FUTURE Guide here - Hartford Public Schools

America’s Choice at SAND
1750 Main Street
Hartford, CT 06120
860-695-5040
Principal: Gerardo Heredia
Email: hereg001@hartfordschools.org
URL: http://www.hartfordschools.org/index.php/our-schools
School Hours: 7:45 am – 2:55 pm
Grades Served: K – Grade 8
School Uniform: Yes
D d i s t r i c t g r a d e s K-Grade 8 z o n e 2
Overview:
SAND Elementary School opened its doors in August 2009 under an exciting new school design called America’s Choice.
America’s Choice provides a comprehensive research-based school design that focuses on standards-based curriculum and
instruction, integrated assessment, high level and ongoing professional development for teachers and leaders (including
on-site coaching and a parent engagement plan). America’s Choice has been adopted as a school reform model in more
than 1,000 schools nationally, with a record of turnaround success.
Students engage in their language arts curriculum using the Readers and Writers Workshop approach which provides a
highly organized classroom structure in which students take the lead within learning centers. Learning centers may
include a poetry center, an arts center, a writing center or a drama center to provide a depth of understanding of the piece
of literature or the theme in their unit of study. The language arts curriculum also includes an Author and Genre Study to
offer exposure to diverse literature.
Special features:
> Citizens of the SAND community collaborate with parents and community organizations to develop and implement
educational programs to ensure academic and social excellence for all
> Literacy Navigator and Mathematics Navigator are two intervention programs that will be used in this school to help
students who are not currently meeting grade-level expectations
> Rituals and Routines classroom management approach will be built into the instructional system to ensure that all
students are engaged in productive learning
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