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Our
school serves approximately 400 students in grades K-5. The Little
Red Schoolhouse is nestled on Allen Avenue, in the heart of historic
Medford,
New Jersey. Our sixty plus teachers and support staff are
dedicated to providing the best possible education for our students.
The
academic focus is centered around the Core Content Curriculum Standards
and is designed to provide every child with
opportunities to achieve academically, socially, and emotionally.
Our programs enable students to successfully reach their full potential
by setting high educational standards. Allen School is committed
to continuous improvement; providing a learning environment that
promotes responsibility, confidence in oneself, self-worth, good
citizenship, and a sense of community.
Our
integrated reading program in the primary grades focuses on a variety of
approaches and models, including Word Building, Fountas and Pinell's
Guided Reading, the Houghton Mifflin's Invitations
to Literacy program, and phonics. The intermediate reading program
utilizes the Houghton Mifflin series and teacher made novel units.
This year we are fully implementing a new mathematics program entitled
Everyday Math. It is a standards based approach
that focuses on critical thinking, the use of manipulatives, and concept
building instruction that is supplemented by computational skills.
There
is a wide variety of school programs designed to meet the needs of our
student population. The fine arts programs include instrumental
music lessons, ensemble band for grades four and five, chorus in grades
four and five, general music, and a visual
arts program that is devoted to enhancing children's problem solving
skills and creative expression.
Project IMPACT and TALE serve students in fourth and fifth grade by
offering enrichment opportunities that enhance the classroom curriculum
and focus on critical thinking skills. In additional, the
following services and/or staff are available for children: a child
study team, a speech clinician, a reading specialist, a school nurse, a
school counselor, and resource room support that compliments the
inclusion model designed for children with special needs.
Other
programs integrated into our comprehensive curriculum include physical
education, technology education, media center resource skills,
and world languages. Our teachers continue to devote much of
their time promoting a writer's workshop model for writing instruction.
Current writing models from Lucy Calkins, Donald Graves, and Marcia
Freeman are some of the resources being utilized.
Parental involvement is an essential component of any successful school
and at Allen School, our parents devote a great deal of time
helping with homework and volunteering for classroom and/or school
events. Our Home and School Association helps coordinate programs
and initiate ideas to better our school. They are second to none and
always ready to support building initiatives.
The
Allen School community is devoted to providing the best possible
learning environment for our students. Our programs stress safety,
security, and the utilization of a wide variety of best practice
instructional strategies, taught in an atmosphere of success and
excellence. Our goal is to instill a lifelong love of learning in
our students. Together, we can make this the best year yet at
Allen
School! Please don’t hesitate to contact me, if you have any questions
or comments.
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Mrs.
Chris Pukenas, Principal
