Geo Art: Please Try At Home!

By: Jill W.

This month, my awesome Geometric Art class started in After School. The kids LOVED our first activity, and asked me to share it with you! Follow these instructions:

1. You could have students draw a set of triangles, circles and squares, but I found it easier to have cardboard templates to trace. This keeps students from trying to draw the perfect shapes themselves, which can sometimes slow things down. Ask them to trace several shapes on their paper, some preferably overlapping. Important note: they need to leave some white space, they should not fill in the entire paper.
2. After the pencil shapes are drawn, they are to be colored in with a NON-permanent, waterbase marker. This is the time to use those cheap, fat store markers as you actually will be wanting the colors to bleed.
3. Pass out small cups of water and show the students how to drop several puddles on their artwork with a brush or dropper. If they pick up the paper and roll the water around a bit, it should start to make lots of colored streaks and blobs. Repeat this until almost all of the artwork is filled with wiggly colored lines. Let dry overnight.
4. Now comes the fun part, taking a thin black Sharpie and tracing all the organic shapes that were made from the running water. The students need to work slowly to trace all the wonderful edges they see, both inside and outside the colored shapes. The more time they put into the tracing, and the more detail they see, the better their artwork will look.

My kids got very creative with Sharpie colors, and their art work turned out great. Check out the pictures below!

by Diogene

by Joeli

Culture CaraVan

By: Francesca

My classroom teacher giddily told me about the upcoming Culture CaraVan in-house field trip during the first few weeks of school. Based on how excited she was, I figured it was going to be pretty awesome, and my assumption was right. Culture CaraVan is a portable field trip that comes to you in, not-so-surprisingly, a van, but this is not just a bucket of arrow heads and a headdress. Brown University sent actual New England Native American artifacts, including: an actual deer leg, to show how the sinew was used as twine, the fur of entire rabbits, coyotes, and foxes, tools, ears of corn, bowls, jewelry, and definitely so much more, all presented by an historian from Brown University. The students, which included all 52 fourth graders at the International Charter School, were able to make wampum necklaces, grind corn into corn meal, participate in a drum circle while wearing actual native american garments and learn a typical "social dance." The students were also given a 2 hour presentation on New England Native Americans where they were asked questions and consistently interacting with the historian.

The whole experience was impressive; it was incredible for me to be a part of something that these students would probably remember forever, when so many things from our childhoods are easily forgotten.

ELA Learning Stations

By: Erica

This year I have been working with a first-time teacher who has been very adept at adapting her classroom set-up to work with her students. We are working in an English Language Arts class. At the beginning of the year, our students did not seem engaged during class. Their minds would wander (as middle school minds are wont to do) and become unfocused. She then began mixing up the class set-up and the response was fantastic.

One way that the class has changed is the use of learning stations. Four or five stations are set up throughout the class, which is broken up into smaller groups. One station may focus on reading a story as a group while another listens to a reading of the story. Another station answers response questions, and another station completes a writing activity. The students rotate through the stations over the course of one or more classroom sessions.

The class has responded really well to the small group setting, and appear to benefit from having different activities as opposed to one classroom activity. The response has been good enough that the teacher has made learning stations a regular thing. If I ever experience the same when teaching a classroom, I would strongly consider dividing the class up into learning stations to see if the class dynamic changed for the better.

December!

By: Kimberly

It the most wounderful time of the year! This month has been amazing I have been teaching my after school how to dance Salsa, create amazing stories, and learn about the Forest. There faces are priceless and they are so much fun to work with!

We Are Family!

By: Nellie

This past month has furthered my thinking of Highlander being such a close knit family, especially the middle school. The middle school teachers decided that it would be nice to have a potluck on the day before we left for Thanksgiving vacation. We had music, great food, and enjoyed each other's company. The students were engaged and everyone had a blast! We started everything off with a few toasts from the students that were very heartfelt. Some students mentioned each teacher and what they were thankful for. A student mentioned me in her toast saying that I am always there to help during the day and in after school. She went on to say how nice and caring I am, and that I will do anything that it takes to help the students. I felt much appreciated and it showed me that my service to Highlander has really made an impact and matters to the students.

Create-A-Creature: Part 1

By: Deyan

Initially, the goal of Highlander's Create-A-Creature activity was to create a field guide of believable fantasy creatures. However, the 5th-8th graders enrolled in the activity had something a little more exciting in mind when they walked in the door: clay dioramas! Here at Highlander, we take student choice very seriously, so without hesitation, Mr. D reworked the program to include lots of clay. After all, what better way is there to learn about habitats and morphology than to build them in 3D?

After a few weeks of brainstorming critter ideas and building their background knowledge with fun games like these, the Creature Creation Crew is finally ready to get their hands on some clay and add an extra dimension to their ideas! Check out a couple of their awesome ideas:

 

Stay tuned for Part 2 of the Creature Creation Saga, where you can see these ideas and more in full 3D glory!

Stories From 2nd Quarter

By: Yairy

In the month of October there was a time when the class was doing group work. I noticed a student who isolated herself from her group. I went up to her and I asked her why she was not working with her group. She just did not feel like working in a group. I had informed her about the benefits of working in a team. Then she moved over to her group. She also voluntarily took on the role of a scribe for her group.

In science class I helped students make detailed observations. Students had to use thier senses to describe the substances. They were instructed to mix substances and record thier observations for each mixture. There was another day students were given the opportunity to make corections to their lab assignment. One student reached out for help, which I was glad to help, on his work. We looked over the teacher's corrections together and determined what needed improvement. His grade was a 15/20. Most of the work he needed to do was in grammar and writing complete sentences. He was instructed to add his ideas and elaborate on his ideas and corrrections were made as well. His teacher looked over his corrections and she scored him a 18 out of 20. As a result of his hard work and my help, his score improved.

1st Annual 6th Grade Pizza Social!

By: Brandford

Days before Halloween rolled around on the calendar, I overheard 5 sixth graders discussing plans for a six grade party. To my surprise the students was planning a party that they didn't have permission for. So, I decided to talk with the Administration and see if their plans would be able to come true. Unfortunately, a party wasn't something that faculty deemed as appropriate for six graders. So we came to agreement to have a pizza social. Relaying this information to the 5 six graders made them quite excited and pleased. The following day at recess, the five students sat on a bench and planned the entire event. There plans included food, games, and entertainment that they felt would be appropriate for everyone. They provided me the information and I forwarded it to administration, who approved of everything. The following week, students made a flyer for the entire sixth grade, and once all the students received the notice, they were ecstatic for the pizza social. Hurricane Sandy postponed the initial pizza social, but the six graders were determined and decided to have it two days before Thanksgiving. During the event students played Dance Party 4 on the WII. They played need for speed, a car racing game on Playstation 3, chess, and speed stacking. Students won raffle prizes, and they all enjoyed the pizza. Before the raffle was conducted everyone spoke upon what they were thankful for. That was really a touching moment for me to hear how appreciated these students are of their life, family and school.

Segue Super 6

By: Angelica

Last week at Segue was the first Family/Teacher Conferences (FTC) of the 2012-2013 school year. This was three days of families coming into the school and discussing student success, progress, and concerns with the amazing staff at Segue. In preparation for the week, I had the privilege of creating a website and slideshow of all the awesome happenings in the sixth grade, better known as Super 6. Since the beginning of the school year, the sixth grade staff has been capturing great moments of students collaborating with each other and participating in exciting learning opportunities. Throughout the conferences, families were encouraged to come down to the sixth grade floor and check out the work their Segue scholars have been doing! It was quite the experience witnessing the smiles and laughs of parents and siblings as they watched the slideshow play. It is one thing to hear of great things happening with students, but to be able to see it is even better!

Media and You

By: Nellie

A highlight for me this month was being able to continue to establish more of a teacher role in the classroom. My teacher asked me if I would like to run a center or conduct a lesson for the 7th grade class. I was very excited and thought I would challenge myself and try to put together a lesson for the class. In language arts we have been learning how to make inferences so I needed to make sure that was included. We have been practicing looking at different magazines, and pieces of writing and making inferences. My lesson was about how the media affects teenagers. I put together a powerpoint that gave them background information on what the media is and how we interact with it. We also looked at different logos and what comes to their mind. One of the favorites from my lesson was showing a video about Barbie and how unrealistic her features are and how that impacts young teenage girls. We finished out the lesson with a game of Jeopardy that I made which discussed facts I went over in my powerpoint and some trivia about the media and teenagers that was very shocking!

Student Improvements

By: Kimberly

This month I have seen the students grow. They have all worked so hard to reach their potential. One student in particular during my after school program created a sentence with magnetic letters. Rah! Rah!

GeoParty!

By: Deyan

After a session of learning how the Earth works in GeoParty, a group of Highlander 2nd-4th graders ended their after school session with an epic game of Jeopardy. The week before the big game, the group got together to create a giant concept web of what they had learned about geology. Mr. D then used the group's input to create the Jeopardy questions they would be answering the next week. Check out some of the highlights of their fabulous concept web in this abridged version:

Their review session set the stage for an awesome battle of the brains the following week. Emily, Quinn, and Roseleny faced off against Marrell, Abdul, and Julius in a contest to prove that they know how fossils are created, what quartz is made of, and what Roman city was buried in volcanic ash almost 2,000 years ago. Both teams played well, with spot-on answers and fantastic teamwork, but in the end, Marrell, Abdul, and Julius emerged victorious! In honor of their fossil studies, everyone who played got to choose a prehistoric sea creature toy as a prize.

Nothing wrong with a butterfly in fall!

A Friday in the after school program at ICS means one thing...CRAFT TIME! All of our students look forward to Fridays and the projects that come with them. Then what could be better than a Friday afternoon during one of the best times of the year, fall? Fridays are full of fun crafts to do, and fall is: scented with rich spices, the sound of crunching leaves as you step, and with the vivivid colors all around. This particular Friday we (teachers and students) took time to actually notice and appreciate the wonderful happenings of nature while being creative and expressing ourselves. We made leaf animals! It was a simple project that everyone enjoyed doing and that allowed us to combined natural and man made resources in an artistic piece. The leaves ranged in size from small to large, they were of different shapes, and in a magnificent color spectrum: yellow, green, orange, red, brown, mixed colors, etc.

The project was open for students to do any animal they chose and for them to use the leaves and other supplies however they wished to do so. For those who needed a little extra help getting started, there were printouts of leaf animals for them to use. As you could imagine the array of of work created was very vast...even if there was the same animal no two projects were alike. Here you could truly say that these pieces were as unique as fingerprints! Not only that, but the different kinds of animals we had were incredible; we had mammals, insects, birds, and we even had fictitious ones. Hey, who said that butterflies aren't around during the fall? Here at ICS we had plenty to share.


- Dianny

School Meetings talk about Mission Statement

Every Friday the entire school meets in the community room for a quick presentation by one of the classes. This past Friday the fifth grade Spanish/English class reminded their younger peers of the school's mission statement: Respect, Responsibility and Dedication. It is common practice for each individual class to go over how they can follow to mission statement within the context of the school. Not too long ago, my second grade class listed behaviors that followed this mission as a quick reminder. When the class is getting out of hand, it's never a bad idea to have a group activity that reinforces correct behaviors.

The fifth grade presentation showed that this mission can and should go beyond the context of school. Community is a large part of the International Charter School mentality and it was a joy to see this reflected by the fifth graders, who did so without prompting. They advised their peers on how to follow this mission at home and in their neighborhoods, giving wonderful advice such as being helpful at home and not bothering the neighbors.

At the end of every presentation, in the spirit of community, the school song is sung, led by the presenters jamming on instruments. The song itself is about being dedicated in school. What a fun and educational presentation!

I don't have the exact lyrics of the school song yet so come back soon!!

-Itza

Reassurance

When you are working in the classroom, it is really hard to know if you are doing a good job. Do higher or lower test scores reflect how well or poorly I am teaching, or are they more indicative of the student's sugar intake that week, or how things are going at home? When the kids have a rowdy day and I have to raise my voice to be heard over them, do they understand I am only trying to be heard, or do they think I am shouting at them? And, most importantly, do they understand that when I redirect their behavior, it is only the behavior that is bad, and not them? 
Obviously, much of the success or failure of our work is a balancing act, and it is really hard to know just when the balance is quite right. 
My reading groups, for example, seem to be walking the line between fun and work pretty well. My math group may be a little on the chatty side, but they also continue to successfully get through work and participate well. But how do I know I am really doing a good job?
This month, I was having a funky day, where everything seemed to be slipping my mind. At one point, I just started laughing and told my teacher that is wasn't my day today. As I shook my head at my own confusion, one of the kids reached out and grabbed my wrist. He looked up and said, "Miss Jill, you are doing a great job today."
Feedback from our director and supervisors, our teachers, and our teammates are good, but feedback from the kids is the best kind. 
So, thanks kids.

- Jill

Excitement at the Landfill

"Who would have known that the landfill would have been this fun," one of the six grade students stated as we headed back to Highlander Charter School. The six grade class went on a science field trip to the Central Landfill in Johnston, RI. In science class the students are learning about the Eco System, Waste Management, and Environmental Degradation.

Students had the pleasure of viewing the assembly line for sorting and packing recyclables. While on the tour of recycling center students was astonished to learn that the United States number one export to China is paper and scrap metal. Students then was able to observe where materials such as tires, refrigerators, microwaves, scrap metal, oils, antifreeze, and other hazardous waste are contained.

Three hundred and sixty feet high the landfill stood. Headed to the top of the landfill students were excited to see that cows roaming around, they saw methane from the waste water being burned off from the pipes, as well as getting a first view of the layering it takes to contain the waste of the landfill. At the very top of the landfill was one of the most precious sights of Providence. We saw the city of Providence, the Newport Bridge Southern Massachusetts and Northern Connecticut; the sight was truly breath taking.

"What a way to end the field trip" one of the six grade students stated as the tour bus turned around and we headed down the landfill and to the recycling center.mone of the most important things we all learned at this field trip is that the life expectancy of the landfill is between 20-25 years. It may seem like a long time but it isn't so we need to continue to recycle to sustain a longer expectancy time.

RECYCLE..... REUSE..... RENEW..... REDUCE....
.

- Brandford

You're A Grand Old Flag

This week at ICS we decided to devote our craft time to celebrate the flag of the United States! Tuesday was Election Day, and so it was a fitting task for a very patriotic week. (Perhaps some of us might view this activity as a celebration of the end of bombarding political ads for the next four years or so… good riddance!). Regardless, the kids were proud to make their stars and stripes, and to think about what it all means.

A kindergartner begins by drawing his stars and stripes.

Ms. Lu, the K-3 Portuguese after school teacher taught the students that once a flag is created, it should never touch the ground as a sign of respect to one’s country. We looked at the classroom flag, and it made me think of how little attention I pay to the U.S. flags around me every day. And truly, they are everywhere, especially in a school! It definitely made me mindful of our freedom, and how lucky we are to live in a place grounded upon liberty and equal rights. I believe that’s something we don’t think about too often.

A 3^rd grader embellishes her flag with colorful sequins.

Before making the flags the students had a short discussion about their nationalities, and to my surprise, these very young kids knew exactly where their families were from. It’s nice to see that they have a strong sense of identity like that, and that at ICS their diversity and culture is so widely celebrated. If anything exemplifies the freedom given to people in the U.S. for community development and the blending of cultures, it is a certainly a school like International.

 

Voilà! Get ready for a lot of flag waving, people.

--Leah

Raising the Bar

The students at Segue Institute for Learning are your typical adolescents in grades six through eight. They are full of potential and incredible energy, along with drama and angst at times. They often rapidly cycle through a whirlwind of emotions ranging from enthusiasm, silliness, love and hate for their friends and other classmates and teachers, frustration, and triumph. Anyone who has ever worked in a middle school setting knows well the rewards and challenges of teaching this particular age group.

As someone who has experienced these challenges in other schools and environments, I look around Segue and am impressed to see that teachers who are wholly dedicated to moving students forward and upward in spite of the scholars' occasional best efforts to resist change. One of the keys to the faculty's success is the fact that they consistently hold the students to the very highest of standards regarding their behavior and academic achievement. A failing grade is always a chance to "do over." Many opportunities for additional academic support exist. All of the teachers and staff work tirelessly and collaboratively to apply consistent expectations, using both encouragement and praise, and clear-cut consequences that ensure every student is held accountable for each decision they make.

I consider it a blessing and an honor to be a part of this community. Segue is a place where all students are accepted, respected for their individuality, and encouraged to do their very best. Each day begins anew, another blank page flipped over, as Mr. Garcia reminds students in the end-of-the-day announcements to "go home and come back better tomorrow!"

By: Jill Marie

Use the Force :o)

Use the Force is a new addition to After School at Highlander Charter School. This class brings together about 12 Star Wars fans in 2nd-4th grade to participate in creative, themed activities while learning about how to fight the dark side. 

Our class began in September with a ceremony where all of the students took the Padawan Oath to fight the dark side and be kind. Upon completion of their oath, they tied their Padawan belts. We spent the next few classes talking about how to identify the Dark Side (bullying, unkind words, disrespect, etc.) and what we can do to help. We also spread kindness and love by writing thank you notes to teachers and parents, and taping posters with positive messages in the upstairs hallway.
This month, we have made light sabers, painted pictures, learned how to draw Yoda, and built star ships with Legos. We have also created Star Wars identities, complete with unique names, pets, and planets.

Next week, look forward to droids using recycled materials. Pictures to follow.

By: Jill W.

First Quarter After-School Programs at Segue

This quarter at Segue Institute for Learning, I have been helping out in Dance Class on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Students have been rehearsing their Bollywood and Jazz pieces. They have been learning a variety of dance moves. All of the students have been excited about performing their dances. The group has also been very enthusiastic about dancing. Overall, students have fun. They have worked very hard, learning their pieces in less than two weeks.

On Mondays and Wednesdays, I have been helping out in Homework Club. Students have been eager to do all of thier homework before leaving school for the day. At times students do not have homework and they end up doing some independent reading. Overall, I am having a great time assisting students in both programs.

By: Yairy

Beats and Rhymes and Games Galore

The first session of after-school at Highlander Charter School has been really great so far. The students really enjoy the different program options, as well as being able to learn from new staff members. The middle school students, especially, are having fun in new classes and teaching other kids what they have learned. In my Beats and Rhymes class I taught the students how to beat-box and I've watched them teach younger students or their peers.


Wednesday afternoons are always game days, in my program, Games Galore. This class gives the students a chance to just simply relax and play games with their friends. We have a relaxed feel with background music and friendly competition. Some favorite games of the class included; SWAP, UNO, Pictureka, and a new and exciting game called Would You Rather?

By: Nellie

Character Creation

By: Deyan

Every Thursday at Highlander, a group of 2nd-4th grade students has been gathering together for Mr. D's Character Creation Workshop, where they are challenged to flesh out their very own characters through art and writing. Over the course of a 9 week after-school session, the students have determined what their characters look like, what they do for fun, who their friends and family are, and much, much more! Check out some of their fabulous ideas by clicking the images below:

Ali's spy, Tom, has some interesting hobbies:

Aliyah's mermaid, Ruziah, has the magical power to make people happy: Antone's character, Tone, has a blast at school but takes his job very seriously: Diogene's character, DJ, runs a hot-dog stand while his dog, PJ, stirs up trouble: Quinn's talking dog, Makey, loves spending time with his owner: Runaisha's ghost, Wolfahme, may be 100 years old, but she's a typical teenager at heart: And finally, Teddy's ninja, Flyer, fights villains in Zombie Town:

ICS's Tree of Thanks

Every Friday at International Charter School, the students in the after-school program are entitled to a "free" day. There is no required time for math or literacy homework; the students are given the opportunity to engage in fun activities that range from team-building exercises to creating dream-catchers.

One Friday in October, in preparation for Thanksgiving, the children created a "Tree of Thanks." In a large group, the after school teachers and children sat together and decorated Fall-themed decorations such as pumpkins and fall-colored leaves, on which we wrote our thankful sentiments. These sentiments were diverse, however they all began with the same words, "I am thankful for..." While there were a few sentiments dedicated to how thankful children were for eating candy and playing video games, most students seemed to write about what they thought was more important. One student, who has an Individualized Educational Program, wrote how thankful he was for his good education and helpful teachers. Another, who lost his parents, wrote about how thankful he was to be alive. As I stepped back and read all of these thankful sentiments from the students at ICS, I realized that being a child isn't so carefree all the time. We can learn more from these children than expected, and I intend to learn as much as I can while I am lucky enough to work with them as a CharterCorps member. 

By: Francesca 

KB is FUN!

It has been two months that I've been working with kindergarten. I love working with the kids, is SO much fun. I love helping the students and seeing their smiles when they learn something new. The connections I have developed with the students, the teacher, and the TA are amazing. Since the first day of school I felt welcomed and included. Everyday I learn something new about the students. !!! KB IS FUNNNNNNN!!! 
 

By: Naomi

From Puerto Rico to Segue

I've had the pleasure of working with a wonderful young woman in my seventh grade class this year. She's new to the country from Puerto Rico, and has had a rather difficult time adjusting to a new country, new school, and new language all at once. I'm fluent in Spanish and have consequently been assisting her throughout her classes this year. I have seen a steady increase in her comprehension skills throughout the past couple of months. For myself, it has sparked a great interest in working with students who English language learners. As an ELL student, you essentially have to do twice the work: you are expected to learn a foreign language all while completing the regular classwork. I hope to learn more about teaching students coming from different language backgrounds, especially since it will allow me to better serve my students - a great number of the student body at Segue come from Spanish language backgrounds.

Highlander Mountain Day Trip!!!

I had the pleasure of joining Highlanders 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students on their Traditional Mountain Day Trip. On the Friday morning of the trip I arrived to highlander around 7am on my bicycle and as I passed the cafeteria window I could see the students playing around through the window with excitement for the trip. As I walked into the cafeteria some students ran up to me and we began conversing about the trip and their expectations for the day. Some of the 6th grade students told me that they wanted me to be the group leader for a specific group that was going up the mountain.  Arriving to Wanchusett Mountain and preparing to hike up the mountain was quite interesting, seeing all these students hiking together as a team and working to support each other to ensure the safety and success of the trip was amazing. Some of the highlights of the trip was when the group of kids that I was with made a song and we chanted it as we reached the top of the mountain to indicate that the best group had arrived. During lunch some of the kids was excited to see live fish in the pond and for some who observed the horizon of Worcester found it breathtaking. 

One of my 6th grade students had hurt his knee so I had the opportunity to use my first aid training to bandage his knee and while hiking down the mountain another one of my 6th grade students slipped and slightly bruised his leg in which I bandaged him up as well. What was really touching was observing how his classmates came to his aid and guided him down the mountain the remaining way. As we got closer to the beginning of the mountain we chanted the song again letting everyone know that the best group had arrived. It was an exceptional experience to see kids in an environment that they are not custom too and be able to adapt not only to the environment but surpass,the challenges they endured during the way; fighting through fatigue, the weather, and swarming bees. I was happy to see the students band together as a unit and support each other going up and coming down the mountain.

Let's Salsa

International charter school has a community garden in which all the grades plant different items that they later enjoy. My second graders got to salsa.

In front of the cafeteria was Mrs. Kate, a food processor and fresh ingredients ready to make magic. These ingredients were passed around so that the students could become familiar with them. As Mrs. Kate began the recipe all the students had a copy and were able to follow each step. Students were excited to volunteer as helpers and to remind her of any forgot ingredients.

With all the ingredients chopped and mixed, all the students got to spend a few moments enjoying what they had helped create. It was a great way to show the students the rewards of a little hard work and care. From their garden came the tomatillos, the serrano chile and the cilantro. Since the second graders themselves did not plant all these items, they were able to see the rewards of both individual and community effort in the form of a tasty treat. A tasty treat I share with the rest of you:

Ingredients
1 lb fresh tomatillos, husked, rinsed and chopped
1 fresh serrano chile, seeded and finely chopped
1/2 cup finely chopped white onion
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon salt

Preparation
Ingredients can be chopped by hand or with a food processor. Stir together all ingredients and let stand, covered, about 1 hour.

Servings: About 3 cups

Enjoy!

A Shining Moment

Often times I hear students say, "Miss, I'm not good at math!" My reply is usually, "I doubt it. Let's practice!" This is usually followed by a grunt from the student. But I have noticed that many students who believe they are incapable of completing math problems correctly, usually need a little extra practice to build their confidence. So, I downloaded several applications onto my iPad and proceeded in allowing the students to solve over one hundred math equations through an interactive game called "King of Math." During the game, the student had no idea how many equations had been solved. At the end of Homework Club, there was this great shining moment where the student realized, "I am good at math! I can do this!" This is truly a shining moment.

Angelica Neal

Encouraging the students

    The past three weeks I have really put an emphasis of havering the kids trying their best to behave

and following the rules. By the third week students were trying hard and were obtaining extra bucks and

saw a change in them. I spoke to the students individually and as a class. I hoped for them and spoke to

them about the highlander bucks and their behavior, it has improved so much that the students are

receiving 1-3 extra bucks a week or even daily.

A Day to Remember

We can all agree that 9/11/2001 was a day that changed the world's history. Inevitably, for those of us who lived through that day, it would always be in our memory. On the 11^th of September, 2012, our team was honored to participate in Serve Rhode Island's 9/11 National Day of Service. On that day our team was able to collaborate with two other AmeriCorps teams serving in RI while doing something great for the most over-looked members of our communities: our teachers. We worked on improving the teacher's lounge at Carl G. Lauro Elementary School; we painted the walls and ceiling.

The end result was just marvelous! Words can't describe how drastically the room changed; it was a completely different place than when we first walked in. It couldn't have been any less, after eight laborious hours and with the help of more than 14 people. But here, the most important aspect wasn't the work and effort that was donated; in fact, it wasn't even the end result. The valuable lesson of this day comes through the process and not the product. What happened during our work there was magical! It was a site to see, to live, and relive. This day was full of enthusiasm and the atmosphere was full of serenity, happiness, and collaboration. There was music playing in English and Spanish and people were singing their lungs out. It was just fun to work in an environment in which people were enjoying what they were doing and the company they had. Not only that, everyone was considering each others' thoughts. For example, everyone had the chance to request a song they wished to hear. Who said work couldn't be simultaneously fun and efficient?

By: Dianny

Nothing Wrong with Corny...

When Friday comes around at the International Charter School, all of our after school students know what that means – craft time! Instead of following the usual weekly homework and reading schedule, students get to have a hands-on project that they can take home and show off to their family. In commemoration of the autumnal season, we recently made ears of corn using fall-colored tissue paper. Students first arranged a sticky corn template and then scrunched tiny pieces of tissue paper to make the kernels.

A kindergartener in the English-Portuguese strand brings her corn to life!

Below is the finished product, and with a quick loop at the top the kids are ready to hang their creation in their rooms, on their backpacks, or wherever they please. The students really seemed to enjoy this project, and it was a good way to channel the patience and creativity for a K-3 age group. I’m looking forward to doing more fall crafts at ICS!

"I'm all ears."

--Leah

End of After-school Pirate Party

As afterschool came to a close at Highlander Charter School, we ended the last day of the session with a Pirate Party!  This was a great way to celebrate the end of year with the whole school.  The students had a great time dressing up as pirates including getting pirate tattoos!  A big hit with the kids was the photobooth where they could have pictures taken with their friends. Mr. John was teaching students how to do screenprinting with a pirate theme.  As always the kids came with their dancing shoes on and were dancing to Cupid Shuffle, Dougie, and Cat Daddy just to name a few.  This past year of afterschool has been a lot of fun and will definitely be memorable for the students and staff at Highlander!

Nellie

Favorite Memories from after-school: Times2 Academy

My favorite after school program this year was Harry Potter Palooza, a class I created to bring together Harry Potter fans to celebrate the best wizarding story ever. What surprised me about the class was how enthusiastic Times Squared students were about Harry Potter, and how much they wanted to learn about the books, characters, and spells. Some activities we did were house sorting, wand making, and cauldron cake decorating. This was my most enjoyable class because every student wanted to be there, and they all had suggestions for making it more authentic. Students definitely learn better when they are working with something they enjoy, and I was glad to bring them Harry Potter once a week. It is great to connect with students using a shared interest, no matter how old they are!

~ Leah, 6^th Grade

The Science of Happiness, was one of my favorite after school programs. This focused on Positive Psychology and ways to increase happiness. This program ran during the winter, so it was nice to focus on teaching happy things during a period that can be a little dark and dreary. This was a topic that Leah and I were both interested in so we co-taught the class together, which was nice to collaborate and share ideas.

- Nicole 

My favorite Freedom Friday was when we taught the kids about our culture. It was great to teach the students about my country which they never heard of. I had fun teaching my students greetings in creole (Cape Verdean language), and showing pictures of how people live there. I brought in some sweets and juice that they really liked,, but most of all they  I loved that they enjoyed dancing to Cape Verdean music even though they didn't understand the words, they still had fun.

- Kerry

Favorite Afterschool Memories: Highlander Charter School

Here are some reflections of Charter Corps Members from Highlander Charter Schools favorite afterschool activities from the past year:

My favorite memory of this year was building and sustaining the foundation of my Kindergarten homeroom. What started off as a really bumpy road became one of the most gratifying experiences of my life. KA Homeroom became a close-knit family, each student knew their responsibilities and expectations and was always willing to lend a helping hand. They worked hard all year to earn their end of the year pizza/movie party and we made sure to end each day on a positive note, dancing and singing. The best part was that by the end of the year, most of the students were reading books aloud to each other, instead of me always reading to them. It was a pleasure to be their afterschool teacher this year and I will miss each and every one of them.

~ Natalie

My favorite afterschool class this year was Minute to Win It which was offered to 5-8th graders.  This class was based on the TV show and I was able to add a twist by working in teams.  It was great to see the kids engage in friendly competition while having a lot of fun.  One of the great things about this class was the fact that everyone was so focused on a common goal that there wasn't much behavior management that had to be done.  The students also used their imaginations and came up with variations on the same challenge which was great to watch.

~ Nellie

My favorite afterschool activity this year was a screen-printing course I ran for a group of middle schoolers. Screen-printing is a process through which artistic designs are transferred to a fabric screen, which you can then use to print the design onto as many posters or t-shirts as you want. The students all got excited when they found out that they would be able to design their own t-shirt. They were less excited, however, when they found out the limitations of screen-printing: one color per screen, one screen per design to start off with. They adapted to these limits, learning how to collaborate to make a design together, splitting off the work into chunks of illustrations and blocks of lettering. Over the course of the seven-week session, the class made one shiny gold poster, one t-shirt emblazoned with the catchphrase of one of the students- "Maybe Next Year..."-, and two poster designs for the end-of-the-year afterschool dance. This last project even made it to the dance as a craft project for the whole afterschool program to try out during the dance, which was a great success, as students tore through the stack of sixty sheets that I'd brought in!

~ John

My favorite afterschool activity from this past year was My Buddy Project. It was great to see how excited the students were each week to work with their older or younger buddy. The fifth and seventh graders really took charge during many of the projects to help their second grade achieve their goal. During the session the student’s favorite week was Science Week. Students started the class by building with marshmallows and toothpicks. Each team build something completely different and they got so much into it that they put up barriers so that the other teams would not see what they were creating. After building time was up we had judges come in and this allowed the students to talk about what they had constructed. Once the competition was over the group then went outside to create ice cream in a bag. The older students really took charge and guided their buddy through the creation of the ice cream.

~ Kirsten