SCHOOL PREVIEW — Johnson Elementary

Published 6:30 am Tuesday, August 28, 2018

School name: Johnson Elementary School

Principal Name: Robbie Lauderdale

Amount of time as principal: Two years

Grades: Pre-K–5

Total number of students: 340

Total number of teachers: 20

Total number of support staff: 15

New programs: “Phonics First for our first-graders. We had the program last year just for kindergarten, but the first-graders are using the program this year because we saw success last year with kindergarten. We have regional support this year from the state, so our reading specialist is going through special training for Alabama Reading Initiative and doing the training with the other teachers so they have that going into the year. We’re also a ‘Leader in Me’ school, so we practice the seven habits here — think win-win, put first things first, begin with the end in mind, all of those.”

What makes Johnson Elementary School special: “I would say that we’re truly a family here. There’s a great family atmosphere here. We take care of each other and we take care of the kids, and I think that’s evident. We did surveys at the end of the year last year in the spring. The faculty took surveys, too, and in each group, 100 percent of the responses said they would describe their colleagues as caring. Caring was the No. 1 answer, and it came from 100 percent of the surveys. On the parent surveys, 99 percent said they feel welcome at school, so I thought that was terrific, too.”

Primary objectives for the 2018–2019 school year: “We certainly want to increase the overall student achievement in reading and mathematics. We have a goal of 15-percent increase in students who are benchmarking this year. That’s a lofty goal, but we know that we can reach it. We also want to improve attendance, because that’s a focus from the state department. We have a 95-percent attendance already but there’s always room for growth.”

What are you looking forward to: “I think mostly just getting to know my students better. Since it’s just my second year here, I know their names and faces, but I want to know their interests. I want to know what they like outside of school. I want to know their parents and the community. And I love seeing them smiles.”