Success begins when teachers, parents, and community members work together to ensure student achievement and promote positively awesome citizens.
- Black/African American: 5%
- White: 44%
- Hispanic: 1%
- Asian: 1%
- Native American: 49%
- Economically Disadvantaged: %
Pointe-Aux-Chenes Elementary, located 15 miles north of the Gulf of Mexico, is a prekindergarten through 4th grade school serving 160 students. It is the mission of Pointe-Aux-Chenes Elementary that, “Success begins when teachers, parents, and community members work together to ensure student achievement and promote positively awesome citizens.” Teachers address academic needs by analyzing data to find student strengths and weaknesses. Students are pulled into small groups for enrichment and remediation. A system, developed by the Leadership Team, helps to ensure that specific student misconceptions are addressed. Staff members sit with individual students (or a group of students that share the same misconceptions) and address these in a systematic way. Students are “thinking out loud,” and staff are listening for specific deficits to bring back for further intervention consideration.
To further build confidence and promote civic responsibility in students, families and community businesses are invited to share cultures and knowledge. Events allow families to socialize with their children, promoting a family-like atmosphere. 4H participation promotes leadership in students as they learn life skills. To continue stewardship, students plant trees on nearby levees, and help build “floating islands” on vanishing wetlands. Community military join in an annual Veteran’s Day celebration. Visits and camp hosted by the local Indian tribe contribute to cultural pride. By believing in students and building a culture of stewardship, success was imminent. Addressing the needs of the community instills the purpose of education. These ideals have proven effective in boosting student achievement and promoting positively awesome citizens.