William O. Schaefer Elementary School provides young learners in Kindergarten, Grade 1 and Grade 2 with a warm, nurturing environment in which to grow, learn and build a strong foundation for school and for life.

We offer a comprehensive balanced program that focuses on the understanding of concepts and the development of skills. Because the foundation for literacy learning is built on language development, we provide our students with rich language experiences and opportunities to practice. Our standards-based curriculum supports students in developing into good readers, writers, mathematics and above all thinkers.

Our science and social studies programs encourage children to think, explore question and develop an appreciation for the world we live in. Learning is child-centered and hands on.

The arts flourish at WOS. In music, the children are given the opportunity to learn basic elements of tempo and melody through singing, movements and the use of percussion instruments. In visual arts, they are exposed to various art media and basic elements of art.

Educating the body as well as the mind is the job of our physical education department. Our fully equipped PE program provides students with the opportunity to participate in different games, sports, exercises and dance. They learn about bones, muscles and good nutrition.

Our school is also supported by the services of library media and technology specialists who assist students and staff in integrating literacy and technology into their daily lives. Each classroom is equipped with a smart board and document cameras.  In addition we have laptop and Chromebook carts with wireless access to support children as they begin to develop the 21st century skills. Push-in enrichment is provided for all first- and second-graders.

Social skills are developed in classroom and enhanced through programs developed by our school psychologist. English as a New Language (ENL) services are provided for identified students.

Early intervention and related services for struggling students are provided through reading specialists, speech therapists, occupational therapists and the school psychologist. Response To Intervention services are provided by our RTI team and documented by our learning consultant.

Finally, our school nurse, secretarial staff and custodians support the entire WOS community.

WOS Highlights

• Small class size
• Full-day kindergarten
• Technology integrated into classroom experiences through wireless laptops, Chromebooks and iPads
• Art, music, and physical education specialists
• Library media specialist teacher who is an excellent resource for students and teachers; and an automated library system
• Instructional technology teacher
• Early intervention reading support for first-graders, as needed
• Collaborative teaching classes where children with special needs are fully integrated into general education classes and are supported by special education co-teachers and their classroom teacher
• Support staff includes ENL teacher, school psychologist, learning consultant, speech and language pathologist, and part-time gifted education resource teacher