It is hard to believe another school year has come and gone. As I reflect back on the 2019-2020 school year, many thoughts come to mind. I am so proud of all the students who have persisted and prevailed during this year. Some of the highlights of this year include Ring Dance, STEAM Family Night, Fall Carnival, and the New Vistas School Second Annual Art Show as well as the many off campus learning experiences the students have had. Every student, faculty/staff, and family member has had a hand in making this year a success. I am so proud to call New Vistas School home.

On March 13^th with the Governor’s Executive Order to close schools for two weeks and then eventually for the rest of  the school year, New Vistas School quickly transitioned to a remote learning platform. Even though our building was closed, learning did not stop. Teachers, students, and parents were quickly introduced to a new normal. Once again, New Vistas School Persisted and Prevailed. 

During this time, it is unfortunate the Senior Class of 2020 could not have their graduation ceremony in May. New Vistas School looks forward to being able to celebrate with these seniors and have a much-deserved ceremony in the fall. We are so proud of each of our Seniors!

Lori Eaglin, Ed. S

Head of School

 

 

 

 

“Teach your children well.”—Crosby, Stills, & Nash

We at NVS have followed with great disappointment the news about the college admissions’ scandal. The entire situation goes against everything we work so diligently to teach our students:  to be truthful, kind, hard-working, and a good citizen.  The following article and letter by David Flink, the Founder and Chief Empowerment Officer of Eye to Eye, the only national mentoring movement run for and by people with LD/ADHD, expresses our feelings of both anger and sadness at the actions of a few which have the potential to negatively affect so many.

This article was originally published on the Eye to Eye website. By David Flink

Fresh on the heels of our annual Strike Out Stigmonth competition, what many are calling the worst admissions scandal in higher education throws into sharp relief the stigma that’s very real for our community. Several of the parents who allegedly “gamed the system” did so by obtaining accommodations for their children by faking learning disabilities. Eye to Eye’s mission is grounded in eliminating stigma so that students with LD/ADHD have the grit to self-advocate. As such, we felt the need to publicly address the setback this creates for kids with learning and attention differences and the Disability Rights movement at large.

Many will want to shame those involved. In this moment we hope to rise above shaming (though it is justified) and elevate the good that can come out of this. Understanding is a start. Please help share our message of understanding (letter below) and if you aren’t already on it, join our mailing list to make our chorus of voices heard in unison.

Letter to the Editor:

As I read about the college admissions bribery ring (“College Admissions Scandal: Actresses, Business Leaders, and Other Wealthy Parents Charged,” March 12), I was outraged not only because I saw adults behaving badly to squeeze their children into elite schools through a so-called “side door.” I was angry because many of these desperate parents successfully bought learning disability diagnoses that granted prospective students extra time on standardized tests.

As a former Brown University Admission Officer, a person with dyslexia and ADHD, and the Founder and Chief Empowerment Officer of Eye to Eye, a nonprofit mentoring program that serves the 1 in 5 who learn differently, I know very well how hard students fight to be identified by their schools as “learning disabled” and to receive appropriate accommodations. A typical student with a learning disability like dyslexia may spend years being evaluated and then, even with a diagnosis, must ask for accommodations at the risk of being embarrassed, judged, or misunderstood.

I join the chorus condemning the abuse of the college admissions process and want to shine a light on how this scandal mischaracterizes the journey of students with very real learning disabilities. The parents and test-taking coaches who were able to manipulate the system to give extra time on tests to students who don’t have learning disabilities acted unethically—and they’ve done a considerable disservice to the 1 in 5 students with learning disabilities across this country. They’ve appropriated an accommodation—extra time on standardized tests—that levels the playing field; the Disability Rights movement worked for decades to secure this accommodation. They’ve also appropriated my identity and the identity of thousands of students who have struggled to succeed with a learning disability. This signals to me that these parents and coaches don’t understand the nature of learning disabilities at all. According to a 2003 study released by the College Board, students who don’t have learning disabilities don’t significantly benefit from extra time on standardized tests. For students who do have learning disabilities, the extra time is game-changing; it’s often the difference between getting into college and not.

It takes tremendous courage to carry the label “learning disabled.” We should all be extremely uncomfortable when parents are able to buy a diagnosis—and with it, an accommodation—to sway admissions officers. These desperate, wealthy parents aren’t helping their children’s scores. Instead, by taking advantage of the system, they’re hurting the students who genuinely struggle with learning disabilities and need accommodations to get into college, period.

Sincerely,

David Flink
Chief Empowerment Officer/Founder
Eye to Eye

 

 

March 14 = 3/14 = 3.14 = Pi Day!

New Vistas proudly recognizes and celebrates the 31th anniversary of Pi Day today!

Across the country today, students of math, teachers, and mathematicians will be celebrating Pi with contests: competitions to recite the most digits of Pi, pie eating contests, listing known equations including Pi, and more!

Why is Pi so fascinating to mathematicians and scientists?  Pi appears as though it is random and without sequence going on with infinity…  However, in the words of Steven Strogatz, professor of mathematics at Cornell, “The digits of Pi can’t possibly be random, because they embody the order inherent in a perfect circle. This tension between order and randomness is one of the most tantalizing aspects of pi!” 

What is Pi ( π )?  Pi is the ratio of a circle’s circumference (the distance around the circle, represented by the letter C) to its diameter (the distance across the circle at its widest point, represented by the letter d). That ratio, which is about 3.14, also appears in the formula for the area inside the circle, A = πr², where π is the Greek letter “pi” and r is the circle’s radius (the distance from center to rim). With modern computers, Pi has been calculated to over one trillion digits beyond the decimal.

We’ve used computers to calculate pi to more than 22 trillion digits.

In 2016, a Swiss scientist, Peter Trueb, used a computer with 24 hard drives and a program called y-cruncher to calculate pi to more than 22 trillion digits — the current world record for the enumeration of pi. If you read one digit every second, it would take you just under 700,000 years to recite all those digits.

Even rocket scientists only need a bit more than a dozen decimal places.

Though we know trillions of digits of pi, we don’t really need them. Even the engineers at NASA round pi off to 15 decimal places when calculating interplanetary trajectories. In fact, if you were trying to calculate the size of the observable universe, using 39 digits of pi would give you an answer off by no more than the width of a hydrogen atom.

Pi is part of nature’s equation: such as in the cycle of nature, rotation of planets, solar systems, and galaxies. It also posits relationships to repeat patterns such as rhythms and cyclical heart beats! This further indicates that Pi is mathematical component of everything around us and essential to past and future mathematics and engineering. 

To learn more about all things Pi, take a look at  http://www.piday.org/ 

Reference: Retrieved March 11

https://www.nbcnews.com/mach/science/pi-day-7-interesting-facts-about-most-famous-number-mathemathics-ncna982141

 

 

 

 

Before there was Rosa Parks, there was Claudette Colvin.

 

Most people think of Rosa Parks as the first person to refuse to give up their seat on a bus in Montgomery, Alabama. There were actually several women who came before her; one of whom was Claudette Colvin.

It was March 2, 1955, when the fifteen-year-old schoolgirl refused to move to the back of the bus, nine months before Rosa Parks’ stand that launched the Montgomery bus boycott. Claudette had been studying Black leaders like Harriet Tubman in her segregated school, those conversations had led to discussions around the current day Jim Crow laws they were all experiencing. When the bus driver ordered Claudette to get up, she refused, “It felt like Sojourner Truth was on one side pushing me down, and Harriet Tubman was on the other side of me pushing me down. I couldn't get up."

Claudette Colvin’s stand didn’t stop there. Arrested and thrown in jail, she was one of four women who challenged the segregation law in court. If Browder v. Gayle became the court case that successfully overturned bus segregation laws in both Montgomery and Alabama, why has Claudette’s story been largely forgotten? At the time, the NAACP and other Black organizations felt Rosa Parks made a better icon for the movement than a teenager. As an adult with the right look, Rosa Parks was also the secretary of the NAACP, and was both well-known and respected – people would associate her with the middle class and that would attract support for the cause. But the struggle to end segregation was often fought by young people, more than half of which were women. 

Image: Claudette Colvin by Phillip Hoose 

http://www.pbs.org/black-culture/explore/10-black-history-little-known-facts/#.XE82bSx7kdU

 

 

 

2/4: HAPPY BIRTHDAY Rosa Parks!

Who was Rosa Parks?

Full name: Rosa Louise McCauley Parks
Born: 4 February 1913
Hometown: Tuskegee, Alabama, USA
Occupation: Civil rights activist
Died: 24 October 2005
Best known for: The Montgomery Bus Boycott

https://www.natgeokids.com/uk/discover/history/general-history/rosa-parks/

 

 

 

 

 

The students at NVS put together a bulletin board to honor the great Martin Luther King, Jr and his inspirational “I Have a Dream” speech. The students were asked to consider issues with which the United States continues to struggle and to voice new dreams of their generation. They then placed their dreams on clouds to share. 

 

 

 

 

Happy New Year and Welcome Back!!

 

Even though winter itself has only really just begun, the days are already starting to lengthen.  Faculty/staff and students have returned to school and are jumping into the second semester.  While the calendar year is just beginning, the school year is at its mid-point.  This juxtaposition of beginning and middle offers a prime opportunity for reflection and refocus.

 

For students, it is a chance to reflect on the personal goals they set for themselves at the beginning of the year to see how they are progressing and to readjust and/or refocus on achieving those goals.  It is also a time for students to renew their relationships with both peers and their teachers to set a positive tone for the new semester.  The beginning of the new semester also provides students with the opportunity to reflect more fully on the strategies and knowledge they learned in the first semester and apply what they found most helpful to them to the new content and tasks they will encounter as their classes resume.  At home, students and parents/guardians can reflect on what routines for homework, study, and time management for balancing out-of-school activities, school responsibilities, their family/home responsibilities, and their hobbies and personal interests.  If their first semester went well, then they can refocus to build on their strong start; if it did not, now is an ideal opportunity to make changes to finish the school year strong.

 

For teachers, it is also a chance to reflect on their instructional goals to determine if their plans and methods are assisting each of their students in reaching their potential.  It is also provides an opportunity for teachers to refocus on their professional connections with their colleagues through collaborative and supportive activities.  The second semester also gives teachers the opportunity to assess how they manage their time both in and out of the classroom to maintain balance in both their personal and professional lives.

 

Reflect and refocus and have a very happy and productive new year!

 

 

 

A Personal Reflection of Thanks

This year marks my third year at New Vistas School. So, during this season of thanksgiving, it is only appropriate for me to reflect on my time here thus far.

From the moment I walked through the doors of New Vistas School, I could sense a different kind of learning atmosphere from those to which I had grown accustomed. There was calm. There was peace. There was positivity. The age and charm of the building gave me a warmth and a feeling of belonging. The faces that I saw were happy ones. The teachers were happy. The students were happy. Ok, so there was ONE unhappy student that day, but that problem was solved, and that student, with the help of seasoned faculty, returned to class where engaged learning was taking place. The students’ art work hung on the walls. A former student was going through the Reading Lab books and sorting them. There was a feeling of community! I was particularly impressed by the aroma of chocolate on that particular day, as some genius teacher was using the making of brownies to teach a lesson. I knew I was home!

This place has not ceased to amaze me every day. I get to come to work every day to a place where lives are changed. There is intentionality in the purpose and mission of NVS to serve students who need what we offer. I have had the pleasure of teaching many of the bright minds whose families have lovingly placed them in our care. Through projects, activities, writing assignments, books, field trips, conversations, and simple hellos in the hallway, I have gotten to know students. I don’t mean just know their names. I have gotten to know what makes them laugh, what lights the fire of learning within them, what challenges them to dig deeper, and even what triggers them into negativity. And I look forward to many, many more opportunities to serve these students and learn along with them in the years to come.

And so, I thank YOU—YOU, who are taking the time to read my thoughts. YOU, who teach and lead alongside me every day, filling in the gaps when I fall short; YOU, who wave as you drop your children off to walk through these doors; YOU, who support this school by whatever means you do; YOU, who make the decisions that impact this school; YOU, who stop by my office to say, “Good morning, Ms. Harrison!”; YOU, who moan and groan at my homework assignments and my insistence on following the rules of the school: for all of YOU—I give thanks!

                                                                                                                                                                                                               

With a grateful heart!

Nancy K. Harrison

Assistant Head of School

 

 

 

October is National Bullying Prevention Month

Bullying is a topic many of us wish we did not have to talk about with our children and would like to think does not happen in our schools or to our children.  The unfortunate truth, however, is that bullying does occur, and not just in schools, but in cyberspace, workplaces, and sometimes even houses of worship.  In order to help our children overcome bullying and its effects and to make a positive impact in their lives and the lives of those around them, it is important to help our children understand what is and is not bullying.

By definition, bullying is behavior that is intentional, hurtful, repeated, and that involves an abuse of power.  Types of bullying include physical, verbal, social cyber, and sexual harassment.

These types of bullying can manifest as physical acts, such as hitting, pushing, poking, or throwing things; verbal acts, such as name-calling, insults, or threats; social acts, such as isolating or ignoring; cyber acts, such as using devices (cellphones, computers, etc.) to harass or send hurtful messages, including sexual messages. All of these types of bullying can have very real damaging and painful effects to all those involved.  Some of these effects include low self-esteem, physical complaints (headaches, stomachaches), anxiety, difficulty sleeping, and loss of appetite, poor grades, and school avoidance.  If your child is the target of bullying, encourage him or her to stay calm and remove himself or herself from the situation as quickly as possible and report it to an adult right away.  If your child is the victim of cyberbullying, save the evidence (texts, emails, or social media posts), block the sender, and report the incident to school administration and/or local law enforcement.

 

While it is important for our children to recognize bullying when it occurs, either to them or those around them, it is equally important for us to help our children understand behaviors that, though they may be unpleasant, do not necessarily constitute bullying.  With each of the following behaviors, it is critical to remember the definition of bullying as intentional and repeated.  As social beings, we want other people to like us; however, there are some people who we just do not like and who will not like us.  Though that may make us feel sad or uncomfortable, not liking someone is not bullying.  Another behavior that, though unpleasant, may not always be bullying is being excluded.  Not everyone is going to be friends or have the same interests, so someone may be excluded from an activity or event.  Again, it becomes bullying when the exclusion is repeated or when a group is required to work together, such as for a classroom project, and a member is intentionally excluded.  Disagreeing with someone is not bullying. None of us have exactly the same likes or dislikes, so it is natural that we may disagree with one another from time to time.  Disagreements, which may turn into arguments, become bullying when one person attempts to exert power over the other in an attempt to win the argument. Because these are behaviors that we all experience at some point, unpleasant as they are, it is essential to help our children understand that they are a natural part of navigating social interactions with others

Bullying, in all its forms, is a serious issue.  Our children depend on us to listen when they come to us with concerns about bullying and to help them understand what is happening and how to deal with it.  Two resources that may be helpful in talking with your child about bullying are:www.StopyBully.gov/teens and www.GetNetWise.org.  Being informed and working together, we can help our children have a more positive school experience.

 

 

SEPTEMEBER SLAB (Science Lab)

SCIENTISTS IN THE MAKING