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Southampton Township School #1 is the school district's educational facility for students in grades K - 2. The community's children, our future, embark upon their educational experience here! The teaching staff, support personnel, parents and administration strive to foster a learning environment in which our young students will thrive. The School #1 educational program is diverse. It is designed to develop students who will be productive and successful members of our complex society. This process can only be facilitated through an ongoing cooperative effort between the home and school.
Community of Learners
The teaching staff, administration, and the Board of Education are dedicated to forging a learning partnership with parents. It is our sincere belief that effective communication and cooperation between the school and home is absolutely essential to the outstanding education we expect for our students. An open line of communication with parents is maintained through Kindergarten Orientation, the School #1 Volunteer Program, principal's newsletters, parent / teacher conferences, teachers' voice mail, and classroom visitations during American Education Week.
Reading, Writing, Math and Technology Galore!!
School #1 provides an excellent quality education in reading, writing and mathematics. These subject areas are addressed through a variety of multi-sensory activities and frequent use of cooperative learning which enables our students to learn through a hands-on approach. A strong component of instructional delivery throughout all content areas is the utilization of the SMART Board to provide interactive instruction. The other technology enriched activities include direct instruction on application software, in a lab setting, as well as the classroom mobile lab. The students are instructed how to use technology as a productivity tool in their education.
A strong emphasis is placed on the developing reading skills. The teaching of critical thinking is an integral part of the program. Activities that foster reading skills include a special area literature program that exposes students to a wide-variety of literature and a literature-based reading series. The implementation of Guided Reading is being introduced as an approach to use within the reading instructional program.
Mathematics instruction emphasizes a standards based approach to instruction to assist students in mastering basic operations. The curriculum places an emphasis on computational skills that are addressed in the Common Core Standards. Manipulatives and visual aids are frequently used to present skills. This allows the learners to move from concrete skill development to the higher-level abstract application and problem-solving expertise. The teaching staff also utilizes a technology program entitled “Education City” to provide remediation, as well as enrichment in the areas of mathematics and language arts.
Writing skills are developed through the teaching of writing as a process that is intimately linked to reading. A writing portfolio is started in first grade for every student in the school district. The writing portfolio consists of four writing samples at each grade throughout a student's educational experience in Southampton.
Enriching Experiences Abound
There are a wide variety of in-school programs that enrich the educational experience for our students. In Kindergarten, these include Japan Day, Mexico Day, England Day and the Thanksgiving Gathering. These programs serve to introduce our youngest learners to different cultures and history. First graders participate in chick hatching, which affords each child with the opportunity to demonstrate responsibility while charting the experience in the classroom. The second grades eagerly look forward to their study of dinosaurs. This highly motivating unit of study entitled "Peek into the Past", articulates instruction across the entire curriculum and culminates with the annual evening Dinosaur Show.
A number of field trips are conducted throughout the school year to enable our students to gain an understanding of the community and its history. Kindergarten students learn the role and importance of community helpers by visiting an area tree farm, a pumpkin farm, a local police station and the Vincent Fire Company. Students in grade one take an annual field trip to the Philadelphia Zoo as part of their science education. Second graders travel to the Philadelphia Museum of Natural Science to culminate their unit of study on dinosaurs. In addition, School #1 students participate in walking visits to historic locations in Vincentown to identify the people, institutions and buildings that helped mold our community.
Looking to Our Future!
As a teaching staff, administration, and Board of Education we will always strive to further enhance the School #1 educational program. Therefore, we recognize that there is always room for improving the educational program and learning environment. Together with the input of parents and the community, we will continue our efforts to provide an education to our children that epitomize the concept of excellence.
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