The School Year Ahead!As your student completed the first six weeks of school, they learned how to set and achieve their goals. This edition of the newsletter will introduce you to the self-directed learning cycle. The Student ExperienceWhat is self-directed learning? Students set goals, select strategies that will allow them to meet those goals, and practice and show those strategies to eventually see if their plan worked. The self-directed learning cycle is the process by which students set a goal, plan, learn, show and reflect on the process. This learning cycle can be applied to any task in the adult world and is developed across all aspects of Summit Learning. Summit Learning schools dedicate specific time to self directed learning. Students are able to practice the self-directed learning cycle in Mentoring and Projects. Students prepare for projects by learning information, accessing additional resources and taking content assessments in order to understand the material deeply. Since the material is self-paced, students have to build plans to pass the required content assessments. As they learn, students see direct evidence of the benefits of the self-directed learning cycle and build learning strategies that they can then transfer to new situations. Getting InvolvedFrom the first day of school, students are empowered to own their learning. To guide students, we use the Self-Directed Learning Cycle. Students practice actionable goal setting by making plans, reflecting on progress, and switching strategies if necessary to achieve their goal. We want students to graduate with a Sense of Purpose and a clear path to reach their goals. Tips for families: Ask your student about the short- and long-term goals they have set at school. Log into the Platform to track your student’s progress. View this goal-setting as critical for not only their journey to graduation, but their journey into adulthood. Developing self-directed learners Summit Learning places students at the center of their learning journey, empowering them to set goals and deeply understand content by interacting with it in a way that's aligned with with how they learn best. Listen to one Chicago middle schooler's journey from "I can't do it" to tutoring her peers. FAQsQ: How will my student be graded? A: Summit Learning’s grading policy prioritizes the development of Cognitive Skills that students need for success in college and career. A student’s score on the Cognitive Skills Rubric comprises 70% of a student’s grade. Another foundational component of Summit Learning is student mastery on standards-aligned Content Knowledge - across all core subject areas. Mastery of Content Knowledge comprises 30% of a student’s grade. Q: Where can I learn more about Summit Learning’s grading policies? A: You can find more detail about grading on the Summit Learning Grading Resources Page. The Science Behind Summit LearningContent Knowledge is the understanding and application of complex, challenging facts and concepts. In order for students to work on projects, they must first develop a broad knowledge base. Students need this broad Content Knowledge base to be able to develop and practice lifelong cognitive skills through their projects - skills like critical thinking, creativity and collaboration. So how do students learn content knowledge?. What it looks like in the classroom: The content Summit Learning students have access to isn’t restricted to a given textbook or handout. Instead, students have constant access to content across their entire grade level and beyond. Students independently progress through playlists of resources, mastering content across all core subject areas. Students take on-demand assessments when they are ready, rather than with the entire class at the same time. Tests can be taken multiple times until students demonstrate mastery. What the research says about Content Knowledge: Three decades of research shows that students must acquire and retain Content Knowledge to support the development of Cognitive Skills (Willingham, 2009; Schwartz 2016). Cognitive scientists have demonstrated that having specific Content Knowledge in a given discipline accelerates mastery of the subject (Schwartz et al., 2016). Contemporary research also supports the idea that in order to meet the needs of all learners, students should advance through material at their own pace, be provided with the appropriate supports, and move on only when they demonstrate proficiency in a given subject (AIR, 2016; Rose, 2016). UPCOMING PROJECT AND PFA DUE DATES! PCAREER PATHWAYS PROJECT (was due 9/28) The project was due on September 28th and students should have received scores. If your students scored below a 2.5 on any of the cognitive skills, they may make any necessary revisions and email their teacher to have their grade updated in the platform. Please reach out to Mr. Anders ([email protected]) or Ms. Guillory ([email protected]) with any questions or concerns. Seed Science (due 10/19) Students are now working on checkpoints 3 and 4. If they have any red or yellow feedback, they should make revisions and submit the checkpoint for feedback. Final products are due October 19th. Please reach out to Mrs. Lasker ([email protected]) with questions or concerns. Explorer or Conqueror (due 11/9) Students are just not beginning this project, and they have just been assigned checkpoint 1 and 2. Please reach out to Mr. Anders ([email protected]) or Ms. Guillory ([email protected]) with any questions or concerns. Power Focus Areas Conventions (10/18) Proportionality and Percents (10/15) Plant Vs. Animal Cells (10/23) Spanish Exploration and Colonization (10/23) We have had a successful start to the year at BHI Connect, and it is now time for us to conduct our required Fall check-in meetings with parent/guardian, student, and mentor. The purpose of these check-ins is for you to have a chance to get a deeper look into your student’s progress, their short and long-term goals, celebrate their success, and create a plan for any areas of concern. Your student's mentor will be reaching out to you to schedule your conference time. If you will not be able to be here in person, we am happy to conduct a phone/facetime conference. Meetings will be held at Beverly Hills Intermediate School in the front office the week of November 5, 2018. Each meeting is limited to a 30 minute time slot in order to accommodate everyone’s availability. Please be sure to confirm your appointment with your child's mentor, so we know that you will be able to attend. We look forward to meeting with each of you and celebrating the success from this year so far! Mrs. Birch [email protected] Ms. Guillory [email protected] Mr. Anders wanders@pasadenaisd.org Ms. Williams [email protected] Mrs. Lasker [email protected] Darrion, way to go being a student expert and helping your classmates understand how to identify proportional relationships with graphs! So proud of you!Madalynn and Karissa, you are setting SMART goals that will guide your learning. You are on your way to becoming a self-directed learner!Albert and Ameer formed a peer study group to prepare for their Natural Texas content assessment! Love the support!Thank you to our 8th grade math tutors who assisted us during Bear Power Time!
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Hi guys! I CANNOT believe it is time to write the FINAL newsletter for this year. What a journey we have been on! As you all finish up your last power focus areas and projects for this year, I want you to really give yourself credit for ALL you have achieved this year. It has been such an honor watching you all grow and develop your own path for success for 8th grade, high school, and beyond. This year has flown by, and it has been full of success, challenges, and growth beyond comparison. The amount of hard work and growth I have seen this year is truly unparalleled and leaves me speechless on a daily basis. I am so so proud of my students. If we all think back to our very first day in Connect and compare who we were then to who we are now, the change is enormous, and the advancement is incredible. It has been a privilege to be your teacher and mentor. Please know that each and every one of your Connect teachers will continue to support your throughout your education no matter what. Good luck in your future endeavors, and ENJOY THE SUMMER BREAK!!!!! Final Shout Outs for 2018 School Year!Microworld ProjectStudents created a micro ecosystem that illustrated how different parts of Earth function as a whole and how one part always depends on another. These microworlds were fully sustainable and even created their own water and food for the plants and fish! Amazing kiddos! Thank you Marisa for always being a team player and helping other students in need. You have become such an inspirational leader in this program!Alysia and Gracia, you have truly shown what you are capable of this year! I cannot wait to see what your future holds!Thank you Artist Boat for helping our students connect their learning with real world experiences.Students creating blackout poetry. Super impressed with your designs!Thank you Izabella for always stepping in to assist your classmates when they are behind! You did a fabulous job tutoring.Way to go girls for researching the causes of the Texas Revolution and articulating your research so well in your essays! Great job!Diamond and Valarie are working hard to practice reading strategies for their final PFAs and STAAR test. You girls make a good team!Ariana's persistence always amazes me! You never gave up on reaching your goal of mastering the Drama Additional Focus Area...and you did it! Wonderful!End of the Year Events!!!We may not get to attend music class with Cardi B, but we WILL get to participate in some pretty amazing end of the year events! Check out what's going on at BHI the next two weeks below!
Monday, May 21st @ 4 pm Dodge ball Tournament Tuesday, May 22nd FINAL GRADES DUE @ 9 am Dodge ball Tournament @ 4pm Thursday, May 24th Right of Passage Meetings w/Student, Parent, and Mentor 7th Grade Awards Ceremony @ 6:30 pm Friday, May 25th Right of Passage Meetings w/Student, Parent, and Mentor Morris Walk Monday, May 28th MEMORIAL DAY HOLIDAY NO SCHOOL Tuesday, May 29th All School Music Concert Picnic Under the Oaks Incentive Dance Wednesday, May 30th (EARLY RELEASE & LAST DAY FOR STUDENTS) Pep Rally Student Vs. Teacher BBall Game Dodge Ball Finals Report Cards EOY Slideshow Words of the Week! |
Catherine BirchAn intermediate school teacher on a mission to empower every young mind with the tools they need to change the world. Archives
May 2018
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