Advanced Studies in Action!

Volume 1, Issue 2 February 2020

LI/TD Schools Receive National Recognition

We are so incredibly proud to announce that our LI/TD schools have received national recognition from Magnet Schools of America! These schools were judged and scored on their demonstrated ability to raise student academic achievement, promote racial and socioeconomic diversity, provide integrated curricula and instruction, and create strong family and community partnerships that enhance the school’s magnet theme.

Idlewild has been recognized as a National Magnet School of Excellence.

Mallard Creek, Irwin, Shamrock Gardens and Tuckaseegee have been recognized as National Magnet Schools of Distinction.

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TD Teachers Named Teachers of the Year!

We are thrilled to celebrate two of our TD Teachers being named as Teacher of the Year for their schools! It is always exciting when our TD Teachers are recognized by their peers for positively impacting the total school community.

Congratulations to Marie Deegan at Elon Park and Meredith Thompson at Long Creek! They represent their schools, our department, and district well.

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Marie Deegan, TD Teacher at Elon Park

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Meredith Thompson, TD Teacher at Long Creek

Providence Spring Celebrates National Certification

Providence Spring Elementary (PSE) celebrated its national Paideia certification with two assemblies for students and staff Monday, January 27th. The school is the first to be recognized as a nationally certified Paideia school by the National Paideia Center (NPC). NPC faculty viewed seminars, observed planning, and interviewed teachers and students as part of the certification process.

The school opened in 2002 with an emphasis on Paideia instruction, which “advocates that all learners practice the critical thinking, communication skills, and attitudes necessary” to be successful world citizens. “We are a demonstration site for the NPC. It was only natural that we pursue national certification. As a school community we embrace the principles of Paideia learning and are thrilled beyond words that our commitment and focus earned us this distinction,” says Jane Armbruster, school principal.

Our Advanced Studies team has supported PSE and is very proud of this honor!

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AVID News

We are excited about AVID implementation and expansion throughout our district. Kudos to Cochrane Collegiate Academy and Harding University for their amazing work as first year AVID sites.

Shout out to Governor’s Village, Ms. Alejandra Garcia, and Mr. Rickey Hill for hosting the AVID Coordinator meeting on Thursday, January 30, 2020. We were pampered with great treats and an amazing professional learning experience. Check out the article and strategy shared during the meeting.

Leading from Behind Article

Inside/Outside Circles

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Horizons Happenings

K - 2 students are engaged in a quarter-long Project Based Learning (PBL) experience to explore how change impacts their environment. Prior to exploring the unit, students used the Hilda Taba Concept Development strategy to gather facts, sort, subsume, and then create key generalizations about animals. After categorizing their findings into marine, air, land animals, they saw how little they knew about marine and air animals compared to those of land animals. They are rolling their sleeves to dig through lesser known marine and air animals for their projects!

Secondary Students Engage in Seminar

Eighth grade Social Studies students at Albemarle Road Middle School engaged in collaborative discussions using Lewis Hine’s photography “Child Spinner”. Student-generated questions included: What constituted to child labor when there were no laws governing children’s lives prior to the child labor law? How was privilege defined during the Industrial Revolution? How was a child’s gender, race, and background affected the child labor law? How are our lives similar or different from those of children in the early 1900s?

Mr.Turner, Principal of Sedgefield Middle School invited all staff to learn about the Paideia Seminar process and they explored Mortimer Adler’s “12 Principles of Paideia”. Using textual evidence, observation, and their own unique experiences, teachers listened to each others’ ideas and shared their thoughts on the nature of learning.

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Culturally Relevant Teaching Workshop

AP teachers across the district will have an opportunity to engage in a Culturally Relevant Teaching Workshop, led by our very own CMS Nationally trained AVID Staff Developers, Rickey Hill and Stacey Bush. This is a wonderful opportunity for teachers who are interested in developing ideas and strategies to create an inclusive classroom environment. The workshop will be held during the AP Collaborative Session on March 27th.

To learn more about what you can do to create culturally relevant classrooms:

Culturally Relevant Classrooms

What You Can Do to Create a Culturally Relevant

Self-Audit of Your Culturally Relevant Classroom