PTO Meeting this Week Maybe it is one of your New Year's Resolutions to check out a Flynn PTO meeting.... It is quite a bargain - An informative and efficient meeting, friendly folks (all of them), free dinner if you come a little early and free care for your munchkins. We can make this your easiest resolution!!!! Thursday at 6:30 in the Library. Kids will be in the Stage Gym. The Draft Agenda is included at the end of this post.
Principal search underway at Hunt Middle School The District will be hiring a new Principal for Hunt Middle School this Spring. This concerns Flynn parents as Flynn school students typically move on to Hunt middle school. Even if you have a K/1 child, the likelihood is that this new hire will be at Hunt for years to come. There are some upcoming meetings to discuss the process of hiring a new Principal and I would assume there will be a meet and greet session soon when they have finalized the candidates. It is never too early to be thinking about the learning environment for your child - middle school will be upon you before you know it! Hope that you can make one of the upcoming meetings
January 6 from 6-7:30 (likely in the Hunt Library) OR
January 15 from 6-7:30
Tom Sawyer kicked off last week for 4th and 5th graders with a visit from Very Merry Theatre Director, Don Wright. Permission slips were distributed on Friday and kids need to get their slips back to school by this Friday to be eligible for auditions the next week. If you child was absent or did not get a form, they can see their teacher for a form and/or there are extras in the PTO mailbox in the office. Mark your calendar for a Parent Info Meeting on Monday, January 27th at 7pm in the Library. More info to come! Questions? Email Kate Belluche at akbelluche@aol.com
Musical Petting Zoo coming to Flynn this Wednesday and Thursday All students will get a hands on introduction to band instruments this week brought to you by the Vermont Symphony Orchestra and the PTO. Thank you to the many parents that responded to help! We have filled all the slots except for Th (1/9) from 9:50-10:35 - we need one more parent to help with the 4th graders!!! Can you help?
Partnership for Change reports out about changes being piloted at BHS thought you might be interested...
Piloting Virtual Environments and the Flipped Classroom
The traditional foreign language classroom made up of repetitive textbook exercises and oral recitation has evolved in many schools across our country. Madame Drpich is one of the most innovative foreign language teachers using technology in Vermont. She is one of a handful of teachers from the United States involved in VIA: Virtual Intercultural Avenues, a collaborative portal for virtual communication between five schools in the United States, Belgium and France. This is a virtual portal developed by an educator at Essex High School where students and teachers within the participating schools can collaborate on lesson planning, curriculum development, classroom discussions and projects via videoconferencing, email, social media, film and other online communication.
Madame Drpich started piloting elements of a flipped classroom three years ago. The flipped classroom is a model where traditional lectures and direct teaching occur online for homework through video or other interactive media, leaving more time for rich discussions and hands on activities during classroom time. Students in Madame Drpich’s French classes access assignments, lectures, videos, discussion forums and portals through a moodle on Global Classroom offered through the Burlington School District.
Flipping the classroom allows for students to develop responsibility and accountability. It supports students by allowing them to control how much time they need for learning, review and repetition of key concepts. It also helps students stay organized. The flipped classroom requires careful planning and foresight on the teacher’s part, but allows the teacher to use classroom time more effectively and better asses student understanding and comprehension of material. This pedagogical model allows teachers to have stronger relationships with students through specific feedback and discussion online and in the classroom. It also helps support personalized and proficiency based learning and other skills graduates will need for 21st Century higher education or the work place.
Recent research studies link virtual environments and the flipped classroom to improved memory, creative thinking, SAT scores and allowing students to be more globally competitive. Virtual learning in Vermont has increased by 450% in the past two years alone. It’s anticipated that by 2019, 50% of all high school courses will be offered online. As technology continues to improve and access becomes more equitable, it allows schools to be more flexible and creative with classroom environments and student learning.
I asked a few students in Madame Drpich’s French 4 course about their experience with technology. Sophomore Sally Matson stated, “As a student in Ms. Drpich’s class, I really enjoy the element of interacting with students in other countries through technology. I like that it not only adds an interesting element to our curriculum, but also takes advantage of the resources that we have been given.” Senior Jack O’Sullivan said, “The technology in the classroom has been successful thus far. Global Classroom is great because we can communicate with other people in the class when we do outside work in the forums. We also use VHL, which is the online site for our textbook. That has been working well because it is not only very organized, but it helps us with review for our material.”
For more information on the flipped classroom and virtual portals for learning, I recommend the following resources:
7 Things You Should Know About the Flipped Classroom
Vermont Education Exchange: Collaborative Portal for Vermont Educators
ePals: Where Learners Connect
Vita Learn
Denver Museum of Nature and Science: Distance Learning
Virtual Intercultural Avenues (VIA)
Vista Higher Learning: Live Language
January 6 - Hunt Principal Search Meeting
January 8/9 - Musical Petting Zoo at Flynn
January 9 - Flynn PTO Meeting - 6:30pm
January 10 - Permission slips due for Tom Sawyer Grades 4/5
January 15- chess club starts!!!! 7:30am in the library- all ages and abilities welcome
January 17 - Flynn Family Night - Open Gym with family games - 7pm
January 20 - No School - MLK Day
March 7 – Free Family Skate Night at Leddy Arena and Pizza Dinner Out (fee) to benefit Tom Sawyer production- 6-8pm
March 16-21 - Tom Sawyer
March 25 Book Fair dinner and shopping
April 4-Drive In Movie Night with building of cars in the afternoon.
April 10-Flynn Math Night
January 2014 PTO Meeting Draft Agenda
BOARD REPORTS
Principal’s Corner- Graham Clark (10 minutes) *Budget Discussion
Treasurer – Betsy Ward (5 minutes)
COMMITTEE REPORTS
Fundraising- Tammy Kuypers (10 minutes)
Landscape/Garden- Sarah DeShaw (5 minutes)
Enrichment - Kate B. stand in (5 minutes)
- Play update
Flynn School/Family Partnership - Shanta Eastman
- Flynn Family Nights
Room Parents- Lisa Tulkop
Teacher Suggestion box – Christine Leithead
OPEN FORUM
January 20 - No School - MLK Day
January 24 -Family Traditions Dinner - 5:30pm
January 27 - Tom Sawyer Parent Meeting - 7pm
February 14 -Talent Show January 27 - Tom Sawyer Parent Meeting - 7pm
March 7 – Free Family Skate Night at Leddy Arena and Pizza Dinner Out (fee) to benefit Tom Sawyer production- 6-8pm
March 16-21 - Tom Sawyer
March 25 Book Fair dinner and shopping
April 4-Drive In Movie Night with building of cars in the afternoon.
April 10-Flynn Math Night
January 2014 PTO Meeting Draft Agenda
BOARD REPORTS
Principal’s Corner- Graham Clark (10 minutes) *Budget Discussion
Treasurer – Betsy Ward (5 minutes)
COMMITTEE REPORTS
Fundraising- Tammy Kuypers (10 minutes)
Landscape/Garden- Sarah DeShaw (5 minutes)
Enrichment - Kate B. stand in (5 minutes)
- Play update
Flynn School/Family Partnership - Shanta Eastman
- Flynn Family Nights
Room Parents- Lisa Tulkop
Teacher Suggestion box – Christine Leithead
OPEN FORUM
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