• DEMOGRAPHICS
    YEAR SCHOOL OPENED
    1977
    ATTENDANCE RATE (%)
    95.0
    student Enrollment
    425
    Race/Ethnicity (%)
    African American....................... 3.5
    Hawaii/Pac. Islander.......................... -
    White.............................. 90.1
    Multiracial...................... 2.9
    Hispanic......................... 2.6
    American Indian/AK....................... -
    Asian.............................. -
    GENDER (%)
    Male................................ 53.7Ā 
    Female........................... 46.3
    Special Services** (%)
    FARMS........................... 16.2
    504.................................. 3.7
    Special Ed..................... 12.9
    LEP................................. -
    Title 1............................. No

    Ā **Special Services Terms Glossary

    School Renovation Details -  1999

Fort Smallwood Elementary School

Ft. Smallwood

Who We Are: Our Community and School Culture

  • Each of our schools’ leadership teams analyzed the factors that impact their students’ ability to engage deeply and achieve academic success. They shared stories of their students and families, some of whom are facing serious challenges associated with physical wellness, social-emotional stability, unique learning needs, family security, mental health, violence, and food/housing uncertainties. They discussed the obstacles that their students face daily when preparing to come to school on time, ready to learn.
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    Questions such as the following drove discussions around Anne Arundel County: 

    • What are the challenges and obstacles that negatively affect our students’ engagement and achievement most significantly and why?
    • Are we analyzing our data and listening closely to learn about all of our students when we seek to understand our learners’ social-emotional and academic struggles?
    • How do cultural differences, language challenges, transportation difficulties, health problems, and frequent family relocation (mobility) serve as obstacles to school success for our students?
    • What resources and supports are available within AACPS and across our county to support students and families in need?  How do we help our families receive the supports they need?

Our School Culture

  • Below is the school’s story as seen through the eyes of school leaders. They discuss the culture of their school and the community. 

    On any given day, students are greeted by staff at the front door, after arriving by bus or car.  As they continue through the halls, students are greeted by the staff eagerly awaiting their arrival and by the many volunteers assisting throughout the building in a variety of ways.  It is evident to anyone that enters, that the success of all students is a priority to all they encounter. The hallways of the building are reflective of evidence of this success with pictures of students and the principal acknowledging positive behaviors; artwork that brings instruction to life; and reminders of our core values of developing the whole child. 

    Upon entry into one of the many classrooms in the building, the importance of both a nurturing environment and rigorous learning environment is evident.  Our highly qualified teachers facilitate instruction that is motivational and supportive of all levels of learners. Students are encouraged to be critical thinkers and problem solvers.  Early in the day, students bustle to join a variety of small groups to support their success- reading incentive programs, reading intervention programs, math practice sessions, and extra time with teachers. 

    Supports have been put in place to increase communication between home, school, and the community using emailed newsletters and Connect Ed  messages, and increasing attendance at school-wide functions. Teachers regularly update grade-level Blackboard Sites with parent information as a means of keeping open lines of communication.

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    All parents are invited into the school to join students during various activities such as Welcome Wednesday Lunches on the first Wednesday of each month, and guest reading on special holidays such as Veterans Day.   Our annual Race for Education draws many community sponsors, parents, and family members. Muffins with Mom, Donuts with Dad, and Goodies with Grandparents are additional ways to welcome family into the Fort Smallwood family.   

    The school’s Enhancing Elementary Excellence (Triple-E) Program emphasizes STEM in Society. Triple-E allows students to work in teams to collaboratively ask questions, creatively solve problems, and enthusiastically learn through hands-on exploration.  The benefits are many: in a world that is changing faster than ever before, the STEM in Society theme creates an environment that allows our students to study challenging and meaningful questions related to our world in the 21st Century, take risks with new ideas and become inventors, problem-solvers, and innovators, whose solutions make a positive impact on the world around them. There is a strong emphasis on STEM methodologies of study, including engineering design, scientific inquiry, computer coding, and more. The natural curiosity of children will be fostered as students work together on projects and problems found within their homes and communities.

    Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) help to promote a positive environment in the school, recognizing students individually and collectively for making positive decisions, and adhering to Rocky’s Three Rs: Respectful, Responsible, and Ready to Learn. 

Challenges to Student Success

  • The leadership team in each AACPS school reviewed all of the factors that may influence their students’ engagement and achievement in school; these challenges include academic data elements, community history, and socio-economic aspects of each community. The school’s leadership team identified the following elements as impactful for their students.


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