• Category 3

    Selected in 2016

  • Grades: k - 5
    School Setting: urban
    Town Population: 440,000
    Student Enrollment: 620
    Student Demographics:

    Black/African American: 19%
    White/Caucasian: 12%
    Hispanic: 55%
    Hawaiian/Pacific Islander: 0.3%
    Asian: 9%
    Native American: 0.3%
    Other: 4%

    Teacher/Student Ratio: 1:23
    % Reduced Lunch: 69%
    % ELL Learners: 55%
    Founded: 1927
  • PRINCIPAL:
    Hamish Brewer
  • CONTACT:
    12915 Occoquan Rd
    Woodbridge , VA 22192
    703-494-2195
    brewerhm@pwcs.edu
Occoquan Elementary
Woodbridge , VA
Occoquan has a relentless staff that go the extra mile, believing they have a mission and not a job - believing that all children can learn.
Describe specific programs in place to ensure that families are involved in the success of your school and students.
Occoquan has several programs in place to ensure high family engagement. Social media practices like our Twitter account, #o_braves, are used extensively to provide a real time look into the day to day operations, updates and news for families to remain connected. Teachers created English and Parents as Educational Partners classes for parents at night that highlight school practices and programs for parents to participate in. Movie nights, math and literacy programs and family fun fairs are always engaging family events. Multicultural night, invites families to come celebrate their culture through food, fashion and dance. Parents participate in our school’s tribal system by wearing their Tribal T-Shirts at school events and in public places. Dad’s participate in our WATCH Dogs program, Girl Scout troops maintain our school gardens, local businesses support us with donations. Families participate in student lead conferences where students invite their parents to participate.
What are your school’s top two goals for the next year?
As we turn our focus to the new school year, we are excited to use our Title 1 funds to complete our 1:1 program with our KG students. We are also trying to redefine our Art program to provide a 21st Century learning experience with digital technology beyond just our robots to include VR Headsets, Digital Painting, Virtual World Painting and the extension of use in 3D printing and design.
What is the single most important factor in the success of your school that others could replicate?
Occoquan has a relentless staff that go the extra mile, believing they have a mission and not a job - believing that all children can learn. Our tribal system was developed, carefully planned and thought out by a group of teachers. Every student and staff member in our school are placed into a tribe (group). The tribal names come from four of the native languages that represent our diverse population with the meaning of each tribal names reflecting a core trait of the Marines. There is Mpango- initiative, Altruista-unselfishness, Lealtad- loyalty and Seigo-Sei - integrity. The traits of our tribes are modeled by the entire school, which has helped build a sense of community and pride. They teach our students ownership, accountability, competition, and team work; contributing to high student instructional and behavioral engagement. Tribes furthered our schools vocabulary, teaching our students to chase 100%, be relentless and to take pride in themselves.
Explain how Title I funds are used to support your improvement efforts.
Our Title I funds have helped provide students with 1:1 program of personalized tablets and hotspots ensuring that students have 24 hours access to online programs for remediation and research at home. The Ambassador program focuses on our English language learners, instilling leadership qualities as well as pride for their culture. This group went to the Association of United States in full cultural regalia for a authentic experience. We offer programs before and after school, unlimited field trips, double recesses & celebrations throughout the school year. Ensuring all students feel part of the magic of hands on experiences. We celebrate often, famous for our Black light parties, hallway dance celebrations and tribal assemblies. Grades 3-5 are offered a free after school STEAM program, students spend an hour in study hall getting academic assistance then an hour of a STEAM activity. Our KG-College program partners with Virginia Tech, where our 5th Graders spend a day on campus.
Identify the critical professional development activities you use to improve teaching and student learning.
PD at Occoquan defies typical PD as it breaks through barriers and state lines! Occoquan has been able to partake in team building PD & curriculum related learning that has taken us by bus to New York, DC and Philadelphia. These trips have provided authentic learning experiences that have placed us in real locations to observe the roots of our country, team & curriculum knowledge building through scavenger hunts & tours of these unique places. We provide targeted sessions with innovative instructional leaders in reading, writing and math to further develop our approach to community, hands on, Project Based learning. We have held unique leadership training sessions with the Marines and Ron Clark Academy. Teachers as Readers is a vital part school PD, with books presented to the staff incorporating leadership lessons, team building and motivational messages. Books have included Fish, The Energy Bus and Legacy, a book that reminds us that we are never too good to sweep the sheds.
Describe how data is used to improve student achievement and inform decision making.
Data drives instruction is reviewed to find trends, patterns, and areas of weakness as well as strength. Teachers review question-by-question analysis of data to adjust pacing, planning and techniques. Teachers meet twice a week to plan and look at current summative as well as formative data in their PLC’s. The data may include end of unit tests, projects, running records or observational data. Teachers analyze this data looking for strengths and weaknesses in grades, classes and students. Teachers look at the percentage of their class that scored an 80% or higher & they look at the pass rate of specific groups, including SPED and ESOL, to ensure these groups are making growth. Weekly lesson plans are created around this data and ideas are discussed for remediation. There is no shame around data, as it is all owned and evaluated by all stakeholders. Data is collected and posted onto Excel sheets and housed on a common drive, so that it can be shared by all stakeholders.
Stats
  • Category 3

    Selected in 2016

  • Grades: k - 5
    School Setting: urban
    Town Population: 440,000
    Student Enrollment: 620
    Student Demographics:

    Black/African American: 19%
    White/Caucasian: 12%
    Hispanic: 55%
    Hawaiian/Pacific Islander: 0.3%
    Asian: 9%
    Native American: 0.3%
    Other: 4%

    Teacher/Student Ratio: 1:23
    % Reduced Lunch: 69%
    % ELL Learners: 55%
    Founded: 1927
  • PRINCIPAL:
    Hamish Brewer
  • CONTACT:
    12915 Occoquan Rd
    Woodbridge , VA 22192
    703-494-2195
    brewerhm@pwcs.edu