The 'Art to Go' grant was awarded in the spring of 2011. This grant enables the Caledonia Community School's K-12 Art teachers access to display systems on which they can exhibit their student artwork. These display systems are portable and professional in appearance. They are about 35 inches wide and can be placed close to the wall without jutting out too much. This is ideal for placement in small venues like the bank which doesn't have much floor or wall space. Artwork can be attached with velcro so it is easy to put up and take down the displays as well. They enable the art teachers to properly showcase the high caliber of our district's art department and student art work to our community. Community partnerships play a large role in the success of this project. The reach goes beyond Caledonia to the greater Grand Rapids community represented by the Grand Rapids Art Museum. Caledonia Community Schools was the first public school system the museum had collaborated with to exhibit student artwork in their new facility! Partnerships in our local community include the United Bank in Caledonia and the Subway Shop at Campau Corners. These partners have shown their commitment to the mission to proudly honor the children's artwork through shows at their facilities. The Caledonia Education Foundation grant funded the purchase of four displays allowing the art departments to bring more of their student art to large venues such as the Grand Rapids Art Museum. The company, Ecosystems, supplied the new display systems. The company's president is a Caledonia Community Schools parent. ‘Art to Go’ Being Shared With the Community Caledonia Education Foundation Grant The students are proud to have their artwork chosen to be displayed at places beyond the school they attend. It gives them a sense of pride and accomplishment that others want to see and enjoy their artwork. “It is our hope that the community will now have more access to see our student work.” remarked Deborah Trent, ‘Art to Go’ Program Coordinator. She hopes that she will be able to find other venues willing to exhibit student artwork. If you are interested, please contact her at [email protected]
The Bullycide Project Comes to Caledonia High School - Every year at Caledonia High School, members of SHOCK (Students Helping Others Choose Knowledge) put on diversity week to promote diversity awareness. “Lean On Me”, an antibullying group, came together with SHOCK this year to bring more awareness about bullying. This team effort brought “The Bullycide Project”, a play written and directed by Lori Thompson, a drama teacher at Fenton High School in Flint, Michigan and a cast comprised of a mix of high school and college students to Caledonia. They are an antibullying group whose performance showcases stories of real teenagers who committed suicide after being bullied based on the book Bullycide in America. “The Bullycide Project” has been performed in schools across the country and was featured on CBS’s “48 Hours” this past September. Through a grant from the Caledonia Education Foundation as well as a generous donation from high school Principal, Jim Glazier, Assistant Principal, Jim Crites, and Student Council, “The Bullycide Project” was performed for the entire high school student body as well as for the 7th and 8th graders from both Caledonia middle schools on January 23rd. There was also a public performance that evening to help extend more awareness to the surrounding community. The ultimate goal in hosting them at Caledonia was to bring awareness to the epidemic problem of bullying which kids face everyday within the walls of high schools and middle schools across the country. This was evident at the end of each performance, as director, Lori Thompson had a talk back session where she brought students on stage and asked them a series of bullying related questions. One question remained consistent at each one of the shows where Thompson asked students, “Have you ever been bullied?” The answers to these questions were eye opening. Hearing the stories in their play of these young teens who have taken their lives as a result of bullying was one story, but witnessing fellow classmates confess to having been bullied was another. It made students realize that bullying is a problem that can no longer be ignored. Students also realized that what they thought was “messing around” was not just a playful game, but something that can take a toll on somebody and wear them down. Through “The Bullycide Project” and the two organizations that helped bring them in, the “Be Nice” campaign was also launched through the Mental Health Education Foundation of West Michigan. The message was simple, “Be Nice”. The high school staff and student body wore their shirts on Monday to help kick off the campaign, along with various activities throughout the week which truly helped to bring about the gravity of the effects of bullying. As viewer, Dana Atkinson, summed it up, “It was life changing because it happens so often, and we could relate to it.”
Listening Center Tools Enhance Reading at Paris Ridge, The Barbara Gall for Language Arts grant funded a CD/tape player for each of the 18 classrooms at Paris Ridge Elementary. “It sounded funny to ask for a tape deck, but the fact is that many teachers still have books on tape. We can now access this valuable resource.” commented kindergarten teacher, Molly Carl. Molly successfully submitted this grant to the Caledonia Education Foundation and is now seeing many positive results in the Paris Ridge students. Her goal is to see students develop reading fluency as a result of reading books along with an audio recording. Reading fluency is a positively correlated predictor for the ability to comprehend text. Audio recordings provide students with a model for appropriate phrasing, intonation, expression and pacing. Through activities such as reading along with audio recordings, students are able to improve their tracking ability and fully engage themselves in the excitement and fulfillment of reading. Many teachers will also be using educational songs to enhance curriculum as research indicates the importance of using rhythm, cadence, and poetry in order to build vocabulary, fluency and rhyme awareness. Two desktop microphones were also purchased and are being used in the computer lab. The CD/tape players are being used in combination with headphone sets that the school had previously purchased. The combination has allowed teachers to set up listening centers for up to six students at one time. Students are able to listen to stories read aloud and enjoy books that were previously less accessible in an exciting way. The microphones are used in the computer lab for students, teachers, and parents to record stories and then play them on the CD/tape players. Teachers are working with the technology department to streamline the process of recording student voice work and then burning it to a CD so the student can take it to his classroom and listen to it on the CD/tape player. Students enjoy hearing themselves read and this also allows for improvement. Families of students have become involved in this project as well. Moms, dads, grandmas and grandpas have been able to record books in order for students to be able to listen to them in the classroom. Plans are being made to also have the high school theater department become involved. Theater students will pick a picture book to read aloud and perform. They may even be able to do a showcase of their performances for the elementary students to go and watch. All of this is opening more doors and connecting more students and would likely have never happened if it weren't for the CEF grant. The Young 5’s up to the 2nd grade classes implemented the use of the CD players within days of receiving them. The microphones were put to use allowing parents of kindergarten students to record stories the day they arrived. The Young 5’s and kindergarten classrooms use the CD players to play music that reinforces concepts such as counting, rhyming, rhythm, and thematic songs. The district’s adopted reading program, Treasures, has many CD components that are now accessible for teachers to use. The students are thrilled to listen to stories shared with their friends. They love listening to the stories and have fun trying to figure out who the reader is. They are ecstatic to have their mom, dad, grandma, grandpa, or teacher reading the book to them through the player. The parents are excited to have an opportunity to volunteer in a way that is flexible with their schedule and still allows them to have a great impact in the classroom.
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) Students Using iPads - Kraft Meadows and Duncan Lake Middle Schools Caledonia Community Schools is one of the leaders for Autism programming in the country. The majority of the students with autism have deficits in the areas of speech/ communication, and socialization. The iPad allows for all of these areas to be further developed by engaging the students with an additional learning tool. Through classroom experimentation using an iPad, teachers and staff observed that ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder) students with limited or varied communication skills were interacting dramatically more with their peers. The ASD support staff saw many opportunities for these students to improve and increase their communication, interaction and socialization skills but had only one iPad. Scott Bont and Jennifer Amorose, ASD support staff, applied for grant money from the Caledonia Education Foundation and were awarded funds to purchase five iPads. They have two iPads in the Kraft Meadows Middle School ASD classroom (also one iPad from a different grant), one at the High School for a new ASD student with limited communication, one at Duncan Lake Middle School working with ASD students, and one iPad in the Transition program with a non-verbal student. Amorose exclaimed, “The iPads are amazing and our entire staff feels so fortunate to have them. We are trying to find the best ways to utilize them as they are very overwhelming to us as well.” The staff is just beginning to learn all that can really be done with these iPads. The goal is to have the students bring the iPad to the general education classroom and use it for communication and interactions with peers. They will enable students to complete various assignments and interact with their modified curricula. It will allow for more time in the classroom with their same age peers and for learning from the teachers that are “experts” in their fields. Students are focusing on social interactions, helping to provide better organization without needing constant adult support, and increasing communication and dependence. Bont explains, “We have also begun to develop a group of special education staff that is focusing on continuing to widen our use of the iPad as one of a variety of supports for students.” Staff members learn more about various applications and then share those with each other. Students are currently using them with a variety of applications such as visual schedules, work stations, communication (to order lunch), and social skills (turn taking with games, social modeling apps, etc). For example, one application gives the students picture boards to choose to convey an idea or request. Once the picture is chosen and touched, it then speaks the word giving the student a voice. With the student in the Transition program, staff has seen some increased interactions with peers, and improvement in turn taking. He uses the iPad during a peer to peer interaction time where the peer support students are teaching him new games. The teacher has been using the iPad with other students who are lower functioning and has observed increased interactions, participation and conversations. The iPads are so reinforcing for students that the staff is able to use them as a part of a positive behavioral reward system. In addition, the students are being taught a life skill of using the most recent technology to interact and communicate within their environment and increase their potential within the greater community.
The Bullycide Project Comes to Caledonia High School - Every year at Caledonia High School, members of SHOCK (Students Helping Others Choose Knowledge) put on diversity week to promote diversity awareness. “Lean On Me”, an antibullying group, came together with SHOCK this year to bring more awareness about bullying. This team effort brought “The Bullycide Project”, a play written and directed by Lori Thompson, a drama teacher at Fenton High School in Flint, Michigan and a cast comprised of a mix of high school and college students to Caledonia. They are an antibullying group whose performance showcases stories of real teenagers who committed suicide after being bullied based on the book Bullycide in America. “The Bullycide Project” has been performed in schools across the country and was featured on CBS’s “48 Hours” this past September. Through a grant from the Caledonia Education Foundation as well as a generous donation from high school Principal, Jim Glazier, Assistant Principal, Jim Crites, and Student Council, “The Bullycide Project” was performed for the entire high school student body as well as for the 7th and 8th graders from both Caledonia middle schools on January 23rd. There was also a public performance that evening to help extend more awareness to the surrounding community. The ultimate goal in hosting them at Caledonia was to bring awareness to the epidemic problem of bullying which kids face everyday within the walls of high schools and middle schools across the country. This was evident at the end of each performance, as director, Lori Thompson had a talk back session where she brought students on stage and asked them a series of bullying related questions. One question remained consistent at each one of the shows where Thompson asked students, “Have you ever been bullied?” The answers to these questions were eye opening. Hearing the stories in their play of these young teens who have taken their lives as a result of bullying was one story, but witnessing fellow classmates confess to having been bullied was another. It made students realize that bullying is a problem that can no longer be ignored. Students also realized that what they thought was “messing around” was not just a playful game, but something that can take a toll on somebody and wear them down. Through “The Bullycide Project” and the two organizations that helped bring them in, the “Be Nice” campaign was also launched through the Mental Health Education Foundation of West Michigan. The message was simple, “Be Nice”. The high school staff and student body wore their shirts on Monday to help kick off the campaign, along with various activities throughout the week which truly helped to bring about the gravity of the effects of bullying. As viewer, Dana Atkinson, summed it up, “It was life changing because it happens so often, and we could relate to it.”
Listening Center Tools Enhance Reading at Paris Ridge, The Barbara Gall for Language Arts grant funded a CD/tape player for each of the 18 classrooms at Paris Ridge Elementary. “It sounded funny to ask for a tape deck, but the fact is that many teachers still have books on tape. We can now access this valuable resource.” commented kindergarten teacher, Molly Carl. Molly successfully submitted this grant to the Caledonia Education Foundation and is now seeing many positive results in the Paris Ridge students. Her goal is to see students develop reading fluency as a result of reading books along with an audio recording. Reading fluency is a positively correlated predictor for the ability to comprehend text. Audio recordings provide students with a model for appropriate phrasing, intonation, expression and pacing. Through activities such as reading along with audio recordings, students are able to improve their tracking ability and fully engage themselves in the excitement and fulfillment of reading. Many teachers will also be using educational songs to enhance curriculum as research indicates the importance of using rhythm, cadence, and poetry in order to build vocabulary, fluency and rhyme awareness. Two desktop microphones were also purchased and are being used in the computer lab. The CD/tape players are being used in combination with headphone sets that the school had previously purchased. The combination has allowed teachers to set up listening centers for up to six students at one time. Students are able to listen to stories read aloud and enjoy books that were previously less accessible in an exciting way. The microphones are used in the computer lab for students, teachers, and parents to record stories and then play them on the CD/tape players. Teachers are working with the technology department to streamline the process of recording student voice work and then burning it to a CD so the student can take it to his classroom and listen to it on the CD/tape player. Students enjoy hearing themselves read and this also allows for improvement. Families of students have become involved in this project as well. Moms, dads, grandmas and grandpas have been able to record books in order for students to be able to listen to them in the classroom. Plans are being made to also have the high school theater department become involved. Theater students will pick a picture book to read aloud and perform. They may even be able to do a showcase of their performances for the elementary students to go and watch. All of this is opening more doors and connecting more students and would likely have never happened if it weren't for the CEF grant. The Young 5’s up to the 2nd grade classes implemented the use of the CD players within days of receiving them. The microphones were put to use allowing parents of kindergarten students to record stories the day they arrived. The Young 5’s and kindergarten classrooms use the CD players to play music that reinforces concepts such as counting, rhyming, rhythm, and thematic songs. The district’s adopted reading program, Treasures, has many CD components that are now accessible for teachers to use. The students are thrilled to listen to stories shared with their friends. They love listening to the stories and have fun trying to figure out who the reader is. They are ecstatic to have their mom, dad, grandma, grandpa, or teacher reading the book to them through the player. The parents are excited to have an opportunity to volunteer in a way that is flexible with their schedule and still allows them to have a great impact in the classroom.
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) Students Using iPads - Kraft Meadows and Duncan Lake Middle Schools Caledonia Community Schools is one of the leaders for Autism programming in the country. The majority of the students with autism have deficits in the areas of speech/ communication, and socialization. The iPad allows for all of these areas to be further developed by engaging the students with an additional learning tool. Through classroom experimentation using an iPad, teachers and staff observed that ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder) students with limited or varied communication skills were interacting dramatically more with their peers. The ASD support staff saw many opportunities for these students to improve and increase their communication, interaction and socialization skills but had only one iPad. Scott Bont and Jennifer Amorose, ASD support staff, applied for grant money from the Caledonia Education Foundation and were awarded funds to purchase five iPads. They have two iPads in the Kraft Meadows Middle School ASD classroom (also one iPad from a different grant), one at the High School for a new ASD student with limited communication, one at Duncan Lake Middle School working with ASD students, and one iPad in the Transition program with a non-verbal student. Amorose exclaimed, “The iPads are amazing and our entire staff feels so fortunate to have them. We are trying to find the best ways to utilize them as they are very overwhelming to us as well.” The staff is just beginning to learn all that can really be done with these iPads. The goal is to have the students bring the iPad to the general education classroom and use it for communication and interactions with peers. They will enable students to complete various assignments and interact with their modified curricula. It will allow for more time in the classroom with their same age peers and for learning from the teachers that are “experts” in their fields. Students are focusing on social interactions, helping to provide better organization without needing constant adult support, and increasing communication and dependence. Bont explains, “We have also begun to develop a group of special education staff that is focusing on continuing to widen our use of the iPad as one of a variety of supports for students.” Staff members learn more about various applications and then share those with each other. Students are currently using them with a variety of applications such as visual schedules, work stations, communication (to order lunch), and social skills (turn taking with games, social modeling apps, etc). For example, one application gives the students picture boards to choose to convey an idea or request. Once the picture is chosen and touched, it then speaks the word giving the student a voice. With the student in the Transition program, staff has seen some increased interactions with peers, and improvement in turn taking. He uses the iPad during a peer to peer interaction time where the peer support students are teaching him new games. The teacher has been using the iPad with other students who are lower functioning and has observed increased interactions, participation and conversations. The iPads are so reinforcing for students that the staff is able to use them as a part of a positive behavioral reward system. In addition, the students are being taught a life skill of using the most recent technology to interact and communicate within their environment and increase their potential within the greater community.
