Parent/Guardian Hub

1. 2020 Bell Schedule (Click the Clock)

2. 2020 School Calendar (Click the Wall Calendar)

3. Mrs. Hamilton's Contact Information (Click the Phone)

4. Google Classroom Parents/Guardian Summary Sign Up (Click the Clipboard)

5. "My Student" Parent Survey (Click the "I Love My Kid" Peg Board)

6. Chromebook Tech Support (Click the Laptop)

7. A Question & Comment Google Form for Parents/Guardians (Click the "Questions & Comments Box")

8. Health & Wellness Information (Click the Face Mask)

9. Student Services & Supports (Click the Candles/Salt Lamp)

10. Online Services: HAC, myETHS, etc. (Click the Diploma)

11. E-Town Live Updates (Click the T.V.)

12. COMING SOON: Frequently Asked Questions (Click the Amazon Echo Device)

Dear Parent/Guardian,

We hope you and your family had a great summer. We are excited to start this school year by strengthening your child’s 4 C’s of 21st Century skills: collaboration, communication, creativity (and innovation), and critical thinking. We are committed to empowering our students to build their leadership skills in the classroom and beyond.

All too often, teachers tend to dictate to students a very narrow curriculum with little opportunity to make choices about what is interesting or relevant to them, all the while expecting them to be invested in their own education. We tend to pit students against one another with our grading systems, even though we know the importance of them learning to function collaboratively. We want them to learn to manage their own behavior, yet we use external threats to keep them in line. If the real world needs people to be skilled at collaboration and self-reliance, then we’d best not educate our students in an autocracy.

Students learn collaboration skills by…collaborating. They learn to innovate by working on problems that do not have paint-by-number solutions. Students who will fare best in the global community are likely to be those who see themselves as responsible for their own destiny and take initiative. But many of our students will not acquire those skills unless they are explicitly taught in an experiential environment--the democratic classroom. This is the type of classroom we are looking to build with your student. For example, we are going to be holding weekly class meetings to teach the students how to solve problems and build a positive learning community. Each student will contribute to the community by doing a class job. We will be eliciting input from the students on how best to build a positive learning environment for all. In addition, we will use group grades to eliminate competition & social comparison; and to increase student collaboration & peer accountability. In my class this year, we will be stepping back from a model that relies on simply pouring information into your child. Instead, we’ll work with our students to explore and develop curriculum through curiosity and questioning. Rather than being in charge of classroom discipline, we’ll use natural and logical consequences to shape students’ ability to manage their own behavior and hold each other accountable.

Some parents are initially skeptical about the feasibility of stepping out of the discipline role, and become concerned about the time allotted for ‘class meetings’. However, once the concept is consistently implemented, they inevitably report that their students actually spend more time engaged in learning because behavioral disruption is so markedly reduced. Students are also apt to initially resist some elements of the democratic classroom, especially if they prefer a passive approach to ‘learning’. They typically resist the idea of ‘group grades’ because of a perception that it unjustly punishes active learners and rewards ‘slackers’. As the classroom evolves, however, students find ways of motivating one another and confronting inequities in effort—much as they would be required to do as effective managers and colleagues. As students learn about our global interdependence with regard to resources and the environment, they are experiencing their own ‘interdependency’ on one other. Along the way, they learn ‘active listening’ skills and ways of interacting that encourage solid working relationships and creative exploration.

A recent article in The Harvard Business Review noted, “If the U.S. is going to remain competitive in an increasingly global business environment, we need a future workforce that’s prepared. But the reality is that the youth who will be tomorrow’s innovators, educators, politicians, and business professionals aren’t ready to meet such competitive expectations — not so much because they’re untrained, but because they’re unequipped emotionally. To be competitive in the future, business leaders need to do something about this today”. Underscoring this issue, a job site survey found that employers prioritized emotional intelligence over IQ both in hiring and promoting. When employers listed the traits they were looking for, in order of importance they were:

• Admitting and learning from mistakes

• Keeping emotions in check and have thoughtful discussions on tough issues

• Listening as much or more than they talk

• Taking criticism well

• Showing grace under pressure

Our job as both teachers and parents is to approximate the real world to our kids as we help them acquire information about how that world functions. If the real world needs them to be skilled at collaboration and self-reliance, then we’d best not educate them in an autocracy. Students learn collaboration skills by…collaborating. They learn to innovate by working on problems that do not have paint-by-number solutions. You can help support me this year by being supportive of this democratic system and showing patience in the process. What we are integrating is very difficult, but will pay off for your child and their classroom peers.

Thank you for allowing me to work with your child to help them become a global citizen, and share their gifts with the world!

Sincerely,

Dema Hamilton (& Jen Pawelski)

1. Please read the attached letter above detailing the classroom model we will be using this year.

2. Please call or email instructors with any questions or concerns you may have about your student’s performance/growth in our class. Your initiation of this communication is very helpful in ensuring an ongoing dialog about your student’s science experience throughout the school year.

3. Please encourage your student to communicate with instructors directly if they have any concerns. If for some reason their issue remains unsettled, please help advocate for your child by contacting instructors directly.

4. While we encourage parents/guardians to let their students take more responsibility and ownership in their academic experience, it is important for parents/guardians to check the Home Access Center once a week to stay current on their student’s progress. This is the best route to ensure your child is best supported throughout the year and is not in danger of failing the quarter or semester.

5. Encourage your student to attend support opportunities outside of class either before school, during school, after school, or on select Mondays. There are several student supports available.

The ChromeZone is open from 10AM until 3:30PM each day and can assist you with your Chromebook. Between June 4th and July 15th, staff will be present in the ChromeZone and can make arrangements for loaners, repairs, and hotspots. Tech Support arrangements will be through Entrance #2. Please wait until you have email confirmation before coming to the school.

You can reach the ChromeZone by calling us at 847 424-7357 or via email at chromesupport@eths202.org.