• Category 3

    Selected in 2024

  • Grades: k - 5
    School Setting: rural
    Town Population: 1,220
    Student Enrollment: 584
    Student Demographics:

    Black/African American: 8.1%
    White/Caucasian: 67.8%
    Hispanic: 17.1%
    Hawaiian/Pacific Islander: 0%
    Asian: 2.1%
    Native American: 0%
    Other: 4.9%

    Teacher/Student Ratio: 1:22
    % Reduced Lunch: 31%
    % ELL Learners: 10.6%
    Founded: 1969
  • PRINCIPAL:
    Doris Person
  • CONTACT:
    500 Stockley Street
    Rehoboth Beach, DE 19971
    302-227-2571
    doris.person@cape.k12.de.us
Rehoboth Elementary School
Rehoboth Beach, DE
"Intentional effort to be data-informed and student-focused with all our students is our key to success."
1. Tell us about your school’s success.
Rehoboth Elementary School makes an intentional effort to be data-informed and student-focused with all our students. We make every attempt to help meet the academic and social emotional needs of students. We maintain fidelity to our district’s high-quality curriculum materials and use adult champions to support students. We are intentional with providing our students with opportunities to develop leadership skills within and beyond the classroom. We use our problem-solving team to also review data and brainstorm additional interventions to support our students and teachers.
2. Talk about the greatest contributing factor(s) that promoted positive change in your school.
The MTSS process allows us to address all the needs of our students. We meet to review teacher requests for support with academic and behavior concerns after they have made a variety of attempts to support the student. Our weekly problem-solving meeting convenes with our MLL teacher, elementary counselor, social worker, reading and math specialists, psychologist, special education coordinator, and administrators to brainstorm and implement strategies to support. We share interventions with the teachers and monitor the status of implementation.
3. How has ESEA funding supported the school's success?
ESEA funding has been essential to our school's success, providing key resources to support students and staff:

Bilingual Books: Expanding our library to support multilingual students’ language development and foster a love for reading.
Take-Home Kits: Strengthening school-family partnerships by promoting learning at home.
Support Staff: Hiring additional staff for targeted support in small groups.
Professional Development: Offering staff training in multilingual learner support, equity, and specialized reading and math instruction.
Family Engagement Events: Hosting events like the Festival of Learning and Curriculum Night to increase family involvement.
Varied Reading Materials: Purchasing books at different levels and interests to engage all students.
Guest Authors: Bringing in diverse authors to broaden students’ perspectives.
4. What professional development activities were used to improve teaching and learning?
Rehoboth Elementary is making significant progress in supporting Multilingual Learners (MLs) through focused professional development that emphasizes Cultural and Linguistic Assets.

Professional development includes activities like teaching cognates and creating charts to help students connect English with other languages spoken in the classroom. Teachers also received training on using WIDA Can-Do Descriptors for personalized instruction and leveraging WIDA ACCESS data to set goals and track language growth across domains (Listening, Speaking, Reading, Writing).

By continuing to refine these strategies and valuing the linguistic and cultural assets of MLs, Rehoboth Elementary ensures that these students thrive academically and take pride in their identities.
5. Talk about the cultural shift leading up to your school's success.
Rehoboth Elementary focuses on high-quality, data-driven instruction, with personalized goals in Reading and Math for all students, including Multilingual Learners (MLs), who also set goals based on the ACCESS WIDA assessment.

To support goal achievement, we offer small group instruction, one-on-one conferences, and differentiated teaching. Once a goal is reached, a new one is set, fostering continuous growth. Teachers model goal-setting through school-wide objectives, strengthening our unified school community.

We also offer a Spanish Immersion program, celebrating bilingualism and building literacy in students' first languages (L1) to support success in a second language (L2).

Finally, we engage ML families through bilingual newsletters, interpreter-assisted conferences, and workshops, empowering them to support their child’s academic and linguistic growth.

6. How has community involvement strengthened your success?
Rehoboth Elementary stands out in the Cape Henlopen school district and across Delaware due to its strong community involvement and unwavering support from its Parent Teacher Organization (PTO). The PTO plays a key role in organizing inclusive and well-executed events that engage all families, offering free food, prizes, and activities to ensure accessibility for everyone. Notable events include the Scholastic Book Fair, Winter Wonderland, Ice Cream Social, Festival of Learning, and Movie Nights. Additionally, local businesses and community clubs generously donate school supplies, clothing, and other essentials, helping to ensure that all students have what they need to succeed. This collective effort from the PTO, local businesses, and the community creates an environment where every child can thrive.


Stats
  • Category 3

    Selected in 2024

  • Grades: k - 5
    School Setting: rural
    Town Population: 1,220
    Student Enrollment: 584
    Student Demographics:

    Black/African American: 8.1%
    White/Caucasian: 67.8%
    Hispanic: 17.1%
    Hawaiian/Pacific Islander: 0%
    Asian: 2.1%
    Native American: 0%
    Other: 4.9%

    Teacher/Student Ratio: 1:22
    % Reduced Lunch: 31%
    % ELL Learners: 10.6%
    Founded: 1969
  • PRINCIPAL:
    Doris Person
  • CONTACT:
    500 Stockley Street
    Rehoboth Beach, DE 19971
    302-227-2571
    doris.person@cape.k12.de.us