S pri ng/Summe r 2 014
CONNECTIONS
G R OV E S
FEATURES from 3 n Introduction Head of School, John Alexander
4 n Focus on Depth: Singapore Math at Groves: 6 n Theater Bringing Characters to Life
8 n Creating Art: Superior Learners Congratulations, Groves Academy Class of 2014! See more on page 14
of an Educator: 10 n Autobiography Dean of Students, Colin Roney
12 n Gala Recap 2014 14 n Congrats Graduates 15 n Groves Calendar
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CONNECTIONS Welcome to summer at Groves Head of School John Alexander Editor Laura Tueting Nelson Designer Kel Miller Photographer Jerry Nelson Writers John Alexander, Head of School Colin Roney, Dean of Students Online Edition grovesacademy.org/connections
As I write to you, Summer School is just beginning at Groves. We look forward to welcoming 180 students this summer. This time of year we also look back, applauding the success of our graduates. This year marks 10 years with a 100% graduation rate. We also celebrate the success of the students who transitioned from Groves to their schools of choice, armed with the learning skills they need to succeed. I thank the students, teachers, staff and families for their hard work and support through this school year. I also want to thank the Board of Trustees for their leadership, and all the volunteers, sponsors and donors who make it possible for us to move forward, reaching out to more people with needed services each year. And now onto summer learning.
John Alexander Head of School
Printing Greenhaven Printing Connections is published twice a year by Groves Academy. Send correspondence to the editor at nelsonl@grovesacademy.org. For address corrections, contact us at 952.920.6377.
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FOCUS ON DEPTH
Singapore Math
W
e are committed to becoming as good at teaching math at Groves as we are at teaching reading.
Groves Academy has long been noted for its high quality literacy program that features a framework with four distinct pillars including: quality core instruction, data-based decision making, a response to intervention (RTI) model, and time for professional collaboration to discuss individual students’ progress. Using this framework with highly-skilled teachers employing the Wilson Reading System, Groves students make excellent progress in both their reading fluency and reading comprehension. Unfortunately, scientific research in math instruction is not as comprehensive or as deep as research in reading. As a nation, we are not very effective in delivering either reading or math instruction. For the last 18 months, a math focus group comprised of both math teachers and administrators met to research best practices in math and to provide a recommendation for math instruction going forward. Every second Wednesday at 7:30 am for almost an hour, we read articles, and explored online math programs. We spoke with leading math thinkers, attended an all-day Saturday workshop, and asked questions of math teachers and administrators in other public and independent schools. At the end of our investigation, we concluded that a major problem with math instruction in this country, and in the West in general, is that the curriculum is a mile wide and an inch deep. In the United States concepts and skills are quickly introduced and practiced with the intent of cycling back to better learn previously introduced concepts in the future. This shallow learning approach is exactly opposite of how we teach students to read at Groves. In teaching students to become fluent readers, we spend as much time as it takes for a student to be able to apply a skill or concept with automaticity. Our reading curriculum is a foot wide and a mile deep, so it makes sense that we take a similar approach in teaching math. During our eighteen-month math-discovery journey, we came upon Dr. Hung-Hsi Wu, a professor of mathematics at the
University of California, Berkeley. Dr. Wu confirmed that as a nation we are taking the wrong approach (the mile wide, inch deep approach) in teaching mathematics. He urged us to dive deeply into a concept or a skill and teach it until the students both have a solid understanding of the concept and can apply the associated skill(s) with high accuracy. When asked what curriculum best embodies this approach, Wu replied the Singapore Math curriculum. In a typical United States math curriculum for first through eighth grades, 137 concepts can be presented in a given year. In the Singapore Math curriculum, for the same grades in a given year, about 24 concepts are taught. This portrays the difference in approaches. Singapore Math did not begin as a curriculum. It began in the 1980s as an approach to the teaching of mathematics in Singapore. Teaching is a highly valued profession there, and only one university in Singapore grants teaching licenses. Singapore Math was developed at this university and, over time, a curriculum was developed. All teachers in Singapore have been immersed in both the approach and the curriculum. In 20 years, Singapore moved from the middle of the pack internationally in math performance to the very top, and it has remained in the top five in the world for the past ten years. Math experts attribute this to both the Singapore Math curriculum, and to the consistent approach Singapore teachers take in employing the curriculum. We plan to emulate this approach at Groves. We are so serious about using this approach, initially for our lower school and half of our middle school, that we have contracted with a Singapore Math consultant, Cassy Turner, to deliver professional development to our teachers and staff over the next three years. All lower school and middle school math teachers, and many administrators, will be involved in this professional development. We have identified a lower and middle school Singapore coach who will each receive even more training. Our goal is to have a self-sustaining math program of the highest quality within three years. We hope our students’ math testing scores will mirror our reading scores within that time period.
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Bringing Characters to Life
THEATER AT GROVES
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pper School students performed I Hate Shakespeare in the new theater space this spring. Nine students took acting roles, supported by five students in the crew. Rehearsing for six weeks with theater director Simon McAllister, the students gave three performances to cheering crowds. The play was selected to give students challenging roles, but also to be versatile, to provide some flexibility to meet student needs and skills. The fall play was Cinderella (see photos). Fourteen students acted in that play. McAllister introduced theater to Groves Academy about seven years ago. He trained at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama in Glasgow, Scotland. After touring as an actor internationally, he became an agent for actors before approaching John Alexander about starting a theater program at Groves. McAllister teaches two theater classes for ninth and tenth graders, and leads the Theater Club, directing two plays each year. “Theater gives students the opportunity to express themselves, to practice skills and present publicly,” says McAllister. “What really helps them is the fact that there are no extensions or do-overs. They have to perform at a specific time,” he adds. Students have to focus, read and comprehend the scripts, take words and bring them to life. “It a tough thing,” says McAllister. “I don’t give them any accommodations. They do all the work.” Students gain confidence through performing. Many surprise themselves, particularly those who come to Groves thinking they are not good enough, not smart enough. Students get a chance to participate--
something that may not have been possible at a larger high school. Students enjoy the social aspect, being part of the company. They also enjoy the applause. “That’s what every actor lives for,” says McAllister, “Without the applause there is no play.” There is solid team commitment to each production.
“Personality is a large part of casting,” says McAllister, “and students need to find the character within themselves as well.” Some students learn the entire play by rote, while others get a sense of the scenes and do some adlibbing. They all feel part of creating a place and time to be shared with an audience. We wish them all continued success and good luck. “Break a leg!”
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CREATING ART
he Groves art staff challenges and entices students to explore their creativity. “Learners can take risks in art. They can safely explore new territory and use their talents to develop skills that can help express ideas. Art can also open the way to careers,” says Kate Mich, Groves art teacher.
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Studies at The Yale Center for Dyslexia and Creativity observe, “Given that dyslexia is universally referred to as a ‘learning disability,’ our visual arts experiment [result] is especially remarkable: in some situations, it turns out, those with dyslexia are actually the superior learners.” Students facing challenges with traditional learning methods may discover the ability to excel in the arts, releasing new talents. According to Annie Murphy Paul in her book Origins, dyslexia research has taken a surprising turn: identifying the ways in which people with dyslexia have skills that are superior to those of typical readers.
The latest findings on dyslexia are leading to a new way of looking at the condition: not just as an impediment, but as an advantage, especially in certain artistic and scientific fields. Although people with dyslexia are found in every profession, including law, medicine and science, observers have long noted that they populate fields like art and design in unusually high numbers. The list of famous artists believed to have been dyslexic includes Leonardo da Vinci, Pablo Picasso, Jackson Pollock, Chuck Close, Auguste Rodin, Andy Warhol and Robert Rauschenberg.
Groves art teachers Kate Mich (pictured at right) and Becca Hanson introduce students to the full range of visual arts. Students paint, sculpt, print and design. Groves has eight pottery wheels and a kiln, enabling students to explore ceramics hands-on. The curriculum also provides art appreciation experiences introducing students to artists and works of art.
Superior Learners
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AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF AN EDUCATOR 10
L
et me tell you a story about a boy named Colin in the third grade. Colin was a very unhappy kid, because he had to go to school each day, which for him seemed like jail. He was made to sit in a class of 30 kids and watch as they learned, and he did not. Colin would just sit there with no clue about what was going on. Thank goodness he was physically the biggest student in class, because kids tended not to pick on him for that reason. None the less, he knew he was different, and he was felt very misunderstood. He was in the “blue bird” reading group. Everyone knew the blue birds were the worst readers, and he could almost be categorized as a non-reader. To make it worse, the blue birds were pulled out of class to go to the reading van, where Colin sat at a table with four other kids and still had no idea what was going on. So Colin began to believe himself to be the dumbest of the stupid kids, or at least that was how he felt.
Kindergarten, 1st, 2nd grade and physical education teachers sort of tried to help but they basically gave up. Those years were awful! By third grade, I needed to hide each day. As you can imagine, I spent a lot of time in the nurse’s office. I remember staring out the window wondering how I would ever amount to anything. A child should never have to feel this way. A child should never have to feel hopeless like I did. So later in life, I decided, I would make it my career to make sure other kids never felt the way I did. Then life changed. That next year, even though Colin was resistant to go, because of all the normal social pressures, Colin (me) changed to The Hillside School. The Hillside School in Allentown, Pennsylvania is a lot like Groves. Going there changed my hopelessness to possibility. Slowly I began to realize that I was smart. I began to believe that my self-worth wasn’t tied to my learning challenges, but that I was golden just the
way I was. Reading and writing were just something I needed to work on and Hillside was happy to help close that gap, teaching what I needed to know in order to learn. Miraculously, I didn’t need to go to the nurse’s office everyday (it was a miracle) and miraculously, I began to love to learn.
I began to believe that I had a shot at being successful, in anything I put my mind to. Fast forward... I finished middle school on the honor roll. I got a 100 on my report card that year in math, by the way. No student had ever gotten that. I went to Central Catholic High School, which was my biggest goal growing up. I got to play football, basketball and tennis. I got to have the high school experience I always dreamed of. I took classes like physics, Spanish 3 (which was impossible) and precalculus. From Central, I went to Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, PA and boy, that was a good time. I got to have the best college experience I could ever dream of. I made some of the best friends in my life. I was the president of my fraternity, I got to row varsity crew, I was Homecoming King. I got to travel to Europe (for credit) and do some of my student teaching in northern England. I then graduated with a double major in Elementary and Special Education in 4 years. Right away, I was granted a graduate position in the School of Education (who would have thought that I would get such a job – they paid for school and they paid me too. That was crazy). Within the year, I received my Master’s Degree in Instructional Technology with a 4.0 GPA.
We are happy to introduce our new
Dean of Students, Colin Roney Colin has been a teacher at Groves since 2008. He has two children named Cole & Crosby with his wife, Clare.
From there I did a year in the Jesuit Volunteer Corps (which is affiliated with AmeriCorps), then taught special education for the San Diego Unified School District, and then moved to Minnesota. I still can’t believe I ended up in the coldest place on the planet. I was hired as the Special Education Technology Specialist for Minnesota’s third largest school district for three years. I moved to Paraguay to be the lead special education teacher at the American School of Asuncion; an incredible experience. Returning to Minnesota in 2007, I have taught and worked to become the Groves Dean of Students in 2013. I am working on a second Master’s Degree in Educational Administration at St. Mary University, and this time next year I will have my Principal Licensure. I plan to obtain my Director of Special Education and Superintendent Licensures as well as my PhD in the years to follow. I was able to reach my dreams and I owe it all to my parents and the teachers at Hillside. A parent once said this to me about Groves, “When your child is born you don’t dream of sending them to a ‘special’ school. But if they need it, you have never been more grateful in your life that a place like Groves exists.” I am so grateful that a few dedicated people got together to create such a magnificent school of hope, of love, of joy and of opportunity. I work every day to ensure that the students under my watch can reach their dreams. This text was taken from Colin Roney’s speech at the Hillside School graduation ceremony in 2014.
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GALA RECAP
The 37th Annual Groves Scholarship Gala
Thank you for helping us ‘Dream Big’ at our 37th Annual Groves Scholarship Gala! We raised nearly $575,000 to support scholarships at Groves, and we couldn’t have done it without our wonderful parents and volunteers! Thank you for everything you did to help make this year’s gala one of the best yet! Top: Some of our fashionable guests Left: Emerson Ave, the upbeat band that rocked all night.
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Page 13: Top left photo is of Jearlyn Steele, our electric emcee. Top right photo is of our fabulous keynote speaker, Cinthia Coletti/Haan
Volunteers, supporters, donors and staff danced the night away
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CONGRATS GRADUATES
“Year after year, Groves Academy’s seniors not only earn their diploma but they go on to college and careers,” said Head of School John Alexander. “This is after they’ve overcome many doubts, challenges and misperceptions in their early school years.”
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C A L E N DA R SUMMER 2014
JULY
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n Independence Day, No Summer School
AUGUST
4 n Keys to Literacy: Key Comprehension Routine, 3-day course 11 n Wilson Reading System速 Introductory Workshop, 3-day course 11 n Singapore Math Teacher Training, 3-day course 26 n First Day of School! 27 n New Parent Orientation SEPTEMBER
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n Back-to-School Event n Homecoming Week Begins
For more information, please visit grovesacademy.org
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3200 Highway 100 South St. Louis Park, MN 55416
g rove sa ca de my.o rg
Registration now open: Keys to Literacy: The Key Comprehension Routine 3-Day workshop presented by Ellen Engstrom, M.A., Groves Director of Education Monday, August 4, 2014 - Wednesday, August 6, 2014 Groves Academy Wilson Reading System速 Introductory Workshop 3-Day workshop presented by Ellen Engstrom, M.A., Groves Director of Education Monday, August 11, 2014 - Wednesday, August 13, 2014 Groves Academy