Mountain View Elementary School

2004

 

 

Mt. View School is home to 300 students in grades 3 through 5. Students from Willie Ross School for the Deaf and the Lower Pioneer Valley Collaborative share our building, bringing diversity and an enriched school experience for all. We promote high academic achievement, strong emotional stability and social growth for all students.

We believe that each child is unique. Building on the foundations established at Meadow Brook School, we strive to create a nurturing school environment that meets the learning needs of all children. We work to provide experiences of active learning and reflective assessment.

We are very proud of our “Five-A-Day” program which teaches children to make healthier choices for better nutrition. We count and graph daily the number of students in each classroom who bring in a fruit or vegetable at snack time. At the end of the month the winning class receives a special fruit or veggie snack provided by Mrs. Thomas, our school nurse who oversees the program. We gained international attention when a Swedish TV producer included our school in a documentary film on ways to combat childhood obesity. 

This year we began a school wide initiative teaching and practicing the school district’s character traits. Each month we choose one character trait to emphasize: honesty, respect, perseverance, kindness, caring, empathy, inclusiveness, courage, and responsibility. On the first day of the month we all wear the same color clothing to recognize and celebrate the specific character trait. Throughout the month, a variety of classroom activities on the theme compliment the school wide program.

Our new monthly “Sip and Chat” program provides an opportunity for parents to join Mrs. McKenna, our guidance counselor, and Principal Susan Mitchell in a round table discussion on parenting issues. Our topics have included “The Age of Instant Communication”, “Coping with Over Structured Lives” and “”The Homework Dilemma”. Our lively dialogue is a nice bridge between home and school and allows us to to share concerns and strategies about the many dilemmas of raising children today.

            Through the generous support of the Mt. View PTO, the East Longmeadow Jaycees, and the East Longmeadow Endowment Fund we now have wall-mounted large screen computer connected TV’s in every grade level classroom. This technology enables students to visit interesting curriculum related web-sites and display their own power point creations to their peers. Teachers use the televisions to display assignments, directions and class notes in a visually interesting way.

We are grateful for our very active PTO for providing wonderful enrichment programs, support for technology, our volunteer program, the Wee Deliver mail program, and the funding of field trips and materials for teachers. Our PTO certainly helps to create, shape and enrich our school culture.

Our consistently strong MCAS scores demonstrate the talent and dedication of the entire Mt. View staff and the support of parents as partners in their childrens’ learning.

Throughout the year we celebrate the joy of reading aloud and invite parents to read and discuss their favorite stories to our students. Mt. View School is a busy and exciting place. Please visit us on our web site at www. eastlongmeadow.org or stop by and be welcomed!