Endless Possibilities

Mel Nelson, Head of School

Take me on a Magic Carpet Ride! What comes to mind when you read this? Well, when I said this to our administrative team, their smiles were wide, wondering what I was up to again. Well, in true style, Mr. Roe made sure to have the first voice to explain what he thought our Magic Carpet Ride would entail. Mr. Roe exclaimed, “If I know you well enough, which I do, you want us to think about endless possibilities.”

A journey of endless possibilities is precisely at the core of A Magic Carpet Ride. It is an opportunity for our team to reflect on the year and define the future without thinking about limitations. The beauty of Sagmont Prep is having the ability to define and evolve programming that works best for the success of all students.

The ability to change, evolve, discover, create, extend, and mobilize is essential to developing an innovative environment. We often talk about providing students with space and time to be innovative. This entails having fresh, creative insights that are valuable in shaping their future. Well, this rings true for our faculty and staff, which is why taking a journey together recently was so important. I am excited to take you on a portion of our journey looking ahead and our continuous evolution on our recent Magic Carpet Ride.

In athletics, Coach Marcey is delighted to share with you that he will spearhead Sagemont Prep's first golf tournament in October. More importantly, Coach Marcey has begun to evaluate all programs and has already started preparation to expand our girls’ athletic programming at the Lower Campus. Be on the lookout for an upcoming survey to share your voice on what you value and want to see expanded.

Our campus leaders are already working on our new Innovation Hubs. Next year you will see an expansion in our VEX Robotics ecosystem, virtual reality, and artificial reality immersive learning programs.

Our dream has been to have a dedicated curriculum voice between both campuses and guess what? Next year Ms. Yasmin, our English Instructional Team Leader and Advanced Placement faculty member, will make a transition from the classroom full-time to the role of an instructional coach. We are thrilled to enhance the curriculum alignment.

There is so much to share from our Magic Carpet Ride, so attend our end-of-year closing meeting scheduled for Thursday, June 1st.

Reflection, exploration, action, and focusing on endless opportunities for our continuous evolution are key to growth for us all. Thank you for being on this journey with us, along with faculty and staff, as we empower our students to innovate for tomorrow.

Sincerely yours in transformative educational excellence,

Mel Nelson

SageX Rocketry Team

Sagemont Preparatory Upper School

Felicia Myers, Upper School Principal

Innovative classroom practices and programs can be seen daily when walking through the halls at Sagemont Prep. From a lesson on empirical formulas and chemical compounds transformed into a crime scene investigation in Chemistry class, to a cross-curricular bottle design and launch in Middle School studio art, where students composed letters, studied ocean currents and designed bottles to launch.

During teacher workshops in August, professional development was targeted on how innovative instructional practices could be enhanced to incorporate more physical movement in the classroom, increase project-based learning opportunities and focus on student reflection. Faculty were encouraged to take ownership of their programs to create and grow engaging and rigorous learning environments that foster creativity and analytical thinking. As April draws to a close, it is evident that Sagemont Prep’s talented faculty has flourished in this initiative.

During 2022-23 academic year, we have seen the creation of the Astronaut Challenge and Rocketry Challenge, the development of the Morning Roar, a daily morning television broadcast in a newly built-out film studio, the establishment of an Innovation Hub to host drone competitions, 3-D printer studio and robotic competition fields, and the complete re-invigoration of the theatre program to host interactive productions to include 4-course dining courtesy of the Culinary Club.

Beyond programmatic shifts, daily classroom instructional practices and assessments have been enhanced. In College Algebra class, students were challenged to design a project that incorporated music as the foundation of showcasing a mathematical concept. Thomas Balding, an 11th-grade student, was inspired by this assignment to create a computer program that transformed trigonometric functions into musical notes in order to assist visually impaired students to recognize the patterns by sound since they cannot visualize the graphs. The project had a powerful impact on the class, as students not only better understood the math functions, but empathetically discovered the challenges faced by visually impaired students.

As we look forward to May, one of our Sagemont Prep Signature Programs, Week Without Walls, is making a dramatic and innovative return. To better align with our mission and educational pillars, it was essential to re-imagine the educational possibilities of taking students outside the confines of the classroom, where real-world connections could be made. From distance trips to the National Parks and the Galapagos Islands, with a focus on history and environmental science, to local trips where students will have a behind-the-scenes look at FBI investigative tools or conduct physics experiments and learn to “fly” in a wind tunnel, these hands-on learning experiences will create memories to last a lifetime.

Prep Lower School

Sagemont Prep students are presented with innovative lessons encompassing various topics and projects that increase student engagement, creativity, and collaboration. Students continuously acquire knowledge regarding diverse fields and concepts. For Sagemont Prep, innovation means creating a learning space that helps students effectively engage with their teachers and showcase their uniqueness. Our faculty members are passionate about the subject areas, leading to the desire for students to think outside the box. Open-ended questions and discussions are encouraged and facilitated throughout the instruction. Students showcase their originality and creativity in core academics and across their special areas: Spanish, Art, Innovation Lab, Physical Education, Performing Arts, and Science. Extending learning beyond the classroom walls is an essential piece of our time together. Through our partnership with Code Ninja, we hosted our 1st Annual Night of Innovation for students and families on April 4th.

A Night of Innovation was a fun-filled and educational evening featuring over a dozen STEM stations, each with innovative tech and a Code Ninjas Sensei ready to leverage the equipment engagingly. The Code Spark station taught PK-2nd graders how to create interactive stories and games using blockbased coding. The little ones also enjoyed the Osmo station, where students used an iPad to learn coding and other skills through tactile games. The Cubelets station allowed little hands to build robots using magnetic blocks that snap together. The Vex 123 station featured a robotics kit that enabled students to build and program robots using simple commands. At the Sphero station, students of all ages learned the basics of how to program and control a ball-shaped robot while racing with their friends. The Makey Makey Kayak game was a particular hit with 3rd to 5th graders, as they paddled on inflatable kayaks while playing a video game that responded to their movements. While building structures in a virtual world, students learned about computer programming, physics, and logic at the Minecraft station. Similarly, the Scratch station had students creating interactive stories, animations, and games, while the Meowbits station allowed them to upload the games they built on a handheld gaming device!

Another crowd favorite was the Lego Robotics Rubik's Cube solver station, which dazzled children and parents alike as it solved a Rubik’s Cube no matter how many twists and turns they tried to stump it with! The showstopper had to be the swarm of 10 drones flying in sync with Star Wars theme music. Not only was it an impressive sight, but students also learned about the physics of flight, the technology behind drones, and how coding allowed them to communicate with each other. Overall, our 1st Annual Night of Innovation was a great success, providing parents with a glimpse into how our Code Ninjas-led Innovation Labs engage children in a fun and interactive way to foster a love for science and technology. A love that will undoubtedly develop into a valuable skill set that will serve them well in the future.

At Sagemont Prep, innovative lessons and opportunities are carefully planned to develop eco-friendly students and staff. These environmental lessons are embedded within the curriculum and special areas. Carefully crafted learning opportunities help our students learn why our environment is important and how to live sustainably. Nature is brought into the school for our students to learn, as well as outdoor field trip experiences. Empowering our students to connect with the community and nature is key.

In science, our 5th-grade students have been actively learning about living systems and how animals adapt to their environments, specifically how they use less water in areas with little fresh water. The students expanded their learning to discuss and brainstorm how humans can adapt to limited water resources on Earth. Our 5th graders provided suggestions on how the Sagemont Prep community could more effectively conserve water on campus and proposed methods for how the community of Weston could conserve water. Students researched, collaborated, and problem solved. Our 5th-grade Innovators then proceeded to present their proposals to the Environmental Club to spark ideas for a new community service project. The Environmental Club members volunteered to represent their grade level at the next club meeting to present their ideas. We are so proud of their ingenuity, research, and problem-solving skills. These young innovators firmly understood Sagemont Prep’s educational pillars and mission statement! They connected existing knowledge to unique ideas absorbed from beyond the classroom to explore imaginative ideas for change. True active agents of change!

Our Early Childhood and Kindergarten classes took the initiative to create an outdoor learning space and garden. They correlated this initiative to their Signature Projects, which relate to flowers, butterflies, bees, and their marketplace. At Sagemont Prep, parental involvement is key! The project began with families painting and personalizing their bricks at home. The beauty of this assignment was to show the uniqueness and creativity of each child. Students then placed their bricks on the designated path in their garden. The Early Childhood Team discussed the environment and brainstormed with the students about what could be added to their outdoor learning space. They added herbs, buddy benches, a picnic table, flowers, and stones. It has become an original and unique learning space for the students.

In April, Sagemont Prep's tradition allows the entire school to celebrate Earth Day through an annual Earth Day Planting Party. This eco-friendly annual family event includes our students, staff, and parents. Students bring in a variety of herbs, vegetables, and fruit plants that they will plant with their parents in a designated area at the school. This area is adopted and cared for by that specific grade level. The students will learn how to sustain a flourishing garden and observe growth. They also will engage in discussions based on problems that impact the environment and our planet. In addition, students from our Upper Campus Environmental Club will volunteer, helping to guide younger students and their parents with the planting. Once grown, the plants will be utilized for a culinary learning experience.

Nature provides countless opportunities for discovery, exploration, creativity, problem-solving, and interactions with the environment. In prekindergarten, students took an outdoor walk to think, inquire, engage, and make predictions about the size, weight, measurement, and characteristics of items such as leaves, stones, flowers, branches, twigs, caterpillars, and even an inchworm. They utilized their magnifying glasses, math counters, and metric belts. Through this hands-on experiential learning, educators touched upon numerous content standards, specifically in Math, Science, and Literacy. The students then read the book, "The Very Hungry Caterpillar." The students were able to make the connection between the caterpillar they saw in their nature walk and the one in the book. The students were highly motivated and engaged to participate in a scavenger hunt while doing their nature walk. While they collected items, the educators also discussed the potential items that can harm the environment, such as trash.