that demonstrates the import of complementary character skills in long-term student success. The additional time for elementary grades comes from the longer school day dictated by the middle school program.

Increased input, expertise and cooperation from the Local School Council.

Strong leadership and administrative support for a larger campus serving a wider range of students. (1 Principal and 3 APs for each grade grouping: PreK-2, 3-5, 6-8).

Additional assessment added for increased access to data and accountability – funded through private fundraising.

Reduces transitions during critical development milestones.

Provides consistency in culture and expectations through middle school.

Engenders a highly personal and familiar environment.

Coan could be organized as a separate theme program / school of choice. By organizing Coan as a school that provides specialized, highly desirable programming, the school could be positioned to recruit high performing students in the cluster and to leverage its small school size to afford the kind of educational programming that keeps kids in APS.

The Leadership / Communications theme offers a natural and valuable complement to the IB programming already in place at Maynard Jackson, creating a seamless pipeline to prepare students for high school success.

Amidst significant transitions in the past 5 years (leadership changes at Toomer and the district, reorganization of attendance zones and feeder patterns, and the closing of one community school now merged with Toomer), Toomer has made promising strides that demonstrate its capacity to model best practice educational reforms and to improve student performance outcomes.

Creates a high-performing option for the children of East Lake and Kirkwood in order to retain student through upper grades. Despite improved student performance outcomes at Toomer and a significant increase in community and parent involvement, parents are continuing to opt out of traditional APS Community Schools at alarming rates in the Kirkwood & East Lake catchment area due in large part to concerns over the current middle school feeder pattern and lack of choice.

Toomer already enjoys tremendous parent and community involvement, and this plan builds on that success to drive higher community enrollment and participation at Toomer. In the 2012-2013 school year, Toomer had 200+ PTA members and 130+ active parent and community volunteers.

The plan aligns with the district’s focus on clusters, community schools, and parent involvement.

While some elements of the model are specific to Toomer, the pilot program can serve as a template for other schools (and as an incubator for innovation) in the Jackson cluster should they decide to advocate for a similar approach.

The Top 10 List

When?

July 1, 2014 Proposed reorganization date

• Grade 6 added in 2014-2015 school year. • Grade 7 in 2015-2016. • Grade 8 in 2016-2017.

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