Crock er Far m

E l e m e n t a r y S c h o o l

J u ly 11, 2 012

Achievements and unique programs

Su pp or t in g s tu de nts i n ac a d e mic c o nt e xt s
At Crocker Farm, we are deeply committed to the academic achievement of each and every child. We differentiate our core curriculum to ensure that students develop a love of learning and are successful in continually progressing in each subject area. Our core curriculum includes Math (we have recently adopted the Everyday Math program), Literacy (using the readers and writers workshop model from Teachers College at Columbia University), as well as science and social studies.

In addition, we have a robust RTI (Response to Intervention) program so that we monitor student learning and support students who need additional time and small-group instruction to make progress in math and/or reading. Due to the good work of our staff and students, we have made significant gains in the last five years in terms of student achievement. The Student Growth Index on the MCAS exams has been consistently above the state average.

Su pp or t in g s tu de nts i n s oc ia l c o nt e xt s
We value the whole child at Crocker Farm. We recently developed our core values that guide all staff and students in our interactions and relationships with others in our community. Members of our community were recognized last year for kind acts with a footprint, which connected to a story that our entire school read (Four Feet, Two Sandals) about two Afgan refugees who develop a strong friendship despite the challenges of their environment. In addition, each grade level has a socialemotional curriculum (2nd Step for younger students, Steps to Respect for older students) that teaches our students empathy and what it means to be part of a community. Our mental health team (assistant principal, guidance counselor, therapeutic teacher, and psychologist) support students, ranging from an as needed basis to students who benefit from a more consistent, on-going level of service.

Su pp or t in g s tu de nts i n ph ys ic a l/h ea l t h c o n t e xt s
We are fortunate to have three outdoor play spaces at Crocker Farm. Our preschool has a small play area attached to the classrooms in this program. Our back playground supports our students in Kindergarten and first grade. We also have a recently built playground in the front of the school that was built for our students in second grade and above. We also have a full-sized gymnasium with tall ceilings (important for ball sports) as well as ropes for climbing during a fitness unit. Students have physical education class once a week in grades PreK-6. Finally, we have two movement rooms (one for preschool, one for the K-6 program) that supports students who need sensory stimuli to maximize their academic and social success.
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Am h er s t c o l l e ge d ay
Each January, Amherst College faculty, staff, and students come in for a morning with our students in grades 3-6. There is a large assembly/pep rally; then our students go into small, breakout groups to meet our guests and learn about college student life and different subject areas (ranging from chemistry to music to economics). This special event has been inspirational for many of our students.

Cam b o di a n n ew ye ar c e leb r at i on
In April, we host a Cambodian New Year Celebration. Our Cambodian-American students (from all of the elementary schools in Amherst) work on performances throughout the year for this event and the experience is valuable both for the Cambodian community (many families come to the event and the post-celebration meal) and our student population, who enjoys the opportunity to learn about and celebrate Cambodian culture.

M as s ac h us et t s c h i l dr e n s b o ok aw ar d c o nt es t & f i lm s c r ee ni n g
Our upper-grade students are encouraged to participate in the Massachusetts Childrens Book Award Contest. The organizers of the contest create a list of twenty-five childrens books; we purchase multiple copies of these for our library. If a student reads five or more of these titles, they are eligible to vote for their favorite book in the contest. The majority of our students do fill out a ballot, showing their interest in reading and to vote in the state-wide contest. In addition, our fifth grade students write, act, film, and produce video infomercials for their favorite selection, sharing the themes in the stories and trying to entice other students to read the books. We hold a film screening in June for other students to be able to see the infomercials.

MLK Day
Around the birthday of Dr. King, we hold a school-wide assembly to honor his contributions to our country. We have a moment where the first part of a book about Dr. Kings legacy is read over the loudspeakers in all classrooms (the rest of the book is rest by the teachers). Celebrating Dr. Kings legacy is also planned with a focus on what we can do in our community to continue the work he started.

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O t h er pr ogr am s
Music Band starts in grade 5 (lessons and ensemble) Orchestra starts in grade 4 (lessons and ensemble) Spring musical theater production (grades 5 and 6) Weekly classroom music lessons, grades K-6 Art Weekly art lesson, grades K-6 Use of kiln for ceramics Spanish Spanish instruction currently in grades 2, 3, and 4 Media Studies (library/ technology) We use a co-teaching model to prepare students for the information-rich world they will enter; highly integrated approach
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O th er pr ogr am s
Preschool We host the integrated preschool program for the towns of Amherst and Pelham. There are five classrooms in this program Junior Achievement We host an after-school business clubIts My Business program led by local entrepreneurs in the fall.

O t h er pr ogr am s
Communication Our Newsletter, the student -named Crocker Chronicles , is sent out every two weeks. We offer parents the option of receiving the newsletter electronically and most families receive it via email, saving trees and adding convenience. The school also maintains an active Twitter account ( www.twitter.com/ cfprincipal) for up-to-the-minute updates about Crocker Farm. Amherst Media Project We recently partnered with Amherst Media to produce a DVD for our young students and their families that showed staff members reading stories, modeling best practices for reading aloud with young children. The video will also be shown on the public access channel in Amherst.

School information
Number of K -6 Students (2011 -12): 336 Number of Preschool Students (2011 -12): 71 Number of full classrooms, Preschool -6 (2012-13): 22 Percentage of students of color (2011 -12): 48.8 Average Class Size (2012 -13): 19.5 students Students per computer : 2.7 Percentage of classrooms with wireless web access: 100 Percentage of teachers licensed in their assignment: 100 Year school was built: 1966 Year school was renovated: 2002 Sister-Schools with: Mount Kisco Elementar y School, New York

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