<sh>Jamestown Elementary School
<bt>With about 10 teachers new to the school, Jamestown principal Laura Annan-Glascoe said that the school will continue to work on programs from last year, including a focus on writing. The school uses the Lucy Calkins Writing Workshop model. "We're continuing to set a quality program of excellence for all our children," Annan-Glascoe said. Jamestown enrollment is listed as 544, and capacity is 572.
<sh>Francis Scott Key Elementary School
<bt>Key Elementary is a two-way English-Spanish Immersion school. Math, science and Spanish language arts are taught in Spanish, while social studies and English language arts are taught in English.
<sh>Long Branch Elementary School
<bt>Students at Long Branch, who come from over 25 countries, will meet a new assistant principal, John Koutsouftikis. Long Branch will continue to build ASSETS for students in conjunction with the Arlington Partnership for Children, Youth and Families. The art teacher will continue working with the fourth-grade students on a project in conjunction with the National Women in the Arts Museum.
<sh>McKinley Elementary School
<bt>McKinley was named Arlington's first and only Parent Involvement School of Excellence by the National PTA last year. The PTA has many fund-raising activities planned for the upcoming year, including a Sally Foster Gift Wrap sale, a Scholastic Bookfair, School picture sales, Barnes and Noble Night, a silent auction, and Grocery Receipt and Boxtops for Education programs.
<sh>Nottingham Elementary School
<bt>Nottingham will welcome only three or four new teachers this year while waiting to move back into their renovated school building. The renovations are currently a little ahead of schedule, but students and teachers will not get to move back until 2006.
<sh>Arlington Science Focus
<bt>"Blast Off to Learning" is a program started over the summer that will continue through the year. The program will focus on reading, as students must read over 60 books during the course of the program. Many events are scheduled for this the year, such as a visit from Capt. Allen Bean. Students at Arlington Science Focus will be greeted by seven new faces. The new teachers include: Sara Costa, Meghan Millard, Jessica Pryor, Katie Aholt, Carrie Strasburger and Donna Sacco. The school will also continue to help and support its sister school, Arlington Academy of Hope in Uganda, which is led by two former teachers.
<sh>Abingdon Elementary School
<bt>Several programs including Project GIFT— Gaining Instruction and Fostering Talents — will eliminate most early release Wednesdays. Additional classes in architecture, science lab and communications will be offered to all students as well as Orrf music instruction. All third-graders also learn how to play the recorder; all fourth-graders learn the violin; and all fifth-graders learn an instrument of choice.
<sh>Ashlawn Elementary School
<bt>Students will meet a new administrative team including Edgar Miranda as the new principal and a new assistant principal who will be approved by the School Board on Sept. 16. Also, a new Montessori kindergarten class begins this year, and this will be the first year of the New Beginnings science program. The school is currently planning to initiate some exciting schoolwide activities around a science theme as part of the initiative.
<sh>Barcroft Elementary School
<bt>Barcroft is in its third year of the modified school year calendar. In addition to the change in schedule, two initiatives that were begun last year, the Barcroft Buddies After-School Tutoring Program and the school-based credit union, will both be continued and expanded.
<sh>Barrett Elementary School
<bt>Barrett will be a NASA Explorer School for the next three years. During this partnership, Barrett will receive a total of $17,500 to purchase the latest in technology for the school's math and science program. In addition, students and teachers will collaborate with NASA staff to explore space and all of its possibilities as NASA begins its next phase of space study, Earth, Moon, Mars, and Beyond, via teleconferencing, classroom visits and a multitude of resources available to Barrett through their partnership with NASA as a NASA Explorer School.
<sh>Campbell Elementary School
<bt>Campbell Elementary School has five new staff members. This year staff will continue to explore ways of increasing the after-school opportunities available to students through the continuation and development of community partnerships. Faculty members will continue to look at student achievement and how to increase performance and narrow the achievement gap while responding to the individual needs of students.
<sh>Carlin Springs Elementary School
<bt>Students will meet a new principal, Corina Coronel. Project Alpha, the school's Exemplary Project, will continue to provide a wealth of learning resources, student field trips and opportunities for students to experience learning first-hand both indoors and outside. As a Community School with direct support from the Arlington Partnership for Children, Youth and Families, the school sponsors enrichment classes and activities for students; a weekly pre-school play/learning group for parents and their young children; computer, parenting and English classes for parents; and regularly scheduled family literacy nights in the school library. The art teacher will be working with the fourth-grade students on an art project in conjunction with the National Women in the Arts Museum.
<sh>Claremont Immersion Program
<bt>Bridging Communities is an interdisciplinary book-making program for fourth-graders at Claremont Immersion developed by the National Museum of Women in the Arts. During the year-long project students will explore book arts and meet with professional authors, illustrators, bookbinders and book artists to gain an understanding of what goes into creating a book. The project will culminate with an exhibit of the student-made books in the Education Gallery of the National Museum of Women in the Arts.
<sh>Drew Elementary School
<bt>Drew's partnership with the Kennedy Center will expand with seven more teachers being trained to use the arts in their reading, mathematics, social studies and science curriculum. Sharon Goode joins the Drew staff as the new parent/community coordinator, who will work to involve parents in their children's education and increase parent volunteers and partnerships to benefit the students. Starbucks has recently provided Drew a substantial grant to support literacy activities including field trips, purchase of literacy materials and provision of special literacy evenings for parents and students. Students will write poetry that will be taken to Starbucks, and volunteers from Starbucks will be book buddies with children.
<sh>Glebe Elementary School
<bt>The new principal is Jamie Borg. Glebe will be starting the Elementary Spanish Pilot Program this fall. The program will be offered after school two days a week for 50 minutes a day. It is being phased in over a three-year period, beginning with first and second grades this year and adding two grades each year.
<sh>Henry Elementary School
<bt>Henry will implement a math acceleration program for kindergarten through third grade.
<sh>Hoffman-Boston Elementary School
<bt>Students arriving at the school will discover a "State-of-the-Art" technology program that enhances instruction with a multimedia laboratory and a mobile laptop lab. A Type-to-Learn laboratory focuses on the development of keyboarding skills. There will also be a year-long program of academic intervention to support students that require an extra academic boost. A home-to-school communiqué using Blackboard will be set up, as will an after-school program of enrichment experiences including Girls in Training.
<sh>Randolph Elementary School
<bt>A Young Authors and Illustrators Conference will be held in the Spring of 2006. Students attend a day-long conference in which they share original stories and artwork, visit with published authors and attend feedback sessions sharing writing and illustrating ideas with other student authors and one adult facilitator. Randolph will also hold an Under the Stars/International Night school community activity to celebrate the cultures and traditions in music, art, literature and food represented by Randolph families.
<sh>Taylor Elementary School
<bt>Taylor Elementary School welcomes several new staff members including a new kindergarten teacher, a new librarian and two new vocal music teachers. The school will be participating in the Professional Development School Program for the third year. APS and Marymount University will partner in a teacher training program in which Taylor teachers serve as mentors for Marymount University students preparing for a career in education. The interns spend a full semester at Taylor before moving on to another Arlington school. Taylor will be developing a proposal for an Exemplary Project during the upcoming year. School staff will be focusing significant professional development training and planning on differentiated instruction for all students.
<sh>Tuckahoe
<bt>Project Fit America is coming to Tuckahoe to get kids physically fit. Beginning with a Fall 2005 Kick-Off, Tuckahoe Elementary will take their honored role to serve as an Arlington County Public Schools host and model school for Project Fit America (PFA) to promote health and wellness. PFA is a nonprofit organization that donates fully funded fitness programs to schools. This includes state-of-the-art fitness equipment, a dynamic curriculum with fitness games and challenges, and on-site staff development and training. Students, staff, parents and community members will join in the effort to become active for life.