The Alternative View
December 7, 2020
Center Alternative School
Email: mwoolf@center.k12.mo.us
Website: https://www.center.k12.mo.us/center-alternative-school
Location: 8434 The Paseo, Kansas City, MO, USA
Phone: 816-349-3440
Twitter: @CenterAltSchool
Upcoming Dates
- 12/11 -- Tutoring 8:00-11:00
- 12/18 -- NO SCHOOL. CAS staff will be visiting students home to deliver our warm wishes :)
- 12/18 -- Winter Break begins. Happy Holidays!
- 1/4 -- Return to school
- 1/15 -- Last day of the semester. ALL WORK DUE!
- 1/17 -- NO SCHOOL (MLK Day)
- 1/18 -- First day of Semester 2a
Message from the Principal
First, we want you to know that we recognize the challenges of virtual learning. We would all rather be learning at school in-person. However, we are in the middle of a global pandemic, and local COVID-19 cases have only been increasing as of late. We have to make the best of the situation and hope for better days ahead. I want to recognize all the teachers and staff who have completely flipped how they do things. To the parents of our students, thank you for supporting us and your child. Most importantly, to the students, THANK YOU for logging on to your classes, completing your assignments, and being so flexible. We can't wait to be back at the building!
Sincerely,
Matt Woolf
Principal
Mid-Term Grades Now Available!!!
Please click the button above to check Infinite Campus to see your student's mid-term grades. It is certainly not too late to improve grades before the end of the semester!
Some important changes to note...
Because of the shift to hybrid and virtual learning, we made a few shifts to how we do school in order to better serve our students. It's important that students and parents understand these changes:
- 4x4 Schedule -- We moved from a traditional schedule to a 4x4 this year. Instead of doing 7 classes each day for a 90 day semester, we do 4 classes each day for 45 days, then shift to the next semester (we call these Sem 1a and Sem 2b). The benefit is half the courses to focus on at a time for students, as well as earning 1 additional credit each year.
- Mastery Learning -- CAS teachers have changed the focus of their instruction to mastery rather than simple work completion. In a Master-Based Learning setting, students are taught in an individualized manner depending on their needs and prior knowledge. If a student can demonstrate mastery (70%) of an essential standard, there is no need for additional practice. If a student is struggling with demonstrating mastery, the teacher will prescribe work to practice.
- Co-taught Courses -- Most students have at least one course with 2 teachers. Not only does this help the teachers get better at teaching, but this provides an additional support for students. Struggling with the content while the teacher is giving a lecture? The other teacher can work with you individually and get you back on track. Additionally, we have a para, SPED teacher, and Learning Coach who are all in various classrooms at any given time.
You can see from above that the staff at CAS are doing everything we can to support our students through this difficult time. As long as students "show up" for the virtual classes each day and complete their assignments, we will make sure they are successful!