About

Mission

We will create a collaborative school culture and a student centered learning environment to ensure that we achieve measurable, meaningful increases in academic performance for all students.

In our effort to realize this, we will:

Collect data to measure performance and to inform instruction; frequent monitoring and reporting of student performance is essential
Provide timely interventions for low performing students as well as enrichment opportunities for high performing students
Conduct ourselves in a manner that is in line with the core traits of FCPS
Create a welcoming school climate
Vision
Gainesboro Elementary seeks to become an exemplary learning community that will develop a culture for learning, improve instruction, use technology effectively, and commit to implementing principles of a professional learning community. 

1.  School Culture for Learning
Climate: Gainesboro will foster a welcoming environment that is also safe and nurturing. Staff will be respectful toward each other, toward every student, and toward the parents.
 
Core Values: Every teacher and staff member will model the core character traits of Frederick County Public Schools and the EAGLE P.R.I.D.E. program, actively promoting these core traits in a visible manner.
 
Community: Teachers will collaborate to develop a professional learning community and exhibit a visible sense of pride in their efforts and product of their collaboration.
 
Discipline: Every staff member will apply and consistently monitor behavioral expectations. Support for our behavioral expectations from each household will be actively pursued. 
 
Communication: There will be two way, proactive, and frequent communication to parents about student progress. Students will also have a means of communicating to teachers about their learning.
 
Parental Involvement: There will be volunteer opportunities that are created, organized and directed by teachers. These parental volunteer opportunities will support learning.  

2.  Academics/Instruction
Student centered: Students will be engaged at their instructional level and spend time working with concepts to develop deeper understandings.
 
Measurable Increase in Performance: Teachers will collaborate regularly in order to analyze data from a variety of summative and formative assessments to develop action plans for improved learning.
 
Differentiation: Each teacher will develop differentiated lesson plans based on levels of student understanding, needs, interest, and/or readiness. Students will also be able to demonstrate understanding of concepts in a variety of ways.
 
Maximized Learning Time:  Time on task will be monitored and protected. Objectives and corresponding assessments will be measurable, aligned, and attainable.  Students and teachers will work without interruption.
 
Best Practice: Best Practice will be implemented in every classroom. Teachers will use research based instructional practices in order to promote student achievement. Teachers will collaborate to identify the effectiveness of strategies and collect data to analyze specific strategy success. 
 
Intervention: Students who have difficulty with mastery of concepts and understandings will receive interventions in order to create growth in academic areas. 
 
High Expectation for Success: Expectations for success of all students will be communicated to parents and students. There will be an emphasis on using critical thinking and problem solving.

3.  Technology
Communication: Staff will use a variety of media driven communication tools in order to maximize effective communication with parents. Training sessions will be created and offered to assist in the use of this practice.
 
Data Collection: A variety of data collection tools will be used to collect and develop analysis of student created data in order to improve learning.
 
Professional Expectations: Every staff member will utilize available technology in order to analyze data, communicate with each other, and develop efficient ways to enhance learning and instruction. Students will be equipped with the essential knowledge that is needed in order to become technologically literate.

4.  Professional Learning Community (PLC)
Professional Expectations: The faculty and staff will establish personal commitments that will contribute to the development of Gainesboro as a PLC. Each member of the staff will model and live the personal commitments in order to build a strong community that is built on a foundation of systems of support.
 
Collaboration: Time will be available for collaboration to happen. Every staff member will promote high levels of learning by developing solutions and managing time while using resources effectively. There will be a collective sense of responsibility for learning and growth of each student.
 
Data Collection: We will collect and us formative data which will drive planning and implementation of effective instructional strategies. The focus is on continuous improvement, results, and an increase in student achievement for all students.
 
Staff Development: There will be a state of the art staff development program developed which will be easily accessible and targeted in order to address the learning needs of every student. The staff development program will address identified needs of staff members in order to improve their abilities to plan and execute an effective lesson which will lead to improved student results and learning.