Our Mission

Lake Shipp Elementary strives to be a school where all children are challenged to reach their full potential through academics. Our instructional focus is on reading in all academic areas. Technology will be used as a tool to enhance the academic program. We will be a school where all stakeholders feel welcome to grow and take risks in our learning environment, and where all students will be given an equal opportunity to succeed. These successes will be celebrated through positive experiences, in a place where everyone feels safe, appreciated, honored, and respected. Family Involvement, social skills, and character education development will support our vision increasing academic achievement. We will embrace traditions and values that support the entire community.

Vision

Students: Lake Shipp believes that everyone will think independently, cooperate, be responsible and respectful, and achieve the Sunshine State Standards. With these qualities, we will become productive members of society, prepared for the future.

Staff: Lake Shipp staff will create a positive, caring, and successful learning community.

Belief Statements:

All students can be successful learners and achieve academic potential.
All staff will use research-based strategies that focus on the Sunshine State Standards.
Professional staff development will be based on students’ needs.
Family and community involvement will support and enhance student achievement.
A safe and secure environment is essential for teaching and learning.

School History

Initial Development

Lake Shipp Elementary School, located in the southwest corner of Winter Haven, Florida, is a Pre-K-5 traditional elementary school. It was established in 1956 with eight buildings, most of them on long wings with outdoor sidewalks. Two additional classroom buildings and a media center have been built since the 1980’s. Three portables are set up on the east end of the PE field for ESE classrooms.

The school is on the outskirts of the town and serves students in Winter Haven, Eloise, and Eagle Lake. Most of the students reside within four miles of the school with an additional pocket zone of students from northeast Winter Haven.

Lake Shipp Elementary currently has 631 students enrolled. The teacher pupil ratio is an average of one to eighteen in the primary grades and one to twenty in the intermediate grades. Its student body is diversely mixed. The ethnic breakdown for the site reveals fifty-two percent of the students are Caucasian, twenty-eight percent are African-American, sixteen percent are Hispanic, one percent is Asian, one percent is American Indian, and three percent are multi-racial. The gender breakdown is fifty-two percent male and forty-eight percent female. It has an ESE department that serves five percent of the students. The ESE students have a variety of special needs including, but not limited to, speech and language, specific learning disabilities, and educable mentally handicapped.

Lake Shipp Elementary has seventy-six percent of students on free or reduced lunches, qualifying it for Title I services.

Recent History

IDuring 2006-07 school year, the PTA contributed to the PE and Music programs and held special activities for students. In addition, they created opportunities for students to have positive experiences at school with a movie night and a dance.

Students are involved in a variety of activities including a music outreach programs with performances at local events and nursing homes and local art contests. They also participate in the school and district science fair, strings, and local track events. Families are involved at school through special performances, parent conferences, Book Fair Family Night, and parent meetings for FCAT information.

Lake Shipp Elementary has an outstanding record of volunteer service. It has earned the Golden School Award for 25 years of volunteer service. The Golden School Award is given annually by the Florida Department of Education. Golden Schools acquire a total number of volunteer hours that equals twice the number of students enrolled in the school. This award honors the number of volunteer hours from the community and parents.

On the FCAT, Lake Shipp Elementary had seventy-one percent of students reading at or above grade level. Seventy-six percent of the students made a year’s worth of progress in reading, while seventy two percent of struggling students made a year’s worth of progress. In math, sixty-six percent of the students were at grade level or above with sixty-three percent making a year’s progress, while sixty-one percent of struggling students made a year's worth of progress. Ninty-four percent of the students met the state standards in writing.

Lake Shipp Elementary did meet federal adequate yearly progress under the No Child Left Behind for the second year in a row. Additionally, the state of Florida determined the school grade as A for the 2006-2007 school year. This is the second year in a row of an A grade from the state. This plan will implement strategies to continue this success. To address the improvement needs for adequate yearly progress and the state grade, our highly qualified staff is committed to professional development activities that include reading and math strategies, differentiating the teaching of the Sunshine State Standards for our students and implementing curriculum maps.

Code of Conduct and Other School Policy