Post #24: Summer Might Not Be What You Think It Is…

We have an Upper School teacher who attended a College Board Advanced Placement (“AP Program”) training session on project-based learning. There is a new controlled research study showing students taught with PBL methods score higher on the AP Government exam. Another teacher is working on an online design thinking methods class through the world’s leading design firm, IDEO. Design thinking is a framework for engaging with empathy, identifying problems, refining ideas, and testing solutions–a great methodology to help our students unleash their creativity. We have a Lower School teacher working on an Instructional Leadership Certification through Harvard Graduate School of Education. This certification focuses on research-based strategies in designing solutions to challenges experienced by teachers. It enhances skills necessary to support teacher development and student growth, as well as creating meaningful learning opportunities that address the complexities of leading teacher growth and development through coaching, mentorship, and teacher teams. Next week, a new early grades teacher will spend three days in Charlotte, N.C., for an intensive Institute for New Teachers. The teacher will have guidance, support, and the opportunity to practice planning and instructional skills with a small peer group led by an experienced independent school educator. Not every teacher pursues professional growth during the summer as many conferences are offered during the school year, but we encourage and fund such activities every summer. 

This week our Director of Multicultural Education and Global Travel, Tara Chokshi, is attending the annual gathering of The Network of Complementary Schools held at Rutgers Prep in New Jersey. The NETWORK OF COMPLEMENTARY SCHOOLS, Inc., is a group of US schools that understands the importance of providing students with a variety of experiences. By pooling their offerings, these schools present their students with a wider range of quality programs and opportunities than offered at their home schools. Many of these programs are structured to draw upon a special strength or resource of a particular school and, therefore, focus on a single area of interest. Other programs simply present students and faculty with the opportunity to experience an academic and geographic community different from that of their home school:

If you have an Middle or Upper School student and would like to explore the possibilities through this network of schools or our Global Connections travel program, please contact tara.chokshi@augustaprep.org

Speaking of travel, we have two teachers leading an awesome experiential education program in Maine. Chip Kirksey (Middle School History) and Amy Thompson (Middle School Science) are leading a group of eleven Middle School students on an amazing science adventure at the Hurricane Island Center for Science and Leadership. Here’s the mid-week report just sent to parents:

“The Middle School Marine Ecology group dove headfirst into Maine island life! So far, the students have learned the ins and outs of the pelagic and benthic marine worlds. After collecting our own plankton sample and investigating the tiny organisms under the microscopes, they were challenged to create their own neutrally buoyant plankton. Moving into the benthic world, we began learning about benthic invertebrates – although I was shocked by how much the students already knew! After this we put our knowledge to the test with a fiercely competitive intertidal scavenger hunt, which ultimately ended in a tie. We made sure to get our pier jumping time in as well, which every student highlighted as the favorite part of their day! The next day we focused on aquaculture and wild fisheries, making for a fabulously muddy day on the island. The kids got to experience the many processes involved in scallop aquaculture, including sorting through spat bags (how we catch baby scallops), dissecting adult scallops, and ultimately eating them! From there we hoped on our lobster boat, Sunny, to haul some lobster traps, learn about the regulations on the lobster fishery, and ultimately understand how climate change is affecting the population. Each student has really blossomed on the island, and it has been such an enjoyable experience for students and staff alike. “

I also have been on the road for some professional development. Last month, I spent a week on the campus of Stanford University with other heads of school who are part of the Malone Scholars Program (note that Augusta Prep is the ONLY school in Georgia selected by the Malone Family Foundation with an endowment to fund merit scholarships). I had the chance to learn from the Stanford Dean of Undergraduate Admissions, a professor at the Stanford Internet Observatory, a professor of pediatric psychiatry, and several professors in the school of education. My favorite session was by Dr. Sam Wineberg on the importance of teaching “lateral reading” so our students learn to be better fact checkers on the internet. It was also great to visit with and learn from other experienced heads from all over the country.

If you have children in our summer camps or at summer sports practices, you can see the campus is not simply closed for ten weeks. Besides our teachers, there is a dedicated group of year-round employees here daily working hard to clean and improve the facilities and grounds, tour applicants, schedule events, and raise money. Their dedicated summer work sets the stage for our teachers to return and work their magic with our students. So, summer is far from a period of inactivity at a great independent school like Augusta Prep – this is the investment you make in our teachers that will pay off with your child(ren) when you pay private school tuition. 

I hope you and your family have managed to find time to make some wonderful memories together this summer. We look forward to you dropping off your children in just a few weeks time so we can work with them. Until then, stay safe and have fun!