TWO Academies Newsletter
Certified Demonstration Magnet Program at Dent Middle
Happy New School Year!!
For those who do not know I am Mrs. Tiffany Hawthorne and I am the lead teacher of TWO Academies. This is my second year in this position and my 15th year in education. I have two children, Anna(5) and Oliver(2). Anna began Kindergarten this year so I am now seeing school from a parent's eyes as well as a teacher's eyes. My husband is a plumber for Richland 2. We also have two dogs, Moxxi and Rex. I love to share a little about me so students can find connections and begin to feel comfortable to come to me with concerns or celebrations.
I am also proud to annouce that this summer I completed all the courses needed to be a trainer through Gurian Institute, which is a leader in single gender research. I have been working with the teachers to give make sure we are using the most up to date research to base our strategies for our program on.
I am so excited for the opportunity to work with all the amazing TWO Academies's students and have a fantastic year of teaching and learning. If you have any questions or concerns please reach out to me anytime!
Team Building Exercise
Indoor Recess
Book Talk
Brain Research and Strategy Spotlight
What does the research say...
Everyone has two hemisphere's in their brains. They are connected. We usually start in one hemisphere and that makes the connection to the opposing hemisphere then learning occurs. For boys their right hemisphere is dominated by a spatial/visual area (movement) and left is dominated by verbal (writing, talking). Girls are verbal on both hemispheres. What this means in school is for boys we have to spark their spatial/visual side to engage the verbal hemisphere. We do this by having students do movements, teacher moving around, drawing before writing, and fidgets. Girls we engage by asking questions, journaling, and turn and talk.
We understand that both hemispheres need to be activated differently for a student to fully engage in the learning. At home you can do this by having your son do physical movements before homework or talking to your daughter about their learning in class prior to homework. This will give the students the best brain environment for learning!
Collaboration
Technology
Reflect and Warm Up
Teacher Spotlight
Meet Mrs. Scott, 6th Grade Science
Teaching science runs in my family, so I am right where I belong in the science classroom! My first year in TWO Academies has taught me a lot already. My favorite gender-based strategy I have been using is to make sure I move around the room more with the boys while I am giving direct instruction. I can definitely tell the difference when I incorporate this strategy!
I am looking forward to to having an amazing year!
Upcoming Events and Information
Mark your calendars
August 30-31, 2022 - MAP Testing (make ups will be Sept. 1-2, 2022)
September 5, 2022 - No School, Labor Day
Little Caesars Fundraiser for TWO Academies kicks off September 6, 2022 thru October 10, 2022.
Open House will be announced soon
September 23, 2022 - Half Day, Dismissal begins at 11:45am
6th Grade parents please make sure you have paid for our EarthShine trip by September 20, 2022. All forms and payment are on parent portal and are active.
September 21-23, 2022 - 6th Graders to EarthShine
TWO Academies at Dent Middle School
Email: thawthorne@richland2.org
Website: http://twoacademies.weebly.com/
Location: 2721 Decker Boulevard, Columbia, SC, USA
Phone: 803-699-2750 - 72120
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/twoacademies
Twitter: @twoacademies