Principal's Message
Dear Parents, Community Members, and Visitors,
The educational family of Western Salisbury Elementary consists of students, parents, teachers, administrative staff, certified school nurses, technology support staff, instructional support staff, custodians, secretarial staff, cafeteria workers, and the community of Salisbury Township School District. I feel most honored to be a part of Western’s educational family. Each team member plays an instrumental role in the emotional, social, academic, and physical development of the children. I wish to welcome you and your children to Western Salisbury Elementary.
The student population of our kindergarten through grade five comprises approximately 290 learners. Twenty-six teachers and eleven instructional support staff engage students in instruction through varied learning modalities, varied rates of instruction, and varied degrees of complexity. Teachers craft learning conditions, tools, programs, and methods to meet the needs of individual learners’ readiness, interest, and learning preferences.
Assessment at Western Salisbury is ongoing, diagnostic, and standardized. Formative assessment comes from pretests, homework assignments, writing assignments, student opinion, journal entries, whole-class discussion, skill tests, portfolio entries, or interest surveys. Through formative assessment the teacher shapes current lessons with the goal of helping the individual students move ahead. Formal record keeping occurs with benchmark assessments, Terra Nova Achievement Testing, and the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment. Even with formal assessment, teachers continuously help students grow rather than merely record student performance. Teachers use the results from formative, diagnostic, and standardized assessment to continually elevate the quality of education and the performance levels of students.
In addition to the thirteen classrooms, Western offers Learning Educational Support, part-time English as A Second Language service, Gifted Educational Support, a Library Media Specialist, a School Psychologist, Certified School Nurse, and an Instructional Support Teacher. The Physical Education, Music, Art, Instrumental Music, and the Library Media Specialist provide weekly instruction in their content specialty often coupled with interdisciplinary activities from the regular classroom.
Our computer technician provides a rich environment in the computer lab and throughout the elementary building by providing teachers with engaging motivational access to the educational opportunities which foster creativity and curiosity for teacher development of lessons and for student application. Students have access to multimedia software such as PowerPoint and Publisher. Students are able to create illustrated stories, presentations, or reports using multimedia. In addition to a computer lab housed with twenty-eight computers, each classroom is equipped with a computer, and the library provides nine computers for students to electronically research materials in the library. Students also use technology as a communication tool to obtain information with on-line services.
The Western Salisbury Elementary Parent-Teacher Association provides parent representation on district committees and a tremendous network for the school. Parents volunteer in the classroom, computer lab, and in the library, organize and run annual events such as the annual Fall Festival and the Spring Social, fund a visiting author, and provide spirit events. Their fundraising efforts support educational field trips, classroom activities, educational programs, and playground needs. Our PTA has earned statewide recognition for positive involvement in our school and for an almost 100% membership.
Pride in public education exists within the educational family. Although the results of assessment demonstrate the success of WSE students, we continually strive to improve the quality of education and the performance levels of students as we serve the children. Both our teachers and our children enjoy success because a friendly, happy, cooperative atmosphere exists in an academic environment.
Parents and community members are most welcome. We hope you will visit often, attend our fine arts evening programs, perhaps volunteer in a classroom or library, and hopefully share your expertise with our children.
Please visit Western’s home page to view the curriculum facilitated by the dedicated, well-qualified professionals who offer enthusiasm, humor, and brilliance. We surround our children with the finest in curriculum and handle our children with care in order to give our society responsible, intelligent, caring citizens. Pride permeates the hearts and souls of the educational family at Western.
Yours in education,
Bobbie W. Pfingstler, Principal
“A good school for anyone is a little like a kindergarten and a little like a good post-graduate program – the two ends of the educational spectrum, at which we understand that we cannot treat any two human beings identically, but must take into account their special interests and styles even as we hold all to high and rigorous standards.”
Ted Sizer