Dutch Fork Elementary
Centennial Celebration 1918 - 29018
DFES Beliefs
- We believe all people deserve to feel safe, valued, and loved.
- We believe all children are naturally curious about the world around them.
- We believe learning is a social process.
- We believe inquire fosters an environment of noticing and questioning.
- We believe in learning from multiple perspectives.
- We believe in learning from authentic primary and secondary sources.
- We believe in encouraging learners to be risk takers.
- We believe reflection should lead to change and growth.
- We believe learning should lead to social action.
- We believe our actions should be aligned with our beliefs.
Picture of the Rosenwald School with St. Peter Baptist Church in the far left background. Dated 1935.
Centennial Theme: Living Into Our Future
Author Visit
Carol Boston Weatherford, author of Dr Mr. Rosenwald, will be our featured guest. Dear Mr. Rosenwald. Based on the true story of the Rosenwald schools built in the rural African American South in the 1920s, writer and poet Carol Boston Weatherford tells the lyrical story of third grader Ovella as her family and community help each other build a new, and much-prayed for, school.
We are in the process of ordering additional copies of Dr. Mr. Rosenwald so that each class has a copy and should have them in and delivered within the week-ish or so. Once received our expectation is that this text will be used a shared reading across the school prior to the author visit. I would encourage our primary grades to read the text over time as the length may be a challenge for your smallest learners.
Friday, Dec 7, 2018, 08:00 AM
DFES
Accessing Richlex Graduates as Primary Sources
Richlex Alum Mr. Washington has identified several graduates that have agreed to visit us during the week of December 3rd. The goal is for our students to access these graduates through interviews. With the help and support of our Social Studies Coordinator, Melony Sanford, we have interview questions that will be shared with our guests prior to their arrival. Those questions will be included below.
We recognize that MAP testing is also scheduled to begin during this week so we will seek to think through this as best as possible to minimize conflicts with interviews and testing. Further details to come.
Monday, Dec 3, 2018, 09:00 AM
DFES
Historians Inquiring into our school heritage
In addition to being a remarkable educator Mr. O'Kee is also a songwriter and musician. While teaching he would often write songs and perform songs with his students based on their collective response to content and various texts.
Mr. O'Keefe has now met with both Drayton and Jefferson's classes. In thoughtful planning with both teachers Tim has read Dear Mr. Rosenwald to the above mentioned classes. While reading and unpacking the story students are jotting down their impressions from the story along with big themes or ideas that will be used as sources of inspiration.
The conclusion of this collaborative work is that Mr. O'Keefe and these fifth grade classes will write and perform a song based on the inquiry into Rosenwald and Richlex Schools. The song will be performed during the evening Centennial Celebration on December 7th. Stay tuned for more details to come.
Centennial Evening Celebration
One the evening of December 7th we will have a program with our community members in mind. We are inviting Richlex graduates, members from St. Perter Baptist Church, and those in our community whose lives have been positively impacted by this site. Invitations will go out Wednesday, October 24 and asking attendees to RSVP by November 14th.
Our program will include:
- Welcome
- An address from Richlex Graduate (Hopefully the Honorable Larry Haltiwanger - Vice Chair of our Board of Trustees)
- Musical rendition by Mr. O'Keefe and our 5th graders
- Video Montage
- Musical performance led by Felicia Myers (music teacher) and select 4th and 5th graders.
This is draft our program an may be modified slightly before December 7th. Faculty and staff are not required to attend but are certainly invited.
Friday, Dec 7, 2018, 06:00 PM
DFES Mini Theater
We develop students who care about the world we live in and express critical thinking through natural curiosity and wonder.
Email: jscott@lexrich5.org
Website: www.lexrich5.org/dutchfork/cfm/
Location: 7900 Broad River Road, Irmo, SC, USA
Phone: 803-476-3901
Twitter: @dfes_principal