Symons Elementary School
Guiding Principles

• Symons is a community that fosters mutual respect and trust, a school where every person is valued. Symons emphasizes the joy of learning with the exchange of thoughts and ideas in a safe, orderly and caring environment.
• Symons’ curriculum is guided by high expectations for all students and derived from the essential skills and concepts necessary for full participation in a democratic society. The curriculum is rigorous, defined sequentially from grade to grade, and implemented consistently by all teachers.
• Instructional practices at Symons are designed to help each student become a successful learner. Teachers meet this goal by supporting every student in assuming responsibility for his/her own learning and employing a wide variety of instructional strategies.
• Assessments are used to measure, monitor, and communicate each student’s progress toward mastery of essential skills and concepts. Learning expectations are clear to both students and parents and progress is reported in an appropriate, honest and timely manner. Teachers at Symons use a wide variety of assessments to shape instruction and to meet the needs of individual students.