Mission

School Year: Murdock-Portal is on a modified year-round calendar.  School begins in early August and ends in late June.  School vacations are adjusted so the number of school days is the same as other schools in our district.

Students: Students are grouped in multi-age villages with teams of teachers and, when possible, remain with the same teacher(s) for two years.  Students work effectively as self-directed learners and collaboratively as team members.

Instructional Focus: Curriculum is aligned with Common Core Standards.   Student groupings are flexible with each child challenged at his/her developmental level.  Teachers use a balance of basic skills and project-based strategies with a focus on collaboration, communication, creativity and critical thinking.

Assessment: A variety of methods are used to assess student achievement.  Development and refinement of standards and assessment instruments are ongoing.  Student learning goals are developed in the fall and revisited throughout the year.

Kindergarten:  All kindergarten students are integrated with first grade to create a multi-age classroom. 

Parent Participation:  Parent participation and financial support is an integral component of our success.  Parents are expected to volunteer in the school and become active in our parent organizations.  The School Site Council (SSC) develops and monitors the school plan and determines budget priorities.  The Portal School Community Organization (PSCO) raises funds to support students and activities.

Open & Honest:  We are open and honest in our communication with each other and our school community.  We believe this builds integrity, dependability, and trust, which are necessary for effective teaming and collaborative partnerships.

Learning:  We believe continuous personal and professional development allows us to grow, facilitates the acquisition of new knowledge, and empowers us to continuously improve.

Community:  We have a community that has a family feeling.  We support, nurture, and value each other, develop and invest in friendships, and have a sense of priority and belonging to this community.

Excellence:  We strive for the best quality in teaching and learning.  We are effective and efficient in accomplishing our work together.

Diversity:  We see our differences as strengths that make us a strong team.  We have the freedom to express our opinions and challenge ourselves.

Responsibility & Accountability:  We are responsible for doing our personal best, learning, reflecting, measuring our progress, and teaching others what we have learned.