Building empathy and understanding

Monday was an event-filled day at HP.  Katie Dawson, director of UT's Drama for Schools program, along with Lara Dossett and film crew, were on hand to film a model lesson taught by Kennedy Center Master Teaching Artist and published author Dan Kelin.  Fifth grade teacher Pam Kolodziej and one of her classes graciously hosted the lesson and came away with some really cool new ways to think about "power and point of view using tableaux as an activating strategy."  The finished arts integration instruction video is one of several being created to support the program's work, per Katie and Lara. During part of the lesson I observed, students, through movement, demonstrated body traits connected to characters in the fairy tale Rumpelstiltskin; traits included shapes, space, action, and attitude. All then tied specifically to how words hold power over people, a concept with direct connections to Mrs. Kolodziej's Social Studies TEKS. New strategies learned by the teacher and new ways of thinking about text by students. 

Those of us on hand for the continuation of our Book Fair week got a special treat during the Poetry Slam Monday evening.  Safe to say we were slamboozled!  Students (along with Mrs. Land, Mrs. McDaniel, and myself) performed original poetry to a packed house of students and parents.  We heard poetry about fluffy bunnies, gummy bears, cars, orks (ask 4th grader Bennett for clarification), and quite a few about science topics - one or two specifically written and performed in honor of 5th grade science teacher Mrs. Matetich.  Sweet.  I must say our own Mrs. Land went out on a limb with hers - she wrote her poem on sentence strips, then silently held them up for the audience to read.  It was pretty neat to hear the applause and affirmations for her silent poem as it detailed how it's okay to "be different" and to "be yourself".  I also was impressed with our students reactions to each performer.  They applauded and cheered as each poet headed to the stage, as well as when they exited.  Hopefully recognizing the courage it takes to perform, especially if performing's not your thing.  Thanks Scotties for showing that Scottie Spirit and special thanks to Christy, Ellen, and Stacy for another terrific Slam!

Alyssa Smith, third grade language arts teacher, also hosted parents on campus one day this week as a culminating activity to her James and the Giant Peach novel unit.  Per Ms. Smith, in addition to the basics of annotating text written by the author Roald Dahl, studying literary elements, learning vocabulary, and making connections with other text (such as Dahl's biography), students had a variety of in-class and at-home projects to complete.  In-class projects included a research paper, a critical-thinking paper, and a creative writing piece, with specific criteria given for succesful completion.  A variety of sources, both online and through books, were used for the research; finished projects "ranged from research on glow-worms to  magic potions to determining fair punishments for the antagonists of the story".  Students were also given a list of 9 at-home project ideas and had to choose at least 3 to complete.  Examples I saw during the open house were "Wanted Posters" for characters, multiple choice tests over the book, book cover designs, handmade puppets accompanied by biographies for two main characters, and some really neat dioramas.  Mrs. Smith tells me several kids completed "more than 3...just for fun!"  Thanks for hosting the parent open house, thanks for keeping the learning authentic, and thanks for providing multiple ways to make meaning of text.

Black History Month is always an important recognition time in our schools.  Teachers prepare lessons and activities and celebrations tied to accomplishments of notable Black Americans.  Some classrooms, such as our fifth grade Social Studies classes, are focusing on the study of important Black Americans tied to their TEKS (Rosa Parks and Colin Powell are two people who come to mind).  These fifth graders have created poetry related to important facts, read connected text - My Dream of Martin Luther King by Faith Ringgold is one - and written about Dr. King's Dream.  Has it been realized in our society?  Purposefully done through the themes of change and peace and very relevant discussion for us all.

Mrs. K's Celebration Board

However, second grade's celebration of Black History Month included new activities this year that deserve special note.  In  their quest to further incorporate more creative teaching strategies within their classroom, they hosted Zach Scott theater in their Social Studies classes.  This week, Zach teacher Mr. Frank taught students lessons on Black History through games, role play, and discussion on the lives of Ruby Bridges and Medgar Evers.  "The kids viewed actual photos of Ruby Bridges and had a great discussion of the paintings of Norman Rockwell, specifically the well known 1963 painting The Problem We All Live With," shared teacher Mrs. Pappert.  "New vocabulary was added, such as 'segregation', 'protesting', and 'equality'.  The kids acted this out as they recreated the (Rockwell) painting depicting Ruby Bridges and her guards.  They also created a protest and role played the Medgar Evers scene with passion.  One student said, 'It felt like I was really there and having to defend myself'."  Pretty powerful learning tool, but more importantly, one more way to help kids build empathy and understanding for others in the world they inhabit today.

           

The power of 6 words

Monday mornings always begin with our broadcast announcements.  Fifth grade student readers, as seen below, deliver the news to know for the day and week ahead, including Project Wisdom lessons.  Scripts are prepared ahead of time by our technology teacher and parent volunteers with student and teacher input, so most Mondays we have pretty smooth sailing.  This AM announcement time also gives us an opportunity for special skits, guest speakers, and more.  We’d love to be able to grow the program where we have  a dedicated anchor set on campus and more student written pieces, so the sky's the limit to the program.  Thanks awesome Scottie Parents for keeping KHPS alive and well each week.

To say that Coach DeLine was more than pleasantly surprised on Monday would be an understatement.  Three lovely representatives from UT’s College of Elementary Education presented Coach with a congratulatory letter notifying his selection as one of the 2012 Zarrow Outstanding Texas Teacher Award winners.  I understand from the presenters Elexa Antweil, Bess Wirht, and Rachel Herold that our very own PE teacher was the only kinesiology department winner in the surrounding Austin area; the acceptance letter states that Coach was “nominated by University field-placement supervisors, and winners were selected by a committee of students in Teachers of Tomorrow”.  He will be feted on Monday, February 20 at UT’s Activity Center ballroom and we couldn’t be prouder.  Way to go Coach!

Our annual Book Fair has begun!  Though there are many terrific activities for kids of all ages through the week-long event, the Dad’s Breakfast is one of the favorites around here. Today, the fair opened before school with students and dads arriving on campus, partaking of breakfast, conversation, and book buying galore  It’s one more opportunity for our school to connect with parents and we love that so many dads have embraced the event and show up to spend some morning time with their sons and daughters.  Thanks Dads and breakfast organizers - one more meaningful way to connect over books.

Ms. Guimbarda, our wonderful fifth grade language arts teacher, always does her best to keep students motivated, interested, and engaged in high quality assignments.  Her students have recently been reading the Lois Lowry novel Number the Stars along with creating time capsules and analyzing poetry/other relevant text connected to the Holocaust time period.  One very meaningful addition to the unit this year is Ms. Guimbarda’s inclusion of The Butterfly Project into the unit.  Per the project's website, “1,500,000 innocent children perished in the Holocaust.  In an effort to remember them, Holocaust Museum Houston is collecting 1.5 million handmade butterflies.  The butterflies will eventually comprise a breath-taking exhibition, currently scheduled for Spring 2014, for all to remember."  Beth McDaniel of the Jewish Community Relations Council further states that the butterflies will be part of a "spectacular exhibit at the city-wide Holocaust Remembrance Day (April 19^th) and also at the exhibit at the Umlauf Sculpture Garden the month of April" before reaching their final destination in Houston.  We are glad our children's artwork will be a part of these remembrances.

For this project, each fifth grader was given a short, age-appropriate biography of a child who died during the Holocaust.  From that biography, students created colorful butterflies they felt best represented their assigned child, as well as a 6 word memoir written on the back of the artwork, both of which they presented in an Honoring Ceremony today. The very act of summing up, in only 6 words, something so unimaginable for most of our children may seem impossible.  But they did.  And they did so beautifully and respectfully.  Sometimes a few words are all that is needed.  On the back of Will's, simply written, was the following memoir -

You deserve more than 6 words. 

Thank you Ms. Guimbarda, Will, and our fifth grade students for reminding us that words not only have the power to help us remember, but also can inspire the future good in us all. 

Beyond the Text

Lia Nudelman's second grade language arts students recently studied fractured fairy tales.  In addition to reading and discussing the attributes of fractured fairy tales, they wrote their own tales, then participated in reader's theater surrounding some of the favorites they had read.  I was fortunate to catch their renditions one day this week, as student groups read their parts from such selections as Spiderella and The Brementown Rappers, before enjoying a tea party as a culminating activity.  Hearing those second graders, with much  voice, chant "Who let the donkey out...bray, bray, bray. Who let the cat out...meow, meow, meow"  was worth the visit alone. Not to mention a great way to make meaning of text.  Priceless.

Mrs. Hunter's fourth grade language arts students were also busy finishing their Shakespeare unit this week and gave a first-rate performance for parents on Wednesday.  Loved it!  Students had seen Julius Ceasar, Macbeth, and A Midsummer Nights Dream,created Playbills, then worked with UT Shakespeare at Winedale outreach coordinator Clayton Stromberger as he went through the process of adding more "oomph" to the performances of all three plays.  Per Mrs. Hunter, "Clayton put more of the original language in the simplified scripts we had been using. Once completed and parts assigned, he read through all 3 scripts with the kids, then worked with them on the scenes.  He helped us better use movement to energize the actors and their voices".  Staying true to the staging used during Shakespeare's time, giving direction in kid friendly language (ask one of the actors to explain a Scooby-Doo moment to you), helped bring these classic plays alive for students.  In the words of William Shakespeare, "Action is eloquence".  Indeed it is.

Waiting in the Wings

Be sure to check out Mrs. Leibick's "Birth Order" bulletin board if you get a chance.  Her fourth graders have been reading The Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, along with connected poetry and informational text, as part of her annual Mystery Unit;if you have never seen the opening crime scene, you really should next year as it's very well done. As a further connection to the characters and plot of the novel, not to mention their own written compositions, Mrs. Leibick's students have also been studying the affect of birth order on personality and used their own "family ranking" -youngest, middle, eldest - to see if the current hypotheses/research rings true for them.  Mrs. Leibick tells me that in the 5 or 6 years she has been doing this activity, many of the characteristics often associated with birth order (eldest being responsible and youngest being highly social, for example) do indeed seem accurate when she looks at her class make-up.  However, as she also states on the display board, "Personality is much too complex to be controlled by just one variable".  Check it out.  High interest topic for anyone, but most especially for students.

Wrapping up our week, note a scene from a typical Friday afternoon down the fourth grade hallway.  Every Friday, this tradition that started many moons ago, fourth grade teachers bring all fourth grade students to the hallway for the last 10 minutes of the day.  Once done, out come the tried and true folk songs many of us older Scotties grew up with; words to songs are displayed on laminated poster board as a guide - songs like Country Roads, This Land is Your Land, Going to the Zoo to name a few.  Mrs. Leibick straps on her guitar, and all engage in a sing-along before the weekend goodbyes begin.  I have to admit I find myself down that hallway many a late afternoon when I need a respite from something or simply want a moment where I can feel more connected and inspired.  I love singing with the kids, giving a knowing nod as the words pour out of each of us.  It is a great way to end our week and a great way for each of us to take a calming breath and find our center before we all scatter.  Those few minutes always make me feel a part of something often too good to put into words and I hope that's how the kids feel as well.  And sometimes that's enough.

No Place for Hate

As many of you know, counselor Cari Land has been the force behind our new homeroom addition, Face Time.  Once per week, Face Time provides an opportunity for students and teacher to ponder a thought provoking question or to share out concerns or kudos.  A really awesome chance for kids to connect with each other, problem solve together, and to ultimately discover that we are all more alike than we sometimes realize.

What you may not know, is that Cari has also been working behind the scences for the last few months in helping our school become a No Place for Hate campus by the end of the year. Per the program's website, sponsored by the Anti Defamation League (ADL), No Place for Hate is "an anti-bullying, anti-bias awareness program currently in over 170 Central Texas schools helping to create and sustain inclusive school environments where all students feel valued and accepted despite individual differences".  Inclusivity and respect for others is not only a goal for HP, but the district as well.  I believe we are well on our way.

As part of efforts to reach the goal of becoming an official No Place for Hate school, this week our campus participated in daily activities highlighting positive and inclusive practices.  Monday through Friday, Mrs. Land, with the help of the campus Character Committee, implemented activities underscoring positive messages, both through student and staff actions, as well as through clothing that underscored each day's message.  So, Monday became "Mix It Up Monday" where students were encouraged to wear mis-matched clothing, but also encouraged to sit or play with someone new during the day.  Tuesday became "Turn It Around Tuesday", where we all wore shirts backwards to symbolize "backing away from bullying behaviors".  Each day had something unique, each day was fun, and each day saw more and more kids getting it.  A real positive week for all!  We wrapped up the week with Freestyle Friday with everyone (yes, even staff) wearing something that best expressed who we are as individuals. Cool.

Let's keep the positive and inclusive vibes going Scotties!  Awesome job everyone, most especially Mrs. Land. 

Margaret's Mix It Up Monday

Mrs. Land and Turn It Around Tuesday crew

 

Mix It Up Monday to
Turn It Around Tuesday to Way Back Wednesday to Thankful Thursday to Freestyle Friday - Scotties Rock! 

No Place for Hate is where it's at!

Many other cool happenings in our school this week as well.  Zach Scott's very first after school theater class began on Monday and I was able to catch the initial get to know you activity facilitated by teacher Rog Wall.  Kids seemed very excited to be there so looking forward to seeing this program grow! 

Who wants to act?

Ms. McDaniel and I had the honor of walking to Fluency Center co-coordinator Jeannine Ripp's lovely home early this morning to attend the parent fluency center volunteer "thank you for your service" breakfast.  Both she and compadre Maria Raper are passing the torch this year to Heidi Murphy and Leslie Donovan in all things fluency practice, so it was a special morning for us to thank these ladies for their amazing talents and time devoted to the program.  More good things ahead I have no doubt.

THANK YOU VOLUNTEERS!

Finally, I had the pleasure of attending the third Blanton Museum Art Central program today with two fourth grade classes.  On tap today was a discussion of museum careers, student freestyle sketching in the Go West exhibit space (very appropriate on the Freestyle Friday!), as well as some written analysis around individual paintings in another area of the museum.  I think the most thought provoking piece for my group was the Robert Wilson video portrait entitled Princess Caroline of Monaco, 2006.  Students, when prompted, thought the piece was "eerie", "like an epic tale...with some mystery about to unfold", and "kind of gloomy". Hmmm... Lots of good conversation brought to the fore by Blanton school and family program manager Jennifer Garner.  Any day at the Blanton is a good day and a good way for our kids to foster learning through art.

Gabby sketching Tom Lea's The Lead Steer

A week of diverse activity

It was very fitting that the ACPTA city-wide Reflections Art Fair was held the weekend leading up to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday.  Winning entries surrounding the aptly titled theme, “Diversity Is…”  were in full abundance Saturday at the new Vuka Co-op on West Monroe in South Austin.  It was great seeing all the entries around the walls and on tables, as well as our own 2 Scottie entries now headed to state competition.  Third grader Lenny Chen’s musical composition International Sonatina was available for recorded play in one area of the upstairs section.  His proud parents tell me that though Lenny is able to read music, he also has the gift of being able to play a piece from memory after hearing it 2-3 times.  Quite impressive.  Fifth grader George Guckenberger’s poem about diversity was also on display and one of many artistic bents George demonstrates – I hear he is also quite the film director.  The last line of his poem summed up the meaning of the day most aptly – “We are who we are, we are different, yet we are alike”.  Dr. King would concur I have no doubt.



Lenny and his Sonatina playing in the background



George and Ms. Workman in front of his winning poem



Extremely busy week at HP.  Various staff and/or I were involved in several activities related to the creative classroom, both on and off campus.  Tuesday, our Any Given Child Leadership team met with other pilot school teams at the Bob Bullock museum for a full day training on arts integration within content areas.  We participated in a very engaging activity with a CEDFA rep related to movement/expressions and a science lesson on magnets.  Along with my partner Mrs. Guenther and other participant pairs, we learned about and then demonstrated properties of attract and repel; all with some fun body movements and facial expressions showing such things as surprise, happiness, and sadness.  I know I will certainly remember the old adage "opposites attract, likes repel" as it relates to science concepts and I also know students who participate in this type of creative teaching activity would as well - that’s the point!   These creative strategies give teachers another tool in their toolbox to engage students in the learning and to further their understanding of content concepts.  'Cause we all learn in different ways.  Fun and powerful.

Wrapping up arts planning this week, just have to mention the meeting on Thursday with The Kennedy Center reps and Any Given Child arts steering committee.  Listening to the in-depth thinking produced by this varied group from across our community at large, not to mention their passion for the arts and its importance to all AISD kids, never fails to impress me.  I always come away humbled by my time with them.  Great things ahead for this initiative and for our district’s students as they look at next year and the years beyond. 

After school on Thursday, Grade 2-5 teachers participated in an overview of the new expository writing component on the 4^th grade STAAR writing test this year.  The takeaways from the training centered on a few key points – consistent use of the “4 Square” planning protocol at all grades (ask a teacher for specifics if interested!), the importance of students knowing and using concise, effective language in their writing, as well as the value in having teachers score  compositions besides their own student pieces in order to help build inter-rater reliability among scorers.  Good, solid training materials provided from our district and some great conversation surrounding all things writing at HP. 

In case you didn’t know, children’s singer/songwriter Ben Gundersheimer, aka Mr. G, was on campus Thursday as well, entertaining our K-1 students and staff.  Thanks to music teacher Maria Satterwhite and parent Julie Berwald for arranging this musical performance.  Mr. G sang songs, played the guitar, and engaged kids through hand and body movements to build active participation - loved the section where all Scottie bullfrogs jumped!   He managed to also get in a few lessons as well (discussion of his songwriting process and the performance of a really cool song about cleaning up pollution to name a couple).  Great reviews from those in attendance, me most especially.  Check out the event on our HP website or Mr. G’s website at the following link.  http://www.mistergsongs.com/index.html 



Mr. G rockin' the house!

Finally, look below for something we’ve been waiting for a long time.  Yes, the staging for the Aquarena Springs shade structure installation has finally happened!  Exciting, exciting, exciting  - did I mention it’s exciting?  Be on the lookout for future developments as we improve the front of our school.  Can’t wait.

Many ways to get moving!

Be sure to check out the newest addition to our upper track area as it winds its way around Perry Park.  Parent Julie Buchanan, her daughter Bridget, and some enthusiastic volunteers have installed a Story Walk to the area for all to enjoy.  In Julie's own words, " Beginning January 9, 2012, members of Brownie Troop 2380 will be sponsoring a StoryWalk installation on the HP playground.  The StoryWalk project combines physical activity with literacy and is an innovative way to get people of all ages to enjoy nature and exercise while reading children’s picture books.  Pages of selected books will be posted at various points along the walking path around the playground so people of all ages can follow the story as they walk the route.  This week’s story, "I Want My Hat Back" by Jon Klassen, is sponsored by Julie, Britt, Bennett and Bridget Buchanan.  Look for new stories in the coming weeks!".  Thanks Buchanan family and Brownie Troop 2380 for this extra boost to literacy on campus. 

Julie and Bridget

Though we don't have the ticket price details yet (those are coming next week), our 2nd community arts event (including staff!) will be the Friday, Februray 24, 8:00 pm dance performance of Diavolo at Bass Concert Hall.  Per the promotional materials, "Diavolo reinvents dance, re-imagines theater, and redefines thrills.  Dancers, gymnasts, and actors take movement, athletics, and daring to the extreme, creating abstract narratives through surreal tableaux...utilizing everyday items such as doors, chairs, and stairways to provide the backdrop for an evening of dramatic movment."  I'm told this event will be thrilling for the entire family (boys and girls, young and old!), so we hope to see you there as we come together around the arts.  Feel free to do some "pre-event" checking on the performance at the TX Performing Arts website. Again, details for tickets, with a special link to order, should be available next week in our Scottie Informer.  FUN!

Finally, speaking of fun, just have to give some special props to Coach DeLine and Coach Supak of the HP PE program.  Those guys, as a team, have created some wonderful programming around physical education.  Though many, many of you have volunteered in your child's PE class this year and have seen some of the incredible motivators these guys have put into place, look below for pictures of Coach DeLine's buckets of inspiration if you haven't yet seen them.  Put together over the last couple of years with some current and former Scotties, these buckets serve as instant motivation to move past an issue a student may be having and to turn the situation into a positive outcome.  For example, if someone is not feeling very sportsman-like and needs some inspiration to win or lose positively, the Sportsmanship Spice bucket filled with "sportsmanship magic dust" can be brought out, sprinkled on the student having a hard time, and, like magic, can turn a negative emotion into a positive.  Cool!  As you can see below, Coach has lots of buckets for lots of different things that can crop up in a PE period (and beyond); one more avenue for kids to turn their day around so that teaching and learning can still take place, as well as a tool to let kids know they indeed have the power to handle their own emotions and reactions.   Stop in to see these buckets if you haven't and also be sure to check out Coach's newest endeavor, the Waka-Waka videos, on the HP website.  You'll be glad you did! http://www.hipark.austin.isd.tenet.edu/HPhome/Recent_Events.html

Buckets of Inspiration

Former Scottie Scarlett with her Sportsmanship Spice Creation

Hitting the Ground Running

While we are still waiting on those elusive Aquarena Shade structures (just some minor glitches, they are now at the contractor's site, so give Therese Baer a big hug when you see her as she so deserves it!), Wednesday saw staff back on campus, engaging in staff development for most of the day.  In the morning, Laine Leibick provided teachers with 3 of the required 6 hours training related to their GT certification; additionally, Melissa O’Donnell and Beth Finkle gave all K-5 teachers a refresher on math invented strategies and model drawing (lots of good questions and clarifications).  In the afternoon, grades 3-5 reviewed STAAR updates, 2^nd grade teachers met with Nat Miller on the upcoming Zach Scott workshops in their classes, and K-1/Special Area planned together and worked getting ready for the next day.   A truly busy and productive day, not to mention how nice it was to see staff together once again.  Also, thanks to Jodi Leach and PTA for providing those yummy, welcome back tacos for staff as well.  Appreciated!

Of course, the first day back for students is also very special.  Lots of smiles and hugs up and down the hallways Thursday morning. Students missed their teachers, missed their friends, and missed their routines.  And you know what?  We missed them.   As you can see from our office staff below, everyone hit the ground running, registering new students, ordering supplies, and checking in parents.  A good first student day.



CC enrolling new students



Sara adding up the totals!



Megan helping an HP Dad check-in at the office

I met Wednesday afternoon with some delightful representatives of UT's Texas Performing Arts organization.  Thanks to HP parent Shannon Ratcliff for arranging this get-together, and special appreciation to TPA Development Officer and Manager Ann Stafford and Donor and Member Relations coordinator Mindy Graves for coming out to meet with me, plan with me, and brainstorm next steps for our school.  Working with these folks, I can officially say we are honing in on our second HP community arts event (another component to our Any Given Child year one action plan) and it promises to be worthwhile for the whole family. More details to come next week on this newest partnership, but start thinking some awesome night performances, field experiences for our kids, and more.  This will be our opportunity to show our continued support for the arts, so look for the info and let's enjoy this great community together.   I want as many Scotties to participate as possible in the upcoming family events -get your calendars ready.  Really cool stuff y'all!

Finally, Kathy Sederholm has shared our recent middle of the year Dibels scores and I have to say Scotties are showing great strides in all things fluency.  For example, did you know that at 2nd grade 91 students are already at end of the year (EOY) benchmark in reading fluency and that 9 have met middle of the year (MOY) benchmark?  That's awesome and leaves only a small number in need.  Or that at first grade 49 students are at EOY benchmark, 37 have met their MOY benchmark, with only 5 now needing extra fluency support?  I can list the numbers for every grade level (still working on Kinder assessments), but fluency is looking good at grades 1-5.  It can't be stressed enough the value in those parent and volunteer staffed fluency centers, nor the value in the early intervention model; fluency is only one piece of the puzzle in literacy skills - think phonics, phonemic awareness, vocabulary, and comprehension - and teachers are working diligently on interventions in those areas as well, but fluency is a crucial piece.   We are beginning to see the fruits of our labor, the foundation is there, and kids are developing skills they will take with them beyond HP.  Not test taking skills, but foundational reading skills they need for more rigorous content reading as they enter those intermediate and middle years.  Thanks to Kathy, Maria, Jeannine for all you have done to keep fluency alive and well at our school.  We all have much work to do, we're not there yet as we know the district benchmarks and state STAAR assessments are just around the corner, but fluency at HP is lookin' good.

So really, it's been a good first week back at HP.  I must confess, by the end of last week, I was missing my routine and all of you.  Though we all need rest and relaxation, it was a nice personal reminder that if you miss your work and the people you work with, then you must really like what you do.  And I did and I do.  Welcome back Scotties.