Dear KWoods families,
We hope this letter finds you well! We are living through a difficult situation that affects us all. Normalcy has been taken away from us and we are left with trying to make the best of it.
Over the last couple of weeks, we have been asked why we've chosen the format for distance learning that we have. We thought it would be important to let you in on our thought process. We are partners in this endeavor, which is getting our kids ready for their next steps, so we need to work together.
When Governor Whitmer closed schools in March, we already had a good idea this situation would extend to the end of the school year. Adopting that insight gave us a head start on planning and implementing what many schools are now just starting to implement.
In considering our plan, we must consider compliance as well as who we are as a school. Schools are funded by the state and the ability to continue receiving state funding to continue paying teachers and other costs through this time depends on presenting a Continuity of Learning Plan (CLP) to the Michigan Department of Education (MDE). This plan asks us to share and prove how we will continue to teach our students and allowing them to learn in a meaningful way. Traditional schools are providing that plan straight to the MDE, while charter schools' plans, like Kensington Woods must pass through additional scrutiny by our authorizer, Central Michigan University, before it is accepted by the MDE. We are happy to say we have completed that process and our plan has passed all of the state’s requirements!
In devising the plan, we had to consider who we are as a school and what we value. Two of the things that we value the most is our students and meeting their needs as well as preparing our students for the next steps in their academic career and life.This created answers that our unique to Kensington Woods, therefore making our CLP unique to us.
At Kensington Woods, when we design curriculum for a course, we consider what skills and knowledge the student needs to leave the course with to be successful at the next level (which could be the next course, grade level or life step). We then design the curriculum with that end in mind, making sure it is designed in such a way that students leave the course with the skills and knowledge needed for future success.
Online learning in this situation is difficult. Not only is the format new territory, but students lives at home are not normal by any means. Teachers are having to take everything they wanted to teach students in a normal situation and cut it in half. Then cut it in half again. Then cut it one more time. That is what students will be able to cover in this time. Then teachers have to find a different way to deliver it so that it will resonate with students through this online format and allow them to actually retain the knowledge and still focus on continuing to develop relationships that we know are so important for student success, especially in this time of uncertainty.
So, how do you get kids ready for next school year? By focusing only on the important elements, while still trying to disguise as much as possible as fun as well as focusing on relationships. That is not an easy task, but our teachers have been doing a great job and students have been doing a great job rising to the challenge!
Another question we have been asked is why should students participate and work with what our teachers are putting in front of them? And the answer is so that they will be better prepared for next school year and their future. Otherwise, next year and future years will be all the more difficult. We understand there may be issues with technology and different home situations and our teachers will work with you and your students to overcome those difficulties and find solutions.
Please keep in mind, this situation is an incredible mindshift for your student. Six weeks ago, your child spent 30 hours a week in a classroom and maybe 5-15 hours a week on homework. Since all of the learning is now located at home, your student may feel they are doing 3 times as much homework than before! Please know, however, that in reality all work has been reduced to about a third of what kids usually do at this time.
Thank you for taking the time and reading this. We really appreciate you partnering with us, helping and encouraging the learning to continue. We hope that you and your families will remain in good health, physically, mentally and spiritually.
In partnership with you,
Markus Muennix
Principal
Jessie MacGonigal Pratt
Director of Educational Programming
|
|
Important Reminders and Announcements
Online Meeting Schedules and Weekly Google Classroom Announcements
A reminder that the schedule for online meetings can be found here. That does not mean that teachers will meet during every session, or host office hours during every session. The schedule was arranged so that classes to not overlap meetings.
Teachers will post their official schedule at the start of each week on Google Classroom, along with any Office Hours they are scheduling and an overview of the week. Please refer to this posting in planning for the week.
Board of Education Meeting
The Kensington Woods Board of Education will be holding it’s April board meeting virtually on April 28 at 6:30pm, as allowed by Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s Executive Order 2020-15. Find details on how to join us here.
Monday Meeting with Muennix
Don't forget to tune in at 10am every Monday Morning for Monday Meeting with Mr. Muennix. It will premiere on our YouTube channel at 10am and a few minutes later on our Instagram channel. A link to the YouTube premiere is also sent to your email!
Livingston County United Way Youth Connections Magazine
Normally this magazine is sent home to select grade levels by the Livingston County United Way and offers a wealth of resources. However, please find the digital copy here:
Spring 2020 Youth Connections Magazine
KWoods Virtual Movie Night
Our first Virtual Movie Night, showing Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark was a big success! Stay tuned for more activities like Game Night, Virtual Scavenger Hunts and more!
Yearbooks
There are a limited number of yearbooks still available for purchase - first come, first serve! Please order online at www.kwoods.org/schoolstore or email Mrs. Pratt at jpratt@kwoods.org to commit to purchasing one.
|
|
Wooly Week Recap
By Carla Hoopingarner
I stopped by the school earlier in the week and my heart ached for all of the things we should be doing right now- the election, the senior play, the Civil War reenactment, dances, Project Term. Like many students, this was going to be my first spring at KWoods- my first year experiencing all that the school has to offer. Like many teachers, I looked forward to my students showing off what they’ve learned this year in all of their classes. As a foreign language teacher, I had especially been looking forward to Wooly Week.
Parents who have students in the foreign language classes have (hopefully) heard of Señor Wooly by now. Many of you have heard the songs and seen the videos. For those of you who haven’t, I’m sure you will in the years to come, as your students make their way towards graduation. If you are incredibly eager to see the videos now, some of them are available on YouTube for free, and several songs are on Spotify. I know this because students have created their own playlists of Wooly songs- that’s how much Wooly means to us.
Wooly Week, despite its name, was supposed to happen during the entire month of March, 2020. It was supposed to be a month of songs and activities meant to encourage students to engage with the language, to learn new vocabulary, and, above all else, to experience how fun learning a second language can be. In addition, it was a competition between schools- every activity we completed during Wooly Week was worth raffle tickets. The drawing for prizes was on Sunday, April 19, and I’m sad to say we did not win any of the prizes- I know several students were hoping to meet Señor Wooly himself, as he’s become a beloved celebrity in our classroom.
Although we did not receive physical prizes, I feel like we still won. We completed SO many activities before the school closure, and many students continued to work on the activities in the weeks that followed, earning us tickets right up until the end of March. Out of around 800 tickets possible, we earned over 500! More importantly, I saw students really having fun with the activities, and every student was able to demonstrate that they were learning.
I want to share some of the many, many photos that were taken during the nearly two weeks we were able to do Wooly Week activities in the classroom. Even though Wooly Week was cut short, I still look at it as one of the highlights of the year for my classroom, and I’m glad we had time to do as much as we did.
|
|
Student Artwork featured in Regional Exhibits
Congratulations to Seniors Dylan Humphries and Alysia Gordon on their selection to two regional art shows. The shows were moved online due to the Covid-19 outbreak, but that also means you can visit the shows from the comfort of your own home!
Dylan Humphries - Lansing Art Gallery ASA Show Selection
Exhibit can be seen online at: https://lansingartgallery.org/art-scholarship-alert-exhibition/
Alysia Gordon - Huron Valley Council of the Arts Climate Change Show
Exhibit (with a video from Alysia) can be seen online at: www.huronvalleyarts.org
|
|
|
Real World Concepts, Technology and Creativity in Math!
Students Test Their Luck in the Stock Market!
Students in Mrs. Pollman’s math classes have been testing out their financial skills in The Stock Market Game. The simulation game took place from February 3rd until April 10th. Students start with a virtual cash account of $100,000 and try to design the best-performing portfolio using a live trading simulation. Students use real internet research and news updates, making the game a mirror of the real marketplace. Students trade common stocks and mutual funds from the NYSE and Nasdaq, earn interest on cash balances, pay interest if buying on margin and pay a commission on all trades. Students across the nation participate in this simulation game.
The Coronavirus outbreak made this an interesting time frame to play The Stock Market Game. According to The New York Times, “The stock market has swung wildly in the past weeks as investors have struggled to get a bead on the economic damage the fast spreading coronavirus might cause, as the number of cases continues to rise and companies step up measures to contain them.” Despite the volatility in the market, some Kensington Woods students have been able to make money on their stock portfolios. Junior Levi Thurmond used his analytical skills to consider the impact of the coronavirus on global markets when making his investment decisions which landed him in 1st place out of 1018 teams in the region! At the end of the Stock Market Game, Levi’s portfolio was worth an impressive $169,024.69! Junior Evan Abidin finished in 10th place in the region with a portfolio worth $108, 082.66. Junior Conner Britten finished 36th. As a school, Kensington Woods finished 5th place out of 32 schools in the competition thanks to the financial skills of some of our top players!
Comments from Levi:
“I originally was very loose with my money, knowing that only big plays get you noticed, and there isn’t anything to lose. I WOULD NOT HAVE DONE THIS WITH REAL MONEY, but as it is only imaginary I went for it.”
"As CODX was the only stock that I had seen go up drastically, I put another 4,500 shares in at $4.10. At this point I stopped looking at stocks for a couple days. When I logged in a week later I was in first place, with my total equity being at $146,000! I quickly (after refreshing the page multiple time to make sure it was the right number) went to my transaction notes to see what was making me all of the money. CODX the night prior had climbed to $15.00. The pre market was at $21.00, so I sold as soon as the market opened at $21.00. I made $77,000 off of it."
Highest performing stock- CODX
|
|
Participate in the Art Road Art Capsule
Our friends at Art Road Nonprofit have invited us to become a part of their Covid-19 art capsule. Please see the flyer below for info. If you are interested in donating a piece to be in their art capsule please fill out the google form at the link below. Stay safe and stay healthy 💓
https://forms.gle/zbWfqhr5GqzPrkE49
|
|
KWoods Without Words
See more photos on our social media channels!
Highlights from Virtual Spirit Week!
|
|
|
|
|
|
