Where We Came From

Dutch Valley Elementary School is located on Walden's Ridge at the eastern edge of the Cumberland escarpment in Anderson County, Tennessee.  While listed as a metropolitan area by the state, the school campus is located in a rural farming community six miles north west of Clinton, the county seat. The enrollment at Dutch Valley as of November 2007 is 164 PreK-5^th grade students.  Many of our students can trace their family lineage to the original German settlers of the late 1700's.

According to local oral history, the first school was constructed by the concerned citizens of the community about 1840 on property donated by the Robbins family. This log building is thought to have been built on or near the present school property.   Shortly after the civil war, the log building was destroyed by fire, and for several years the old log Sulphur Springs Methodist Church was used as a school.  In 1889 the county built a two room school adjacent to the present campus, followed by a "modern" brick building with four rooms and partial basement in 1915 on the current property.

In 1956, fire again struck the school, resulting in a new building with five classrooms, cafeteria, library, clinic and office. At that time the name of the school was changed from Sulphur Springs School to Dutch Valley, honoring the original Pennsylvania Dutch (German) settlers of the area.  A 1966 addition added two classrooms and a gym, with a portable building soon to follow.  In 1994 five classrooms and a new library were constructed.  In 1999, four classrooms were added. A new gymnasium with a stage and music room was built in 2005 to replace the original one built in 1966.

Mr. Fletcher Dail was principal at Dutch Valley from 1940 until his retirement in 1975. Mr. George Wilson became principal in 1975 and served until 1980.  In 1980, Mr. Arnold Swain came to Dutch Valley as principal, remaining at Dutch Valley until his retirement in 1994.  Mr. Don Martin served until his retirement in 2004.  In 2004, Mrs. Katrina Argo Oakley became the principal serving two years. Mr. Mike Harmening served 4 years as principal. Mrs. Foust is our current principal. 

The Curriculum We Follow

Dutch Valley Elementary School closely follows the guidelines and standards set forth in the Tennessee State Curriculum Standards .  Since there is no scope and sequence to the teaching of these standards, please consult your child's classroom newsletter to see what is currently being taught in class.

Family and Community Engagement Implementation Plan

DUTCH VALLEY ELEMENTARY

FAMILY AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT IMPLEMENTATION PLAN

2012 - 2013

   Dutch Valley Elementary will take the following actions to involve parents

   in the joint development of its school-wide parental involvement plan:

·        Parents and Community members will be invited to attend an annual meeting which will be held in the first month of school to provide information about school policy and the Title I program.

·        Dutch Valley Elementary will hold flexible meetings for parent’s convenience. Parent/ Teacher conferences will be held twice a year. Parents will be able to sign up for a conference at a time that is convenient for them. Throughout the year, parents may request a conference during teacher planning time, as well as, before or after school. Times for PTO meetings and school improvement planning will be announced prior to meetings.

   Dutch Valley Elementary will take the following actions to involve parents

   in the process of school review and improvement:

·        Parents will be represented on our school improvement team.

·        Parents and teachers will be given the opportunity to work together in the development of a home/school compact before it is distributed school wide to the parents.

·        Parents will have an opportunity to discuss and provide input through our PTO meeting.      

·        Parents will have the opportunity to provide input through surveys conducted by the school and/or county.

·        Dutch Valley Elementary will provide parents information about parent involvement through school newsletters, teacher weekly letters, school website, and marquee.

Dutch Valley Elementary will build the parent’s capacity for strong parental

involvement, in order to ensure effective involvement of parents and to support a partnership among the school, parents, and the community to improve student academic achievement, through the following activities specifically described below:

·        The school will provide assistance to parents of children served by the school in understanding:

The State’s academic content standards

The State’s student academic achievement standards

The State and local academic assessments including alternate assessments, ƒnthe requirements of Part A

How to monitor their child’s progress

How to work with educators

·        The school will provide materials and training to help parents work with their children to improve their children’s academic achievement, such a literacy training, and using technology, as appropriate, to foster parental involvement, by:

Providing workshops and newsletters on parenting and best teaching    techniques for children,

Providing information on homework policies, assignments, and homework assistance,

Offering educational workshops and materials through school/county personnel,

Parents will be given information about the Adult Basic Education in      AndersonCounty.

·        Dutch Valley Elementary will ensure that information related to the school

and parent- programs, meetings, and other activities, is sent to the parents of participating children in an understandable and uniform format, including alternative formats upon request, and, to the extent practicable, in a language the parents can understand.

·        Dutch Valley Elementary will provide necessary literacy training for parents from Title I, Part A funds, if the school district has exhausted all other reasonably available sources of funding for that training.

·        Dutch Valley Elementary will jointly develop with parents a school-parent

compact. School faculty and members of the Parent Advisory Committee will meet annually to review and update the home/school compact.

This plan was adopted by Dutch Valley Elementary and parents on 09/11/2012 and will be in effect for the period of one school year. The school will distribute this plan to all parents of the school on September 14, 2012.

School- Parent Compact

Dutch Valley Elementary

SCHOOL-PARENT COMPACT

Dutch Valley Elementary and the parents of the students participating in activities,

services, and programs funded by Title I, Part A of the Elementary and Secondary

Education Act (ESEA) (participating children), agree that this compact outlines how the

parents, the entire school staff, and the students will share the responsibility for improved

student academic achievement and the means by which the school and parents will build

and develop a partnership that will help children achieve the State’s high standards.

This school-parent compact is in effect during the 2012-2013 school year.

School Responsibilities

Dutch Valley Elementary will:

1. Provide high-quality curriculum and instruction in a supportive and effective

     learning environment that enables the participating children to meet the

     State’s student academic achievement standards as follows:

• All teachers will be highly qualified as defined by the State ofTennessee.
• Teachers will receive ongoing professional development on current best practices in education.
• Dutch Valley Elementary teachers and staff will use appropriate instructional strategies and activities in all academic areas.
• Teachers will follow the curriculum standards set forth by the State ofTennessee.

2. Hold parent-teacher conferences during which this compact will be discussed as it                                             relates to the individual child’s achievement.

Parent conferences will be held twice a year. The conferences will be held once in   the fall semester and once in the spring semester. The parent or teacher may request a conference anytime throughout the year.

3. Provide parents with frequent reports on their children’s progress.

Teachers will provide frequent progress reports on student progress. In addition, parents will receive a midterm student progress report on academic achievement.

4. Provide parents reasonable access to staff.

Parents may schedule conferences before or after school with their child’s teacher. Conferences need to be scheduled in advance through the office or through written communication with the teacher.  

5. Provide parents opportunities to volunteer and participate in their child’s

     class, and to observe classroom activities.

Parents will be offered numerous opportunities to volunteer in the school and in their child’s classroom over the year. Training classes for volunteers will be provided by the school.

Parent Responsibilities

We, as parents, will support our children’s learning in the following ways:

• Monitor attendance and punctuality for school.
• Make sure that homework is completed.
• Monitor and limit the amount of television children watch.
• Volunteer in child’s classroom when possible.
• Participate, as appropriate, in decisions relating to my children’s education.
• Promote positive use of my child’s extracurricular time.

Student Responsibilities

We, as students, will share the responsibility to improve our academic achievement and

achieve the State’s high standards. Specifically, we will:

• Attend school regularly.
• Come to school with necessary tools for class.
• Conform to Code of Student Conduct.
• Will be responsible for my own actions and learning.
• Do my homework every day and ask for help when I need to.
• Read at least 30 minutes every day outside of school time.
• Give to my parents or the adult who is responsible for my welfare all notices

            and information received by me from my school every day.