Marietta City Schools Diversity Newsletter - Volume 3 Issue 1

Fall 2014

District Diversity Coordinator: Preston Howard School Diversity Coordinators: ALB: Wendy Sanders DL: Adrienne Lemoine HH: Kim Littlejohn LK: Elaine Hinton

Marietta City Schools Cultural Diversity Newsletter V O L U M E

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Sawyer Road: “As an IB world school we celebrate diversity in all that we do to give our students an international education.”

As reported by Lydia Spruill

PS: Logii Pinion SR: Lydia Spruill WS: Natalie Payton MCAA: Susie Throop MSGA: Celeste Williams MMS: Carrie Hedrick MHS: Lorraine Reeves PLC: Cynthia DeLuz

INSIDE THIS ISSUE: Sawyer Road: “As an IB world school we celebrate diversity in all that we do to give our students an international education.”

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Marietta Middle School: Building Positive Relationships

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Lockheed Leadership Academy Celebrates Diversity

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MCAA: Diversity in 3 Action Embracing Diversity at MSGA

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Diversity: A Matter 4 of Perspective

Student Involvement As part of Sawyer Road’s diversity plan, we have already implemented and expanded many programs and activities for the 2014-2015 school year. As an IB world school we celebrate diversity in all that we do to give our students an international education. Sawyer Road now has a Spanish lab that services all students in the Primary Years Program. During this time students are fully immersed in the Spanish language and culture. These experiences include one to one technology, access to Rosetta Stone, and various grade level texts read aloud in Spanish.

A Spanish and art enrichment program (STEP) is offered to students in grades second through fifth. On October 28th, these students displayed their learning through culturally authentic artwork, dancing and music. The girls in the Spanish club were dressed in Flamenco dresses and danced the meringue to “Guantanamera.” The Sawyer Road Spanish club also danced the “Mexican Hat Dance”. Several students played the tambourine and maracas during the singing and dancing. The students also sang “De Colores” which is a song about all of the pretty colors in

nature. It can also be interpreted to represent appreciation for people of all colors. The Sawyer Road art club presented art that was created after looking at pictures of Frida Kahlo’s and Diego Rivera’s art work. The students also studied Pablo Picasso from Spain. The Spanish and art club presented their art work and performed the songs and dances at Marietta High School during Hispanic Heritage Night.

Parent Involvement Recently, a survey was sent home to parents of English language learners to determine if there was an interest for providing Rosetta Stone to parents to help them learn English. Approximately twenty percent of the parents surveyed expressed interest in using this resource to improve their English language skills.

This service has been purchased and will be available for parents to use at home, on portable technology, or at the school.

School Involvement As part of our Book of the Month, Ms. Burley gave each homeroom teacher the book What Does it Mean to be Global? A survey was sent home asking parents to share where their families are from. When completed, the school will put dots on a map of each country that is represented at Sawyer Road. This will bring awareness to the school about the multiple cultures that we teach and celebrate each day.

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Marietta Middle School As reported by James Guthrie provide students with an essential opportunity to demonstrate skills developed through the Middle Years Program; and foster the development of independent, lifelong learners. MYP Projects consist of four main components: a product or service, a process journal, student reflection paper, and a presentation.

The MYP Personal project provides an opportunity for seventh grade students to produce a personal product/outcome and to demonstrate their learning in the MYP. The project offers many opportunities for differentiation of learning and expression according to students’ individual needs. Each student develops a personal project independently.

“Building positive relationships and understanding the diverse groups around us will empower our students to make them academically successful.” —MMS Diversity Team 2014-2015

We have had a wonderful start to the 2014-2015 school year. Our focus has been on helping the students achieve their potential academically, emotionally, and socially. As part of our ongoing efforts to nurture the leadership ability within our students a group of teachers and parent volunteers took MMS students to the Latin American Association’s annual Latino Youth Leadership Conference on Saturday, November 8, 2014. At the conference students heard from motivational speakers and were led in workshops dealing with goal setting and planning for college and careers. Meanwhile our chaperones were in workshops dealing with issues of diversity in our schools. The trip was a success and we hope to continue to provide this opportunity in the future.

Another initiative at MMS involves Middle Year Program (MYP) projects. Marietta Middle School students are working on year-long MYP Projects.

These projects are student-centered and ageappropriate, and they enable students to engage in practical explorations through a cycle of inquiry, action and reflection. MYP projects help students to develop the attributes of the IB learner profile; MARIETTA

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The MYP Community Project focuses on community and service, encouraging eighth grade students to explore their right and responsibility to implement service as action in the community. The community project gives students an opportunity to develop awareness of needs in various communities and address those needs through service learning.

On September 24, five Marietta Middle School students were chosen to join REACH Georgia: Beatriz Coronado, Diego Grimaldo, Michelle Kariuki, Ifeoma Precious Ojiagbaje, and Barry Pierce. Realizing Educational Achievement Can Happen (REACH) Georgia is a needs-based scholarship designed to promote academic success and expand access to higher education. As a part of the program, students signed contracts to maintain a certain grade point average, remain crime, drug, and behavior issue free and meet with a volunteer mentor until they graduate from high school. Their parents or guardians also signed contracts to Continued on page 3

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Lockheed Leadership Academy Celebrates Diversity

Marietta Middle School Continued from page 2

As reported by Elaine Hinton

support their student through their education.

Hispanic Heritage was celebrated during September and October! Famous Hispanic Americans were highlighted during the morning announcements on our school’s WJET broadcast. To end the festivities, Mrs. Hinton's kindergarteners enjoyed a fiesta and the Diversity Committee hosted a potluck for the staff who enjoyed a feast from various Hispanic backgrounds.

One final initiative has been the MMS Math Academy. Students who have shown a need for additional help in math were invited to participate in an after-school tutoring session that meets once a week. Students rotate among various classrooms and in each room focus on a different math skill. These additional hours provide students with more opportunities to learn from their teachers and their classmates.

We are proud to share that more than 70 students have chosen to stay each week.

In celebration of Native American Month each grade level will answer questions about Native Americans competing for a prize for the correct answers. Fourth grade students participated in a Native American unit in which they learned many traditions and customs. Kindergarten students dressed as Native Americans, Pilgrims, and even a few turkeys, will re-enact the First Thanksgiving play and have a Thanksgiving Feast later this month.

At Marietta Middle School we are committed to providing the best educational experience for all of our students. Through mentorship, academic tutoring, and exposure to quality experiences within the classroom and in the community we hope to prepare our students for future success.

Lockheed Elementary School Leadership Academy has been really busy celebrating diversity, embracing cultures of different individuals and valuing each other regardless of skin color, intellect, talents, or age.

MCAA: Diversity in Action As reported by Susie Throop At MCAA, the students, teachers, and parents have had opportunities to engage in several diversity activities this year.

In our Art classes, fourth graders have created end papers for books using the Japanese paper marbling technique. Fifth grade Art students each created a Hindu-inspired Mandalas representing our Universe. Many of our students were excited to share their culture through this artwork. Mrs. Karr, our Art teacher, also created lessons to illustrate the concepts of contrast and value with skin color among students.

On Monday, November 17, MCAA will celebrate World Day by engaging in many diversity activities which relate to the curriculum. As part of our special day, students will participate with the Kiva project. Kiva is a non-profit organization that gives micro loans to people around the globe. These micro loans act as part of a larger loan to help people start a business. As the business grows, the loans are repaid. The repaid money goes right back into the loan process. Each classroom at MCAA will research a worthy borrower. In addition, students will be studying stories and dances from other cultures. On Monday evening, as part of our PTSA night, parents will be offering delicious dishes from their culture for each classroom to sample.

Embracing Diversity at MSGA As reported by Carrie Hedrick Diversity is embracing everyone no matter their race, gender, ethnicity, socio-economics or beliefs.

Diversity is caring and giving a helping hand to those in need; you could pick up what they dropped, open a door, raise money or can goods. Diversity is learning how you can be knowledgeable and open-minded towards other peoples’ opinions and life styles.

Every day our students run the Blue Devil news crew. They inform their classmates and staff about the weather, events at MSGA or in MCS, historical events and monthly national diversity focuses.

Our students also participated in Hispanic Heritage Night at MMS; an evening where our enhanced Spanish students performed a play, sang a song and recited a poem for the event.

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Diversity: A Matter of Perspective Did you know the words silent and listen use exactly the same letters? Are the words similar? Is one dependent on the other? In order to communicate effectively, one party must be silent so they can listen to what the other party is saying.

Are there any lessons to be learned from the juxtaposition of the two words?

We don’t all look the same, don’t all speak the same language, don’t all learn in the same way or at the same rate; but we are all composed of the same elements. We can stand alone as uniquely defined beings but we are most effective when we stand together and work toward a common goal.

Did you know butterflies taste with their feet? At the end of each of its six legs, all of which attach to its thorax, are taste organs that the butterfly uses to find food. When a butterfly's leg touches a good food source, a reflex causes its proboscis to uncoil; allowing the butterfly to consume the food. That surely is an unusual adaptation and must be fairly unique in nature.

Adaptation is an essential element of species survival and goes beyond adaptations for finding a good food source.

Every species adapts in a myriad of ways or it ceases to exist. So it is too with the human species. How many adaptations have you had to make? How many adaptations have your students had to make? Economically? Culturally? Socially? Will they adapt and survive; or will they cease to exist (AKA dropout)?

Did you know the fur on a polar bear isn’t white? It’s transparent. What’s even more amazing is the polar bear’s skin is black. Why does a bear with black skin and transparent fur look white?

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The main reason is the polar bear’s white appearance is an adaptation to blend in with its environment so it can hunt its primary prey; seals. And now it seems the polar bear must adapt once again or face extinction as the pack ice recedes and their ability to hunt seals is compromised. The polar bear’s timeline for change and adaptation is speeding up. How fast can they adapt; again? The timeline for academic change is speeding up as well. How fast can you and your students adapt; again?

These relatively unknown facts are often overlooked or, more likely, were never learned. Not that they have any inherent value in and of themselves, but when viewed from a different perspective, there are lessons to be learned that may be more important to our world view than we realize.

Each of our students are unique and independent beings, but at their core, they are all the same. As a survival mechanism, many have developed unique and unusual adaptations that allow them to survive and sometimes thrive in the environment in which they find themselves. Sometimes, their outward appearance and behavior is not truly reflective of who they are inside.

However, if we take the time to know and understand them we might find lessons that will help us make their adaptation to this ever changing environment more successful.

Students and their families come from all walks of life.

Many have had to adapt to a different environment because their natural environment will no longer sustain their way of life. Due to factors beyond their control, the timeline for change has sped up and the need to adapt has become more urgent. Our timeline for adaptation has sped up as well. If we don’t adapt to the changing educational climate, we too, as educators, may find ourselves hunting academic gains on a rapidly receding educational icepack.

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