ABOUT PIONEER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
Welcome to Pioneer Elementary School! We are the proud
Home of the Timberwolves and committed to continuing excellence by providing
a world-class education to our students!
P ride
I ntegrity
O penness
N urturing
E xcellence
E nthusiasm
R espect
Our school community, with its dedicated actions, strong
connections, and caring relationships, demonstrate our commitment to student
success. Results driven approaches to continuous school improvement are utilized
to help our students meet and exceed high levels of academic achievement.
Pioneer Elementary School is part of the K-12 Valley View Community Unit School
District 365U located approximately 30 miles southwest of Chicago, Illinois. The
building is one of a total of seventeen schools serving a total student
population of almost 14, 000 children. The building opened for the 2000-2001
school year August 23, 2000 with an enrollment of 526 students. Since our
opening, we have added two additions and have a current capacity for 900
students.
STAFF AND STUDENT POPULATION
Pioneer Elementary School serves a growing population of
mostly middle class students, which is reflected in a diverse ethnic and
cultural population. The focus of the faculty, administration, and support
staff, is on the core of the educational process -- teaching and learning. A
safe, orderly, and supportive environment conducive to learning is emphasized.
There is a commitment to improving instruction and learning. Several programs
and activities have been instituted to meet the needs of each of our students.
Our staff is dedicated to the academic and social growth of
all our students. The faculty is a mix of veteran and a beginning teachers;
approximately 50% of the certified staff have earned a Masters’ Degree or
higher.
INSTRUCTIONAL PROGRAM AND CLASS SIZE
Our school offers a basic general instructional program for
Grades K-5 and is committed to continuous improvement. The instructional program
is process oriented and results driven based upon the district’s curriculum,
materials, and assessments. Our kindergarten program includes instruction to
students in the areas of reading and mathematics readiness and provides many
opportunities for children to use language and socialization skills. We
currently house six classes of kindergarten that includes three morning and
three afternoon classes. The elementary grades (1-5) provides instruction in
reading and language arts and mathematics and includes learning areas of
science, social studies, health, physical education, music, art, and library
skills. Regular education class enrollments range from 26 students to 35
students in a classroom without an aide. The district attempts to maintain an
average class size of 27 students per class in the elementary school. Pioneer
Elementary School’s average class size is between 26-31 students, excluding
kindergarten.
Most Pioneer students with significant special needs are
included in the regular education program with program aide assistance and
either supported education or resource level services.
SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT PROCESS AND GOALS
Besides our school mission statement, many teachers have
worked with their students to develop classroom mission statements supporting
our core values and beliefs.
At Pioneer Elementary School, our School Improvement Plan has
been developed by staff and parents and is currently being implemented with
specific goals, tasks, and assessments to monitor our progress. Staff regularly
meets to review our goals and plan activities to further our objectives. Our
School Leadership Team, known as PAC (Principal Advisory Committee), consists of
staff representatives, the building principal and associate principal, and
parent representatives. The role of PAC is to support the School Improvement
Process and goals, planning professional development opportunities for staff,
parents, and students.
2007-2008 SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT PLAN GOALS
- Pioneer Elementary School students will improve in all learning areas by
developing and using Technology as an instructional tool in the classroom.
- Pioneer Elementary School students will improve reading, language arts,
and writing performance.
- Pioneer Elementary School students will improve student achievement in
mathematics performance.
- Pioneer Elementary School students will have the opportunity to learn in
a safe environment, as measured by the following sources: SWIS data,
stakeholder satisfaction data, accident reports, and safety reports.
A successful management system is built upon a framework of
measurement, data, and analysis. Pioneer Elementary School is developing a
structured method for determining student needs and expectations. Through review
of assessment data, surveys, meetings, and round-table discussions, the Pioneer
Elementary School community examines the quality of the educational processes.
Key performance indicators, derived from student and stakeholder expectations,
as well as district, state, and school goals, aid decision making and focus
action. Data and analysis support a variety of purposes such as planning,
continuous improvement of all processes, and performance assessment.
Excellence is a result of well-designed and well-executed
systems and processes. Improvement is driven not only by the objective of
providing a superior quality education, but also the need to be responsible and
efficient. To meet these requirements, the process of continuous improvement
contains ongoing regular cycles of planning, execution, evaluation, and
revision.
Surveys are provided to all students, parents, and staff
members throughout the school year. Surveys are completed at conference time in
November, and in May. The surveys are designed to elicit information from
students, parents, and staff regarding key student and stakeholders needs and
expectations. A meeting is held annually at the end of the year and is open to
all stakeholders in the Pioneer Elementary School community. The survey results,
along with demographic information and schoolwide assessment results for all
grade levels, ISEL (Illinois Snapshot of Early Learning) testing in grades
Kindergarten, first, and second, ISAT (Illinois Standards Achievement Tests)
results for third, fourth, and fifth grades, and the results from the nationally
normed Cognitive Abilities Test/Iowa Test of Basic Skills (CogAT/ITBS) for
first, second, and fifth grades, are reviewed. Plans for continuous improvement
based upon the data are continually monitored, revised, and developed, as
appropriate.
COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS
Pioneer Elementary School has developed a special
relationship with the Junior Achievement program. In the fall and again
in the spring, volunteers teach a grade level specific social studies unit to
individual classrooms. Each five-week unit focuses upon some of the Illinois
State Learning Goals in the fundamental learning area of social sciences. The
units build upon the previous grade level instruction. Measured growth in
increased student achievement in social studies will be monitored in future
years to determine the effectiveness of this linkage.
In addition, the Valley View Educational Enrichment
Foundation, a nonprofit organization, sponsors many staff written grants that
focus upon student achievement and our school improvement goals. District staff
members have the opportunity to apply for grant monies. The grant proposal must
meet specific criteria and is awarded through a review process.
PARENT TEACHER ORGANIZATION
Pioneer Elementary School enjoys a positive relationship with
a very involved Parent Teacher Organization. The PTO supports several student,
staff, and family-centered activities throughout the school year. Please click
on their website link for more details.
BEFORE AND AFTER SCHOOL PIONEER CLUB
The Pioneer Club, sponsored by our PTO, provides before and
after school child care services at reasonable prices for students attending
Pioneer Elementary School. Call Debbie Bielawski at 630-759-1352 for
information.
We, at Pioneer Elementary School, are proud of our school and
our school district, and, as our school motto states, "Respecting our
heritage as we explore new frontiers in learning"! We are committed to
providing world-class educational opportunities for our youngsters within a
child-centered environment using results driven approaches to continuous
improvement.
Feel free to contact us at 630-771-2420 or visit us at 1470
Raven Drive, Bolingbrook, Illinois 60490.
Sincerely,
Donna L. Hayley, Principal
Pioneer Elementary School