School Highlights

• STARS Project: Structured behavior management program that rewarded positive behavior, homework completion and attendance with monthly assemblies, Student of the Week and Student of the Month Assemblies. The school has dramatically increased attendance, decreased tardies, decreased discipline concerns and increased homework to a 90% schoolwide average.
• Family Advocacy program: Supported by all staff, PTA and our Parent Liaison – each student had two advocates that worked as a team to implement the district's Family Advocacy System. The teacher and their partner met with students for thirty minutes each week for an activity. Parent contacts were made regularly.
• English as a Second Language (ESL): Approximately 65% of our student population consisted of non-English and limited English speaking students. 95% of the staff at Whittier were ESL endorsed or were taking classes towards endorsement. The site had three ESL teachers and three aides.
• Parent Liaison: We had a parent liaison who worked closely with staff and administration to support and connect parents to the school. Many services were provided to parents, including parent classes, family nights, support of PTA, participation in the Central Avenue Parade and McDonald's – McTeacher's Night.
• School Improvement Team: The SIT met regularly to discuss student needs (both academic and behavioral), classroom interventions, and the impact of the interventions for students.
• Reading First Program: Whittier was part of the Federal Reading First Initiative. Teachers had considerable training in reading instruction throughout the school year. Three reading teachers and two instructional coaches supported the initiative. Whittier students have shown dramatic growth in reading performance based on assessments given during the year.
• Representatives of Whittier (ROW): A Principal's Advisory Team met with the Principal, Assistant Principal and the instructional coaches to make recommendations on curriculum and business matters at the Whittier school site.
• Computer Lab: Whittier had a computer lab and technology teacher who integrated technology into the day-to-day instruction of the Kansas SBIs in all academic areas. The site also had four classroom mini-labs (2 in 4th and 2 in 5th grades) that allowed students to integrate all curriculum through technology. Teachers also had access to interactive whiteboards.
• Partnership with KidZone, LULAC, Jefferson Learning and Whittier Elementary School provided after school tutoring programs in language arts and math.
• Accelerated Reading Program: This reading program encouraged students to read during free time and at home. Students earned points that they spent at the Accelerated Readers store. In December high scoring students threw cream pies in the principal's face!
• Family Nights: Whittier offered several opportunities for parents to participate with their children in evening programs including Open House, Science Fair, Music Programs and Family Literacy and Family Math Nights.

Mission Statement

Our mission is to empower all students to use their abilities to reach their full potential in order to meet the challenges in a changing global society.

Development is the process of building identity, character, analytical and operational capabilities and self-confidence. We are all capable of developing. Intensive effort, high standards, co-operation, risk taking, positive expectations and support will characterize this school. Talent can be developed in both children and adults. No system or society has the right to deny or impede the development of any of its members.

This building report card is a brief summary of how your school and students are performing and the impact of your local school improvement plan. However, it should not be used as a single source to judge students or school accomplishments. No single report can tell the whole story of a district's or school's education program. This report card does not provide information about curriculum, teaching methods, special programs, the "climate" of your school or the performance of individual teachers or administrators.

In addition, this report card is not a way of "rating" or "ranking" schools. Because of the distinct community and student characteristics, direct comparison between schools or districts are invalid. Rank-ordering school districts or schools is a clear misuse of the information. Rather, the information should be used to access local strengths and weaknesses based on past performance and to plan program improvements.

back to top