• Category 2

    Selected in 2016

  • Grades: pre k - 6
    School Setting: rural
    Town Population: 0
    Student Enrollment: 321
    Student Demographics:

    Black/African American: 1.6%
    White/Caucasian: 93.8%
    Hispanic: 0.9%
    Hawaiian/Pacific Islander: 0%
    Asian: 0.3%
    Native American: 0.3%
    Other: 3.1%

    Teacher/Student Ratio: 1:16
    % Reduced Lunch: 77%
    % ELL Learners: 1%
    Founded: 1902
  • PRINCIPAL:
    Alison Gregory
  • CONTACT:
    11730 St. Rt. 131
    Symsonia , KY 42082
    270-328-4860
    alison.gregory@graves.kyschools.us
Symsonia Elementary School
Symsonia , KY
Every student and staff member at Symsonia Elementary encompasses a growth mindset which helps to enrich our professional learning and student achievement.
Describe the most successful activity your school has initiated to strengthen ties to your community.
For the past four years our school has worked to bring the community together through an annual festival. The festival is called the "Slabtown Festival" which incorporates the nickname of our town of Symsonia, Kentucky. It is held on a Saturday and features a 5K Fun Run, inflatables and games for kids all day, a silent auction, local vendors and community parade.
The festival has brought our community together to benefit our students and area businesses. Proceeds from the day have been used to buy over $5000 worth of books for our school library and purchase chromebooks for our students.
What is the single most important factor in the success of your school that others could replicate?
Our school success is built on teamwork. We work together not in isolation. We plan together, learn together, and meet together on a regular basis. We are constantly observing one another and working together to make sure we are reaching all students. Our entire staff is committed to making sure our students are successful. It is not about a job description. At Symsonia everyone is a teacher and everyone is a learner!
Identify the critical professional development activities you use to improve teaching and student learning.
Symsonia teachers and support teachers have embraced a culture of constant growth. We have implemented learning sessions each month that have replaced the typical "faculty meeting". Our learning sessions are designed to share instructional strategies and resources that have helped us raise the achievement and close the gaps in our classrooms. The sessions are built around teachers modeling instructional strategies and sharing resources. We also our continue our learning through a monthly twitter chat moderated by our own teachers. Teachers follow our school hashtag, #ridersallin, and collaborate while in the comfort of their own home. These strategies have helped propel learning for both students and teachers. We do not believe in closing our doors and teaching. Our doors are open for anyone to enter our classrooms to participate, learn, and provide feedback. We believe that the only way to improve is to share and constantly look for ways to reach all students.
Describe how data is used to improve student achievement and inform decision making.
At Symsonia Elementary we meet regularly in PLCs where we analyze student data to better inform and adjust our daily instruction. We don't wait to make changes to schedules or interventions. We adjust immediately which helps to accelerate student learning. Data is also used to drive our professional growth through our monthly learning sessions. Agendas are built around curriculum and instructional needs that have been identified through triangulation of data. During the learning sessions teachers engage in dialogue that constantly challenge the status quo. Every student and staff member at Symsonia Elementary encompasses a growth mindset which helps to enrich our professional learning and student achievement.
Describe your school culture and explain changes you’ve taken to improve it.
At Symsonia we believe our mindset is the single most important factor in the success of our students and teachers. We do not settle for “good enough” and when things are not working we have learned to replace excuses with opportunities to grow. This growth mindset has morphed into the adoption of our own hashtag #ridersallin where we share our successes, growth, and provide support and encouragement to one another through multiple online forums such as Twitter, Voxer, and our Google Classroom.
Stats
  • Category 2

    Selected in 2016

  • Grades: pre k - 6
    School Setting: rural
    Town Population: 0
    Student Enrollment: 321
    Student Demographics:

    Black/African American: 1.6%
    White/Caucasian: 93.8%
    Hispanic: 0.9%
    Hawaiian/Pacific Islander: 0%
    Asian: 0.3%
    Native American: 0.3%
    Other: 3.1%

    Teacher/Student Ratio: 1:16
    % Reduced Lunch: 77%
    % ELL Learners: 1%
    Founded: 1902
  • PRINCIPAL:
    Alison Gregory
  • CONTACT:
    11730 St. Rt. 131
    Symsonia , KY 42082
    270-328-4860
    alison.gregory@graves.kyschools.us