Centers in the Elementary Classroom

During our back to school in-service, we did a concentration on incorporating more centers/stations in the elementary classroom.  It is so important to have opportunities for students to practice what they are learning.  It is also vital to incorporate opportunities that meet different learning styles: kinesthetic, auditory, visual, hands-on, etc.  Centers really open the doors for so many possibilities.

In an on-going effort to keep this in front of our teachers, each month during our elementary department meeting we will be featuring different center ideas and actually providing materials for teachers to make new centers.  I will have folders, laminating pouches, markers, cardstock, printouts and more!

We know that teachers' time is valuable and we want to honor their time as much as possible.  If we want to see more of something in the classroom, we have to be purposeful about carving out time for it AND help supply their needs.  Accountability also supports the integration of concepts and practices in the classroom.

I am excited to see how our teachers continue to include these in their classroom!

Here are a few blogs and sites I have found that are extremely helpful!

http://www.freehomeschooldeals.com/free-file-folder-games-for-homeschool/

Learners of All Kinds

I saw this quote a few weeks ago and I knew I had to use it.  

We are blessed with students learning at a variety of levels and speeds at our school.

We have approximately 50 % of our students who scored in the 90% or better in at least one academic subject area on our recent spring testing, the Terra Nova 3.  WOW!!!

We also have about 15-20% of students who tested below the 30% in one sub-category.

We also have students who have a variety of academic challenges that need a little extra help or accommodations in the classroom to help them learn and progress on or near grade level.

 Ultimately, we want to "partner with Christian parents to provide a Biblically integrated education which equips students to embrace Biblical truth, to strive for academic excellence and to exemplify Christ-like servanthood in homes, churches and communities."  This is our mission statement and we truly want to live it out each day in our school.  This means we are not a prep school only for academic elite.  We want to help Christian families who desire Christian education for their children obtain that!  It is our intent and prayer to work together with our families to help students in need keep learning - even if it is at a slower and/or faster pace!

First Full Week Down

Just like that......we are finished with our first full week of school!

We kicked off last week and school is in full swing.  I have absolutely LOVED walking the halls and seeing our students learning.  Our classes are exploring, investigating, creating and mastering concepts.  I have witnessed students doing STEM projects, rotating through centers, writing sentences, reading independently, learning sign language, worshiping in chapel, laughing in the cafeteria, running laps in the gym, and so much more.  

It is such a blessing to be able to have a small part in the lives of so many wonderful students!  I consider it a huge honor to work alongside amazing staff and faculty who give 100% every day.  God has been so faithful to our school and we are excited to see what he has in store for 2015-16!

Here are some pictures from our first week back:

Senior Walk 2015-16

We have a tradition at our school. 

On the first day of school each year, our Seniors take a walk around the building. All of the homeroom classes come out into the hallway and cheer as the students walk the halls. 

It is truly one of my favorite things we do!

Today, on our first day of the 2015-16 school year, we started with their walk. I love this group of kids and I am so excited to see them grow in this final year of high school!

The Night Before the BIG Day!

We are excited for our FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL!!

As a Principal, I am ready!

As a mama, I am a little teary. These school years seem to move at warp speed. I need it to slow down a bit!

I went to school tonight to write some encouraging words on the sidewalks to greet our students in the morning. 

Here's to hoping it doesn't rain!

I pray this will be a banner year for our students and our families. For the mamas out there, we promise to treat your children as our own and love them!

PD/In-Service Day One

What a blessing to kick off the 21st year of The Frankfort Christian Academy with some amazing, Godly men and women!

We began with some introductions of returning and new staff.  We each had to share what type of fruit we would be and why.  This stems from our theme for the new year based on Galatians 5:22-23, The Fruit of the Spirit.

I was blessed to deliver an address to kick off the school year and share some ideas and thoughts I believe God has been placing on my heart in preparation for a new year.  We discussed Spiritual Awakening, being humble and letting our lives shine and reflect God's glory to our students.  We talked about how we can go from being a really good school to a great school!  It is an exciting time to be a royal!

Then our faculty and staff were divided into teams for a little competition Ms. Ammon had organized.  It was a photo scavenger hunt around town!  The teams were very competitive and the first two teams back had a photo finish!

We had lunch catered for us by our friends at Chick-Fil-A in Georgetown.  What a blessing to our staff and faculty!


We then went over policies, procedures, using our employee website and more to round out a great first day!

Professional Development Sessions

We have kicked off the new school year with several great sessions!

Mrs. Woodruff led two different Classroom Management sessions for teachers about setting up their classrooms, teaching procedures, managing group work and classroom behavior expectations.

Mrs. Elly Gilbert, our high school English teacher, led a Writing Session for all of our MS/HS teachers.

Mrs. Margaret Bevins, one of our 3rd grade teachers, led a writing session for our elementary teachers.  They focused on imbedding grammar and mechanics lessons in the writing lessons and other great writing tips and skills.

Mrs. Noble, one of our kindergarten teachers, led a session for elementary teachers on designing rubrics and they made several they will use over and over again.

I led a session on utilizing more centers in the elementary classroom.  I had many examples set up for teachers to see.  We also spent about 2.5 hours making different components of centers.  We had craft sticks for Kaboom center, Reading/Math Power towers, Jenga for math and reading centers,  laminating and more.  It was a practical, hands-on application format.

It is exciting to hear the plans being made for this year and see the excitement teachers have for their preparation!

It is almost here......

I cannot believe I am still at work because 

TEACHERS start tomorrow!

All day today we have been doing training with New Staff. 

We are finishing putting our building together and organizing temporary, additional classrooms. 

I am finishing prep work for our In-Service tomorrow and plan to walk the halls praying for my faculty and staff before they arrive tomorrow.  

My desk/office certainly is evidence of this work:

See all that paperwork :)

Here are all sorts of goodies I am assembling for a PD session on centers later this week:

Here is my lone car in the parking lot!  I have to get everything finished, or I will never sleep tonight!

I am anxious for my staff to return and get excited for this new, amazing school year!

I cannot wait to share all the great things we have in store and that God has been doing in preparation for this year!