Parent Teacher Magazine Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Nov/Dec 2018 | Page 10

North Star shines on Reading mentors help students progress toward literacy Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools continues its commitment to literacy with the North Star Reading Partners program. This program asks the community, local and regional businesses and other organizations help meet the individual needs of students by mentoring one child for one hour once a week. Recently, more than 300 community volunteers, who signed up to serve in the program, attended a 90-minute orientation. To participate, teaching experience is not required. A full set of district-designed curriculum materials is provided to help volunteers be effective mentors and coaches. During the orientation, there was an overview of the second and third grade lessons and volunteers received a bag including a journal, two read-aloud novels for students, post-it notes, a highlighter and a North Star magnet to get them started. ‘What if’ moments every day Whitewater Middle students get a space to build, invent and design A new innovative learning lab opened Oct. 3 at Whitewater Middle. A result of Verizon’s vision and partnership, it offers students a bright, modern 3,000-square-foot area where they can collaborate, create, communicate, think critically and solve problems — all necessary skills in today’s learning environment. Whitewater is one of six schools in CMS that have been part of Verizon Innovative Learning since 2016. Now, it is one of the first two middle schools in the country to have an innovative learning lab. The project started 18 months ago with the Verizon Foundation’s education program team. The team visited labs and makerspaces at leading universities such as Harvard, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, New York University and the University of Virginia to ensure that the new lab would be of the highest caliber. “Research has shown that maker-centered learning helps students develop ingenuity and flexibility, as well as self-confidence and a sense of community,” said Principal Beth Thompson. “Let’s take virtual reality as an example. We don’t know everything that can be done with that technology yet, but we can teach it and let our students’ minds take us to where it can go. That is the power of having this space. We can have ‘what if’ moments every day.” The lab’s focus is on science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) — a perfect match for Whitewater, which is an environmental STEM-themed school. The lab features such technology 8 • November/December 2018 • Parent Teacher Magazine as augmented reality and virtual reality (AR/VR), coding and circuits, 3D design and sound production. There is also write-on wall paint throughout the space, interactive monitors and two adjoining classrooms. “I love this lab. I’m an artsy type of guy so the 3D printer is cool,” said Jeffrey Hairston Jr., a seventh-grader. “It’s hands-on, so it won’t get boring either.” Seventh-grader Sumayyah Muhammad-Bouaoud and eighth- grader Marco Castillo agree that the virtual reality is one of the biggest hits among students. Sumayyah. “When I’m using the AR/ VR I don’t have to design things on paper. I’m drawing, building and moving my creations in real time to see how they work,” said Eighth-graders Jakob Yang and Antonio Nie sat at a table with a case full of circuits and other materials that could be used for making games, robots, alarms and sensors. They were building and programming a car. Nearby, another set of students were making an alarm. “There was a time when we were one of the lowest-growth schools in the district and many thought we couldn’t improve. In the last four years, we have exceeded growth, proving our students are capable,” said Thompson. “This lab is another resource that gives them an opportunity to explore and experience the endless possibilities that technology provides in and outside of the classroom.”