SAILORWAY HOMEWORK CLUB
One of our goals at Sailorway Middle School this year was to
target our economically disadvantaged students and try to maximize their
learning opportunities throughout the year. Our hope was to reach out to
these students and help close the achievement gap that is currently present.
One service we offer to our students is to stay after school for homework
club. Students have the opportunity to stay after school and work in
small groups with teachers for homework help. We have been able to
provide transportation for students who normally ride a bus after school. In addition to homework club, SMS teachers
have volunteered their time at Grace's Kitchen to provide free tutoring services
on Thursday's. While we have not had a large number of students utilize
this service, it is our goal to continue the program next school year and have
more children participate. Sailorway teachers are available at Grace's
Kitchen from 5:30-7:00 PM every Thursday through May 14.
NEW ELEMENTARY SCHOOL OPEN
HOUSE
Judging by the number of people who visited our new elementary school
during open house on April 25, and the positive comments we received, the
building will be a positive asset for our community for years to come. The majority of the comments made about the
building were about the amount of natural light coming into the facility, the
flexible learning spaces and the overall layout of the building. We worked hard with Lesko and Associates, the
architect, to design a building that was tailor-made to the blended learning
style and personalized instruction that we have been striving to achieve. The architect did a fantastic job of
listening to our ideas, and was excited to be able to create a building unlike
any they have had the opportunity to do before.
We truly believe that this building will be a model for other districts
across the State to embrace as a model for the teaching and learning
environment that is more relevant to the application of technology by teachers,
and the sharing of resources.
BAND/CHOIR TRIP TO WALT
DISNEY WORLD
Last week
members of Vermilion High School’s band and choir programs traveled to Walt
Disney World in Orlando, Florida to participate in some learning opportunities,
and perform in the park. As with all
trips, there were some trying experiences, but overall the trip was extremely
positive for our students and parents. Band
instructor Michael Komperda put in words his thoughts about the trip, and I
wanted to share an excerpt with the community.
I believe he does a great job of verbalizing what a learning opportunity
like this means to our students.
I
said before the trip started that I
hoped to be able to come home and describe the trip as ‘uneventful’, meaning
that everything would go
exactly according to plan. While that
certainly was not the case, I am extraordinarily pleased by the work that was
done and the fun that we had at Disney.
We paraded through Magic Kingdom (and saw many familiar faces!), offered
excellent Chorale & Jazz Ensemble performances
in Magic Kingdom, and worked with outstanding Disney artists for our Auxiliary,
Band and Choir members. I know that the memories from these
experiences will stay with our students for the rest of their lives. In
addition to those memories, I saw smiles throughout the trip, whether it was eexperiencing the Disney Parks, or practicing marching in a K-Mart parking lot. I would be remiss if I did not mention how
incredibly wonderful our parent chaperones have been on the trip, getting kids
from place to place and all the while watching with a parent’s eye.
Our kids have been in tremendous hands
thanks to these dedicated adults.
Staff members Rachel
Blenman, John Carmack, Lisa Fiedler, Laura Nabors, Nancy Harmon and Beth Bartlome have been flexible and willing
to provide the students with the best possible experience. I
will never forget the feeling of turning onto Main Street in the Magic Kingdom,
and the immense pride that I felt for the
unbelievable work and talent that our students
display every single day I work with them.
VHS ALTERNATIVE LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES
At Vermilion High School students have a variety of personalized
learning options that allow them the opportunity to complete courses required for
graduation as well as electives. These
programs use online instruction with support from trained staff, and tutoring
is also available, if necessary. Here
are some examples of what we offer this year:
·
Workforce Development for grades 8-12 – This program helps
prepare students for the work world.
This blended learning program supports online coursework, and includes
job exploration, resume writing, interview skills, internships, volunteer
opportunities and (in some cases) actual job placement.
·
Online home instruction – Students who choose this
option can complete required courses or additional electives outside of
school. Students have access to tutors
and are able to come in to the school when they need help completing the
coursework. This option allows all types
of learners to earn a Vermilion High School diploma and access to our
facilities for participation in athletic and extra-curricular activities,
including dances and Prom, etc.
·
Credit Recovery – for students who may have been out
of school or have had difficulty completing courses in the past, this option
allows them to catch up or get additional help in completing courses required
for graduation.
·
Hybrid Schedule – this option is for students who wish
to take a combination of traditional courses as well as online courses. Our feedback has taught us that this more
individualized, supportive environment is important for students who are not
traditional learners. These learners can
earn a high school diploma in a school environment, and participate in high
school events and activities.
For next school year, we are exploring a number of
additional options. For example, we hope
to offer Workforce Development for a full day for students in grades 8 through
10, and we hope to expand the hours so that students who are working have more
flexibility to complete their education.
In January the Board was asked if we could offer American Sign
Language. We were able to make this
program a reality with online instruction.
ASL will be supported by a licensed teacher through distance learning,
and we have over 60 students that signed up for this exciting course. The goal of all of these flexible options is
to individualize instruction to support the learning style and needs of every
student. If you would like to explore or
learn more about these options, please contact Assistant Principal Lisa Deliz,
or your child’s high school counselor.
