• Category 1

    Selected in 2020

  • Grades: pre k - 6
    School Setting: rural
    Town Population: 650
    Student Enrollment: 215
    Student Demographics:

    Black/African American: 0%
    White/Caucasian: 89%
    Hispanic: 0.1%
    Hawaiian/Pacific Islander: 0%
    Asian: 0%
    Native American: 0%
    Other: 0%

    Teacher/Student Ratio: 1:14
    % Reduced Lunch: 36%
    % ELL Learners: 0%
    Founded: 1906
  • PRINCIPAL:
    Andrea Gilbertson
  • CONTACT:
    404 Wrangler Way
    Shoshoni, WY 82649
    307-876-2563
    agilbertson@fremont24.com
Shoshoni Elementary School
Shoshoni, WY
It is not “my students” or “your students,” it is a commitment from everyone to our students."

Describe the most successful activity your school has initiated to strengthen ties to your community.
Wrangler Reading has been a successful initiative strengthening ties to our community. Building our reading culture has been a critical focus. Our reading culture is measured by two components, reader engagement and reading practice. Our students are expected to read independently for a total of 1 hour on school days and 15 minutes each weekend dayl. These reading “steps” are logged at school and home. We count on our parents and families as partners in this effort; parents are considered ‘reading coaches’ for their children. They use the leveled skill card sent home in student book bags to provide a focus for student reading and parents sign off on the reading steps their children have completed at home. School-wide incentives are designed and provided at every 100 steps to encourage this habit of reading with individual and classroom incentives. The Wrangler Reading program has provided a sense of community as we count on each other for student success!
Describe your philosophy of school change or improvement.
At the heart of school improvement at Shoshoni Elementary is the importance of collective responsibility for student learning. It is not “my students” or “your students,” it is a commitment from everyone to our students, no matter their grade level; we share every child that walks our halls. The investment and involvement of our staff at all levels, their intimate knowledge and awareness of students and their learning, their unending dedication to the success of our children, and the trust we share for one another ensure staff is highly involved in decision making. We strongly believe in the value of collective responsibility and collaboration in any school change or school improvement initiatives and the coordinated efforts of many working towards the same goal of student success!
Describe the program or initiative that has had the greatest positive effect on student achievement, including closing achievement or opportunity gaps, if applicable.
Our data tells the story of closing the gap, growth, and that of overall student achievement, but the impact of what we have done runs so much deeper. Over the past three years, we have gone through a complete shift in how reading instruction is delivered and, more importantly, how reading is received by our students. Shoshoni Elementary uses the American Reading Company as our core reading curriculum. Our approach provides grade-level instruction and is also tailored to the individual student, directly impacting student engagement, interest, and ultimately student success. A visit to our school would showcase teachers as the facilitators of learning, students with intrinsically driven motivation, experiencing great joy from reading, and in turn, their engagement in reading and ultimately their success. Reading has become positively embedded in our culture and in students' lives, and for that, we could not be more proud of the ongoing impact it will continue to make.
Explain how ESEA federal funds are used to support your improvement efforts.
ESEA Funds are utilized in direct correlation with the goals that our school sets annually for continuous improvement. Our goals are developed based on various sources of student, staff, and parent/community data (achievement data, surveys, etc). These goals are collaboratively determined and the expenditure of federal funds are aligned with the resources needed to support the work towards our goals.
Describe how data is used to improve student achievement and inform decision making.
Data review is ongoing through our weekly Professional Learning Communities (PLC’s - cross-grade bands) and daily through teacher team discussions to determine instructional implications, next steps, and how to target, support, and remediate as well as accelerate student learning. Data is a critical factor in our success, providing important information on student learning so teachers are able to formulate plans and adjust teaching strategies to address what each student needs next to propel their learning forward. Collecting, monitoring, and analyzing data down to the individual student level has been an important key to student achievement and success at Shoshoni Elementary. There are many eyes on the data, providing ongoing monitoring, including our classroom teachers, Title I Staff, Student Support Specialist, Special Education Staff, and our Principal, to ensure ongoing growth for all students.
Describe your school culture and explain changes you’ve taken to improve it.
The school culture at Shoshoni Elementary is focused on a culture of community, a culture of excellence, and a culture of growth. We are, first and foremost, a Wrangler family and this is the foundation of our everyday functions, tending to relationships and the needs of the whole person - staff or students. We are warm, welcoming, and care deeply for one another, just as a family does! We work hard and come to school every day with a growth mindset, desiring the very best of ourselves and each other. We hold high expectations for everyone and provide the necessary support for success. At Shoshoni Elementary, you will find committed and compassionate administrators, teachers, paraprofessionals, custodial staff, food service workers, bus drivers, coaches, office staff, and students who put the ‘whole person’ at the center of everything we do, always looking out for each other.
Stats
  • Category 1

    Selected in 2020

  • Grades: pre k - 6
    School Setting: rural
    Town Population: 650
    Student Enrollment: 215
    Student Demographics:

    Black/African American: 0%
    White/Caucasian: 89%
    Hispanic: 0.1%
    Hawaiian/Pacific Islander: 0%
    Asian: 0%
    Native American: 0%
    Other: 0%

    Teacher/Student Ratio: 1:14
    % Reduced Lunch: 36%
    % ELL Learners: 0%
    Founded: 1906
  • PRINCIPAL:
    Andrea Gilbertson
  • CONTACT:
    404 Wrangler Way
    Shoshoni, WY 82649
    307-876-2563
    agilbertson@fremont24.com