 Students gather for hot chocolate with their teachers for walk to school day!
Spirit abounds at Central School. Staff enjoy a high level of collegial support, professional pride and investment. Families and relatives work closely with staff in the best interest of each child in our community. Visitors are always welcome.
Central Elementary is a newly renovated school located in the village of Bellows Falls. The homes have expansive front porches, holding a claim in the Guinness World Book of Records as the front porch capitol of the world. Located beside the scenic Connecticut River, the village is experiencing a growth spurt and a renaissance of the arts.
Along with the Saxtons River Elementary School and Bellows Falls Middle School, Central School is part of the Rockingham School District, which belongs to the WIndham Northeast Supervisory Union (WNESU). Offices for WNESU are located on Cherry Hill in Bellows Falls. Central School has approximately 210 children ages 5-9 attending kindergarten through 4th grade.
The Success for All Program is a national school reform model focusing on literacy skills for all students. This model was successfully implemented 8 years ago. Success for All continues to be a strong component of the curriculum. Students in first through fourth grade are grouped by ability and instructed in a sequence of specific skills according to their level. Every 8 weeks progress is evaluated and the groups are shifted. This accelerated model allows students to advance as quickly as possible. The program has had significant impact on the students’ standardized test scores in reading and continues to unify the teaching staff with a clear vision for student achievement. Central School also receives federal funds from the Reading First initiative. These funds support additional reading coaches and
professional development for teachers. The grant emphasizes tutoring interventions for struggling readers in first through third grade.
We teach Every Day Math at Central School. This program was carefully chosen and emphasizes the basics of numeracy and number sense. This program has a spiraling curriculum which introduces concepts and reviews them regularly. The program promotes mastery of skills through time. Every Day Math is also designed specifically for peers to support each other in their learning.
Students take standardized achievement tests in the Fall of third and fourth grade. The New England Common Assessment Project has been developed by Measured Progress for Vermont, New Hampshire and Rhode Island. The tests are created by teachers from all three states and reflect the standards outlined in the grade level expectations of the Department of Education. Test results are used to modify and improve the curriculum and instruction of students.
At Central School, the social component of our curriculum is vital and relevant to the needs of our community. Teachers use a Responsive Classroom model. Behavioral expectations are clearly outlined for students throughout the day. Our Social Skills coordinator monitors student problems when they arise and uses peaceful and constructive conflict resolution techniques to guide students in their interactions with each other. We use the Skills Streaming program to teach specific social skills in the primary grades; using nice words, giving and receiving gifts, asking someone to play, active listening and many other basic and important skills. The Second Step program is being introduced to third and fourth graders.
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