Arlington Elementary

AES In the Spotlight: Alicia Judd Jones

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Published January 27, 2014, in Arlington Elementary

2014-01-15 Alicia JonesAlicia Judd Jones was recently recognized at WREG’s “Tennessee Lottery Educator of the Week.” Jones teaches resource math for grades kindergarten through fifth. Since she knows first hand that all children learn different ways, Jones spends countless hours planning lessons to meet the needs of all her learners.  When asked what experiences have shaped the teacher you have become, she responded…

“I see my students in a way many professionals never get a chance; through the eyes of myself when I was their age.  School was not easy for me; I was the student that completed hours of homework each night and still no matter how much I studied, my grades didn’t always match my hard work. My experiences have motivated me to find a way to make school a positive and inviting experience for each student that walks into my classroom.”

She is an educator who strives to provide a learning environment that supports hands on learning.  Alicia believes teachers must transform their environment into one that makes their students feel safe, have confidence, and be excited about learning.

Local Elementary Schools Recognized as Tops in Tennessee

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Published September 27, 2013, in Arlington Elementary, Lakeland Elementary, Schools

Photo by Jerry Borwick Photography

Photo by Jerry Borwick Photography

Special to The View 38002

Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam and Education Commissioner Kevin Huffman announced 169 schools as the 2012-13 Reward Schools, the top 5 percent of schools in the state for annual growth and the top 5 percent for academic achievement.

The Reward Schools span 52 districts across the state. “Tennessee continues to set the standard in education reform as we maintain our focus on high levels of achievement and continuous growth,” Haslam said.  “Our Reward Schools have proven that all students can learn and grow even though their starting lines may be different, a critical part of our effort to prepare our students for the jobs available in the marketplace now and in the future. We are incredibly grateful for the teachers and staff at each of these schools and excited to recognize their efforts on behalf of Tennessee students.”
 
Tennessee has set out to become the fastest-improving educational system in the country by raising student performance each year. For the second year, the state has recognized Tennessee schools that have shown the most progress year-over-year alongside the schools with the highest achievement scores on statewide tests.

This year’s list, including Arlington Elementary School and Lakeland Elementary School, recognizes 70 schools ranking in the state’s top 5 percent for overall achievement.

Gina Gore, Arlington Elementary principal said, “Our students, teachers, staff, parents, and community have worked so hard to achieve this honor.  It is our goal to continue to show successful gains in achievement and progress.”

The 2012-13 Reward Schools made these impressive accomplishments during a year when Tennessee saw consistent gains on the statewide Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program, or TCAP. As schools across the state made improvements and reached higher levels of proficiency, the 169 Reward Schools led the way.
 
Because Tennessee’s accountability system rewards growth and recognizes schools’ varying baselines, every school in the state can strive for the Reward Schools designation.
 
“We believe that all students deserve strong schools where they can grow to high levels of achievement,” Huffman said. “At the beginning of each year, every school in this state should know that they have a shot at becoming a Reward School.”

Information for this article was provided by Arlington Elementary School.

AES Fifth Grade Class Reaches New Heights with Accelerated Reader

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Published June 2, 2013, in Arlington Elementary

Pictured is Mr. Stanko’s 5th grade class with Mr. Stanko and the 2013 visiting author Richard Sobol. Photo Courtesy of AES

Pictured is Mr. Stanko’s 5th grade class with Mr. Stanko and the 2013 visiting author Richard Sobol. Photo Courtesy of AES

By LeAn Inman, AES Librarian

Twenty-three kids, over a thousand books books, and 34 million plus words: What do they have in common? These three things came together to give Mr. Stanko’s homeroom at Arlington Elementary School over 5,000 Accelerated Reader points for the 2012-2013 school year!
At the beginning of the year, the class was welcomed with a bulleting board that read “Welcome to Club 5,000.” They have now achieved their dual goals of collecting 5,000 cans for the Kids Kan food drive, and accumulating 5,000 AR points.

The best thing about this, even though they have achieved their goal, they are not stopping. Arlington Elementary is running a “Go for the Gold” program in Accelerated Reader. When a class gets 1,000 points, they receive the bronze medal, silver comes at 2,000, and gold at 3,000.
At 4,000 points, Mr. Stanko’s class gave themselves a platinum medal, to keep the precious metal theme. Mr. Stanko then asked the class if diamond would be good for 5,000 points.

Many nodded, but one student said, “No we should make it emerald. We need to save diamond for 6,000.” The rest of the class gave enthusiastic support of that thought. That is the attitude this group of young men and women have taken. They are striving to do better each day, and it shows in everything they do.

For the past 7 years, it has become tradition to have a famous author or illustrator or storyteller visit with our students at Arlington Elementary. Mrs. Inman, Librarian at AES, uses money raised from the fall bookfair to bring someone special to our school. This year we had the pleasure of hosting photojournalist, international traveler, and endangered species advocate, Richard Sobol spend the day with us on Tuesday, May 7, 2013. His adventures and pictures took our breath away and we could not have asked for a better day with this famous author. While in the Memphis area, he also visited Farmington Elementary, Lakeland Elementary, and Riverdale Elementary.