Monday, November 14, 2016

Maker Updates

Last year I wrote about the J. Turner Hood Schools vision of creating a Makerspace. I am proud to report that this year we will be opening our soon to be named Makerspace.  The design of our Makerspace stems from our schools research on The Maker Movement. The Maker Movement is a technological and creative learning revolution that is underway around the globe. This movement has exciting and vast implications for the world of education. New tools and technology, such as 3D printing, robotics, microprocessors, wearable computing, e-textiles, “smart” materials, and programming languages are being invented at an unprecedented pace. The Maker Movement creates affordable or even free versions of these inventions, while sharing tools and ideas online to create a vibrant, collaborative community of global problem-solvers. Makers are people who like to figure out and fix problems with their hands.  Sylvia Martinez and Gary Stager write, in Invent to Learn, that “Maker classrooms are active classrooms. In active classrooms one will find engaged students, often working on multiple projects simultaneously, and teachers unafraid of relinquishing their authoritarian role. The best way to activate your classroom is for your classroom to make something.”

What exactly is a Maker and what happens in the “space?” If you search a thesaurus for the word “make” you will find a plethora of great synonyms: create, cause, assemble, manufacture, achieve, invent, generate, produce, craft, build, construct, or generate. And, that is exactly what happens in a Makerspace. It is an environment where one is only limited by one’s imagination. It is a space that allows for exploration of all of the aspects of STEM–Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math–and sprinkles it with imagination for an exploration of “what if.” In the J. Turner Hood Elementary School, our Makerspace in the Computer Room/Maker Center is set to inspire students to become participatory learners to uncover their talents, needs, and interests by making, producing, solving, creating, collaborating and thinking. In this space, the focus will be "real-world problem solving," The Makerspace will allow students to use a variety of materials to build projects that will relate back to  the content in a specific lesson or unit of instruction.

This space is set to officially open soon thanks to the support of our Parent’s Association who have been crucial in the design, setup and funding of this worthwhile endeavor.  One might ask "what are you going to call this space?" I would have to say that I am not sure yet as our amazing students in true maker fashion will be naming the space and creating the logo. Please stay tuned to the Hood School Twitter account for updates regarding this amazing opportunity for our students and staff!

Thursday, October 6, 2016

October Updates

October 6, 2016


The month of October brings so many wonders.  The rich colors of the leaves create a vibrant environment to lift our spirits and moods.  We have had a great first month of school at the J. Turner Hood Elementary! Students have come to school ready to learn and displaying proper respect towards themselves and others. Our staff is working hard creating new learning activities for our students. I have had the opportunity to observe many classrooms and review a great deal of student work. As a result of these experiences I have been able to see that there is quality education going on at the J. Turner Hood Elementary.
 
As many of you know, I am not a monthly newsletter type of principal as I prefer to post “Hood Happenings” and pictures on my twitter account. However, I want to drop a note to all stakeholders as a friendly reminder of some of our procedures here at the school. Morning Drop-Off
Student Absences
Parent’s Association
School Website

  • Our school doors are locked and access to the building will only be obtained by pressing the front door buzzer and then waiting for the office staffs’ identification of the visitor/student via camera. Please do not encourage students to give you access.
  • Sign in Log- We appreciate you signing in at the office when you visit. If you have an appointment with the teacher or classroom, please let the office staff know and we will be glad to notify them of your arrival. Please always wear a visitors badge in the building.
  • Please do not visit your child’s classroom unless you have a scheduled appointment with the classroom teacher. Unscheduled visits are very disruptive to the classroom teacher and to student learning.
  • If you are dropping off a lunch, a forgotten item or materials/supplies for the class/teacher, please leave it with the office secretary.  We will make sure it gets to the right place.
  • If you are bringing in a late student, please say your goodbyes in the lobby. We will alert the teacher that your child is heading down.
  • If you are dismissing a student from class or from the nurse, please let the office secretary know. Then please sign our Student Dismissal Log. Your child will be called to the office or you may pick up your child at the nurse’s office.
  • Lastly, I have instructed our students that they should not open any doors for anyone at anytime. If you need to be admitted into the school please do so through the procedures noted above.



There will continue to be many staff members to greet you outside the school in the morning. Just a reminder, our school hours at the J. T. Hood School are from 8:55 – 3:10. Please note that students may not be dropped off before 8:45 AM.

If they arrive after 8:55 they are considered tardy.

The school doors open at 8:45.

Dismissal
The dismissal time from J. Turner Hood Elementary school is a very busy time of day.  Busses are arriving to bring children home. Parents or child care providers are driving up to the neighborhoods near the school or walking up to pick up their children and older children are walking home alone. 

If you participate in the live line placard pick-up system to pick up your children by car, please be reminded to  “queue up” in a single line down the driveway, through our parking lot and up to the Handicapped parking spot at the end of our “loop.” All cars should wait in a single line up to the school and not pass the car in front of them, even if you are not participating in the placard pick-up system. At all times, there must be space for two-way traffic on Haverhill Street and in the school driveway to allow for vehicles leaving and to provide emergency vehicle access. A suggested practice is to have the placard (a card with the family name on it) affixed to your passenger side visor and flip it down while you are “queued up.”  Children who are being picked up via the placard pick-up system will remain in the Cafeteria while family names are called.  As you pull up with the placard in view, your child(ren) will be called out using a walkie talkie system from staff out on the sidewalk to staff in the cafeteria, and placed in your vehicle. Please be sure to pull up as far as possible in the que.



Aspen Road- Please be reminded that the school is a busy place and that the buses are arriving in this area. It is important that all families maintain order and safely monitor their children once they have been dismissed by the school staff.



The office appreciates phone calls regarding your child’s absence or tardiness prior to school starting.  This decreases the number of calls the office staff must make searching for students who are unaccounted for.


Your teachers and I are excited to work with the PA and community to make this the best place for children – a place where we focus on children, we focus on learning, and we work together in a supportive relationship. We are looking forward to continuing our strong partnership and want to thank them for their on-going support and for hosting a well-attended pizza and ice cream social.


As members of The J. Turner Hood School Community, I will keep you up to date via the school web site. The School Web site is located at:

http://www.north-reading.k12.ma.us/hood-elementary
We are also on Twitter! Follow us for updates, news and celebrations!
On Twitter we are  @jthoodelemen
School Security- the J. Turner Hood Elementary School has always been and continues to be a positive, proactive, and friendly place of learning for our neighborhood students and families. A large component of this special setting is the safety and security that we maintain for our students during school hours. In keeping with this focus on a safe and orderly environment, we are currently reviewing and updating our internal security protocols. Please be reminded all guests are required to “Buzz In” and “Check In” to the main office immediately upon entering the Hood School. Our Check In system has been updated and runs electronically as a means to collect guest data allowing us to maintain an active list of visitors on campus. All guests will wear a school visitor lanyard that will be issued upon check in. Please remember to check in and check out when you visit the J. Turner Hood School Please be reminded that the following procedures will remain in effect or be introduced at the J. Turner Hood Elementary School: 
I ask that you work with us and your children as we implement these procedures.  Our success in working together will guarantee the safety and security of students, staff, and parents and will maintain our strong tradition of a positive and productive learning environment at the J. Turner Hood Elementary School. Please know that I have already discussed this with our students and staff. 
Returning to school for items- Please know that we are always looking for an opportunity to teach our students about responsibility. With that being said, we also recognize that students may forget an item or something that they need in their classroom after being dismissed from school. If your child forgets an item and returns to school, we respectfully request that you check in at the main office and let us notify the teacher.  And parents are not allowed to be in classrooms unsupervised.

Lastly, I would like to include an excerpt from a book in this newsletter.  In Stopping At Every Lemonade Stand, How to Create a Culture That Cares for Kids, James Vollbracht offers a few neat ideas for ensuring that our children feel secure and know just how thankful we are for them.

·         Have high expectations for your kids, but back them with unconditional love.

·         Seize every opportunity to talk about small stuff: in the car, while watching TV, over the dinner table, before bed.

·         Know where your children are and with whom.

·         Get to know the parents of your kids’ friends.

·         Remember what it was like being a kid.

·         Show up at your kids’ games, performances, and recitals (they’ll be looking for you).

·         Tell your kids about their birth, and how glad you are they are in your family.

·         Write your kids notes reassuring them that you believe in them and love them (put them in lunch bags, under pillows, or mail them).

·         Remember, just because kids may dress and talk in a mature manner, they still need hugs, little talks, and lots of attention.


As always, thank you for your continued support!

Tuesday, February 9, 2016

The Maker Movement

The Maker Movement

We have recently concluded yet another book study at the Hood School. As a learning community we are always learning together as a means to enhance our practice. During the late fall and early winter we read The Maker Movement Manifesto by Mark Hatch. We selected this topic as the Maker Movement is slowly infiltrating schools across the country.
The Maker Movement, a technological and creative learning revolution that is underway around the globe, is a unique combination of artistry, circuitry, and old-fashioned craftsmanship. This movement has exciting and vast implications for the world of education. New tools and technology, such as 3D printing, robotics, microprocessors, wearable computing, e-textiles, “smart” materials, and programming languages are being invented at an unprecedented pace. The Maker Movement creates affordable or even free versions of these inventions, while sharing tools and ideas online to create a vibrant, collaborative community of global problem-solvers. Makers are people who like to figure out and fix problems with their hands. Indeed, many of us went on our first techno-rush as kids playing with Legos and electronic kits. In a day when everyone thinks, "There's an app for that," many educators believe that we're missing the point of technology if we think its best use is programming kids to memorize math facts. Students don't want to use apps -- they want to make them. Groff (2013) points out, “We are reaching a period where it is just as easy for young people to produce . . . multimodal, multimedia content as to consume it” (p. 23). Furthermore, Sylvia Martinez and Gary Stager write, in Invent to Learn, that “Maker classrooms are active classrooms. In active classrooms one will find engaged students, often working on multiple projects simultaneously, and teachers unafraid of relinquishing their authoritarian role. The best way to activate your classroom is for your classroom to make something.”
Creating spaces for students to engage in these practices is a hot trend in education. These spaces are commonly referred to as “Makerspaces.” Makerspaces, sometimes also referred to as hackerspaces, hackspaces, and fablabs are creative do-it- yourself (DIY) spaces where people can gather to create, invent and learn. In libraries Makerspaces often have 3D printers, software, electronics, hardware supplies and tools. Participants, or Makers, can create digital and physical items in common working spaces using shared equipment and resources.

As a school we are excited to begin to plan and build a Makerspace of our own and engage our students through these practices.