ALPHA EIGHTH GRADE RETREAT - OAKLEDGE PARK

AUGUST 31, 2018

Coming Attractions...

Tuesday August 28, 2018 Alpha Team Open House for new families

• 2PM - 3PM, Alpha Team Space
• We have set aside Tuesday, August 28^th from 2:00 - 3:00 to meet briefly with new students and their parents. This open house offers you a time to meet your Prime Group teacher, see your new classroom, and check out your cubby, etc. We look forward to seeing you on the 28^th!

Tuesday August 28, 2018 Alpha Family Picnic at Shelburne Beach

• 5PM - 6PM
• Our annual family picnic will be held at the Shelburne Beach on Tuesday, August 28^th from 5 - 6PM. This is an opportunity to welcome new families to the team, and renew friendships with returning families. Families are asked to bring their own family picnic. There are picnic tables available. There is no formal program for this evening; rather it is an informal time that gives students, parents, and teachers a chance to connect and reconnect to the Alpha community

Tuesday September 25, 2018: Alpha Curriculum Night

• Curriculum Night PowerPoint Presentation (2018)

Thursday November 15 and Friday November 16, 2018: Alpha presents Friday Knight Fever

• 7PM in the SCS cafeteria
• $5 per person

ALPHA Team Philosophy/ MISSION AND VISION:

Established in 1972, the Alpha Team consists of 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students working in partnership with their teachers in an integrated, multi-age community. We believe that students actively engaged in the learning process achieve high academic standards, given an environment that promotes initiative, innovation, responsibility and leadership. Successful learning is supported by our key beliefs:

Create a safe place where every child feels that they belong

Value and teach self assessment and reflection

Pursue academic excellence

Develop a love of learning

Encourage individuality and risk taking

Alpha teachers and students spent quite some time developing the following document that describes our collective MISSION and VISION. Check it out! It is ever-evolving so stay tuned for the next generation.....

ALPHA Team Organization:

Alpha students are organized in four multi-age prime groups. Each group is guided by one Alpha teacher who, working with parents and mentors, supports individual progress. Important elements of our structure include:

• Large blocks of time and open physical spaces provide for a variety of student groupings and various learning experiences
• Goals Partners where a student who has been on the team for at least a year leads a new student through the many systems used by our learning community

ALPHA Team Meeting Student Needs:

Our team supports student learning through curriculum, assessment, sense of community and providing opportunities for leadership.

ALPHA Team Curriculum:

• Standards-based thematic interdisciplinary units that reflect the Common Core and SCS's middle level curriculum
• Student participation in creating curriculum by understanding the Common Core, the Vermont Standards, the Grade Level Expectations, NGSS, and linking them with their questions about self and world
• Weekly academic goals (math, reading, writing, word study, theme expectations and other responsibilities)
• Connected Math Program delivered by grade group

ALPHA Team Community: Required activities develop a sense of community and leadership

• Orientation activities and 8th grade leadership retreat
• Annual play (required participation in after school practice and evening performances)
• Quilt and camping trip
• 8th grade finale
• Culminating Events
• Daily morning meetings and student-led class meetings with class officers
• Student Council participation

ALPHA Team Parent Responsibilities:

• Parents play an integral role in or student led portfolio conferences
• Parents write letters of support and encouragement to our students after conferences
• Parent Buddies are here to support YOU!! Check out this link for more info!!

2018 - 2019 ALPHA Themes

The theme cycle for this school year includes Economics, Citizenship, Biology and Ecology along with Design Engineering and Scientific Inquiry opportunities throughout the year.

All students will begin to plan our themes by reading materials related to the VT State Standards and Grade Level expectations along with NGSS and the CVSDVT Curriculum guide and the Common Core State Standards. They will be conducting preliminary research and completing a planning document to help with the development process. They will work individually, in partnership and in small groups and they will use our common self and world questions to help inform their work.