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Horizons Elementary School
Our Mission
The mission of Horizons Elementary School is to address the needs of each student by providing academic support, behavior modification strategies, mental health services, and community resources.
Our Vision
Our Vision is to enable students to achieve academic excellence while developing, demonstrating, and maintaining acceptable behavior that will prepare them to return to their home schools and succeed as students and citizens.
Our History
Horizons Elementary School is the first elementary alternate school in North Carolina and opened in August of 2001. The school began as an idea presented by the elementary school principals that came to fruition after a group of education and community leaders met over a period of several months. Representatives from Caldwell County Schools, Social Services, the Health Department, Juvenile Justice, Foothills Mental Health, and other community agencies began meeting in the fall of 2000 to discuss the possibility of providing a variety of needed services to elementary-aged children. When the old Hudson Elementary School building became available, the plan became a reality. Horizons is designed to serve K-6 students who have been unsuccessful in their home school primarily due to behaviors or emotional problems. Students are referred to Horizons by their home school using a rather lengthy process. It includes documentation of strategies and interventions that the home school has used to assist the student, as well as any testing or assessments that have been done. The Horizons staff reviews the documentation, discusses the students with representatives of the home school, and determines if the student is a good candidate for placement. The parents are invited to visit Horizons, meet the staff, and discuss the services that can be provided to their child and family.
Horizons has several unique features including mental health services and small class size, with an excellent teacher and assistant in each classroom. Every teacher uses the N.C. Standard Course of Study, with Accelerated Reader, Accelerated Math, and Internet access in each classroom to assist instruction. Teachers and assistants are trained in the Sonday system of reading to assist struggling readers. Last school year, 86% of the students in grade 3-6 scored at or above grade level on the end-of-grade tests. Horizons was recognized by Caldwell County Schools as having the greatest gains in test scores for the 2003-2004 school year.
A school-wide behavior plan is used to help students learn to replace inappropriate behavior and make responsible decisions about their actions. A daily point system is utilized to document behavior, communicate with parents, and determine rank. Students rise through six levels by earning and maintaining a predetermined number of points for a specified period of time. Each of the levels carries privileges and responsibilities that increase as the student works toward the highest level. The goal for each student is to return to his/her home school, with most students attending Horizons for one semester to a full year or longer. When the staff at Horizons determines that a student is ready to return, a transition plan is prepared for the student. A representative from Horizons is available to the student, parent, and home school staff as needed in order to make the student's return successful. To date, 63 students have returned to their home schools with most of them maintaining a high level of success.
The school is also unique in that there is a Mental Health staff located on campus to serve the students and families. The Mental Health Staff consists of therapists and behavior specialists who offer students crisis management, group, individual, and family counseling. They also assist the education staff in planning behavior intervention strategies to use with students, and provide specialized training for Horizons' staff in behavior modification.
The mission of Horizons Elementary School is to address the needs of each student by providing academic support, behavior modification strategies, mental health services, and community resources.
Our Vision
Our Vision is to enable students to achieve academic excellence while developing, demonstrating, and maintaining acceptable behavior that will prepare them to return to their home schools and succeed as students and citizens.
Our History
Horizons Elementary School is the first elementary alternate school in North Carolina and opened in August of 2001. The school began as an idea presented by the elementary school principals that came to fruition after a group of education and community leaders met over a period of several months. Representatives from Caldwell County Schools, Social Services, the Health Department, Juvenile Justice, Foothills Mental Health, and other community agencies began meeting in the fall of 2000 to discuss the possibility of providing a variety of needed services to elementary-aged children. When the old Hudson Elementary School building became available, the plan became a reality. Horizons is designed to serve K-6 students who have been unsuccessful in their home school primarily due to behaviors or emotional problems. Students are referred to Horizons by their home school using a rather lengthy process. It includes documentation of strategies and interventions that the home school has used to assist the student, as well as any testing or assessments that have been done. The Horizons staff reviews the documentation, discusses the students with representatives of the home school, and determines if the student is a good candidate for placement. The parents are invited to visit Horizons, meet the staff, and discuss the services that can be provided to their child and family.
Horizons has several unique features including mental health services and small class size, with an excellent teacher and assistant in each classroom. Every teacher uses the N.C. Standard Course of Study, with Accelerated Reader, Accelerated Math, and Internet access in each classroom to assist instruction. Teachers and assistants are trained in the Sonday system of reading to assist struggling readers. Last school year, 86% of the students in grade 3-6 scored at or above grade level on the end-of-grade tests. Horizons was recognized by Caldwell County Schools as having the greatest gains in test scores for the 2003-2004 school year.
A school-wide behavior plan is used to help students learn to replace inappropriate behavior and make responsible decisions about their actions. A daily point system is utilized to document behavior, communicate with parents, and determine rank. Students rise through six levels by earning and maintaining a predetermined number of points for a specified period of time. Each of the levels carries privileges and responsibilities that increase as the student works toward the highest level. The goal for each student is to return to his/her home school, with most students attending Horizons for one semester to a full year or longer. When the staff at Horizons determines that a student is ready to return, a transition plan is prepared for the student. A representative from Horizons is available to the student, parent, and home school staff as needed in order to make the student's return successful. To date, 63 students have returned to their home schools with most of them maintaining a high level of success.
The school is also unique in that there is a Mental Health staff located on campus to serve the students and families. The Mental Health Staff consists of therapists and behavior specialists who offer students crisis management, group, individual, and family counseling. They also assist the education staff in planning behavior intervention strategies to use with students, and provide specialized training for Horizons' staff in behavior modification.