This put up was initially created and posted on the web site TeacherCast Instructional Community. The one place to learn this as the unique content material is https://www.TeacherCast.internet.
Have you ever ever considered what you’d do if you happen to oversaw your very personal elementary faculty? For Benita Grant, her dream got here true six years in the past when she turned the Principal of Fickett Elementary College, a Okay-5 elementary faculty within the Atlanta Public College District positioned in Southwest Atlanta.
In keeping with USNews.com, Fickett Elementary College encompasses a employees/scholar ratio of 12:1 and is ranked #25 in Atlanta Public Faculties.
Whereas attending the Microsoft Training Change in October of 2022, a bunch of Microsoft Progressive Educator Specialists had the chance to tour the varsity and work hand in hand with the employees of Fickett Elementary.
Throughout our constructing tour, I had the chance to talk with Principal Grant concerning the applications which are supplied, and my thoughts was completely blown.
Since taking the helm at Fickett, the varsity has earned a status of educational excellence via the arduous work of its college students, academics, employees, and group. When trying on the manner the varsity is ready up and the variety of applications that target Fickett is a gold commonplace within the Atlanta Public College District.
The Welcoming Pupil-Pleasant Surroundings
All through the day, regardless of the place within the faculty we walked, it was clear that this was I used to be strolling not into a college, however right into a constructive tradition of studying the place everybody from employees to college students and even its excellent PTA had a hand in envisioning and constructing.
The partitions have been painted with constructive pictures that includes scholar motivating murals.
The bodily schooling house options a big gymnasium with a digital projector display screen that provides college students with the chance to focus not solely on their bodily abilities however their core topic areas as effectively.
Within the photograph under, we see college students tossing a ball at a digital gamepad which required them to not solely entry their bodily pondering abilities but additionally their analytical abilities. In one other photograph under, we see college students making an attempt to unravel a math drawback and answering it by tossing the ball on the right reply.
All through the tour, Principal Grant shared with me that her faculty was particularly designed for all college students and for all members of her group.
Inclusion and Group round Each Nook
One of many items of expertise that was proven was referred to as Lively Ground. This can be a projector-based system hung from the ceiling that appears like one thing you may discover at Dave and Busters the place college students can work together with quite a lot of video games by stepping on projected pictures on the ground.
In keeping with Principal Grant, college students can use the Lively Ground as what she referred to as “Mind Breaks.”
Mind Breaks are when college students have to take a fast break from the day and recharge themselves. “College students must be lively, and this offers them the chance to take action,” she stated.
Recreation-based studying apart, the Lively Ground exercise isn’t solely used for when college students need to get away from class for a couple of minutes. The software program is designed for college kids not solely to play video games however to create video games that they will then share with their friends to additionally work together with.
Fickett faculty options not only one, however three Lively Flooring, one particularly designed with actions for Particular Training (primarily college students with Autism) that provide a barely completely different graphic bundle in addition to an Lively Ground designed for Social and Emotional Studying actions.
Along with the expertise discovered within the faculty, there may be one other particular place discovered throughout the partitions of Fickett that’s designed to assist the scholars study from, are likely to, and provides again to their group.
The Group Backyard
Positioned in an internal courtyard lies a vegetable backyard that’s really a group expertise. Within the backyard, college students study planting seeds, and rising their very own meals, after which they share that meals with those that want it locally.
The Recreation Room.
One of the crucial spectacular studying areas at Fickett Elementary College was the Recreation Room. The Recreation Room is used as an incentive house for college kids who earn factors all through the week. (Suppose Hogwarts)
Within the Recreation Room, college students are immersed in a lot of thrilling actions together with cooperative basketball, air hockey, a LEGO wall, GIANT Join 4, Digital Actuality and a lot extra.
Connecting with College students within the Classroom.
The place it was extraordinarily enjoyable to work together with the varsity constructing itself and have the chance to check out basketball, video video games, and digital projection expertise, one of the best a part of the day no doubt was when the Microsoft Progressive Educators got the chance to help academics within the classroom by studying a ebook to college students of their lecture rooms.
I had the chance to affix a second-grade class and skim them the ebook Carmela Stuffed with Needs. The ebook is about just a little woman who goes on a visit together with her brother on her birthday.
After the scholars and I completed the ebook, the magic within the classroom occurred. With the assistance of the scholar’s homeroom trainer and their Particular Training trainer, college students opened their Chromebooks and launched Nearpod the place they have been requested to recall their information of what they remembered concerning the ebook by drawing a picture from the start, center, and finish with a really informational dialog about how they every recalled the story.
Fickett Elementary College is a Great Place to Be taught
From the second that I walked into Fickett Elementary College to the second that the bus pulled away, I couldn’t assist however turn out to be part of the tradition and constructive power that was pouring out of each scholar, each employees member, and each hallway.
A Tour of Fickett Elementary College by Jeffrey Bradbury
Because of the demanding work and dedication from Principal Grant, her employees, and the PTA, the scholars at Fickett Elementary College have a good looking and interesting studying setting.
Thank You, Fickett!
After the session was over and all of the Microsoft Progressive Educator Specialists jumped on the bus, every of us was beaming with pleasure from our experiences. It was a improbable alternative to have the chance to fulfill with wonderful college students supported by excellent academics, led by a dynamic and incomparable principal in Benita Grant.
Thanks, Fickett, for permitting us to come back into your faculty, and Thank You Microsoft Training for organising this wonderful studying expertise.
This put up was initially created and posted on the web site TeacherCast Instructional Community. The one place to learn this as the unique content material is https://www.TeacherCast.internet.