Anderson Elementary School

Anderson believes that Together Everyone Achieves More (TEAM). Anderson provides a unique learning environment by combining its curriculum with state-of-the-art technology. Our All-Star Staff collaborates on their lesson plans and uses peer mentoring to meet the academic needs of our culturally diverse student population. The staff is organized into teams to facilitate the needs of the school and facilitate greater empowerment by everyone.

Parent and community involvement with Anderson is a crucial part of the school’s success. Parents and the community work together through Site Council, Curriculum Evenings, Student Performances, Arts Partners storytellers, volunteer tutoring, Reading is Fundamental, book Buddies and the South City Community Association. Anderson offers programs for English for Speakers of Other Languages.

• A Technology Rich classroom Grant will be put into place by our 4th Grade Team
• A Parent Involvement Grant funded by Education Edge was received by our Counselor, social Worker, & 1st Grade Team.
• Staff using a multiple intelligence approach to daily instruction
• Continuing to update technology in every classroom; every classroom has Internet.
• Arts Partner school to enhance the integrated curriculum approach to the Arts.
• Community tutors and volunteers: Dawson United Methodist Church, parents, Foster Grandparents, Anderson students, community members.

Exit I-135 at South Hydraulic. Go north on Hydraulic to Luther. Go west on Luther.  Anderson is at Luther and Victoria. See Maps for all USD 259 locations.

At Anderson, we expect everyone to learn.  As a team we are responsible for reaching our goals.  We will do whatever it takes to make everyone successful!

• All students will demonstrate growth in reading comprehension across the curriculum.
• All students will demonstrate growth in math computation and problem solving across the curriculum.
• All students will demonstrate growth in the use of writing skills across the curriculum.

Together everyone achieves more! That is the motto and practice we follow on the Site Council at Anderson All-Star Elementary. Business partners, community friends, parents, staff and students work together to support and enrich the quality environment provided here every day. The council helps to hire new personnel; regulate budget priorities; review staff development practices; and support the parent involvement connections. We meet monthly and use a TQM meeting agenda format led by very capable hands of one of our parents.

Meeting Day: 3rd Thursday of each month
Time: 7:30 a.m.
Location: Anderson Library

The Anderson All-Star Elementary educational program offers students an integrated curriculum using technology in a safe learning environment. Within each classroom, students are afforded the opportunity to utilize technology as a learning tool. Teachers individualize instruction to meet the needs of a diverse population through the use of the networked learning tool. Teachers individualize instruction to meet the needs of a diverse population through the use of the networked learning system in the classrooms, as well as many other technology resources. Students are provided the opportunity to work individually and cooperatively in teams. Our All-Stars include those who seek support from the English Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) program, and the Second Step Character Development Program.
We believe these offer an enriched academic and social support for our highly intelligent All-Star student body.



Kindergarten

Pre-Kindergarten Program: None
All-Day Kindergarten: 9:00 a.m. - 4:10 p.m.

• A combination of parent workshops, curriculum nights and other activities are provided so parents and children can come to play/work together. Activities are centered around the district and building standards for learning. 
• RIF Program (Reading is Fundamental) - sponsored by Downtown Rotary.

Due to declining population of school age children in the neighborhoods of Greiffenstein, Wilson and Wells elementary schools in southeast Wichita - an area known as South City - the Board of Education decided to construct a new building that would include the old Wilson structure, and move the three school populations together to create a new neighborhood school for the South City area.

Grace Wilson Elementary School was completed in August, 1954, and was ready for use at the opening of school on September 1 of that year. The architects were Ramey and Himes, and the general contractor was C.A. Doolittle, Jr.

The school was named for Grace V. Wilson who served the Wichita Schools as supervisor of music from 1928 until her death in 1952. She was nationally recognized as an educator and she co-authored a series of music books for public schools called The American Singer published by the American Book Company.

Construction was begun in 1984 on a large, modern looking building on the site of Wilson School, incorporating the old building into the new structure. During the construction, students from all three schools were housed at Greiffenstein. The new building was named after James E. Anderson, a prominent Wichita black educator who had served several years as an administrator for the district. Shortly after his retirement he was killed in an automobile accident in 1978.

Carolyn Bridges was given the administrative responsibilities for the three schools and being the district contact for supervising the progress of the new building construction. The new modern building, designed by Gossen Livingston Associates, was completed in 1985.

In 1989 the building underwent some radical changes both in remodeling activities and changes in paradigms that affected the restructuring of the educational programs. The building was rewired with state-of-the-art wiring to accommodate a new pilot program supported by Jostens Learning Corporation. That implemented advanced technology in the form of 250 computers - one for every two students - to allow changes in the delivery of services to children which included using the computers as tools for learning and writing.

At the beginning of the 1988-89 year, sixth grade students were incorporated into the middle school program, leaving a K-5 enrollment of approximately 450 students.

In April 2000, the voters of the Wichita School District approved a $284.5 million bond issue. The projects began in the fall of 2000 and were completed over the next five years. The plan built 19 multipurpose rooms, upgraded science labs, replaced portable classrooms with permanent construction, improved handicap accessibility to all buildings, rebuilt five existing elementary schools, added a new elementary and middle school, expanded seven other elementary schools and provided nine new libraries as well as the expansion of nine others. Building infrastructure in 82 buildings was also upgraded, including the replacement of antiquated plumbing, updates and expansion of electrical systems, replacement of inefficient or broken windows and doors, upgrades of heating and cooling systems, and asbestos abatement when required.

Anderson received a new addition including four classrooms, upgrades to the infrastructure and renovation to the student support area for an estimated total cost of $732,000. The plans were prepared by the firm of Gossen Livingston Associates. On march 14, 2005 Caro Construction Co. was contracted to complete Anderson's remodels, as well as those of Colvin Elementary. The total cost for this contract was $3,165,050.

The Bond project was completed and the dedication ceremony was held May 21, 2006 in conjunction with the retirement party of Penny Longhofer, who had been principal at Anderson since 2000.