Lewis Open Magnet Elementary School

Lewis exceeds State-wide AYP goals eight years in a row.

• In 2004, we met the State Standard of Excellence in Math and Writing.
• In 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008 we met the State Standard of Excellence in Math.
• In 2008, we made Standard of Excellence in Reading.
• We teach kids to evaluate their own work and manage their own time.
• We place a heavy emphasis on students, parents and staff forming a learning community.
• The district assesses all the 2^nd grade students in September of each year at all 58 elementary schools of USD 259 using the Jerry John’s Reading Inventory. This is done to determine how many students are reading at grade level. The following results represent the percentage of kids entering 2^nd grade reading at or above grade level at Lewis:

• In 2005, Dawn Obermeyer received the Good Apple Award from KAKE and Davis-Moore. Dawn is currently working as a Campus Support Teacher for USD 259.
• In May, 2005 the Kindergarten/First Grade team received an Educational Edge grant for $5000. The project is for early Literacy skills using a Smart Board and phonics manipulative's.
• In May 2007, the Four/Five team received an Education Edge Grant for technology to support reading and math with Clickers.
• In May 2009, Teresa Bell, a first grade teacher, wrote an Education Grant for math manipulatives.

Exit west Kellogg at Seneca. Go south on Seneca to 29^th St. Go east one block to Lewis. See Maps for all USD 259 locations.

The mission of Lewis Open Magnet is to provide a safe, nurturing and supportive environment that challenges and inspires all students to become independent lifelong learners and responsible decision makers.

What is Open Education?

• an informal approach to education
• a process of exploring and experiencing
• individuals taking responsibility for their actions and decisions
• an environment that reinforces values of honesty and integrity based upon mutual respect
• teaching in ways that are unique to each child
• tables, chairs, and lots of floor work
• mixed grade levels
• big and small children working together
• many parent volunteers

“I hear, I forget.
I see, I remember.
  I do, I understand.”

1. Reading - All students will demonstrate effective communication skills by analyzing, summarizing and comprehending what is read in a variety of texts increasing use of Expository and Persuasive texts.
2. Writing - All students will write by generating, selecting, rethinking, and reviewing ideas resulting in effective communication for different occasions, audiences and purposes with clarification by word choice and conventions.
3. Math Knowledge - All students know, explain, and use addition, subtraction, multiplication and division for whole numbers, decimals, time and money, and pictorial representations for simple fractions. All students identify, explain, or calculate the following measures of a data set composed of whole number: maximum and minimum values, range, mean, median and mode for a data set.
4. Math Application - All students will recognize the same situation can be represented in more than one way. All students will use a variety of methods to measure length, quantity, height and elapsed time.

Lewis Community Organization (LCO)
As a community of Learners, we value parent participation in learning events and activities. LCO represents the community by including business people, parents and teachers. LCO plans school-wide activities and fundraisers to support the teaching staff. It meets monthly on the First Tuesday night of the month from 5:30 PM with a light snack. The facilitator shares the agenda and the treasurer keeps track of money earned and how the students benefit. Committees are formed for monthly events.

Facilitators:  Michelle Brown and Chrissy Federico
Meeting day and time:  First Tuesday night of the month; 6:00-7:00 PM

Site Council Information
Each school 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. Childcare and dinner is provided during Lewis Site Council meetings.

Meeting Day: First Tuesday of most months
Time: 7 - 8 p.m.
Location: Library
Facilitator: Brandi Peach

• All day kindergarten from 9:00 a.m. to 4:10 p.m.
• Character Education
• School-aged Childcare provided by USD 259 staff
• Interrelated Special Education
• Community Time
• Student Code of Conduct Awards (STAR students)
• LCO (Lewis Community Organization) active parent involvement
• Title I support for academic and behavior goals

As an addition to our district-wide Student Code of Conduct, the Lewis students wrote a new pledge in 2008 to reflect our commitment to a safe and respectful Learning environment.

"I pledge to my community that I will be hard working, fair, responsible, and helpful. Today I will strive to keep my school bully-free. I will do my best to be attentive, cooperative, respectful and kind."

Lewis is a special place with traditions and special events throughout the year. Each year starts with a coming together of old and new “friends” at Open Opening and closes with celebrations of achievement at End Ending. Between these events, we have Fall Festival, Storytelling Festival, Country Fair, Lewis Feast, Young Authors’ Celebration, Pizza Bingo, Gold Medal Reading Ceremony and Walkfest - a River Festival Community event.

Student Technology Leadership team was started at Lewis in 2005. Lewis teachers, Megan Ozias and Suni Barker, wrote a grant for the start up funds for the Student Technology Leadership team. This team of fourth graders learn about software and hardware support. They meet once a week for instruction and to help with projects in classrooms. This year they will be supporting the new Smart Board technology that will be implemented at Lewis and the use of Clickers.

The Circle of Friends club was added in 2008 with Suni Barker as the sponsor. This is a multi-age group of students that supports integration of special education students in our school. They work on team building and developing relationships. Last year, Lewis had the top Buddy award from the Circle of Friends organization.

In 2009, we will start our first School-wide Title 1 program based on our increasing number of families that qualify for Free and Reduced lunches. This grant will allow us to provide additional staff development and focused monitoring and support for academic and behavioral goals.

Please visit our school web site at http://lewis.usd259.org

Lewis Open Magnet - "It's more than a School...It's a Community of Learners."

The Chester I. Lewis Open Magnet Elementary School moved into the old Knight building in 1991. The school was named after prominent black Wichita citizen Chester I. Lewis, attorney and civil rights activist.

Originally, the Knight Elementary School district was created from a part of the Enterprise district and in 1954 included an area bounded by Pawnee on the north, Seneca on the west, 35^th Street on the south and the Arkansas River on the east. Two years later the district was divided to create Sim Elementary School, and the south boundary was moved north.

Construction of Robert F. Knight Elementary School, named in memory of Robert F. Knight who was Superintendent of Schools from 1901-1911, began in June 1954, immediately after the wheat was harvested from the building site. Before school opened in September, 16 portable units had been erected on the northeast corner of the six and one-quarter acre site located at Osage and 29^th Street South. At that time, the east-west street adjacent to the school campus on the north, and now known as 29^th Street South, was referred to as Ellen Street by residents of the area. The building was initiated the first year by a severe storm which tore the roof from two or three units while school was in session.

Because of increased enrollment, the school plant was enlarged to 22 units in 1955. A year later Sim Elementary School was created, and the units added in 1955 were moved to the Sim site.

The permanent building, costing a total of $226,213, was designed by architects W.I. Fisher and Company with Weller Construction Company as the general contractor. Construction of the permanent building at the southwest corner of the site was completed in 1957, and all portable units were removed from the campus that year. A dedication ceremony was held April 13, 1958. Enrollment increased again, and one portable unit was added in 1958. A year later, continued increases in enrollment made it necessary to add two more portable units, and because this enrollment continued to remain fairly stable, a restroom unit was added in 1966.

At the time Knight was constructed there were no paved streets or sidewalks, a condition which prevailed for several years. As a result of vigorous efforts on the part of school officials, the Parent-Teacher Association, and other concerned citizens, Osage Street was paved and sidewalks constructed in 1960. Sandburs and mud were serious problems that plagued the school for many years, and work crews were organized by the school to plant grass for the playground. Twenty-ninth Street South was not paved until the summer of 1969.

Knight was closed at the end of the 1983-84 school year and the portables removed. It was utilized as a Staff Development Center until August 1991 when it was reverted back to classroom use as the Chester I. Lewis Open Magnet School. Staff Development moved its operations to the Administrative Center and the Vo-Tech Center.

During its first year of operation in 1990 the school operated as the Woodman Open Magnet and was housed in one wing of Woodman Elementary School. Lewis Open Magnet currently houses ten classrooms with an enrollment of 250 students.

During the 1993-94 school year, Lewis was selected as a site for the O.W.L.S. project. Wildflowers and grasses were planted in different areas to promote wildlife activity. Ducks and other birds have used the site for nesting. Student academic studies have included work in the butterfly garden, prairie area and tulip garden.

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.

Hanney and Associates Architects completed the plans for Lewis to upgrade/replace infrastructure. The district entered into a contract with Professional Mechanical Contractor, Inc. to complete the Bond project.