Pioneer Weekly Express 5
A Publication From the Principal's Desk
Principal's Message
I'm sure by now, you have heard about our daily Connect time. It's intended purpose is to allow students to connect to content, their passions, the community, and each other. I want to invite you to be apart of this time. Are you passionate about your career, your life experience, or a hobby? Come share it for about an hour with our students. If you want more information, please email me at CrystalGregory@johnston.k12.nc.us.
Below you will also find a little bit of information about weekly tutorial. We know that this is a unique year for so many. Some of our students experienced incredible learning loss and/or gaps over the past 2 years. We want to help bridge some of those gaps. Please consider allowing your Pioneer to attend Power Hour Tutorial sessions.
Make it a great week!
--Mrs. Gregory
Weekly Tutorials! Happening Now!
We are so excited about our new Tutorial options for students called Pioneer Power Hour. Tutorial and academic support sessions are held every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday both before and after school. Transportation MUST be provided in order for students to stay after school. You can register at any time...and then just show up!
You can complete registration online at: https://bit.ly/PioneerPH. For more information, Please contact Crystal Gregory, Principal, at CrystalGregory@johnston.k12.nc.us.
Homework at IA?
Computer Updates:
ACCESS Testing
ACCESS Testing for students receiving English Language Learning (ELL) services will take place on Monday, February 14th and Tuesday, February 15th. Students will be tested over their English proficiency in four areas: Reading, Listening, Writing, and Speaking. Students who are apart of this program received a tutorial over the test with Mrs. Gear this week. They also received a letter to bring home letting families know the test is taking place. The make-up test date is Thursday, February 17th.
8th Grade: Presentation of Learning
Presentation of Learning (2/17, 2/18 & 2/21, 2/22)
This week, our 3rd Year Pioneers will be showcasing their body of work over the past three years at Innovation Academy! We are excited to welcome families and community members to campus to support the hard work of our 3rd Year Pioneers as they work towards the next steps in their educational journey. Families of our Third Year Pioneers should refer to Talking Points for specific information about this event!
First year Pioneers sort the order of an Artemis myth in Social Studies.
In the Mixed-Media art club, we created marbled paper using shaving cream and food coloring. Students had a blast coming up with their own designs and working through the challenges of keeping the colors where they wanted them.
This week in Crochet Club we enjoyed learning the basics! We learned about how to create a slip-knot, a basic chain and single crochet! Next week, we are going to learn about a variety of other stitches and begin discussing our first project!
First year Pioneers created one-pagers to show their understanding of “The Watsons Go to Birmingham-1963.” They worked incredibly hard during this unit and showed this through their deep analysis.
Did Some One Say SHOUT OUT???
6th Grade
Brayden Allen & Samuel Delgado
7th Grade
Zoey Schaffer, Gillian Bennet, & Taylor Pierce
8th Grade
Elliot Isaacs, Konrad Hakansson, & Clayton Johnson
Please Join PTA
Our PTA has some great things planned for the rest of the year!
Stay informed and find out how you can help with upcoming events like dances, spirit nights, and appreciation weeks by becoming a member today!
Membership is only $8 per person. We accept payment through Memberhub, PayPal or with cash/check.
Memberhub: https://innovationacademy.memberhub.com/store
Paypal: paypal.me/iapta
Cash or Check payable to Innovation Academy PTA in our office mailbox
Be sure to note your name, your student's name, and name of your student's advisor. Also, let us know if there's something specific you'd like to help with.
Grade Level Updates
Year 1 / 6th Grade
ELA:
In ELA, students began the Mythology Unit in collaboration with the Ancient Greece Social Studies unit. This week, students will engage with the drama “Hades and Persephone,” and focus on answering a Response to Literature with claim, evidence, and justification. They will also work to earn Aphrodite’s token to gain advantage in the Olympics. Finally, students will analyze the impact of pride through the myth of “Arachne.”
Science:
In Science students are launching into our next unit study of Earth Science. Students will be looking at Earth’s structure and then in the coming weeks the structure of other planets and finding similarities and differences between the two. We will be pulling in ELA strategies within Science to strengthen our study!
Math:
During math this week, we are continuing with algebraic expressions. We are diving deep into understanding distributive property, commutative property, and associative property. If you want to challenge your students at home, have them do Mathler! It is like Wordle but for math!
Social Studies:
We are continuing our unit on ancient Greece. This coming week, we will focus on the development of democracy as well as the legacy of Alexander the Great. This week’s challenges during Our Olympic Odyssey are from Ares and Hera. We’re excited for Mrs. Gear to join Our Olympic Odyssey within ELA!
Special Reminders The sixth grade team is hosting a grade-level Olympic competition for students on Friday, February 25. We will send communication soon to ask for family involvement. We will need judges and light refreshments.
Year 2 / 7th Grade
ELA:
We will be starting our new Dystopian Unit this upcoming week to gear up for a PBL we will be starting within the next couple of weeks.
Students should be independently reading and writing in their journals weekly.
Social Studies:
This week we continue to highlight success stories for Black History Month, from Madame C.J.Walker to Condoleezza Rice.
We are also Exploring the continent of Africa with a focus on its geography and art. We will finish with African Colonization through the 1800’s.
Year 3 / 8th Grade
Science:
In science, we are focusing on microbiology: how microbes, like viruses and bacteria, spread sickness and disease. We are tackling this very important topic with an escape room where students earn badges as they complete tasks that teach them about pandemics! Make sure you ask your student to tell you their favorite part!
Math 8:
During math this week, we continued solving more complex linear equations. Students are revisiting 6th and 7th grade standards and making connections with 8th grade standards.
**Continue encouraging your Pioneer to utilize Dreambox!**
Math 1:
Students are wrapping up another unit this week! And it was a BIG one! Students can now define, describe, compare and evaluate functions; translate between recursive and explicit forms of arithmetic sequences; and run a statistical analysis and interpret the results! They have done amazing with this unit as a whole!
**Continue encouraging your Pioneer to utilize Dreambox!**
ELA 8
I told y’all 1.5 and those ACE responses were going to be SPICY, and we were definitely right! Students usually went through two revisions to achieve mastery on this assignment, but once they got it - THEY GOT IT. Several students have moved on to their mastery assessment in 1.6, and so far, they’re looking pretty good!
We start a new short story next week, reviewing these same skills and adding a few more. LET’S GET IT.
ENGLISH 1
OKAY! Subtopic Paragraphs 1 and 2 have been rolling in, and it’s great to see JUST HOW MUCH your student’s have grown since that first diagnostic essay in August! Next week, we wrap up this first essay and move into their first literary analysis essay, using the anchor text “Night” to see just how writer’s develop themes over the course of a novel.
Social Studies:
This week students wrapped up their study of 8.G.1. Our 1:1 conferences have added an additional layer of understanding of the specific learning objectives for this standard.
As students are finalizing their pathway assessments, it is evident that students have developed the content knowledge required to make connections and truly understand the world around them! Next week, we are looking forward to beginning our study of 8.H.2 as we collaborate with Mrs. Kelly as we explore how innovation has led to change in North Carolina and the United States!
Enhancements
Theatre Arts:
Next week, students in Theatre Arts will learn about costume design, set design, sound design, and lighting design! As a class, students will read and analyze a play specific to their grade level. After analyzing the play, students will break out into small groups to create a design portfolio that play.
CTE:
Students will begin presenting Black History presentations in class.(7th/8th)
6th grade - will be making posters to decorate the school for Black History.
Clubs
Drama Club:
Performers in drama club have an after school rehearsal this Friday from 4PM-6PM. Transportation is not provided by the school. Please be sure to pick your student up outside the office at 6PM on 2/18.
FBLA Week: February 13-19
Monday - Share Sweet Treats, Advisor Appreciation
Tuesday - Wear FBLA colors - red, white, & blue
Wednesday - Dress like your favorite leader, career, or hero
Thursday - Dress to Impress -“Business Attire of Sunday’s Best
Friday - Innovation Gear, school colors
Movie Appreciation:
We are ready to start exploring how special effects (like CGI) can enhance a film! What movie will we look at next???
Chess:
Mrs. Dauphinais has started a chess club!
Drawing Club:
This crew remains a little “sketchy,” but Mr. Comerford feels really good about these young artists.
Mixed-Media Art:
We would love any donations for our art club- mixed-media uses different objects to create art such as: magazines, scrap paper, textured objects, buttons, pipe cleaners, etc.
Upcoming Events
Feb 18, 2022 - Feb 22, 2022
Presentation of Learning (8th Grade)
Feb 21, 2022
JCPS Choice Programs Application deadline
Feb 23, 2022
Culver's(Clayton) Sprit Night
Feb 28, 2022
PTA Meeting
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The Innovation Academy at South Campus
Crystal Gregory
Principal / Lead Learner
Email: CrystalGregory@johnston.k12.nc.us
Website: https://www.johnston.k12.nc.us/iasc
Location: 521 Martin Luther King Jr Dr, Smithfield, NC 27577, USA
Phone: 919-934-6481
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jocoia