Head of School's Message: May 22

During the evening several people mentioned that their children had been more insistent than usual that mom and dad needed to come to school. Much like ARTWORKS, STEAM night is an opportunity for everyone to see the work of all nine grades at one event, and to get a better understanding of the scope of our K-8 program and the capabilities of Chandler students.

 

STEAM raises the profile of science and math by applying concepts through hands-on learning and problem solving that results in a finished product. Students work in groups, and as I went through the rooms on Thursday night I asked a few of them what they had learned and what they thought about working in groups.

 

Kindergarten teacher Jennifer Pappas talked about the challenges our youngest learners have working with more than one other person. “Kindergartners are just beginning their collaborative journeys, and it’s hard for them to work with more than one other person. They are used to working in pairs. It’s a challenge, but it’s good for them, and they were amazing.”

 

When I asked a kindergarten boy what he had learned from his STEAM work, he said, “S is for science T is for technology and beans grow fast in water and sunlight.” He showed me his bean stalk snaking up the trellis built with his classmates' help.

 

Asked what they learned by working in a group, two kindergarten girls in Kerrie Barbato’s class replied, “Working together you can make cool stuff,” and, “Sometimes friends have good ideas.”

 

First graders studied aquatic life and designed machines to clean up the oceans. “I learned that starfish have lots of colors,” said a first grade girl. “When you work by yourself you can get tired, but when you’re in a group you don’t get so tired as you don’t have to do all the work,” she said.

 

A second grade student who had designed a machine to help a dinosaur put on a school uniform said, “You can accomplish something together in a group that you can’t by yourself.”

 

Third graders designed cities and generated Elon Musk-like ideas to move people from home to work. “I like spending time doing this in class,” said one of the students.

 

The level of project sophistication and insight into what makes an effective group took a huge leap in fourth grade. “It’s fun to work together and to turn a not so good idea into a great idea,” said one girl whose group had designed glasses with snap circuits to help visually impaired students play ball games. “I like to take charge, and I learned that one person does not have to do everything to be part of a successful team.”

 

As part of her project to design a card game for visually impaired students, another fourth grade girl said that her role was to be the ‘moral compass’ of the group. Before her classmates came up with a blueprint for their project she visited a school for the visually impaired and interviewed students. She was chosen by her group to be the ‘moral compass,’ because, “I am a good listener and I show empathy.” The students fixed braille lettering onto game cards and designed their own game.

 

Not everyone enjoys working in groups. “I have more control when I’m working by myself,” said a fourth grader, “but with more people you can be more productive and have more ideas so I guess it's not so bad.”

 

To add authenticity to their STEAM projects, the fourth graders today visited a school for visually impaired students, and brought the games they designed for those students, for a real-world field test of their work.

 

Fifth graders designed stadiums in arctic, desert, equatorial and aquatic biomes to host Olympic Sports. If the NFL opts for expansion into extreme environments, Chandler students have ideas to share.  “It was challenging when we didn’t agree, but we would talk things over and vote. That’s how we dealt with disagreements,” said one fifth grade boy. His classmate was emphatic about his biggest take away, “I learned to deal with bossy fifth grade girls.”

 

“We did what we needed to do to get the job done,” said a sixth grade girl as she explained how her solar powered car worked. The work benches in the sixth grade lab were filled with the students’ sleek car designs.

 

Seventh grade students showed off their contraption for firing shuttlecocks from a mechanical server, a machine to transport parcels and letters from one side of the campus to another using an aerial tramway to make life easier for Mrs. Glista (a Glista Assista), and a door activated air freshening device to make the bathrooms smell like rose gardens. Groups of students descended on visitors when they entered the room to talk about their projects. They were proud of their work and as keen as kindergartners to explain what they had accomplished together.

 

Following the all school assembly on Friday morning, with Thursday night fresh on his mind, one of the kindergarten boys came by my office as he headed back to class with his buddy. “I have a good idea,” he said, “I think we should have STEAM morning as well as STEAM night so grandparents can come. They go to bed early.”

 

After a certain hour everyone runs out of steam. Thanks for coming to STEAM night.

 

 

I made an error in last week’s Cloverleaf by neglecting to add a fourth boarding school to the list of high schools to which our graduates will matriculate. Fountain Valley School in Colorado Springs, CO will be the high school home of one of our girls. Fountain Valley, Cate, Webb and Salisbury’s classes of 2021 will feature Chandler graduates.

 

Laura L. Heany has been hired to teach fourth grade. Laura is well known in the Chandler community. She was a teaching assistant here during the 2014-15 school year before leaving to teach at High Point Academy. Laura has twenty years of full time, lead teaching experience. Laura earned her BA and her California Teaching Credential from Cal State Northridge. We are fortunate to have recruited such a talented, experienced teacher. Laura is thrilled to be returning to Chandler.