Date: April 29, 2009To: Michael Green, SuperintendentFrom: Cari ThomsonRE: WMS Summary of Teaching and Learning - April
During April, WMS staff has been identifying the "Top Twenty" concepts in each discipline as well as developing shared calendar of concepts by discipline. This comes out of the building leadership team's DuFour book study. By identifying concepts and projecting them onto a calendar, we hope for our departments to increase cross-curricular collaboration. For example, if English is working on nonfiction reading strategies and expository writing and science is studying lab procedures and microscopes, then the two departments can reinforce these concepts in each other's classrooms. This can be done by English using scientific text and science reinforcing expository writing strategies in lab-write ups.
Dave Shoddy and Matt Brkljacich have been selected for the Teachers on the Leading Edge (TOTLE) workshop for middle school Earth science teachers. The workshop is held on the PLU campus in July. This has been a two year application process, congrats are definitely in order!
Mark Knudson has started an after school club for students with a grant funded by Northwest Service Academy and Department of Ecology. The Watershed Voyages project involves approximately 15 students who study various scientific topics related to watershed quality. The students are involved in activities such as studying water quality, forestry, and wildlife, and navigation techniques. A volunteer from Northwest Service Academy aids Mr. Knudson with students. A field trip scheduled for later this spring. Not to worry, all costs are covered by the grant.
The last thing for April is that WMS has finished the WASL. This has taken three weeks, but we are now officially, WASLed out!