• Category 2

    Selected in 2019

  • Grades: pre k - 5
    School Setting: rural
    Town Population: 2,295
    Student Enrollment: 375
    Student Demographics:

    Black/African American: 2%
    White/Caucasian: 81%
    Hispanic: 16%
    Hawaiian/Pacific Islander: 0%
    Asian: 0.5%
    Native American: 0.5%
    Other: 0%

    Teacher/Student Ratio: 1:14
    % Reduced Lunch: 35%
    % ELL Learners: 7%
    Founded: 1889
  • PRINCIPAL:
    Kathy Collins
  • CONTACT:
    201 Ute rd
    Meeker, CO 81641
    970-878-9050
    kathy.collins@meeker.k12.co.us
Meeker Elementary School
Meeker, CO
As students’ needs change, the way we teach also changes.
Describe specific programs in place to ensure that families are involved in the success of your school and students.
We have implemented grade level Title I reading and math literacy nights. All families are invited and a wide variety of student needs are met through these meetings. Parents are taught specific strategies and games that help their children with practicing at home. It is an opportunity for parents, students and teachers to interact and learn together. This year, our ELL students also had a targeted celebration to welcome families into the school setting and to celebrate cultural diversity within our school population.
Describe the most successful activity your school has initiated to strengthen ties to your community.
There are only three schools in our small town. The business owners and local entities support the schools year round. We have wonderful connections with parents and local volunteers, government agencies and with students from the other two schools. We are lucky to have guest speakers and visitors to support our academic needs and a rich local heritage to learn about the past and the world through local field trips and visits.
Describe your philosophy of school change or improvement.
As students’ needs change, the way we teach also changes. We strive toward continuous improvement and are always honing our skills as educators. We focus on quality instruction and providing appropriate professional development for our teachers. Our teachers are life-long learners who continue to grow their knowledge base. We ensure that our students’ learning is the center of our efforts. When students have high-quality, focused instruction in a safe environment, they excel emotionally and academically.
What are your school’s top two goals for the next year?
We will continue to focus on reading with an emphasis on dyslexia identification and intervention to continue to close the reading gap in students. We will continue to educate the whole child and ensure that students of all abilities are challenged through a rigorous curriculum with high expectations.
What is the single most important factor in the success of your school that others could replicate?
Our “flooding” model for reading and math instruction has been very successful and focuses on specific skills for students. During the designated flood times, students are put into skill groups identified in data meetings. Walking to intervention through this model ensures small group sizes and explicit instruction delivered through a need-based model.
Describe the program or initiative that has had the greatest positive effect on student achievement, including closing achievement or opportunity gaps, if applicable.
In our school and district, we focus on student learning. We believe that nurturing the whole child is an integral piece in education. Our teachers focus on teaching standards of all subjects daily, including reading, writing, math, science, social studies, music, art and physical education. In the past three years, we have focused on quality, explicit and systematic reading instruction for all students. Focusing on specific academic interventions through a flooding model where all students are taught the specific skills they need has been our most successful academic initiative.
Explain how ESEA federal funds are used to support your improvement efforts.
Our federal funds support our improvement efforts through professional development of teachers and providing high quality curriculum for students. Our Title I reading and math staff is highly trained and dedicated to working with students, families and teachers.
Identify the critical professional development activities you use to improve teaching and student learning.
In our focus to improve the literacy skills of our students, we have made the commitment to train and inform all teachers in the most important aspects of teaching reading. Working with our state IDA branch, most of our teachers have been fortunate enough to attend conferences with the most current reading research in mind. Through the attendance of these conferences, we have focused on the work of David Kilpatrick and have implemented explicit phonemic and phonological awareness techniques. Our staff is trained in Orton-Gillingham and we integrate specific phonics and spelling instruction to enhance our students’ literacy skills.
Describe how data is used to improve student achievement and inform decision making.
We use state and local assessments and progress monitoring to drive our instruction. Through weekly PLC meetings and regular data meetings, we analyze student growth and concerns and make real-time adjustments as necessary. It is through these meetings where we identify trends and focus instruction and improvement to meet the needs of all students.
Describe your school culture and explain changes you’ve taken to improve it.
Our school is in a rural community that has strong local roots. Almost 1/3 of our teachers graduated from Meeker High School. Our community is an ideal place to raise a family and our school is a great place for students to learn. Our teachers genuinely care for the children in our community and support them in and out of school. We hold all students to high expectations, regardless of their backgrounds. We focus on the whole child and encourage a well-rounded academic and extracurricular experience for all students.
Stats
  • Category 2

    Selected in 2019

  • Grades: pre k - 5
    School Setting: rural
    Town Population: 2,295
    Student Enrollment: 375
    Student Demographics:

    Black/African American: 2%
    White/Caucasian: 81%
    Hispanic: 16%
    Hawaiian/Pacific Islander: 0%
    Asian: 0.5%
    Native American: 0.5%
    Other: 0%

    Teacher/Student Ratio: 1:14
    % Reduced Lunch: 35%
    % ELL Learners: 7%
    Founded: 1889
  • PRINCIPAL:
    Kathy Collins
  • CONTACT:
    201 Ute rd
    Meeker, CO 81641
    970-878-9050
    kathy.collins@meeker.k12.co.us