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From the desk
of Steve Fisher
Phone:
(615) 472-4200
Email:
stevef@wcs.edu
Welcome to the Bethesda Elementary School Website. My name
is Steve Fisher. I
have been the principal at Bethesda Elementary since 2004.
"People don't care how much we know until they know how much
we care."
-Unknown
Many years ago, I read this quote and it became a guiding
principle for me as an educator. In other words, I believe
educators must see and care about the child before we view
the child as a student. Once a caring, nurturing
relationship between teacher and child is established, we
can begin our primary function to continue the education of
each child into a capable, responsible, caring young person.
I came to Bethesda as
principal with one major focus – to create a school
community where all stakeholders are engaged in caring for
and learning from another. I introduced the premise of what
a school, where
everyone learns, would look like at Bethesda Elementary.
Using a continual process of self-examination and team
learning schools are best able to create a climate where
maximum emotional, social, and academic growth takes place.
I shared with our teachers, support staff, and
parents the key corollary questions used by all true
learning communities that guide us in the task of educating
children, as well as ourselves for the future.
The corollary questions we continue to use as filters
for all programs and policies at Bethesda Elementary are:
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What do we expect students to know and able to do?
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How will we, in a consistent and measurable way, know
that students know and can do what we expect of them?
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How will we respond as a community of adult learners
when students do not learn what we expect of them and,
how will we respond to those students who have mastered
what we expect of them?
After our initial exposure to the idea of a school that
continuously learns, we began to make plans for creating
this type school in the years to come. As we began to answer
the first two questions, our teachers also felt that it was
very important to establish a process and standards for
building relationships in our learning community. Regarding
expectations for student and adult behavior each grade level
functioned autonomously. Working at the secondary level
previously, I experienced school-wide behavior plans as well
as connections with organizations and university staff that
could aid us in this task.
At the end of the 2004-2005 school year Dr. Kathleen Lane
from Vanderbilt University, Kennedy Center came to speak
about the process of building a positive behavior support
system for the school. The faculty and staff overwhelmingly
agreed to enter into a partnership with Dr. Lane and her
team at Vanderbilt. The Positive Behavior Support Team was
formed in May of that year. (Please see the link on the
homepage of this website for further details). It is,
however, a work in progress as we continue to look for and
implement new ways to recognize positive behavior for
increased learning here at Bethesda! In order to promote a
safe and caring learning environment and ensure the
educational rights of all students, we stress the "Big
Three" Positive Behavior Support themes: Respect,
Responsibility, and Cooperation. The students call them
Dragon Traits since our mascot is a Dragon! Students
are required to conduct themselves in a safe manner, show
respect to other people and property, and accept
responsibility for their actions. Your encouragement
and support of these guidelines is very important and will
be greatly appreciated.
At Bethesda the entire staff provides a safe and nurturing
environment where all students benefit from outstanding
learning opportunities. While we stress literacy
(reading, writing, speaking, and listening) and mathematics,
we are also proud of our learning opportunities in the areas
of art, physical education, music, and technology. The
reading intervention program provides additional support for
our students who need extra help to be successful. Please go
to the Curriculum link of this site to access the curriculum
maps the teachers have created as they continue to answer
corollary questions one and two above.
As parents you play a critical role in your child's
education and future success. Schools with high levels
of family support show higher achievement gains for their
students. We need your help in supporting your child's
efforts to learn while at home and at school.
Additionally, we encourage frequent communication between
you and our school staff. Please consider getting
involved in the many activities and organizations available
at our school.
Please feel free to contact me or any of the Bethesda staff
if we may be of service. The Bethesda staff has some
of the most caring and thoughtful people I have ever
encountered, and I assure you they will do whatever is
necessary to help your child achieve his/her potential.
Remember:
Together
Everyone
Achieves
More
Looking forward to another great year of living, caring, and
learning with all of you at Bethesda Elementary!
Steve Fisher
Principal
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