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Goals 1 & 4: High Quality Instruction, Innovative & Cutting-Edge Technology
Swim It
Campbell
Court Elementary’s
first graders took a trip to the Martinsville YMCA to take part in the
"Swim It" program in October. This program provides first grade
students an introductory course in how to master the basics of swimming. The
program also builds each child's confidence by mastering something that at
first may be frightening but, by the end of the course, they are swimming on
their own and loving it.
Goals 1 & 5: High Quality
Instruction, Family & Community Involvement
We're all in this Together
Technology staff members
Beth Williamson and Alex Clifton taught and assisted Ms. Tucker’s class at
Collinsville Primary with iPads recently. Students were able to problem solve
and got an authentic, “hands-on” insight into the IT world.
Goals 1 & 4: High Quality Instruction,
Innovative
& Cutting-Edge Technology
Rainy Day Picnic
Students
at Drewry Mason Elementary school kicked off the year with their annual back to
school cookout at a recent PTA meeting. Families made the most of the event
despite rainy weather and enjoyed sharing a meal together in the school
hallways.
Goal 5: Family
& Community Engagement
Passport to the Universe
GW
Carver
hosted a STEM
week during the month of October. The
program "Apollo to the Moon” showcased a detailed the history of NASA and
the development of the Space Program for students in
grades 1-5. Students also experienced the interactive science world of the
"Dome Theatre”, which included "Into the Deep,” "Moons,” and
"Passport to the Universe.” To conclude the week’s celebration, students
and families were invited to take part in "Stem Night" with varying
classroom activities and interactive modules set up in the gym.
Goals 4 & 5: Innovative &
Cutting-Edge Technology & Family & Community Engagement
Marble Roll
Fourth grade students at John Redd Smith
Elementary worked collaboratively on a marble roll recently. The students
discussed how friction would change a marble’s speed depending on the material
the marble was rolled across and tested a variety of bases to gather comparative data for a group
analysis.
Goal 1: High
Quality Instruction
At School & on the Road
Mount
Olivet students were treated to STEM activities at school and on the road in
October. First grade students took a field trip to the Greensboro Science
Center and STEM
Coordinator Phyllis Meade visited the library to meet with students of all
grade levels
to provide hands-on activities that required collaboration and persistence.
Goals 1 & 4: High Quality Instruction,
Innovation
& Cutting-Edge Technology
Book or Treat
October was an exciting month for Rich
Acres Elementary students. Magna Vista football players and cheerleaders
visited on October 6th to read stories to the children and
fielded a variety of questions from the future Warriors. Family Night for the
month of October was a Book or Treat event. Students and their families, decked
out in costume, visited each classroom to receive treats, including a book from
each child's teacher.
Goal 5: Family & Community Engagement
Super Hero Shout Out
First
and third grade students at Sanville
have their art displayed in the school’s Hall
of Art this month. The 3rd graders created an image of themselves as
superheroes. During the body drawing steps, they discussed how to use simple
shapes as the basis for a more complex shape. The background illustrates
contrast between darker and lighter colors. Mr. Kendall’s colleagues recognized
him earlier this school year by giving him the first Sanville “Super Hero
Shout Out” for
his work
helping students with fine motor skills, math, reading, and school routines.
Goal 1: High Quality Instruction
Deaf Awareness Week
To
celebrate Deaf Awareness Week, students at Stanleytown Elementary
learned simple signs such as the alphabet, watched videos and heard
announcements
highlighting
the positive aspects of deafness, and
viewed instruments and assistive devices used by deaf individuals. Fifth
grade students also heard a presentation about deafness and asked
questions to help them better understand and relate to their classmate.
Goals 1 & 2: High
Quality Instruction, High Quality Professionals
A Penny for your Thoughts
Students
in Beverly Cecil's 6th Grade Science class at FC Middle School were very
engaged as they used lab technology and safety procedures to study the
properties of water during the month of October. The student researchers conducted a
series of lab experiments and logged their data on their iPads to
share with the class during a lab debrief session at the end of the unit.
Goals 1 & 3: High Quality
Instruction, Safe & Orderly Learning Environments
It's Alive!
Students
in Mrs. Coplin’s
Life Science Class at Laurel Park Middle recently ventured outside to discover
living vs. non-living organisms. Using the “6 Characteristics of Living Things”
as a guide, students were amazed at how many items they were able to place into
each category. Students shared their findings and closed the lesson by
reviewing what caused
an item to be classified as
living.
Goal 1: High Quality Instruction
Emancipation Education
Bassett
High School’s Mrs. Arrica
Agee frequently grabs her students' attention by getting into character. During
a recent unit on the Civil War, Mrs. Agee dressed the part as she delivered
Abraham Lincoln's 'Emancipation Proclamation.’ Dressing the part is just one of
the ways students and staff are working to ensure they never
forget what they learned in history class.
Goal 1: High Quality Instruction
Quote Graffiti
English
9 Pre-AP students at Magna Vista High School have been creating meaningful
graffiti this month. In responding to and analyzing
quotes from George Orwell's Animal
Farm,
student groups worked to graphically represent terms and phrases of importance
in the work by drawing
graffiti for display in the classroom.
Goal 1: High Quality Instruction
Calling All Coders
Middle School girls from Laurel Park and
Fieldale-Collinsville attended the Capital
One Coders Experience on Saturday, October 14th . This one-day program, held at the Institute for Advance
Learning and Research, taught students how to design
and develop their own Android mobile applications using MIT App Inventor. Mentors from Capital One worked with the
girls in each step of the app development.
Capital One hopes that, by introducing these
students to coding, they will empower young women to enter into
STEM fields. Several student teams were chosen to present their apps at the Women In
Technology conference in Richmond, VA. We would
like to wish Laurel Park’s Grayson Russell good luck as her team competes at the WIT conference in
November.
Goals 1, 4, & 5: High
Quality Instruction, Innovative & Cutting
Edge Technology, &
Family & Community Engagement
Supporting Student Needs
Thanks to
the diligent work of the local Back2School program and the program’s grants
coordinator, Cindy Cox, each
of our high schools now has a full pantry of school
supplies, nonperishable food, and personal hygiene items available for students
who need additional items outside of school. We are very excited to have Shiloh
Temple of Ridgeway and The Community Fellowship in Collinsville to partner with
Magna Vista and Bassett, respectively, to restock the school pantries as the
need arises.
Goal 5: Family & Community Engagement
Club Padres
Families from around the division enjoyed participating in EL family night
at Laurel Park in October. CTE and EL Coordinator Daniel Rodriguez and his team
shared updates with families, discussed common assessments and best practices
for supporting EL students, as well as highlighted important dates in the
school calendar and resources available in our schools. Each family enjoyed
sharing dinner together and members were given free books from the 4-H
organization.
Congratulations!
Top, Left: FC Middle School’s Duane Thompson who won an Apple TV for use in
his classroom
Top, Right: Mt. Olivet Elementary School’s April
Peters who won a flat panel TV for use in her
classroom
Bottom, Left: FC Middle School’s Amy Ferguson who won an Apple TV for use in her
classroom
Bottom, Right: Drewry Mason Elementary School’s Ashley Cox who won a document camera for use in her
classroom
Goals 2 & 4: High Quality
Professionals, Innovative & Cutting-Edge Technology
