Hey Knights! In my 20 plus years in education I have never been a part of such a dynamic, successful first week of school. Thanks to all parents, students, and staff! Our faculty was student success focused from Day 1 this week. I saw some wonderful happenings throughout campus this week, starting with the various subject oriented activities from the three summer reading books. By day 3, all teachers were diving right into their course curriculum....it's hard to explain how incredible a feat that is....go teachers! Students were also introduced or refreshed to our new mission statement. In particular, Mrs. DiGioia had super discussions with her students as to what type of classroom would be most likely to reach the mission goals. She also had students sketch a personalized version of the kite they would substitute for the one used in The Worst Class Trip Ever...and how math was related. All classes were focused, from elective classes throughout all core subjects. Mrs. Graydon's classes tried doodle notes to activate both sides of the brain for cross-lateral learning....huh? :) ask your kids! Mrs. Wiseman is into Geography and gearing up for the Twister finale activity! The Math department did a fabulous focus on the Growth Mindset Model. The idea here is that ALL Students can succeed in mathematics; this is not an innate skill. It can be cultivated and developed. Ask your 7th grader about Science class and the RAFT activity! The Fab Lab is up, running, and better than ever with Mr. Patterson....8th graders worked on their version of a dragon kite from the novel, they were asked to interpret the design based on the author's description and create a working model on SketchUp!! .great things to continue there. Mrs. MacDonald's Emerging Tech classes are on a roll already as well. Mrs. Campbell and Mrs. Thomas in Global Tech took on marshmallowchallenge.com......check it out! Teamwork and prototyping are the keys here. US History classes simulated the Columbian Exchange after a research day. Old World and New World consumers will trade goods to uncover how they are still related today. Civics classes traveled through a virtual community to look for examples of government influence.....and then tied the government influence from The Honest Truth! LA classes in Narramore and Harwell were attributing IB learner profiles to the characters in their summer reading novel, alone with collages to accompany the details.Harwell also compared and contrasted M&Ms and people to show they are common yet unique as an individual and "It's OK to be YOUnique" Eng 1 classes got a surprise visit from pro sportswriter Holly Cain (NASCAR.com) who spoke about article writing. In McDaniel's class, students were uncovering some fantastic correlations between Mark in The Honest Truth and IB learner profiles Identity and Relationships....well done! Mr. Jones's Creative Writing classes discussed writer techniques from all 3 novels this summer and learned how to keep a "poker face" during a fun drama game called "I Have A Secret"....good times! Mrs. Bland's classes took a get to know your teacher test and did a scavenger hunt to get to know each other, MYP, and procedures.....Mrs. Clark's Art classes worked on favorite scene illustrations from the summer novels.....Mrs. Baker's Orchestra students used an interactive beat box machine and created their first song and performance in class....Environmental Symposium spruced up the Butterfly Garden.....Mr Thomas's science classes created some super science acrostics for the bulletin boards..... We were extremely fortunate to have had our amazing Asst Principal, Mrs. Hill, arrange for a visit with a student group from Imabari, Japan.....the students spoke to several classes about their culture and country as well as conducting an origami session with our students....it's always interesting to find out how much we are all alike as human beings, despite language or custom differences. Wonderful! Of course I could go on with our stellar staff! It's easy to get carried away walking through our hallways and classrooms.... In addition, all teachers concentrated on building relationships with your children this week and will continue to do so. These relationships are critical to the social and academic success of the students. Our goal every day is to treat them as our own until we hand them back to you. We wrapped up the week with Spirit Week and 3 periods of grade level celebratio for the students completing and participating in the summer reading selections. I believe in working hard and rewarding students when they reach their goals. We will have more of these timely opportunities as the year progresses. The students were all well-behaved and had an opportunity to unwind, have fun, and be proud of themselves. Thank you PTSA!! Your partnership with us is such a critical part of LCMA's success. Beginning next week, kit cards will be active and tardies will be counted. Please help us in stressing the importance of being on time....the car rider line has been great so far and we are way ahead of schedule in getting all buses in on time. Thanks so much for all the cooperation and patience.....it is much appreciated! Have a safe, rejuvenating weekend! Sayonara, Brian J. Andrews Principal |
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