Run Quail, Run!

Over the last few months, we have revised QRPS's initial charter school application to more clearly state our school's focus.

MISSION STATEMENT
Quail Run Primary School is an environmentally responsible and multi-sensory learning center that empowers students to be accountable for their own educational journey.

On a light note, I have been having nightmares about red, forty pound quail attacking me. All I can manage to say in the dreams is, "Run Quail, Run!" My husband thinks it's hilarious.

By the way, we just completed our presentation to the Utah State Charter School Board. The final decisions will be made at the end of October 2008. We'll keep you posted!

Famous Dyscalculics!

Sometimes it helps to know that you are not alone! I am going to check the validity of some of these that I don't know and I'll report.

My Disabilities and Me 1 : Dyscalculia

I like this video because it lets you see how disabilities affect real people.

Dyscalculia

Math learning disabilities are frequently overlooked.

Math Education: A response to

It is a little hard to hear but worth watching. It is a response to a previous You Tube Video that I strongly disagree with.

Metric System Review

Professor Perez shows us all about the metric system...

Finding Volume: ASL Interpreter

One of the ideas we are using at our proposed charter school is the integration of ASL with academic subjects. These videos are a great example.

ASL Interpreter Demo Video

I like the enthusiasm of this teacher!

Quail Run Primary School

Well, it's done! I submitted my application to open a public charter school here in Utah County. It wasn't very polished (life has gotten the better of me this week- a 5 year old neighbor died, I have the flu, I have a 3 day old migraine, last week was the Cub Scout Blue and Gold Banquet and I was in charge...) but it's done.

We'll see what the state charter board thinks of the initial application. If I score high enough we can submit an updated application in June.


Mission Statement

Quail Run Primary School is a “learner centered” educational setting that embraces an inter-disciplinary curriculum and a multi-sensory methodology which in conjunction provide significant engaged learning time, integrate educational technology, include substantial gross motor movements, emphasize real-life connections, motivate learning beyond the classroom, and inspire environmental responsibility.

Philosophy

Curriculum

Students at Quail Run Primary School study Mathematics, English language arts, natural sciences, history and social science, world languages and cultures, healthy lifestyles, fine arts, and study habits through inter-disciplinary lesson plans emphasizing practical application and environmental responsibility. School-wide thematic units encourage cross-curricular connections while after-school enrichment classes give students the opportunity to explore specific subject areas in more depth.

Methodology

Teachers at Quail Run Primary School plan hands-on activities and multi-sensory experiences that allow students to learn through discovery and make connections to real-life situations. Teachers encourage student directed learning via content area reading opportunities and scientific exploration. Students participate in weekly “world classroom” field trips. Project based lesson plans are used when possible and teachers take advantage of current educational technologies. All lessons plans used in Quail Run Primary School classrooms incorporate gross motor activities. Direct instruction is used in limited circumstances but all children are still allowed to wiggle while they learn. Innovative teaching techniques are encouraged if they parallel the philosophy and mission of the school.

Assessment

Teachers at Quail Run Primary School employ alternative assessment methods including oral exams, essays, presentations, electronic portfolios, written tests, quizzes, teacher observations, personal reflection, self assessment, and student interviews. Student progress is reviewed with parents every 9 weeks. Teachers use standards based report cards and students who demonstrate competency of 85% or greater in any given academic subject by the end of the school year receive a cumulative “PASS” grade for that class.

Learning Environment

The Quail Run Primary School building is a safe, beautiful, energy efficient, and stimulus rich facility that utilizes technology for security and instruction. The building and playgrounds exceed national accessibility requirements. The flexible learning spaces are filled with computers and comfortable, ergonomic furniture. Classroom design encourages students to be responsible for their own learning behaviors. Learning materials are stored in easily reached locations, each classroom has its own drinking fountain, and every learning area has a private toilet room. Students choose from a variety of workspaces including individual cubbies, reading nooks, traditional desks, group tables, desk free zones, outdoor rooms, and computer stations. The school grounds and indoor facilities feature interactive playscapes, classical and whimsical exhibits, and student designed artwork.

Quail Run Primary School strives to minimize its negative impact on the world environment through “green school” policies and zero waste procedures such as recycling, appropriate use of technology, composting, responsible paper consumption, and xeriscape gardening.

Technology

Quail Run Primary School uses technology for security, interactive instruction, record keeping, communication, and special education needs. Quail Run Primary School promotes access to technology at home as well as at school by providing laptops to older students, by integrating technology throughout its school-wide lesson plans, by utilizing traditional computer labs for after school access, and by dedicating a large portion of the yearly budget to technology services.

Student Body

Quail Run Primary School serves students in grades Kindergarten through eight. Full day, self contained kindergarten classes are held for children who are at least five years old on or before September 1^st of the year of enrollment. Students in grades one through eight participate a variety of learning groups that may include students of diverse cultures, genders, ages, native languages, energy levels, academic abilities, and learning styles. A self contained, tuition based Pre-school for children age three to five is also available.

Family Involvement

Because family involvement is an integral component of the Quail Run Primary School philosophy, no separate parent organization exists. Families are presented with a variety of long term or short term volunteer opportunities. Parents and guardians may volunteer in their students’ classrooms each week or they may donate their time and expertise for special events. Families serve on school steering committees that make recommendations to the School Board of Trustees to enrich the educational experience of all students attending Quail Run Primary School. Parents of students also serve on the School Board of Trustees. Quail Run Primary School encourages family involvement throughout the year with events such as our back-to-school picnic, the spring gala, the fall fair, and parent education classes.

Faculty

Teachers at Quail Run Primary School are selected for their expertise in specialty subject areas and their willingness to seek additional professional development opportunities. Every teacher is licensed by the state of Utah and holds appropriate endorsements for the subject(s) they teach. All teachers are trained to identify and assist students with disabilities. In addition, all teachers work toward a gifted/talented endorsement beginning their first year of teaching. In the classroom, faculty members team teach in a school mentoring program. Teachers serve on school steering committees to evaluate new technologies and innovative teaching techniques. They work collaboratively to refine school-wide lesson plans, share educational strategies, and adapt school-wide discipline policies.

To meet the needs of all students, the faculty at Quail Run Primary School includes a special services team that, as needed, includes such educational professionals as a school psychologist, a guidance counselor, special education teachers, an occupational therapist, a physical therapist, an ASL interpreter, a speech and language pathologist, ESL specialists, and a school nurse.

Administrative Site Team

Quail Run Primary School has an administrative site team that reports directly to the Charter School Board. Each member of the site team focuses on one or two related aspects of school management and may include such positions as School Director, Director of Student and Family Services, Assistant Director, Faculty Mentor Coordinator, Business Manager, Finance Director, Curriculum Director, Director of Operations, Special Education Coordinator, and Technology Director.

Jelly Bean Math

The favorite candy of the 40th President of the United State of America, Ronald Reagan, was jelly beans! He kept a glass jar of jelly beans on his desk to serve to guests and staff.

• Ronald Reagan ate one jelly bean on January 20, 1981 (his first day in office) and each day after that, he ate double the number of jelly beans he had eaten the day before, how many jelly beans would he have eaten by the end of the month?
• How many jelly beans would he have eaten after one month in office?
• What would the monthly cost of these jelly beans be?
• What was Ronald Reagan’s favorite flavor of jelly bean?
• How many popcorn jelly beans would Ronald Regan be likely to have eaten by day 22?
• Write an algebraic expression for the number of jelly beans Ronald Reagan would have eaten by his nth day in office.

Fit of Anger

OK-- So I lost my temper. I even swore in front of my own daughter. I was mad. I probably could have dealt with the inconvenience caused by the school, but when I called the district to complain, I spoke with a woman who was quite rude. I am sure that she was sick of parent phone calls by then but THAT IS WHAT SHE GETS PAID TO DO!! Well, I wrote an email- not my best work. We'll see what good it does.
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Dear Superintendent Henshaw and others,

I am writing to tell you of my disappointment and anger at the way the busing failure was handled today. It took me an hour to get my daughter home from American Fork Junior High School. (It is only a 6 minute drive at 25 mph.) Snow was NOT the trouble. The school was the trouble.

• No one from the school contacted us. My daughter was not allowed to use the school phone because there were too many students trying to call home. When I spoke with the personnel at the district office, they assured me that parents were notified by the automated calling system. We have updated home, business and cell phone numbers on record with the school and did not receive a call of any of these numbers. We have current emails on file with the school. We have caller ID and answering machines on all phones. I am frustrated that the district would lie to me. We did not receive any communication from the school. My daughter called me on her cell phone. We bought her a cell phone for real emergencies and fake "emergencies" like this one, even though the district, school and the PTA have fought us all year, trying to ban them from the school.
• The school and the district assured us that they had no choice in the matter. The Utah Highway Patrol supposedly forbid the schools to release any children in the district. However, my 4th grade son walked home in the snow all by himself. I also passed two school zones with children walking home and heard numerous other parents at the jr high complaining that their younger children walked home. Some teachers at the junior high school let students simply leave class, though most did not. (I am also not sure how the Highway Patrol has any authority over the public schools' policies and procedures.)
• American Fork Jr. High was distressingly unprepared to handle this mini-crisis. I shudder to think what could have happed if this had been a true emergency. Their should have been a plan in place for the parents of 2,000+ students to converge and pick up their children at the same time. Traffic was at a standstill from the school, all the way down 100 East and both directions of 300 North leading to 100 East. I am sure that other school routes were congested as well. Inside the school, there were parents, students, and staff everywhere. The intercom was constantly calling off names of students to come down and get picked up. No one was checking IDs or signatures so it wouldn't have mattered who picked up students. The emergency contact info on our student information sheets was worthless. Your current procedures give the surface appearance on paper of being in control but they offer no real protection to students.
• The students were not properly informed of what was happening. I misunderstood and thought that just my daughter's bus route was canceled. (She does have a incompetent bus driver. During the last snowstorm, the bus driver couldn't make it up any of the hills and on one particularly stressful area of snow and ice began screaming "We're all going to die!" My daughter is fairly reliable and had no reason to make that up.) If I had known that all students (including walking students) were going to be held at the school, I would have taken a different route to the school, left my baby at home or arranged for my emergency contact to pick her up.

A few suggestions to get you started:

• Apologize to all of the students and parents in the school district for your mishandling of this situation. Quit trying to justify your actions by saying that you did the best you could. Simply admit your mistakes.
• Require each school to develop and practice a USEABLE plan for situations like this in the future. Make sure that parents are aware of the DETAILS of the procedures. A brief statement of policies in the handbook is not enough. A workable plan is necessary.
• Use technology like cell phones, electronic bulletin boards, websites, and automated calling systems to facilitate communication.

I am a teacher and I want to give public education the benefit of the doubt whenever possible but my confidence in the public school system has been faltering and this event has made it clear to me that Alpine School District does not deserve my support anymore. I have been biting my tongue for the past 7 years but will no longer do so. You can expect me to contact you again in the future with additional concerns.