From the Directors’ Chair November 2007
Posted by lsnl in : November 2007 Edition, From the Director's ChairToday's curriculum is designed with the child in mind. It is student-centered, cognitive and social.
Principles of Effective Learning
As I think back to my school days, I am always aware that educational practices today focus on the whole child and an exciting body of new research on how children learn. The curriculum of the old days, or should I say old ways, was stagnant and mostly unchangeable. It was a body of knowledge that the child was to learn and regurgitate in the form of tests. The content-driven curriculum often neglected the child as well as the child’s development and experience. Today’s curriculum is designed with the child in mind. It is student-centered, cognitive and social (Zemelman, Daniels, & Hyde, 2005).
A student-centered curriculum means that the best starting point for schooling is young people’s real interest; all across the curriculum, investigating students’ own questions should take precedence over studying just content. A student curriculum should be experimental, holistic, authentic and challenging.
A cognitive-focused curriculum means that the most powerful learning comes when children develop true understanding of concepts through higher-order thinking associated with various fields of inquiry and through self-monitoring of their thinking. A cognitive perspective includes a developmental, constructivist, expressive and reflective approach toward learning.
A social curriculum specifies that learning is always socially constructed and often interactive; teachers need to create classroom interactions that are meaningful and connected. This includes a collaborative and democratic model.
These principles of best practice in learning are central to learning at Penn Charter. We have framed this thinking as a direction for our Lower School teachers and provided the resources to foster this constellation of learning. You will discover how these best practices affect your child throughout the school year as you observe the practices in the classroom.
From the Learning Corner
This summer I read a book called How People Learn by John D. Bransford and Ann L. Brown and published by the Committee on Developments in the Science of Learning with additional material from the Committee on Learning Research and Educational Practice and National Research Council (2000). It was especially interesting to me as the Lower School is moving to a much more contemporary view of learning. The book lists the Five Themes in Learning that are very helpful in understanding a contemporary view of learning.
1. Memory and structure of knowledge Memory has come to be understood as more than simple associations; evidence describes the structures that represent knowledge and meaning. Knowing how learners develop coherent structures of information has been particularly useful in understanding the nature of organized knowledge that underlies effective comprehension and thinking.
2. Analysis of problem solving and reasoning One of the most important influences on contemporary learning theory has been the basic research on expert learners. Learning theory can now account for how learners acquire skills to search a problem space and then use these general strategies in many problem-solving situations. There is a clear distinction between learned problem-solving skills in novice learners and the specialized expertise of individuals who have proficiency in particular subjects.
3. Early foundations The development of creative methodologies for assessing infants' responses in controlled research settings has done much to illuminate early learning. Scientific studies of infants and young children have revealed the relationships between children's learning predispositions and their emergent abilities to organize and coordinate information, make inferences, and discover strategies for problem solving. As a result, educators are rethinking the role of the skills and abilities children bring with them to school in order to take advantage of opportunities for learning in school.
4. Metacognitive processes and self-regulatory capabilities Individuals can be taught to regulate their behaviors, and these regulatory activities enable self-monitoring and executive control of one’s performance. The activities include such strategies as predicting outcomes, planning ahead, apportioning one's time, explaining to one’s self in order to improve understanding, noting failures to comprehend, and activating background knowledge.
5. Cultural experience and community participation Participation in social practice is a fundamental form of learning. Learning involves becoming attuned to the constraints and resources, the limits and possibilities that are involved in the practices of the community. Learning is promoted by social norms that value the search for understanding. Early learning is assisted by the supportive context of the family and the social environment through the kinds of activities in which adults engage with children. These activities have the effect of providing to toddlers the structure and interpretation of the culture's norms and rules, and these processes occur long before children enter school.
I hope these new ways of looking at learning are helpful to you as you begin to understand your child as a learner.
Nooha Ahmed-Lee
Lower School Director
In the Classroom November 2007
Posted by lsnl in : November 2007 Edition, In the ClassroomHalloween in Changing Times
Halloween is a time for fun and excitement for many families. These days, however, more and more families are choosing not to celebrate the holiday for various personal reasons. Some factors that affect these decisions are religious beliefs, scary images, too much candy, going door to door trick-or-treating.
In Lower School, we are beginning to pay more attention the needs of these families. This Halloween we offered an option of participating in fall activities for these students. Lisa Reedich, our school counselor, was able to contact parents who preferred that their students not be involved in the Halloween parade or other Halloween activities and was able to provide alternatives for students on the morning of Oct. 31. The students played games, created crafts and had some delicious fall snacks. There were students from many different grade levels who participated in this event.
As a Quaker school, we continue to be sensitive to our students and will continue to provide options for students and families on this day.
News You Can Use November 2007
Posted by lsnl in : November 2007 Edition, News You Can UseSafety and Security The school currently maintains a Crisis Plan designed to be a guideline for handling a variety of crises. It is updated annually. On a daily basis, the school has two security guards patrolling the campus. In addition, there are at least six housekeeping and maintenance staff members working in the buildings and three to four groundskeeping staff. All of these employees help monitor the campus. They are in radio communication with each other, as well as with the front desks in each of the school buildings. Video surveillance cameras are also in place around the campus. We have also improved our fire safety infrastructure. Inside the school buildings, all of the fire alarm systems have been upgraded over the last few years and much of the school has been retrofitted with sprinklers. The Upper School science labs have been upgraded with modern safety equipment. The school holds monthly evacuation (fire) drills, one of which is observed by the Philadelphia Fire Department. We continue to look at best practices in the industry, and this year we are making three major changes to our plans and practices: Access to Buildings Parent Communications Lockdown Drills While we have improved security on campus and will continue to be vigilant about safety, we will preserve the welcoming and inclusive environment that has long defined the Penn Charter community. We, of course, will continue to monitor these issues and make appropriate changes as necessitated by the complex world in which we live. Please don’t hesitate to call me if you have questions about security on campus. Hal Davidow Drive Slowly School Closure Information Enrichment
Penn Charter continues to improve our operating plans and facilities to ensure your child’s safety. Our current practices attempt to balance an open learning environment with a plan for anticipating and handling a crisis. Over the summer, we made several major changes in facilities, improving our communication capacity and providing a more secure environment within our buildings.
During school hours, we are asking that all parents and visitors enter the school buildings through the main entrances. We are also asking that parents sign in and out at that building’s reception area. It is important for us to make contact with anyone entering the building and to know who is in the building in the event of an emergency. Signing in will not be necessary before school starts, after school or during special events. During the school day, school personnel will lock many of the external doors that are not main entrances.
The school has contracted with a company to provide phone and e-mail notifications in the event of an emergency. The details of this service will be announced in November.
In conjunction with the local fire department, we are planning two lockdown drills. This drill will be the opposite of a fire drill. Everyone is kept in the building and accounted for during a lockdown drill. In order to have an effective lockdown, the school has made several physical improvements on the campus. In the Lower School, we held a lockdown drill last year. It was described to the students as an “inside drill.” As a result of that exercise, we identified two issues that were addressed over the summer.
Chief Financial Officer
We would like to remind parents to drive slowly, very slowly, through all school parking lots. We are working with student drivers to teach them how to avoid accidents with students and adults walking in school parking lots, and we would ask that parents be careful as well.
Announcements of storm-related closing will be made on the school website. Check www.penncharter.com for the most up-to-date information on school closing. On the radio, Penn Charter closings are indicated only by the listing of number 122 on KYW 1060 AM. It is Penn Charter’s policy that once opened, the school will remain open for the entire academic day. School personnel will supervise all children until appropriate transportation home is arranged, either by Penn Charter bus, public school bus, or private car. If snow is falling and school is in session, students should not call home to request that parents pick them up from school. However, if parents feel it is necessary to pick up their children because of weather conditions, they may do so. Students will be dismissed only if there has been direct contact with a parent or guardian.
Fourth and fifth graders will begin enrichment at 3:00 pm and end at 4:00 pm. Enrichment teachers will walk them to the lobby of the Lower School where they will sign out and can be picked up in the front circle.
Playground
The LS playground is available to families prior to the start of the After-School Program. Students are permitted to play on the kindergarten playground provided that their parents are with them outside on the playground to supervise. These students must leave the playground when the students from the After-School Program arrive.
Keys to Communication in Lower School
As you know, communication is key to any relationship between teachers and parents. The following guidelines are intended to support a professional and respectful community. If you have a question about a classroom issue or a specific incident involving a teacher, it is important that you contact the teacher first. It is best to make an appointment with the teacher so he or she can give you undivided attention. Stopping teachers in the hall either at the beginning or the end of the day makes it difficult for teachers to give you their full attention as they are attending to the students. If you have educational issues relating to the larger instructional program in Lower School, please address these questions to the director of the Lower School. Dr. Ahmed-Lee can provide you with more specific information as to the continuity of program, curriculum focus, and future goals of the school.
Communication with Teachers
Penn Charter offers many ways to communicate with your child’s teacher. We ask that you choose the one that best suits your purpose.
Send a Note With Your Child
We highly recommend that, if you need to contact your child’s teacher right away, you do so by sending a note with your child. This is the quickest possible method and ensures that the teacher will get the note that morning.
Phone the Lower School Office
If you need to report an absence or change in dismissal, we ask that you phone the Lower School office. Phone calls must be received by 12 noon if at all possible in order to honor changes in dismissal.
E-Mail
Each Lower School teacher has an e-mail address. Teachers will check their e-mail by 5 pm, or at the end of their school day. Once teachers have read e-mail, they will respond within 48 hours. Therefore, we ask that urgent messages not be sent through e-mail.
Save the Date November 2007
Posted by lsnl in : November 2007 Edition, Save the DateDecember
14 Lower School Choral Concert, 1 pm (MR)
January
8 5th grade parents meet with Middle School Director, 7 pm (BC)
10 Lower School Specials Night, 7-9 pm (LS)
18 Lower School Winter Family Fun Night, 6-8 pm (FH)
29 Lower School Breakfast with your Child, 7:30-8 am (DH)
29 Lower School Parents Workshop, 8:15-9:15 am (LS)
For the complete school calendar, visit: http://www.penncharter.com/calendar/calendar.html