Shaffer Primary
37 Garden Terrace |
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68 Days until the PSSA Math and Reading Assessment
Children are the Center of our World
Welcome to Shaffer Primary!
My name is Mary Frances Duncan, principal of Shaffer Primary School, and I would like to welcome you to our webpage.
Located in a wooded area just off Greensburg Pike in Churchill, Pennsylvania, Shaffer Primary houses 275 students in grades kindergarten through third. Shaffer is the smallest of the primary buildings in the Woodland Hills School District. Each of the four grade levels has historically maintained class sizes of around 20 students.
Shaffer Primary has the advantage of being a Reading First building. Reading First is a federally funded program to improve reading achievement in kindergarten through third grade. During the first month of school, each of the 275 students is screened using the nationally-normed DIBELS Assessment. Those students who are reading at grade level are considered "Benchmark" readers and receive at least 90 uninterrupted minutes of reading instruction a day. Those students who fall just short of the grade level goals are classified as "Strategic" students. They receive 90 uninterrupted minutes of classroom reading instruction and an additional 30-40 minutes of differentiated instruction with a reading specialist and/or their classroom teacher. Students who score significantly below grade level are "Intensive" students. Our intensive students are provided with at least 90 uninterrupted minutes of classroom reading instruction and an additional 40 minutes of small group intervention with a reading specialist.
Shaffer primary boasts a quite rigorous math curriculum driven by Everyday Mathematics. This year, students will receive 90 minutes of instruction in mathematics with their classroom teachers. Students are challenged daily to not only master basic operations, but to apply them to real life scenarios. Manipulatives, computers, and calculators are utilized to foster a deeper understanding of number and set theory.
The science curriculum at Shaffer is based on the hands-on approach. Students conduct many experiments and activities and gain knowledge of science principles through use of scientific modules and apparatus.
We also have a very positive Parent Teacher Organization. We work together as a team to plan, implement, and design activities to coordinate effectively with our curriculum in reading, math, and science.
We are very, very proud of our students, staff, administration, and parent volunteers.
Principal Mary Frances Duncan