Kruse elementary K-5
Setting and Context
Culture and Community Context
Kruse elementary is a tight-knit school with a caring staff and dedicated administration. It is a four-track, K-5 school. In the art class, I had students once to twice a week for 45-minutes (3-5) and 40-minute (K-2) classes. With this schedule, lessons often lasted multiple weeks.
The school is located in Fort Collins, CO, in a middle to upper-middle class neighborhood, and interestingly right next to a public charter, K-5 school, T. R. Paul Academy of Arts & Knowledge. It is evident that the community, and parents of the school are very supportive and involved in the school through extra-curricular activities and PTO involvement.
Demographics
The attendance at Kruse is close to 530 students which is among the largest in the district for elementary schools.
Race and Ethnicity:
Culture and Community Context
Kruse elementary is a tight-knit school with a caring staff and dedicated administration. It is a four-track, K-5 school. In the art class, I had students once to twice a week for 45-minutes (3-5) and 40-minute (K-2) classes. With this schedule, lessons often lasted multiple weeks.
The school is located in Fort Collins, CO, in a middle to upper-middle class neighborhood, and interestingly right next to a public charter, K-5 school, T. R. Paul Academy of Arts & Knowledge. It is evident that the community, and parents of the school are very supportive and involved in the school through extra-curricular activities and PTO involvement.
Demographics
The attendance at Kruse is close to 530 students which is among the largest in the district for elementary schools.
Race and Ethnicity:
The breakdown for race and ethnicity is fairly average for the district.
Free and Reduced:
Kruse has a 26.5% population of students on the free and reduced program.
ELL:
According to the 2013-14 October count for the district, Kruse had 31 ELL students, making up about 6% of the total population.
Classroom Environment and Students
The art classroom is setup for around 25 students, any more would make it very crowded. Their are two sinks for clean up and the room is stocked with a large variety of materials for different art making activities and explorations. With 40-minute classes once a week, it is important to prepare ahead of time so students have the most time possible for hands-on exploration.
A few classroom management cues are customary in this particular classroom. For attention, the teacher says, "Mona" and the students are to reply "Lisa" and pose like the Mona Lisa with eyes on the teacher, and sitting quietly with hands still. Having students 'freeze' is helpful, especially because the majority of the time they are working on an activity that requires the use of hands and a lot of attention.
School-wide policies
Management- Kruse has a PBIS system based on Respect and Responsibility (R&R), which is symbolized by the railroad symbol. The system encourages positive behavior and outlines appropriate action and expectations on a daily basis. Students are asked if they are "on track" to reference the R&R expectations. In addition to R&R, students are given "cougar tickets" for good behavior reinforcement and can use those to purchase items at the end of the year.
Safe Schools- Staff at Kruse receive a variety of training to ensure that they can assess and handle many emergencies or smaller issues that arise in the school. They address medical emergencies, natural disasters, lock-down, fire, harassment, and more issues to ensure that they are prepared and that the students feel safe at school.
Free and Reduced:
Kruse has a 26.5% population of students on the free and reduced program.
ELL:
According to the 2013-14 October count for the district, Kruse had 31 ELL students, making up about 6% of the total population.
Classroom Environment and Students
The art classroom is setup for around 25 students, any more would make it very crowded. Their are two sinks for clean up and the room is stocked with a large variety of materials for different art making activities and explorations. With 40-minute classes once a week, it is important to prepare ahead of time so students have the most time possible for hands-on exploration.
A few classroom management cues are customary in this particular classroom. For attention, the teacher says, "Mona" and the students are to reply "Lisa" and pose like the Mona Lisa with eyes on the teacher, and sitting quietly with hands still. Having students 'freeze' is helpful, especially because the majority of the time they are working on an activity that requires the use of hands and a lot of attention.
School-wide policies
Management- Kruse has a PBIS system based on Respect and Responsibility (R&R), which is symbolized by the railroad symbol. The system encourages positive behavior and outlines appropriate action and expectations on a daily basis. Students are asked if they are "on track" to reference the R&R expectations. In addition to R&R, students are given "cougar tickets" for good behavior reinforcement and can use those to purchase items at the end of the year.
Safe Schools- Staff at Kruse receive a variety of training to ensure that they can assess and handle many emergencies or smaller issues that arise in the school. They address medical emergencies, natural disasters, lock-down, fire, harassment, and more issues to ensure that they are prepared and that the students feel safe at school.
