News & Notes Northeast LC
April 2014
A world-class community of schools that ignites students' passions to learn, lead and serve
Elementary Schools
Abbotts Hill Elementary School
Abbotts Hill E.S. dads team up for the popular All Pro Dad program!
All Pro Dad program is a simple idea with a profound impact. It’s a 30 minute monthly breakfast held before school where fathers and their children meet with other dads and kids in the school cafeteria. They eat breakfast together, create fun memories, take part in bonding activities and strengthen their relationships. AllProDad.com also provides helpful resources to aid dads in their parenting. Now in its 3rd year at AHES, attendance is still high as All Pro Dad mornings continue to bring dads and kids together.
Dolvin Elementary School
Dolvin’s STEM Committee has been hard at work this year gaining a clear understanding of exactly what STEM education entails. The committee determined that most teachers have a good handle on the science, technology, and math components. Therefore, it made the most sense to focus on the engineering aspect of STEM. A school-wide STEM Day has been planned for May 9th. In order to prepare teachers for this exciting day, the committee introduced teachers to some challenging and grade appropriate activities that focused on engineering, higher order thinking, and problem solving. The activities were cross-curricular and incorporated language arts, math, music, and fine arts components. The teachers had a great time building boats that floated, drop-resistant packaging for eggs, and scuba diving suits for ginger bread men, just to name a couple of activities. Stay tuned for a report on the student activities that take place on May 9th.
Findley Oaks Elementary School
Findley Oaks Elementary held its annual Fine Art & International Night in March. What a night! The halls were packed with proud parents and students viewing art from all grade levels. The students showcased their talents in painting and drawing, pastels, and clay. In the cafeteria, 3rd graders performed several songs highlighting the continent of Africa while the gym was packed with representatives from our diverse community. Food, pictures, and artifacts were on display to learn about and appreciate the many cultures that make up Findley Oaks. Students, staff, and volunteers prepared for months to make this year’s night our best yet.
Speaking of volunteers, Findley Oaks is a successful school because of the great volunteers that work throughout the year. We appreciate how they give their time and talents to support the students and teachers. We had the opportunity to say “thank you” to our volunteers with a luncheon in their honor. With St. Patrick’s Day as a theme, we wanted our volunteers to know that we are lucky to have them.
Barnwell Elementary School
Barnwell Artist Day 2014
On Friday March 7 Barnwell Elementary celebrated a highly successful Artist Day. We were fortunate to welcome over 20 different Atlanta-area artists to our school, to celebrate and immerse our students in a variety of artistic lessons and hands on activities. Our students were able to engage in art-themed experiences ranging from hip hop dance, animation, pottery making, screen printing, improv acting, acrobatics, comic illustration, musical instrumentation, photography, and collaging, just to name a few! All of the art-themed activities were panned in conjunction with our teachers, parent volunteers, and artists themselves. Our students also journaled about their experiences during Artist Day, to ensure that academic rigor was woven into the amazing art fun they got to experience all day long! Barnwell Elementary School wishes to send a special thank you to all of our artists who so graciously volunteered their time and expertise with our students. We would also like to especially thank two parent volunteers who worked to coordinate and plan all of the logistics to ensure Artist Day was a smashing success: Mrs. Heather Davis and Mrs. Kathy Read! Thank you also to our many parent volunteers who donated their time to ensure our students were well-supported as they took part in the many art-themed activities on March 7. Thank you finally to our newly-named Teacher of the Year, Mrs. Nail, who worked hard to coordinate with our parent volunteers all aspects of Artist Day. Thank you, All!
Barnwell Football Fundraiser Wrap Up
On Saturday March 15, the Barnwell Education Foundation sponsored a football skills camp at Autry Mill Middle School for elementary, middle, and high school students. The camp was led by a collection of recently retired NFL players including: Ellis Hobbs, Dorsey Levens, CJ Mosely, Reggie Brown, Sean Jones, and DeMario Pressley. These former players graciously donated their time and energy to lead our students through a variety of football-related activities, while including some invaluable life lessons within the experience. The camp was well attended, with over 80 students participating, and nearly as many parent-spectators. The event was a fundraiser for the Barnwell Education Foundation, to support our school to renovate and update our backfield and track facilities. Barnwell Elementary wishes to thank the former players for sharing their expertise. We also wish to thank the parent volunteers on the Barnwell Education Foundation Board for their hard work setting up all of the promotion and arrangements for the day, including soliciting business sponsors’ support. It was a fantastic day to facilitate our students’ development of teamwork, resilience, and wellness. Check out pictures from the camp at www.Twitter.com/TheBarnwellBeat and at 11Alive’s website: http://www.11alive.com/picture-gallery/sports/football/2014/03/17/young-football-players-learn-from-the-pros/6520455/
Esther Jackson Elementary School
Most people know about March Madness, but last week at Esther Jackson students celebrated “Math Madness” in honor of Pi Day on March 14. For the week of March 10-14, students in grades PK-5 were challenged to dedicate their free time to enhancing their mathematical mastery. Students’ logged their time spent on practicing and learning math both in school and at home. As a school, we logged 77,004 minutes of time on math during the week - that’s the equivalent of working on math for 53.5 non-stop days!
Students in grades 3-5 utilized their ALEKS account to strengthen math concepts where they need the most help. ALEKS is a Web-based, artificially intelligent assessment and learning system that uses adaptive questioning to quickly and accurately determine exactly what a student knows and doesn't know in a course. ALEKS is utilized in grades 3-5 math courses to support personalized learning for students throughout the school year. In grades PK-2, students used teacher-approved online math sites that support students in content mastery where they most need it.
The EJ staff would like to thank the our PTA for supporting Math Madness. The top 10 students in each grade level were recognized with a certificate of achievement, while the top-ranking classroom at each grade level will celebrate with a popsicle party this week. Most importantly, our students are talking about how much fun they had during Math Madness and gaining confidence with their mathematical abilities!
Hillside Elementary School
Hillside Elementary is the home of one of the NELC’s Advanced Strategies Labs. In its inaugural year, Mrs. Deas has done some incredible work with her students and has pushed them to try new things and create wonderful designs that have met standards across all content areas. As part of her curriculum designing, Mrs. Deas created a prompt that aligned with the community needs and the engineering design framework.
In the Roswell Community the mayor has released his desire to include more see-saws in the city parks. With that information Ms. Deas created a challenge for the students that included the creation of Mayor of Roswell, Mr. Jere Wood, charging the Kindergarten and 1st Grade students to design see-saws for the city parks. With this task at hand the Hillside students have worked over the past few months to develop and create see-saws for their city. The curriculum design used the concepts they have learned about pivots, levers, load, and effort to design a variety of see saws to present to Mayor Wood.
Mayor Wood will visit Hillside Elementary First Grade students to listen to their presentations about the steps of the engineering design process on May 19th at 8:15am. The presentation will last about 40 minutes.
Medlock Bridge Elementary School
March was Read Across Medlock Month
This year we celebrated our second annual Read Across Medlock. During the month of March our students, staff and families participated in activities that celebrate reading.
We kicked off with red and white day on Monday, March 3rd as we recognized Dr. Seuss's Birthday. On Thursday, March 6th we had an exciting day as many book characters came alive at our school. Staff and students were excited to dress as their favorite book character and chatter in the hall included book recommendations from one character to another.
Throughout the month, classrooms staged a "read out" where students took some time out of their day to enjoy the beautiful March sunshine and read for pleasure.
One of our favorite March events was our One Book One School read aloud. This year Mrs. Hutchens read the novel, The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate, to the entire student body. We presented this read aloud daily during our regularly scheduled DEAR (Drop Everything and Read) time. The One and Only Ivan is a wonderful, touching story with a very cool Atlanta connection.
Throughout the month, students were guided toward creating book trailers in a variety of digital formats that they can share with the school community. A talented group of 4th and 5th graders are currently working on a public service announcement video designed to promote summer reading in the MBES Community.
Northwood Elementary School
At Northwood Students Take Initiative
Northwood ES Additional Learning Opportunities
Northwood’s CST Ms. Danielle Evangelista has created an exciting fun filled curriculum for students in grades 3-5. One hundred and forty seven students (147) are attending Wednesday (after school) and Saturday school to dig deeper into the critical components of the curriculum. During these additional learning sessions students work on English Language Arts and Math concepts. Students are also working on Science and Social Studies through cross curricular units and games that have been designed for this purpose. The funding for this opportunity was granted via the extended learning funds released by Fulton Board of Education to support learning that was impacted by recent inclement weather.
Northwood Students Incorporate School Vision in Daily Learning
Students in Grades K-5 have taken it upon themselves to live Northwood’s Vision “ We will be a school of global thinkers who connect learning with future success.” Students take the initiative to work on a variety of topics ranging from history, anthropology, politics, sports, engineering to name a few. Student work is displayed for everyone to learn from! This project is a voluntary project, but our students have produced exemplary work! Parents thank you for your support.
Kindergarten and “Read Across America” Activities
Northwood’s Explorers have been reading Dr. Seuss books since last two weeks. They have been working on cross curricular units which involved writing, science experiments, read aloud ’s and door decorating competitions. Students worked on creative solutions to problems like what kinds of animals will they keep in zoos and why? Students also worked on environmental projects which focused on saving the earth and our trees. Student excitement and engagement in every class was noteworthy.
Ocee Elementary School
We are so proud of Neil Lothe, a kindergartner in Ms. Scaccia’s class! Neil came in second at the Georgia state level in the Kindergarten Grade Level - Visual Arts category for the PTA Reflections contest. He was honored at a ceremony at the Woodruff Arts Center on March 23rd, 2014. Neil received a certificate, lapel pin and ribbon from the National PTA President, Mr. Otha Thornton, Jr., Georgia PTA President Ms. Rita Erves, and Georgia PTA Reflections Chair, Ms. Pam Lamar.
River Eves Elementary School
STEM 2014-15
River Eves STEM Committee Members continue to share plans to increase STEM opportunities for students next school year. The most recent conversation started with a quick STEM activity for teachers. Teams of teachers competed to build the tallest freestanding structure that would support a marshmallow using only spaghetti, tape, and yarn. Teams were very creative with their designs and excited about the possibilities for the students. Members of the STEM Committee have visited at least 3 GA STEM-Certified or STEM-Focused Schools over a 3 month period and participated in numerous professional development sessions to redeliver to the staff in preparation for the 2014-15 school year.
Foundation Fundraiser for STEM
The River Eves Education Foundation (REEF) spring fundraiser, “Caddyshack: An 80s Golf Par-Tee” raised over $44,000. Since its inception, the foundation has now reached over $250,000 raised for technology and science enhancements at River Eves Elementary School. All proceeds from the event will benefit technology and STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) investments at the school. Most notably, REEF will continue to fund part-time Technology Coach Lizzie Fragale, Fulton County’s first foundation-funded technology teacher. In her role, Fragale supports the integration of technology into the curriculum to improve the overall academic experience for students. We are reaching new heights through REEF’s success -- from the education Mrs. Fragale provides, to the 100-plus iPads and iPad minis for use by teachers and students, to the interactive ActivBoards and projectors in the classrooms,” said River Eves principal Neil Pinnock. “The partnership with REEF has enabled us to keep River Eves students at the forefront of the broad range of digital lessons that make learning more engaging and interactive.”
Reflections Entries Placed at State Level
We are so proud to announce that 4 River Eves students have placed at the state level for their Reflections entries. The students are:
Alicia Buteau – Dance Anna Cangelosi – Dance
Sasha Etingof – Dance Erik Zepeda-Tobar – Visual Arts
They will attend the state reception later this month to find out where they placed and if we have any students moving on to compete at the National level.
Destination Imagination Tournament
River Eves is proud of our two 3rd and 4th grade teams that participated in the Destination Imagination Tournament at Duluth High School on Saturday. Both teams worked hard, incorporating STEA(art)M and collaboration, to complete their team challenge and present it at the tournament. The students created well-developed characters and a story with a beginning, middle, and end to introduce their challenge to the audience and show how they solved it. Jessica Vu and Felicia MacFarland were the Destination Imagination team managers who kept them on track and pushed them to think outside-the-box.
Shakerag Elementary School
Student Leaders
Our Student Lighthouse Team held a Parent Night on March 19th sharing what they’ve been learning about Dr. Stephen Covey’s 7-Habits with our parent community. Our Student Lighthouse Team is comprised of 2nd through 5th graders that have been learning about leadership and practicing their communication and collaboration skills throughout the year. They created several different interactive sessions for our parents, teaching the 7-Habits and explaining how we utilize these concepts every day at school. Are you a Coke or Water bottle (Reactive or Proactive?). What’s your plan? Can you synergize? This event was completely student-driven – the only time an adult spoke was at the end to thank our students for a job well done!
Next up for our Lighthouse Team: helping host our 2nd annual Leadership Day on May 14th from 9:00 – 12:00. During this day we will share our belief that every child has the potential to be a leader and make a positive difference in the world. Dr. Avossa, Fulton County’s Superintendent, business leaders and guests from other schools around Atlanta will be joining us that morning as we live our mission of Celebrating Learning, Inspiring Leaders. This is an opportunity for all our students to share how The 7-Habits of Highly Effective People are embedded into our culture. Guests will hear about our journey, visit classrooms, learn about the 7-Habits from student leaders, review student data notebooks and experience student leadership in action. We have a few spots remaining for school/parent teams that are interested – if you’d like to participate email our principal directly (neuhausm@fultonschools.org).
State Bridge Crossing Elementary School
Kiwanis Club Art Showcase
In celebration of March being Youth Art Month, 22 students from State Bridge Crossing Elementary School participated in the Kiwanis Club Art Showcase, held at King’s Ridge Christian School Saturday, March 15th. The many complimentary comments about the high quality of artwork by the State Bridge Students were energetically received. Some students even won ribbons for their grade level! This was quite a special show and a great way to celebrate what the visual arts.Congratulations to all the students who participated this year in the Kiwanis Club art show!
International Night Celebration
On Thursday, March 20th, families from our diverse population take part in a fabulous celebration of food and fun! Families donate food from their respective country, adorn their tables with items that represent their country, and celebrate their culture with our SBCE families. It truly is a wonderful celebration, not to mention all the delicious foods to taste. This evening is a night to celebrate diversity and what makes our school and nation great!
Georgia State Technology Competition
On Saturday, March 8th, 2014, two State Bridge Crossing students, Aanan Biswas and Guenevere Bowman, travelled to Macon College in Macon, GA to participate in the Georgia State Technology Competition. The competition was outstanding! Each of the 500 participants had to place first at both his/ her local school technology fair and at the county technology competition in order to qualify for the state event.
Aanan Biswas wowed the judges, placing third in the category of 3rd/4th Grade 3D Modeling. Guenevere Bowman did not place in her category of 3rd/4th Grade Non-Animated Graphic Design, but the judges were very complimentary of her work. Congratulations to both Aanan and Guen for a job well done!
Wilson Creek Elementary School
On Friday, February 28, Wilson Creek Elementary celebrated Read Across America Day (RAAD). RAAD is a day to promote reading and to celebrate the great author Dr. Seuss. On this day, students and teachers dressed like their favorite book character such as the Man in the Yellow Hat from Curious George Saves His Pennies, Fancy Nancy from Fancy Nancy’s Favorite Fancy Words and Viola Swamp from Miss Nelson is Missing. This special day began with ‘green eggs’ being served in the cafeteria for breakfast. Celebrity readers read Dr. Seuss books to the students via the Promethean Board. Teachers focused on literacy activities with students participating in Readers Theater, reading with book buddies and independent and shared reading. Students predicted and tallied how may total books/chapters were read throughout the day. The day ended with the students assembling outside to hear Principal Cushing read a Dr. Seuss poem with her friend, “The Cat in the Hat” from the roof of Wilson Creek Elementary. She also proudly announced to the student body they had read over 6,200 chapters/books throughout the day!
Middle Schools
Autrey Mill Middle School
Four hundred and fifty three Autrey Mill Middle School 7th graders and 28 staff and teachers spent three days and two nights at the Rock Eagle 4-H Camp in Eatonton, Georgia from March 24th to the 26th. The students and teachers were housed in comfortable cabins that fit around 20 students each. While during the day students participated in: challenge courses, team initiatives, canoeing, watershed studies, hiking, and herpetology; at night they experienced: nature hikes, dancing, and Native American games. The students experienced the interrelated study of ecology and Georgia history first hand. Even though the temperature was pretty cold (an incredible 28 degrees Wednesday morning), the atmosphere at the 4-H Camp was unbelievably enjoyable to all. What a fabulous tradition of learning about our Georgia environmental sciences!
Haynes Bridge Middle School
Haynes Bridge at Top of STEM Challenges!
Haynes Bridge Middle School’s 8th grade students participated in the Regional Destination Imagination competition this past Saturday at Duluth High School. Destination Imagination program, whose vision statement is to “be the global leader in teaching the creative process from imagination to innovation”, provided platform for the students to work on their creative thinking skills by presenting different challenges to the students. The students had to provide solutions to the challenges while incorporating skills of STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) with integration of performance and fine arts.
Although the students lost some valuable time due to snow days, they were able to execute a plan and work together as a team to meet the competition deadline. Between creating the solution, writing out a skit, building a backdrop and props, the students had to actively use problem solving skills and learn new techniques in order to complete this challenge.
In the end, HBMS entered in two categories-Scientific and Service Learning. In the scientific category, the group provided a solution to living in an “extreme” environment of abyssal zone and earned enough points to place first in middle school division and move on to Global competition in May. The service learning group found a need in the community and raised over $300 and 71 bags of toiletries for the CURE foundation (organization for families with children with cancer). The service learning group placed 2nd in the middle school division for this category. We are so proud of our students.
Holcomb Bridge Middle School
Humanities Department Happenings at HBMS:
The Humanities Department at Holcomb Bridge Middle continues to do incredible The HBMS Humanities Department Contacts shared a few very useful instructional strategies with their colleagues during March’s NELC Humanities Meeting. The strategies that were shared can be used in the classroom to help students develop and enhance their critical thinking skills. Participants at the meeting responded to a timed, complex historical reading and created a detailed narrative from a complex painting.
Also, HBMS teachers in the Humanities Department learned how to “fly like Mike” last week. They participated in a close reading of Macklemore’s “Wings.” This instructional strategy allowed teachers to actively participate by reading and analyzing the song. The teachers all had great insights about its symbolism and true meaning and really understood this strategy from their students’ perspective. There were discussions about consumerism, the pressure to “be cool,” materialism, etc. Every teacher saw the importance of using this strategy in his or her classroom, as well as the power of the message to be true to oneself. It was “slam dunk” of a meeting!
Community Based Instruction Program
The Global Ambassadors, students and teachers in our MOID Department, are excited to announce that the new Community Based Instruction (CBI) program at Holcomb Bridge Middle has been a great success. The Global Ambassadors recently attended the movie “Mr. Peabody and Sherman” at Studio Movie Grill. This experience allowed the students to practice real-life, independent living skills in a safe environment. We want to give a big thank you to Studio Movie Grill for all their help and support for our first CBI experience… it was surely one to remember!
River Trail Middle School
The leaders from the Student Government Association( SGA) at River Trail chose to support the African Library Project. This project encourages families to clean off their bookshelves and donate unused books to the school. In addition to collecting and organizing the books, the members of SGA also organize fundraisers to pay to ship the books to Africa. The books are used to build libraries for under-privileged children. The books (pictured below) will soon be in the hands of a young Africa children as they make their way to their new home.
Taylor Road Middle School
Four Taylor Road students competed at the state level at the Georgia Educational Technology Fair in Macon on March 8, 2014. We are proud to announce that Apurva Nemala won 1st place for 3D Modeling, Sireesh Ramesh and Madhav Ghatpande (a team) won 1st place for Internet Applications, and Charles Overton won 3rd place for Non-Animated Graphic Design. We are very proud of these students.
The annual Taylor Road Middle School Flag Ceremony and reception was held on Wednesday March 26, 2014 at 6:30 pm in the school gymnasium. This event, sponsored by the PTA and Diversity Committee, recognizes our students’ and staff’s cultural heritage by displaying flags from their native country, sharing in traditional foods, and enjoying cultural student entertainment. Parents and students involved in this special ceremony are asked to bring an authentic dish from their country of origin. Students are also encouraged to dress in traditional clothing. It was another great success this year.
High Schools
Centennial High School
Centennial High School received a surprise in the mail last week when an envelope from the Governor's Office arrived containing an official Commendation from Governor Deal for the exceptional care and attention provided by our staff to the 65 children we sheltered overnight during the now infamous "SnowJam" on January 29, 2014. This honor is exciting and marks the second time in one year that Centennial has received official state-level praise from the Governor's Office (the first time was a special proclamation honoring our nationally-ranked Model UN team).
Coming up at Centennial, we are excited to continue our Saturday tutoring iniatiative we call "Stay Calm and Get a Tutor!" The first 3 sessions have been phenomenally attended and students are benefitting greatly from the one-on-one help. The next two EOCT extra help sessions are April 19th and April 26th (9am-12pm in the Centennial Media Center).
Chattahoochee High School
Chattahoochee High School International Night
Chattahoochee High School celebrated its first International Night on Thursday, March 13th with more than 400 in attendance. Parents, students, faculty and staff from twenty-one different countries were excited to share their culture through food and performances.
The evening began with a flag ceremony followed by traditional musical and dance performances. Afterwards, everyone enjoyed authentic food and drink from each of these countries: Brazil, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, France, Ghana, India, Iran, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Nigeria, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Puerto Rico, Switzerland, USA, Venezuela and Vietnam.
Northview High School
Northview High School’s Kaleidoscope Club and PTSA were proud to host the Tenth Annual International Night Celebration, “Sailing on the Seas”, on February 5, 2014. Comprised of food, talent and a host of nations, International Night enables students to celebrate the 80+ countries represented at Northview.
Attendees delighted in A Taste of Cultures in the cafeteria. Over 20 nations were represented by food and cultural activities. Parents and volunteer organizations brought in dishes of cultural foods and their artifacts to display. Students, parents and community members were able to sample to food as well as discuss cultural festivities with the volunteers.
In between supping, attendees could take in the cultures during the International Night performances. Fourteen acts represented seven different countries through music and dance. Northview students put together the evening’s festivities from choreographing the dance routines to coordinating the staging and curtains. Both performances elicited standing ovations from the attendees.
Johns Creek High School
For the past two years, the Johns Creek High School Counseling Office has been hosting a monthly event called Cookies with Counselors. Johns Creek High School parents are invited and encouraged to attend Cookies with Counselors, which provides them with the opportunity to enjoy refreshments while participating in an open question-and-answer session with JCHS counselors. Topics of discussion vary and often include information about course offerings and selection, standardized testing, and college planning and placement. Daytime and evening sessions are offered to accommodate parents’ busy schedules.
Cookies with Counselors originated when the counseling office saw a need for alternative ways to relay pertinent information to parents. The one-hour sessions allow parents to address their common questions and concerns with knowledgeable counselors. Parent feedback about Cookies with Counselors has been overwhelmingly positive. Many parents have indicated that the question-and-answer sessions have better prepared them to assist their students with high school and postsecondary planning. In addition, the face-to-face time between counselors and parents has fostered a positive rapport and increased the likelihood of parents reaching out to their student’s counselor if necessary. Cookies with Counselors, when used in conjunction with our website and larger scale parent nights, has been an effective way to keep the parent population informed.
Northeast Learning Community Office
Dr. Will Rumbaugh, Area Superintendent
Engagement…it’s a characteristic all the NELC principals are wanting to see in their schools and communities. There are some really great examples above of that engagement coming to life in our schools. It’s interesting to see kids and adults “getting their hands” on the learning, as well as their minds.
Andre Wright, Area Executive Director
Not only are the students in the NELC preparing for their big exam next month, but so are the Aspiring Assistant Principals. The NELC Assistant Principals just wrapped up the last series of leadership development workshops for the Aspiring Assistant Principals group in preparation for their mock interviews next month. Let’s wish them all success as they prepare for the final phase of their leadership program.
Amy Booms, Humanities Program Specialist
Below are two resources for parents. First, is a Prezi presentation that Abby May and I put together about the shifts in Common Core: what the kids are doing in school, and what parents can do to help support the shift. This presentation is for Math and ELA. The second is a Symbaloo resource that is dedicated to sites that can help parents understand the Common Core ELA standards along with websites that students can go to that will support their reading and writing. ELA Common Core standards are all about reading a lot and integration of reading into other subject areas. The main shift is reading more complex nonfiction text in the classroom and at home. According to research, the more parents read with their children at home, the more successful they are in their educational career. Thank you so much for your support!
Common Core Shifts Prezi: http://tinyurl.com/pw4fqqs
ELA Symbaloo: http://www.symbaloo.com/mix/elaccgpspractice-home
Abby May, STEM Program Specialist
CRCT Math Review:
Below are two Symbaloo’s created for parents to help review CRCT math at home in elementary and middle schools. Each includes the road maps as well as additional sites for practice. Parents are encouraged to use any CRCT review activities that come home to identify weak areas for their students and then find the appropriate activities to supplement.
Elementary CRCT Review Symbaloo
http://edu.symbaloo.com/mix/crctparent-studentrevie
Middle School CRCT Review Symbaloo
http://edu.symbaloo.com/mix/crctmsparentreview
Barnwell Science Lab: In the fall, Barnwell Elementary will open its new science lab. This lab has been meticulously organized and new technology has been purchased to support science and STEM at Barnwell. Additional science purchases and trainings are coming to support the teachers. The students and staff are getting very excited about the possibilities of this lab!! GO BEARS!!!
Cathy Crawford, Exceptional Ed. Specialist
The NELC Program Specialists had an opportunity this month to observe teachers & students during instructional rounds. Best practices of co-teaching was observed at Hillside Elementary in Ms. King-Francis and Ms. Seigel’s 3rd grade math class where students were learning about elapsed time. Students had a variety of means to explain their understanding of the concept (direct instruction in small group with a teacher, use of manipulatives, higher order thinking questions with peers).
Alvin Thomas, Behavior Specialist
I would like to give special recognition to all the schools in the NELC implementing the No Place For Hate initiative. No Place For Hate is an initiative of the Anti-Defamation League offered free to schools. The initiative is designed to rally the entire school around the goal of creating a welcoming community committed to stopping all forms of bias and bullying. No Place For Hate provides a unique framework to incorporate new and existing programs with one consistent message. No Place For Hate helps schools to foster a culture of respect and create a safe, bully-free learning environment for students at all grade levels.
Alyssa Swan, Title 1 Math Specialist
At Holcomb Bridge MS, I got to support the AP with her instructional rounds by observing teachers in the building based on instructional strategies and differentiation. I saw one teacher doing a Mystery Lesson where the students discovered the learning for themselves!!!
At River Eves, teachers shared their lesson plans for differentiation school-wide. Each grade level was able to give the other grades feedback on their lessons. It was a great culminating activity for our year-long professional learning!
At Esther Jackson, I continued to work with the continuous achievement teachers. One teacher in particular has worked all year to make two levels in one classroom work, and I am so proud!
At Hillside, I worked with the math coach and her fellow coaches to create CRCT review materials by strand. This work will support the teachers in the Title I buildings with CRCT prep!
Susan Walker, Strategy & Innovation Division Specialist
The 11 Northeast Schools in Cohort 2* of the Charter System are up and running! Each of these schools is beginning to hold their School Governance Council meetings. Over the next few months, these schools will engage in a strategic planning process to articulate their vision and plans for the next three years.
The Governance team is supporting and guiding these schools’ planning process by conducting Strategic Planning trainings and providing technical assistance. At the end of March, all Cohort 2 schools throughout the district came together for a training. Pictured here are principals and school staff engaging in “The Change Game,” an opening activity designed to get our schools thinking about the inherent challenges involved in implementing changes in their buildings.
In Cohort 1 news, the 5 Northeast Cohort 1 schools* will hold spring elections in May for open teacher and parent Council positions. These schools are busy getting the word out to parents and teachers who may be interested in being part of the great work that is happening in these schools.
*Cohort 1 NELC Schools: Abbotts Hill ES; Autrey Mill MS; Centennial HS; Northview HS; Shakerag ES
*Cohort 2 NELC Schools: Chattahoochee HS; Dolvin ES; Haynes Bridge MS; Holcomb Bridge MS; Johns Creek HS; Medlock Bridge ES; Ocee ES; River Trail MS; State Bridge Crossing ES; Taylor Road MS; Wilson Creek ES
Fulton County Northeast Learning Community
Email: NELC@fultonschools.org
Location: 86 School Drive, Alpharetta, GA, United States
Phone: (770) 667-7760
Twitter: @fcnortheastlc