KTOY 2018 Team G School Visits
Celebrating Education in the Wichita Area
USD 360 Caldwell - January 29, 2018
District Quick Facts:
- 1A School District
- Preschool
- Caldwell Elementary (K-5), iPads for K-2 and Chromebooks for 3-5, close to 1:1
- Caldwell Secondary (6-12), 1:1 Chromebooks
- Virtual School
Caldwell Elementary
- At Risk Coordinator Kim White led all students in their Monday morning Rise and Shine assembly. This assembly included song and dance, mindfulness activities, and character ed. Fifth grade students are given the opportunity to be leaders in this assembly.
- 2nd and 4th grade students worked to solve a Breakout EDU on earthquakes. Breakout EDU is similar to an escape room concept, where students are working to solve clues to open their locked boxes. In addition, this cross-grade level collaboration is common, as it provides great opportunities for peer modeling.
- 5th grade students created book talks using a green screen and DoInk apps. The group that book-talked Snowflake Bentley donned winter gear and will be putting a snowstorm in the background. The videos will be published on the class's website.
- Kindergarten students worked on coding with the Scratch Jr. app. Students were challenged to get their character to move across the screen. Team G was so impressed that this was only the fourth time students had worked with Scratch Jr.! Students typically work on the app for 10-15 minutes at a time. Kindergarten teacher Staci Schmidt emphasized student exploration time, then stopping to teach when a student discovers something new.
- Team G was lucky to see the 1st grade Kansas Day program. This is an annual tradition where 1st grade students show their state knowledge and celebrate Kansas's birthday, including cake!
Rise & Shine assembly
Earthquake Breakout EDU
Book Talks with DoInk and green screen
Caldwell Secondary
- The Bluejay Outlet is the student-ran entrepreneur program. Students design, create, and sell a wide variety of items, including clothing, mugs and etched glasses, window decals and perforated film, wall clings, phone cases, koozies, and vinyl signs. Profits are used towards growing their business and student scholarships. Randy Sawyer, who oversees the program, emphasized the level of responsibility that his students hold. He also discussed the advantages that the program gives his students over schools who do not have a similar program.
- English teacher Wayne Greenlee using Classcraft Education Gaming Platform to gamify his freshman English class. Students take on different roles within the game and can access the platform at home. Mr. Greenlee puts a large focus on collaboration using this program. Classcraft offers both free and paid premium accounts.
- Emerging Technology students explore the newest tools and technology that they may encounter in their future workplace. They have worked with pinewood drag racing cars, 3D printers, 3D pens, wind turbines, drones, and 3D scanning.
- Woods and Metals students work on student-driven projects that focus on student voice and choice.
Bluejay Outlet students explain how they made our new Team G shirts
Mouse pad from Bluejay Outlet demonstration
3D scanned and printed models of Emerging Technologies students
3D printer object with 3D pen modifications
Wagon refinishing student project in woods class
Student project in woods class
Many teachers had these #ObserveMe posters outside their doors, asking for specific feedback during observations.
We saw these in the elementary school and the secondary schools.
Caldwell Town History
- As part of their Senior Project, students volunteered to reconstruct an old milling company office building into the new Caldwell Visitors Center. Centered around the "rails, trails, and scales," the come-and-go building showcases the town's history. Students also created a walking tour app to increase communication with visitors.
- Back in the 1880s, Caldwell was a rough-and-tumble cowtown on the Chisholm Trail. Today, Caldwell residents reenact key personas of the past to showcase the town's history. Team G visited a few historical buildings, including The Roost, Cattleman's Room, and The Opera House, where we heard from Talking Tombstone reenactors.
Caldwell Visitors Center
Signage in the Visitors Center made by the Bluejay Outlet
Visitors Center
Upcoming Visits
February 7 - Maize
February 28 - Wichita
March 7 - Derby
April 4 - Augusta
April 18 - Flinthills
April 25 - Andover
May 2 - Goddard