Introduction to PYP

 

Dr. Mary Kline created a PowerPoint presentation to help explain the basics of PYP.

Click here to view the presentation.

 

Click here to learn about how PYP is being implemented at Cooper School.

 

Click here to view Cooper's PYP Brochure.


 

Dear Parents, Guardians, and Community Members:

On behalf of the James Fenimore Cooper School and the Cherry Hill School District, I am happy to provide you with this copy of the New Jersey Report Card.  It provides a method for tracking our school’s progress toward the state’s academic standards.

In Cherry Hill, high academic, social, and moral standards serve as the framework for board, district, and building objectives.  We firmly support the ideal underlying the federal No Child Left Behind legislation that all children can learn when provided with the appropriate supports.  That ideal is also reflected in our district’s four Board of Education goals for 2006-2007:

  1. Continue to improve student achievement at all grade levels and close achievement gaps where they exist.
  2. Begin implementation of an integrated curriculum, instruction, assessment, and professional development framework that will assure continuous student progress within an aligned PreK-12 educational program.
  3. Develop an action plan to improve school facilities with a focus on learning, safety, space, infrastructure, and maintenance.
  4. Review special education programs to ensure that every child’s needs are met in accordance with the Individual Educational Program (IEP) and in compliance with state-mandated program requirements.

 Aligned with these district goals are our building goals for 2006-2007, which are posted in the entranceway of the building:

  1. By June 15, 2007, 80% of at-risk students in grade 1 will improve at least 5 points on the nonsense words subtest of the DIBELS grade 1 winter to spring benchmark assessment.
  2. By June 15, 2007, 85% of all grade 2 students will demonstrate a five-point gain in DIBELS oral reading fluency.

 We know that world-class standards, along with district initiatives to lower class size and improve our facilities, are having an impact on student achievement. Here at James Fenimore Cooper School, we are committed to our mission of teaching all children to love learning, exceed expectations, and contribute to the human community. This year our learning community will benefit from the following initiatives:

  1. Rainbow Reading Day and Internationalism in Action projects will help our students make connections to diverse communities both here and abroad.
  2. Fourth and fifth grade students will serve younger students as reading buddies, recess friends, and safety patrol members.
  3. Teachers and assistants will participate in cooperative planning sessions designed to increase their skill in delivering differentiated, inquiry-based instruction.
  4. More than two dozen community volunteers will mentor promising Cooper students to help them achieve their full social, emotional, and intellectual potential.
  5. We will continue our journey to becoming an IB World School by hosting a Primary Years Programme (PYP) authorization team.

We are excited about the many initiatives that are making this great school district even better. The focus of our efforts continues to be achievement of the vision adopted by the Board of Education, which commits itself to all children by creating an internationally benchmarked school district in which all students can receive a preeminent education.

Sincerely,

Mary C. Kline, Ed.D.