Gammon Elementary School

Gammon Elementary School prides itself in setting high expectations for students and by meeting the individual needs of all students.  The student motto is “At Gammon we never do less than our best!”

Gammon has an enrollment of approximately 450 students in grades Kindergarten through 5th.  There are three to four classes giving us a total of 21 regular education classrooms. Special services provided for students include one primary and one intermediate interrelated special education room, one self-contained special education room, speech and language program, counseling, an English Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) program, vocal music, physical education, art, and library.  Instrumental Music-Strings is offered to our fifth grade students only.  Gammon offers a breakfast program for students, served before school.  We have a before and after school Latchkey program which provides tutoring for some students.  We work hard to keep our students connected to their school by offering 4th and 5th Grade Choir, Patrol, and Student Council.  Our Student Activities Team offers after school activities that include the Chess Club, Robotics Club, Anatomy Club and the Jr. Tech (Student Technology Team), Spanish Club, and Journalism Club.  Our Student Academic Team offers individual tutoring and mentoring during the school day and after school.

Gammon is also proud of its diversity.  The English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) Program allows students that speak more than one language to receive extra help to achieve their academic goals. There are at least ten different languages spoken by students at Gammon. It is truly a school with a rich mix of students and diversity is highly valued as the focus is on learning for all students.

Gammon students form our Student Council called STUCO.  Classroom representatives come together to plan and put in to action activities such as “United Way Drive” and “Pennies for Patients. 

Our volunteer program helps our staff and students in a variety of ways to enhance student achievement throughout the school. Many hours are spent throughout the school year on tutoring and mentoring for students.
The Gammon community strongly supports the school with an outstanding site council and parent organization.

Exit east Kellogg at Woodlawn. Go north on Woodlawn to 32^nd St. Go east on 32^nd St. to Rushwood. Gammon is on the corner of Rushwood and 32^nd St. See Maps for all USD 259 locations.

Gammon Elementary community promotes academic excellence and outstanding character development for all students.

Vision Statement

The students’ life-long learning process continues at Gammon, where curriculum is aligned to state standards using research-based instruction. Our school’s environment will be safe, nurturing, and challenging, where students feel connected and families are partners for learning and success.

Our Values and Beliefs

At Gammon, we will provide each student with a quality education, utilizing strategies that increase student achievement. Staff expects academic excellence and models outstanding character traits. We will build positive relationships and partner with families to foster each child's educational growth.

1. On the 2007-08 Kansas Reading Assessment for students in Grades 3 - 5
       - 70% of all students will be at the proficient level or above.
       - 70% of free/reduced students will be at the proficient level or above.
       - The gap between African American and Caucasian students scoring at proficient or above will be maintained or narrowed.
   
2. On the 2007-08 Kansas Math Assessment for Grades 3 - 5
       - 70% of all students will be at the proficient level or above.
       - 70% of free/reduced students will be at the proficient level or above.
       - The gap between African American and Caucasian students scoring at proficient or above will be maintained or narrowed.
   
3. On the 5th Grade Kansas Writing Assessment 2007-08
       - 70% of all students will be at the proficient level or above.
       - 70% of free/reduced students will be at the proficient level or above.
       - The gap between African American and Caucasian students scoring at proficient or above will close.

Gammon’s staff takes great pride in setting high expectations for students and meeting individual needs of all students through the implementation of strategies stated in our Campus Improvement Plan, thus preparing each student to reach our targeted goals.

Gammon has a site council, which is a group of parents, community members, business representatives, teachers and other school staff. Site councils identify, consider and discuss educational problems and issues at the school. Councils provide advice and counsel for evaluating state, school district and school site performance goals and objectives. Councils may also recommend methods that may be employed at the school site to meet these goals and objectives.

Meeting Day: First Thursday of the month
Time: 4:30 p.m.
Location: Office Conference Room
Chairperson: TBA

Parent/Teacher Organization (GEPTO)

Gammon Elementary Parent Teacher Organization (GEPTO) offers many opportunities for parents to become involved in school activities, meet other parents and development relationships with the staff. This organization helps with fundraising events, special school events, tutoring, helping people to become involved, and will give input to many of the decisions being made at the school. The fund raising efforts enable Gammon students to have many extras that can only be provided through outside funds. Gammon parents are very involved in the school in many ways.  If you look around you will see their great efforts through a variety of technology items purchased to enhance teacher instruction and student learning.

Meeting Day:  Second Tuesday of the month
Time:  4:30 p.m.
President:  Lisa Hubble
Vice President: Sherrye Farmer

Gammon strives to enrich the technology experiences for students. Our students are exposed to SMARTBoards, Clickers, a Document Camera, and laptops, as well as the Computer Lab.

The media center not only provides a beautiful, safe area for Gammon's books and multimedia materials, but also includes a volunteer center, a story pit, and study carols, which are frequently used for tutoring.

Gammon has a gym and a multipurpose/lunchroom. The gym is used for physical education classes, all-school assemblies, and many student performances. The multipurpose room provides a smaller area for similar activities and lunch.

Gammon's playground provides age-appropriate play areas and equipment, as well as softball, soccer, basketball and tetherball areas.  As part of the USD 259’s bond issue work, Gammon received an addition with two new classrooms. Construction was completed in August of 2005.

Kindergarten

Pre-Kindergarten Program: None
Half-Day Kindergarten: None
All-Day Kindergarten: Yes

Student Activities

It was with an eye to the future that the Board of Education, on September 15, 1975, purchased land in southeast Wichita for a new elementary school. Three years later another site was purchased in northeast Wichita for the same purpose. August 4, 1980 the architectural firm of Griffith and Bonham was appointed to design two elementary school buildings, identical in plan but not in finish, to be located on these two sites.

E.W.  Johnson, Inc. was awarded the building contract for both locations in the amount of approximately $3,250,000 per building. Construction began in September 1982 and the doors opened for 506 students at the northeast site in August 1984 and named Delore O. Gammon Elementary School.

Miss Gammon became assistant superintendent in charge of elementary education in 1953, and in 1958 Miss Gammon became director of elementary curriculum. She retired in 1966. She had attained the highest position any woman ever had in the Wichita Public Schools system at that time. She died September 30, 1981.

Already overcrowded, the Gammon pre-kindergarten program was moved to Minneha Elementary School in 1985-86. That year enrollment reached 563. Kindergartners from Gammon were moved to Minneha for one year only in 1987-88. The staff was involved in a Mastery Learning pilot project for five years. The project concluded in the spring of 1987.

Beginning the 1988-89 school year, fifth and sixth graders were sent to the re-opened Kistler School which was referred to as the Gammon Annex. Both fifth and sixth graders from the Annex left for the newly created Coleman Middle School in 1989. From 1989-1993, third graders were sent to the Annex. After four years at the Annex, third graders eagerly anticipated being on the same campus with other grades. After much thought and planning, it was decided kindergartners should be the class of choice for the Annex. Parents were happy with this choice because they did not have to worry about the older students running over their youngsters.

The Annex was chosen to be the site of the new Leicle Bostic Traditional Magnet School beginning with the 1994-95 school year. Gammon lost around 60 children to Bostic. For the first time since Gammon opened in 1984, the facility was able to hold all of the students K-5.

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.

National Contractors, Inc. was hired to complete the Beech, Gammon and Isely Bond projects. Gammon's Bond project dedication ceremony was held January 19, 2006.