A Good School Moving in a Great Direction
By Virginia Franco
Ask the school staff and leadership about what makes Winget Park Elementary School so special, and you are likely to hear the word “community” Jason Bissinger again and again. Principal Although the school has only been in existence for seven years, the sense of community that often takes much longer to build is solidly in place and has been for a while. “It has felt like an established school since I got here,” observes veteran CMS Second Grade Teacher Lisa McIlhinney. It was this sense of community Principal Jason Bissinger took note of last September during his first month as a first-time principal. “I picked up immediately on the fact that many staff members live and work here,” Bissinger says. “There is a real sense of ownership because they are so personally vested in the school.” “People want to be here,” Bissinger added. “Our staff turnover is very limited and teachers usually only leave because they are moving out of state.” Also a resident of the Steele Creeke community in southwest Mecklenburg County where the school resides, McIlhinney agrees. “I run into students on the soccer fields and at the grocery store,” she says. “You have the sense of community where you go to church and go to school.”
Winget Park Elementary
To complement these facilities, the SLT and National Elementary Honor Society recently completed a school beautification effort that includes two spirit rocks and a huge landscaping project.
Moving Children Forward
Asstistant Principal Kim Johnson & Principal Jason Bissinger
throughout the year, Bissinger brought back some staff committees to expand the exchange of great ideas, and is even looking to engage teachers in some friendly competition while balancing stress with pedometers. Bissinger is also working to expand of the school’s Wolf Pack Dad’s program, a group of fathers that joined forces to run carpool earlier in the year. The group is exploring other opportunities to allow fathers to become more involved. And piggy backing onto Dilworth Elementary’ s highly successful Dragon Houses program, Bissinger is considering launching “Wolf Dens” and assigning each student and teacher to one. When den members unite they will create cheers, discuss character traits, and put together skits. “It’s a great way to promote team spirit and have children interact across grades,” Bissinger says.
Mural in the school entrance / foyer
TD Teacher Lisabeth Hansen, who has been at Winget Park since it opened, also lives in the area and loves it. “My neighborhood is zoned for the school,” she says. “It’s part of being part of the community.”
teacher prior to joining Winget Park, Bissinger was welcomed at his new school with open arms. “I couldn’t ask for a better school for my first experience.” To kick off his first year, Bissinger met with the community and staff, and worked to put programs in place to forge these groups together. Bringing some ideas that worked well at his former school, Bissinger launched a Breakfas t Buddies program this winter that partners community volunteers with identified students. The pairs meet once or twice a week before school Kim Johnson starts to talk, tutor Assistant Principal and mentor. To maintain the momentum and high energy levels of the staff
“Mr. Bissinger has taken the best of what we have, and looks toward expanding upon that to make it even better,” Hansen says. This ties in well with what has always been the schools philosophy. “We’ve always been a good school and we are Betsy Hansen moving in the right TD Teacher direction . . . we are not afraid to tweak and make changes as needed.” As the school’s TD teacher, Hansen is excited about getting more project-based learning into the classroom, one of many learning and gifted teaching strategies that she says go hand in hand with the new Common Core. “I am working with STEM and the media facilitator to work on project-based learning,” Hansen says, noting it is common at Winget Park for staff to form a team to work toward a goal. McIlhinney concurs, noting that younger teachers have been a huge help to more established ones in incorporating
High Five Hall of Fame
technology into the classroom as the school evolves into a BYOT (Bring Your Own Technology) environment. “We really have a nice group and there is a lot of team work,” she says. “Even after 20 years I know I don’t know everything!” Hansen sums the school’s culture up. “People here really care about moving children forward in their learning in a way that really connects with the kids.”
Winget Park Elementary
980-343-1063 http://schools.cms.k12.nc.us/ wingetparkES/Pages/Default.aspx Principal: Jason Bissinger
We Are Charlotte
12235 Winget Road Charlotte, NC 28278
Winget Park stands out in the eyes of many as a school that truly represents the state and the area’s diversity. “We ARE Charlotte,” Bissinger says. “Our school is incredibly diverse ethnically, culturally, and socioeconomically.” “You don’t have ONE image of what a Winget Park kid is – that’s what is so great about it,” McIlhinney says. With students from Mongolia to Cuba and many countries in between, “my kids get that real world experience and learn from one another.”
Access to Facilities
New Ideas Welcomed
A former assistant principal at Dilworth Elementary and a Phys Ed
Winget Park shares facilities with Mecklenburg Parks and Recreation, which gives students and families access to fabulous facilities both during and after school. The school’s gym, known as the Winget Recreation Center, hosts recreational sports including basketball, and outdoor offerings include disc golf and community gardens.
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www.myschoolrocks.com | My School Rocks! –
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