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What Is Reach a Student?
Reach a Student is a website established to give students direct communication access to student mentors in various grade levels. Students will be able to reach out to other students and ask any questions they have regarding student and campus life. The site will also stream videos of students sharing their experiences at Windermere Prep as well as activities around campus. Find Out More
Our goal at Reach a Student is to help the students at Windermere as much as possible by providing tips and help from a student's perspective. Answering questions is a great way for students to connect and share with one another, however, the knowledge shared is limited by the questions asked. Blogging allows students to share their thoughts more freely and anyone can provide their peers with whatever information they think would be beneficial.
Since I believe that every student has some kind of insight that could be useful to others at WPS, anyone can contribute their own personal entries to the blog. I can even make your entry anonymous if you choose to. I also believe that the WPS teachers have valuable experience from when they were students (for example, how they faced and overcame an obstacle that a student might be facing today), so I reach out to all WPS faculty and hope you will contribute to our blog.
I remember when the first day the Turning A Page project was introduced to me in 8th grade I was
nervous. I wanted to end middle
school strong and so I decided to do something unique. I wanted to do something that no one
had ever done before, and so I chose the topic of fortunetelling and
mysticism. I recommend to students
who are looking to challenge themselves to choose a topic out of the
norm. By not choosing a hobby or
something that I was familiar with, I learned new things. For example, I learned how to read
fortunes and I studied the culture of gypsies and fortunetellers. I think that choosing a topic that you do not know well adds a completely new meaning to this project.
Many students may believe
that they can start working on the project only a few weeks before their TAP presentation. I think that it is really
beneficial to start working on TAP as soon as you can because it takes a lot of
time to make your presentation the best that it can be. It gives you time to ask the teachers anything that you may feel
concerned about.
Before you start writing
your TAP script, start by writing out an outline. I personally preferred making a list. I numbered the
list from 1-10 and then I wrote the class subject and explained how my
topic could be connected to the subject. It helped to color-code the different class
topics. For example:
1. Edgar
Allen Poe (A Dream Within A Dream): Explained connection #1
2. Edgar Allen Poe (The Raven): Explained connection #2
5. The Giver (Conformity): Explained Connection #5
6. The Giver (Colors): Explained Connection #6
After you make your
outline, you should show each of your teachers the connections for their class
to make sure that they will accept all your connections. Also, it may be helpful when thinking of connections, to refer to Edmodo and look at all of the folders for each
class. For math I went through the
textbook and read the word problems because they can help for inspiration.
While you are thinking of
connections, come up with your visual aids. You can make certain connections by using visual aids. For example, on my topic of fortune
telling, I used items such as candles, a crystal ball, and tarot cards. Visual aids are extremely helpful if you
know how to use them to your advantage. I made numerous connections to what I read on the different tarots cards. For example I had written:
In the picture of the sun tarot card, you see the planets
revolving around the sun. Galileo Galilei, an Italian physicist, astronomer,
engineer, and philosopher, proclaimed that the Earth and the planets in our
solar system revolved around the sun – a controversial idea at the time as the
common belief was that the planets revolved around the Earth. He was also known
for throwing two rocks of different sizes off the Leaning Tower of Pisa to see
if the heavier rock would hit the ground first. To his surprise Galileo
discovered that the rocks, no matter the weight landed on the ground at the
same time. As a result of his findings, Galileo theorized that objects of
different weights and masses would have the same amount of force pushing them
down.
It might be helful when starting to write out
the rough draft of your script, to print out your outline. While you type
different connections into the script, cross them out from the outline. By doing this you are making sure that
you include all of your connections into your presentation. When you are first writing up your
script, don't worry about making your writing perfect, just type an outline of
your presentation just indicating how each connection will be used. Once you finish the outlining, then go
back to finalize and revise it. With your finalized script, it is really important to time
yourself as you read it out loud to make sure that your presentation will fit the 15 minute time
frame. At first, my script was too long by several minutes and it took a long time to shorten my it down.
One VERY important thing
that I learned while making my script is that it is more about making the
connections than going extremely in depth on your actual topic. I struggled a lot with time because I
had long sections where I talked about my topic and very detailed connections. If you are struggling with time like I
did, first simplify the descriptions
of your topic before making big changes to your connections. Remember that you are being graded more on
the connections, than how detailed you were in explain the topic.
In your presentation, be
sure to think of a way to interact with the teachers. Your teachers do not want to hear a 15-minute long speech;
they want to feel as if they are being transported into the setting that you
have created. Think of how you can use the space that you are
given to your greatest advantage. Decorate your
presentation area by making it authentic to your project. For example for my fortune telling
topic, I decided to make a tent with a lot of gypsy fabrics and lanterns. I researched my topic to see how
gypsies decorated their space for fortune telling. I think the visual appearance was one of the biggest contributions that made my project different.
When you are at the final
stage of TAP where you are practicing the presentation, and you find it difficult memorizing the order of your script, it may be helpful to make a
few note cards with generalized bullets that will prompt you to remember what
to say next. Try to
separate your script out into different sections and take some time every day
to memorize each section one by one, this will make memorizing quicker. For memorizing, I found it helpful to read each section over and over again until I could say the written words without looking at the
script.
During my time in middle
school, everything seemed easy. Now there were a couple exceptions like TAP, but
for the most part it was a breeze. I could go home do my homework in an hour
and then watch TV or do something else. I had a lot of free time on my hands.
At the beginning of the 9th grade year, I didn't think that 9th grade could be
much harder than 8th grade. You would not believe how wrong I was. Now, most of
the hard work came from my AP Human Geography class (which required at least 2
hours a night) and I was forced to learn how to manage my time well so I could
have time to do some of my extracurricular activities, and other homework. The
most efficient way to clear up time is to make use of your weekends. This may
seem hard at first because your weekends are your only time off from school,
but to manage an AP class with other activities you must utilize it. Utilizing
the weekend can reduce the workload. You must stay organized during your 9th
grade year or you will fall behind on your assignments. There are a few
different apps that I recommend to get organized as they have helped me in the
past. Using technology was a big help in knowing what is due and when.
iCalendar
Wunderlist
Todoist
Things
Outlook Calendar
Another big difference between school and high school is that
you go from the top of the food chain, to the bottom. In 8th grade you were the
"big man on campus", the apex predator, you had gotten pretty used to the
campus and the teachers knew you very well. In 9th grade you flip sides, you
become the "little man on campus" and are put into a totally different
environment. With all the different teachers and classes, high school can look
overwhelming. But know that by the end of the first semester, you will be used
to it. Another big fear most 9th graders have are the seniors. They are
expected to be big and bad, but they are actually friendlier than you think.
They will assist you in pretty much anything, whether it is directions or
advice for a certain class.
The final difference between 8th and 9th grade is the immense
pressure put on by college. When entering high school, you will have a moment
of realization that now everything matters. Each test, each project, each
choice that you make in high school will affect college. So in May, when you
are looking at your course selection actually look at what classes you choose
because those decisions can come back and haunt you. Make sure to pick classes
right for you, not too hard or too easy but just right. You must put all your
effort into each an every assignment because every grade matters and one grade
can affect your quarterly grade in a positive way or negative way.
Since Reach A Student is all about getting and
sharing insight within school communities, I was hoping to meet the new owners
of our school - Windermere Preparatory School when I was on vacation this
summer in Hong Kong.I honestly did not
know what to expect from my visit to the Nord Anglia Education Head
Office.Ms. Sarah Doyle had arranged for
me to meet and interview the CEO himself, Mr. Andrew Fitzmaurice.
The interview was
scheduled for 11am on a Thursday and our hotel was located in the tallest building
in Hong Kong on Kowloon and their office was on Hong Kong Island so our taxi
went on a short ride through a tunnel that crossed the famous harbor in just a
few minutes. The drive only took a quick
15 minutes to reach St. Georges Building where Nord Anglia Education had the
entire 12th Floor.
After a quick wait in their reception area, Ms.
Doyle came out to greet me and take me to Mr. Fitzmaurice's office. He has a beautiful office with a great view
of the harbor and the Hong Kong Eye (which looks a lot like the Orlando
Eye). Ms. Doyle and Mr. Fitzmaurice were
very kind and Mr. Fitzmaurice shared some nice stories about himself, his
family and Nord Anglia Education.
Ms. Doyle was really kind and presented me with
some literature about some of their programs as well as a boxed gift, which was
very generous of her. They explained
some of the opportunities that Windermere Prep students could now benefit from
– like Global Classroom and the Julliard partnership. It was an amazing experience and I can't
thank Nord Anglia leadership enough for their generosity with their time and
for welcoming a student from 1 of their 41-school family.
If you would like to see some of the photos of my visit to the Nord Anglia Headquarters in Hong Kong, please click the main image and scroll to see more.
While I was in Hong Kong
this summer, I not only had the opportunity to meet some of the people in the
Nord Anglia Education Leadership Team, but I also got to visit one of the Nord
Anglia schools in Hong Kong - The Nord Anglia International School (NAIS) located
in Lam Tin. Hong Kong is a former
British colony and there is a lot of European influence in the city and at
NAIS.
The principle of the
school, Mr. Brian Cooklin generously gave me a tour of the new school, which
just opened this past September (2014).Mr. Cooklin also allowed me to interview him for Reach A Student and
share his insight.Besides the school
tour and interviewing Mr. Cooklin, I was also able to interview a Year 5 teacher,
Mr. Williams, and his student Ava.
This year was the school's
first year operating as a new school, and I must say that it was amazing how
developed they were for a school still just 9 months old.Prior to becoming the campus of the Nord Anglia
International School, the property was previously used as a Catholic Boy's
School and when that school moved out, Nord Anglia was awarded the space to
use.I learned that there was a lot of
construction that needed to be done and everyone worked very hard to get the
school ready in just a few months for new students to begin classes last
September.
The learning environment
is really beautiful and the students and teachers I met were all very nice and
welcoming. NAIS follows a British curriculum
and that might be the biggest difference between the Nord Anglia International
School and Windermere Prep. I spent a
long time looking at a lot of their students work, much of it on display in the
corridors and I can tell you that it is all of very high quality. Mr. Cooklin explained they use Nord Anglia
Education's High Performance Learning techniques and I was very impressed by
their approach.
Another difference that I
really like was how they separate students in the school into 4 houses; Windsor
(red), Sandringham (yellow), Caernarfon (green) and Balmoral (blue).These are the names of grand homes and
castles in the United Kingdom.When
students do something well, they are given a colored token that represents
their house which they deposit in clear cylinder at the front of the
school.The cylinder with the most chips
at the end of the year wins, so there is a lot of team or house spirit.These houses also compete in school
competitions against each other throughout the year.I thought this house system was really unique
and fun.
All their classrooms were
well designed and the school had excellent learning facilities. They had a gymnasium similar to ours at WPS,
an Art room, Computer Lab, A full Science Lab, Library, Music Rooms and so much
more. I saw students doing drama,
playing in their playground where Mrs. Cooklin had painted a beautiful Panda
and so many other things you might see at a school in America, only this wasn't
America, it was all in Hong Kong – a city on the other side of the world from
Windermere Prep. Needless to say, I was
beyond impressed and it makes me happy to know that we are now a part of the
Nord Anglia family of schools.
If you would like to see some of the photos of my tour of the Nord Anglia International School, please click the main image and scroll to see many more.
Besides Global Classroom,
there is also a program that might interest aspiring WPS musicians and it is
called Global Orchestra.This past March
musicians from all the Nord Anglia schools were invited to audition for the
opportunity to be selected to participate in the Global Orchestra summer school
in New York from June 24th to July 1st.This year 34 singers and 46 instrumentalists
were chosen from Nord Anglia schools around the world and spent their week attending
music workshops and participated in practice sessions conducted by music
experts.This is another wonderful
opportunity for Windermere Prep students because we are part of this large
family of schools.
Nord Anglia Education will
be providing Windermere Prep student with access to their program known as The
Global Classroom. This program offers
students the opportunity to connect with other students from the other 40 Nord
Anglia schools spread around the world.
Global Classroom will
allow our students to experience diverse perspectives, new challenging
concepts, topics and ways of learning.They accomplish this by using 3 methods:
An Online Learning Environment
Students can connect with
students in other schools, debate with them and learn new concepts and
ideas. As Mr. Fitzmaurice described, a
student who was studying the effects of pollution on plants in China, could connect
with a student at one of the Nord Anglia schools in China and get a perspective
that you wouldn't find in a book.
In-School Activities
Students are challenged in
competitions to find new solutions to current problems that plague our planet.
Face-to-Face Events
These events bring Nord
Anglia students from across the globe to work on community service projects,
develop leadership skills towards instilling a sense of global citizenship.
I feel strong that
bringing Global Classroom to WPS will allow us to learn and experience new
topics and expand our global view. This
year Global Classroom offered an opportunity to students to travel to Tanzania
in Africa where they could volunteer to help the people there and have other
unique experiences.
As a student, I am really
excited to use The Global Classroom this upcoming year.
The Juilliard School which
was founded in 1905, is a world leader in performing arts education and it is
not surprising that students at our school are really interested in finding out
more about the partnership between Nord Anglia Education and The Juilliard
School.
I think we will see
curriculum changes, which will begin with music but will extend into the other
performing art categories.WPS musicians
will soon be exposed to a "Juilliard-curated repertoire" of music that
represents different genres, styles and cultures.Nord Anglia students are to gain
understanding how music functions and how it fits into the human experience.
Windermere Prep teachers
and students will benefit from being connected to Juilliard's network of
teachers and performers.Also, Juilliard
teaching artists will be sharing their insight with the Nord Anglia teaching
community.The result of all this is so
that students at Nord Anglia schools receive the highest level of performance
art teaching available.
Performing arts is something
that is really important to students at our school and that is why the
partnership between Nord Anglia and The Juilliard School will be a huge benefit
for our school. Clearly, this will help
to enrich our performing arts curriculum as described above. Students will be able to connect with Julliard's
countless performers and teachers. I
think that this can only help inspire students to excel in this field.
If you
are an 8th Grader like me, you probably have a lot of questions about course
selection for next year. One of the most difficult decisions I think I
will be facing as I enter high school, is whether or not I should challenge
myself and take Mr. Zoslow's AP Human Geography class. Over the past
week, Reach A Student mentors have been receiving a lot of questions about this
class and some students suggested we interview Mr. Zoslow. He has been
kind enough to share some of his thoughts and if there is a question you would
like him to answer, please email them to me at sarina@reachastudent.com and I
will be happy to forward them to Mr. Zoslow for review. I will keep
updating this blog post, so be sure to check back often for the latest Q &
A.
When you spoke to the
8th graders
about your class a few weeks ago, you said that there would be 90 minutes of
homework required every day, even on weekends! Students have pointed out that
the workload for the same class in other schools in Central Florida, is not as
rigorous, do you think this is true and if so, why is there a difference?
I
cannot speak for other schools, but these students at WPS in 8th grade can
ask former AP students at WPS with regard to whether the rigor prepared them
not only for their exam in May but also better prepared them to step into IB.The rigor of AP Human Geography should not be seen only within the context of
this one class but also within the context of creating a competitive academic
edge for pursuing the most challenging course work through the WPS IB programs.
Another question asked
by a student was how were they expected to do 2 hours of extracurricular
activities, plus your class homework as well as homework from other rigorous
classes?
Each student should choose a level of challenge that is most
appropriate for them to pursue, some course selections are less rigorous and
should be selected by those who place a higher value on extra curricular
activities. WPS provides a curriculum to suit everyone's desired level of
rigor. Students highly involved in athletics, robotics, theatre and so on have
moved through AP Human Geography with great success because of their desire for
rigor both within and outside of the classroom, as well as aided by a strong
sense of discipline, organization and commitment. Please reach out to students
who have completed AP Human Geography in order to get a peer perspective on the
course.
How can 8th graders
prepare themselves for your class next year, maybe something over the summer?
Please see letter below.
Is the summer reading
the same book that you will be using for your class or is it just a
supplementary resource?
Please see same letter below. However, should any student enrolled for AP Human Geography wish to
have a text for preview over the Summer they are more than welcome.
Besides the summer
reading, do you have any other suggestions that might help students perform
better in your class or to be more efficient in their homework?
How important is note
taking in your class and if so, what are some good note taking tips that you
can give to your students?
It depends on the student...some students require
significant note taking whereas others are better suited to focus on listening
and mental processing skills. Also, participating in class discussion is
critical to higher level thinking and for students to better integrate
themselves with the materials on a richer and more meaningful level.
What are some good
ways for students to study for your exams?
Use the course study tools,
Textbook, Outlines, Essential Daily Questions, Vocabulary, and after school
study sessions, and using these study tools daily to build up the maximum
possible knowledge over time for the exams.
Why do you think
students should take your class?
This course is not about what I think but
about what students think and value...if academic rigor on a college level as a
freshman in high school is a valued challenge then wonderful, if not, then that
is wonderful as well. "Know thyself..."
To go along with my
previous question, what do you think is the core message of your class and what
do you stress most for your students?
Again, this class is not about me but
teaching to an international standard that will be tested on a Global scale in
May...AP Human Geography is about everything there is to know about the world
today, to even attempt mastering this takes significant risk taking, hard work,
and humility -the understanding that there is much to learn in less than 10
months. These qualities also happen to be or are similar to the IB Learner
profile qualities.
Is there anything else you would like students to know?
My door is always open, for those in AP Human Geography, and for those
who pursue other paths, every answer will always lead to another question and
to that end it will be my pleasure to answer in person any questions concerning
any element of the high school experience.
Dear AP Human Geography Students,
I look forward to working with you at WPS as your AP Human Geography teacher. Your suggested
Summer Reading to best prepare you for the course is as follows:
Barron's AP Human Geography, 5th Edition (paperback)
Authors: Meredith Marsh, Ph. D., and Peter S. Alogona, Ph. D.
Publisher: Barron's Educational Series, 2014
ISBN-13: 978-1-4380-0282-8 (unique identification number for text)
This text and edition provides you with an initial diagnostic exam, as well as dividing the course into
sections with exams to test your understanding and retention of material. Additionally, it breaks down
material into simplified units for increased comprehension.
This text cannot guarantee results. However, by reading through the materials your understanding of the
course information will be richer, and the transition into your AP Human Geography course will be
made more seamless.
Should you or your parent(s) have any questions please do not hesitate to e-mail me. I will have only
sporadic access to e-mail over the Summer, and e-mail will be the best manner to communicate with me.
My best wishes to you and your family for a happy and healthy Summer!
I hope everyone has an amazing
New Year! I would like to thank Valentina G., a 12th grade student
mentor on our site, for suggesting blogging which will add a unique aspect to
Reach A Student. This already proves the importantance of peer to peer
help and support.
Our goal at Reach a Student is to
help the students at Windermere as much as possible by providing tips and help
from a student's perspective. Answering questions is a great way for
students to connect and share with one another, however, the knowledge shared
is limited by the questions asked. Blogging allows students to share
their thoughts more freely and anyone can provide their peers with whatever
information they think would be beneficial.
Since I believe that every student
has some kind of insight that could be useful to others at WPS, anyone can
contribute their own personal entries to the blog. I can even make your
entry anonymous if you choose to. I also believe that the WPS teachers
have valuable experience from when they were students (for example, how they
faced and overcame an obstacle that a student might be facing today), so I
reach out to all WPS faculty and hope you will contribute to our blog.
