Stowe Elementary—A World Class School in the Making! 

Greetings from the Office of the Principal!

I

1411 East 33^rd

Des Moines, Iowa  50317

Grades:                                 PreK-5^th

Principal:                             Dawn Vetter

School Hours:                    8:15-3:00

Phone:                                 (515) 242-8435

Fax:                                        (515) 262-3755

Email:                                   dawn.vetter@dmps.k12.ia.us

Website:                             stowe@dmps.k12.ia.us

Welcome to Stowe Elementary! We strive to plan ways for all students and staff to become KNOWLEDGEABLE, CARING THINKERS who help to create a better and more peaceful world through intercultural understanding and respect. We hold high expectations for all learners and offer a challenging curriculum through innovative programs.

Stowe is an International Baccalaureate Candidate School and the one and only elementary in the east region of the Des Moines Schools to offer a Primary Years Programme (PYP) for students. The PYP is a transdisciplinary program of international education designed to foster the development of the whole child. It focuses on the total growth of the child, touching hearts as well as minds and encompassing social, physical, emotional and cultural needs in addition to academic development. Learning is the focus at Stowe and asking questions is encouraged! Children learn how to learn, develop a strong sense of their own identity and culture, grow in their ability to communicate and become independent, self-motivated learners. At Stowe, we strive to become lifelong learners who are knowledgeable caring thinkers prepared to lead the way in creating a better and more understanding world through our words and actions. 

Stowe has two or three sections for each grade level, all-day kindergarten, and an onsite preschool. Our school population of approximately 380 students is multi-cultural, and we provide ELL services for students who speak English as a second language. Spanish translation is available upon request and all correspondence is written in both English and Spanish. Beginning this year all Stowe learners will have the opportunity to study Spanish.

Stowe’s beautiful building is newly remodeled with geothermal heating and cooling. Our campus is nearly 11 acres. We have a partnership with Neal Smith Wildlife Refuge and pride ourselves as stewards of our environment. Students participate in research projects that are unique to our setting as with an oak savannah. During this coming year, we have plans to plant vegetable, flower, and butterfly gardens — even a natural prairie plot.

Stowe welcomes parent volunteers.  If you would be interested in volunteering or wish to receive more information about Stowe Elementary School, please contact us by phone or ask in the office.  Once again, welcome to Stowe School.

Special Features of Stowe:

·         Our school offers instruction in Spanish, vocal music and physical education for students in grades K-6.

·         We have a partnership with the Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge. This wildlife service provides unique opportunities for learners to explore and research the natural environment both on our 11 acre site and at the refuge center in Prairie City.

·         We offer band and string lessons for students in 4^th and 5^th grades.

·         The principal organizes the “Stowe Readers Are Leaders” with four books annually. The selected books focus on some of the IB/PYP Learner Profiles Attributes and Attitudes and are shared with every grade level in the school.

·         Learners have the opportunity to participate in the Stowe Student Leadership Council, which serves a student voice in the school-wide culture.

·         Students can participate in community service projects as members of the “Goodness Gorilla Group.” This group of students gathers throughout the year to do acts of goodness and kindness for members of the global community.

·         This year, upper unit students have the opportunity to try out to become members of our “select chorus” and ultimately perform throughout our local community.

·         All learners in grades 1-5 will keep fit by participating in the “Striders” walking club following lunch and will have an opportunity to take a “victory lap” at the Drake Relays in the spring.

·          Small group interventions and one-on-one learning opportunities are planned to both support and challenge our learners in reading, math and social skills

Quick Facts

Enrollment                                                                                                                                            375

Students who identify themselves as American Indian or Alaskan Native                                 1%

Students who identify themselves as Asian or Pacific Islander                                                   2%

Students who identify themselves as Hispanic                                                                               18%

Students who identify themselves as Black                                                                                     9%

Students who identify themselves as White                                                                                   69.3%

Percentage of students proficient in the 2009 ITBS for Grade 3 reading                                 50%

Percentage of students proficient in the 2009 ITBS for Grade 3 math                                      50%

Percentage of students proficient in the 2009 ITBS for Grade 4 reading                                 62.5%

Percentage of students proficient in the 2009 ITBS for Grade 4 math                                      55.5%

Percentage of students proficient in the 2009 ITBS for Grade 5 reading                                 58.3%

Percentage of students proficient in the 2009 ITBS for Grade 5 math                                      69.2%