Pershing Elementary

Pershing Elementary School serves over 300 students in Grades K-5. Small classes, averaging 18 students per room, allow teachers to individualize and target instruction for each child. A balanced curriculum is delivered to ALL students. A variety of programs and support services are available including: Structured English Immersion, speech therapy, inclusion, special education, music, band, piano, guitar, Together for Children, and counseling. Working with parents, we provide educational opportunities that reflect the needs of every student. Parents may have their child participate in after-school programs, Lexington Academy or after school tutoring, to extend learning opportunities. We utilize a Response to Intervention model to identify and monitor children with learning delays and plan interventions to meet their needs. Teachers are involved in Professional Learning Communities to review classroom assessments and plan lessons to improve learning outcomes for our children.

Pershing Elementary Demographics

(based on the 2010-11 NDE State of the Schools Report)

Enrollment: 333
Free/Reduced Priced Meals: 87%
Mobility: 19%
English Language Learners: 52%
Race/Ethnicity: White-13%, Black-5%, Hispanic-80%, Asian/Pacific Islander-1%, American Indian/Alaskan Native-.5%; Two or More Races-.5%

More information can be found on the Nebraska Department of Education's State of the Schools Report for Pershing Elementary.

December 12, 2011

Dear Parent / Guardian / Patron:

The purpose of this letter is to inform you that according to 2010-11 state student assessment results, Pershing Elementary School is in Year 2 of Title I School Improvement for 2011-2012 school year under the federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB) law. Pershing Elementary School did not make Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) towards the goal of being proficient in reading.

If a school does not meet the state goal two years in a row, in the same grade level and same subject, they are identified as "In Need of Improvement." A school can be removed from School Improvement Status after all subgroups meet AYP goals for two consecutive years.

Because of this status, Pershing Elementary School must develop and implement a two-year plan to help the subgroups to meet the goal. Pershing will develop plans to submit to the State Department of Education. The District has already implemented some changes intended to raise student achievement. We are working with the Leadership & Learning Center of Englewood, Colorado, to develop ongoing professional development for our teachers and staff in working with English Language Learners. We are also working to realign our curriculum to ensure that all standards are being taught across the district at a level that will help our students become successful learners.

Pershing Elementary School receives federal funds from the Title I program. These funds help students who are not achieving at grade level in math or reading in high-poverty schools. One requirement of school identified as "In Need of Improvement" is to establish an Accountability Compact Team to assist in planning and evaluating strategies for improvement in the elementary school. Members of the team include staff from our district, ESU staff, NDE staff, and parents from our school district. To learn how you can be involved with this process or if you are interested in working with this Compact Team, or if you want to become involved in other ways at your child's school, please contact Mr. Fred Evans, Principal, and information will be provided to you.

The "No Child Left Behind" law requires us to notify parents of the option to transfer to another school in our district that has met all of the provisions of the "No Child Left Behind" law. In Lexington Public Schools, Sandoz Elementary School has met the provisions of the "No Child Left Behind" law. If you wish to transfer your son or daughter to Sandoz Elementary School, students are entitled to transportation by the district. We ask that you indicate your decision by contacting Pershing Elementary (324-3765). Information on how schools did in Lexington Public Schools, as well as other schools throughout the state of Nebraska can be found at this website: http://reportcard.education.ne.gov/Main/Home.aspx

Respectfully

Fred Evans, Principal
Pershing Elementary

This school year we changed opportunities for students to exercise before school begins each morning on our playground here at Pershing. Since we started this process, we have noticed traffic safety concerns in getting students across to the playground and back into the building with Tyler street being left open.

In order to provide safety for our students, starting on October 3, 2011, we will close our gates on Tyler Street during the morning only. Tyler Street gates will be open after school. Please drop-off Kindergarten through second grade students on the south side of Pershing. Third grade through fifth grade students may be dropped-off either on the south or north side of the playground.

Thank you for helping keep our students safe.