Parents and Almond Staff:  I know you’ve felt it.  The glow initiates in your heart and it radiates all the way to a smile that stretches from ear to ear. Then your brain whispers to you, “I am THE luckiest grown up in the world to know such a remarkable young person!”  The feeling that overcomes you...is PRIDE (a deep feeling of pleasure or satisfaction derived from the achievement of those with whom you are closely associated).  

An image that comes to mind for me is that regal lion in the Savannah of Africa, with it’s beautiful mane in the blistering sun.  There, sitting on the periphery of his PRIDE, he beams with admiration for all of the members that comprise his family.  Okay, okay...yes, I am personifying that lion because all biological indications conclude what he’s probably thinking about the next zebra he’ll be munching on instead of appreciating what’s before him.  Be that as it may, work with me here ;-).

This week, I was enraptured by our staff, our students, and the parents who have raised incredible human beings.  A group of 1st, 3rd, 5th, and 6th graders presented HOW they learn to both our LASD Board [watch the archived video here when it becomes available for the date 01/26/15] and to the Almond PTA.  They demonstrated that HOW we learn is of equal or greater value to WHAT we learn!  

The WHAT includes various content and skills (standards) that span various subject matters like reading, writing, math, science, social studies, physical education, music, social/emotional, etc.  The HOW is the design of the instruction and the experiences that children are provided to engage with the what.

Ms. Reeves and her first graders (Roman, Connor, Daisy, Sofia) shared the process they underwent as a class to learn about the power of their brains and the impact of mindfulness.  Following her own passion for awareness of the present moment, Ms. Reeves taught students how to focus their attention and control their breaths to reduce stress as a means to optimize the learning capacity of their brains.  Students learned that their amygdalas support emotional processing, that the hippocampus plays a major role in regards to memory, and that the prefrontal cortex is responsible for executive functioning and decision making.  [Here is a link to the presentation.]

On behalf of Almond’s 3rd grade teachers and our STEM teacher extraordinaire (Ms. Martinez, Mrs. Reilly, Mrs. Uhm, and Mrs. Leach), Mrs. Wishnack guided students in communicating how they have leveraged technology to personalize their learning from both an ability and interest standpoint.  Ellie recounted what she learned while leveraging technology to create a demonstration lesson in Google presentation to teach her classmates how to make lemonade.  Julia explained how students use our online math resources to study concepts at their own pace and to partake in assessments that provide immediate feedback.  Rachael showcased her student portfolio [check out these screen captures] in which she is documenting her learning and reflecting on how various projects contribute to her growth.  Sam and Brennan played their groups’ Scratch animations and talked us through how their teacher fearlessly followed her students’ lead in a project that they initiated.  [Check out this link to see all of the student projects.]

Through digital portfolios, Almond’s 6th grade teachers (Mrs. Arnold, Ms. Aubrey, Mrs. Saretsky, and Mr. Stuart) are encouraging students to reflect on their learning and passions as a way to strengthen the knowledge and skills that are gained.  Olivia highlighted a personal narrative of which she is very proud and Alex spoke of his passion for digital rendering that he was compelled to include in his portfolio. [Here is a link with screen captures.]

Finally, Mrs. Nguyen and a crew of aspiring newscasters (Letitia, Maya, Olivia, Angela, and Yvo) creatively walked their audiences through Almond’s initiative to bring a media lab to life.  They created a sample broadcast, communicated their take aways from their recent visit to NBC Studios, and laid out the initial plans for how we will create our own YouTube channel and support classrooms in reporting out the very important happenings on our campus.  

The staff and students named in this week’s message are representatives of the incredible team of educators and the entire student body that work tirelessly every single day to design and partake in meaningful learning.  Check out our Twitter feed to get an insider’s look.  Supporting all of these children are also a phenomenal collection of parents who encourage thoughtfulness, dedication, follow through, and so much more.

My heart is glowing.  My smile spans from ear to ear.  And my brain is whispering, “You are THE luckiest principal in the world to know such an amazing group of students, staff, and parents.”

I extend my humble gratitude!