Introduction

Elmer Elson Elementary is located in Mayerthorpe, Alberta and offers programming for kindergarten to grade six students. We also provide early intervention programming for three and four years olds who have been identified as having early learning needs. We have approximately 285 students. In general, there are two classes at each grade level. 

Our school's value system is aligned with the Government of Alberta’s philosophy of Inspiring Education.  Our world is changing at a more rapid rate than ever before.  The way we work and the type of work available is changing at an alarming rate.  Jobs that didn’t exist even 5 years ago are some of the top opportunities available for students today.  Our plan is to ensure that Elmer Elson students are prepared for the future, not the past.  We are achieving these goals by expanding on our traditional teaching methods and allowing our teachers to be more creative in their techniques in order to inspire innovation and excellence.

Elmer Elson also has a strong student leadership program designed around The Leader In Me by Stephen Covey. This philosophy helps equip students with the self-confidence and skills they need to thrive in today’s global community.  The goal of the program is to fill our school with students who are responsible, who show initiative, who are creative, who know how to set and meet goals, who get along with people of all backgrounds and cultures, and who can resolve conflicts and solve problems.

Even the way we conduct Parent-Teacher Conferences has evolved.  Hosting the conferences prior to report cards being issued has allowed the focus of the interview to be on the child, rather than a mark on a report card.  This is another example of our continued commitment to a child-focused approach.

Education Plan

Literacy

Our Language Arts Literacy programming is structured around the The Daily Five framework. It follows the strands of: read to self, read to others, listen to reading, word work, and writing. This learning structure provides opportunities for students to gain independence while building cooperative and productive relationships. It also allows teachers to conference with small groups and individuals.

Numeracy

In Math our main resource is Math Makes Sense by Pearson. Classes focus on mathematical basics and include many hands on opportunities with manipulatives. Our main teaching philosophy is largely based on First Steps in Math which delves into a deeper understanding of the concepts. Students show their understanding by explaining their thought process rather than just producing an answer. 

EEE School Advancement Plan 2019-2020

Motto

“Engaged learners, Ethical citizens, and Empowered youth.”

Philosophy

Our school mission is to foster the development of engaged learners, ethical citizens, and to create empowered members of our community.

We achieve these goals through:

• Developing the academic, social emotional, physical, and creative aspects of students.
• Creating a positive self-image in students by offering encouragement, developing self- discipline and promoting physical well-being.
• Promoting a collaborative team approach to communication among students, parents and teachers.
• Valuing individual rights and the differences in others while simultaneously supporting everyone’s right to be their authentic self without sacrificing personal ideas.
• Creating a child-centered environment by adopting a philosophy that will motivate children to discover new skills and knowledge through their own exploration with guidance from their teachers.
• Fostering an environment that creates global citizens who identify with being part of an emerging world community and whose actions contribute to building this community’s values and practices.
• Offering a wide variety of extracurricular experiences to enrich educational understanding, enhance classroom learning, and build upon a student’s varying interests.
• Promoting individualized learning, allowing each student to learn in a way that is suitable to their needs.
• Balancing the serious aspects of learning with the fun of experimenting, the satisfaction of persevering and the joy of succeeding. Our teaching methods create a strong foundation for positive, life-lasting attitudes, skills and memories for our students.

Programs & Services

Our school offers an off site Speech Language Pathologist and Occupational Therapist, both of which come to work with students at our school on a weekly basis. 

We also offer a councillor who is on site once a week. 

Options Program

Another unique feature of our school is our Option Program that we offer to Grades 4 through 6 students.  Teachers, community members, and parents teach four one-hour sessions where students can learn new competencies.  The students’ learning culminates in a school-wide showcase.  Cooking, hockey, handbells, drama, digital photography, handball, cooperative games, native beading and card making are just a few examples of the skills that students have the opportunity to learn in our Option Program.