School Learning Plan

Cedar Mill Elementary School

Our Story:

Cedar Mill was built as a one room school in 1884. The present building was originally built as a two room facility in 1927, across Cornell Road from the original site. Over the years the building has been expanded six times to add classrooms, media center, gym, cafeteria, covered play area, and a stand-alone modular building with three additional classrooms.  In addition to a variety of security upgrades, Cedar Mill most recently received a roof replacement and HVAC upgrades, funded by the 2014 Bond. 

Our Students:  Cedar Mill currently enrolls 358 students in grades K-5.  Our student population identifies as follows: 59% of our students as white, 17% as Asian, 12% as multiracial, 10% as Hispanic/Latino, and 1% as Black/African American. There are 26 languages spoken by our students 15% are Ever English Learners. 10% of our students are students with identified disabilities. 10% of our students are identified as Talented and Gifted. 

Students in grades 4-5 report 96% feel safe, welcomed, and accepted at school; 96% report at least one adult at school really cares about them; and 81% feel there is at least one adult who knows them well enough that they may ask them to help make decisions. We aim to increase these reportings to 100% for students in grades 4-5 as measured by the annual BSD Annual Student Survey. 

Our Staff:  Cedar Mill has 15 classrooms, K-5. Our specialists include one full time music teacher and one full time PE teacher. Additionally, we are supported by a Library Media Assistant, Technology Instructional Assistant, and Technology Support Specialist. We have a full time Counselor, Academic Coach, Student Success Coach, two half-time ELD Teachers, and a half-time Social Worker. A full-time Learning Specialist, half-time time Speech Language Pathologist, .25 School Psychologist, and two ParaEducator II staff support our students receiving special education services. Our general education support staff includes three ParaEducator I staff members (two 7-hour and one 3.5-hour). Our office is staffed by two office assistants and one principal. Facility operations are maintained through two full time custodians. We receive additional support from our school nurse and nurse assistant, whom we share with other school sites. 

Our Community: Cedar Mill is strongly supported by our parent and volunteer base. Our parents report that 97% feel welcome and accepted at Cedar Mill, 90%  feel they are valued as advice participants in their child’s education, and 85% feel their child(ren)’s teacher  works closely with them to meed their child(ren)’s needs. Additionally, 85% feel well-informed about what’s going on in general at school, 85% feel they receive adequate information from their child(ren)’s teacher about their child(ren)’s academic achievement and progress, and 83% feel their voice is heard in important decisions about Cedar Mill. We aim to increase these reportings from families to 100% as measured by the annual BSD Parent Survey, with a specific emphasis on parents feeling well-informed about what’s going on at school and receiving adequate information from their child(ren)’s teacher regarding academic achievement and progress. 

Activities: Cedar Mill offers a variety of parent and school sponsored activities for our students. These include but are not limited to: Running Club, Science and Engineering Fair, Carnival, Maker Space, Art Literacy, and a school garden. All certified school staff will plan, coordinate, and participate in at least one Family Engagement Event. 

Student Agency and Community: Our Cedar Mill Community Builder program includes all fifth grade students and seeks to establish a positive school climate by encouraging and supporting fifth grade students to build up our community by focusing on the 6 Kindness in the Classroom concepts and complete jobs around the school that support our community. Students in the program also have the opportunity to apply to be on a Leadership Team. Each team has an individualized focus based on student input, that supports a particular program(s) or student group  at our school. For example, our Walk + Roll Leadership Team helps guide and support our Walk + Roll event days and our walking school bus. The goal of this program is to give all students, but particularly fifth grade students a connection, a sense of responsibility and agency for their school community. This program is coordinated by our Student Success Coach and School Counselor and in collaboration with classroom teachers and specialists. Various staff members serve as advisors to various Leadership Teams which meet during lunch/recess and involve parent permission. In the fall of 2022, the 5th Grade Student Advisory Team reports that the return of Buddy Classrooms and School Gatherings, as well as the implementation of the Kindness in the Classroom SEL curriculum contribute to the overall school culture and sense of community at Cedar Mill. They also report that the Community Builder Program is opening up their connections to our school community by looking beyond their friend groups and giving back to our school community. 

Academic Performance: In the 2021-2022 school year, 82% of our students in grades 3-5 met or exceeded state benchmarks in English Language Arts as measured by the Oregon Statewide Assessment System (OSAS), which is a 6% increase using the same measure last administered in the same format in 2019. 71% of our students in grades 3-5 met or exceeded state benchmarks in Math as measured by the Oregon Statewide Assessment System (OSAS). This marks a 3% increase in achievement in Math last administered in the same format in 2019.  Writing was identified as an area of focus following the annual Building Priorities Survey in the Spring of 2022. 

Writing is a content area greatly impacted by COVID-19, especially during remote learning. Writing is a transferable skill across all content areas and students need to write the kinds of texts they see and interact with in learning across all aspects of learning. Students become proficient writers when they communicate their ideas, thoughts, and opinions effectively through explicit writing instruction and ample opportunities to engage in writing across content areas and through various modes of writing. Explicit instruction in writing is critical, including. Students need opportunities and explicit instruction not only in the writing process but in developing structure and organization, elaboration and craft, as well as spelling and conventions. There is a correlation between reading and writing and or students to write well, they need to read and hear texts that align with the writing craft. Students also need clear goals and frequent feedback to learn ways to make their writing better and set future goals for learning.

Date of Last Revision: November 21, 2022

District Goal: WE empower all students to achieve post-high school success.