November 27, 2013
Hello Califon community. After an awesome poster contest and guessing the weight of a pumpkin, it’s now time for some turkey! Just to add to the speed of everything, as soon as we all return back to school, it’s already December! Here’s some news with what’s been happening at Califon School.
We received several surveys back that we recently sent out to the community asking you various questions in order to move forward in the right direction. There was a lot of positive feedback as a result of the surveys. We also received comments pertaining to areas that we are addressing on a daily basis. Thank you for your valuable feedback! In order to involve all of our stakeholders in Califon School discussions, our committee called “Council of Instruction” will soon begin to meet. We will also hold a few “Parent Advisory Committee” meetings in the future. More information will follow on this.
Administration and teachers continue to meet with the Rutgers’ team to discuss what has been happening in each of our classrooms and how to continue to provide the best balanced literacy approach in teaching your children how to become the best readers and writers they can be. Remember, our goal was to “front load” their visits for this school year to kick off the year on the right foot. We are now in the process of setting goals for them in moving forward after the New Year. As such, we would like to continue with what has already been occurring, but also expand it to include more technology integration using the Internet and web 2.0 applications. Dr. Jim has set up a blog in which our teachers, administration, and the Rutgers’ team, can share technology information and best practices and ideas with each other. Under the envelope of technology, this pertains to all of the other content areas as well. We are hoping to utilize the Khan Academy website for learning in math also.
One important aspect of increasing the rigor here at Califon is the research paper that is expected to be completed from students in grades three through eight. In third grade, the biographical portion of the Wax Museum project will be expanded. In fourth grade, they will now be completing what the fifth grade use to complete in the research of a state. In fifth grade, students will be writing an informational paper on a historical person, event, or invention from the 20th century. The sixth grade students will be writing an informational paper on an ancient civilization. The seventh grade students will be embarking on new territory. They will be responsible for writing about something that they personally feel passionate about. Each of them will be creating and proving a thesis within their paper. Our eighth grade students will continue to write a paper on a controversial topic.
Our fast ForWord program is now underway with plans to extend it to more students as the year progresses. So far, it has generated an excitement for learning! When students are excited to learn, it goes without saying that they tend to learn not only more, but quicker. We will continue to expand it for the rest of this school year and into the next.
We had our first successful Skype with our seventh and eighth grade students. Students were able to meet a biologist/author, Thor Hanson, who has traveled the world with his focus being conservation biology. Mrs. Wiesel and her students asked him many questions pertaining to his field. He had a particular interest in covering the mountain gorillas of Uganda. He also has been particularly interested in seeds and feathers, on which topics he has written books. Our plan is to use Skype with other grades as well.
As you may have noticed, we have been receiving a lot of press coverage both online and in print, particularly in the Hunterdon Democrat. One such event recently covered was the Rutgers Science Bus visit in which our middle school students went on a virtual tour of the Amazon River Basin with one task having them identify a rare plant through DNA sampling. Our scientist visit is scheduled for next week on December 6th. Look out for a Siemen’s Science Day after the New Year also.
Volunteers and visitors sharing their time have been really making a difference in the learning on the part of our students. For example, we have had parents come in to share their experiences by teaching a geography lesson, teaching an Italian/Spanish language lesson, and playing the guitar periodically to assist students in writing a song about the state of New Jersey as part of the social studies curriculum. In addition, in order to meet New Jersey’s curriculum standards of teaching tolerance and diversity, parents have shared their different cultural heritages with students. Dove Environmental Education representatives also visited Califon and brought with them many Lenape artifacts and items from the Morris Museum. They taught students the importance of conserving our natural resources and taught them not to litter in order to preserve the environment around them.
In the season of giving, Gwyneth Medea, lead an assembly entitled “More Than Me” for the students. This assembly brought Katie Meyler, founder, and Macintosh, school leader, to our school. The goal of this organization is to raise funds for girls in order to get them off the streets and into schools in Liberia as many of them do not attend school. It was truly enlightening to hear their stories, and I believe your children learned not to take all they have for granted.
Our Book Fair was a huge success. As a result of our awesome sales, Mr. Zimmerman was duct taped to the gym wall and Mr. Cutshaw’s beard was shaved by our 8th grade students! To culminate the event, all students and staff read or were read to for the remaining 15 minutes of the school day. A good time was had by all.
Side Notes:
I have made a number of positive phone calls to parents for the kind deeds their children have done during the school day. Keep up the great work with your children! I also held my first “Lunch with the Principal” program. Students can get “caught” being kind during lunch and then their name goes in a box. Occasionally, I will draw one name from each lunch and the chosen student can bring a friend with him or her. We then have pizza and ice cream together. The students enjoyed and appreciated it.
In order to recognize the eighth grade for their accomplishment in gaining the most Free Rice with Mr. Zimmerman’s Free Rice program, Mr. Cutshaw, Mr. Zimmerman, and I played them in a few games of volleyball during their gym class. We all had a great time… until I ripped my pants! All kidding aside, it was a fun event.
To end, I would like to recognize the percentages of past Califon students who attained honors at Voorhees High School. In 9th grade, 70% received honors, in 10th grade, 75% received honors, in 11th grade, 53% received honors, and in the current graduating class, 92% received honors. Congratulations to all of them!
Everybody have a great Thanksgiving and enjoy your time with family and friends!
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