Points of Pride 2023-2024

Collaborative Planning

At Kemp Elementary, collaborative planning is the life line of the school, offering benefits such as shared knowledge and expertise, improved communication, enhanced creativity and innovation, increased buy-in and commitment, equitable resource allocation, greater flexibility, and shared decision-making. This year we prioritized job-embedded professional development, data-driven decision-making, and the development of personalized small group lesson plans to reach all learners. We utilize collaborative planning as a safe space for modeling lessons and receiving feedback, ensuring continuous refinement of teaching strategies to support all students' diverse needs and improve overall student outcomes on measures such as CCRPI, MAP, and i-Ready assessments. By involving all stakeholders, collaborative planning harnesses the collective knowledge, expertise, and creativity of the entire team, leading to more informed decisions, increased efficiency, and greater overall success.

PBIS

At Kemp Elementary, our school-wide behavior expectations provide our scholars with the tools to meet academic and social-emotional growth. Through P.B.I.S., we have implemented the P.A.W.S. expectations, which encourage students to be prepared, attentive, wise, and safe in all areas of the school. 

Every year, our teachers and leaders explicitly teach the skills of the behavior matrix for the first two weeks of school. Students, new and old, get to know their teachers' expectations and embrace our school's culture. This all leads up to our annual student P.B.I.S. Kick-off. Students get to celebrate the beginning of the school year and acknowledge their ability to meet the school-wide expectations for the first month of the year. Students then have the opportunity to participate in monthly incentives where they are awarded for consistently exhibiting P.A.W.S. Perfect behavior.  Incentives have consisted of inflatable jumps houses, glow parties, school-wide scavenger hunts, and more.  We have even hosted special guests in past events, such as the Jonesboro High School Marching Band and Atlanta radio station V-103.

Extracurricular:  Athletics & Clubs

School spirit instills a sense of pride in our scholars for our school's achievements, traditions, and values. At Kemp Elementary, this pride has a positive impact on scholars' self-esteem and confidence, as well as their overall sense of identity. This school year, we won the championship for soccer, made it to the Final Four in the district’s Flag Football Program, and placed 4th in the district’s recent Elementary Cheer Competition. Every year, we compete in the district’s PBIS “versus” competition simply because we love our school. We support the "whole child" by providing extracurricular activities such as basketball, Art Club, Chorus, Media Club, Stem Club, KGEMS, Girls Who Code, Men in the Making, Junior Beta Club and our annual Talent Show. We enjoy every opportunity to celebrate our fantastic school community and each other. We celebrate the achievements and contributions of students, staff, and faculty members, fostering a culture of recognition and appreciation that boosts morale and enhances school pride. Yes, we love our K.E.S!

Schoolwide Literacy

Literacy continues to be a point of pride at Kemp Elementary.  This year we were excited to continue our focus on Vocabulary with curriculum and grade level high impact words and our 3rd Annual Vocabulary Parade.  Reading can be competitive and fun; we participated in both the Helen Ruffin Chapter Book and Picture Book Bowls.  We were thrilled to bring back some literacy activities that were on pause due to the pandemic.  We resumed our partnership with  Lovejoy High School for Read Across America and welcomed some former students back to share their love of literacy with our current students.  Writing allows us to exhale the expert knowledge we learned in our content classes and this year we were excited for students to share their creative writings with their family and peers at our Author’s Tea.  Junior Beta Club also participated in partner reading with our 3rd graders.  Engagement in literacy in meaningful ways enables our students to make connections, synthesis and expand their knowledge of the content information they are learning.

Builder Award Nominations

Kemp Elementary has been nominated for the Excellence Award, Game Changer Award, and the Best Publication Award due to our commitment to holistic student development and innovative practices. Since 2018, we have focused on crafting a comprehensive literacy plan aligned with district practices, prioritizing personalized learning and continuous growth for both students and staff. Extracurricular opportunities such as Girls Who Code, KGEMS, Men in the Making, Art Club, Stem Club, Media and Junior Beta Club, and community engagement events further support holistic student development, empowering us to become game changers. Our award-winning school website, nominated for the Best Publication Award, serves as a central hub for parents, community members, and students. It provides current information, showcases learning opportunities, offers operational details, and facilitates parental involvement and feedback. Reflecting our commitment to a positive school culture and experience, we strive for consistency and excellence in all we do.