posted Feb 21, 2012 5:58 PM by Jessicca Marks
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updated Feb 21, 2012 5:59 PM
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We have a couple very exciting things on the horizon that you should be aware of.
PTO: It is the time of the year when our PTO is seeking new people that wish to serve on the PTO Board of Directors. There are two positions open on the board this year. Once elected, the four board members vote as to which positions each member will hold for the upcoming year. There has never been a more exciting time to become a member of the PTO. With all of the exciting new changes coming to the school the PTO serves as a backbone to our school through its many supportive efforts. This year, the PTO would like to focus on ways to increase communication between parents and teachers by getting the teachers more involved in PTO as well. If you are interested in running for the PTO Board, please submit a summary of your qualifications to the PTO Election Committee through this email: ptonominations@legacyk8.org. Candidates will be placed on a ballot for an election that will be held next month. Thanks in advance for your support!
Fencing: Our students have some exciting news to look forward to as those who wish can sign up for the after school Fencing Program. Fencing has been a part of civilized cultures since ancient Egypt and Rome. Most major universities and colleges have strong fencing programs and fencing is one of only four sports that has been included in the modern Olympic Games. It is an individual sport that does not rely on size as much as intellect. It is an expression and an art form for those who participate. I look forward to watching all of our new young fencers in action. There is an informational packet that is going home with all students in the Monday Folder. If you do not receive one, you can pick one up in the office or print one from the link on the website.
Have a wonderful week! |
posted Feb 14, 2012 8:40 AM by Jessicca Marks
We have been working towards innovation in education this year at Legacy Academy. A huge part of this has been our use of the iPad 2 devices that we have had in many of the classrooms for the last 45 days of school. With every day that passes, we are learning about new ways to integrate this technology into the things that Legacy Academy has already been doing for years. While the introduction to iPad’s is in its infancy, the teachers at Legacy Academy have been working very hard to integrate them into the classrooms as quickly as possible.
Integrating technology into education is really about merging the analog and digital worlds. On one hand, we have curriculum based textbooks and worksheets that represent the analog world. Opposite that, we now have iPads and the internet that puts our fingertips at every bit of information that the world has to offer. Finding ways to merge these two worlds together offers our students the best chance to learn. Ideally, we would like the vast amounts of information brought to us by the digital world, merged with the speed and organization present in the analog world.
It is important as we continue to bring technology into our classrooms, that we are safe and premeditated in our approach. Our goal through this implementation process has been to create an environment where the technology is used to enhance the educational goals of Legacy Academy and that it never becomes a distraction to learning. Recently, an upgrade to our servers created a security issue with our ability to allow the iPad devices to go home. Apple has been working with our IT department to correct the issue. In the meantime, Asher Sume, our new IT Director, was able to find a fantastic alternative that increases the at home security of these devices. Through what was seemingly a complex issue, we once again innovated a way to make our technology program stronger and safer and moving forward. There is little doubt that with every day that passes, we will continue to see improvements in our ability to merge the digital and analog worlds at school and also in the home.
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posted Jan 23, 2012 1:12 PM by Jessicca Marks
If you have been checking out the website and Facebook, you might have noticed that our students have been involved in creating morning announcements in video format. The 5th graders, last week, took the opportunity to interview the Grand Marshal of the stock show and display it for the entire school. There are almost endless possibilities of how this technology will be used. Students love to watch what other students have created, and they also enjoy being mentioned in the morning announcements for the good work that they are doing in the classrooms.
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posted Jan 17, 2012 12:06 PM by Jessicca Marks
Legacy Academy Parents,
I hope that everybody, despite the Bronco’s loss, had a great weekend and is coming to school refreshed and ready for another great week at Legacy Academy!
In the coming weeks we will be continuing to build on our domain topics as outlined by Core Knowledge. In addition, we will be spending time working on ways to integrate the iPad into these concepts. It is our goal that from now until the end of the year, the iPad devices will become a larger part of the instruction both at school and at home. We will be installing new applications that follow along with the Core Knowledge subjects being taught. In addition, student email will be activated soon and students will be able to work from home using the iPad devices to email teachers and turn in work electronically. This will improve the ability of students and staff to utilize the iPad as part of the everyday routine at the school.
We have released the iPad devices to go home with the 4th grade students. We are now looking to release them to the third grade in the coming days. During each phase of our rollout, we are gathering valuable data about how the students are using them and how these fragile devices are holding up. At this point, we have seen them being used responsibly by our younger students. The students of Legacy Academy are very special and I am thankful for all of their patience and character, as we have been piloting this program. |
posted Jan 9, 2012 1:36 PM by Jessicca Marks
We are now introducing morning video announcements at legacyk8.org! Now that we have been able to catch up with the technology learning curve, we have begun our video morning announcements. Each grade level will have several weeks throughout the remainder of the school year to create videos that will be shown to the entire school each morning. These video announcements go way beyond the standard spoken announcement over the intercom. Students will use this technology to guide our early morning core virtue instruction. In addition, they will use the platform to discuss Core Knowledge learning that took place in their classroom the day before. Teachers will be able to have short discussions about the content on these videos in each of the classrooms and it serves as an excellent starting point for the day. Each video is created by the students and will be posted online at legacyk8.org for viewing at anytime. The school band is starting to rehearse! It is so exciting to see all of the instruments rolling into the halls of Legacy Academy. It seems like a natural fit that Legacy Academy would be very strong in music. When you see the look on the student’s faces as they carry their instruments into the building, you realize just how important it is. We are grateful that we have the opportunity to deliver students a subject that will help them grow in so many areas. We are growing! Legacy Academy would like to welcome the seven new students that started school on January 3rd. Since the beginning of the school year, we have had 21 new students enroll and we are so thankful that we have been able to make room to bring in these bright young minds. I am very thankful for all of the parents who have been creating the word of mouth buzz that is attracting new students to our building. Every single day, even in the midst of the largest education budget cuts Colorado has seen, we are continuing to bring more exciting programs to Legacy Academy. It is exciting to see students using technology and gaining experience as musicians. The staff of this fine school is committed to finding areas that will enhance children both academically and artistically. As this school continues to grow, we will have more opportunities to bring even more exciting new programs to the students. |
posted Jan 4, 2012 8:00 AM by Jessicca Marks
Over the break our teachers were hard at work creating materials that will guide their instruction for the remainder of our year. Using the Core Knowledge Sequence, in conjunction with State Standards alignment, we have created a Curriculum Map that outlines which subjects will be taught for the remainder of the year based on Domains. This is a lengthy process that has brought us closer to our Core Knowledge roots. Domains as defined by the Core Knowledge Foundation, are the overarching concepts that Core Knowledge uses to build a background of knowledge that students will be able to draw upon for success in many other areas. Domains are knowledge based in scope as opposed to skills based offerings like mathematics. Most Domains are derived from Social Studies and Science subject areas.
Domains cover wide subject areas and are integrated into cross-curricular skills based instruction wherever possible. For example, a teacher might be teaching the Civil War (Domain) to a group of students in 5th grade. During math time, which is primarily skills based, the students could be calculating trajectories of canons, or working with calculations using maps from that time period. All of the efforts of the classroom are focused like a laser beam to accomplish specific learning goals. Those learning goals are then measured through formal assessments.
Identifying these Domains allows the teacher to add the application of knowledge into the education on a variety of topics. We are very excited about all of the work that the teachers have done over break to further communicate the educational goals of Legacy Academy. Domain Maps are available in the doorways of each of the classrooms. Feel free to pick one up anytime.
Have a wonderful start to your New Year!
~ Jason Cross |
posted Dec 13, 2011 4:10 PM by Jason Cross
Some of the students have been creating robots in the after school robotics club. I had a chance to check in and see some of their creations. They have been learning lots about logic and programing while coming up with some creative ways to have the robots interact with the world around him. The following video makes use of light sensors to have the robot follow the flashlight. When the light is removed the robot turns. This was the way these bright students chose to navigate the small course on the table.
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posted Dec 9, 2011 10:20 AM by Jason Cross
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updated Dec 9, 2011 10:48 AM
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We had a very successful Christmas Program last night. Nearly 800 people packed into the Legacy Academy gym to hear students in grades K-3 perform some traditional Christmas songs. Thanks to everybody that came, and great work students! |
posted Dec 9, 2011 10:19 AM by Jason Cross
We apologize for the mis-communication about the dress of choice day today. It was for a special award that the students earned for doing such a great job. We are going to make sure that they are communicated better through our website in the future. In addition there are two dress of choice days next week on the 15th and 16th of December. We will be performing an all-call early next week to help spread the word. Thanks again for your understanding. |
posted Nov 28, 2011 12:53 PM by Jessicca Marks
It is hard to believe that we are already almost in December. I hope that you and your family had a blessed Thanksgiving Day. This year Legacy Academy has many things to be thankful about. We are very thankful that so many new parents have found a place that they feel comfortable sending their children. For the first time, Legacy Academy is growing in the middle of the year. New parents are coming every week and finding out that Legacy Academy is more than just a school. They are discovering that we care about students individually and that there is a positive and uplifting atmosphere created by the smiles on the faces of our students and staff members. Legacy Academy is thankful this year for all of the efforts of our school board. This school board was faced with increased pressure financially from state budget cuts and declining enrollment. They decided to take action and I am happy to say, instead of being closed in December of this year (per last years financials), we are financially viable for years to come. I commend their courage in making tough decisions that have pointed this school down a path of success. I am extremely thankful for all of the hard work of the Legacy Academy teachers and staff. They have been working at capacity under a very tight budget. Without increasing staffing levels, they have been able to integrate nearly 150 new students and 600 pieces of technology into our classrooms. They have handled this adversity without complaint, while keeping our students smiling. In doing so, they have created a great place for students to attend school. One thing is certain. Despite how far we have come in just a few months, we have much more to accomplish. We are going to continue to work on the integration of our technology into the classrooms in the upcoming months. New programs for reading are now beginning to take shape and we hope to have them in full swing through the holidays. Students have begun to take iPads home, and we are working on finding curriculum options that will make the best use of the technology. We would like to offer training courses for parents and students after school so they can become more familiar with the technology and its safe use at home. We are evaluating all of our programs to make sure that they are as academically challenging as possible. New sports offerings are being considered such as Fencing and Swimming. Grades 5-8 will have the opportunity to participate in Band and we are looking for someone to build a Drama program in the months to come. We have many things to be thankful for, and I would like to thank each of the parents for making Legacy Academy great. It was C.S. Lewis that said, “Affection is responsible for nine-tenths of whatever solid and durable happiness there is in our lives.” It is my hope that your student(s) continue to grow in their affection for their teachers and those that they come into contact with while at school. Your children are precious to me and I look forward to seeing them grow in the months to come. |
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