Executive Summary Template School Accreditation

The Executive Summary (ES) provides the school an opportunity to describe in narrative form its vision as
well as strengths and challenges within the context of continuous improvement. Use this template to
complete the responses to the various questions below. The responses should be brief, descriptive, and
appropriate for the specific section. Transfer completed narratives into the corresponding sections of the

Description of the School

Describe the school's size, community/communities, location, and changes it has experienced in the
last three years. Include demographic information about the students, staff, and community at large.
What unique features and challenges are associated with the community/communities the school
serves?

Executive Summary found online in ASSIST.

Sea Castle Elementary is located in the city of Miramar. Currently the school has 872 students and has 88%
of its population on free and reduced lunch. Therefore Sea Castle is a Title 1 school. The student population
is 70% African American; 23% Hispanic; 2% White; 3% Asian; and 2% Multi-racial.
Our faculty is highly qualified, we have 50% of our teachers with a minimum of 10 years of teaching
experience or more. 40% of the teachers have a Masters or a specialist degree. 10% of the teachers are
National Board Certified. 30% of the teachers are certified to teach Exceptional Student Education. We
have 15%-20% of teachers who are Grant recipients. We have a diverse group of highly qualified staff that
meets the needs of all our student population. Our curriculum support personnel are part of our Sea Castle
family. We have two literacy coaches and one math coach. The instructional coaches impact student
achievement by meeting with the teams for planning, modeling in the classroom, are a vital part of the
RtI/CPST process for struggling students and are a part of the data chat and leadership team.
The philosophy at Sea Castle is to educate the total child, socially, emotionally, academically and
aesthetically. Teachers are trained to provide differentiated instruction to meet the needs of all students.
They collaborate to plan instructional cycles that are aligned to the Florida Standards and progress monitor
students with formative and summative assessments. Data is recorded and monitored on a common progress
monitoring tool for each teacher by administration.
Sea Castle has adopted a unique collaborative planning model this year. Each grade level is provided 90
minutes of planning with the three instructional coaches and administration. The fourth and fifth grade
teachers meet every week and the Kindergarten – third grade teachers meet once every two weeks. During
these sessions instructional cycles are planned, resources are collected, common formative and summative
assessments are created, data is analyzed and best practices are shared.

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Sea Castle Elementary is a Digital 4 and Digital 5 school. Every student in fourth and fifth grade is provided
with a school laptop for instruction and completion of assignments. The teachers conduct most of the
instruction digitally, they also use traditional methods for practice and reinforcement of skills. Each
Kindergarten to third grade classroom have 6-8 computers for the students to use for practice and
reinforcement of skills. Sea Castle is also equiped with two computer labs. The labs are for our primary
grades, essentially to use the iReady software program with fidelity.
Sea Castle Elementary is using its SMART funding monies to enhance the learning environment for the
students. Part of the money was used to replace the air conditioning unit for the school and ensuring a single
point entry to the school. The other part of the money was voted by the community to purchase a 5’ x 8’
digital marquee, 150 ft covered walkway in the car loop and a fabric shade 20x20x8 above the 2-5
playground. This project is currently underway.
Sea Castle hosts seven parent nights yearly, Hispanic Heritage, Curriculum, Winter musical, Poetry Slam,
Black History, Science Night, End of the Year Musical. These events are designed to promote parent and
community involvement, and enrich the students’ education.
Increase in parent involvement, increase in percentage of students meeting proficiency in ELA and math on
the FSA are a few challenges of Sea Castle Elementary. To achieve these goals we are increasing
collaborative planning among teachers, providing opportunity for professional development, implementing
accountable talk in the classroom and having students be accountable and be involved in the progress of their
learning. We also plan to conduct indepth data chats a minimum of three times a year. With these strategies
in place, along with your Collaborative Problem Solving Team (CPST), teachers will become more
proficient in tier 1 practices and the students will rise to meet the rising rigor of instruction and Sea Castle
will meet its student achievement goal.

School’s Purpose
Provide the school's purpose statement and ancillary content such as mission, vision, values, and/or
beliefs. Describe how the school embodies its purpose through its program offerings and
expectations for students.

MISSION STATEMENT The mission of Sea Castle Elementary is to provide excellence in teaching and
promote the lifelong love of learning. Through the enthusiastic dedication of the total community we will
foster a caring environment where students will develop their full physical, mental, emotional and aesthetic
potential.
VISION: At Sea Castle Elementary, we are determined to provide a rigorous curriculum that promotes
critical thinking and technology-based lessons via worldwide resources for ALL types of learners. Our staff,
parents, and community partners will motivate students to become problem-solvers, leaders, and well-
rounded citizens. We will provide instruction that prepares students for today and tomorrow. We will teach.
We will inspire. We will succeed.

GUIDED READING/LEVELED TEXT:

Sea Castle Elementary has implemented Jan Richardson’s Guided Reading Instruction. This model
incorporates, phonics, fluency, comprehension, word study and guided writing in a small group setting using
text leveled according to the Fountas and Pinnell leveling system. Teachers have been trained in the model
and are implementing it in the classroom. Sea Castle has created a leveled guided bookroom of fiction and
non-fiction texts containing over 1500 titles.

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INTERVENTION PROGRAMS:
Fundations: Kindergarten and first grade students participate in a phonics-based program called Fundations.
At the beginning of the year the students are screened and homogeneously grouped according to ability.
Each grade level chooses a 40-minute time period during their ELA block and students move to their
respective groups to complete their fundations lessons for the day. This is called the “walk to read” model.
Leveled Literacy Intervention: This intervention is for struggling readers in first, second and third grade.
The program contains leveled texts based on the Fountas and Pinnell leveling system and running records are
used to progress monitor the students weekly. Ten teachers are trained in this intervention system and are
and implementing it in the classroom at Sea Castle Elementary.
Phonics for Reading: Students in grades 2-5 who are struggling with fluency and phonics use the Phonics for
Reading program that consists of a screening tool, individual lessons and progress monitoring system. The
students in grades 3-5 will be using the Rewards program next year, which is also a phonics-based program
at the advanced level. This ensures that there is a continuum of phonics intervention through out the school.

WRITING:
Sea Castle has dedicated the 2015-16 school year to training teachers in 4th and 5th grade in the components
of opinion and informative writing aligned to Florida Standards. A guided writing continuum has been
developed for students in grades Kindergarten through third grade. Components such as word study, sight
words, spelling patterns, grammar and text evidence are reinforced in this continuum.

MATH:
Our school is piloting an updated Go Math textbook and the online Personal Math Trainer that are directly
aligned to the Florida Standards and the FSA test specs. The online Personal Math Trainer has the ability to
generate lessons depending on how students perform with either a remediation or enrichment path. It also
allows teachers to track students based on each standard.

Reflex:
Reflex is an adaptive online system that helps students become fluent with their basic math facts. The
program is being implemented in every classroom from grades 1-5. Once a month the top two classes per
grade level receive a certificate and an incentive for their hard work.

SCIENCE:
Science is an emphasis at Sea Castle Elementary. In fifth grade the students take a state test called the
Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test for science. Teachers K-5 teach the science standards through
hands on activities, projects and non-fiction text.
Exceptional Student Education:
There are different delivery models that are utilized at Sea Castle to ensure that the ESE students receive
services in the least restrictive environment that will provide them with the maximum support to ensure their
success.
1. Consultation Services: Students who are generally on grade level or are labeled gifted and above
grade level and need minimal support to ensure that they continue to perform at their potential level.
2. Collaboration Services: Students who are just below grade level and require some support to bridge
the gap.
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 3. Pullout Services: Students who are 2-3 years below grade level generally receive these services.
Students are provided with interventions, strategies, and instructions utilizing a research-based
program.
4. Cluster: Students who require intensive approach in all domains (academics, social/emotional,
independent functioning, and communication.) Students are provided with support from teachers who
are Autism Endorsed. We have 33 students in the cluster. Our cluster uses a variety of instructional
programs including Reading Mastery, Smile, Writing without Tears, and Touch Math. Parent
meetings and trainings are hosted on a regular basis to keep the parents of the autistic educated and
informed. The Autism Cluster runs the following programs for the students:
 Special Olympics project under 8 called
 Dan Marino Fundraiser walk.
 Autism Can Campaign showcasing the talents of our students.
 In-house mainstreaming is practiced to expose students to the on level curriculum.

SUPPLEMENTAL PROGRAMS iReady—READING AND MATH

 Software Program—lessons adjust to the instructional level of the student

 Ready books (Consumables)
 TeacherTool box (On-line component for teachers resources)
Each of the components is aligned to the Florida Standards and the test specs. They provide progress
monitoring, differentiated instruction for students below level, on level and above level. They have
excellent resources for teachers that give background information, instructional strategies and
suggestions to increase or decrease rigor.

Notable Achievements and Areas of Improvement

Describe the school's notable achievements and areas of improvement in the last three years.
Additionally, describe areas for improvement that the school is striving to achieve in the next three
years.

NOTABLE ACHIEVEMENTS
 $80,000 Guided Bookroom in the school year 2015-16
 Digital 4 and Digital 5 grant awarded to Sea Castle
 Teachers are TDIF grant recipients
 Ms. Papke Broward Education Foundation Recipient
 Commendation from Governor Rick Scott for Sea Castle Elementary’s performance on improving
scores in the 2012-13 school year
 Raised $500 for the Heart Association
 Active PTA with 121 members in 2015-16 school year
 Increased the number of parent volunteers each year.

AREAS OF IMPROVEMENT
 Teachers gain proficiency in performance tasks and DOK level 3 and 4 tasks
 Teachers continue to plan collaboratively.
 Students are aware of their learning and set goals and benchmarks.

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  Tier 1 instruction is at its optimum with instructional cycles containing standard based
instruction, formative and summative assessments.
 Increased number of data chats.
 The general education population is educated and aware of the challenges that Autistic
students face and include them in school activities.
 Behavior referrals are reduced at Sea Castle Elementary.

Additional Information
Provide any additional information you would like to share with the public and community that were
not prompted in the previous sections.

SUNSHINE AFTERCARE:
Sunshine After School Child Care has been the proud After School Care provider for Sea Castle Elementary
since 2003.
Sunshine’s Community Partnership & Commitment to Sea Castle Elementary and the community that we
serve, provides numerous Scholarships to families in need, food and toys for the holidays and more. We
offer support for Parent’s and families that need to meet their child’s emotional, academic, physical and
social development.
As an active Partner in Education, Sunshine provides Sea Castle with discretionary financial support to
enable them to recognize their staff for special occasions, provide incentives for students and to assist in the
funding of other student needs and academic programs through the school year. Sunshine also provides a
staff member for the cafeteria during lunch hours throughout the year.
Sunshine’s staff is actively involved on the SAC team, serves as guest speakers for school VIP Reading
Days, Career Days, and attends special school events to volunteer their help for various families & school
functions.
PTA:

 The Sea castle Elementary PTA was reactivated for 2014-2015 school year.
 There has been an increase number of PTA members
- 2013-2014 - 0
- 2014-2015 - 76
- 2015-2016 - 121
 The PTA constantly strives to increase parent, family and community involvement in student
learning. We seek ways to bridge the learning between home and school.
 PTA is part of the monthly SAC meetings to represent the community and parent population. They
are an integral part of the school improvement plan.
 The SAC chair attends the PTA meeting and provides ways for parents to help their children.
 The Sea Castle Elementary PTA have joined with business partners in the neighborhood to support
the school through donations as well as fundraising.
 Increased number of volunteers working with the PTA during fundraisers. We realize that every
penny raised is funneled through the PTA and back into school to support our students.
 Sea Castle Elementary Spirit T-shirt - The PTA felt it was important for students to be easily
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 recognized when away from the school especially on school sanctioned activities such as field
trips. The t-shirts can serve other purposes as well, for example teachers and chaperones would wear
the shirts for representation of Sea Castle Elementary.
 The PTA has supported the following in-house events:
- Sea Castle Heart Run/Jump/Walk-A-Thon for two years. Donate snacks to participants of
school events like Poetry Night, Hispanic Heritage Night, Black History Night, Science
Night, etc.
- Relay for Life - assist with collection of funds and disseminating student information for
participation
- PTA Membership drive to increase parent involvement
- Distribute reading pamphlets and samples for parents and students enhancement.

CURRICULUM ENRICHMENT:
Science

 The school is participating in "The Flying Classroom" program. The Flying Classroom is a journey
with Captain Barrington Irving (Guinness World Record Recipient) around the world where students
participate in different STEM practical and applicable lessons.
 Science Night: students and their families come together once a year to learn and work together on
different science activities.
 The Hour of Code: students in grades 3-5 participate in the Hour of Code every December. Students
learn how to create a program and how to run a program using either their laptops or an unplugged
activity.
 Edison and Dash and Dot Robots: Students in grade 5 use the robots to reinforce what is taught
during The Hour of Code. Using a tablet or smartphone, students write a program to make their
robots perform different actions.
 Recycling Project: Students in grades K-5 create an item made out of recycling materials. All projects
are showcased during Science Night. First, second and third places are selected from each grade
level.

MEDIA:
In the media center, we hold 2 book fairs a year, one in the fall and one in the spring. We also have a family
night, in which the students can attend from 5:00 until 7:00 with their families. Each book fair raises around
$7500 to $8000 per book fair.

SEA CASTLE ELEMENTARY CLUBS

SEA CASTLE CHOIR:
Sea Castle Choir provides the opportunity for interested students to develop and refine the art of choral
singing and to improve understanding of the elements and styles of music.
In addition to the musical benefits of choral performance, choir can provide a building block for life-long
learning by developing social skills, encouraging community involvement and enhancing social and
academic skills in general. Our student singers learn to work together and respond appropriately as
individuals within the group.

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Sea Castle Choir participants perform multiple times throughout the year at Sea Castle Elementary, other
schools, and within the community. This helps with our staff connecting with our parents as well as the
Miramar Community as a whole.

D.A.R.E

Officer Jones sponsors this program for the fifth grade students. This program concentrates on educating
students in rules and laws regarding bullying, and substance abuse. Students learn positive behaviors and
consequences to breaking the law.

WSEA:
Mr. Weinstein, the media specialist for Sea Castle Elementary Fifth grade students, sponsors this club. The
students operate a camera and broadcast the morning announcements to the school. This promotes
responsibility, team work and communication skills. Participants are expected to maintain a “C” average
grade and good behavior.

Sea Castle Patrols:

Mr. Nelson the PE coach sponsors this club for the fifth grade students at Sea Castle Elementary. The
students monitor hallway behavior from 7:30-8:00 A.M. This promotes responsibility and encourages
citizenship and teamwork. Participants are expected to maintain a “C” average grade and good behavior.

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