Mission: Why do we exist?
At Dalton Elementary School, our mission is to ensure high levels of learning for all students and staff through a culture of respect, grit, resilience, and engagement. We partner with families to cultivate curiosity and collaboration, fostering a caring environment where all feel valued and supported so they can thrive on their educational journey. Dalton Dragons are continual, lifelong learners. 

Vision: What must we become?
We believe our mission can be achieved by creating a system within the school that develops professional learning communities. We envision a school in which staff:

• Utilize collaborative teams to make decisions that ensure high levels of learning for every student.

• Set goals and intentionally use data to guide instruction, implementing best practices.

• Partner with families to promote transparent communication between home and school. 

• Monitor each student’s success to meet our commitments toward student achievement and overall well-being.

Collective Commitments:
In order to achieve the shared vision of our school, the Dalton Elementary community will make the following commitments: 

Staff

-We commit to be positive, contributing members of our collaborative teams.

-We commit to study, clarify, and align assessment blueprints and district curriculum guides. 

-We commit to develop and implement common formative assessments to monitor each student’s learning.

-We commit to providing individual and small group instructional programs (additional learning time) for all students to intervene or extend learning for students. 

-We commit to nurturing and keeping our students safe. 

-We commit to providing parents with resources, strategies, and information to help students succeed. 

Families

-We commit to be positive, contributing members of our student’s educational team.

-We commit to having our kids at school on time each day (unless they are ill).

-We commit to positive communication with our child’s teachers and will reach out to the teacher first if/when challenges arise.

-We commit to supporting our child’s education at home (for example, checking in with our child, providing reading time, and practicing math facts regularly). 

Students

-We commit to be positive, contributing members of our class, school, and community. 

-We commit to having self-control, overcoming challenges, doing our best to grow and achieve, and showing respect to peers, school staff, and ourselves.*  

Shared Goals
Student gains in reading and math, as summarized on I-Station and iReady, will increase 5% or more schoolwide (K-5) from fall 2024 to spring 2025. 

*These are the S.O.A.R. qualities in “We S.O.A.R to Success!”

A Brief History of Our School

Some students rode ponies to the original Dalton School! It opened its doors in 1909 and enrolled 32 students in two classrooms, first through eighth grade. According to The Dalton Story by Marvin Shadduck, “The building was considered quite modern even though it had no indoor lavatories and very few school supplies.” It also had no electricity! The building was heated with a large wood-burning furnace. One precedent set early on was sharing the building with the community. Two other rooms in the school were devoted to the community for social gatherings and fundraisers. Former students and Dalton residents remember the large school bell, which was hung in a belfry at the rooftop and could be heard a mile away when it rung. In 1949, Dalton School joined Coeur d’Alene School District #271. The original 1909 building was closed to make way for a new wing in 1961; enrollment at that time tallied 185 children. The school bell was relocated to Dalton City Hall. 

Dalton Grade School was built in 1961 on the same grounds as the 1909 structure. “The old ‘barn’ was removed and a major remodel, including a new gym, was completed in 1999” (Shadduck, 2003). The 1909 school bell made its way back to Dalton Elementary in 2007.

Today, Dalton Elementary School enrolls around 440 students. Thanks to our generous community, who approved a bond in 2016, Dalton underwent a nearly a full remodel in the summer of 2018. We finally added spaces for art and music in the building, including a stage for intimate performances! All classrooms received a makeover, the library relocated to a new space, and we added have three new classrooms for second grade. It was quite an exciting time at Dalton!

Over the years, Dalton Elementary School has become known for its tight-knit community. Teachers often stay in the building for decades. They rave about their students and families. When one walks into the building on any given day, one can feel the positive energy, see smiling staff and students, and converse with many a parent volunteer or a WatchDog Dad. The Dalton community sets high expectations for good behavior, hard work, and school achievement, and the staff works closely with families to help students reach their potential. The PTA helps lead school activities and raises funds throughout the year to supplement building and teacher budgets. Dalton staff is grateful for the partnership of families; it does indeed “take a village”.

Works Cited: Shadduck, Marvin E. The Dalton Story. Museum of North Idaho, 2003.