PW Principals present annual report to public
District officials say 779 students enrolled in K-12 this year
Principals in the PalestineWheatley School District on Monday presented the district’s annual reports to the public for both the elementary and high school campuses.
PW Elementary Principal Kristi Wilson said the elementary school currently has 439 students enrolled.
“Palestine-Wheatley Elementary encompasses grades kindergarten through sixth with a total of 439 students," said Wilson. "We employ 28 teachers, all of which are highly qualified. We hired five new teachers for the 2021-22 school year. We have two instructional assistants who assist with special education, dyslexia, interventions and to oversee the computer lab. We have one counselor, a secretary, two custodians and a district technology coordinator."
High school principal Randy Cannon said that campus serves 340 students, with that total not including one foreign exchange student from South Korea.
"Palestine-Wheatley High School is a seventh through 12th grade high school with 340 students," said Cannon. "We have one foreign exchange student from South Korea, who is very sweet and really interesting. We employ 24 teachers, all of which are highly qualified. We have one instructional aide in ISS (in-school suspension) and one in special services. We have two counselors, one shared district technology coordinator, one secretary, one nurse and two custodians."
Cannon said 66 students in the high school are in the gifted and talented program with the district.
"Our special education teachers are Annette Ivory, who teaches grades nine through 12, and Fannie Evans, who teaches grades seven and eight. Combined, they serve 54 students through indirect and resource room settings," said Cannon. "We have 66 students in our gifted and talented program. Mrs. (Emily) Medford works with our teachers to provide services for our GT students. After-school tutoring is provided on an asneeded basis. Our graduation rate is 85%."
According to Wilson, several students in the elementary school are also in the gifted and talented program.
"Our special education teachers are Mary Oltmann, who teaches grades kindergarten through fourth, and Fannie Evans, who teaches grades five and six," said Wilson. "Combined, they serve 33 students through indirect and resource room settings. We have 28 students in our gifted and talented program. Mrs. Medford works with grades three and four by pulling them into the GT classroom. Kindergarten, second, fifth and sixth grades are served through their classroom teachers with enrichment type activities.
“Mrs. Medford is also responsible for overseeing our district's dyslexia program,” continued Wilson. “Karen McGuirt is our literacy specialist. She is responsible for assisting teachers and students with literacy interventions in an effort to raise test scores."
Wilson said one continuous struggle within the school is the academic gap of students transferring to PW through school choice from other districts.
"Our focus this school year is to raise our achievement focusing on student attendance and test scores with an emphasis on literacy," said Wilson. "One struggle we continue to face includes the academic performance of school choice students and the gaps that exist because of their previous academic experiences in mostly private school districts.
“We have blocked off the first two hours of our instructional day for support staff to provide students with literacy interventions for those in need of support,” Wilson continued. “We have recently purchased an intervention program called 95% Group and we have begun to fully implement this program. This will provide our students with reading interventions and help bridge the gap from lost time with in-person learning. We will provide after-school tutoring for students who need support in the academic areas of reading and math.
“We have also made many adjustments and modifications in order to safely serve and teach our students during the Covid pandemic,” said Wilson. “Our students are encouraged to wear masks daily, as well as our employees. Hand sanitizing stations have been placed at different points in the buildings for student access."
According to Cannon, the Arkansas Department of Education has mandated that each student be required to take at least one online class.
"Technology is readily available to all students in our school," said Cannon. "We use computers, Chromebooks and iPads to fulfill our technological needs. Much of our testing is being done online rather than on paper. Our teachers also have access to the latest technology in their classrooms. The Department of Education has mandated schools to provide offerings for online classes in high schools to prepare students
to take online college classes. Students are required to take at least one online class before they graduate. We have continually increased our offerings of online high school classes to our students.
“Covid is still a concern for teachers and students,” said Cannon. “Currently, we have only three students and one teacher quarantined. We have Google Classroom in place for those students who have been quarantined."
Medford said 94 students throughout the district are in the gifted and talented programs this year.
"Last year, we had 106 students in the district’s GT programs," said Medford. "This year, we have 94 in grades three through 12. All K-2 classes receive whole group enrichment once a week. In grades three and four, the students are pulled out to my classroom for 150 minutes each week. Grades five through eight are serviced through secondary content with their teachers. Our ninth through 12th grade classes are serviced through pre-advanced placement classes, advanced placement classes and concurrent classes through EACC."