2006-2007 Annual Report

Chester H. Thompson Elementary

ContaCts

303 159th Street EastTacoma, WA 98445

Address

(253) 683-5800

Phone

Suzanne Gayda

Principal

Amber Barker

Secretary

489

Enrollment

MissionThe mission of Thompson Elementary is to

nurture the physical, creative, intellectual, and emotional growth of all who enter our doors. Independence, thinking, respect, and pride are developed in a child-centered environ-ment. Thompson nurtures success!

Thompson is a place where:

• The atmosphere is safe for students, parents, teachers, and businesses to work together to produce healthy, productive members of society.

• Staff, parents, and community contribute to both social and academic learning to help students succeed in a changing world.

• Students use technology as a tool for learn-ing and research.

• Students use a variety of methods to de-velop skills, problem solving strategies, and confidence in reading, writing, and math.

What Makes Us speCial

Opportunity makes us special! Students

have the opportunity for all-day kindergarten,

Take Home Reading, MESA (Math Engineer-

ing Science Achievement), and extra algebra

classes. Sixth graders go to science camp;

other classes go on field trips or have in-class

visitors. We offer Tae Kwon Do, choir, and

lunch time players.

Raising expeCtations and standaRds

We have been very successful raising stu-

dent achievement at Thompson. We analyze

the data on Learning Improvement Days and

make decisions by grade level about what to

focus on or highlight. Our students are great

at analyzing fictional texts. We continue to

work on vocabulary and comprehension of

non-fiction.

Teachers meet weekly to discuss strategies

for teaching reading. In math we are using

a new series called Everday Math, which we

believe will lead to greater student success.

Foss Science, Step Up to Writing, and Six Trait

Writing also help us to meet standards in the

classroom.

paRent and CoMMUnity involveMent in leaRning

We have wonderful volunteers at Thomp-

son. Each year we have more than 100 volun-

teers at Thompson working with students in

the classroom, volunteering to work at special

events, and chaperoning field trips. Our PTA

has worked hard to improve our school. The

community actively uses our school. Groups

include: Boys and Girls Club, Pierce College

(GED courses), Bethel Rec and the scouts.

Wasl ResUlts

3rd grade TE District State

WASL 2007

Math 65 66 69

Reading 70 69 71

4th grade TE District State

Math 39 50 58

Reading 73 73 76

Writing 46 48 60

5th grade TE District State

Math 36 52 59

Reading 56 68 72

Science 18 27 36

6th grade TE District State

Math 30 42 50

Reading 57 65 68

3rd grade TE District State

WASL 2006

Math 38 58 64

Reading 46 65 68

4th grade TE District State

Math 43 55 59

Reading 79 83 81

Writing 43 56 60

5th grade TE District State

Math 54 49 56

Reading 79 73 76

Science 21 30 36

6th grade TE District State

Math 18 44 50

Reading 49 64 67

deMogRaphiCsEthnicity TE District

adeqUate yeaRly pRogRess

Thompson did not meet adequate yearly

progress (AYP), as defined by the No Child

Left Behind Act. AYP is determined primarily

by year-to-year student achievement on the

Washington Assessment of Student Learning

(WASL) in reading and mathematics.

Each year individual schools and the

school district must “raise the bar” in gradual

increments so that by 2014, 100 percent of

students achieve proficiency in each subject

area.

Thompson met AYP in 93 percent of the

categories, but did not meet AYP in reading

and math for special education students. We

are implementing a wide variety of interven-

tion strategies to help all students learn to

their full potential.

top-notCh staffThompson has 31 classroom teachers. They

average 13 years of teaching experience and

74 percent have a master’s degree. They are

joined by a wonderful support staff who have

students’ best interest in mind in all that they

do.

Bethel sChool distRiCt

Bethel School District serves about 17,500

students in 15 elementary schools, five junior

highs, three comprehensive high schools, one

alternative junior high/high school, and an

online academy. The district has won national

awards in technology and communications,

as well as state awards in professional devel-

opment, energy conservation, and the arts.

In addition, five district teachers have earned

“Washington State teacher of the Year” in the

last 25 years -- more than any district in the

state.

The Bethel School District covers 202-

square miles in south Pierce County. The area

is one of the fastest growing in the Puget

Sound region. In 2006, district voters passed

both a four-year levy for operations and a

$175 million bond to build new schools.

As part of the first phase of the bond, two

elementary schools and one junior high are

scheduled to open in September 2009.

In 2006-2007, the district’s budget was $146

million, about 80 percent of which went to

salaries and benefits. About 1,050 certificated

staff and about 1,000 classified (support) staff

work for the district. Tom Seigel joined the dis-

trict in 2001 as superintendent. He previously

worked in Boulder, CO as a superintendent.

Prior to his work in public education, Seigel

served in the U.S. Navy for 25 years, complet-

ing his military career as a Commander.

American Indianor Alaska Native: 2.0% 3.5%

Asianor Pacific Islander: 10.7% 9.3%

Black: 18.8% 11.2%

Hispanic: 14.5% 9.6%

White: 54.1% 66.4%

FrEE &rEducEd Lunch: 60.2% 35.4%