Welcome to Falcon Heights Elementary School!
This letter is written for individuals wanting information on Falcon Heights Elementary School. I would describe Falcon Heights School as a contemporary neighborhood elementary program. Our school is located within the city of Falcon Heights and the Roseville School District. We have about 460 students in grades K-6 who receive most of their instruction among 18 homerooms. The average student to homeroom teacher ratio is about 25 to 1. Falcon Heights typically has two to four homerooms per grade level.
The teaching staff is a mix of experienced and new teachers. Our building is located in the middle of a residential area, has an active PTA and volunteer program, after school activities program (Community Education) and on-site school daycare (Friendship Connection). Another point we are very proud of is that results from a recent satisfaction survey completed by students grade two and above expressed strong support of our school.
The curriculum used at Falcon Heights includes a firm foundation in the basics. In addition to the subjects that are taught in the homeroom setting, students in full day kindergarten and grades 1-6 have specialist teachers in physical education, art, music, and media. We also have a computer lab as well as computers in each teaching space. Beginning in grade four, students may become involved with musical instruments. We have one scheduled recess period per day that occurs in conjunction with lunch. Goal setting parent/teacher conferences are held in September, a second set of conferences in February, and a concluding sharing session is held in the spring. Falcon Heights School also has an extensive range of services to meet the needs of its students including an optional breakfast program. Building-wide goals for us this school year are:
- Through the development and implementation of systemic strategies, the percent of students making one year’s growth in reading in 20011-12 will increase by at least 2 percentage points (72.1 to 74.1%) from test data gathered in spring of 2011. One year’s growth will be measured by the difference between the fall and spring MAP tests in grades 2 through 6. Grades K and 1 will implement their own assessments to mirror this goal.
- Increase the students' experience/perception of their feeling welcome and belonging, as measured by the district climate survery taken by grades 3 and 5 in the spring of 2012, so the results for boys and children of color are within 10% of the results for white students on questions 7-9 and students report being bullied less than 30%..
All of the above information is important in deciding which school a child should attend, but it does not describe a factor that is critical to the success of a learner. That factor is the climate that exists within the building. As building principal, if I had to describe our environment in one word, I would use caring. Falcon Heights staff consistently demonstrate that children are our main concern. It is a feeling that makes me very proud.
If I can offer any additional information, please don't hesitate to contact me. The school phone number is 651-646-0021.
Educationally yours,
Paul Charest
Elementary Principal
paul.charest@isd623.org