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Hayden Elementary highlights literacy gains, dual‑language program and community partnerships
Summary
Hayden Elementary Principal Dr. Laura Goldson and newly elected school board member Dana Miles presented the school's recent achievements to the Manassas City Council, citing a 12‑point reading gain for English learners, lower chronic absenteeism and expanded programming including a 50/50 dual‑language model and community innovation fair.
Dr. Laura Goldson, principal of Hayden Elementary School, told the Manassas City Council the school made measurable academic and attendance improvements while expanding arts, innovation and dual‑language programming.
Dana Miles, a newly elected member of the Manassas school board, introduced Dr. Goldson and noted the school’s profile on the Virginia School Quality website: Hayden is accredited, improved English‑learner reading performance by 12 percentage points in one year, and reduced chronic absenteeism to 18 percent — a greater than 10‑point improvement from the prior year, Miles said.
Highlights from Hayden’s year Dr. Goldson summarized cultural and academic activities that engaged students and the broader community: a spring production of Finding Nemo that involved 60 students and 13 staff and drew an April assembly of roughly 400 community guests; partnerships with the Manassas Museum and the Hilton Performing Arts Center; a school innovation fair that included a Micron booth, robotics demonstrations from Osborne High School and student projects such as 3‑D printed monuments created by fourth graders.
Dual‑language model and literacy focus During council questions, Dr. Goldson described Hayden’s dual‑language program as a fifty‑fifty model: students receive approximately half of their instruction in Spanish (often science and mathematics) and half in English (English language arts and social studies). The program aims for biliteracy — students who can read, write and speak both English and Spanish. Dr. Goldson said it is early in the program’s rollout but that initial indicators show students are meeting academic targets.
Goldson emphasized literacy as her top concern. “Literacy…is the key to the kingdom,” she told the council, describing literacy as foundational to participation in civic and economic life and the metric school leaders watch most closely when setting interventions and professional learning.
Why this matters Hayden’s combination of improved attendance, gains for English learners, and expanded arts and innovation programming speaks to district priorities in literacy, language access and community engagement. Council members praised the school’s outreach and the principal’s focus on collaborative teacher planning as a driver of the gains Dr. Goldson described.
Ending Dr. Goldson thanked the council for the opportunity to present and said Hayden is focused on continuing to reduce chronic absenteeism and sustain academic growth.
