Welcome to Carrie Lee Elementary!
Sarah Tobiason, Principal
Carrie Lee Elementary is a building which hosts grades 3 and 4 within the Decorah Community School District. The staff at Carrie Lee are champions for each of our students. We work together as a staff with the following principles as our guide:
- Meeting the needs of the whole child
- Purposeful instruction for each and every child
- Collaborative work with our staff, families, and community members
Carrie Lee is dedicated to meeting the needs of the whole child.
This goal is met through the focus on academic needs as well as to student physical and psychological safety. We are dedicated to establishing a school that is open, safe, and inviting to all students, parents, and the community.
Carrie Lee staff practices purposeful instruction.
Our staff engages in the professional development process called Professional Learning Communities (PLC). The PLC process involves teacher teams collaborating in weekly meetings. This will help us in making a better connection between teaching effectiveness, learning, assessing, reviewing data, reteaching, differentiation of instruction, and meeting students’ needs. The PLC principles guide this process:,
- What do we want all students to know and be able to do?
- How will we know if they learn it?
- How will we respond when some students do not learn?
- How will we extend the learning for students who are already proficient?
Carrie Lee staff collaborates with one another, our families, and our community
Along with academic excellence, we are a PBIS (Positive Behavior and Instructional Supports) School. We have school-wide expectations and support for students to achieve their best in a positive productive manner. These values stretch far beyond the classroom! Our hope is that our students become future citizens who contribute to a community positively.
At Carrie Lee, we revel in the constant support of our Parent Teacher Organization. This organization helps our school through volunteers and funding opportunities. The PTO has funded so many of our requests, which include tickets to performances, Sensory room and hallway needs, teacher classroom requests, and surprise author visits!
Other Information OR Technology
At Carrie Lee, we incorporate technology as an integral piece of our learning. Our classrooms are equipped with SMARTBoards, TVs, SWIVL devices, green screens, iPads, MacBook laptops, and document cameras. Our 1:1 technology allows students to participate in the lessons through interactive activities. Students are encouraged to explore technology and to utilize functions during their assignments and lessons.
At Carrie Lee, we put our students first. We seek to uncover the potential in every student. Through collaboration and purposeful instruction, Carrie Lee School is a place where students are psychologically and physically safe, emotionally healthy, and academically prepared. Our students are our future. They represent the future of our schools, our community, and our world. We are dedicated to the enrichment and fostering of that future as educators who value each and every student, every single day.