My School Rocks! 2014-03 - Our 10th Anniversary Edition | Page 28

TEACHER 11600 White Rapids Road Charlotte, NC  28214 980-343-0003 http://schools.cms.k12.nc.us/whitewaterES TAKEAWAYS ughes chelle H Ray By Holly ate ew Whit PRINCIPAL’S TOP 10 demy r Aca Principal Beth Thompson shares the top 10 things to know about Whitewater Academy. 1 We are all one, big family. While we focus on student achievement, we also value exposing students and staff members to experiences that are going to prepare them for post-secondary opportunities. 2 Our three prongs are health and fitness, conservation of land and resources around us and experiential learning. Our facility is state-of-the-art with technology all around the building. Part of experiential learning includes experiences through technology. We want our students to be 21st century learners. We want to engage students in all avenues we can. 7 8 Our teachers are trained by Teachers College staff developers from New York City. We are un-learning old habits in order to teach kids better. Students need a conceptual understanding of learning. In math, we want them to own their own learning and experience more critical thinking and problem solving. 4 10 5 B et h T h ompson 28 – My School Rocks! | March 2014 Our partnership with the U.S. Whitewater Center is amazing. Brenda Halford, our PE teacher, nurtured the partnership, which includes taking kids over to connect to curriculumintentional units to learn and be fit. We’re working on creating a trail to directly connect us to them. Savannah, Fif th Grader alford Brenda H Teachers work well together for the best interest of the students. 9 We have a fantastic location away from the hustle and bustle of the city, but still close enough to resources. Halford: Students get to go to the Whitewater Center and do the same activities our staff has done. Students get the opportunity to do bouldering, the high ropes course, the low ropes course, team-building, mountain biking and some of the zips. We had a six-week bike lab where students got to ride at WWC and learned pedestrian and bike safety. 6 3 Our school is known for successfully implementing Balanced Literacy across the school. MSR: What activities do the students participate in? Our school has vegetable gardens where students learn hands-on science. Students have the opportunity to participate in multiple field trips throughout the school year in each grade level to enrich their learning. PE teacher Brenda Halford has been part of CMS for 34-and-a-half years. During the last five, she was a key f