Lawrence Kids, Fall '18

Lawrence Kids Fall, 2018

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Lawrence Kids Fall, 2018

Season’s Readings Seasonal Essentials - The Jamal Family Listening with Dr. Lewis In the Classroom These Lawrence Kids - Hang 12

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cover photo by Amber Yoshida

www.amberyoshida.com

a project of Four Birds Media info@lawrencekidsmagazine.com (785) 766-5669 Thank you for reading.

Season’s Readings from the

Lawrence Public Library

Picture Books

Wonder and Liar and Spy will love this one.

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to School by Davide Cali First, some giant ants steal breakfast. Then there are the evil ninjas, massive ape, mysterious mole people, giant blob, and countless other daunting (and astonishing) detours along the way to school.

The Misadventures of the Family Fletcher by Dana Alison Levy All of the adopted Fletcher kids are vastly different.

Each brother comes from a different culture and their interests are all over the map. Like a creative recipe, the Fletcher family comes together in a wonderful way to create a loving family who has lots of laughs and adventures. Fans of Beverly Cleary will enjoy reading about this unique family.

If You Ever Want to Bring an Alligator to School, Don’t! by Elise Parsley Note to self: If your teacher tells you to bring something from nature for show-and-tell, she does not want you to bring an alligator! Meet Magnolia, who’s determined to have the best show-and-tell of all.

Fiction There’s a Boy in the Girl’s Bathroom

by Louis Sachar Bradley tells lies, pick fights, and nobody likes him.

Except the new school counselor. Funny!

Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson Jess and Leslie are rivals and friends, meeting in the woods in the summer to play in their enchanted land, until a tragedy occurs. Fairly adult topics while still remaining a great kids’ read.

Wonder by R.J. Palacio August was born with a facial difference and is going to his first day of public school: in fifth grade. How will the kids react? A portrait of one community’s struggle with empathy, compassion, and acceptance.

Absolutely Almost by Lisa Graff Albie isn’t that great at math and he’s not picked first during gym class. He has yet to find that exceptional thing in his life. Then he gets an awesome new babysitter, Calista, who helps Albie see some of the amazing things in the world and himself. Fans of

Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh Harriet is a fearless spy. She knows the quirky behavior of her neighbors through maintaining a route of their windows every day. And she’s ruthless in her observations. Everything is going fine with Harriet until her spy book gets into the wrong hands. What will Harriet learn about herself once people see what she thinks of them?

Graphic Novels Comics Squad: Recess! By Jennifer L. & Matthew Holm & Jarrett J. Krosoczka Ten of the biggest names in comics unite in this graphic novel! Fans of Babymouse,Lunch Lady, Captain Underpants and Smile will all love this funny collection. For readers who are looking for a new series, they’ll be able to test drive a number of authors all at once!

The Dumbest Idea Ever by Jimmy Gownley Jimmy used to be the sports star and the top student in his class. After he finds that comic books aren’t appreciated by his teacher, he starts to lose interest in school and goes through a small identity crisis. Creating comics becomes his new passion in life and we learn how the author got his start. Fans of Smile will enjoy this true story

With Christ as our teacher, the Corpus Christi Catholic Community will prepare students academically, socially, and spiritually to be lifelong learners in a faith-filled environment.

• Kansas Governor’s Achievement Award Recipient

Assessment Math & Reading Test Scores in the top 5% of schools in Kansas

• Individualized Instruction & Project-Based Learning • Average Class Size of 17 / 10-1 Student-to-Teacher Ratio • Alumni Include: National Merit Scholars & Finalists, Perfect ACT Scores, High School & College Valedictorians, Strong Athletic Performers, National Honor Society Presidents • Preschool through 8th Grade

Corpus Christi Catholic School 6001 Bob Billings Parkway • (785)-331-3374 • cccparish.org

Seasonal Essentials After a trying spring and summer, Syed, Angela, Taseen (15), Naheen (13) & Fareed (7) Jamal share their list of Seasonal Essentials...

photos by Amber Yoshida

From the Jamal Family...

1. We really enjoy watching the Chesty Lion and Firebird varsity football, soccer and volleyball games.

2. Visiting the many festivals that are held during the fall season. We especially like the Zombie Walk in Downtown Lawrence.

3. Sharing a meal at one of the many great, diverse local restaurants we have in town.

4. Rooting for the Jayhawks at University of Kansas football and volleyball games.

5. Enjoying the natural beauty of Clinton State Park by walking the trails, boating, fishing, etc.

6. Spending a quiet afternoon at the University of Kansas Natural History Museum or the Spencer Museum of Art.

Listening with Dr. Lewis In his first academic year as the superintendent of USD 497, Dr. Anthony S. Lewis has a novel idea to improve Lawrence schools: Listen. photos by Amber Yoshida

I like to get out and ask questions.

by narrowing our focus on what really matters – teachers and sound data that informs instruction.

I started doing this in Lawrence when I first came for my interview. I had the opportunity to talk to two different parents hours before being interviewed by the Board. I get out in the community, get to know a lot of people, and visit a lot of restaurants. Meeting peopleand hearing their comments makes me truly excited for this opportunity to work with this great school district and community to improve outcomes for all students.

Great teachers build solid relationships with students. They get to know their students so that the content is relevant to the lives of the student in the chair. They constantly seek to improve the art of teaching. They truly understand, and genuinely like their students.

In order for us to improve student outcomes for every single student, it is going to take a collaborative effort. When I look at some of the exciting things happening – Lawrence schools outperform the state in many areas, I also see that there is a lot of work that can be done. We will move forward together.

I’m in classrooms. I see teachers challenging students. I see teachers who make learning fun. Their students are excited to learn; they want to come to school.

I talk to students. Vera says that she learns best when her teachers vary projects and assignments. Ruth says that when a teacher respects her enough to want to get to know her, she, in turn, wants to give that teacher 110 percent. Gabriel tells me that the school PB&J has too much jelly.

I started my career as a special education teacher. Being an advocate for students is my passion. If we are going to impact academics for all students – and all means all, then we have to make sure that all of our students feel connected to school.

I’ve had the opportunity to be a part of teams that worked to turn around some of the lowest-performing schools. We did it

We have an amazing staff to move this district forward.

Samantha Saltz teaches in the first grade at New York Elementary School. She took on the role of school garden coordinator.

She has grown their garden club into the largest in the district, despite New York being one of our smallest schools.

Eric Carroll, a custodian at Liberty Memorial Central Middle School, stepped up to coach the basketball team when the school needed a coach. His time spent mentoring students makes a difference.

Kim Williams is a speech and language pathologist for the ear-

info@lawrencemontessorischool.com lawrencemontessorischool.com (785) 840-9555

“To stimulate life, leaving it free, however, to unfold itself - that is the first duty of the educator.”

- Maria Montessori

Full-day schedule / Year-round school

Individualized education for children Birth to age six Beautiful spacious classrooms and playscape

Nurturing the intellect and spirit of children Call for a tour!

ly childhood program. She works in classrooms and the community offering phenomenal services and support to students and families.

Even though our teachers and staff are in different schools, different buildings, and working in different areas, we are all on the same team. All students. One Team.

I was raised by a single mother, who surrounded me with positive mentors. In the second grade I had a teacher who told me I was smart, and I began to believe it. You never know the positive impact a teacher can make. My second-grade teacher’s name? Miss Lawrence.

Lawrence is a great city from what I have learned and the people I have met so far. I am humbled and excited about continuing and leveraging the work that has already been done in Lawrence.

I invite the community to take a look at my Entry Plan (www. usd497.org/EntryPlan). I update it weekly. MyListening and Learning Tour officially starts in mid-September. Everyone is welcome.

What we learn from feedback from students, parents, teachers and staff, and the community will support the development of a five-year strategic plan. Not my plan. Not the school board or the district’s plan. The Lawrence community’s plan.

Superintendent’s Listening and Learning Tour • October 2, 5:30-7:00 p.m., Lawrence Public Library, 707 Vermont Street • October 16, 5:30-7:00 p.m., First Presbyterian Church, 2415 Clinton Parkway • October 24, 6:00-7:30 p.m., Liberty Memorial Central Middle School, 1400 Massachusetts Street • November 7, 5:00-6:30 p.m., Southwest Middle School, 2511 Inverness Drive A native of Talladega, Alabama, and a graduate of Alabama State University, Dr. Anthony S. Lewis began his career in education as a special education teacher at Jefferson Davis High School, before becoming an assistant principal, and then principal of E.D. Nixon Elementary School.

Recruited to Kansas City, Missouri, as principal of Benjamin Banneker Elementary, he later served as director of elementary education, and then assistant superintendent. He earned his Ph.D. at the University of Missouri at Columbia.

On July 1, 2018, Lewis joined Lawrence Public Schools, the seventh-largest school district in Kansas with nearly 12,000 students served by 1,800 employees.

Dr. Lewis is married to Tiffany and they are the proud parents of six children – two in college (Jasmine 22 and Akirah 21) and four in the home in Lawrence (Anthony II 15, Sierra 15, Kailey 7, and Braxton 5).

In Class with USD 497 A Snapshot of Lessons in Lawrence Schools.

In Kathy Brown’s 1st Grade class at Broken Arrow Elementary, students work together on Reading Street lessons. The pairs are energetic and loud, filling the room with laughter and questions.

Kim Neises’ 2nd Graders at Deerfield Elementary learned about matter and how all matter has properties. After learning what a property is, they compared and contrasted the properties of different objects (pillows).

Amanda Carlson and her 3rd graders at Cordley Elementary were reviewing vocabulary before they began reading the book. They worked on the pre-reading skill of doing a picture walk through the book.

“We meet in our HAWKS group where a student from each grade is connected to another caring adult in the building. Each time we meet we have a lesson created by teachers that is centered around social/emotional learning. Our word of the week in the building was Unique. Pressing our fingerprints into the playdough let us explore our unique finger prints and how we each are special and valued in various ways. I had students from kindergarten, 1st grade, 2nd grade, two from 3rd grade, one from 4th, and two from 5th. They stay with the teacher each year they are at Woodlawn as a small family!� - Brandon Daley, Woodlawn Elementary

Twilla Smith’s class at West Junior High has been reading the novel “Peak” by Roland Smith. They have been studying similes and metaphors, topic sentences and writing complete paragraphs.

Students worked with a partner on assignments based on the novel and the curriculum, which are posted in Google classroom.

These

Lawrence Kids...

HANG 12

An ambitious group of Lawrence students are building a business - and their art folders - one gallery at a time. photos by Amber Yoshida

If you’re an ambitious young athlete in Lawrence, the opportunities are nearly endless. Travel teams, weekend tournaments, private coaching are all available. But what about young artists? Other than conversations in an art class and the occasional school art show, how do aspiring artists – or those interested in working in the art industry – show their work or learn about the work behind a gallery show?

Enter Hang 12, a curatorial board of high school students in Lawrence that create monthly gallery shows for Final Friday exhibitions.

“I can’t tell you how proud I am of these kids and this program,” says Neal Barbour, Director of Youth Education at the Lawrence Arts Center and Hang 12 administrator. “These kids are creating, marketing, installing and monitoring a gallery show of completely new work every month. That’s more than a lot of professionals can accomplish.”

The idea of Hang 12 is pretty simple: have Lawrence students interested in art handle all the aspects of curating a gallery art show (well, 12 gallery shows).

Each of the 16 students in Hang 12 work in one of eight fields ranging from marketing and graphic design to display and development. The students work hourly shifts and are paid for their time.

“We are 4 years into this and I think everyone is very proud of the success,” Barbour says. “And that is completely because of the students.”

The program has steadily grown since 2014, in large part to a significant grant from the State Farm Youth Advisory Board and Barbour’s guidance.

“Our financials are stable,” Barbour explains. “But it’s such a poignant lesson to sit down with the students, show them the balance sheet and watch them work through a budget and funding and discuss ideas for development. It’s a concrete lesson in the realities of the arts. They understand that ideas are free, but execution isn’t.”

The idea of Hang 12 has been embraced by Lawrence students. What began as 3 students is now 16, and nearly 40 students apply each year. The selection process is, of course, also handled by the students.

Wesley Schmoe, a junior at Lawrence High, has been involved with Hang 12 for two years and handles social media.

“Hang 12 has improved my abilities to collaborate with other creative individuals,” he says. “Which has really helped me as an artist grow. It’s taught me that you won’t always get your way since you are working with other individuals. In general just accepting that you may have to make compromises can be frustrating but overall, it can add a new perspective I wouldn’t have thought of on my own.”

Barbour echoes Schmoe’s thoughts.

“I think a lot of young artist have the idea that working in the industry is a solitary path. Being involved with Hang 12 teaches them that, though the art is often created in solitude, the rest of the work very much involves compromise and conversation.”

Wil Myslivy, a Free State freshman explains that art isn’t always about paints and colors.

“My job in Hang12 is to direct the installation of the shows,” he said. “I measure the wall, I do all the math, and I hang the pieces. I also do all the planning in advance for how to hang the pieces, I keep inventory of the storage room and keep it organized, and I frame the pieces.”

The end goal of Hang 12 is pretty simple, Barbour says.

“We want these students to learn about the art industry and make informed decisions about their future.”

For Lawrence High junior Liam Sheely, working with Hang 12 has been very informative.

“My involvement with Hang12 has definitely increased my desire to pursue a career in the arts,” he says. “I’ve always been interested in working in the arts, but Hang12 helped me to realize that it could be a reality. This collaboration, whether it be with coworkers or with professional artists, has been truly valuable to me.”

LK