Problem Solving 101 • P.1 Your Phones, Our VR • P.2 Robotics in 5th • P.2 Upcoming Events • P.3 Alumni Focus • P.4 IB by Design • P.4 THE PROBLEM: WE NEED PROBLEM SOLVERS THE SOLUTION: CLC BY JASON FLOM INSIDE THIS ISSUE: Students’ ability to argue with reasoning requires critical thinking and effective communication skills. Throughout CLC you’ll find examples of students thinking deeply about a topic, expressing their reasoning, and listening to perspectives of others. If we want students to graduate knowing how to think, we have to give them ample time, space, and practice to build those habits of mind. The above migration discussion from IB Amer. History is but one example. CRITICAL THINKING: CORNERSTONE OF REASONING & LOGIC 03 04 MONTHLY EVENTS: Major events to keep your eye on INNOVATIONS: The future is now and how you can help ALUMNI FOCUS: Highlights of a few of our graduates Inspiring and empowering compassionate, global learners since 2000 A friend of mine works for Wasafiri, an organization focused on tackling complex problems through a process (“Systemcraft”) which addresses the larger system in which a problem exists. These are not “sore throat” level problems. These are “reducing childhood mortality rates in developing countries” level problems -- challenges with no clear singular cause or solution. The problems he works on all have four things in common: 1. No single root cause 2. No single owner 3. Evolving dynamics 4. Involves entrenched behaviors & interests When I talk with him about his work, I find myself hopeful for our students, and by proxy, our world. Spend enough time on our campus and you’ll see students wrestling with developmentally appropriate complex problems or in the process of building the skills that empower their capacity to do so. Beyond the ability to “simply” problem solve, CLC students also learn to do so in a way that humanizes solutions with compassion and empathy. At CLC, caring, virtues, and diverse views are a part of the DNA of the student learning experience. We know the climate is changing and the future will include dynamic global events our children must confront. I’m hopeful because when they do, I know they’ll have the skills to meet those challenges with the mindset & humanity that bends the arch of history toward justice and equity. CLC MONTHLY NEWSLETTER Sept. 2018 02 5 TH GRADERS DEMONSTRATE SOUND WAVE MODELS TO THEIR 1 ST GRADE SCIENCE BUDDIES.
Transcript
Problem Solving 101 • P.1 Your Phones, Our VR • P.2 Robotics in 5th • P.2 Upcoming Events • P.3 Alumni Focus • P.4 IB by Design • P.4
THE PROBLEM: WE NEED PROBLEM SOLVERS
THE SOLUTION: CLC BY JASON FLOM
INSIDE THIS ISSUE:
Students’ ability to argue with reasoning requires critical thinking and effective communication skills. Throughout CLC you’ll find examples of students thinking deeply about a topic, expressing their reasoning, and listening to perspectives of others. If we want students to graduate knowing how to think, we have to give them ample time, space, and practice to build those habits of mind. The above migration discussion from IB Amer. History is but one example.
A 1st grader challenges her 5th grade science buddy to decipher between two tones. Both classes are studying sound waves and vibrations.
CRITICAL THINKING: CORNERSTONE OF
REASONING & LOGIC
03 04
Have an alumni story? Let us know!
Tremulous umbraculi libere corr Octavius, et appa ratus bel
INNOVATIONS: The future is now and how you can help
ALUMNI FOCUS: Highlights of a few of our graduates
Inspiring and empowering compassionate, global learners since 2000
IB ADDRESSING GLOBAL IDEAS & ACTION BY DESIGN
BY KAREN METCALF
- Phoebe Scott (’09): After graduating from MassArt she completed two residencies: C.R.E.T.A in Rome & A.I.R. Vallauris in
southern France. She is starting a residency at the Worcester Center for Craft where she will also teach ceramics and architecture.
- Cami Young (’12): Beginning her third year at Scotland’s prestigious St. Andrews College where she is studying molecular biology.
- Christopher Whitmer (’12): Beginning his third year at Rochester Institute of Technology following a selective and rewarding summer internship at NASA.
It’s been three years since CLC became an authorized International Baccalaureate World School. Our students have been immersed in learning and living the objectives for IB’s 8 subject areas and student-centered foundation since entering sixth grade. For our program, becoming a World School has only strengthened an already comprehensive educational experience. If you watch closely, you may see evidence that our IB learners are serving, learning, collaborating, and sharing their passions - becoming problem-solvers prepared to address global challenges of the future. One of the ways students develop as problem solvers is through our design classes. This year we offer four different design classes – Engineering, Graphic Design, Interactive Fiction (coding an interactive story), and Fashion. Each
of these classes utilizes a design thinking framework and cycle. The four key steps of the design cycle are:
As you might guess, these very steps can be transferred to and utilized in any number of contexts and in every profession. As students become more adept at applying these skills in novel situations they become more empowered, able, and confident.
A friend of mine works for Wasafiri, an organization focused on tackling complex problems through a process (“Systemcraft”) which addresses the larger system in which a problem exists. These are not “sore throat” level problems. These are “reducing childhood mortality rates in developing countries” level problems -- challenges with no clear singular cause or solution.
The problems he works on all have four things in common:
1. No single root cause 2. No single owner 3. Evolving dynamics 4. Involves entrenched
behaviors & interests
COMING SOON: ANNUAL CLC FUND DRIVE
When I talk with him about his work, I find myself hopeful for our students, and by proxy, our world.
Spend enough time on our campus and you’ll see students wrestling with developmentally appropriate complex problems or in the process of building the skills that empower their capacity to do so.
Beyond the ability to “simply” problem solve, CLC students also learn to do so in a way that humanizes solutions with compassion and empathy. At CLC, caring, virtues, and diverse views are a part of the DNA of the student learning experience.
We know the climate is changing and the future will include dynamic global events our children must confront. I’m hopeful because when they do, I know they’ll have the skills to meet those challenges with the mindset & humanity that bends the arch of history toward justice and equity.
CLC MONTHLY
NEWSLETTER Sept. 2018
Alumni Focus
Thank you
The annual CLC Fund drive is the school’s largest and most important fundraising effort. Revenue from the CLC Fund supports initiatives and objectives not covered by tuition alone. Keep your eye out for your pledge card. We are aiming for 100% participation by Oct. 31.
SOCIAL JUSTICE BOOK CLUB
Our social justice book club for adults is entering its 2nd year. Please join us for our first book of the year, “The Hate U Give,” (a fantastic YA book). We’ll meet to discuss the book at CLC on Sept. 27th at 5:30 pm. Child care will be provided.
02
5 T H GRADERS DEMONSTRATE SOUND WAVE MODELS TO THEIR 1 S T GRADE SCIENCE BUDDIES.
ARTS INTEGRATION BY PATTY CALLENDER
ROBOTICS IN 5TH GRADE BY NATHAN HAGAMAN
MAKING VIRTUAL REALITY AN ACTUAL
REALITY AT CLC BY CHRIS GOSIER
GOSIER
4 T H GRADERS IN ART CREATING MIX MEDIA OBJECTS AS A PART OF THEIR 3-DIMENSION
SCULPTURE WORK. WHILE THESE STUDENTS WERE UTILIZING WIRE, OTHERS WERE
CREATING USING PAPER MACHE. THE DEEP CONCENTRATION HELPS TO DEVELOP
STUDENTS’ CAPACITY TO THINK CRITICALLY AND FOCUS IN OTHER SITUATIONS AS WELL.
New innovations in learning are always fun and exciting for our kids. It's a practice that we pride ourselves on at CLC! Our newest innovation is virtual reality!
Imagine walking through the village of Van Gogh's A Starry Night with your art class, and seeing all the vivid colors and intricacies therein. Or traveling through the inside of the human body in science. Each of these (and so much more) are possible, and even better, accessible.
We have invested in a class set of virtual reality goggles and we need your help. We are seeking smartphones with wifi capability to be donated to the school. The phones do not need to be activated as long as they have wifi capability.
Old or new phones welcomed – whatever you can spare is appreciated.
The phones have to be wifi ready and have a charger. If you have a phone to donate please drop it off in the Front Office. (If you can, please reset it to factory settings before doing so, or give us the passcode and we’ll take care of it for you.)
Thank you for supporting our innovation and the imagination of our kids!
UPCOMING EVENTS: Taking time for joy. . .
IB students enjoy a moment of levity during an engineering design class. Students are working to create a water filtration system.
Below are some of the upcoming events at CLC. For a complete list, please visit our website (CornerstoneLC.com) to check our school calendar under the “Quick Links” tab.
While the creations are incredibly cool, the true value in the work lies in the development of the students’ creative problem solving strategies. This comes through the work organically and is often unnoticed from the students until they reflect upon their work throughout the project. The students leave the project with an understanding that creative thinking is often the best solution to novel and complex problems. And, as a bonus, they have massive amounts of fun while learning how to work cooperatively, honor different ideas, and compromise toward shared goals. In short, skills they can apply anywhere.
When students are asked to draw a robot, they often draw a mostly metal human-like creation that moves in a jaunty manner. What we quickly discover in 5th grade is that a robot is anything that can carry out an action (or actions) automatically. We are fortunate enough to have Hummingbird Robotics kits in the classroom that allow us to follow a natural inquiry-based path to genuine creativity, cooperation, and authentic problem-solving.
We begin the first project with a simple goal: create something that turns, spins, rotates, or moves back and forth. This is an intentional first step in the arc of the year designed to familiarize the students with how motors and servos work. We slowly introduce more components (like sensors, LED lights, etc.) and possibilities throughout each ensuing project culminating in a student-driven Rube Goldberg machine that involves multiple steps and actions.
SAVE the DATE!
Friends & Family Day (Grandparents Day)
Friday, Oct. 26!
In a sense, the arts do not need to strive to “be integrated.” The arts are pure integration by their very nature and place in our lives. There is no way to separate the arts from everything we do. Try to think of a single important human event that does not have music as part of the ritual and tradition. Yes, we do use the same part of our brain to process geometry and pitch relationships - but that’s not what I’m thinking about when I sing with others, or hear a beautiful piece of music at a wedding, or listen to a favorite song. Take a look around and try to find purely utilitarian designs in your home, place of work or worship, or school: the need for visual beauty and harmony is everywhere. A life with no theater, no poetry, no stories? Not even humanly possible.
So what does authentic arts integration actually look like? At Cornerstone, it looks like students participating in visual and performing arts multiple times per
week, during which the tools of the art form are modeled and practiced in order to be utilized as a means of creating and experiencing beauty in its various forms. It looks like 2nd graders creating self-portraits which manifest unique perspectives and self-awareness as diverse as the students themselves. It looks like 5th graders singing passionately and with genuine depth of feeling a song from the Civil Rights movement. It looks like middle schoolers creating a music interaction that is age appropriate and need appropriate for their preschool music buddies at a neighboring school, or leading everyone at a Community Sing. It looks like 4th graders creating gorgeous tapestries woven from yarn and branches found in our school habitat in the style of the First Floridians.
In short, it looks like real life – inspired, infused throughout, and valued.
Cross Country Practices: Wednesdays 3:30 Soccer Practices: Mon, Tue, Thu 3:30 9/19: Fall Break (No school) 9/21: Café CLC “Education in the age of Climate Change”
9/24-28: M.S. Leadership Theme Week 9/26: Board Mtg 9/27: Book Club 9/28: Community Sing 9/29: Poetry Joke Night 10/3–5: 6th Grade Service Trip 10/6: Experience Asia
10/11-12: Iowa Testing Practice 3rd-8th 10/15-19: Iowa Testing 3rd-8th 10/17: Half-Day – Early Release 10/17: Board Mtg. 10/26: Friends and Family Day 10/27: Pumpkin Carving & Potluck
ARTS INTEGRATION BY PATTY CALLENDER
ROBOTICS IN 5TH GRADE BY NATHAN HAGAMAN
MAKING VIRTUAL REALITY AN ACTUAL
REALITY AT CLC BY CHRIS GOSIER
GOSIER
4 T H GRADERS IN ART CREATING MIX MEDIA OBJECTS AS A PART OF THEIR 3-DIMENSION
SCULPTURE WORK. WHILE THESE STUDENTS WERE UTILIZING WIRE, OTHERS WERE
CREATING USING PAPER MACHE. THE DEEP CONCENTRATION HELPS TO DEVELOP
STUDENTS’ CAPACITY TO THINK CRITICALLY AND FOCUS IN OTHER SITUATIONS AS WELL.
New innovations in learning are always fun and exciting for our kids. It's a practice that we pride ourselves on at CLC! Our newest innovation is virtual reality!
Imagine walking through the village of Van Gogh's A Starry Night with your art class, and seeing all the vivid colors and intricacies therein. Or traveling through the inside of the human body in science. Each of these (and so much more) are possible, and even better, accessible.
We have invested in a class set of virtual reality goggles and we need your help. We are seeking smartphones with wifi capability to be donated to the school. The phones do not need to be activated as long as they have wifi capability.
Old or new phones welcomed – whatever you can spare is appreciated.
The phones have to be wifi ready and have a charger. If you have a phone to donate please drop it off in the Front Office. (If you can, please reset it to factory settings before doing so, or give us the passcode and we’ll take care of it for you.)
Thank you for supporting our innovation and the imagination of our kids!
UPCOMING EVENTS: Taking time for joy. . .
IB students enjoy a moment of levity during an engineering design class. Students are working to create a water filtration system.
Below are some of the upcoming events at CLC. For a complete list, please visit our website (CornerstoneLC.com) to check our school calendar under the “Quick Links” tab.
While the creations are incredibly cool, the true value in the work lies in the development of the students’ creative problem solving strategies. This comes through the work organically and is often unnoticed from the students until they reflect upon their work throughout the project. The students leave the project with an understanding that creative thinking is often the best solution to novel and complex problems. And, as a bonus, they have massive amounts of fun while learning how to work cooperatively, honor different ideas, and compromise toward shared goals. In short, skills they can apply anywhere.
When students are asked to draw a robot, they often draw a mostly metal human-like creation that moves in a jaunty manner. What we quickly discover in 5th grade is that a robot is anything that can carry out an action (or actions) automatically. We are fortunate enough to have Hummingbird Robotics kits in the classroom that allow us to follow a natural inquiry-based path to genuine creativity, cooperation, and authentic problem-solving.
We begin the first project with a simple goal: create something that turns, spins, rotates, or moves back and forth. This is an intentional first step in the arc of the year designed to familiarize the students with how motors and servos work. We slowly introduce more components (like sensors, LED lights, etc.) and possibilities throughout each ensuing project culminating in a student-driven Rube Goldberg machine that involves multiple steps and actions.
SAVE the DATE!
Friends & Family Day (Grandparents Day)
Friday, Oct. 26!
In a sense, the arts do not need to strive to “be integrated.” The arts are pure integration by their very nature and place in our lives. There is no way to separate the arts from everything we do. Try to think of a single important human event that does not have music as part of the ritual and tradition. Yes, we do use the same part of our brain to process geometry and pitch relationships - but that’s not what I’m thinking about when I sing with others, or hear a beautiful piece of music at a wedding, or listen to a favorite song. Take a look around and try to find purely utilitarian designs in your home, place of work or worship, or school: the need for visual beauty and harmony is everywhere. A life with no theater, no poetry, no stories? Not even humanly possible.
So what does authentic arts integration actually look like? At Cornerstone, it looks like students participating in visual and performing arts multiple times per
week, during which the tools of the art form are modeled and practiced in order to be utilized as a means of creating and experiencing beauty in its various forms. It looks like 2nd graders creating self-portraits which manifest unique perspectives and self-awareness as diverse as the students themselves. It looks like 5th graders singing passionately and with genuine depth of feeling a song from the Civil Rights movement. It looks like middle schoolers creating a music interaction that is age appropriate and need appropriate for their preschool music buddies at a neighboring school, or leading everyone at a Community Sing. It looks like 4th graders creating gorgeous tapestries woven from yarn and branches found in our school habitat in the style of the First Floridians.
In short, it looks like real life – inspired, infused throughout, and valued.
Cross Country Practices: Wednesdays 3:30 Soccer Practices: Mon, Tue, Thu 3:30 9/19: Fall Break (No school) 9/21: Café CLC “Education in the age of Climate Change”
9/24-28: M.S. Leadership Theme Week 9/26: Board Mtg 9/27: Book Club 9/28: Community Sing 9/29: Poetry Joke Night 10/3–5: 6th Grade Service Trip 10/6: Experience Asia
10/11-12: Iowa Testing Practice 3rd-8th 10/15-19: Iowa Testing 3rd-8th 10/17: Half-Day – Early Release 10/17: Board Mtg. 10/26: Friends and Family Day 10/27: Pumpkin Carving & Potluck
Problem Solving 101 • P.1 Your Phones, Our VR • P.2 Robotics in 5th • P.2 Upcoming Events • P.3 Alumni Focus • P.4 IB by Design • P.4
THE PROBLEM: WE NEED PROBLEM SOLVERS
THE SOLUTION: CLC BY JASON FLOM
INSIDE THIS ISSUE:
Students’ ability to argue with reasoning requires critical thinking and effective communication skills.Throughout CLC you’ll findexamples of students thinkingdeeply about a topic, expressingtheir reasoning, and listening to perspectives of others. If we want students to graduate knowing howto think, we have to give them ample time, space, and practice to build those habits of mind. Theabove migration discussion from IB Amer. History is but one example.
A 1st grader challenges her 5th grade science buddy to decipher between two tones. Both classes are studying sound waves and vibrations.
CRITICAL THINKING: CORNERSTONE OF
REASONING & LOGIC
03 04
Have an alumni story? Let us know!
Tremulous umbraculi libere corr Octavius, et appa ratus bel
ALUMNI FOCUS: Highlights of a few of our graduates
Inspiring and empowering compassionate, global learners since 2000
IB ADDRESSING GLOBAL IDEAS & ACTION BY DESIGN
BY KAREN METCALF
- Phoebe Scott (’09):After graduating fromMassArt she completedtwo residencies:C.R.E.T.A in Rome &A.I.R. Vallauris in
southern France. She is starting a residency at the Worcester Center for Craft where she will also teach ceramics and architecture.
- Cami Young (’12): Beginning herthird year at Scotland’s prestigiousSt. Andrews College where she isstudying molecular biology.
- Christopher Whitmer (’12):Beginning his third year atRochester Institute of Technologyfollowing a selective and rewardingsummer internship at NASA.
It’s been three years since CLC became an authorized International Baccalaureate World School. Our students have been immersed in learning and living the objectives for IB’s 8 subject areas and student-centered foundation since entering sixth grade. For our program, becoming a World School has only strengthened an already comprehensive educational experience. If you watch closely, you may see evidence that our IB learners are serving, learning, collaborating, and sharing their passions - becoming problem-solvers prepared to address global challenges of the future.
One of the ways students develop as problem solvers is through our design classes. This year we offer four different design classes – Engineering, Graphic Design, Interactive Fiction (coding an interactive story), and Fashion. Each
of these classes utilizes a design thinking framework and cycle. The four key steps of the design cycle are:
1. Inquiring & Analyzing2. Developing Ideas3. Creating the Solution4. Evaluating
As you might guess, these very steps can be transferred to and utilized in any number of contexts and in every profession. As students become more adept at applying these skills in novel situations they become more empowered, able, and confident.
A friend of mine works for Wasafiri, an organization focused on tackling complex problems through a process (“Systemcraft”) which addresses the larger system in which a problem exists. These are not “sore throat” level problems. These are “reducing childhood mortality rates in developing countries” level problems -- challenges with no clear singular cause or solution.
The problems he works on all have four things in common:
1. No single root cause 2. No single owner 3. Evolving dynamics 4. Involves entrenched
behaviors & interests
COMING SOON: ANNUAL CLC FUND DRIVE
When I talk with him about his work, I find myself hopeful for our students, and by proxy, our world.
Spend enough time on our campusand you’ll see students wrestling with developmentally appropriate complex problems or in the process of building the skills that empower their capacity to do so.
Beyond the ability to “simply” problemsolve, CLC students also learn to do soin a way that humanizes solutions with compassion and empathy. AtCLC, caring, virtues, and diverse viewsare a part of the DNA of the student learning experience.
We know the climate is changing and the future will include dynamic global events our children must confront. I’mhopeful because when they do, I know they’ll have the skills to meet those challenges with the mindset & humanity that bends the arch of history toward justice and equity.
CLCMONTHLY
NEWSLETTER Sept. 2018
Alumni Focus
Thank you
The annual CLC Fund drive is the school’s largest and most important fundraising effort. Revenue from the CLC Fund supports initiatives and objectives not covered by tuition alone. Keep your eye out for your pledge card. We are aiming for 100% participation by Oct. 31.
SOCIAL JUSTICE BOOK CLUB
Our social justice book club for adults is entering its 2nd year. Please join us for our first book of the year, “The Hate U Give,” (a fantastic YA book). We’ll meet to discuss the book at CLC on Sept. 27th at 5:30 pm. Child care will be provided.
02
5 T H GRADERS DEMONSTRATE SOUND WAVE MODELS TO THEIR 1 S T GRADE SCIENCE BUDDIES.
