By Fiona Morgan

fiona@amnews.com

The Boyle County Board of Education heard the ‘Big 5’ goals of Perryville Elementary School at its meeting on Nov. 16.

The Kentucky Department of Education school report cards were recently announced, and Perryville Elementary received a blue score, which is the highest color rating. Perryville Elementary School Principal Jenna Blair said part of what led to that success is that they have great teachers and great structures in place.

She said they have a solid structure of exit slips, flashbacks, common assessments, pacing guides, etc., all coming together to be the skeleton that holds everything up.

Their Big 5 goals for this school year are as follows:

1. Cross-curricular Science and Social Studies

Blair said the school’s math and reading areas took a big hit from Covid-19 shutdowns, so they are embedding other content like science and social studies into reading lessons.

This will integrate cross cultural opportunities and enhance lessons by integrating a multitude of content in one lesson.

“That social studies test is a lot of analyzing facts, and if you can’t read, you can’t do that, so we’re just embedding more opportunities,” Blair said.

2. Embedded writing opportunities

The school scored high on writing on the KDE report card, and Blair said it’s because teachers give students different opportunities to write. Teachers integrate writing opportunities across all content areas, and focus on ways to peer review and write using different styles.

Students use both paper and pencil and different technologies. They use a digital notebook in 5th grade writing, they write emails to each other, and utilize peer review. Students present their writing in front of the class and their peers review their writing; Blair said they are able to teach each other and get ideas from each other.

3. Accountability

Blair said all academic content will have accountability built in to ensure progress and learning. Data will be tracked for every student. She said accountability is the best they’ve ever seen this school year, as they have a phonics tracker for primary grade levels, exit slips, flashback, and station teaching.

If students aren’t making progress, they have procedures in place for teachers to focus on students who aren’t making progress and discuss what to do next.

4. Positive Behavior Intervention Support

The school uses champ cards, brag tags, and a new book vending machine where students can get machine coins as rewards and for birthdays. Other PBIS rewards for good behavior or achievements include giving students a support form. Students get a picture, a text to their parents congratulating them, and social media recognition. Blair said students get excited about seeing their photos on Facebook.

5. Response to intervention and data collection

Perryville uses PLCs along with co-planning to identify students who need extra support. Teachers collect lots of data on student progress.

“We’re trying to figure out ways to continue station teaching, continuing meeting the needs, and trying to use those tiered interventions, and use co-teachers in a way that they can support the teachers but also pull those kids who need extra support,” Blair said.

Calendar

The district calendar committee gave their recommended school calendar for the 2024-25 year, and the board held a first review and discussion of it. The calendar is not a final draft.

Student Services Specialist Deanna Padgett said they sent out a survey to families on their requests for the new calendar, and they got over 900 responses. She said they can honor almost every majority request except possibly for spring break.

The committee put spring break a week earlier. Padgett said the time between Christmas break and spring break is long, so they wanted to move it earlier. This will also allow more time between spring break and end-of-year testing in May, and will give students more uninterrupted instruction before finals.

Fall break got pushed back a little due to a later start to the school year. Instead of having a three-day week before Christmas break, the committee recommended a four-day week. Padgett said teachers and principals feel three day weeks make it harder to get things done. Students will get the Friday before Christmas break off, and will still get two full weeks of Christmas break.

Schools have to be off on the presidential election day next year, which is Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024. Padgett said teachers also requested a data day in November.

The last day of school is May 22, 2025. Wade said they want to stay out of June, but that the last day could always change based on weather throughout the year.

In other business:

• The board recognized the historic season of the Lady Rebels soccer team. The team made it to the Final Four for the first time in the team’s history. Coach Brian Deem said they made it to the Elite 8 about five or six times prior, but never made it past that point. Deem and the board congratulated the team for how hard they worked.

• The board approved a payment to Brett Construction for the new Boyle County High School Softball project, in the amount of $4,037.