Welcome to KIPP Morial Primary, located in New Orleans East. Formerly KIPP McDonogh 15, KIPP Morial is a brand new building and school, having relocated from the French Quarter. KIPP Morial is a member of the KIPP national charter network, as well as part of the New Orleans Recovery School District. A report card for any Louisiana school can be found here.
School Information KIPP Morial is a high-poverty, largely African American/Black school, although there are increasing numbers of Hispanic/Latino students each year. Morial is located in a very poor neighborhood of New Orleans that is very tight-knit. While the school is located in the neighborhood of New Orleans East, students travel from all over the city to attend, which presents unique challenges and experiences for staff and students alike. There is a significant focus on the arts and music at Morial, with every child, K-5 enrolled in one of the arts/athletics classes (Dance, Fitness, Visual Art, Band). Additionally, there are strong SPED and psychology support systems for students who struggle with significant trauma and learning disabilities. Students are regularly and effectively serviced.
As a district, KIPP New Orleans is focusing on Purposeful Prep this year. This means that there has been a significant increase in expectations for planning and preparation on a day-to-day basis. Teachers take time each week to produce weekly overviews along with standards and criteria for success for each day of the week. We then produce exemplar products and script out lesson plans for each day. There are four 90 minute blocks in each day for content, and mine are spent in math workshop format. Students spend 45 minutes in small group with me, while the other half of the class works on blended learning platforms like ST Math. We then switch groups. Our team consists of three other fifth grade teachers and an assistant principal/coach. Grade level meetings are held each Wednesday for an hour, followed by content team time. Outside of regular math teaching for fifth grade, I help teach the drum line that is starting this year.
Classroom Information I teach fifth grade math in a departmentalized setting each day. I have four class periods that are 90 minutes long. Each class contains 30 students, totaling 120 students that I see each day. All of my classes are a good balance of males and females, and nearly 100% of my students are African American/Black. Two of my classes are inclusion classes for SPED students, and our SPED staff pushes in daily for instruction, followed by a brief lesson with the students in their classroom before they return to the general education setting. The other two classes contain no SPED students. My students are on a wide range of academic performance, and vary by class. I have students who are working on an advanced level for fifth grade and other students who struggle with second grade concepts.
*Used with permission from KIPP Morial and all scholar's parental consent