The New School Year Is Up and Running!
CHILD Consultants make first round of on-site coaching visits.
Left: New Britain, CT students working at the Word Study Station. Right: District Facilitator Lyn Channey and ISI Consultant Jan Gabhart ready to visit classrooms.
Left: Jan Gabhart answers questions about the CHILD materials. Right: One of the new CHILD Procedures Posters on display.
With lots of new CHILD clusters starting up this year, the ISI staff and consultants are busy traveling around the country to support new CHILD teachers. On-site coaching is an important component of the CHILD professional development process throughout the first year of implementation.
Recently ISI Consultant Jan Gabhart (also a former CHILD teacher and district coordinator) and ISI’s Senior Program Specialist Diana Paulson visited six schools in New Britain, Connecticut with new CHILD clusters. Lyn Channey, the district’s CHILD facilitator, provided additional support by arranging for floating substitutes so the consultants could meet individually with each teacher after observing their classrooms. ISI also hosted a reception to show our appreciation for the CHILD teachers and leaders who step outside their comfort zone.
Jan and Diana reported that the classrooms were very impressive even so early into the school year. The students were engaged and on-task, and the teachers were beginning to relax a little. Change is hard and takes hard work. Hats off to the teachers and leaders who step it up for kids.
Charter School Grand Opening Attracts a Crowd
Imagine School at Evening Rose starts the year with 320 students.
Left: ISI staff and CHILD coordinators at the grand opening celebration. Center: CHILD students show off their station prowess during the classroom walk-throughs. Right: Principal Suezan Turknett welcomes the guests while K2Urban Corp CEO Dave Wamsley and Tallahassee Mayor John Marks prepare for their remarks.
ISI welcomed six new Imagine Charter Schools to the CHILD family this year. Charter schools are public schools with open enrollment. The response from parents to enroll their children has been overwhelming. Most schools already have long waiting lists for next year, or hoping for an opening to arise this year.
The Imagine School at Evening Rose in Tallahassee opened in August and is already being hailed as a community treasure. Located in a “green” urban development built by the innovative K2Urban Corp, the school is the first addition for a learning campus that will include a childcare center opening in January. A second school building under construction will add a middle school component to the current K-6 configuration next year.
The grand opening celebration was held September 18. Dignitaries attending included Imagine School founders Dennis and Eileen Bakke, Tallahassee Mayor John Marks, and K2Urban Corp CEO Dave Wamsley.
Behind the Scenes
The ISI support staff assures timely and accurate shipments.
Left: Cathy Campanile, ISI Operations Coordinator. Right: Jordan Stowers, Nick Campanile, and Langley Payton at the ISI warehouse.
It may take a village to raise a child, but it takes a hard working team to get everything packed and shipped to arrive in time for teacher training and the start of school. Summer is a busy time for the ISI support staff who work behind the scenes to serve our clients.
Cathy Campanile, ISI Operations Coordinator, recruited a great crew of college and high school students to work in the warehouse (not air conditioned) to assemble all the activity kits, Passports, and various CHILD materials. Contact Cathy at ccampanile@ifsi.org for questions about your orders, and to order supplemental items. Order forms are on the website at www.ifsi.org/CHILD.
Accolades
Christy Tureta, principal of Marietta Charter School in Marietta, Georgia reports that the school was recognized by the State Superintendent as one of the top ten schools in the state to make the biggest gains in reading achievement for second and third grade. She adds, “I can say that Project CHILD was a major reason for this gain!” Congratulations to the entire faculty and staff.
To learn more about the CHILD instructional system, order Dr. Sally Butzin’s book at www.ifsi.org.
Institute for School Innovation
1339 Mahan Drive
Tallahassee, FL 32308
850-671-3706 800-940-6985