Dear Parent,

Once a year we provide you with updates on our school’s achievements through the North Carolina School Report Card.  We provide regular updates to you about your own child’s academic progress by sending home graded work, progress reports, report cards, and messages through Talking Points, emails, and phone calls.

Please be mindful that the NC School Report Card is only one way to measure what is happening at Union Elementary.  We have many great initiatives in place to support the whole child. We are appreciative of our parental support and community partnerships.

School grades are based 80% on proficiency rates in 3rd-5th grade Reading, Math, and Science as measured by EOGs.  20% of the grade is based on the amount of growth that students made from the previous year.  I am very pleased to say that both our proficiency and growth scores increased from the previous year.  We made huge gains and plan to do the same during the 2024-2025 school year. Teachers are working hard by analyzing assessment data in order to form small groups to target specific skills that students need additional support with during the WIN block. We also have a Reading and Math consultant working with staff throughout the year to provide professional development.  

Our student attendance rates improved during the 2023-2024 school year which had a direct impact on proficiency rates. When students are not chronically absent,they are able to learn more. 

The 2023-2024 school year was the second year implementing the Ag-Tech program.  Students very much enjoyed the hands-on activities, experiments, coding & robotics, and gardening.  This year, we plan to bring in guest speakers, build a green house, and have a farmer's market as part of Ag-Tech. 

We were most excited about implementing the Ron Clark House System during the 2023-2024 school year.  The model promotes a positive climate and sense of belonging.  (Four houses, One family!)

We have a plan in place to support our students and teachers this year so that more students finish the year on grade level and our school report card grade will increase again.  The three focus areas include Academics, School Culture, and Health/Safety.

To increase our Academics, we are continuing to implement a math tutoring program in 2nd and 4th grade.  Our current teacher assistants will implement the tutoring program during the WIN blocks. We are departmentalizing in 4th & 5th grade. Goal setting for whole class and individual students will help track progress and motivate students as goals are reached.

In the area of School Culture, we began the year with a heavy emphasis on PBIS and school-wide discipline.  We will continue to grow teacher leaders while supporting our new staff.   We have a team working with Safe & Civil Schools multiple times throughout the year to learn about classroom management, creating a structured & positive environment, revising our current expectations for student behavior.

The third focus area will be Health and Safety. Our Student Support Services staff will meet frequently to discuss student needs including attendance, social-emotional needs, and types of support that can be offered. As mentioned earlier, attendance is half the battle.  Please make every effort to have your child at school every single day unless they are truly sick. Students need to be in class prior to 7:30 and stay the full day until 2:00.

Our staff is fabulous, and I am very proud of their hard work and dedication over the years.  They are reflective practitioners and put students first. 

Union Elementary is an amazing school, and we have so many positive things happening on a daily basis!    There is no doubt in my mind that we will continue to make many improvements this year!  We need your help as parents.  Please check your child’s homework folder nightly, stay in contact with your child’s teacher, and attend as many school functions as possible.  

Union Elementary is united for success!

Sincerely,

Jennifer Deaton, Principal