Burlington Elementary
1051 S Pratt Pkwy
Longmont, CO 80501
P:(303) 776-8861, F:(303) 772-8414
Principal:
Janis Hughes
Curriculum
Diversity is a signature of Burlington Elementary. We are proud that our student body reflects the make up of the community in which we live. Academic achievement and growth are high priorities across subject areas and ability levels. Students can expect to increase their academic growth through differentiation and targeted, direct instruction. Burlington offers a literacy curriculum to support, enhance, and challenge all levels of literacy education. The math curriculum is augmented by programs such as MESA. Students are expected to meet the state of Colorado’s standards in physical education, music, art, and technology through regularly scheduled classes held every three days. Other special, academic-related programs and practices are ELL, Science Fair, Gifted and Talented, and Community School after-school programs that include cooking, art, languages, science, and more. You can view the following curriculum plans for the current school year: You can also read about curriculum standards implemented by the St. Vrain Valley School district. Math CurriculumView or print the Math Action Plan for 2009-2010.
Since 2003, Burlington has worked with Sunset Middle School to determine which students have met Fifth-Grade math standards. Fifth-Grade students take a pre- and post-test for each math unit, and students who are at least 80 percent efficient on the pre-test are directly instructed by the Gifted and Talented program teacher. These students are expected to finish one-third of the Sixth-Grade math curriculum during their Fifth-Grade year. Burlington hosts Equation Nights for the district throughout the school year. Students have the option of participating in geometry night, etc. As one of the schools in the Niwot High School feeder system, Burlington Elementary staff members work closely with staff members at Niwot and Indian Peaks elementary schools to ensure that all three school finish at the same point in the curriculum. MESAMESA stands for Math, Engineering, and Science Achievement. This program is made available through the St. Vrain Valley School District. MESA is designed to identify minorities and girls who are interested in math, engineering, and science. Selected students from all grade levels spend one and a half hours a week for six to eight weeks working on projects geared toward accelerated learning in the areas of math, engineering, and science. Burlington Elementary’s MESA program continues to grow. During the 2008-2009 school year, 75 students participated in MESA classes after school in Grades K-1, 2-3, and 4-5. Starting in the 2009-2010 school year, there will be a MESA teacher for each grade level. For more information about MESA, visit the St. Vrain Valley School district’s MESA website. Science FairThe benefits of the Science Fair program are seen with the impact on the growing numbers of students who participate in the Burlington Science Fair in February. Gifted and Talented (GT) ProgramSince 1999, Burlington has identified the top three to five percent of students in each grade level and placed them in high-ability clusters for language arts and math in the First through Fifth grades. Starting in school year 2009-2010, Burlington will be able to use a district-approved reading curriculum designed to promote advanced reading standards for students through the Gifted and Talented (GT) classroom. St. Vrain Valley School district events for the GT program include Night of Stars (October), Invention Convention (November), Geometry Contest (January), Equations Game Day (February), Day of Giving (April), and Shakespeare (May). Find out more information about GT programs at the SVVSD website. and the Colorado Department of Education website. STARRS
Implemented in 2005, STARRS is Burlington’s positive behavior system. STARRS stands for Burlington Students Are Respectful, Responsible, and Safe. Kids Hope USA®Kids Hope USA is a faith-based program sponsored in conjunction with St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church, which is adjacent to Burlington Elementary. Community SchoolTo enhance the learning opportunities available at Burlington, our Community School provides after school enrichment activities. InterventionsTo allow students to reach their academic potential, English and Literacy and Special Education interventions are provided at Burlington Elementary. English and Literacy
Special EducationStudents who are working below grade level in math and writing receive extra, direct instruction through grade-level teams. Burlington uses a Response to Intervention (RTI) process to determine if students can meet grade-level expectations. A few students are determined to need Special Education. Burlington has two Special Education teachers who support students with moderate to high needs for Special Education. Starting in school year 2009-2010, teachers directly instructing small groups of students in literacy will receive training in the Systems 44 foundational reading program in the fall and the Read 180 intensive reading intervention program in January. Students who already have met grade-level standards receive differentiation within the classroom and support through our Gifted and Talented teacher. Additionally, Burlington housed the district’s elementary day treatment program for 17 years from 1992 to 2009. Starting in school year 2009-2010, Burlington will house one of the district’s intensive behavior support programs. The professionals in these programs work with students who are identified as having an emotional disability. Burlington’s extensive experience in this area enables us to successfully integrate students into the classroom setting for the majority of the school day. |
A significant portion of our students come to Burlington with a primary language other than English. These students have 45 minutes of English Language Learner (ELL) instruction, which is designed to increase their proficiency with English. Additionally, a Burlington teacher with a Master’s degree in literacy instruction provides direct instruction to these students to strengthen literacy acquisition. This intervention augments daily reading instruction in the classroom.