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Third In Monthly Series
Pre-School Screening Most
Important To Grover School
By ELIZABETH STEWART
Staff Writer
Pre-schooUng screening at Qrover
School is a new approach to detec
tion of problem areas In the class
room and eliminates drop-outs.
And, this new expanded program
Initiated this schoolyear Is working.
Principal Jim Scruggs said that
testing of children before they enter
first grade Is first step In deter
mining their special needs by put
ting together an Individualized plan
for each boy and girl.
"I am very excited about this
Innovation In the elementary
schools,” said Scruggs, who came to
Orover In l9Se and has seen many
new programs In 21 years of which
he Is Just as proud. Including the
beautiful open classroom addition
which now houses three first grades
and two kindergartens. In Its third
yesir of operation at Grover.
Longtime sixth grade teachers,
Dorothy McCraw and Lowell Ellis,
recalled their first teaching experi
ence at Orover In 1942, the nostalgic
closing of the high school when
Grover was consolidated with KM
District Schools some years ago, and
new programs which they applaud.
How is Grover School meeting the
needs of Its 426 students?
Said Miss McCraw, "Orover
School offers so many things now
that wasn’t offered when I first
started teaching here 36 years ago.
Of course, the physical appearance
la changed, our special services
program Is quite unique and our
Individualized educational plan Is
really paying off In the classroom."
Carolyn Roark, chairman of the
Exceptional child's committee at
Grover, focuses as consultant with
the cUtssroom teacher.
"’Ihls program really helps us to
Identify a child’s needs and even
tually may lead to writing Individua
lized plans for all students," a^d
Mrs. Roark, who declared that the
Learning Dlsablllfty program Is
realatlvely new to Grover. Making
parents aware of their child’s
progress or lack of progress, allevi
ates, she said, a lot of stigma at
tached to the child In special classes.
Another esenUsd part of this pro
gram Is the school-based committee,
which Includes Principal Scruggs,
Mrs. Roark, Steve Wells, Suzanne
Keeter and Becky Alexander.
Following observation In the
classroom by Mr. Scruggs, Mrs.
Roark or Mr. Wells, a ccmfCrence Is
held by the full committee to deter
mine the most effective direction to
go in order to meet the child’s In-
dlvldusil needs. Some alternatives
are to leave the child In regular
programs with consulting services,
transfer to a different environment
or an educational assessment which
also Includes conferences with the
parents concerning the child’s
problem and means that Individual
achievement. Intelligence and
aptitude tests are given plus the
child la rated on a social adaptatlve
behaviour scale, an informal
achlavamait tsat a visual motor
.%-ij
assessment and a medical screening
by the school nurse, plus testing by a
school psychologist before
placement Is made.
There Is a continuous progress
report between the teacher and
parent, said Mrs. Roark, who said
that 16 students sure now par
ticipating In the EMR and LD
programs while 36 are In speech
classes. Mrs. Roark Is LD teacher
and Steve Wells Is EMR teacher.
A second new program which Is
designed to see a decline In school
dropouts Is also underway at Grover
School. No report cards are Issued*
for the first nine weeks of school.
Instead, parents come to school for
Individual conferences, this
program serving as a guide to
whether a child Is "Invited to stay
back" In a grade for another year.
"There Is too much social promo
tion,’’ says Principal Scruggs.
Oonferences with parents keeps
the parent informed and "It’s no
surprise" to them what their
children are doing In school, the
conference Idea coming from
teacher workshops "Scope and
Sequence” with tests developed for
all children In K-6.
"’nie parent-teacher conference is
working very well at Grover,” ssild
Scruggs. On any given day of the
week, a visitor to the campus can
see parents end teacliers conferring
about Jane or John’s progress In
school.
Another "first" for Grover this
year is the "Jim Hunt Reading
Program," a pilot program, in the
first and second grade. A "listening
center", plus activity games, offer
Incentives to better reading in the
classrooms. June Sorrells, reading
teacher, gave primary reading tests
at the beginning of the year and
anticipates that someday tne
program, which features reading,
listening, skills, and writing centers,
will be expanded to Include all
primary grades. The funds provide
aides plus $166.00 In reading
materials for Grover school this
school term.
‘"nie First Thanksgiving" scenes,
pictures of turkey gobblers, and
Indian tepee scenes featured
programs in the spacious classroom
complex which houses three first
grades and two kindergartens, a
busy place on any day of the week.
Writing, reading, playing, cooking,
and learning, the boys and girls
study In a relaxed setting.
Piinciped Scruggs says the secret
of effectiveness In the open class
room teaching situation at Grover is
that "the teachers su’e congenial,
willing to give suid take, and we’re
all Just one big, happy family."
Principal Scruggs says he beliavea
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\
JIM HUNT READING PROGRAM - Pictured In a
"Listening Oenter” during a reading class are left to
right, Jwfie Sorrells, teacher, Jennifer Boheler, Chris
Scruggs, Mrs. Norma Clssells, teacher, Tracy
Moirlaon, Tiffany Rhaa and Krista Byars.
that open classroom teaching should
start In the lower grades. "It Is more
difficult to adjust after a child
reaches the Junior high level,” he
said, replying to a question. "Where
It eUl begins Is In the elementary
grades,” declared the veteran
schoolman who made the ob
servation that the school building
program there should also start In
the elementary levels.
Grover School’s auditorium is
probably the oldest school facility In
Cleveland County, the two-story
building erected In early 1900 and
the site of the former Grover High
School. After school consolidation,
the Grover plant began housing
grades K-8 and for the past five
years has housed K-6, the kindergar
ten program now in its fifth year.
Most teachers we talked with said
that biggest problem in the fourth
and fifth grades Is motivation.
"Some boys,” said Principal
Scruggs,” "get turned off by their
peers. At Grover I set the climate
but I allow my teachers to e:q>eri-
ment with new techniques.”
"Kids today are more exposed
and surprisingly we can spot these
on pre-sechool screening tests. We
can also spot those children who are
three years behind in social
development, as well as potential
drop-outs,” said Scruggs.
Grover’s Head Start Program, In
Its first full year of operation for
four-year-olds, also offers a full day
of learning In social and emoUonsil
development five days a week.
Approximately 18 students are now
enrolled In this program at the
Grover plant.
Principal Scruggs would like to
see a course In art added to the
Grover curriculum. "I’ve been
(Please Turn To Page SB)
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5,
Cl
f—'
‘K-
T/-
Living
Today
SECTION
B
Thursday,
December 8,1977
/
'4!
SOCIAL STUDIES CLASS — Mrs. Elizabeth Allen,
fourth grade teacher. Instructs pupils In a social studies
class featuring North Carolina history. The students
point to geographical regions on a map. From left, Mrs.
Allen, Doima Mayes, Carol Goforth, Sallle Costner,
Beth Stevenson, David Haynes, Jeff Allen and Jeff
Moore. Mrs. Allen Is a veteran Grover teacher. Joining
the staff In 19B.
U An
/i
?»jt-
THANKSGIVING SCENE - The kindergarten
students at Orover are all decked out In their Indian
headdresses around a tent In "The Pit" In the spacious
open classroom faculty they share with Grover first
graders. The group gave a class dramatization of the
first pilgrims, assisted by their Instructors, Mrs.
Rebecca Alexander and Mrs. Barbara Lall and teacher
aides Mrs. Linda Bolyon and Mrs. MUdred Pennington.
•J
J
-'vfef-
SCHOOL BASED COMMITTEE - Members of the
School-Base Committee are pictured around the table
discussing pupil reports. Principal Jim Scruggs, at
head of table, and from left, Steve Wells, Suzanne
Keeter, Caroism Roark and Becky Alexander. Pre
school screening, the Jim Hunt reading program and
programs for children with special needs ere a major
emphasis of the school which houses 428 children from
K-6 with 22 teachers.
PARENT-TEACHER CONFERENCE - Mrs.
Cbrrine Tindall, left, confers with Mrs. Ann Byers, third
grade reading teacher, during a parent-teacher con
ference, also a new program at Orover for K-6 students.
No report cards are Issued for the first nine weeks of
school as parents visit the campus for individual con
ferences on their child’s progress.