Linwood Elementary School

Achievement Highlights

Exit Kellogg at I-135 South. Go south on I-135 to the Harry Street exit. Proceed west to Hydraulic. Go south on Hydraulic 1 block to Linwood. See Maps for all USD 259 locations.

We at Linwood want to develop positive relationships with students, families, and positively impact student learning, focus on what is best for students, and use real world connections to educate and inspire students to be life-long learners.

Vision Statement
Linwood Elementary envisions an atmosphere that is safe, positive, enthusiastic, flexible and friendly, where students and their families feel connected and are actively involved. We are dedicated to continued learning and strive to be a model school for others.

School Values and Beliefs
Linwood Elementary staff value and believe that in order to support students to be successful we must:

• Communicate professionally
• Do what is best for kids
• Have high, consistent expectations for our students
• Utilize cooperation, collaboration, teamwork, and compromise
• Build positive connections with every student
• Honor differences and respect cultures
• And make an ongoing commitment to learning

LINWOOD’S CURRICULUM:

• is rigorous, standard-based and data driven to meet each child’s individual needs in a manner that is engaging.

LINWOOD’S INSTRUCTION:

• is research based.
• is well-planned, aligned with curriculum and assessments, integrated across subject areas, and differentiated to meet student needs.
• incorporates various learning and teaching styles to provide real-life experiences.

LINWOOD’S ASSESSMENTS:

• are on-going, meaningful, and necessary for student achievement.
• are aligned with standards and provide specific information that drives instruction.

LINWOOD’S LEARNING ENVIRONMENT:

• is safe, consistent, and structured.
• engages a community of learners by creating a hands-on, meaningful, differentiated instruction in order to connect with each child on an individual basis that provides the most appropriate learning environment.

Motto

Excellence is expected, diversity is valued, and parent and community involvement is appreciated.

1. All students will improve reading comprehension skills.
2. All students will acquire and improve computation and problem solving skills.
3. All students will improve writing skills.

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.

Linwood Site Council meets on a Monday each month at 5:00 p.m. in the Linwood library. At this time, the principal serves as chairperson.

• Childcare program for elementary school children before and after school
• Pre-Kindergarten
• All Day Kindergarten
• Internet access and access to mobile wireless technology in every classroom
• SmartBoards, School Pads, or Interwrite Boards in every classroom
• Block Scheduling for Reading and Math
• Interrelated Special Education Program
• Arts Partners Grant
• D.A.R.E. Drug Awareness Resistance Education Program at 5^th Grade
• Full-time Nurse
• Full-time Media Specialist
• Community Partner: Downtown Lions Club
• Parent Involvement Worker and monthly parenting activities
• Field trips to enrich standards based curriculum
• Field Day (May)
• Evening Music programs at all grade levels

• Circle of Friends
• Choices Group
• Clubs
• Choir
• Field Trips

Linwood Elementary School, 1340 Pattie, was built in 1910 after citizens in the area petitioned the Board of Education about the need for a school facility. The Board investigated sites for the construction, and on August 2, 1909, voted to buy 16 lots at the corner of Pattie and Zimmerly at a cost of $3,760. At the request of patrons, the school was first called Sixth Ward Linwood; however, sometime during the years, it was shortened to Linwood.

The original building contained four classrooms and a basement and was constructed of brick. The interior had wooden floors and stairways. When the school opened in the fall of 1910, it was found the four classrooms were not sufficient, so classes were held both in the basement and in the small office room. In 1911, a two-room annex was moved in, and during the summer of 1912, four permanent classrooms were added to the main building.

The Linwood Community grew and the increasing enrollment was accommodated by bringing in annex buildings from time to time. In April 1929, a delegation of citizens from the south part of the city presented a petition signed with about 400 names asking for the construction of an addition to the school. The petition was studied and approved, and architects chosen for the building were Schmidt, Boucher and Overend. The addition was completed in 1930 and increased the number of classrooms to 12.

The successful bond election of 1974 provided funds for site expansion and the construction of a multipurpose room, kitchen, restrooms and storage space. The addition was completed in 1977. In 1981, alterations were made to the library media center, and in 1985, a computer lab and special education lab were added.

Linwood housed K-6 students through 1988-89. Sixth graders were moved to middle school and Linwood was paired with Chisholm school. Chisholm houses grades K-2 and Linwood houses grades 3-5. The initial pairing of the two school communities met with varying degrees of resistance and acceptance. After a year of work, the two school communities were paired and the concept of one school at two sites evolved.

Chapter 1 services were available to Linwood until the 1995-96 school year. Chapter 1 re-authorization caused Linwood to lose Chapter 1 services.

Many of the former students of Linwood School still live in the district. Some of these people were here when the original construction of the building was completed. Today, students are attending Linwood whose parents and grandparents attended the school.

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.

The district utilized PBA Architects, P.A. to design a three-section elementary school prototype to be used for Linwood, Allen and Enterprise schools. A vote by the Board of Education approved the acquisition of property in South Linwood Park, and National Contractors, Inc. was contracted for $5,306,000 to build the new Linwood Elementary School. Students entered the doors of the new school for the first time in March 2004.

The Bond project celebration was held on April 27, 2004.