Vision
Lee Woodard Elementary School will provide a nurturing and safe learning environment that promotes academic excellence and good citizenship
 

Mission
Staff, families, and the community will collaborate to ensure a rigorous and relevant learning environment that promotes lifelong learners and productive citizens.
 

Beliefs
At Lee Woodard Elementary School, we believe that:

• All students can and will learn to the best of their abilities.
• Each student must be treated fairly and respectfully.
• Families and the community are essential partners to learning.
• Students must learn academically, socially, emotionally, and physically.
• Respect is necessary for relationships to be created and maintained.
• Students only get one time through school, so we will build positive relationships, use data to inform practice, and respond with urgency.
   

Attendance is absolutely essential for students to succeed in school. Board Policy 4400 provides more specific details. In summary: on each students 3rd, 6th, and 10th unexcused absence, a letter will be sent to you regarding compulsory attendance law.  This letter is designed to inform you of potential consequences of truancy.  

Students arriving before 11:30am are considered present but tardy and students leaving after 11:30am are considered present but tardy.

For this school year, we have 176 school days.  Being 5 minutes late each day costs over 14 instructional hours, or 2 days of instruction. Families: please note that attendance is considered for promotion and retention, and that includes tardies as well.

After 10 absences for any reason, students will need to provide medical documentation for all additional absences.

Please know that due to transitions at the end of the day, safety, and security, we will not dismiss students between 2:30pm and 3:00pm. This is consistent with all Wilson County Schools.
 

Kindergarten parents only will be allowed to park and walk their children to class during the first week of school.

On Friday of the 1st week of school, we will have our Independence Day celebration where the students will walk to class independently.

We have plenty of staff to ensure your child’s safety. This is necessary to make sure your child gets in the routine of school and for instruction to start promptly. This policy/procedure is the same throughout Wilson County Schools.
 

Lee Woodard uses ClassDojo to communicate with parents throughout the school year.  Your student's teacher will provide you with information on how to join their classroom.  We encourage all parents to join ClassDojo so that you can easily communicate with the teacher.  Schoolwide announcements are also shared via ClassDojo.  

You can follow Lee Woodard on Facebook as well.  We use social media to promote the good things happening at our school.  

 

Open House: August 21, 2025 - Title 1 Annual Meeting, 4-6 PM

Policy Code: 3420 Student Promotion and Accountability

1. Purpose

The Board of Education is dedicated to high standards and high achievement for all students.  The Board believes students should progress to the next level of study based on their knowledge and application of the current curriculum level. To the extent reasonably possible, students should be given as much time or as little time as they need to be proficient at a particular level of study.  To reduce the number of students who do not meet promotion standards, the Board directs school administrators and teachers to address the needs of students who are not making adequate academic progress as required by Policy 3405, Students at Risk of Academic Failure.  Academic standards are established by the Wilson County Schools for the specific grade levels and/or courses. The purpose of these standards is to improve teaching and learning, to enable all students to achieve competencies and to engage parents in school improvement through shared accountability.

2. Student Promotion Standards

The Superintendent or designee shall develop (1) proposed promotion standards and (2) a process to be used in determining a student’s readiness to progress to the next level of study. The standards must provide multiple criteria for assessing a student’s readiness to progress to the next level of study, such as standardized test scores, formative and diagnostic assessments, grades, a portfolio or anthology of the student’s work and, when appropriate, accepted standards for assessing developmental growth. Superintendents shall ensure the promotion standards are used by teachers and school administrators in assessing each student’s readiness to progress to the next level of study.

The promotion standards also will require that students not be promoted from eight grade until a career development plan is completed in accordance with requirements of G.S. 115C-158.10 and State Board of Education rules and not be promoted from tenth grade until the career development plan is revised. Any high school student who does not already have a career development plan must complete the plan within 90 days of enrollment in school. Career development plans must be easily accessible to students and parents.

The ultimate responsibility for promotion/retention decisions is assigned to school principals by G.S. 115C-288, except as provided in G.S. 115C-83.7. Such decisions shall be made in accordance with federal, state and local regulations and the expectations provided below. The Board and Superintendent have provided criteria to guide principals in this decision.

3. Diploma Standards

To receive a North Carolina high school diploma, a student must complete the requirements set forth in the policy 3460, Graduation Requirements.

4. Appeals of Promotions Decisions

Parents dissatisfied with the principal's promotion decision as stated in the student’s final report card  may request in writing reconsideration by the principal, except in cases where the student has failed to demonstrate third grade reading proficiency as set forth in G.S. 115C-83.7.  After reconsideration, the principal will notify the parent in writing of the reconsideration decision. Within five workdays of receiving the principal’s written decision to promote or retain a student, the student’s parents may appeal the decision to the Superintendent or designee.  The Superintendent or designee may overturn the principal’s decision only upon a finding that the principal’s decision was arbitrary and capricious (i.e., without a rational basis) or was otherwise an abuse of discretion.  The Superintendent’s or designee’s findings must be in writing and must be provided to the parents.

5. Literacy Interventions

1. Reading Camps

The Board will provide reading camp opportunities as required by law at no fee for students who are entitled to this intervention under state law.  The Superintendent or designee shall encourage parents of eligible students to enroll their students in a reading camp.

2. Individual Reading Plans 

Beginning in the 2022-2023 school year, an Individual Reading Plan (IRP) will be developed in accordance with state law for any student in kindergarten through third grade demonstrating difficulty with reading development based on the results of either the first or second diagnostic or formative assessment of the school year. The student’s teacher shall notify the parent or guardian that the student has demonstrated difficulty with reading development and that an IRP has been developed for the student.  The notice provided must include all other information required under G.S. 115C-83.6B(b) and should be in the parents’ native language.

3. Digital Children’s Reading Initiative

The school system will provide access through the school system website to available resources from the Department of Public Instruction’s Digital Children’s Reading Initiative as required by law.

4. Approval of Literacy Intervention Plan

By the established deadline each year, the Superintendent or designee shall submit to the Department of Public Instruction for approval a plan for the literacy interventions the school system will offer in the following school year, as required by G.S. 115C-83.6A.

6. Promotion Standards for Students with Disabilities

To the extent possible, students with disabilities must be held to the same promotion standards as all other students.  However, for students who take alternative assessments, promotion decisions must be based on criteria recommended by the IEP team.

All intervention strategies and other opportunities, benefits, and resources that are made available to students without disabilities must be made available to those students with disabilities who are subject to the student promotion standards.  Such opportunities must be in addition to the special education services provided to the student.

7. Credit by Demonstrated Mastery

The Superintendent shall provide opportunities for students in grades 9 through 12 to earn course credit by demonstrating mastery of course material without first completing the regular period of classroom instruction in the course.  Students in grades 6 through 8 may earn credit by demonstrated mastery for high school courses offered in middle school.  To earn credit by demonstrated mastery, students must demonstrate a deep understanding of the content standards and application of knowledge through a multi-phase assessment, in accordance with standards established by the State Board of Education and any additional standards established by the Superintendent.

8. Credit Recovery

Students who fail a high school course may retake parts of the course through credit recovery to earn credit for the course.  Credit recovery delivers a subset of the blueprint of the original course in order to specifically address deficiencies in a student’s mastery of the course and target specific components of a course necessary for completion.  The length of credit recovery is dictated by the skills and knowledge the student needs to recover and not a fixed length of seat time.

If the credit recovery course has an associated EOC exam and the student is going to retake it, the exam will be administered no later than 30 days upon completion of the credit recovery course. 

Beginning with the 2025-26 school year, students shall earn a numeric grade for credit recovery.

The Superintendent shall develop procedures addressing the implementation of credit recovery opportunities across the school system. See Regulation: 3420B-R, Student Promotion and Accountability (Credit Recovery).

9. Repeating a Course for Credit

1. Repeating a Previously Failed Course

As provided in State Board of Education policy CCRE-001, high school students who fail a course for credit may repeat that course.  To take advantage of this option, the student must repeat the entire course.  Beginning with the 2015-16 school year, when a student initially fails a high school course and successfully repeats the course for credit, the new course grade will replace the original failing grade for the course on the student’s transcript and in calculations of the student’s GPA, class rank, and honor roll eligibility.  The Superintendent may develop procedures for students to indicate their intent to repeat a course for credit under this paragraph and may establish any other rules as necessary and consistent with State Board policy.

2. Repeating a Course for which Credit was Earned (Grade Replacement)

The Board recognizes that high school students may need to repeat a course for which they have earned credit in order to increase their understanding of the course content, to improve skill mastery, or to meet postsecondary goals.  Students may repeat a course for which they have previously earned credit, subject to the following preconditions and any other reasonable rules established by the Superintendent:

1. the student must have earned a letter grade of C or lower in the course on the first   attempt;
2. the student must make a written request to repeat the course;
3. the principal or designee must approve the request;
4. there must be space available after seats have been assigned to students who are taking the course for the first time or repeating a previously failed course;
5. the course to be repeated must be a duplicate of the original class and must be taken during the regular school day at a high school in this school system or through the North Carolina Virtual Public School;
6. upon completion of the repeated course, the new course grade will be the higher of the two grades on the student’s transcript and in calculations of the student’s GPA, class rank, and honor roll eligibility.
7. credit towards graduation for the same course will be given only once;
8. a course may be repeated only one time; and
9.  students may repeat a maximum of four previously passed courses during their high school careers.

The Superintendent shall require notice to students and parents of these preconditions and of another relevant information deemed advisable by the Superintendent.

10. Credit From Studying Abroad

The Board encourages students to participate in foreign exchange student programs to enhance their high school academic experience and heighten their awareness and knowledge of global cultures. With careful planning, students may receive credit for courses taken abroad that have substantial equivalency to school system high school courses in content and in hours.

Students who wish to receive high school credit for courses taken during the school year in a foreign country should file a request for study abroad credit with the principal or designee by July 1 of the year preceding the proposed study. To receive credit, the student must submit a copy of the syllabus of the course with the hours of study and grading system described. The student should promptly notify the principal or designee of any course changes.

11. Acceleration

Some students may need less time to learn the curriculum.  Teachers are encouraged to challenge these students by expanding the curriculum, providing opportunities to explore subjects in greater detail or providing different types of educational experiences.  To challenge a student sufficiently, the principal may reassign the student to a different class or level of study and/or may identify concurrent enrollment or other curriculum expansion options.

Students also have the option of using an accelerated pathway to complete high school  in three years rather than four (see policy 3460, Graduation Requirements).

12. Reporting Requirements

1. Superintendent’s Report to the Board

At least on an annual basis, the Superintendent shall provide the Board with the following information for each school:

1. aggregate student performance scores on state-mandated tests and any other standardized tests used by a school or the school system;
2. the number and percentage of students retained;
3. the number and percentage of third grade students exempt from mandatory third grade retention by category of exemption as listed in state law; and
4. remedial or additional educational opportunities provided by the school system and the success of these efforts in helping students meet promotion standards.

2. Report to the North Carolina State Board of Education and Department of Public Instruction

Pursuant to statutory requirements and standards established by the Department of Public Instruction, all required information regarding student performance will be provided annually to the State Board of Education and the Department of Public Instruction.

3. Publication on the School System Website

Information about the reading performance of first, second, and third grade students will be posted on the school system website in accordance with state law.

13. Resources

Consistent with the objective of improving student performance, the Board will provide schools with maximum flexibility in the allocation of state funds.  School personnel are expected to budget financial resources in a manner that will meet the standards established in this policy.  The Board will consider requests to transfer funds from other funding allotment categories to intervention strategies as part of the school improvement plan submitted by school officials.  All funds will be used in a fiscally sound manner.

14. Notification to Parents

The Superintendent or designee shall provide information regarding promotion standards to all students and parents.  In addition, if a kindergarten, first grade, second grade, or third grade student (1) is demonstrating difficulty with reading development or (2) is not reading at grade level, the student’s teacher shall provide the student’s parents timely written notice advising that if the student is not demonstrating reading proficiency by the end of third grade, the student will be retained, unless exempt from mandatory retention for good cause.  Parents are encouraged to help their children meet the promotion standards and will have opportunities to discuss the promotion standards and procedures with teachers and the principal.  Information provided to parents should be in the parents’ native language when appropriate foreign language resources are readily available. 

The teacher of a student who is at risk of retention or does not meet promotion standards must notify the student’s parents no later than the end of the next appropriate grading period that the student has failed to meet the standards for progression to the next level of study. The teacher must provide the parents with information concerning retesting, intervention, review, and appeal opportunities.  When a student is to be retained, the principal shall provide the student’s parents written notice of the retention and, if the student will be retained in accordance with G.S. 115C-83.7(a) for failure to demonstrate reading proficiency, (1) written notice of the reason the student is not eligible for a good cause exemption as provided in G.S. 115C-83.7(b) and (2) a description of proposed literacy interventions that will be provided to the student to remediate areas where the student has not demonstrated reading proficiency.  Teachers shall provide parents of students retained under G.S. 115C-83.7(a) at least monthly written reports on student progress toward reading proficiency.  The evaluation of a student’s progress will be based upon the student’s classroom work, observations, tests, assessments, and other relevant information.

15. Children of Military Families

As required by the Interstate Compact on Educational Opportunity for Military Children (G.S. 115C-407.5), G.S. 115C-407.12, school administrators have the authority to exercise flexibility in waiving course or program prerequisites or other preconditions for the placement of children of military families, as defined in policy 4050, Children of Military Families, in courses or programs offered by the school system.

16. Transfer Student Requirements

Promotion and graduation requirements of students who transfer into the Wilson County Schools system will be determined by the Superintendent or his/her designee on an individual basis. The requirements will be determined by the units earned at the time of enrollment and the number of opportunities to earn credits toward the expected year of graduation.

The Superintendent shall develop administrative procedures for this policy.

Legal References: G.S. 115C-36, -45(c), -47, -81.5, -83.2, -83.3, -83.6, -83.6A, -83.6B, -83.7, -83.7A, -83.8, -83.9, -83.10, -83.11, -83.31, -105.21, -158.10, -174.11, -288(a), -407.5, -407.12; S.L. 2021-8; 16 N.C.A.C. 6D, -0508, .0510; State Board of Education Policies CCRE-001, GRAD-001, GRAD-006, KNEC-002, KNEC-003

Cross Reference: Student Promotion and Accountability - Standards (AR 3420A-R), Student Promotion and Accountability - Credit Recovery (AR 3420B-R), Graduation Requirements (policy 3460)

Other Resources: Guidelines for Testing Students Identified as English Learners (N.C. Department of Public Instruction), available at https://www.dpi.nc.gov/districts-schools/testing-and-school-accountability/testing-policy-and-operations/testing-students-identified-english-learners; Comprehensive Reading Plan for Achievement, available at https://www.dpi.nc.gov/districts-schools/classroom-resources/early-learning-read-achieve/k-3-literacy

Revised: June 9, 2025

Students in grades 3-5 will take End-of-Grade tests in mathematics, English Language Arts, and 5th-grade Science. Throughout the school year, students will take benchmark tests in October, January, and April. In addition, our students practice assignments using Mastery Connect throughout the year.

It is important that students work to achieve their very best throughout the year, as this is one component of promotion and retention standards. We use this data to make small groups and drive our instruction. Over the past few years, we have made great progress, and we expect to continue this excellent growth. 

Please review your calendars and make sure not to schedule trips during these times. You can find all testing dates on this calendar. 
 

More information to come after we switch to Infinite Campus in July.

If you and your spouse are separated or divorced, and you have been granted custody of your child, please advise the school administration and provide a copy of the custody order. If either parent has a restraining order preventing one parent from coming in contact with the child, we must have a signed copy of that order on file. Without these copies on file, the school shall not withhold a child from either parent.

Volunteers must be approved via Raptor, and volunteers must check in the front office for the safety and security of the school. Raptor is described below.

ADD INFORMATION FOR RAPTOR HERE
 
Thank you for volunteering in Wilson County Schools!  Your contributions are invaluable!

School Hours - 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Early Release Days, the schedule is as follows: 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Upon arriving at school, students must report directly to class if they are on time. If students arrive after 8:00am, a parent or guardian must come into the school to sign the student in. The parent or guardian will use the iPad to sign the student in, and the student will take the printed slip to the homeroom.
If students need to be checked out early, the parent must come into the school to do this. Students will not be allowed to be checked out starting at 2:30pm, or 12:30pm on early release days.
 

Your student’s safety, security, and well-being are of paramount importance, so we have the following policies and procedures in place to ensure safety for all. 
 
Transportation: 
Students riding the bus must follow bus safety rules. Bus rules will be enforced by the bus driver and administration. 
Bus assignments cannot be changed due to emergencies because of insurance liabilities; this includes requests to ride with friends/relatives. Requests for a change in bus transportation must be filled out by parents and faxed to the school bus garage. Students must ride the bus they are assigned to ride. 
Car Riders should be dropped off at the main entrance (no earlier than 7:30) and picked up at the main entrance of the building only (no later than 3:30). Drivers should drive slowly and use caution when moving through the parking lot. Please pay attention to our carpool staff –they are excellent at directing traffic!! Carpool parents and students should only use the front entrance of the school. This is where staff will be stationed. 
Parents are asked to send a note by their child when a change of transportation is required. We do not accept phone calls for routine changes in transportation. You may fax a request to 252-294-9219. Please give us a call to let us know you are sending a request via fax. 
Arrival: 
Students may not be dropped off prior to 7:30. 
Cars must drop off students by the front entrance; they may not drop off students by the buses nor by side/rear exits/entrances. 
Parents/Guardians may not report to classrooms without an appointment and permission. 
 
Dismissals: 
Car riders must be picked up at the front entrance and not with the buses. 
By 2:30 PM on regular school days (or 12:30 PM on early-release school days), classes are preparing to leave, so transportation means cannot change. 
Dismissals by parents are considered “tardy” just as arriving late is tardy. 
After 2:30 PM, students cannot be checked out due to end-of-day transitions beginning.
 
*Changes*:    Parents are asked to send a note via child when a change in transportation is required. No transportation changes will be accepted after 2:00pm. You may fax a request to 252-294-9219. Please call us to let us know you are sending a fax request. Requests for same-day bus changes CANNOT be granted. Parents must fill out request forms and fax to the school bus garage for approval.

We encourage the use of field trips to build on curricular studies and expand our students’ understanding. We have a list of recommended field trip options per grade level and will work to make the cost of these trips as reasonable as possible. 

In order for students to be able to attend trips, the student must return all necessary district forms and school forms for liability and safety purposes.
 

If inclement weather occurs prior to school, we will follow the directives given.

If school is planned to close early, we will utilize all teachers, TAs, and staff to call and contact parents to coordinate how to get students early. Special areas and EC will be used to help K-5 classes. TAs will go to their assigned rooms, and special areas will be designated to assist those classes without TAs. The priorities will be to ensure that students are safe, accounted for, and fed.

If inclement weather occurs at the end of the day, we will ensure that students get home safely, then we will leave.

District and School social media, connect-ed, television stations WRAL, WTVD, WNCT, and other local channels will carry information about school closings. 
 

One of the major factors in our success at Lee Woodard is that our educators and students are able to focus with minimal distractions, and all incidents that disrupt the sanctity of the learning environment will be addressed and consequences will be aligned with board policy and swift. Please help us in reinforcing the expectation for excellent behavior.

Students are expected to comply with adult directives at all times. When students are in violation of the code of conduct, adult staff will attempt to use internal means to redirect the child to minimize disruptions. Teachers may conference with the child, send families a ClassDojo, separate the child from peers, provide a structured recess, or require a lunch detention.

However, if an offense is disruptive to the learning environment, and/or if an offense is dangerous, and/or if an offense is repeated and ongoing, the staff may refer the student to the principal via referral.

All referrals to the office will be addressed using Board Policy 4300.

A letter will also be sent home with your child detailing the events and consequences. Failure to abide by minor consequences (such as detentions or in-school-suspension) will result in out-of-school suspension. 

 

We will have Title 1 events and conferences.  The following resources provide important information for families:

Student Handbook
School/Family Compact
Parent-Teacher Conferences
Student-Led Data Conferences
School and Teacher Websites
School Facebook Page
Wilson County Schools App
Teacher and Administrator Email
Messaging App (Class Dojo/Remind)
Learning Management System (Parent Portal, Google Classroom, Seesaw)
School Marquee

Lee Woodard Elementary School will provide opportunities to interact during:
*Open House
*Title 1 Curriculum Nights
*School Celebrations
*Book Fairs
*PTCO and Music Programs
*Parent/Teacher Conferences and Student-Led Conferences
*PTCO Meetings and Events

Families are invited to become directly involved in daily activities by participating in:
PTCO
Volunteering
Field Trips

Parent input is valued at Lee Woodard Elementary School. Families have the opportunity to be part of site-based decision-making processes through:
Title 1 Surveys
PTCO
District Parent Advisory Council
School Improvement Team
 

Lee Woodard Elementary School is dedicated to the success of our students. The faculty and staff of Lee Woodard Elementary believe that all families are partners in the education of their children. Family engagement is essential to the success of students. The Lee Woodard administration will work in collaboration with teachers, parents, and guardians to support the faculty, Parent-Teacher Organization, and families to enhance family involvement and engagement by:

• Respecting family members as partners in the education of their children and honoring their roles as first and lifelong teachers.
• Setting high expectations for excellent customer (student/parent) service.
• Expecting high student achievement for all students.
• Promoting family involvement in site-based leadership and decision making.
• Fostering a welcoming and responsive environment for all families.
• Establishing and promoting communication as a source of trust and understanding between the Lee Woodard staff and families.

At Lee Woodard Elementary School, we expect families to be involved in their children’s learning and education by:

• Taking the initiative to reach out and advocate for their children.
• Respecting and supporting the Lee Woodard staff as partners in education.
• Utilizing communication to support the instruction, achievement, and conduct of their children.
• Participating, volunteering, and engaging with Lee Woodard Elementary School.
   

We will have Title 1 events and conferences.  The following resources provide important information for families:

Student Handbook
School/Family Compact
Parent-Teacher Conferences
Student-Led Data Conferences
School and Teacher Websites
School Facebook Page
Wilson County Schools App
Teacher and Administrator Email
Messaging App (Class Dojo/Remind)
Learning Management System (Parent Portal, Google Classroom, Seesaw)
School Marquee

Lee Woodard Elementary School will provide opportunities to interact during:
*Open House
*Title 1 Curriculum Nights
*School Celebrations
*Book Fairs
*PTCO and Music Programs
*Parent/Teacher Conferences and Student-Led Conferences
*PTCO Meetings and Events

Families are invited to become directly involved in daily activities by participating in:
PTCO
Volunteering
Field Trips

Parent input is valued at Lee Woodard Elementary School. Families have the opportunity to be part of site-based decision-making processes through:
Title 1 Surveys
PTCO
District Parent Advisory Council
School Improvement Team
 

Riding the school bus is a privilege. Students must behave and follow bus driver directives on the bus at all times. Drivers may need for the bus to be silent or quiet. Drivers will assign students to seats and may change assignments.

Misbehavior on the bus will not be tolerated. Students may not eat or drink on the bus, and students may not be moving around on the bus as it is being operated.

Offenses such as hitting, fighting, throwing objects, putting items out of windows, making inappropriate gestures to pedestrians or other drivers, or any other behaviors that can be reasonably construed as being dangerous will result in automatic removal.

Minor misbehaviors will result in:
1st offense:    warning + silent bus + up to 3 days 
suspended from bus
2nd offense:    3-5 days suspended from bus
3rd offense:    5-10 days suspended from bus
4th offense+:    10 days suspended from bus

Major offenses or repeated offenses may result in removal from the bus
 

All students will need to have data information sheets completed along with emergency information. This includes:

• Emergency contacts/names and phone numbers/emails
• Medication needs and releases
• Safety needs and concerns
   

Children should be kept home when the following symptoms are present: fever, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, red and watery eyes with drainage, severe headache or undiagnosed rash. Children should remain at home until symptom-free for 24 hours. Parents will be contacted when students are too ill to remain in the classroom. The only services that we are able to provide are: bandages, taking of temperatures, soap and water, and the rescue squad (for emergency situations). Students who are ill should not be sent to school.

Parents should supply the school with information pertinent to emergencies. This information should include health problems, physician or third-party contact information and current phone numbers. Medication administered at school will require a signed medication form, which will be kept in a confidential folder. These forms are available in the main office. Prescription medication must be in the original container with the student’s name on the label. For the safety of students and staff, please do not send medication to school with your child.   

 

 

Awards Day will be celebrated at the end of the year after End-of-Grade Testing. We will recognize students for academic performance, improvement, and other miscellaneous areas. 

Families in grades K, 1, 2, 3, and 4 will be invited dependent on if their child receives an award.

All families of 5th grade students will be invited because all of the students will be announced in recognition of their completion of the final year of elementary school.