Academics

Foundation for Success STUDY SKILLS CLASS

Students brainstorm possible search questions to guide their research. Mercy is proud to challenge students with innovative classes and learning methods. Last year we introduced a semester-long Study Skills course for current freshmen, designed to bridge the gap between middle school and high school demands. English T eacher Stefanie Oudiz developed a curriculum with exercises and projects that increase students’ a wareness of their unique learning styles, which helps them manage academic activities independently and take on challenges with c onfidence and curiosity. Using a cross-discipline approach, the course prepares freshmen with the academic skills and growth mindset needed to be successful throughout high school and beyond. Topics covered include self-advocacy, executive functioning, research, and studying. They even build skills needed for note-taking in college-level lectures! The class supports our mission to help students meet their distinct potential in developing high-level academic skills, as well as the confidence and love of learning needed to take their skills far beyond our hallways. Develop a question to guide research Use multisensory study strategies

Create a document in APA style SAMPLE LEARNING ACTIVITIES Make a two-week schedule t o prepare for an upcoming test

Tour Creator

Padlet

Enhanced Learning through Technology

In last fall’s Oaks, you read about how Mercy has invested in professional development, specifically around the productive use of technology. With a proliferation of programs, apps, and software, teachers are expanding their toolkits while honing the effectiveness of the technology used in their classrooms to augment student learning. Two examples of programs used in different departments are Google’s Tour Creator and Padlet.

The Religion Department used Tour Creator for a Sacred Spaces project, in which students used the program to virtually visit places around the world such as Vatican City. They were asked to create a tour, reflecting on what it felt like to ‘be there’ and why they felt that it was sacr ed. Similarly in the World Language Department, Spanish students took ‘field trips’ to Spanish-speaking countries!

Social S tudies uses Padlet in a number of ways, including organizing research sources. In Government class, students create digital note cards that they format into an outline, which they can then share and collaborate on with others. Science students used it in Biology class to help visualize and understand processes such as photosynthesis and cellular respiration through scientific models that they created.

Student Innovation and Technology Team The goal in creating Mercy’s new Student Innovation and Technology Team was for students to take a leading role in facilitating innovation on campus, serving as student representatives in Mercy’s ongoing conversations about technology. From developing classroom aids such as graphics and posters to hands-on technology trainings and app suggestions, the Student Team assists with anything that relates to technology! The Team’s faculty mentors Lindsay Stewart and Lauren Conklin hope that participating empowers the girls to pursue technology and STEM in their studies and as a profession. S T E M MERCY Invests in Science Engineering Technology Math

The Student Team led a digital learning session for Freshman Orientation teaching digital citizenship and techology tricks.

They raised awareness during Digital Citizenship Week, educating our community about unhealthy social media behaviors and issues facing teens at school and at home. Mercy’s Student team encouraged everyone to participate in ‘digital detox’ days.

Head of School Q&A What current program are you most excited to build upon? “This year, we are able to begin funding a dedicated STEM Program at Mercy! Dr. Pat Bradley and Mr. Yu-Loung Chang will serve as our co-STEM Coordinators, helping to further bridge our science and math departments while developing a STEM Program unique to Mercy. A new STEM Alumnae Advisory Board has convened with the goal of better understanding what skills are necessary to be successful in college and the STEM fields, so we can add to the courses and content that exist today. ”

Raft Race! After Advanced Placement classes take their AP exams, there is always a bit of downtime before finals and the end of the school year. Last spring, AP Physics and AP Calculus BC decided to have some fun, applying math and physics concepts in a race across the pool! Each class built a raft using only recycled plastic bottles, duct tape, and string. The Physics Team's 'Shrimp Boat' won the race, but of course the real winners were all of our STEM students!