Global citizenship is of primary importance at
Thornton Creek Elementary School. School-wide
goals include writing, understanding and
applying civic principles in authentic contexts,
and developing a school culture that supports
the Whole Child. Our school theme for the past
two years has been: Making a Difference in Our
Own Backyard.
In Making a Difference in Our Own Backyard,
students participate in one grade level service
project and one school improvement project
during the year. Grade level service projects
include a kindergarten visit to Walton Wood,
first grade visit to Jiffy with subsequent
baking for the Capuchin Soup Kitchen in Detroit,
second grade blanket project for the Salvation
Army, third grade food drive for the local
Northville Civic Concern, fourth grade
Read-a-Thon for Toys for Tots, and fifth grade
participation in Kid’s Against Hunger where they
packed 27,000 meals for a third world country.
Our school improvement projects include
improving our grounds and outdoor classroom
through mulching, planting, weeding, and
landscape design.
Through participation in the school theme,
recognition through the Students of the Month
program, school participation in a student
council democratic government simulation, and
careful alignment of Core Democratic Value
instructional focus by grade level, students
receive many strategic opportunities to
recognize, reflect upon, apply, and practice
civic principles.
In student writing, Thornton Creek focuses on
metacognition, writing to a prompt, and writing
for authentic purposes. In authentic contexts,
students write to the principal and have
opportunities to publish their writing. Through
the Writer’s Workshop format, students are
supported in metacognition by editing, revising,
and inquiry. In teaching writing to a prompt as
a genre, students receive frequent practice in
the formality of the Writing Process to balance
the more implicit approach of Writer’s Workshop.
To support the Whole Child, Thornton Creek
connects the cognitive, social-emotional, and
physical domains of our students. While in the
early stages of development and with a planned
multi-year phased implementation, these areas of
focus include anti-bullying programming,
school-wide Brain Gym integration and
implementation, a school-wide nutrition plan,
and cognitive strategies to enhance student
learning. Our extra-curricular student
activities include chess club, Leadership
Institute, Detroit News Spelling Bee, DARE, PTA
Reflections Talent Contest, Talent Show, Junior
GREAT Books, Art Appreciation through the DIA,
School Credit Union, Recycling, Science Night
with the Ann Arbor Hands-On Museum, and Spirit
Week. Lego Robotics is scheduled for
implementation in the 2007-2008 school-year.
Parents play an essential role at Thornton Creek
Elementary. Aside from chaperoning field trips,
working in the classroom, participating in
school improvement, volunteering in the Media
Center, and participating in their children’s
school activities, many assume critical
leadership roles in grounds beautification, the
school carnival: Gator Gala, Junior Enrichment
Series, Motor Moms and Dads, Movie Nights, the
Talent Show, Reflections, Roller-Skating Nights,
Art Appreciation, March is Reading Month,
fundraising, Teacher Appreciation, GREAT books,
and the yearbook. One hundred percent of our
parents attend parent-teacher conferences.
Thornton Creek Elementary has an enrollment of
528 students in kindergarten through fifth
grade. Staff at Thornton Creek includes
principal, Sharon Irvine, 23 classroom teachers,
special area teachers for art, music, media,
physical education, and foreign language, a
learning consultant, instructional support
teachers, a speech and language teacher, social
worker, school psychologist, and a bilingual
teacher. |
