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| Gear guaranteed to keep the head toasty warm! |
We've been in and out of classes this week and I've got to tell you, the teachers and students have gotten right to it. Lots of writing and much focus on good math instruction. Think manipulatives, daily work with multi-step word problems, and student use of varied strategies during learning. Our math committee has also been hard at work filming their November parent math presentation. There are some clips on a couple of team wiki sites already, with a bit of additional filming to go. You will be able to see and hear K-5 teachers demonstrate invented/alternative strategies to solve problems, as well as model drawing in action. Our goal is to have these completely posted before the end of January. Check out the grade level wiki sites on the hipark website if you want to know more.
Training and spreading the good word to all of our stakeholders is important to us. And it's important to me. In the spirit of furthering understanding of all things creative learning/arts integration, we are hosting a parent workshop on Friday, January 24, 8:00-10:00, HP cafeteria. UT's Drama for Schools staff Katie Dawson, Sarah Coleman, and Lara Dossett will provide the why behind the what, while demonstrating DBI strategies currently being used in our classrooms; they also will provide attendees with some very concrete strategies parents can use at home to help support learning. Cool. Promises to be hands-on, engaging, and something you really won't want to miss. Bring a friend and hope to see you there.
Finally, big shout out to Sally Hunter, fourth grade teacher and truly a social studies guru if ever there was one. She recently completed an application with the Gilder Lehrman Institute on behalf of Highland Park and we just received word that it was accepted. What does that mean for our school? Sally tells me that "Highland Park is an official Affiliate School of The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History. Our teachers now have access to exclusive professional development opportunities, web chats with historians, and over 60,000 primary source documents representing more than 500 years of American history. Very exciting old stuff! The Social Studies vertical team will help interested H.P. teachers set up there own accounts on the Affiliate School Program Site. For a glimpse at what Gilder Lehrman has to offer, check out http://www.gilderlehrman.org/". Big thanks to Sally for continued advocacy of high quality teacher and student learning.
Welcome Back Scotties to Second Semester!
