Our Direction

Morris Grove Elementary School will be a true learning community for students and educators. Through a commitment to equity and excellence, coupled with the use of effective instructional practices and programs, we will establish an educational environment that ensures all students achieve high levels of learning and success.

Students at Morris Grove will be excited about learning and feel that the school is a caring, safe, and fun place to be. Educators will feel supported, challenged, and fulfilled as they collectively work to ensure that every child reaches a high level of success. Families and community members will feel welcomed and embraced as partners in the learning process.


Core Beliefs

  • We believe that every student can grow, learn and achieve at high levels.
  • We believe all educators must hold a shared ownership and be fully invested in the success of all students.
  • We believe we are responsible for engaging in courageous conversations regarding issues of race and equity, and eliminating institutional barriers so that all students experience high levels of achievement and growth.  
  • We believe that classroom instruction should be engaging, culturally responsive, relevant, rigorous, and differentiated to meet individual student learning needs.
  • We believe in fostering a school community where educators work collaboratively to plan, instruct and assess for student learning to ensure an aligned written, taught and tested curriculum.
  • We believe in a culture of continuous improvement where educators are reflective practitioners who have a willingness to learn and embrace new ideas and strategies.
  • We believe in establishing positive and professional working conditions so that educators feel valued, respected, and enthusiastic about their work.
  • We believe the school culture must embrace, nurture, and celebrate the diversity of students, families and staff.
  • We believe it is our responsibility to provide a safe, nurturing, and healthy school environment that supports the physical and emotional well-being of each child, provides the foundation for making good choices, and promotes respect for self and others.
  • We believe in the importance of establishing effective, strong, and communicative partnerships with parents, families, and the greater school community so that they may support student learning and growth.

The mission of Morris Grove Elementary School is to provide all students with the necessary knowledge and skills so that they may lead successful, productive, and rewarding lives in a global community.


Core FunctionEffective PracticeCodeSuccess IndicatorWise Ways®ActionResource
CSI and/or ATSI School IndicatorsProvide supports (personnel, programmatic, financial, etc.) for instructional priorities The LEA/School has aligned resource allocation (money, time, human resources) within each school's instructional priorities.View
Domain 1: Turnaround LeadershipPractice 1A: Prioritize improvement and communicate its urgencyB1.01The LEA has an LEA Support & Improvement Team.View
B1.03A Leadership Team consisting of the principal, teachers who lead the Instructional Teams, and other professional staff meets regularly (at least twice a month) to review implementation of effective practices.ViewVideoTool
B2.03The school has established a team structure among teachers with specific duties and time for instructional planning.ViewVideoTool
Practice 1B: Monitor short-and long-term goalsB3.03The principal monitors curriculum and classroom instruction regularly and provides timely, clear, constructive feedback to teachers.ViewVideoTool
D1.02The LEA/School has aligned resource allocation (money, time, human resources) within each school's instructional priorities.View
Domain 2: Talent DevelopmentPractice 2A: Recruit, develop, retain, and sustain talentC3.04The LEA/School has established a system of procedures and protocols for recruiting, evaluating, rewarding, and replacing staff.View
Practice 2B: Target professional learning opportunitiesC2.01The LEA/School regularly looks at school performance data and aggregated classroom observation data and uses that data to make decisions about school improvement and professional development needs.ViewVideoTool
Domain 3: Instructional TransformationPractice 3A: Diagnose and respond to student learning needsA4.01The school implements a tiered instructional system that allows teachers to deliver evidence-based instruction aligned with the individual needs of students across all tiers.View
Practice 3B: Provide rigorous evidence-based instructionA1.07ALL teachers employ effective classroom management and reinforce classroom rules and procedures by positively teaching them.ViewVideo
A2.04Instructional Teams develop standards-aligned units of instruction for each subject and grade level.ViewVideo
Practice 3C: Remove barriers and provide opportunitiesA4.16The school develops and implements consistent, intentional, and on-going plans to support student transitions for grade-to-grade and level-to-level.View
Domain 4: Culture ShiftPractice 4A: Build a strong community intensely focused on student learning The LEA has an LEA Support & Improvement Team.View
A4.06ALL teachers are attentive to students' emotional states, guide students in managing their emotions, and arrange for supports and interventions when necessary.View
Practice 4C: Engage students and families in pursuing education goalsE1.06The school regularly communicates with parents/guardians about its expectations of them and the importance of the curriculum of the home (what parents can do at home to support their children's learning).ViewVideo
NC SBE Goal 1:Eliminate opportunity gaps by 2027 The school implements a tiered instructional system that allows teachers to deliver evidence-based instruction aligned with the individual needs of students across all tiers.View
NC SBE Goal 2:Improve school and district performance by 2027 The school regularly communicates with parents/guardians about its expectations of them and the importance of the curriculum of the home (what parents can do at home to support their children's learning).ViewVideo
NC SBE Goal 3:Increase Educator preparedness to meet the needs of every student by 2027 The LEA/School regularly looks at school performance data and aggregated classroom observation data and uses that data to make decisions about school improvement and professional development needs.ViewVideoTool





Morris Grove Elementary
215 Eubanks Rd
Chapel Hill NC 27516
919-918-4800
Principal: Ms. Amy Rickard
  • Kathleen (Kat) Pal...
  • Dedric Carter
  • Kate Celauro
  • Ellen DePinto
  • Jackie Golden
  • Morgan Hunt
  • Jessica McMains
  • Amy Rickard
  • Becky Springer
  • Gretchen Westman
  • Parent
  • Parent
  • Paraprofessional
  • Teacher
  • Parent
  • Assistant Principa...
  • Parent
  • Principal
  • Teacher
  • Teacher