The College School Winter Newsletter 2016

Volume 37

Issue 1

Winter 2016

Bringing Students Up to Code Submitted by Penny Allen and Patricia Bohn, Faculty Our youngest and oldest students participated in some form of coding during the month of December to celebrate the International Hour of Code.

A summer conference at the Catherine Cook School in Chicago became the springboard to new Second and Third Grade curriculum in coding and robotics. Having spent time in one of the country’s most tech-innovative schools, we came away with a few observations that have become the foundation for this new curriculum: 1. Technology can nurture students’ identities as authors, scientists, illustrators, musicians, mathematicians, computer programmers and global citizens through a variety of applications.

2. Computer coding and programming can be introduced and taught through a playful approach in the elementary grades as another form of literacy.

3. It is important to teach our students the difference between consuming technology and creating with technology.

Being at Catherine Cook School, and seeing how advanced their computer science program is, inspired us to begin teaching basic coding through Code.org. It is kid-friendly, sequential, individualized, includes both online and “unplugged” activities and is fun! Second and Third Grades devote roughly one hour per week to this piece of the curriculum. This addition has infused even more 21st-century relevance to our teaching and has given us access to the imagination of many students who have an affinity for problem-solving and things robotic. Boys AND girls enjoy the interactive fun and relaxed learning offered through this technology.

To extend the practical application of coding, Second and Third Grades purchased Dash and Dot robots from Wonder Workshop. These appealing blue and orange robots were immediately embraced by the students. Five different iPad apps allow students to program their actions: Go, Path, Blockly, Xylo, and Wonder. Second Grade has focused on playful experimentation, such as using the bulldozer attachment to push items into a goal, writing songs on Xylo, making movies with the smartphone attachment, recording things for the robots to say,

making costumes for the robots, building a cart for Dash to tow Dot, and other items.

Third Grade students also have enjoyed the playful experimentation approach. They partnered with the Middle School coding class to compare different apps for ease in maneuvering the robots through an obstacle course. And, working in teams, students created skits for the robots to perform within certain parameters using costumes, sets, voice recording and Blockly coding.

To build on this momentum, Jason Raznick, Technology Coordinator, officially registered The College School to participate in the annual international Hour of Code event the first week in December. Second and Third Grade created a promotional video for the school, with the help of two Middle School videographers, Ben Krieger and Micky Zuckerman. Nearly every student from Early Childhood to Eighth Grade participated in an online or “unplugged” activity.

Despite just introducing this new curriculum, code is becoming the new vernacular for our Second and Third Grade students. A quote from the Code.org website sums it up best, “Every 21st century child should have a chance to learn about algorithms, how to make an app, or how the Internet works.

Just like they learn about photosynthesis, the digestive system, or electricity.” n

In January, Dr. Keith Miller, from the University of Missouri - St.Louis, came to TCS with his army of robots for students to interact with, program, and manipulate.

Winter 2016

The New Master Facilities Plan Submitted by Ed Maggart, Head of School You may know that we are scheduled to finish construction of The Jan Phillips Learning Center on our LaBarque Campus this spring. (A grand opening is slated for the fall!) But did you know that there are a number of exciting updates planned for the near future on our Webster Campus as well, some of which are already underway.

Last fall, much needed acoustical panels were installed in the Kent Family Theater. Scott, our Drama Teacher, will attest to the improvement in sound! We are currently in the midst of updating the upper elementary and middle school playground with additions including landscaped seating areas, climbers, a group swing, outdoor musical instruments, fitness stations, and much more! As wonderful as these improvements are, they are just the beginning. In January, the Board approved a new Master Facilities Plan involving significant improvements to the campus – most will be renovations to our existing building, along with an addition to the Big Bend wing.

Let’s go floor by floor and find out what you can expect to see coming soon to TCS! Upper Floor – A revitalized Middle School area, including a new STEAM lab and adjoining flexible classroom, which will provide a state-of-the-art facility for design projects, coding, research, robotics, chemistry and biology labs, and much more!

Ground Floor – A new Makerspace for “making” projects, which will include power and hand tools, a storehouse of materials, sewing machines, 3D printer, and much more! Also in the plans for this floor are music practice spaces and a redesigned Student Support Center.

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Main Floor – An addition to the Big Bend wing, will provide a beautiful and inviting new entrance atrium, better and more accessible office space, and an enlarged Early Childhood area. The lower level of the new wing will also provide enlarged Adventure Education storage with exterior access.

We also plan to remodel the “yellow house” on Newport to include a digital recording studio among other use areas.

You can expect to see these innovations come online one-by-one over the next few summers. Each year there will be something new to see and experience! n

Winter 2016

Layers of Individuality: Studying Identity in Big Bend Shared by Janelle Finder and Jess Lorentzen, Early Childhood Faculty As three- and four- year old children enter the Big Bend classroom, they are often coming together in a community setting for the first time in their lives. This social experience is incredibly valuable as children begin to form understandings about who they are as individuals, as well as who they are in relation to others and their environment. This significant moment in time naturally develops into the study of identity within the classroom.

As teachers, we view the study of identity to be just as complex as the concept itself. Identity is not static, but a continuously evolving perception of self shaped by experiences, actions, and relationships. The whole of one’s identity is made up of many layers, and it is the intention of the teachers to provide children with opportunities to delight in the discovery of their layers of individuality.

This year, the focus emerged as three different layers: self, home, and environment. In the early months, students worked in both the classroom and the Atelier to create self portraits and personal narratives. Within each unique story, many elements of the student’s identity

This year, the focus emerged as three different layers: self, home, and environment. are evident, such as who they love, what makes them happy, and what they are curious about. These compositions were

then documented by teachers and displayed in the Big Bend classroom.

As the children explored the first layer through provocations and conversations,

the concept of home emerged organically. This layer was expressed through interpretations of homes and special places within their home through the use of natural materials, watercolor, and recycled materials, which were also documented and

After looking at photos of their homes, or imagining what their houses look like, the children constructed meaningful representations using natural materials. displayed in The Commons. Within these mixed-media creations, the children were given the power to take us on a journey into their sense of place, looking at what is special to them, what memories they are making, where they feel safe, and how this sense of place directly relates to their sense of self.

As the second semester progresses, the Big Bend children’s interests have evolved and their focus now encompasses their larger environment, as they have become more aware of who they are in relation to the space they inhabit. Students started asking questions and telling stories about experiences outside of the home, such as at parks, museums, the zoo, while camping, etc. As we explore this third layer, the project has expanded into many areas of the classroom, such as a dramatic play camping area, book making, group storytelling, and building homes for animals using natural materials.

We look forward to seeing how the final layer unfolds and sharing it with our TCS community. n

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Winter 2016

A Journey For Life: Experiential Education @ The College School Submitted by Kevin Navarro, Assistant Head of School

Whether three- or thirteen-years-old, students at The College School are citizens of the world; they are questioners; they are leaders; and they are confident explorers. They know how to dissect a problem; they know how to build a solution; they know how to offer a shoulder to lean upon; and they know how to compassionately and confidently lead a team to success.

And none of this is by chance. We teach them to be this way.

Students learn core academic subjects and critical life lessons through hands-on, thematic learning experiences.

Lessons are taught both individually and within integrated thematic projects; this approach makes learning meaningful and makes lessons stick. These hands-on and experiential projects allow students to literally touch their lessons, and through

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reflection to make sense of the lessons learned.

Each project, each lesson, each outdoor adventure scaffolds and builds towards the next. The very work we start in preschool is not finished until our students cross the stage the night of their eighth grade graduation. Every day, every challenge, every night spent in the field, our students are on a journey. Through math, caving, singing, climbing, writing, measuring, interviewing, and listening, we expose students to real-life situations and we challenge them with complex ideas.

Along the way, teachers and parents partner to help guide students on the journey, but ultimately we seek to empower each and every student to find and express their own unique voice.

Although the journey at The College School ends in eighth grade, it is re-

ally just the beginning. Our graduates are compassionate leaders, effective communicators, and articulate agents of change.

When they leave us they are poised and empowered to change the world – to make it a better place.

It is precisely the experiences, the adventures, the challenges, and the reflection upon it all that empowers our students to be the people they are. Throughout their journey at The College School, they learn to be good thinkers. They learn to be good people.

When you think about it, what more could you possibly want? n

Winter 2016

A Parent’s Perspective Submitted by Dave and Maureen Ebenhoh, Parents at TCS When we began looking for a kindergarten for Grace (now in Fifth Grade), we looked at every option: other independent schools, charter and magnet schools, and parochial schools. We toured, made pros and cons lists, and talked with everyone we could. Having worked in public, independent, and charter schools, we knew that while many schools have solid missions and approaches, in the end, the teachers and staff are the reason a school soars or falters. As we poured over options, we kept coming back to the feel of TCS when we had toured: articulate and confident student tour guides, teachers paying attention to social experiences and talking to children with kindness, work that

was child-centered, and curriculum woven into real experiences. We felt at home at TCS and so did five-year-old Grace: “Mama, this is where I’m going to school.”

Along our journey at TCS, friends have often wondered why we pay so much for our kids’ school, but with every year, this investment in our kids continues to be our wisest decision. Our kids love and are personally connected to what they are learning. They feel connected to their teachers and friends and are developing outstanding academic skills along with their own voices in the community. They are upset when there is no school: Jonah (K) excitedly counts more new friends he has each day and is con-

fident and excited to be a mammalogist on the kindergarten playscape research team, while Grace memorizes her lines for the 4/5 Play, dreams of raising butterfly larvae and being a mathematician someday. TCS has become a part of who we are as a family, and we are so grateful for such skilled and compassionate partners in raising our kids. n

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Winter 2016

The Challenge of a Living Building Submitted by Tim Wood, Sustainability Coordinator I’d like to address the word “challenge” when used in relation to the Living Building Challenge (LBC), because it should perpetually be written in CAPS and in bold.The Jan Phillips Learning Center is being constructed to meet a CHALLENGE, which represents the highest level of sustainable development in the world. The function of this extensive and prestigious certification is to “dramatically raise the bar from a paradigm of doing less harm to one in which we view our role as steward and co-creator of a true Living Future.”It is the most advanced measure of sustainability in the built environment possible today. It appropriately comes with a level of difficulty, trouble-shooting, and commitment - from the architect to the construction firm, and from our school leadership to our families.We entered this project in partnership with Harlan Construction Company, who have themselves been challenged to source materials and provide documentation of every product used in construction. Each material must be researched for: 1) content, 2) produced

The foundation for the center’s main structure is now in place and floor joists and framing is on the horizon.

The Red List represents the “worst in class” materials, chemicals, and elements known to pose serious risks to human health and the greater ecosystem.

The Living Building Challenge categorizes their building construction imperatives into “petal” categories.

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in an environmentally responsible way, 3) social criterion related to material production, making sure that employees of production companies make a fair wage, 4) sourced locally whenever that is possible, and 5) cannot contain any materials on the published “Red List.”Progress is happening and lower floor concrete, and masonry work is now complete. Electric has been run to a temporary pole, the well has been drilled, and a pond has been built.

Floor joists and framing are the next exciting steps in the process. We are meeting the CHALLENGE, but also realizing that it is a CHALLENGE. For anyone who is interested in finding more information regarding the Living Building Challenge, go to http://living-future.org/.

Quick Property Update: Many people have asked about the effects of recent flooding on our LaBarque Campus. Fortunately, the bottomland at our LaBarque property has been flooding for 320 million years, and the watershed, though evolving, is accustomed to flooding. The rain did, however, slow down work on The Jan Phillips Learning Center. Not only did the rain slow work, but flooding limited access to the site. LaBarque Creek flooded for about 15 hours, but the Meramec River flooded for several days. Highways leading to LaBarque from the North and East were closed during that time. However, there was no significant damage overall. n

Winter 2016

Afriky Lolo Wraps Up Winter Children’s Festival Submitted by Jaclyn Stewart-Strothmann, Assoc. Director for Communications It was a morning of experiential learning at The College School as visitors and current families filled up the hallways and classrooms with fun, hands-on activities led by our faculty and staff. Families mixed their own spice-infused playdough, created terrariums, launched catapults, programmed robots, potted plants, assembled tamales and more before heading to the Kent Family Theater for a command performance by African dance troupe, Afriky Lolo.

Diadie Bathily and his group of dancers wrapped up our annual Winter Children’s Festival in typical TCS fashion with an on-stage master class for all children to enjoy. Mark your calendars for November 12, 2016 and January 7, 2017 for another round of fun at our 2016-2017 Festivals. n

Diadie Bathily’s stage presence, authentic costume, and storytelling approach made for a performance not to be forgotten.

Afriky Lolo’s performance wrapped up with an open invitation for children to join Diadie onstage for a mini master class.

The greenhouse was bustling with activity as children got their hands messy potting plants to take home and care for.

Spices wafted through the hallways as families ground spices to mix into their natural playdough.

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Preschool through Eighth Grade 7825 Big Bend Blvd.

Webster Groves, MO 63119 (314) 962-9355 www.thecollegeschool.org

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Upcoming Events Grandparents’/Special Friends’ Day Tuesday, April 5, 10:30AM-12:00PM Celebrate The Night in Black & White Auction Saturday, April 16, 2016 at 6:00PM Middle School Shakespeare Performance Tuesday, May 17, 7:00PM Summer Camps Begin June 6, 2016

Summer Camp

Registration Now Open for Summer Adventure Day Camps & Expeditions! www.thecollegeschool.org/summer