The Director's Forum - Schoolwide, Middle School and High School Presentation

Director’s ForumMay 3, 2015

Universal American School provides a challenging, inquiry-based American and international education that empowers students to be caring individuals, critical thinkers, and responsible global citizens.

2015-16

Re-organization Elementary School

Prek-5

PYP Framework

Middle School

Grades 6-8

Conceptual Curriculum Framework

High School

Grades 9-12

Conceptual Curriculum Framework 9-10

IB Diploma Curriculum 11-12

Leadership PK-12 Focus

Targeting recommendations from:

MSA/CIS

PYP/IB DP

KHDA

Alignment of Programs

Initiation of Program Development

PK-12 Curriculum Coordinator

PK-12 Technology Coordinator

PK-12 Arabic Language

Coordinator

PK-12 Islamic Coordinator

ES/MS Literacy Coach

Early Childhood

Coordinator (FT)

KHDA

Technology Focus

Approaches to Teaching and

Learning

New Faculty

4 new administrators

4 new administrators

IB Coordinator

PYP Coordinator

Athletic Directors

Elementary SpecialistsLibrarian

MusicCounselor

PE

Elementary Classroom13 new elementary classroom teachers

Middle SchoolPrincipal

Assistant Principal2 full time counselors

Middle School Classroom

6 “new” to UAS teachers

High School3 counselors (2 new)

10 new to UAS teachers

Approaches to Teaching and Learning

Universal American School provides a challenging, inquiry-based American and international education that empowers students to be caring individuals, critical thinkers, and responsible global citizens.

WELCOME TO UAS MIDDLE

SCHOOL PRIDE….WHERE

EXCELLENCE AND

ENTHUSIASM COLLIDE!!!

UAS MIDDLE SCHOOL LAUNCHES IN SEPTEMBER, 2015!

A Presentation for the UAS Parent Community

Sunday, May 3, 2015

1.The Importance of Middle Level Education

2.Essential Attributes and Characteristics of Middle Level Schools

3.The Latest News about the FABULOUS UAS Middle School!! WOOHOOO!!!!

1. The Importance of Middle Level Education

• In 1963 – Dr. William Alexander, Cornell University, USA spoke at a conference about: “The Junior High School: A Changing View”. Dr. Alexander presented a proposal to implement a new “Middle School”

• This Middle School would be taught by specifically trained educators who would: “implement a relevant curriculum and essential learning processes that were developmentally appropriate for students within this age range.”

• Dr. Alexander was quoted as saying: “..intellectual growth means much more than an increasing competence in the academic content of the curriculum. We must endeavor to stimulate in the child a love for learning, an attitude of inquiry, a passion for truth and...a questioning mind. The learning of right answers is not enough...beyond answers alone, we must help children ask the right questions, and discover their answers through creative thinking, reasoning, judging, and understanding.”

• “the learning of the right answers is not enough" is even more relevant today than it was in 1963

• The continuing research and practice since Dr. Alexander's call for a Middle School have shown and continue to demonstrate the importance of implementing schools that openly address both the academic and personal development of every young adolescent

• “Thriving now and in the future requires becoming a lifelong learner and demands more than a basic understanding of reading, writing, and mathematics. It requires the ability to apply sophisticated skills in a variety of settings and solve complex problems individually and in collaboration with others.”

1. The Importance of Middle Level Education

• The curriculum, teaching styles, & programs within middle grades schools must be based upon the developmental readiness, needs and interests of our young people. This concept is at the heart of middle level education.

• It is vitally important to recognize that the areas of development - physical, intellectually, moral, psychological, & social-emotional - are intricately intertwined, making the achievement of academic success highly dependent upon the other developmental needs also being met.

• Early adolescents is also a period of tremendous variability among our young people of the same gender and chronological age in all areas of their development. Changes occur irregularly, as young adolescents enter puberty at different times and progress at different rates. Individual differences proliferate, making dubious such assumptions as, “All 7th graders are..”

1. The Importance of Middle Level Education

• Rapid physical changes make early adolescence a crucial period for developing healthy personal habits.

• Do parents and/or teachers retain primary authority and continue as the source of basic values for our young people?

• Young peoples desire for peer acceptance & the need to belong to particular social groups are often intense & sometimes lead to shifting allegiance from adults to peers.

• Parents and educators alike must remember that our adolescents thirst for informal interactions and conversations with caring adults.

• Our young people need information that helps them understand the physical and other changes in their lives. They also need supportive adult guidance and advocacy more than ever as they struggle to maintain the hope and optimism that once characterized their youth

“All 7th graders are..”

2. The Essential Attributes and characteristics of Middle level

schools

• Developmentally Responsive: using the distinctive nature of young adolescents as the foundation upon which all decisions about school organization, policies, curriculum, instruction, and assessment are made.

• Challenging: ensuring that every student learns and every member of the learning community is held to high expectations

• Empowering: providing all students with the knowledge and skills they need to take responsibility for their lives, to address life's challenges, to function successfully at all levels of society, and to be creators of knowledge.

• Equitable: advocating for and ensuring every student's right to learn and providing appropriately challenging and relevant learning opportunities for every student.

2. The Essential Attributes and characteristics of Middle level

schools

3. The Latest News about the FABULOUS UAS Middle School!!

WOOHOOO!!!!

Where will the new UAS

Middle School be located?

PERIOD MS START MS END MS LENGTH

P1 7:45 8:50 65

P2 8:55 10:00 65

P3 10:05 (homeroom)

10:35 30

P4 10:40 11:45 65

P5 11:50 (lunch) 12:25 35

P6 12:30 (reading) 12:55 25

P7 1:00 2:00 60

P8 2:05 3:10 65

The Middle School Daily Time Table:

3. The Latest News about the FABULOUS UAS Middle School!!

WOOHOOO!!!!

What courses will Middle School students be offered during the

2015-2016 school year?Grade 6 Grade 7 Grade 8

SUBJECT Class times/10 days SUBJECT Class times/10 days SUBJECT Class times/10 days

English 7 x 65 = 455 English 7 x 65 = 455 English 7 x 65 = 455

Math 7 x 65 = 455 Math 7 x 65 = 455 Math 7 x 65 = 455

Science 7 x 65 = 390 Science 7 x 65 = 390 Science 7 x 65 = 390

Social Studies 7 x 65 = 390 Social Studies 7 x 65 = 390 Soc. Studies 7 x 65 = 390

PE 4 x 65 = 260 PE 4 x 65 = 260 PE 4 x 65 = 260

Arabic/AFL 6 x 65 = 390 Arabic/AFL 6 x 65 = 390 Arabic/AFL 6 x 65 = 390

Islamic/Other 4 x 65 = 260 Islamic/Other 3 x 65 = 195 Islamic/Other 3 x 65 = 195

Semester Electives: Global Languages, art, and dance, LSC or Speech & Writing

4 x 65 = 260 Semester Electives:Global Languages, LSC or Speech & Writing

4 x 65 = 260 Semester Electives:Global Languages, LSC, or Speech & Writing

4 x 65 = 260

Fine Arts: band, choir, drama, and art

4 x 65 = 260 Fine Arts: band, choir, art and drama

5 x 65 = 325 Fine Arts: band, choir, art & drama

5 x 65 = 325

Reading 10 x 25 = 250 Reading 10 x 25 = 250 Reading 10 x 25 = 250

Homeroom 10 x 30 = 300 Homeroom 10 x 30 = 300 Homeroom 10 x 30 = 300

Total 70   70   70

Administrative StructurePrincipal: Pat Hould

Assistant Principal: Beverly Kempley Administrative Assistant: TBD

Information Technology Integration Specialist (IT IS): Jennifer Zimbrick

Literacy Coach (LC): Michelle Webster (.5) Two Counselors ~ WOOHOO!

Mark Gaffney and Kara Haines

MS “Team” StructureHorizontal Team Leaders

Grade 6 Team Leader: Samarah Qadir Grade 7 Team Leader: Matt WebsterGrade 8 Team Leader: Eric Barrett

Specialists Team Leader: TBD AND Vertical Team Leaders: TBD

Staffing the New Middle School

Final Thoughts:

• To the greatest degree possible: hope to create a“bookless”school

• Parent Involvement

• Hope to create a caring/nurturing environment where all students can flourish, learn, feel safe and grow to meet their untapped potential

Questions?

3. The Latest News about the FABULOUS UAS Middle School!!

WOOHOOO!!!!

High School

Grades 9-12What’s New in 2015-16

Goals

Prepare all students for college/university

Rigorous and high quality education

Supportive environment

Improve literacy

Focus on IB Approaches to Learning (research, cooperative learning, oral and written communication etc.)

Assessment – in grades 9 and 10 to reflect the IBDP Level of Achievement

TimetablePERIOD START END LENGTH

P1 7:45 8:50 65

P2 8:55 10.00 65

P3 10.00 (break) 10:20 20

P4 10:25 11:30 65

P5 11:35 12:40 65

P6 12:45 (homeroom)

1:25 40

P7 1:25 (lunch) 2:00 35

P8 2:05 3:10 65

Homeroom

Moved to period 6 (before lunch)

Will include a new Advisory program lead by the counselors

Will include dedicated reading times

Will include CAS (grades 11-12)

Will include assemblies

New Subjects Choir (grade 9 and 10) Sports Science and PE (grade 9) New Media Course (grade 9) Programming and Robotics (grade 10) Model United Nations – MUN (grade 10)

Change for next year

Business (only offered in grade 10)

Exams and Standardized Testing Currently only grade 10 and 11 students are allowed to stay home to

study during exam blocks This will be expanded to include grade 9 next year Study areas will be made available for students staying at school all

day

All grade 9-10 students will do MAP testing in Reading, Language Usage, mathematics and science (grade 9 only)

All grade 10 students will do the PSSS test