If You Do Good Work...

Arts connections to learning abounded this week in and out of school, with a really cool new opportunity to support all things McCallum Vertical Team arts initiatives to boot!

I was able to stop by Lamar Middle School's rendition of Guys & Dolls, Jr.  Some very talented kids, with a few familiar former HP faces.  These students managed the lights, the sets, the sound, the acting, all of it by themselves, per principal George Llewellyn; I left very impressed.  We had some current Scottie families in the audience and truly, when kids are able to perform, speak, or do anything in front of an audience they come away with some valuable life skills.  In and out of school, most especially in our future workforce.  Keep up the good work Lamar and thanks for inviting us to your performance.









Molly, aka Miss Adelaide, waiting stage right





Ms. Ferguson  hosted another well attended and meaningful parent visiting activity at the start of school this morning.  Her students had completed research on Arctic animals, discovering many facts and details about their chosen animal's physical attributes, food, prey, and more.  They typed up their research, created some illustrations using KidPix, then very ably presented their info slides for us in the cafetorium.  Do you know how a lemming stays warm?  These first graders know!

I was also was able to view some cool art pieces in the fourth grade hall.  Students were inspired to create their  pieces by the work of artist Marc Chagall.  Mrs. Leibick and her students tell me their watercolors were part of the continued mystery language arts unit, with this activity specifically connected to the Mahy fantasy short story, The Door In the Air - as Chagall's work had that "fantasy/floating quality".  The students also wrote their own short stories, using their imaginations to continue where the Mahy story ended.  Hmmmm....What was on the other side of the door?  Check out Mrs. Leibick's Process & Product display outside her classroom if you'd like to know more.  

  

The McCallum Vertical Team has a great opportunity to receive some support through the upcoming Amplify Austin giving campaign.  You should receive notice of how you can give in Sunday's Scottie Informer, know that funds raised will help our school and vertical team with "additional funding for arts education activities.  As you may have heard, Austin is having its FIRST annual, 24-hour online giving festival, Amplify Austin, March 4-5, 2013.  Central Texans are coming together online for 24 hours to raise $1M for local non-profits that help make Austin the best place to live.  Our school is participating in Amplify Austin through Any Given Child-MINDPOP to raise funding for arts field trips, artist residencies, and arts supplies specific to our campus or another school, designated or undesignated in our McCallum Vertical Team.   All donations received will be "amplified" by the event organizers' matching funds.  Nonprofits with the most participation will be awarded additional funds as a prize - up to $5,000!

So how can you help?  Spread the word.  Stay tuned for updates on Twitter and Facebook.  Donate! at the Amplify Austin website, choose Any Given Child - MINDPOP.  Then designate your donation to a school or schools in our vertical team by putting the name(s) in the ORGANIZATION LINE on the donor information page.  You can also leave your donation undesignated to ensure the monies go to the McCallum Vertical Team at large.  Check out www.AmplifyATX.org or find more information on MINDPOP at www.mindpop.org  A great way to support schools in our VT who need the extra funding and to continue to build arts capacities in the MAC community.

Last two images to leave you with today.  First, in continued recognition of Black History Month, I was super impressed with student teacher Kerri Henri's hall display outside Mrs. Absher's door.  Great job Ms. Henri. 

And finally, something that caught my eye outside Mrs. Ryan's door last week that I'm just now getting the chance to share.  Very true words from a Kinder who gets it.  Thanks Annabel.

Love is in the Air

      

We began our week on Sunday with approximately 40 HP Scotties attending the UT performance of The Edge of Peace.  Very well done, loved the small B. Iden Payne setting, and it was nice to enjoy the afternoon with parents, kids, and staff.  The big thrill for several of us who lingered after the performance was the chance to speak with the playwright Suzan Zeder.  Themes connected to love, loss, coming of age, death, change, families, and more were weaved throughout the play, but as one of our parents stated, "all very appropriately done".  Thanks UT and Ms. Zeder for a play that gave all of us much food for thought as we traveled home.

Ms. Maca's art classes were well in the throes of all things quilt recreations based on the Faith Ringgold book Tar Beach.  Students imagined themselves flying above exotic  locations, tied directly to book content and illustrations, and were in various phases of completion when I visited.  Lots of cool images in honor of Black History Month...

 

Ms. McLelland's 3rd grade Language Arts students hosted their Parent Visiting Day as a culmination to their novel study The Hundred Dresses.  Students created Memory Bags/Boxes, filled with items that reminded them of characters, plot, setting, and themes of the book.  I loved hearing their rationales for choosing various items to go in their bags as I made my way around the tables, but I was particularly struck by Isabelle's inclusion of a lemon.  She told me that the book's antagonist Peggy was very popular but bullied the main character Wanda.  The lemon represented Peggy because "it looks good on the outside, but is sour inside".   You nailed it, Isabelle!

Of course, it was also all things Book Fair this week.  Many students dressed as a favorite book character and we had quite the variety in our halls. 

Thing 1 and Cat in the Hat

Benjamin Franklin Stein

Pippi Longstocking

Waiting to go on stage

Along with Book Fair Week, is the always fun Poetry Slam event on BF Family Night.  Lots of fun, I slammed a poem about cats with Ms. McDaniel, and there were more student entries than ever before.  All were original and some were funny with topics ranging from homework to s'mores to puppies.  Some were very heartfelt, with true poets among us.  Ellen, Christy, Stacy, Cheryl...big thanks as always!

Finally, as you know, Valentines Day is a big deal at elementary schools and love is definitely in the air around campus.  There is a gigantic heart hanging outside Mrs. William's classroom with some heartfelt love messages written by her first graders.  Be sure to check those out when you next visit school.  Lamar Middle School is also definitely showing us the love this week as well.  They are hosting a very special HP night for their upcoming performance of Guys & Dolls, Jr. on Thursday, Feb 21. Low pricing for the 7 pm performance will be just $7 per ticket; it should be a wonderful evening for us to enjoy together.  Thanks to our Lamar family for hosting and all HP Scotties should look for ordering information in this Sunday's Scottie Informer.  If you have questions, please see Kerren Campa or Jodi Leach.  Spread the word and share the love.

Lots of good stuff

There was so much going on this week, I thought I'd share just a few of the images I captured over the last few days.  Lots of good stuff...

We started our week celebrating National School Counselors Week.   Mrs. Land provides an invaluable service to our school community and we are so very thankful to have her a part of our campus.  You rock, Mrs. Land!

 

Mr. Robenhorst simulated a volcanic reaction for third grade scientists through the use of Mentos when dropped in a 2 liter bottle of Diet Coke.  Lots of ooohs and ahhs.  We estimated one of his demos spewed approximately 4 feet high.  Later in the week, he was doing a bit of hands-on learning with 3 dimensional shapes during a math class.  Students were uber-motivated by the activities and building conceptual knowledge through the demos/construction, later discussions, and extensions.

Mrs. Kilgore implemented the DBI strategy of artifact for her third grade social studies students.  I was able to be a part of the "set", bringing a "found purse" to the classroom in search of the owner.  When opened by Mrs. Kilgore, we saw lots of typical purse items - eye glasses, sewing kit, a black and white photograph - and one letter written by the purse's owner to her brother in Detroit.  Intriguing.  We discovered the letter was written by Rosa Parks (actually developed from the teacher's imagination and the words from a real interview given by Mrs. Parks). In the letter, she wrote about her arrest following her refusal to give up her bus seat in 1955 Montgomery, Alabama.  As Mrs. Kilgore went through the artifacts, many students caught on that the purse did indeed belong to Rosa Parks as they were familiar with her story.  Still, they all became very quiet as the letter was read aloud, listening intently, especially to the last line - "the only tired I was, was the tired of giving in...".  A well done intro to a lesson connected to further lessons in honor of Black History Month.


Over in the fifth grade hall, Mrs. Dean was deep in her language arts unit around the novel The Watson's Go to Birmingham.  This is one of my favorite units as the teacher always brings in a variety of texts and activities that help connect the early civil rights movement to what's happening today.   This year, she included the Inauguration poem One Today by Richard Blanco. Students used the DAR strategy as they read through the poem, describing, analyzing, then relating the text to the overall theme of civil rights.  She became a bit choked up in describing to me her students' reactions to the poem itself, as she knew it was powerful, but she wasn't quite sure if they would "get it".  Jack stated to the class after reading the poem,  "I felt like I was punched in the gut".  I think it's safe to say he got it.

And there was so much more.  Mrs. McLelland's third grade language arts students reading the novel The Hundred Dresses, learning about story elements, tying it into other texts and their own immigration histories.

Mrs. Goldsmith and Ms. Ferguson's first graders writing about When I'm One Hundred Years Old as we celebrated the 100th day of school.  Hilarious and in many cases, very detailed on what they'll be doing (or not doing) at 100.  Loved it!

Ms. Ferguson additionally conducting a science experiment with her students, learning about whale blubber and if you are colder or warmer because of it.  I was able to join in the actual experiment portion of the lesson - one hand in ice water and another in a bag of crisco in the ice water - and I can tell you the hand with the "blubber" was definitely warmer.

An abundance of after school activities.  Tutoring  to help those who need that bit of extra support.  Plus clubs and camps,  such as the newly formed Lacrosse camp and coached by our very own Mr. Gay.

Clifford, aka James

Finally, we wrapped up the week with the always popular early morning Dad's Breakfast as part of our Book Fair Week.  Dads come in, grab a quick bite to eat, and do some book shopping with their kids in tow.  Always a great energy and always a good chance to be together, "yawning to life, crescendoing into our day...".

Many paths to peace

Monday evening was a very special night for our Scottie Singers and their teacher Mrs. Satterwhite.  Approximately 40 students, along with their parents, traveled to the AISD boardroom to sing for AISD Board of Trustees in recognition of Board Appreciation Month.  This group of 4th and 5th graders sang three songs, had some terrific movements with Stand By Me, and really got me when they finished with Scotties All the Way, our school song.    Wonderful duet in the program by Janaye and Gabby, as well as a very well done solo by Georgia Kay.  Loved it!

I've had several discussions this week regarding our SEL curriculum on campus.  Many good things happening, though it's still in its infancy on our campus and vertical team.  We're thrilled SEL time is scheduled in grade level classrooms and our hope over time is that the social/emotional lessons become ingrained in our school culture.  Feedback from teachers so far indicate that they like the Second Step curriculum components and the common language it gives to them and to students.  Time is always a factor for delivery at schools, but really, the lessons of SEL dovetail with other initiatives and other research so well.  When I reflect on our creative classroom initiative, or the lectures I was privileged to attend by Dan Siegel and Sonia Nieto this year, I come to a very basic conclusion. The work being done supports and embraces a common message at the end of the day.  Valuing diversity, giving students tools to build empathy, to work cooperatively, and to problem solve. Taking information when given and doing something productive, meaningful, creative, and transformative with it for the good of themselves and others. College, Career, and Life ready as they say...

Part of the SEL initiative is the development of peace areas within the classrooms and campus.  Areas where students walk and talk and come to accord within the peace area.  Or as AISD's SEL site states, embark on a"journey towards student empowerment to self-regulate and solve their problems". Cari Land recently installed our campus peace area near the all important playground area.  She tells me students are not quite there yet with using these areas consistently or independently.  Not there yet, but when we are, imagine the power those areas will hold for all.