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

assessment, and corresponding data analysis is accentuated by the effort of our schoolbased Subject Coordinators. Integrated instruction with the arts and diverse subjectareas was promoted by the school-wide theme “Growing and Going Green”, the Gr. 3Pleasant Bay Project and a Gr. 5 Orleans History Project. Science consultants on allgrade levels provided enhanced skill development with multiple sessions of instruction.Before and after school enrichment programs and student support programs addressedvaried learning styles and levels of skill development. Overall MCAS studentperformance levels in mathematics, literacy and science continued to be ranked veryhigh.Educationally rich community support is an asset that brings creativity and vividness tothe learning processes at Orleans Elementary School. The Academy of Performing Arts,Nauset Garden Club, Orleans Cardinal Baseball Team, AmeriCorps Cape Cod, OrleansElks, Orleans Rotary Club, Kiwanis, AmeriCorps Cape Cod, Police and FireDepartments, Cape Cod 5 Bank, Sovereign Bank, Rockland Trust Bank, Cape NationalSeashore, Cape Technology Collaborative, Orleans Historical Society, Cape CodMuseum of Natural History, Friends of Pleasant Bay, Museum of Natural History, CapeCod Symphony Outreach Program, Spirit of America Band, Masons, Snow Library, TheCaptain Linnell House and many local business owners, artists, performers andcommunity members have also given generously of time and resources to enhancestudent learning in 2008.Field trips set the stage for learning outside the four walls of the classroom and providedfocused and engaged first hand experience. Orleans students ventured to the CapeCod Museum of Natural History, Plimouth Plantation, Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary,Boston Museum of Science, Historic Tours of Orleans, Pleasant Bay, and Cape CodMuseum of Art and the Orleans Convalescent and Retirement Home. Cultural eventsbrought in to the school encouraged excitement, creativity, enhanced critical thinkingskills and expanded experience backgrounds. Students were exposed to performancesin the arts and sciences, safety, history, the environment, literacy, social services andhealth. We particularly thank our Orleans Parent Teacher Organization and local grantfunding sources for supporting many of these key events.Participation in school-based community outreach projects models the verycharacteristics of citizenship our students experience from Orleans and wider Cape Codcommunity. The importance of supporting others was accomplished through monthlystudent visits to The Orleans Convalescent and Retirement Home, two food drives forLower Cape Outreach and local food pantries, Relay for Life, and The Baby Center ofHyannis.Staff professional development was grade specific, well planned, ongoing and promotedfurther developed instructional techniques. Groups of teachers attended conferences ontechnology, differentiated instruction, co-teaching, support service provision and studentenrichment. Effective Classroom Strategies to Enhance Instruction for a Wide Range ofStudents, Holistic Scoring of Student Writing, and MCAS Data Analysis and Action PlanDevelopment were school-wide workshops that took place. A staff book discussion andstudy group on enhancing critical thinking skills was also continued in to 2008. Parentsupport has been provided through two book study sessions led by the SchoolPsychologist on child development for enhanced learning, emotional intelligence andfriendship factors.171