Students And Curriculum

Wickham Elementary is organized into four teams which are multi-aged units consisting of 5-6 year olds, 6-8 year olds, 8-10 year olds, and 10-12 year olds. The learning environment is structured to promote the social, emotional, intellectual, and physical development of each child. A variety of multi-aged grouping patterns will be used to meet individual needs and assure continual progress as students learn. Instructional teams will plan and facilitate the multi-age groupings and learning activities. The team approach will allow students to benefit from contact with all teachers on the team as well as providing the security of having the same home base teacher for the two to three years spent on each team. The team structure will enhance the implementation of an integrated curriculum that provides for mutual learning experiences for all children.

Wickham Elementary will be using the Basic School Framework as we begin to build and connect our "Community of Learners". This concept, developed by Dr. Ernest L. Boyer of the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching emphasizes the importance of giving children the foundation for all future learning during the early years of school. The program combines the basic skills or tools of mathematics, language, and the arts with a core of essential knowledge. Instruction is based on integrated thematic units founded on the eight human commonalities described in The Basic School: The Use of Symbols, Membership in Groups and Institutions, A Sense of Time and Space, Response to the Aesthetic, Connections to Nature, Producing and Consuming, and Living with Purpose. The model integrates research and practices relate to the most effective ways to educate children. The Basic School focuses on four priorities: community, curriculum coherence, climate and character.

Kate Wickham Elementary Mission Statement

The Kate Wickham Community is committed to serving the whole child, and acknowledges that a students' physical, social, and emotional well-being are integral to learning. A safe, nurturing environment is provided in which the individual needs of all unique learners are accepted, fostered and challenged, promoting life-long learning.

We believe in:

 We are Committed to:

The Basic School

Kate Wickham Elementary will be working with Irving B. Weber Elementary, The University of Iowa College of Education, and The Basic Schools Network to implement the principles of the Basic Schools Program.

In the Basic School, the most essential component can be described by the word "connections". For this reason, the Basic School focuses on four priorities: community, curriculum coherence, climate, and character. In his book entitled, "The Basic School-A Community For Learning," Dr. Ernest Boyer states, "An effective school connects the curriculum to achieve coherence, and people to create community. An effective school connects classrooms and resources to enrich the learning climate. And an effective school connects learning to life, to build character."

The School as Community:

The school is a community of learning where staff, students, teachers, administrators, and parents share in the learning process. The classroom is the core of the community centered on the development of children. It is a purposeful, communicative, disciplined, caring, and celebrative place.

Teachers are school leaders who work as a team and serve as mentors to their students. They have authority in making curricular and instructional decisions and work with the principal as the lead teacher.

Parents are the child's first and most essential teachers. The home-school partnership is cultivated with parents participating knowledgeably as partners in school affairs and their children's education.

Curriculum with Coherence:

The curriculum addresses the developmental needs and interests of the students and is aligned with the priorities of the Iowa City Community School District. District curriculum is taught within the framework of the Basic Schools Program. The tools of mathematics, reading, writing, speaking, listening, and the arts are combined with a core of essential knowledge to develop and foster every child's confident use of language and ability to communicate ideas.

The integrated curriculum is organized around eight essential themes or core commonalities which spiral upward through the instructional teams from ages 5 through 12 year-olds. The eight commonalities, based on experiences that are shared by all humans, integrates the traditional subjects, helping students to see connections across the disciplines and relate what they learn to real-life experiences. The core-commonalities are:

A Climate for Learning:

Classrooms are structured for interactive learning. Students are encouraged to be active, motivated, creative learners who develop basic skills while working in varied groupings which are developed with learner objectives in mind. The Basic School serves the whole child, recognizing that a student's physical, social, and emotional well-being relates to learning.

Many resources, including media, technology, neighborhoods, and the broader community are used to enrich teaching, extend the classroom, and allow students to engage in self-directed learning. Health and counseling services that support children and their families are made available by the school as needed through referral services.

A Commitment to Character:

The Basic School is committed to incorporating, cultivating and modeling responsible conduct by emphasizing the importance of personal and civic responsibility.

Measuring for Success:

Student evaluation is a continuous process, woven into the curriculum. Assessment of core knowledge and basic skills are integrated into instruction. Throughout the course of a unit, teachers and students will evaluate learning through observation, portfolios self-assessments, demonstrations, and parent and student observations.