Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the School Facilities Programs topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Rescue Elementary principal reports enrollment growth, new interventions and progress on multipurpose facility
Summary
Principal Todd McGinnis told the board Rescue Elementary has 525 students, added staff and programs, launched trimester MTSS tracking and is close to opening a renovated multipurpose room and stage; the site also received Project Green grant support for a campus garden gazebo.
Todd McGinnis, principal at Rescue Elementary School, presented a year‑in‑review to the board, reporting enrollment, instructional initiatives, special programs and a major facilities upgrade that is nearing completion.
McGinnis said Rescue Elementary has grown to 525 students, with average class sizes around 24 and two full transitional kindergarten classrooms. He listed current staffing that includes 1.5 special‑education teachers (one shared part time with Lake Forest), a counselor, a librarian and 33 support staff.
Academically, McGinnis described staff development in writing (Step Up to Writing) for grades 2–5 and "Really Great Reading" training for K–2. He outlined a new, trimester‑based MTSS (multi‑tiered system of supports) tracking system that color‑codes students by reading benchmarks, math diagnostics and behavior ratings so teams can meet every other week to evaluate interventions. McGinnis said the site used remaining Title I funds to hire two afternoon intervention aides who will pull small groups three times per week and that the school will track progress.
He described three EDCO programs hosted on campus (two classes for students with autism; one preschool program) and expanded opportunities for interaction between general‑education and EDCO students. Field trips, VAPA performances and after‑school clubs were also listed as part of the school year experience.
On facilities, McGinnis reviewed construction and site improvements: removal of a portable, exterior work on a new stage/platform and storage under the stage, reroofing/stucco and new epoxy‑finished single‑use restrooms, a larger parking area surfaced with decomposed granite, and plans for an opening event once permits are finalized. He said the district's maintenance crew installed new library cabinets at no charge and that the school used a Read‑A‑Thon to add hundreds of books to the expanded library collection.
McGinnis also displayed progress on a campus garden funded in part by a Project Green grant; the garden will include a gazebo and a three‑basin stainless sink for washing produce. He said assembly and final installation were scheduled to avoid winter rain.
Trustees thanked McGinnis and his staff for flexibility during construction and praised the added programming and student experiences; one trustee noted the site team had "controlled the controllables" in a difficult year.
Ending: McGinnis invited trustees to tour the new multipurpose facility before opening and said the school will schedule a community opening event once inspections and permits are complete.
