TEACHER
125 West Craighead Road
Charlotte, NC 28206
980-343-5511
http://schools.cms.k12.nc.us/
highlandrenaissanceES/Pages/Default.aspx
ghes
helle Hu
Rayc
By Holly
D
GHLAN
HI
PRINCIPAL’S
TOP 10
ADEMY
NCE AC
NAISSA
RE
Principal Kimberly Vaught
shares the top 10 things
to know about Highland
Renaissance Academy.
1
Our school is nestled off North
Tryon Street and has 550 students in
grades PK-5. We are a Title I school, and
96 percent of students qualify for free or
reduced lunches.
“We are moving our
students from the land
of possibility to the land
2
of reality – to enable
We have a strong relationship with
Covenant Presbyterian Church,
which helps us with volunteers and
financial resources.
6
Our families face challenges, and we
are unique in the way we reach out
to them by engaging them in authentic
ways. We’ve started by holding an ice
cream social for them before school
starts so we can begin to bond as a
family. I also host Pastries with Parents,
informal breakfasts where I find out what
we can do to help them.
7
In the spring, we offer extended day
programs so students can prepare
for End of Grade tests. We also hold
three Saturday camps with fun activities
and academic enrichment. There are
extended blocks for math and reading
all year.
3
8
4
9
St. John’s Baptist
Church provides
Snack Packs for
students who need food
over the weekend.
them to
make it
happen,
Communities in
Schools is on-site
helping with academic
support, monitoring
attendance and
connecting students with
academic problems with
resources.
to stand
and
deliver,”
Kimberly
28 – My School Rocks! | October 2013
December 2013
TAKEAWAYS
Vaught
5
A Child’s Place is here to
help our homeless
students.
We have two clubs – the Flames for
girls and Boys to Men – that teach
social skills and how to function in the
mainstream.
Our teachers spend an hour
together every day to help each
other perfect their craft. Whether they
are novices or are experienced, we
want to help them develop leadership
opportunities.
10
Last year, we were able to take
our fifth graders to Wilmington.
To see the magic in these babies’ eyes
when they rode the ferry and saw the
ocean for the first time was incredible.
MSR: Why does it work so well?
Barrow: It provides a great visual, a
physical manifestation – they can
just look at the clock on the wall
if they have to. It demonstrates
equivalent fractions and the
steps to take when adding them.
It really helps them get it. For
tenths and eighths, we’ll use
grid paper. Even after we finish
the lesson, we review it all year
long. It all comes down to
practice.
MSR: What other kinds of
visuals do you use to teach
math?
rrow
Nicole Ba
“The kids really want to
learn. I aim high for them
and tell them they can
STUDENT
STORY
MSR:
What do
you like
about
school?
Blessing:
We have
Third Gr
ader
a principal
and
teachers
who care about us. Last year, when
I made the honor roll, there was an
assembly, and my mother and father
took pictures – they were very proud of
me.
Blessing
,
Barrow: We use the
number line all the time
to explain what we are doing. We hit
that hard when it comes to adding and
subtracting, even in kindergarten. This
kind of approach also teaches students
how to think and how to figure out
what strategy works with a particular
problem.
MSR: What are your favorite subjects?
still do something no
Blessing: My favorite subject is
science because you learn about lots of
stuff. I like learning to read, too – you
learn about chickens who can’t cross
the road and other crazy stuff. We also
learn how to work together – to respect
each other and not fight.
matter how hard it
may be.”
Nicole Barrow has been with
CMS for 17 years, 15 of them as a
classroom teacher in grades 2-5.
Last year, she became the math
facilitator at Highland.
MSR: What other kinds of things are
you learning this year?
MSR: What is your favorite lesson?
Barrow: Using a clock to teach
students how to add fractions. It’s
from Math Investigations.
Photos by LunahZ
on
Blessing: In math, we are learning our
multiplication tables. In music class, we
are learning about notes – like a quarter,
half and rest. We’re also learning about
books and how to take care of them. We
learn about computers on Thursdays.
To use them, you need to know the
password. In art class, we have to color
very hard.
www.myschoolrocks.com | My School Rocks!
29