Facts about Woods Elementary School
Opened in 1975
Named after a prominent community leader, John P. Woods
Enrollment: 470
Grade Levels: Kindergarten – Sixth Grade
Number of classrooms: 19
Number of certified staff members: 30
Other staff members: 15
Location: 3201 Massard Road; beside Chaffin Junior High School and behind the Wal-Mart SuperCenter on Rogers Avenue.

Arkansas A+ Network
Woods Elementary School was one of the first five schools in Arkansas to be selected to participate in the A+ Network. This network of now fifteen schools supports the arts and views them as an integral part of the curriculum. The use of the Howard Gardner’s “Multiple Intelligences” in the classroom is also encouraged. Three staff members have been selected as “Fellows” in the A+ Network and provide their expertise at summer A+ workshops.

Counselor
Our professional school counselor is a certified teacher with a master’s degree in school counseling. She is especially trained to help children solve many kinds of problems in an individual or group setting. She also provides classroom lessons concerning friendship, conflict resolution, goal setting, bullying, test interpretation, drugs/alcohol/personal safety, and careers. Some of the other programs that she coordinates are Core Essentials, Red Ribbon Week, 6th Grade Leadership Day, Backpack Program, Partner in Education Career Day, and our Parent Information Center. Our Parent Center is located outside our school office and “family kits” (games, grade appropriate information), parenting books, and magazines are available for check-out through the counseling office.

Comprehensive Literacy Model
This research-based program incorporates the latest innovations in literacy instruction. The classroom teachers and the literacy coach work together to improve reading and writing skills. All K-2nd grade teachers are ELLA (Early Literacy Learning in Arkansas) trained or being trained and the same is true for the 3rd and 4th grade teachers who have been trained in Effective Literacy. Teachers in the 5th and 6th grades have been trained in mid-level literacy.

School Spirit Day
The school mascot is the Patriot and the school colors are red, white, and blue. Thursdays have been designated as “Red, White, and Blue Day” where students and faculty show their school spirit by wearing the school colors.

Morning Show and Rise & Shine
The morning show provides an opportunity for all students to lead, direct, or provide information to the whole school. Thursdays are Rise and Shine day and school spirit day when everyone wears red, white, and blue. During Rise and Shine a class will present a special “informance” where they present something they have learned; it is to inform the audience.

Gifted and Talented Program
Woods offers an enrichment program called GATE (Gifted and talented education) for those students scoring advanced in intellectual ability, creativity and motivation. GATE focuses on the gifted and talented frameworks for the state of Arkansas. Students work on the higher levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy and content areas not covered by the general curriculum.

Enrichment packets prepared by a certified GT teacher are provided to all kindergarten and first grade teachers for those students demonstrating a need to go beyond the general curriculum. Our GT teacher presents enrichments lessons on a regular basis to all second grades, and third through sixth graders, who have been identified as GT, attend a weekly pull-out class.

The identification process is conducted once each semester for those students who have been recommended by teachers and/or parents. This process includes the standardized tests taken at their grade level, two standardized ability index exams, creativity assessments, and motivation checklists. The data collected during this process is then presented to a building level review team to select the students with the greatest need for an enrichment program.

Student Council
The student council officers are elected in the spring and take office the following fall. Class representatives from grades 3, 4, 5, and 6 are elected at the beginning of the new school year. Fifth and sixth graders are elected to represent the kindergarten, first, and second grades. The student council meets once a month, usually the first Thursday of the month.

This School is accredited by the North Central Association and the Arkansas Department of Education.