The Bi-monthly Newsletter of the Genesee Community Charter School an EL Education School Currents December 2015 Volume 15 No. 3 GCCS School Leader Honored by EL Education - By Sixth Grade Teacher Chris Dolgos On a typical day, you will find Dr. Wing greeting students as they arrive off the bus, or talking with parents over “Lunch With Lisa”, or checking in with teachers with her characteristic query, “What do you need?” But Friday, October 30 th was no typical day. On this day, our own Dr. Lisa Wing would be addressing an audience of 1,200 educators as she accepted the EL Education Silverberg Leadership Award for her masterful management and unapologetic vision of what school should be. The Silverberg Leadership Award, created by EL Education Board Member and Treasurer Irwin Silverberg, is given to an exemplary school leader who has impacted student achievement outcomes through deep implementation of EL Education practices. This year, the second year the award has been given, Dr. Wing was recognized for her excellence in educational leadership. Dr. Wing strongly believes that students should learn about the science, geography, and social history of Rochester through meaningful work with local experts, rigorous fieldwork experiences, and the creation of products that emulate the work of professionals in the field. These learning expeditions would foster young citizens who care about and feel connected to their community, and who understand that they can make a difference. As she shared with attendees of this year’s conference, “Expeditions make possible those little moments that tell us we’re really making a difference in children’s lives that will endure long after the cymbal clash of test scores fades.” You can see her full remarks at https://vimeo.com/144668221. We are all very proud of the commitment and sacrifice Dr. Wing has made on behalf of Genesee Community Charter School; we would not and could not be the school we are without her guidance. To be a 2014 National Blue Ribbon School, Partnership for 21 st Century Learning Exemplar School, and EL Education Mentor School is a testament to her years of hard work on behalf of teachers, parents, the community, but above all, for the students who make our school the success it is today. Expeditionary Learning Changes its Name As you may know, the culture of high student achievement and engagement that is at the core of GCCS is in large part due to our partnership with Expeditionary Learning (EL), a non-profit organization with a nation-wide network of 150+ schools, serving more than 4,000 teachers and 50,000 students. Now, Expeditionary Learning is embarking on a new chapter in the organization’s history. On October 27th, the first day of its National Conference, Expeditionary Learning launched its new name: “EL Education.” The new name will allow EL – which it is commonly called – to remain rooted in its strong heritage of Expeditionary Learning and its connection to Outward Bound. At the same time, it clarifies and highlights the organization’s main focus, which is education. The launch of the new name also presents all of us with an opportunity to highlight what EL Education’s emphasis on combining rigor and joy in learning means at GCCS. You can help bring the #WeAreCrew social media campaign to life by forwarding photos and videos of your children and others being Crew in their communities to [email protected], or participating directly on Twitter or Instagram using #WeAreCrew. EL Silverberg Award
Transcript
The Bi-monthly Newsletter of the Genesee Community Charter School an EL Education School
C u r r e n t s December 2015 Volume 15 No. 3
GCCS School Leader Honored by EL Education - By Sixth Grade Teacher Chris Dolgos
On a typical day, you will find Dr. Wing greeting students as they arrive off the
bus, or talking with parents over “Lunch With Lisa”, or checking in with teachers with her characteristic query, “What do you need?” But Friday, October 30th was no typical day. On this day, our own Dr. Lisa Wing would be addressing an audience of 1,200 educators as she accepted the EL Education Silverberg Leadership Award for her masterful management and unapologetic vision of what school should be.
The Silverberg Leadership Award, created by EL Education Board Member and Treasurer Irwin Silverberg, is given to an exemplary school leader who has impacted student achievement outcomes through deep implementation of EL Education practices. This year, the second year the award has been given, Dr. Wing was recognized for her excellence in educational leadership.
Dr. Wing strongly believes that students should learn about the science, geography, and social history of Rochester through meaningful work with local experts, rigorous fieldwork experiences, and the creation of products that emulate the work of professionals in the field. These learning expeditions would foster young citizens who care about and feel connected to their community, and who understand that they can make a difference.
As she shared with attendees of this year’s conference, “Expeditions make possible those little moments that tell us we’re really making a difference in children’s lives that will endure long after the cymbal clash of test scores fades.” You can see her full remarks at https://vimeo.com/144668221.
We are all very proud of the commitment and sacrifice Dr. Wing has made on behalf of Genesee Community Charter School; we would not and could not be the school we are without her guidance. To be a 2014 National Blue Ribbon School, Partnership for 21st Century Learning Exemplar School, and EL Education Mentor School is a testament to her years of hard work on behalf of teachers, parents, the community, but above all, for the students who make our school the success it is today.
Expeditionary Learning Changes its Name
As you may know, the culture of high student achievement and engagement that is at the core of GCCS is in large part due to our partnership with Expeditionary Learning (EL), a non-profit organization with a nation-wide network of 150+ schools, serving more than 4,000 teachers and 50,000 students.
Now, Expeditionary Learning is embarking on a new chapter in the organization’s history. On October 27th, the first day of its National Conference, Expeditionary Learning launched its new name: “EL Education.” The new name will allow EL – which it is commonly called – to remain rooted in its strong heritage of Expeditionary Learning and its connection to Outward Bound. At the same time, it clarifies and highlights the organization’s main focus, which is education.
The launch of the new name also presents all of us with an opportunity to highlight what EL Education’s emphasis on combining rigor and joy in learning means at GCCS. You can help bring the #WeAreCrew social media campaign to life by forwarding photos and videos of your children and others being Crew in their communities to [email protected], or participating directly on Twitter or Instagram using #WeAreCrew.
EL Silverberg
Award
GCCS Currents 2 December 2015
Upcoming Dates To Remember Dec. 2. No Community Circle Dec. 3: Site Seminar Dec. 4: Site Seminar 10:45 Community Circle 11:30 a.m. Dismissal Dec. 9: Lunch with Lisa 11:30 a.m. Eisenhart Ballroom Board of Trustees Meeting 5:30 p.m. Cunningham House Dec. 10: Parent-Teacher Conferences 11:30 a.m. Dismissal Dec. 17: Family Potluck Supper 6-8 p.m. Eisenhart Auditorium Dec. 21-22: Professional Development Days No School for Students Dec. 23- Winter Break Jan 1: School is Closed Jan. 13: Board of Trustees Meeting 5:30 p.m. Cunningham House Jan. 18: Martin Luther King, Jr. Day School is Closed Jan. 22: Family Game Night 6:30-8 p.m. 2nd Floor
Classrooms Jan. 30: Saturday Parent Work Day 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Feb. 3 & 5: Student-led Conferences Feb. ??: Skating Party at Manhattan Square Park
During this time period, students develop a deeper understanding of human history as well as cultural respect, sensitivity, and understanding. With the help of the RMSC, Ganondagan, and area archeologists and experts, students study early people and native
people who made the Genesee Valley their home. They examine the relationship between natural resources, geography, climate, daily life, and cultural traditions. Students learn to bring many resources to bear when interpreting the lives and beliefs of others, and are encouraged to dismiss stereotypes that often characterize the representation of native peoples. We work in consultation with the Native community in preparing and teaching this content.
GCCS Currents 3 December 2015
Plan Ahead for
STUDENT-LED CONFERENCES
Wednesday, February 3,
1:45-6:40 p.m.
Friday, February 5,
7:30 a.m.-2:20 p.m.
Watch backpack mail and e-mail
for directions on how to sign up
Note: There will be no school for
students on Friday, February 5.
Building Vocabulary Many thanks to the Flanigan family for suggesting another vocabulary-building game. They choose a new word and each family member writes a haiku about it. What’s a haiku? It’s a simple poem of three lines with five syllables in the first line, seven in the second, and five in the third, like this:
Vocabulary It is magical
To learn unfamiliar words. Power in language.
Keep sending in your vocabulary-building ideas and we’ll print them in the next issue of Currents.
Upcoming “Lunch with Lisa” Topics:
December 9: The Benefits of Diverse Schools January 27: Jean Hurst Talks about Developing ELA Skills in Grades K-2 February 24: A Conversation with EL School Designer Extraordinaire Steven Levy March 23: Should I Opt My Child Out of the Upcoming NYS Exams?
Join us before Community Circle at 11:30 in the Eisenhart Ballroom
A Word About Winter Running 3rd-6th grade classes will continue to run 1-2 mornings a week throughout the winter, weather and sidewalk conditions permitting. We check the route and the wind chill each morning and make a determination about whether or not it is safe to run. Please be sure that children are prepared with proper running footwear – sneakers are a must! – as well as hats, gloves, scarves, and warm coats every day.
3rd Grade – The People’s Story
The expedition begins with the tragic story of the Navajo long walk. Students will carefully read the Navajo Long Walk by Joseph Bruchac. They will learn more about the Navajo culture through the Navajo creation story. Then students will learn about Columbus Day and his “discovery” of America. Students will wonder about Columbus’ “discovery” in light of the information they learned about the Navajo. This wondering will launch the class into the study of what life was like for native peoples in North America before the Europeans arrived.
Students will use guest speakers, texts, museum dioramas, poetry and stories to study various regions of the United States and the people who lived in each region. Students will work with a crew to create story baskets to share their learning about one region with younger students.
Students will also learn about the current movement to change Columbus Day to Indigenous Peoples’ Day. They will examine various viewpoints related to this current events topic and form an opinion based on their research. They will write an opinion piece in which they give their opinion along with evidence and details to support their opinion. They will submit their writing about Indigenous Peoples’ Day vs. Columbus Day to authentic audiences such as the newspaper and govern- ment officials.
GCCS Currents 4 December 2015
Kindergarten – Circle of the Forest
Kicking off with a native story about courage, perseverance, and wisdom, Kindergarteners will immerse themselves in the Seneca culture through the lens of “Circle in the Forest,” a story about a boy who faces fears in order to be able to hunt with his father. Using this story as well as other experts, students will also learn about the art of storytelling and its importance to the Seneca culture.
In addition, Kindergarteners will learn about the characters in this story while exploring the jobs they had in the Seneca village and the importance of having gratitude for the Natural World.
Exhibition Night will showcase their learning through a live performance of “Circle in the Forest,” as well as musical and movement compositions inspired by the characters in the story. Students will also have the opportunity to be storytellers as they share other native stories from long ago.
2nd Grade – Pushing Up The Sky Pushing Up the Sky focuses on the culture of native and woodland peoples in the Americas pre-European contact. Second graders will embark on an investigation of different regions through an anchor text, supporting texts, artifacts, and storytelling. There are six major regions that the class will study, dedicating one week to each region.
By the sixth week they will focus on the region of the Pacific Northwest and the story “Pushing Up The Sky.” The class will work on an interpretation of the Snohomish tale, and parallel to this investigation, students will work on their own stories. They will write a story that reflects the setting, resources and people of a given region.
They will use the RMSC Native Peoples dioramas to guide their work and inspire their stories.
1st Grade – Gratitude for the Earth
In this expedition first graders will continue to piece together the story of the earth. With the help of the Great Stone, students will consider: Who were the first people to live in the area we now call Rochester?
Through fieldwork, oral stories, and interactions with descendants of these early people, students will study how they lived long ago and make comparisons to our lives today. The focus of this expedition will be on how the early people relied on the natural world around them to get what they needed to survive.
Gratitude will be a recurring theme as students learn how the early people expressed thanks for the earth and as they consider how gratitude might affect our planet today.
5th Grade – Standing on Our Own Two Feet
Fifth graders will be studying what it means to be human from a scientific perspective. They’ll build background knowledge by developing understandings of the human body systems and how people can use the natural world to help them survive.
The class will participate in several programs from the Earthworks Institute to understand wilderness survival and creating from the natural world. Fifth grade scientists they will also delve into case studies of archaeological discoveries that help scientists tell the story of our ancestors, giving them insight into what it means to be human, how hominids adapted and evolved over time, and how modern humans came to the Americas. In each case study, students will carefully examine how scientists use evidence to support conclusions and how interpretations of the fossil record have changed over time. As a culmination of their learning, students will engage in live debates about their learning.
\
EARLY PEOPLE/WOODLAND PEOPLES EXHIBITION DATES
GCCS Currents 5 December 2015
6th Grade – Light As Air
What light is best for learning? How do you know what’s in the air you breathe? Sixth graders will contemplate these questions as they begin to examine the elements of light and air and connect them to Pillar II of the Green Ribbon Application. Students will discover how we perceive light and begin to uncover the effects that light, both artificial and natural, have on the human body.
Next, students will examine the criteria for healthy indoor air and understand the impact unhealthy air quality has on the human respiratory system, with a focus on triggers of asthma and allergies. They will examine the quality of air and lighting in our classrooms, investigate sustainable solutions, and make recommendations that will create a healthier learning environment. Students will showcase their learning on exhibition night by unveiling “Five Minute Flicks” (iMovies) to an authentic audience.
4th Grade – Digging Deeper
GCCS students have learned the story of early people in the New York region. This Expedition will consider the questions “Who came before the Seneca?” and “How do we know?” The journey to answering those questions will require fourth graders to consider the craft of the archaeologist with an emphasis on the gathering of evidence in order to draw inferences. “Close reading,” a staple protocol in ELA, will be applied to artifacts in order to construct an understanding of Paleo and Archaic peoples.
The class will also participate in several experiential activities. First, they will be responsible for excavating an artifact as part of an archaeological dig simulation. Second, a survivalist expert will teach students about various ways people lived off the land. The culmination of this expedition will be a “Choose Your Own Adventure” narrative that presents readers
with a historically accurate tale of survival from the point of view of either a Paleo or Archaic person.
Thurs. Feb. 25
5:45-6:45 p.m. 2nd Grade
Thurs. Mar. 3
5:45-6:45 p.m. 1st Grade
7-8 p.m. 5th Grade
Tues. Mar. 8
5:45-6:45 p.m. 3rd Grade
7-8 p.m. 4th Grade
Thurs. Mar. 10
5:45–6:45 p.m. Kindergarten
7-8:00 p.m. 6th Grade
Need an Idea for a Holiday Gift That Will Keep on Giving? Yep, you guessed it! Flashcards! For elementary school children, there are few activi-ties with a better return on the investment of time than memorizing math facts (reading is another). We spend time at school helping children learn math facts, but in order to develop fluency, children must put in time at home as well. It’s simple memorization that makes infinitely easier children’s ability to solve complex math problems. Watching sixth graders try to solve multi-step problems with multi-digit numbers while still counting 7+4 on their fingers is distressing. The energy and time they spend on these simple calculations pretty much guarantees that they will make silly computation errors, lose their train of thought, and run out of time long before they arrive at an accurate solution. All children can memorize math facts, they just have to make the effort to do so. By the end of each grade level, we have set these expectations for GCCS students: Kindergarten: Numeral Recognition up to 20 1st Grade: Addition and Subtraction within 10 2nd Grade: Addition and Subtraction within 20 3rd Grade: Multiplication and Division to 5x5 4th Grade: Multiplication and Division to 10x10 5th Grade: Multiplication and Division to 12x12 There are a lot of strategies for helping children memorize math facts. Most important is to start with no more than five facts that involve numbers lower than five, and when those are mastered, add a few new cards to the stack. You might print out an addition or multiplication table, and color in the squares of the facts your child has memorized. Making progress visible is motivating. And in addition to flashcards, dice games are a great way to apply math facts. When addition is mastered, change the rules so that children must subtract or multiply the numbers on the dice to calculate their next move. Making the memorization of math facts one of your daily home routines will pay off hand- somely for your children as they move up through the grades.
GCCS Currents 6 December 2015
Meet Our Newest Staff Member Congratulations to our former third grade teaching assistant Christy Burgess! Mrs. Burgess and her husband adopted a baby boy in early November. Mrs. Burgess resigned her position at GCCS in order to stay home with her new son. We were fortunate to find yet another over-qualified individual for our teaching assistant ranks. Pat Nassar (pronounced like “Nascar” without the c) recently moved back to New York State after living in the Atlanta area for more than a decade. Mrs. Nassar was a special education teacher in Cobb County schools for fifteen years. She has two grown sons. Please join our staff in welcoming Mrs. Nassar to the GCCS community.
What’s Up With This Year’s Site Seminar? We’re hosting a special Site Seminar this month on Thursday, December 3 and Friday, December 4. Last year we had a group of visitors from the Ontario Alliance of Christian Schools – a network of independent Christian schools located around Ontario, Canada. They are interested in designing more active pedagogy and improving classroom practices that are both engaging and rigorous. Our visitors requested that we plan an event that would allow teachers and administrators from their schools to spend time in our classrooms and learn from our staff. In addition, we have offered free registration to 20 teachers from the Rochester City School District. In total, we’ll have about 80 participants this year. They will take student-led tours, observe in classrooms, attend Community Circle, and participate in teacher-led workshops. An important part of our mission is to disseminate effective practices that we’ve learned throughout the years, and it is a great privilege to be able to share our school with our colleagues from Ontario and the RCSD.
Abby Tyler is this issue’s staff biographer. She wanted to know more about GCCS’s most important staff member. Abby is in the fourth grade.
GCCS Currents 7 December 2015
You’re invited to the Family Association
Potluck Social
Thursday, December 17 6 – 8 p.m.
Eisenhart Auditorium
Bring a Dish to Pass (enough to serve about 30 people)
and celebrate the season with GCCS Family
and Friends
Meet Mrs. Milke Mrs. Milke is a very creative and interesting person. She has worked here since the school opened – she was the very first employee. Her official title is the Coordinator of School Operations. Mrs. Milke says, “This school is way better than other schools, it’s more about the real world application.”
Mrs. Milke’s favorite memory about this school is one time, a class downstairs rolled out a ball of string all over the hallways and through the office. Then they tried to figure out where the planets went on that “timeline.” Mrs. Milke says she was literally playing leapfrog over children!
Her favorite thing about her job is getting to spend time with the students. Her least favorite thing about her job is filing and listening to the “annoying,” as she puts it, buzzing of the door. Mrs. Milke thinks it would be nice to replace the irritating doorbell with a ringtone from her phone. “It would be nicer,” she says. I’d have to agree with her on that one. In her free time, Mrs. Milke enjoys cooking, baking, and – this is an interesting one – volunteering at Lollipop Farm. Mrs. Milke loves animals. In fact, the most interesting topic to her is animal safety and rights. Mrs. Milke also enjoys camping in the Adirondacks. She even once hiked up Mount Marcy, the tallest mountain there! Mrs. Milke’s favorite game is euchre and she would love to learn how to play chess! Mrs. Milke’s favorite aspect of nature is the change of seasons. Her favorite is fall and her least favorite is summer because of the heat. I think we could all agree that summer in Rochester is too hot! Mrs. Milke is a very unique person. I enjoyed writing about her. I hope you will now appreciate her in a new way. This school is very lucky to have her.
Family Association Auction Tops Last Year’s Earnings Many thanks to Laura Hammond-Conner and Amy Fricon for spear-heading the Family Association Auction, and to the many other parents, board members, and friends who made donations and worked so hard to make the auction happen. It was a lovely evening, with great refreshments catered by Julia K and lively conversation and bidding. The auction raised more than $15,000. These funds will support
Family Association community-building activities as well as enhancements to the instructional program, classrooms, and field studies.
Brrr.
It’s getting cold outside. Please
send extra mittens, hats, snow-pants, and boots for your child
to keep at school.
It’s Time for Family Game Night!
Beat the winter blues and bring the family out to enjoy a rousing evening of skill and competition.
Friday, January 22, 6:30-8:00 p.m. Eisenhart Auditorium
Refreshments Provided
GCCS Currents 8 December 2015
Weather Bulletin! Please Read for Important School Closing Information If the City School District closes on any day this winter for cold temperatures, GCCS MAY remain open, especially if we have run out of snow days. Please check WROC Channel 8 and/or the GCCS website for our status on those days. If the City School District is closed, buses will NOT run. If you cannot transport your child to school and need transportation, we will be happy to arrange it. Please send the information below to school, and we will pass it along to Room Parent Volunteers. They will contact you to let you know who will be transporting your child. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Yes, I need transportation for my child on days the City School District buses do not run:
Parent Name _____________________________________________________________________________
Child(ren)’s Name ________________________________________________________________________
