Dr. Michelle Mathias, Principal
Principal “Shelley” Mathias
Greetings and welcome to Edmunds Elementary School!
Learning and growing requires that students are available emotionally, socially and intellectually. Brain based research has taught us that we cannot ignore emotional states of children; that access to learning is very much impacted by the emotional well being of our students. The approach to behavior at Edmunds Elementary and throughout the Burlington School District is based on the framework of Positive Behavior Intervention Supports. Edmunds Elementary School has been recognized as an Exemplar School by the State of Vermont for the past two years for our work and continued improvement measured by academic and behavioral improvement.
Those entering the halls of our schools will find a warm, happy campus with high expectations of learning and discovery. Our faculty and staff work to enhance the learning and growth of every child. We work to integrate our content so that students are able to see the relevance to their world. We have a very diverse campus, and understand that norms are not necessarily shared by all. In order to be inclusive and equitable, we teach skills for social, emotional and academic success. Those skills include listening, focus, regulating ones body, empathy and problem solving. All of these are also essential skills for learning. The norms for the EES Community are based upon Safety, Respect, and Responsibility. We work with students in identifying what each of those ideas look, sound and feel like in the classroom. We actively teach what they look like in all our common areas, such as the playground, hallways, restrooms and cafeteria. We teach what those norms or expectations look like on field trips, off the campus where the behavior of our students is representative of our community.
We are now adding another level of work in the area of insuring that our community is one where all students have relationships and a feeling of belonging. Research is very clear that motivation to succeed in school is greatly enhanced by positive relationships and belonging. To achieve this, we have added the work of Restorative Practices. The first steps in Restorative Practices is based in the foundational work of PBiS where a common understanding of community is established and actively and consistently taught. The extension of that, is in helping students listen and speak more carefully, from the heart, to hear from their classmates, and learn about them from a deeper level. This has provided greater understanding and a willingness to be more accepting, and is building stronger classroom communities. All of this work is directly related to the manner in which we approach our academics, to insure that all students are included and well served.
We welcome all to come to visit EES, and see for yourself the fine work that is being done every day by our students and the faculty and staff. We have Whole School Assemblies every Thursday morning to which the public is welcome. They are held in
the cafeteria from 8:10 to 8:30. Feel free to come and experience our EES community.
The following are my core beliefs. They are that which guide me in my role as educator, as educational leader, and as a member of society.
- Kindness and respect are integral to a climate that fosters learning for all.
- Equity in education demands appropriate levels of challenge for each child.
- Cultural competence is critical to developing an awareness of implicit bias and the manner in which we interact with students, and their families to enhance greater understanding by all.
- The curiosity inherent in every child must be fostered and nurtured to ensure engagement and the habits of mind that lead to life-long learning.
- The arts are lasting expressions of human thought and emotion and as such are critical to the education of the whole child.
- Parents are our students’ first teachers and know their children’s learning styles and idiosyncrasies better than anyone else and as such are part of our team.
- The primary purpose of assessments is to determine the educational needs of each student and the appropriate means with which to insure individual growth.
- Professional growth demands feedback, input and dialog, all of which should be available through multiple sources.
- No one seeks feedback who feels risk in doing so.
- Involving students in tracking their own learning enables them to have a clear vision of what they are working towards and what they have accomplished, serving to motivate them further.
- The integration of brain based research in our school culture, climate and instruction will enable each student to progress farther.
- Teaching students how their brain helps or hinders their learning will provide them with the tools to affect their own learning and environment.
- Each of us is part of the whole and as such plays an integral role in the growth of our community.
Education:
BS – Business Administration, Colby-Sawyer College
MBA – University of Connecticut
M.Ed. – Johnson State College
Ed.D – Educational Policy and Leadership, University of Vermont, Dissertation: Study on the Relationship between cumulative per pupil investment and student outcomes
