About Our School

Welcome to Wheatland Elementary (WES) home of the Wheatland Warriors! At WES we develop lasting relationships, empower choice, and engage in unique learning. In 2008, WES opened with 380 students and has slowly grown over time. We have been in the mid 400s in the past few years. Keep in mind that the district has class size guidelines that are used so regardless of whether an elementary building is at 300 or 500, class size is closely monitored and consistent throughout the district.

At Wheatland we use a program called Capturing Kid’s Hearts (CKH) to help us positively improve upon our school culture and climate each and every day. This amazing program outlines a process staff can use to help build meaningful connections between staff and students, students and their peers, and between staff and families. The goal is to capture hearts in order to capture minds. We know that children will not reach their fullest potential unless relationships are strong.

One central piece of CKH is the Social Contract. A Social Contract is built in each classroom to establish the guidelines and expectations for how students and teachers will treat each other. The goal is to help each student develop “self-managing” skills.

The Four Questions help students focus on positive behavior, demonstrate they know what behavior is expected, take responsibility when they are not doing what is expected, and determine what they should be doing instead. School wide, common signals such as Time-Out and Check are useful in maintaining our positive learning environment. Students are taught that the Time-Out signal means to stop, match the signal, and listen. In addition, students are taught that they can be a good friend by helping peers stay on a positive path. A “check” is not a student telling another students they are in trouble, but instead, it is a support to a friend. We help remind each other because we want their success for them.

The following are some additional components of CKH that your students experience at Wheatland. The EXCEL Model helps to show students that WES teachers and staff care about them.

• Engage: Administration greets students with a warm hello or welcome back and a smile as they walk through the front doors in the mornings. Teachers personally greet each individual student at the classroom door with a handshake and a smile. Teachers model appropriate handshakes as this is an important life & job skill.
   
• X-plore: Teachers and staff look for opportunities to listen to and interact with students, not just about school happenings but also about students’ lives outside of school. Students enjoy sharing “Good Things” each morning with their peers and teacher. Teachers affirm students’ personal experiences and show a genuine interest in their thoughts and feelings.
   
• Communicate: Interactions in classrooms are more of a dialogue between the teacher and students, as well as between students themselves, with the teacher serving as a resource and a facilitator of learning. Frequently, classroom lessons are tied directly to the real world in order to show students the importance of their education. Teachers facilitate classroom meetings and conversations focused on the classroom Social Contract embedding those ideals into the daily schedule and lessons.
   
• Empower: Teachers and staff empower students to interact more directly with peers, to self-manage, to problem-solve and peer-manage with in a supportive role when appropriate. We want students to develop skills and feel confident to apply them.
   
• Launch: A conscious effort is made to close each school day with a positive thought, an inspirational quote/video/activity, or affirmations. The idea is to inspire students to enjoy their evening at home and to look forward to the next school day.

Capturing Kids’ Hearts is a key focus as we work collaboratively with families to best support our students.

WES is also home to the district’s English Language Development Program (ELDP) which is for students who speak little to no English. We value the students and the variety of languages and cultures the program brings to us.

Again, welcome to Wheatland!

Sincerely,
Elton Armbrister
Principal

Curriculum

At Wheatland Elementary School, we will provide appropriate curriculum to meet the needs of each child. Therefore, we will:

• Align our curriculum with state standards
• Utilize quality resources
• Offer professional development in alignment with/and to support our School Improvement Plan
• Empower teachers to act in the best interest of all students

Instruction

At Wheatland Elementary School, we will provide appropriate instruction to meet the needs of each child. Therefore, we will:

• Remain current on best practices and effective instructional strategies which promote academic excellence Incorporate real-world experiences throughout our instruction
• Use hands-on, inquiry & investigative based instruction as well as utilize technology
• Work collaboratively with all teachers in the building to provide student-centered education
• Employ highly qualified staff

Assessment

At Wheatland Elementary School, we will provide appropriate assessments to meet the needs of each child. Therefore, we will:

Allow multiple opportunities for students to demonstrate mastery Use a variety of assessments (both common and performance based) to track the progress of a child from grades K-5 Meet collaboratively to discuss and utilize assessment/data to ensure student progress Use ongoing assessment to drive instruction Involve students in monitoring their own assessments towards goals

Environment

At Wheatland Elementary School, we will provide an appropriate environment to meet the needs of each child. Therefore, we will:

• Provide a safe, orderly and nurturing environment
• Provide a distraction-free environment
• Recognize the unique contributions of each student
• Model mutual respect for members of our school community
• Encourage open lines of communication between all stakeholders