CAIS

It is difficult to tell which was brighter and warmer on that first day, the beautiful sunshine or the beaming faces of the children. I would like to thank the PAC for providing coffee and refreshments in the new "soft zone" of the Hickory playground. The soft zone is intended as a place where students can go during recess if they want to spend their time a little more quietly while not having to be constantly vigilant for errant balls flying around the yard.

Every year we make some changes in our program like the soft zone that will further enhance the experiences of the students or, in some cases, are necessitated by the growth of the school. This year is no exception.

We have added a TA for the Chinese classes in the middle school. This person will assist teachers and students in the middle school by providing more direct support where needed. It is not intended that the TA work with all grade levels or every student. Rather, the TA will provide assistance where the teachers feel there is the greatest need.

This year we also made adjustments in Student Services. We have increased our flexibility to support students by changing the Reading Specialist position to a second Learning Specialist. The Learning Specialist will be able to provide a broader range of support to the students. In addition, we have assigned the Chinese Language Support program to Student Services. We realize that several students receive support in both English and Chinese so we will be able to coordinate that support more effectively. Many of the approaches that are used by the Learning Specialists can also be effective in Chinese so we look on this as a major enhancement of the Chinese Language Support program.

Growth in the school has made it increasingly more difficult to conduct some of our traditional programs in the same way. Having the entire school participate in the Winter Program, for example, has been impossible for several years. Recent changes in the structure of the middle school also make it much more difficult to match the needs of the music program to the Winter Program performance. For that reason, the Winter Program will now be a lower school event.

Middle School students will still have the opportunity to perform, albeit in a different setting. We will hold special performances and exhibits at the end of each trimester that will highlight the work of students over the term. This will provide a greater opportunity to have the end of term performance reflect the objectives of the program rather than be restricted to meet the needs of the Winter Program performance.

Similarly, Chinese Read Aloud has outgrown having all grades conduct read aloud on the same day. The logistics of organizing the class level performances has become very complex. We will be taking a page from activities like the English Memoires in the 4th grade. All classes will have a "Read Aloud" in the first semester but it will be scheduled when it fits most effectively in the curriculum. This will enable the teachers to use Read Aloud as an integral portion of the class rather than as an extra activity. Parents will still be invited to the Read Aloud, just as you are to the English 4th grade Memoires.

This year we added two Smart Boards on the fourth floor. These "electronic white boards" are designed to enhance student learning by harnessing technology more effectively as a teaching/learning tool in the classroom. One is mounted in the science lab, one in 6th grade humanities, and a third will soon be mounted in English 7 & 8 social studies. Teachers will receive training on the effective use of the Smart Boards and we will decide if they should be mounted in more classrooms throughout the school.

A somewhat hidden, but none-the-less important change, has been the addition of more ergonomically appropriate chairs and tables in the computer lab. In addition to teaching students how to use a computer, it is important that we provide them with an environment that meets the requirements for appropriate safe work spaces.

Check Andy's Corner regularly for more updates throughout the year.