NEWSLETTER FOR PA
Spring 2018 INSIDE THIS ISSUE:
The Talent
RENTS, STUD
ENTS, ALU
MNI FAM
ILIES, G
RANDP ARENT
S AND
FRIEN
DS
SPRING 2018 CONTENTS
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Follow us facebook.com/OpenWindowSchool twitter: @OWSBobcat instagram: @OWSBobcat
1-2 Letter from the Head of School 3-4 Meet the Drama/ Movement Team 5-6 Summer Grants: Badges Project 7-8 Everyday 9-10 Design Thinking: Washington State Itinerary Project 11-12 Fun Facts about Open Window Staff Members 13-14 Fund-A-Wish
Core Values • We have passionate, caring teachers who “get” gifted children. • We challenge, support, and trust students to do real work that matters and has an impact beyond the classroom. • We engage our students’ curiosity, cultivate their passions, and encourage intellectual risk-taking within a supportive peer group. • We support the unique needs of gifted students through an intentional program of social and emotional learning. •O pen Window is a diverse and welcoming community, united in supporting our children and families.
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A LETTER FROM THE HEAD OF SCHOOL Dear Friends of Open Window School, This issue of The View focuses on the heart and soul of our program, Open Window School’s incredibly talented teachers. When we were establishing the five core values that enable Open Window to fulfill its mission to “nurture and inspire students of high intellectual potential,” it is no accident that “passionate, caring teachers who ‘get’ gifted children” was the very first thing on the list. Throughout this issue, you will see the variety of ways that our teaching staff develop curriculum, mentor students, and apply their diverse range of talents to provide the extraordinary experiences that make an Open Window School education transformative for our children. Just as we believe that your investment in your child’s education is the greatest gift you can bestow upon them, investing in our faculty is one of the most meaningful ways that we can support our students. This year, we set a school-wide goal of working to increase student engagement. We were able to provide a full day of staff training on engagement structures at the beginning of the school year, and our Professional Growth Coach, Cary Kirby, has developed on-going professional development throughout the school year where teachers can share their successes and work collaboratively with peers to improve their planning of classroom activities. I recently saw the impact of this focus on student engagement during Middle School Project Week. If you told someone unfamiliar with our school that in one week seventh grade students would be expected to develop a product to address the global challenge of waste reduction, formulate a sophisticated business plan to attract investors, and present their ideas to a panel of adult professionals ready to pepper them with questions, they would think that we were crazy.
How can 12-13-year-old students rise to such a challenge and perform so incredibly well? It all comes back to our core values. Students give their best when they are challenged by authentic learning activities and respond to being supported and trusted to do real work that matters and has an impact beyond the classroom. They were supported by talented teachers who planned meticulously for months, utilizing their newly-polished engagement strategies to make sure that students were being asked to complete challenging tasks that could only be accomplished through collaboration and interdependence. Throughout the week, students drew upon years of social emotional and collaborative skills that they have been developing since kindergarten. Students worked very hard during the week and loved every minute of it. As I visited classrooms, I saw students totally engaged in their work and teachers coaching them every step of the way. During Project Week, our teachers were not the only source of support for our students. We had over 70 parent volunteers who contributed more than 180 hours, lending their expertise to the four grade-level projects. We benefited from expert advice of parents and community resources (including the Deputy Mayor of Bellevue) in regard to the fifth grade robotics project, sixth graders construction of smart condos, and eighth graders planning of sustainable cities. We truly lived out the aspiration of our community core value as so many adults came together to support our students’ efforts. At this year’s auction, we are asking our community to partner with us in another important way, to further our mission by building our endowments for professional development and financial aid. This is an important longterm investment in the excellence of our school. These endowments help us continue to support our teachers as they nurture, challenge, and inspire our students and ensure that an Open Window education is available to children whose parents cannot afford to assume the full cost of tuition. Our faculty and staff join me in thanking you for your support.
Sincerely,
Jeff Stroebel, Head of School
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MEET THE NEW
Drama/ Movement Team
BY PIA AND PARKER (2ND GRADE), AND ZOE AND JONATHAN (K)
Curious kindergarten and second grade scoops met early one morning in the communications office to generate a few questions to help our community get to know the new Drama and Movement Team.
Do you prefer matching or crazy socks? Ms. W: Though I like to wear matching socks, I do prefer them to be crazy. I have one pair of socks that have my dog’s face on them. Mr. M: I love crazy socks. I remember in high school I had a pair of crazy tie-dyed socks I bought at the Portland Saturday Market that I was very excited to wear to school. The first time I wore them, some people laughed, but mostly my friends thought they were cool. Those socks somehow gave me the courage to be myself.
What do you do at Open Window School? Ms. W: I teach, dance, sing, play, and inspire. I love to teach drama and hope that it helps students have more confidence being on stage. Mr. M: I taught 3rd grade at Open Window School for many years and am learning my new job as Movement and PE Specialist. I want students to like exercise because it gives you energy and makes you happy.
Do you prefer chocolate, vanilla, or another flavor ice cream? Mr. M: Chocolate! Ms. W: I like vanilla/chocolate swirl but if I have other choices, I also really love cake batter!
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What other kinds of jobs have you had? Mr. M: Well, I have spent many years teaching 3rd grade at Open Window and was an Associate Teacher before that in 3rd grade. My job before Open Window was teaching English in China. Of course, I had lots of other kinds of jobs when I was a teenager and in college: babysitting, yardwork, movie theatres, gyms, and once I had a summer job for a government organization in vector control, I was the mosquito control guy. Ms. W: Before Open Window I worked at lots of different theatres. I would help decide what plays the theatre would put on and helped find the audience to see them. I had a job once at Nickelodeon Universe at the Mall of America. I played different themed costumed characters like: Sponge Bob, Dora, and Aang the Avitar.
Why did you choose PE and Drama? Ms. W: I have always loved being on the stage. I was in my first play at 8 years old. It as a place where I made friends and got to play different characters. I think drama can change people for good, it is transformative. Also, I love using my imagination. Mr. M: I really liked teaching 3rd grade but was encouraged and inspired by former PE Teacher, Mr. Smith. Ever since my son Euan was born I have tried out many kinds of exercise and found myself happier and more energized. I thought it would be exciting to inspire students from kindergarten to 8th grade to love exercise, sports, and movement.
Do you have pets? Kids? If so, what kind of activities do you like to do with them? Ms. W: I have a dog named Bear who is 11 years old, which is 77 years old in dog years. He is a Border Collie mix who loves to snuggle and go on hikes. He is the kindest dog and he is my best friend. Mr. M: I have one son named Euan who is almost 5 years old. He will be in kindergarten in the fall. Our favorite thing to do together is to go to the park to run around and climb. We also like to build stuff like Star Wars Legos. Having a son makes me feel like I get to be a kid again.
Do you like to read? If so, what genre? Mr. M: I like non-fiction and science fiction/ fantasy books, like Harry Potter or the Gregor the Overlander series. I also really like the choose your own adventure stories like Worst Case Scenarios. 2nd grader Pia: Have you considered starting the Star Wars series since you like building with Star Wars Legos with your son? Mr. M: I haven’t but that is a good idea. Ms. W: I like to read autobiographies. 2nd grader Pia: Have you read Gandhi’s autobiography? I think it’s called The Story of My Experiment with Truth? Ms. W: No, but I would love to read that.
Who do you email? Mr. M: I am lucky to have lots of friends from my childhood and from college in Walla Walla. I usually text or call them. We like to go to movies and to Sounder’s games. One of my best friends has a 2 year old daughter. Our kids sometimes play and we just hang out. Ms. W: I mostly only email for work. I have a close group of friends who like to get together and create new plays and perform them around Seattle. We also like to play board games and go on hikes.
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The Badge Project “Digital badges are an assessment and credentialing mechanism that is housed and managed online. Badges are designed to make visible and validate learning in both formal and informal settings, and hold the potential to help transform where and how learning is valued.” MacArthur Foundation
The Badge Project was created by Innovation and Technology Integrator Maria DiGiovanni and Innovation and Technology Assistant Kelly Faber through the Summer Innovation Grants 2017. The goal for badging in the OWS Makerspaces is to provide a way for teachers to document and communicate the Maker skills that students acquire throughout the year (as well as through their time at Open Window) and let content area and grade level teachers know what skills their students have when planning for a collaborative project. Of course, badges are also fun and motivating for students! What does badging look like in an OWS Makerspace? Technology teachers award badges when students have achieved the requirements for the skill. A Badge List (https://www.badgelist.com/OWSMakerBadges) is used for the creation and detailing of each badge. Badges started as digital-only, however we are slowly moving to awarding physical badges to students. Not only do badges show off the skills students have, they also demonstrate what tools students are permitted to use. Students without a badge in drill-use, for example, will still be able to use the drill, but will require more direct instruction. The use of a tool without a badge becomes an opportunity for students to earn that badge. Badge attainment is communicated to teachers outside of the Makerspaces through a “Badge Chart” on OneNote, allowing everyone in the Open Window community to see where the students are. Often, when we become confident with a tool, we become more relaxed about safety. This can cause accidents due to preventable mistakes. While students will be able to earn skill and equipment badges, this doesn’t prevent them from misusing tools. In these cases, we apply current natural consequences to the badge system. Currently, students who misuse equipment in the Makerspaces are unable to use it again for a short time. When students misuse a tool, their badge will become “inactive” for a certain amount of time. This is communicated via portfolio and the Badge Chart. Lower School students largely earn badges through work done in class. For example, at the end of the end of the Luggage Tag project in 4th grade, each student will have earned a 3D Printing badge. Students who choose to dive deeper or take on the role of guiding classmates can then also get the Designer or Mentor levels. Badges can also be earned through collaborative projects. Teachers can use badges to help inform collaborative project decisions, but the lack of badges does not deter teachers from working in the
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Summer Grants BY CARY KIRBY, PROFESSIONAL GROWTH COACH AND CURRICULUM COORDINATOR
Makerspace. If 3rd grade wants to do a project that involves sewing, but no students have badges, this can be used as an authentic opportunity to earn the badge. Middle School students have more opportunities to earn badges. Requirements for badges may be fulfilled through class work, during collaboration projects, as well as during Open Lab times. All students in a class or collaboration project will receive the Maker level badge for their skill. Students who choose to dive deeper or take on the role of guiding classmates can then also get the Designer or Mentor levels. Open Lab times allow students to choose topics and projects that inspire them, and then earn a badge for their independent work. Badges have elicited a positive reaction from students. They have been motivators for students to learn a new skill, but also have been helpful safety reminders for our more experienced students. We believe that the introduction of physical badges will further excite and motivate students, especially the younger ones.
One of the most valuable assets for a teacher is time. Between teaching, meeting with colleagues and parents, managing resources, analyzing student work, and getting ready for classes, teachers don’t have a lot of time to create new and innovative units. Keeping these constraints in mind, Open Window began supporting Summer Innovation Grants for Open Window teachers in the spring of 2014. Each spring, teachers are invited to submit a proposal for an innovative project they want to create over the summer. The goal of this initiative is to honor the time our teachers spend over their summer break to continuously improve the Open Window student experience. The grant process does this by providing teachers a stipend for their work, upon the successful completion of the grant. Each year, teachers are asked to focus on a different idea or concept for their grants. In the past, grants have focused on topics such as the inclusion of 21st Century Learning Design elements and cross-curricular integration between at least three subject areas. The sixth grade elections unit during the 2016-17 school year is a great example of a cross-curricular project. In humanities, the students learned about the electoral process and created a mock election complete with campaign platforms and political ads. In technology, the students edited their commercials as well as programming touch-screen voting machines to use on Election Day. Meanwhile in math, students designed and built the cabinets for each voting machine and analyzed the data after the polls closed. The summer of 2018, teachers will be continuing to plan units and projects building on student collaboration skills — something we know is vitally important for success in life and work. While priority will be given to grants that focus on collaboration, teachers are invited to propose any innovative work they would like to add to their curriculum. As of now we have been able to support all viable grants proposals put forward by teachers thanks to the generous support Open Window provides its teachers for professional learning and development.
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“ With every picture, you gave us an insight to the lives of people in different countries in Africa, insights that before we probably didn’t know we could get through a photo.” Ryma
BY ROBIN RUSSELL, SEVENTH GRADE HUMANITIES TEACHER
Everyday Africa
A few years ago, the younger sister of one of my students asked him, “What’s the best advice you have for surviving Ms. Russell?” Umbrage aside, when I heard of this, I was curious to hear his answer. Would the advice be about self-deprecation? I’m definitely big on nipping that nonsense in the bud. Perhaps the advice had to do with discernment or speaking one’s truth, both of which get plenty of attention in my classroom. Apparently, without hesitation, he answered, “Never forget that Africa isn’t a country.”
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Everyday Africa. Sea Point Pavillion Swimming Pool. Instagram, Photograph by Barry Christianson, 11 Jan 2018, www.instagram.com/p/Bd0CR7tHNet/?hl=en&taken-by=everydayafrica.
When I learned that the photojournalist Peter DiCampo would be speaking about his work dismantling stereotypes about Africa and promoting African voices, I recognized it as a serendipitous opportunity that couldn’t be missed. A month later, 20 members of the OWS community—students, faculty and families—were at the Northwest African American Museum and sitting in the front row of a panel that also included renowned graphic designer, Saki Mafundikwa. As Peter shared stories of the painstaking care he and his colleagues took in curating the photographs for the book, Everyday Africa, my students were amazed. One of them whispered to me excitedly. “This is exactly what we’re doing now!” I was probably even more excited when I whispered back, “I know!”
While my ego may have been a bit bruised, I had to admit that this notion of Africa as a complex continent that defied stereotyping was a key factor in my curriculum. In fact, seventh-graders spend 11 weeks studying the continent of Africa. From the mundane memorization of the 54 countries (and 53 capitals) to a sophisticated analysis of the word “tribe,” my students engage in a set of concepts and experiences I’ve carefully curated for them. After unpacking their own assumptions and unconscious bias, students become better anthropologists, recognizing the inherent impossibilities in trying to tell someone else’s story. As a component of this work, students were assigned an African Country Curation Project, in which they collected photographs that conveyed the breadth and depth of their assigned country. They were told that their photographs should be “illustrative, evocative and promote a myriad of stories, rather than one.”
A few weeks later, Peter visited us and led us through a professional and culturally-mindful critique. My students knew that their curations shouldn’t consist of a slew of lion pictures and sand dunes, but it was a shock to all of us when he pointed out that in most pictures of Africans taken by non-Africans, the angle of the camera looks down on the subjects. After his kind and candid feedback, my students finalized their projects, curating a collection of images that changed the way we looked at Rwanda, South Africa, Egypt, Nigeria, and more than 30 other African countries. If you would like to learn more about the continent of Africa, according to Africans, visit @everydayafrica on Instagram. Also, I would be remiss if I didn’t encourage you to check out the TED Talk most frequently quoted by my students—Chimamanda NgoziAdichie’s Danger of a Single Story. To find out more about the town hall event, visit: https://townhallseattle.org/event/everydayafrica-with-peter-dicampo-and-charles-mudede/ Photo credit: Max Schrider
Photo credit: Izabela Janczuk
Everyday Open Window Inspired by Ms. Russell’s African Country Curation Project and the influence of Peter DiCampo’s @everydayafrica, seventh and eighth grade photographers blended into the background of everyday classroom activities to capture the essence of Open Window School as part of a photography elective with art teacher Katya Palladina. “As a visual art subject, photography helps us to see things that we often ignore and forget about, gestures and emotions that create the fabric of day to day life at school,” Ms. Palladina explains. Students learned about the technical aspects of handling the camera, role of light, aperture, and shutter speed, basic Photoshop skills with a focus on storytelling techniques, composition, balance, and harmony in the finished works.
Everyday Open Window installation on display in our main office and the Farmhouse.
Photo credit: Abby Rubin
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DESIGN THINKING PROJECT:
The Washington (Oregon, too!) State Itinerary Project BY ERICA MAHONEY, FOURTH GRADE TEACHER
Through an Open Window School teacher summer innovation grant in the summer of 2016, fellow fourth grade teacher Maggie Van Cise, Innovation and Technology Integrator Maria DiGiovanni, and I developed a Design Thinking Project called the Washington State Itinerary Project. Students worked in small groups as “Travel Agents”, creating a multi-day itinerary for an authentic User or Client. The goals were to help students increase geography knowledge of our state, practice interviewing skills, use Excel to make a chart, use math skills to show a budget, and build a website about the trip using HTML. Students brainstormed who possible Clients would be, such as a family with small kids, a skier, a couple without children, or someone who loves the outdoors. From there, teachers located people within our Open Window faculty who would be willing to be a Client. Our students interviewed their Client, learning that person’s interests, budget, restrictions to consider, and so on. Fourth graders developed an itinerary, complete with price totals, and lodging accommodations. The students had a second interview to share the draft and receive feedback, then made revisions based on the Client’s comments, and finally built a website with the itinerary information. It is so exciting to know that Mr. Mechling and his family will experience the itinerary built for them!
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A Trip to Remember BY ANDREW MECHLING, MIDDLE SCHOOL SCIENCE TEACHER
I thought the days of working with human travel agents had been relegated to the pre-digital past, as increasingly I find myself planning and booking trips via computer, and now, on my smartphone. But thanks to a unique fourth grade design thinking project at Open Window, I rediscovered the inspiration and benefits that meeting face-to-face with travel experts can offer to a family of three on a budget and without a lot of time to plan. These were no ordinary travel experts, this was a team of three inquisitive, curious, organized, and studious fourth graders bent on planning the family trip of all trips for me, my wife, and my 4-year-old daughter. During our first meeting, they interviewed me to understand my family’s budget, timeframe, and interests. I was impressed with the depth and breadth of their questions and especially with their teamwork; two asked questions while the third diligently recorded my responses. After a thirty-minute session, they thanked me for my time and disappeared to dive in to research and planning the ultimate short family road trip. At our second meeting, they eagerly proposed a few locations and itineraries that would fit my family’s needs and included many exciting ideas I hadn’t thought about. The travel team created two potential trips- one to Friday Harbor, WA, and though not technically a Washington State destination, another to Seaside, OR. Both trips were designed for 3 nights and 4 days of leisure and fun. It was during this meeting that I realized just how professional this team was, how good their plans were, and that these were trips that my family would take. My travel task force enthusiastically presented their detailed plans during our third and final meeting together. I was amazed at how well they kept within our budget, while also recommending excellent restaurants and fun activities for us to do while on our trip. We decided to take the Seaside, OR, trip first over Mid-Winter Break 2018 and are planning to take the Friday Harbor trip this summer. We followed the itinerary schedule nearly as written, and really enjoyed the Seaside Aquarium and Carousel, which were two recommendations. We are so grateful for the dedication of the students who worked to plan such a fantastic get-away, and for the masterful guidance of fourth grade teacher Ms. Mahoney for this meaningful and authentic project. Though we will likely continue to use technology to plan and book future trips, this was an enlightening experience with our OWS travel agency!
INTERVIEW WITH THE TEAM: Current Fifth Graders Allie Tay, Ruchi Doshi, Darius Partovi What was your goal? Our goal was to create an itinerary for a trip that Mr. Mechling and his family would enjoy. What was the timeframe for planning? We had eight sessions to work on the project. What did you find out about Mr. Mechling and what he was looking for? Mr. Mechling wanted a trip to a nearby destination that he could take with his wife and then, 3-year-old daughter. He said he wanted to have time as a family and if possible, some time for him and his wife. How did these parameters help your planning? We thought about looking for a babysitter and searched Care.com for some options. Also, we took into consideration his daughter’s naps and thought that Mr. Mechling and his wife could enjoy lunch while their daughter napped. What did you like most about this project? Darius: I had fun researching places to stay and activities. Allie: I liked getting a taste of what it is like to be an adult. Ruchi: I liked the logistics, how to work around naps. What was challenging about the project? The budget! We had a $700 budget and felt the pressure to stay on budget because Mr. Mechling said he might really take this trip. Other groups may have let their budgets get huge because they were not sure it would be a real trip. Also, we found that the hotels were either expensive or affordable and low quality, there was not much in between. Realizing that if we got an expensive hotel, there would not be any money left for activities, we kept searching and found a higher quality hotel at a lower cost. Although we went over budget, it was not by much. Any final take-aways from your dream trip planning project? Before this project we didn’t really know the worth of money when it comes to hotels and child care and thought, “Whoa, I didn’t know that cost so much!” We also learned that as a parent it is actually hard to fit in time for kids to take naps.
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FUN FACTS ABOUT OPEN WI We asked our faculty and staff to share a little bit about themselves. Here is what we found out:
Do you have a personal or professional pursuit outside of your work at Open Window?
What is your favorite season? Winter 4% Fall 47%
Spring 18%
• Coaching gymnastics • Rowing across the Atlantic • Martial arts • Fitness • Triathlons in the summertime • Private practice adolescent therapist • Buddhist spiritual counselor • The Assistant to the Estate of playwright August Wilson • Tutoring • Working for a dog rescue organization • Spanish tutoring • Importing business of handmade recycled gifts from Mexico • Reading • Traveling • Daughters of the American Revolution: State and Chapter leader • To be a mom • To be a dad • Parenting • Being an aunt or uncle • Aspiring to cook through an entire cookbook in a Cooking Club • Playing in an African Marimba band • Learning the accordion! • Musician • Pianist • Photography • Studio art • Commissioned art • Documentary filmmaking • Writing • Published author • Blogging on various intellectual topics
Summer 31%
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• Tap and ballet dancer
Where is your favorite spot on campus?
INDOW FACULTY AND STAFF MY ROOM / THEATRE / GYM / OFFICE
The Farmhouse The stage when all the lights are on and students are performing!
The breezeway
My room when kids are in it
The new and improved Bue Commons!
THE COMMONS
Science Labs
Wilder’s Wall
My classroom The top of the stairs near the 5/6 lab
The Big Rock
The Art Room
Innovation and Technology Lab
The Bobcat Balcony
THE GARDENS
Any place with a view of the mountains
THE VIEW
The secret garden by the field The bioswale Kids’ garden The commons or the picnic tables in the circle
The courtyard
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Last year, our families and friends of the school gave more than $165,000 to renovate Bue Commons and the Library Learning Commons. At the time of the auction, we only had preliminary architectural drawings, but we hoped to transform these spaces into attractive and welcoming coworking spaces that reflect the innovative and collaborative nature of our school. Almost a year later, we can see the incredible impact of these renovations! Our students, teachers, and parents all use the collaboration spaces in Bue Commons, and the library is now a more welcoming space that students love to visit. This year, we ask our community to fulfill a wish that is even longer lasting than physical renovations. Our wish is to further support the professional development of our faculty and staff, as well as diminish the possibility that the cost of attendance will keep a student from having the opportunity to benefit from an Open Window School experience.
FUND-A-WISH
2018
Each year, Open Window identifies a need and asks our community to support it at the auction. We raise our paddles and, in a few short minutes, the wish becomes reality.
We have two modest endowments that support professional development and financial aid. An endowment is an investment in which you preserve the principal and annually draw a small amount of earnings to support your expenditures. Today, these endowments have a small impact on our overall budget. As they grow, they will increasingly and more significantly support our staff and families, as well as reduce pressure on tuition. By helping this year’s Fund-AWish, your generous support allows us to further both the professional growth of our faculty and the socio-economic diversity of our community. Our faculty and staff are passionately committed to their own professional growth. In addition to bringing in outside experts, such as Math for Love’s Dr. Dan Finkel, we have also sent Open Window staff members to take part in educational opportunities in nine states and the District of Columbia this year. They have returned to school with ideas that immediately impacted the classroom. We will spend more than $80,000 on professional development this year, and it will be the best investment we can make in our strongest asset—our people. Open Window School recognizes that diverse perspectives and backgrounds strengthen our school culture, educational program, and community. Our Board of Trustees has a strategic goal of supporting 15-20% of our families with needs-based financial aid. This school year, we will award more than $600,000 in aid. Authentic learning occurs best in an environment that includes interactions with others who bring a diverse array of experiences and perspectives to the school. Such interactions strengthen both academic and social-emotional learning and develop thoughtful and compassionate individuals. Financial aid promotes the socio-economic diversity from which every member of our community benefits. Thank you for supporting Fund-A-Wish 2018!
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How your professional development endowment donations support what we see in our classrooms, every day. GRADE
CHANGE MADE BECAUSE OF PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
K
New math curriculum
T his year in kindergarten and first grade, Open Window incorporated a new curriculum called Bridges in Mathematics that encourages number sense. Already we are seeing that the students are being challenged. Open Window had a full year review of math to get to this point, using the professional development funding to visit other schools, analyze what they were using, and receive training.
1
The Daily 5
T eachers, visiting another school, discovered the Daily 5, a re-imaging of how they teach literacy at Open Window.
2
Kagan structures / responsive classroom
S econd-grade teachers Laura Hange and Jenna Spadoni took the lessons from this last summer’s professional development class on Kagan structures, which teaches teamwork and increases student engagement. “Now we can have 100% of the students participating in a lesson at the same time,” said Hange, “instead of just one student raising their hand and answering.”
3
Tiny homes
F or the Tiny Homes project, third-grade teachers Abby McFarland and Liz Borgatti act as a representative member of a “client family” who is interested in a custom-designed tiny home. The client families represent diverse family make-ups, human needs, types of jobs, hobbies, etc.
4
Washington State Travel Itinerary (See pgs. 9-10)
Erica Mahoney and Maggie Van Cise used professional development funds to visit the Nueva School in the San Francisco area. Nueva hosts a regular Design Thinking Institute, which helps teachers think of new ways to teach critical skills to students. The Washington State Travel Itinerary Project, in which fourth graders are assigned to become travel agents for an Open Window staff member came out of this professional development experience. Find out more about this project on pages 9 and 10.
5
Environmental Summit (Project Week)
F ifth/ sixth-grade science teacher Andrew Mechling brought in representatives from local organizations focused on identifying and/or solving environmental issues for the first ever Open Window School MS Environmental Leadership Summit. Local experts in composting, energy, green schools, waste management, and water conservation came to Open Window to describe their organization and mission to fifth graders. The students then took that information to plan their own “green” city. Students were able to learn, first-hand, about a wide variety of real and current environmental issues that need to be solved soon.
6
Snail project
ut of a professional development opportunity by middle school math teacher Jason Ermer, O students pondered the strength of a snail using the small critters to collect data. Using scales, plastic cups, pennies, and dental floss, students calculated the weight of the snail versus the weight the snail could pull. Using that information, students used their budding algebraic skills to determine how much weight they could pull if they were like a snail.
7
Holocaust curriculum
R obin Russell and Arren Ellingson went to professional development to learn how to appropriately and sensitively teach this difficult topic to our seventh graders.
8
Capitol Classroom
orey Paulson, eighth-grade humanities teacher, went on a legislative scholars’ trip to C Olympia, WA, as well as a trip to Seattle for a judicial institute. She combined these two professional development activities to form the civics curriculum here at Open Window. Now, the eighth-grade class works with TVW, the C-SPAN of our Washington legislature. The class chooses lobbyist in WA State to work with, and then the class picks a bill that is going through the WA legislature to follow. The class works with their lobbyist on their chosen bill and he/she represents their concerns in the legislature. This year, the eighth grade chose to work on a bill to raise the smoking and vaping age to 21. Work such as this lead to Paulson winning the Washington State Civic Educator of the Year award this last year.
HOW PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT HAS IMPACTED THE CLASSROOM
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Spring 2018 NEWSLETTER FOR P ARENTS, STU
DENTS, AL
UMNI FA
MILIES,
EDITOR:
Carolyn Lucas COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR
CONTRIBUTORS:
Jeff Stroebel HEAD OF SCHOOL
Ian McCullough & Zoe Wilson MOVEMENT & DRAMA TEAM INTERVIEWS BY KINDERGARTEN & SECOND GRADE
Cary Kirby PROFESSIONAL GROWTH COACH & CURRICULUM COORDINATOR
Maria DiGiovanni & Kelly Faber LS INNOVATION & TECHNOLOGY INTEGRATOR & MS INNOVATION & TECHNOLOGY ASSISTANT
Robin Russell SEVENTH GRADE HUMANITIES TEACHER
Erica Mahoney FOURTH GRADE TEACHER
Andrew Mechling FIFTH/ SIXTH GRADE SCIENCE TEACHER
Kristen Riley HUMAN RESOURCES
Angie Hurlock DIRECTOR OF PARENT RELATIONS & SPECIAL EVENTS
PHOTO CREDITS:
Katya Palladina, Tracy Goldberger, Helen Rosemund, Linda Inagawa, Robin Russell, Parent & Staff Photo Contributors ICON CREDITS:
Designed by Freepik at Flaticon COVER/BACK COVER PHOTO CREDIT:
Ved Thiru and Chelsea Inagawa DESIGN:
Christa Fleming
Looking for upcoming events on our school calendar? Find it here: https://www.openwindowschool.org/page/Calendar
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