Culture and Community Context
Polaris Expeditionary Learning School is located in the Poudre School District of Fort Collins, Colorado. One of the "choice" (no boundaries dictating student enrollment) schools in the district, they strive to provide their students with the opportunity to learn about inquiry, identity, and interaction inside and outside of the classroom. Part of this is providing the opportunity to go on in-depth field trips where they can interact with the community and learn about real-life problems.
Some of them have included: trips to Wyoming to learn about the reintroduction of wolves and traveling south to understand the preservation of coral reefs. As we were told, it gives the students the chance to see the world in a little less "black and white" and a little less "red and blue". While they offer these education trips, it is designed to pique interest, curiosity, and help grow a love for learning. Alone with these and the "hands-on, minds-on" style from field trips, expeditionary learning allows students to study a topic with more depth by linking different projects across lessons and units.
Even though many of my arrivals to the school were in the early morning, the students that were there were very friendly both with each other and their peers. On occasion I would get to see them holding the doors open for one another or share a laugh with a teacher in passing. While they seem more relaxed, the teachers still have their classroom expectations and ensure students remain respectful but don't hold them back. Alongside their education, they teach them personal values and how to respect others; it is a relationship between teachers and students not often found in other schools.
Some of them have included: trips to Wyoming to learn about the reintroduction of wolves and traveling south to understand the preservation of coral reefs. As we were told, it gives the students the chance to see the world in a little less "black and white" and a little less "red and blue". While they offer these education trips, it is designed to pique interest, curiosity, and help grow a love for learning. Alone with these and the "hands-on, minds-on" style from field trips, expeditionary learning allows students to study a topic with more depth by linking different projects across lessons and units.
Even though many of my arrivals to the school were in the early morning, the students that were there were very friendly both with each other and their peers. On occasion I would get to see them holding the doors open for one another or share a laugh with a teacher in passing. While they seem more relaxed, the teachers still have their classroom expectations and ensure students remain respectful but don't hold them back. Alongside their education, they teach them personal values and how to respect others; it is a relationship between teachers and students not often found in other schools.
Support Structure
Part of Polaris' support structure includes the wide array of teachers, parents, and volunteers that help both students and the school. The school's staff consists of twenty-seven teachers (Across elementary and secondary), along with two counselors, and two paraprofessionals.
Since the school offers the style of field trips they do, the parents assist in many of the fundraisers hosted in order to give the students these opportunities. Alongside those, CSU supports them through the provision of pre-service teachers in the art education program. Usually, a partnership of two students will visit classrooms and provide a mixture of lessons that involve the creation of artwork. Not only that, but it gives the CSU students the opportunity for hands-on learning with the lesson planning and teaching. This semester, we focused on how you can tell a story with art but others focused on topics like: space, stars, moons, and planets.
Since the school offers the style of field trips they do, the parents assist in many of the fundraisers hosted in order to give the students these opportunities. Alongside those, CSU supports them through the provision of pre-service teachers in the art education program. Usually, a partnership of two students will visit classrooms and provide a mixture of lessons that involve the creation of artwork. Not only that, but it gives the CSU students the opportunity for hands-on learning with the lesson planning and teaching. This semester, we focused on how you can tell a story with art but others focused on topics like: space, stars, moons, and planets.
Demographic Characteristics
Like many schools in the Fort Collins area, Polaris' demographic is similar to the others in the city. Their dominant ethnicity is white and their most common income status is usually from the middle-class. Below are the percentages of student ethnicity that were enrolled along with some sample test scores provided be www.schooldigger.com.
White 87%
Hispanic 6.2%
Two or More Races 3.9%
Asian 2.3%
CMAS Test Scores (2017-18)
3rd Grade, English (22% met standard), Math (44% met standard)
4th Grade, English (55.6% met standard)
5th Grade, Science (66.7%), English (72.2%), Math (44.4%)
School Ranking (2017-18)
Average Standard Score: 82.1
State wide rank: 55
Colorado state percentile: 36.6% (Average from all grades combined CMAS scores in Colorado)
White 87%
Hispanic 6.2%
Two or More Races 3.9%
Asian 2.3%
- 36% of students are eligible for free and reduced lunch
- The student to teacher ratio is 15.4
CMAS Test Scores (2017-18)
3rd Grade, English (22% met standard), Math (44% met standard)
4th Grade, English (55.6% met standard)
5th Grade, Science (66.7%), English (72.2%), Math (44.4%)
School Ranking (2017-18)
Average Standard Score: 82.1
State wide rank: 55
Colorado state percentile: 36.6% (Average from all grades combined CMAS scores in Colorado)
Classroom Environment and Students
While at Polaris this past semester, Sarah and I were in a classroom comprised solely of kindergarteners. The class had seventeen students, eleven girls and six boys, altogether. The classroom itself was well organized with station-like areas: building materials, book racks, and exploration stations. In the mornings, the students were in charge of flipping their attendance cards to show that they were present before gathering on the rug in front of the room. Generally, they would have a morning meeting but that was moved to later when we’d teach art on Fridays. They each had personal cubbies for their belongings, but much of their class time was spent with their color groupings at a table. With a smaller class size, it allowed them to have plenty of room without worrying about a lack of working spaces. After getting to know all of the students, it is clear that while they share similarities, there are little things that give them their own personalities and interests.
School-wide Policies for Management, Safe Schools, Conflict Resolution and Students with Special Needs
Management: The teacher that acted as our observer in the kindergarten classroom used the phrase “attending skills” as the redirect for her students. In some instances, a bell would be used if it was necessary, but this phrase was aligned with the ways we respect someone when they’re speaking. For example, it included: eyes on the speaker, no talking, listening to them, and keeping still. As it was used, the students became accustomed to the what it meant.
The school, itself, has a five-step redirect system that they utilize. Below is what it looks like:
The Safe School Program is in place through the Poudre School District. The program is focused on crisis prevention and management; it is the responsibility of the Principal at each school to uphold the four plans that are associated with this program:
1. A designated and trained crisis response team, come up with a plan on how to react.
2. Lockdown, fire evacuation and severe weather procedures, come up with a plan that becomes their routine action.
3. Access and building check-in procedures, have a system in place to know who is in the building at all times.
4. Staff training and plan for yearly drills and procedures, make sure that these drills are the routines so that everyone knows what to do, by practicing these drills it helps students prepare and know what to do for an emergency.
Students with Special Needs: The school currently has two paraprofessionals onsite, Michael Espinoza and Maureen Gates, that are able to assist the students with special needs. While they do not have a traditional Special education program, they exercise a nondiscrimination policy.
Polaris uses the SWAP program (School to Work Alliance) through the Poudre School District. SWAP is a free transitional program that aims to help students with special needs find and keep a job.
The school, itself, has a five-step redirect system that they utilize. Below is what it looks like:
- 1st redirect: politely remind the student to get back on track.
- 2nd redirect: politely ask them to change their behavior and tell them what type of behavior is expected. Also, remind them that the next time they will have a discussion in the hall.
- 3rd redirect: talk with the student in the hall about their behavior. If there is another redirect the student may be removed from the room.
- 4th redirect: create a problem solving contract, where the student and teacher talk about what they can do to adjust these behaviors.
- 5th redirect: administrative support in office.
The Safe School Program is in place through the Poudre School District. The program is focused on crisis prevention and management; it is the responsibility of the Principal at each school to uphold the four plans that are associated with this program:
1. A designated and trained crisis response team, come up with a plan on how to react.
2. Lockdown, fire evacuation and severe weather procedures, come up with a plan that becomes their routine action.
3. Access and building check-in procedures, have a system in place to know who is in the building at all times.
4. Staff training and plan for yearly drills and procedures, make sure that these drills are the routines so that everyone knows what to do, by practicing these drills it helps students prepare and know what to do for an emergency.
Students with Special Needs: The school currently has two paraprofessionals onsite, Michael Espinoza and Maureen Gates, that are able to assist the students with special needs. While they do not have a traditional Special education program, they exercise a nondiscrimination policy.
Polaris uses the SWAP program (School to Work Alliance) through the Poudre School District. SWAP is a free transitional program that aims to help students with special needs find and keep a job.