• Category 1

    Selected in 2020

  • Grades: pre k - 5
    School Setting: suburban
    Town Population: 16
    Student Enrollment: 587
    Student Demographics:

    Black/African American: 1.4%
    White/Caucasian: 84.5%
    Hispanic: 4.9%
    Hawaiian/Pacific Islander: 0%
    Asian: 3.2%
    Native American: 0.2%
    Other: 5.8%

    Teacher/Student Ratio: 1:18
    % Reduced Lunch: 11.2%
    % ELL Learners: 5.8%
    Founded: 1930
  • PRINCIPAL:
    Dawn Laber
  • CONTACT:
    219 Highland Ave.
    Fort Thomas, KY 41075
    859-441-1180
    dawn.laber@fortthomas.kyschools.us
Ruth Moyer Elementary School
Fort Thomas, KY
Together we are better!"

Describe the most successful activity your school has initiated to strengthen ties to your community.
Pre-Covid - We have so many opportunities to work with our community for the betterment of our children. We have a strong PTO and parent involvement is an important part of our school. We also have events such as "A Taste of Moyer" where we showcase the amazing and diverse cultures that are represented at Ruth Moyer. We have a yearly two-day fund raiser where we utilize the holiday spirit and parents work together for months prior to create handmade items for auction to bring a bit of magic to our school and our community. Our parents volunteer at our school daily in every room. We have an open door policy and we never turn away an offer to help. Parents are reading with students in hallways and working alongside our teachers to show our students that together we are better.
Describe your philosophy of school change or improvement.
We don't think of progress as change, our mindset is what else is needed and how do we continue to help each child grow as a person, a learner, and a community member. The growth mindset of our students and staff allow us to continue to reach new milestones and grow as a school family. Our tagline is #TogetherWeAreBetter and we try to live this daily. We look for ways to find a win-win and teach our students to do the same.
Describe the program or initiative that has had the greatest positive effect on student achievement, including closing achievement or opportunity gaps, if applicable.
At Moyer, we utilize our resources through intense communication between student, parent, and staff. Each student's data is analyzed to determine pull out needs. We have individual pull out groups for those who are ready to move past the content, those who need help with current content and those who need to fill in gaps for content or social/emotional struggles. We meet as an entire team (teachers, resource pull out staff, special education, guidance, and administration) every 6-8 weeks and we discuss each child using their data and feedback from past meetings. At the conclusion of this meeting (Advisory Team Meetings), new student goals are formed and the team goes off again to help meet the needs of all students.
Explain how ESEA federal funds are used to support your improvement efforts.
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Identify the critical professional development activities you use to improve teaching and student learning.
Allowing our teachers to meet monthly to work on their Leader in Me action teams is a large part of our professional development work. We meet in Professional Learning Communities twice a month to touch base with all stakeholders and determine the learning needs for our teachers and our students. Team Leaders are designated per grade level and these leaders communicate with administration the needs of their grade and the professional development activities needed so they can continue to grow personally and professionally. In Leader in Me this is called "Sharpening the Saw."
Describe how data is used to improve student achievement and inform decision making.
Data is used daily to inform decisions for each student. Many have individual goals that they are personally tracking and this includes both content and portrait of a graduate tracking for each student. We also look two times a year at their social/emotional health to look at their mental health and anxiety levels while at school. We benchmark three times a year to track growth in Reading and Math and progress monitor this data weekly to make informed decisions in instruction. Teachers have common assessments and are always refining these and using technology to track these assessments via pre/post analysis. The SBDMC receives all assessment data for each benchmark and we discuss areas of strength and weakness for overall grade levels. I believe Moyer sees each child with a growth mindset and works to help refine their strengths and allow them to see their weaknesses as a way to grow as a learner. We only fail when we stop trying to get better.
Describe your school culture and explain changes you’ve taken to improve it.
Our school and district is rich in tradition and focused on the future. It is a wonderful mix of looking towards tomorrow and learning from today. We are a Leader in Me school and we use action teams to keep our students, parents, staff and community connected. Along with Leader in Me teams, we added a diversity committee to be sure all members feel included, respected and always have a voice. To continue this journey, we have after school clubs to allow our students to experience real world leadership and to carry our school committee missions outside of school hours and to make sure everyone has a chance to experience something new. Our staff have a "Yes and..." attitude which allows us to explore all ideas to create the best possible experience for every student at Moyer.
Stats
  • Category 1

    Selected in 2020

  • Grades: pre k - 5
    School Setting: suburban
    Town Population: 16
    Student Enrollment: 587
    Student Demographics:

    Black/African American: 1.4%
    White/Caucasian: 84.5%
    Hispanic: 4.9%
    Hawaiian/Pacific Islander: 0%
    Asian: 3.2%
    Native American: 0.2%
    Other: 5.8%

    Teacher/Student Ratio: 1:18
    % Reduced Lunch: 11.2%
    % ELL Learners: 5.8%
    Founded: 1930
  • PRINCIPAL:
    Dawn Laber
  • CONTACT:
    219 Highland Ave.
    Fort Thomas, KY 41075
    859-441-1180
    dawn.laber@fortthomas.kyschools.us