Maple Wood Elementary
2007-2008
Maple Wood School is in its 28th year of serving the children of Somersworth having opened its doors in the fall of 1980. The school spans kindergarten through fourth grade. The Somersworth Early Education program is housed in a separate location; however, is included as a vital part of our school community. The school enrollment is just under 500 students. The Mission of Maple Wood School is to promote a partnership of school, home and community, which builds courage, respects differences, and nurtures life long learning. Supporting this mission is a staff of about ninety nine people including teachers, specialists, support staff, and Foster Grandparents. The Maple Wood PTA is committed to supporting the students through active involvement in our school. The PTA is a past NH PTA Unit of the year and is very involved in NH PTA and National PTA activities. The Maple Wood School Leadership Team is charged with focusing on core impact decisions that directly affect teaching and learning. At the center of these decisions are curriculum, instruction, and assessment. The team is responsible for writing the AYP progress report and for implementing the action plan. Members of the team include teachers, administrators, support staff, and parents. Maple Wood is focused on the improvement of student literacy. Student needs are identified through ongoing assessments: NECAP, MAP, and, DIBELS. These results are used to inform instruction and target interventions for students, We use the Four-Blocks Literacy Model and the Everyday Mathematics program as the two major vehicles of instruction. Staff members have had extensive training in Differentiated Instruction and use the Understanding by Design Model to plan units of study. Science and social studies are taught through an integrated approach. We are a PBIS (Positive Behavioral and Supports) school. By using this model we have trained staff in classroom and behavior management strategies to maximize instructional time. We have three teams (universal, target and intensive) that focus on the various needs of students. This year we will combine efforts and work with the members of the Child Study Teams to direct interventions for students. We serve as a partnership school for the University of New Hampshire having interns placed with us for the school year as they obtain their teaching certification and complete the requirements for graduate school. It is exciting for us to work with these students and to have them as a part of our school community. Interns are currently placed in regular education classes and with special education. We also have speech/language and counseling interns. We also have students in the ED 500 introductory course observing in the classrooms. We value the support and involvement of the citizens of Somersworth. We encourage them to attend our school events and to volunteer. The school received the Blue Ribbon School Award for 2006-2007 for our volunteer program. We are always pleased to receive this award as it recognizes the efforts of our volunteers and provides us with another way to thank these wonderful people for their many hours of dedication to our students.