Construction of 18 fifth-grade classrooms is right on time at three Columbus elementary schools.
As the Columbus Municipal School District prepares to christen its new $19 million middle school in January, the district”s five magnet elementary schools are preparing to add the fifth grade to their ranks. Accommodating the 343 rising fifth-graders, who would have moved on to Hunt Intermediate School, required construction at three elementary schools, all of which should be completed by June.
Cook Elementary Fine Arts Magnet School is adding six new rooms, Sale Elementary International Studies Magnet School is adding four new rooms, and Stokes-Beard Elementary Technology and Communication Magnet School is adding eight rooms.
Fairview Elementary Aerospace and Science Magnet School and Franklin Elementary Medical Sciences and Wellness Magnet School will utilize existing space to house fifth-graders.
Less school transitions
The construction of the new middle school and the distribution of the fifth grade will eliminate one school transition in the academic journey of Columbus students. Previously, students attended kindergarten through fourth grade at an elementary school before moving on to Hunt for grades five and six, then Lee Middle School for seventh and eighth grades and, finally, Columbus High School for grades nine-12.
Once the new middle school being constructed at highways 45 and 373 is open for business, grades six, seven and eight will be housed there with grades K-five at the elementary schools. Stokes-Beard also houses the district”s pre-kindergarten program.
The elimination of one transition will have a positive impact on student comfort and test scores, said Sale Principal Nancy Bragg.
“By the time they got settled they have to transition out. If they go K-five, middle school then high school, it”s got to benefit them,” she said.
CMSD test scores historically have suffered during years when students have had to transition from one school to another. The trend holds true with other school districts, as well.
Smaller classes
Distributing the fifth grade across five schools, said Bragg, will also result in smaller class sizes, which should aid instruction.
What the elementary schools don”t know is who”ll be doing the instructing.
“Everything is still in the process,” said district Public Affairs Director Janet Lewis, of when and how fifth-grade teachers will be assigned to their new schools.
The district plans to wait until after the April 30 student lottery, during which students will be assigned to the school of their choice, before assigning fifth grade teachers. Even principals aren”t sure how that process will play out.
Planning stages
“We”re not quite certain about the entire process. We”re just in the planning stages of doing that,” said Stokes-Beard Principal Pamela Lenoir.
CMSD Superintendent Del Phillips was out of town Monday and could not be reached for comment.
Right now, principals are taking care of what is in their power.
“My main concern is to make sure I have the physical space. Pretty much, the rooms are ready for the teachers to simply move in. We”re ready to go,” said Fairview Principal Billie Smith.
Administrators are also familiarizing themselves with the state fifth grade curriculum frameworks.
“As I start to plan for next year, I need to have all the available materials and resources for fifth graders,” said Lenoir.
“We”ve already pulled the frameworks. We”re actually working on the science curriculum because science will be tested in the fifth grade (on the Mississippi Curriculum Test),” said Bragg.
Jason Browne was previously a reporter for The Dispatch.
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