S.T.E.M. Career Night Comes to Tahanto

On Thursday, October 8th, more than 31 presenters from the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics shared their knowledge and expertise with students in grades 5-12 at the first annual S.T.E.M event.  The turnout of students and their families was exceptional, and many of them gave high praise for the opportunity to begin thinking about college and career choices.  

During the evening, participants visited tables of engineers, doctors, teachers, nurses, biologists, researchers, physicists, chemists, scientists, gaming instructors, 3-D printmakers, and even a drone builder.  They asked questions and engaged in related activities.

Many thanks to all of the presenters who volunteered their time and expertise.  The S.T.E.M. Advisory Board would like to bring back the event next year.  I you are interested in participating, please email: ccostello@bbrsd.org.

Professional Development Afternoon Offered the Gift of Time to Teaching Staff

On Friday afternoon, September 4th, teaching staff members in all three Berlin-Boylston schools were busy with a variety of different studies.  At the Middle/High School, teachers focused on NEASC (New England Association of Schools and Colleges) documentation work for the upcoming school review in fall 2016.  Paraprofessionals learned to access Atlas-Rubicon for curriculum information from courses taught in the middle/high school.

At the elementary schools, the focus was on the Professional Learning Community model followed by time to review the new science curriculum and upload students into the Reading Wonders system.  Many of the paraprofessionals and support staff took advantage of time to learn more about Google from our technology integration specialist.

This time for collaboration is vital to the work being done by the teaching staff and administrators.  Our next Professional Development Day is scheduled for Friday, October 2nd and is a full day.

Read Any Good Books On Education Lately?

Greetings!

If you haven't had a chance to check out these books yet, I'd encourage you to consider reading:

1. Thanks for the Feedback, by Doug Stone and Sheila Heen - Understand the value of giving and receiving feedback from others, including employers and loved ones.


2. Creative Schools: The Grassroots Revolution That’s Transforming Education, by Ken Robinson, Ph.d - Sir Ken is at it again, in the revolutionary book that challenges us to think about how we are educating our children and what we can (and should) be doing better.  A real 'thinker'.

3. The Smartest Kids in the World, and how they got that way, by Amanda Ripley - Who are the "smartest" kids in the world and how did they get that way?  What are countries around the world doing to make education their top priority and why are they doing so? Makes for a great book discussion.

 

Second Reading Wonders Leadership Retreat Brings Berlin-Boylston Elementary Teachers to Holy across

Teacher representatives from grades K-5, Special Education, and literacy attended the second of a two-part retreat sponsored by McGraw-Hill on Thursday, May14th to take a deeper dive into writing and assessment.  During the writing session, the teachers explored techniques, technologies, and time-savers all designed to create close reading opportunities that prepare learners to write about their reading. 

The teachers also looked at the thinking required by sample standards-based questions, the skills students need to thrive on standardized assessments such as PARCC, and the instruction needed to be provided to

students in order to support their reading and writing growth.  

The two teams will take back their learning from the day to colleagues in their respective buildings.

Project-Based Learning Takes seventh Graders to New Territories

Students from Noelle Perry's seventh grade science class presented to the STEM Advisory Board on Tuesday night.  Abigail West and Cara Lyons spoke about paired learning experiences, working through the engineering design process, and the final STEAM Fair that seventh graders held at Tahanto.  Not only was it a great opportunity to show off these amazing products, but to build community among students in the middle/high school as upper classmen came to support the middle schoolers.

STEM Leadership Team at WPI

The STEM Leadership Team is back at WPI today,, finalizing our plan for STEM implementation in the Berljn-Boylston Public Schools.  The team will make its final presentation to the full leadership group at the end of May and will be sharing the plan at our next STEM Advisory Board meeting on Tueaday, April 28th at 7:00 pm in the Tahanto Regional Middle/High School multipurpose room.  The plan will guide our goals and outcomes for the next several years, and provide progressive action steps for our staff and community volunteers.

One of our greatest takeaways of the day:  STEM is a state-of-mind.  It is about the continuous searching for new ideas, solving problems, adjusting perspectives, and sometimes even failing, only to try again.

(In the photo, Ben Milliner, assistant primcipal at Tahanto, meets the team engineering challenge and presents to the group).