ORlEANS ANNUAl TOwN REPORt FOR YEAR ... - Town Of Orleans

subject areas was promoted by the school-wide theme “West of the Rockies”, theGr. 3 Pleasant Bay Project and a Gr. 5 Orleans History Project. Scienceconsultants on all grade levels provided enhanced skill development with multiplesessions of instruction. Before and after school enrichment programs and studentsupport programs addressed varied learning styles and levels of skilldevelopment. Overall, 2007 MCAS student performance levels in bothmathematics and literacy continued to be ranked in the “very high” category andare “on target” in meeting state level improvement ratings as noted in AdequateYearly Progress data.The “richness of community support” has been evident through the manylearning venues that have embraced and engaged Orleans elementary studentson a continual basis during the past year. The Academy of Performing Arts,Orleans Cardinal Baseball Team, AmeriCorps Cape Cod, Orleans Elks, OrleansRotary Club, Police and Fire Departments, Cape Cod 5 Bank, Sovereign Bank,Cape National Seashore, Cape Technology Collaborative, Orleans HistoricalSociety, Friends of Pleasant Bay, Cape Cod Symphony Outreach Program, Spiritof America Band, Masons, Snow Library and many local business owners,artists, performers and community members have also given generously of timeand resources to enhance student learning in 2007.Field trips provided a conduit for “hands on experience” during this year of focusedand engaged learning. Orleans students ventured to the Cape Cod Museum of NaturalHistory, Plimouth Plantation, Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary, Boston Museum ofScience, Historic Tours of Orleans, Pleasant Bay, and Cape Cod Museum of Art alongwith still others. Cultural events brought in to the school encouraged excitement,creativity, enhanced critical thinking skills and expanded experience backgrounds.This was evidenced with venues in the arts and sciences, safety, history, theenvironment, literacy, social services and health. We thank our Orleans ParentTeacher Organization and local grant funding sources for supporting many of thesekey events.Staff professional development was grade specific, well planned, ongoing andpromoted further developed instructional techniques. Groups of teachersattended conferences on technology, differentiated instruction, co-teaching,support service provision and student enrichment. Effective ClassroomStrategies to Enhance Instruction for a Wide Range of Students, Holistic Scoringof Student Writing, and MCAS Data Analysis and Action Plan Development wereschool-wide workshops that took place. A staff book discussion and study groupon enhancing critical thinking skills was also initiated in the fall of 2007. Parentsupport has been provided through two book study sessions led by the SchoolPsychologist on child development for enhanced learning, emotional intelligenceand friendship factors.A community school welcomes its own back in, with 2007 being no exception. AGrandparents and Special Persons’ Day, Summer and Fall Luncheon Sizzlers for144