Pershing Elementary

Welcome to Pershing Elementary

I am honored to be the principal of Pershing Elementary School, home to 386 pre-school through 5th grade students located in the Havelock neighborhood of Lincoln, Nebraska.  We have between two and three classrooms at each level ranging from 18 to 26 students per class. Pershing is a Title 1 School with 62% of our students qualifying for free or reduced pricing on school meals.   We come from racially diverse backgrounds and represent a variety of economic realities.

Our mission statement is “A community working together to educate life-long learners”.  We are committed as an extended group to help our children reach their potential through quality learning experiences.  Together we will inspire them to define themselves as learners at any age.  We partner with many community members to make this come to life.  First and foremost, we partner with families since we know that a strong parent-school relationship is critical for our children to benefit fully from their education.  We also partner with the YMCA through a Community Learning Center to provide extended hours of active learning, both before and after school.  The Pershing Parent Teacher Organization (PPTO) is a group of committed parents and staff who enhance our sense of community and learning through the many activities they plan for the year.  These are just a few of our community partners and we hope you will also seek to become involved at Pershing.

We strive to ensure that each Pershing student is meeting his or her potential by achieving at grade level or above.  Our school improvement goals are to improve student achievement in both math and reading.  We meet the needs of our students who need additional academic support through focused small group sessions.  In addition, we provide instruction in vocal music, visual arts, physical education, and media/technology through specialist teachers.  Our committed staff meets regularly in Professional Learning Communities to analyze student achievement and design instruction that will move students to the next level.

At Pershing School, we provide a safe, respectful, and responsible environment promoting high levels of student engagement and performance.  We support student behavior through Positive Behavior Supports, knowing that recognition for doing what is right is a strong motivator for students to be successful.  A model we use as a piece of that is BIST, believing that appropriate behavior is a skill to be taught, practiced, and mastered and can greatly enhance academic achievement.

We invite you to become an active, collaborative partner in the Pershing School Community.   Together, we make a difference!

Mrs. Paula Baker, Principal