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Rocky Heights Elementary presents instructional strategy, reports rising family engagement
Summary
Rocky Heights Elementary staff presented schoolwide priorities and instructional strategies at the Hermiston School Board special meeting, reporting increased family participation and a year of lesson‑study work focused on math and student ownership of learning.
Teachers and leaders from Rocky Heights Elementary presented the school’s priorities and classroom practices to the Hermiston School Board at the March 2025 special meeting, outlining a five‑part framework summarized by the letters R‑O‑C‑K‑Y: Rising, Organizing systems, Collaboration, Kids, Yield success.
Stephanie Wyand, listed in the transcript as the principal, introduced staff and framed the presentation around raising student ownership of learning and aligning routines across the building. Staff described instructional routines, use of success criteria and visual checklists, and schoolwide systems such as CHAMPS for cafeteria and hallway expectations.
The school said it conducted lesson studies for every grade level (kindergarten through fifth) twice this year, with each grade focusing on math. In the lesson‑study model teams planned a 30‑minute lesson together, each teacher delivered the lesson in turn, and teams debriefed and refined the lesson. Presenters said cooperative practice (students working together with structure) emerged across teams as a common area for continued focus.
Rocky Heights staff demonstrated elements of a “Brain Smart Start,” including brief partner activities and breathing exercises designed to lower stress and ready students for instruction. Staff said the brief activities help students transition into the executive‑function state needed for learning.
The presentation emphasized family engagement gains. The principal and staff reported that attendance at a fall families event rose from 8% in 2022 to 14% in 2023 and to 55% in the most recent year. Similarly, the school said a Read Across America evening event drew about 44% of families in 2024 and 47% this year. Staff credited increased outreach and parent‑facing events for the rise in participation and noted PTO meeting attendance also has increased (from 2–5 families in early 2023 to 20 in December and more than 30 in October, per comments made during the presentation).
Teachers described classroom practices: clear success criteria, visible checklists, a wall‑of‑fame for students who meet fluency goals, and student self‑assessment routines. Staff said these practices aim to make expectations explicit so students can “own” their learning and monitor their own progress. Presenters highlighted specific student examples, including Madison and Olivia, as illustrations of students who have shown measurable growth and readiness for middle school.
Board members thanked Rocky Heights staff for the presentation and noted the report illustrated the value of PLC (professional learning community) time and collaborative planning.
No board action was taken on the presentation; it was provided for the board’s information under the meeting agenda.
