Dassel Elementary School
"Home of Kids Who Care"
Environment-- Children come first!
- Everyone is treated with care, respect,and dignity.
- A warm, clean environment is recognized as being important for learning.
- The positive qualities of students are emphasized to encourage appropriate behavior.
- The administration and school board genuinely listen to all people and model the same caring qualities we expect from students.
Curriculum and Instruction
- The staff is well qualified, highly trained, and very caring. We make every effort to work cooperatively with the parents to provide the best possible program for each child.
- Class size is reduced to guarantee that every child gets individual attention every day.
- A variety of teaching strategies are used to increase the level of students' comprehension.
- The individual learning style of each child is important in determining the methods of instruction.
- A well-coordinated, comprehensive curriculum is provided in each subject area. The curriculum is articulated effectively from kindergarten through grade 12 to build on previous learning and to challenge each child as he/she progresses through the grades.
- Academic, social, and emotional needs are all addressed in providing for the whole child. A full-time social worker is available in the elementary schools to help remove any barriers for learning.
Special Services
- Inclusion of all special needs students into the mainstream classroom is the norm rather than the exception. Children learn at an early age to be accepting of and show an appreciation for individual differences.
- You will find an effective special education program to include services in the areas of intellectually handicapped, learning disabled, English as a Second Language, speech, hearing/vision impaired, social worker, psychologist, adapted physical education, and other services as needed.
- Teacher assistants are in each classroom (funded by Chapter I) to provide extra assistance to students who are having difficulties in reading and math.
- Health services are provided to add"tender, loving care" to anyone who is not feeling well, and also to monitor the physical growth and development of each child.
- A clean, attractive lunchroom is provided where good nutrition and manners are stressed. Our lunchroom meets requirement of the Power Lunch Program in reducing the fat content of the food that is served.
Unique Qualities
- A strong media program is provided which includes research skills, production, and most of all stresses the love of reading.
- Technology is used effectively to provide increased learning opportunities for each child. We have a fully equipped computer lab where students are scheduled at the minimum each week, and also computers in classrooms to further meet individual needs.
- Specialists in the areas of physical education and music meet regularly with students to provide a quality program.
- An effective program is available for qualifying gifted/talented students to meet needs which are not always able to be addressed in the regular classroom.
- An active Parent Advisory Council has meaningful input into the policies and procedures.
- A Parent Resource Room is available for use at any time.