Harrison Gay and Lauren Farmer have started their after school grade 1-2 Math Club. Mr. Gay tells me they have approximately 25 students for each session, the sessions meet twice per month, and it was wonderful to see these primary students excited about math. Students work on spatial awareness and strategy through math games, some from the realm of Math Pentathlon and some from other sources. It was additionally great to see just as many girls in the club as boys - keep that enthusiasm going ladies! The day I stopped by students were working on a Kings and Queen's Chart and the room was a buzz of activity. Nicholas proclaimed it "very fun". That's what I like to hear!
We had a couple of parent visiting days this week that Ms. McDaniel and I were able to join for a short while. Katie Ferguson's first graders enthusiastically shared their writings with parents and I loved seeing their burgeoning writing skills. They were proud of their pieces and read them aloud as we visited each table group. Everything from a Puerto Rican vacation to a Halloween favorite memory were shared. Having an audience makes the writing so much more meaningful for these young writers. Loved it and the work Ms. Ferguson does daily in her class. As one parent shared, "My child said she wished she could have Ms. Ferguson every year at Highland Park". Doesn't get much better than that.
Ms. Absher was also busy with all things parents this week, showcasing her wonderful Story Element bags and main character pumpkin creations that accompanied the picture books students had read. Creative learning in action.
Other moments on campus were equally neat to see. Mrs. Gate's third grade scientists were hard at work when I caught them outside beginning their Forces of Motion unit of study. Student Push/Pull cooperative groups were at various stations, using games such as basketball, tug of war, marbles and more before recording their observations. Having fun, but learning while doing it.
I heard lots of vocabulary highlighted this week in classrooms. Ms. McLelland was sharing one of my favorite stories of all time, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, actively discussed with her enthralled audience unfamiliar but rich word choice used by Washington Irving (think "bramble") and ensured her students are still hearing and learning to love timeless tales. Senor Jorge (aka George Ayres) was in the throes this week of all things Dia de los Muertos. I heard and saw much vocabulary in use as well, a search for the class friend "Paco", and parent volunteers waiting to help with the serving of the traditional pan de muertos. Kids are loving Spanish Enrichment!
I can't move away from mentioning good teaching until I highlight Mr. Robenhorst's third grade math class. He let me know Sarah Coleman from UT Drama for Schools had been in to do some coaching/modeling in all things DBI and was excited for me to see it in action. And I did. Students were working on learning and applying multiplication facts through 12X12 and used their DBI strategy to specifically target multiples of 4. In a circle, students had to give the next number by 4, crossing their arms when the number was a multiple of 4. Then they had to count backwards and do it again. And they had to do it all with a timer, competing against their own previous time, as well as the time from first period's math class - the kids loved this! Great way to concretely practice and solidify math facts learning in a truly motivational and engaging way. Before I left the class, Mr. Robenhorst extended the lesson with a review of the multiplication chart, with students coming up with many, many patterns in the chart, discussing everything from squared number multiplication patterns on the chart to arrays to the commutative property of multiplication. One young mathematician took this a step further later that evening during Trick or Treat and created a Candy Array to share the next day. Now that's cool. 
Fridays at HP seem to be Big Days lately and today was no exception. Ffith grade social studies teacher Ms. Kolodziej and the fifth grade teachers/students performed a mock Presidential Debate and Election on campus this morning for parents, fourth grade students, and several honored guests. We would like to thank AISD Board Trustee Vincent Torres, Board President Mark Williams, PTA President Debbie Esterak, TEA Deputy Commissioner Lizette Reynolds, ASID Associate Superintentendent Maria Hohenstein, AISD Social Studies Curriculum Specialists Janie McClam and Jessica Jolliffe for attending the event and their support of civic education in our schools. Guests were escorted to the stage by Secret Service, Presidential and Vice Presidential candidates and their wives arrived in limos, Scottie Singers performed, and it was a sea of Red, White, and Blue. I was impressed by all candidate responses - televised to every classroom today - on a variety of questions asked by well-known reporters. Their responses held true to the beliefs and statements of the real candidates and all were heartfelt and respectfully given. And perhaps that is what impressed me most, something I mentioned in my brief welcome speech. The Power of One person to make a difference, the vital role we all play in this great country of ours, and the continued need for civil discourse and debate in this society. I hope students came away with those important messages and I am truly looking forward to seeing how our campus votes "shook out" once issues were laid out for the young voters. Democracy in action at Highland Park. A good morning.
