Principal's Message

 

Pershing has a very caring, collaborative and professional staff that believes strongly in the academic and social-emotional success of each of our students. Our team is reflective, and considers both academic and behavioral needs, and collects feedback from students and families throughout the year. We are a team that believes in continuous improvement and growth. The San Juan Unified School District has adopted our new Strategic Plan, Mission and Vision, which our staff strongly supports and to which we aspire. Our staff implements the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) along with ongoing benchmark assessments to communicate academic growth and development of identified “Successful Practices” throughout the school year.  These standards, and the Frameworks, guide teachers in facilitating learning in each of the specific curricular areas, and in helping to develop critical life-long skills for students’ future success.  We report out student progress at each trimester, along with halfway through each trimester, if there are areas of concern.

 

Pershing is a Positive Behavioral Intervention and Supports (PBIS) and Restorative Practices school. As part of PBIS, Pershing staff and students have established clear expectations for behavior in all areas of our school. We explicitly teach those expectations to the students and reward students frequently with positive notes and comments for positive behaviors. It is our goal that expectations for all student behavior are clear throughout our campus, whether on the playground, in the cafeteria or in classrooms. We use the acronym R.O.A.R. to anchor our positive expectations of student, staff and adult behavior: Pershing Panthers are Respectful, Organized, Always Safe, and Responsible. You will often hear us say, “Be a ROARing Panther today!” We also establish positive classroom communities through Listening Circles. When students struggle with problems, we use Restorative Practices and Conferencing to support students to learn how to solve problems in a manner that restores, or repairs, relationships with one another.

We encourage and seek open communication between families, our staff, and our students. When surveys are sent to you, please share openly so our school can continue to grow and improve. Also, please share both concerns and positive feedback along the way, as well. Communication is the key to our success! We highly value your support and partnership. Join us each day by promoting a positive learning environment in which students and staff enjoy attending Pershing Elementary.  Please let us know when things are going well, and when you have concerns, challenges or questions.

Please listen and review our weekly messages and the Panther Press newsletter, which are sent via text and email with upcoming events for the week and month. If you are not receiving school messages, please inform our office so we can update your information. We also encourage you to get involved - become a member of our PTO (Parent-Teacher Organization), School Site Council, or offer to volunteer on campus. We'd love to have your active support and participation! On behalf of the Pershing staff, I’d like to thank you for choosing Pershing School, home of the Roaring Panthers!

Sincerely,

Kendra Shelton, Principal

kendra.shelton@sanjuan.edu