S.M.A.R.T. Newsletter - March '24

ONE S.M.A.R.T. SCHOOL

John M Clayton Elementary, nestled just inland from the shores of Delaware, embarked on their S.M.A.R.T. journey when a dedicated group of teachers traveled to Minneapolis to attend a S.M.A.R.T. workshop. Inspired by a deeper understanding of student behavior, coupled with practical application and learned strategies, these educators and their administrator swiftly embraced the program, headed home, and spearheaded its integration throughout the school. 

The following summer, trainers of the S.M.A.R.T. program went to Delaware to provide training to the entire staff, laying the foundation for a successful implementation. Be sure to “meet” the Delaware team that started it all at the end of this article! 

The school boasts two S.M.A.R.T. rooms. Kindergarten and 1st grade use one, and the other is used for grades 2 and up. Here, we will focus on the K and 1st room while the older elementary room is featured in S.M.A.R.T. Spaces of this newsletter. 
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The room utilizes every inch of space for intentional movement. The small classroom space holds ten movement activities for students set out in a side by side winding layout so that students can move constantly. The stations are numbered and labeled with tape large enough for students to identify quickly as they enter the room and are given the number where they start.

​Laminated Learning Ladders are focused on math content that correlates to the learning standards they are working on. Both sides of the Learning Ladders contain content, making it easy to switch content just by turning the Ladder around after a week.

The well used Slap Track got a clever “upgrade” using just a mat and some packing tape. High frequency words were printed out and taped to the mat. As long as you pull up the words and tape at least every two weeks, the words should be adhered to the mat nicely. This makes for an easy wipe down of the mats too!

Curious if a S.M.A.R.T. workshop would be just as inspiring to your school? Here’s what the team from JMC had to say…