Focus on K-8 Education

In looking at defining a vision for Trident Academy, we’ve looked closely at our strengths and weaknesses. We believe that our ability to provide students with language-based learning differences the tools and strategies to be successful is unparalled in the Charleston area. We also recognize, and affirm, that many of our parents judge success by their child’s ability to successfully transition to mainstream schools.

With this in mind, our goal for Trident Academy is a vibrant, leading edge K-8 program that serves our creative learners in a way that no other school can.

To do this, we will expand our professional development commitment to allow every teacher the opportunity to pursue their curiosity for new ideas and classroom strategies. Our teachers will join a team of resources in fields related to learning differences – behavior, educational psychology, neurology, pediatrics, and pharmacology. This will serve our parents and will also spur our thinking in new directions.

We will create opportunities for our students to find their passion, acknowledge their strengths, and feel comfortable with and motivated by their challenges. We will establish meaningful partnerships with local private and public schools that provide our students/parents with a thorough understanding of the culture, expectations and support available to make our students successful at their transition school.

By dedicating more resources to K-8 students, we have decided we will not be accepting new admissions to our Upper School. We will spend the remainder of this year working closely with each student/family to ensure their academic goals are met.

Please contact me with any questions.

Sandi

What We’ve Accomplished

We’re halfway through the year, and I’m excited for the vision of Trident’s future that is beginning to emerge. We’ve been so productive defining this vision that I’ve had little time to blog!

When we began the year, my focus was on addressing issues that I sensed were important to current parents.  These included a defined curriculum, a culture of collaboration supporting the transition of students out of Trident Academy, improved communications, and an overall attitude of partnership and consultation in our relationship with parents. 

To that end, we have invested heavily in professional development to understand and implement the Common Core Standards, been vigilant in communicating our plans and philosophy, brought nationally renowned speakers to the campus to work with our faculty and help enlighten our parents, created a team–oriented parent conference format that places each child’s abilities and needs at the center of the discussion, and begun an area-wide investigation of mainstream schools so that we can advise parents on the best possible next step for their child’s successful transition from Trident Academy.

At the same time, The Board of Trustees has been hard at work defining Trident’s future. I will be excited to share this vision with you once it is refined. In the remainder of this academic year, I am committed to laying the groundwork for next year’s success and completing the goals I set

This is an exciting time for Trident Academy.  On this holiday of thanks, I thank you for your support, your engagement, your commitment and most of all, your children. They are our reason for being.

Sandi

And, We’re Off!.....

The first day of school is both a milestone and a whirlwind, and that’s how it was for Trident Academy on Monday.

Ten new students were welcomed into the Trident family and all were back and smiling for Day Two – a good sign!  Especially since we set the standard high with music, balloons, and a luncheon cook-out waiting for them again today.

“Watch us Grow” was our theme for opening day, a theme that has many meanings.  Each division planned and planted a garden and will be responsible for tending and nurturing to “watch it grow.”  Our faculty will, in turn, be doing the same with our students, guiding their growth and learning this year.  And of course, all of us are focused on a growing school, with more students and more opportunities to learn.

We’re announcing some new initiatives to take learning beyond the classroom.  EXPLORE! will take our Upper School students into the community one day each week to learn what our expansive Charleston “classroom” has to offer.  We will be visiting a wide array of Charleston organizations, from preservation to airplanes, energy to medicine, and lots of things in between.  EXPLORE! is a program meant to spark new interests and passions and perhaps set our students on a career path they’d never considered.

Upper School students will be meeting with me this week to talk about their leadership in the school.  This year, they will be our leaders as we share announcements, special news, say our pledge of allegiance, and raise the flag.  I anticipate our older students will serve as mentors to their younger schoolmates, as well as suggest activities that make us a stronger school community, and participate in decisions that affect their school life.  Working with students is one of my favorite aspects of being a head of school, and I am looking forward to getting to know this small but mighty group!

The beginning of the year always brings a vast array of change – new students, teachers, administrators, programs, and initiatives. Our counselor and dean of students Leigh Ann Oliger has announced her decision to accept a position with the Charleston County School District, effective August 29.  Leigh Ann has been an important colleague to the Trident staff and a valued mentor to our students.  She will be missed but we wish her well in her new position.  Ezra Cowan will fill Leigh Ann’s duties as Dean of Students, effective immediately and I will be reevaluating her other responsibilities and perhaps determining some new priorities.  College counseling and planning is strong objective, as is “transition planning” as we take an active partnership role in determining the next step for your student.  I also believe we could all benefit from a strong professional who is skilled in the psycho-educational arena. Determining the best way to bring these resources to Trident, and the best people, is at the top of my “to do” list.

Please frequently check this blog to keep up to date on what is happening at Trident.  I look forward to being with all of you as we watch us grow throughout the year. 

Curriculum Changes

Evaluating curriculum is an ongoing process for most private and public schools.  In recent years, a focus on “twentieth century learning” and the release of the Common Core standards has created thoughtful discussion and debate about what all students need to know.

Read more about the Common Core.

Our evaluation revealed very few differences in the standards we have taught compared with the standards set forth in the Common Core. This finding allowed us to turn our discussions to methodologies, assessment and the use of technology that set Trident apart from other schools.

Trident Academy has long excelled in the “delivery” of the standards - in our methodology (Orton-Gillingham, multi-sensory, styles differentiated), our materials (Math-U-See, SuperKids, various manipulatives and assistive technologies), and assessment (variety of testing methods, project-based learning, rubrics). Our defined population of students allows us to deliver the Common Core curriculum with methodologies, materials, and assessments that are individualized to our student group. No other school, public or private, can do this with such focus. We will be making enhancements that we hope will benefit our students and faculty as they work together.

Teachers will continue to focus on how to differentiate our methodology, materials and assessment (MMA) for each Core standard to create a variety of methods appropriate to our students.  For example, a lesson in poetry might be delivered in audio, on video, and in document form to accommodate the learning differences of our students.

As a result of this evaluation, our assessment process will give parents a clear understanding of the curricular goals of each grade and subject, identified areas of curricular concern, and identified methodologies and materials to address the concerns.

If you have any questions, feel free to contact me at sclerici@tridentacademy.com.

My First Week

I’ve just completed my first week at Trident, and thought I would take a moment to let you know what we’re up to over the next few weeks.

The faculty have been dropping by to tell me about their plans for the coming year and they are excited!  A group will be working with me, beginning this week, to review curriculum and recommend changes.  This very important work is our first step in a full scale review of curriculum, assessment, and evaluation and will be the focus of our opening faculty meeting.  Dr. Elizabeth Johnen, an expert in both curriculum and learning differences, will be with us leading sessions and reviewing the results of our studies.

We are working on a new process for student conferences, one that is designed to be more informative for parents and sets goals for student progress throughout the year.  You should expect to have a clear outline of curriculum goals for your child’s year, anticipated challenges, strategies for success and measurement milestones. This new process will begin with the first parent conference of the year, which will be held on October 25 and 26, 2012. 

I am also focusing on less-academic initiatives like how we will creatively address the physical activity needs of our students. We are looking to develop a new program that will allow our students to sample various activities and possibly partner with students in other programs.  Expect more on that project shortly. We will also look to recreate the community service program and to establish other partnerships that expand our students’ world beyond Trident’s walls. Finally, we’re reworking the website content to focus on our expertise in Orton-Gillingham practice, teaching philosophy, and student success.

Throughout the summer I will continue to update you on our progress.  Please know that my door is always open, and I welcome your ideas.  Have a wonderful, safe summer, and I look forward to meeting you all in late August.

Happy Summer!

There’s nothing that more officially marks the beginning of summer than the sound of little feet around the house – all day long!  I envy the excitement our students feel of having seemingly endless days spread out ahead, with perhaps a few summer milestone travel plans or special events along the way.

As incoming Head, I’m looking forward to those summer days with great anticipation, too.  I feel so fortunate to have met with many of you, hearing both your concerns and your dreams.  Those conversations will guide much of our work this summer and in the coming school year. As promised, we are beginning an extensive review of our curriculum, documenting our current content and goals and benchmarking those to other schools in the area and the nation.  By late summer, we expect to have an outside review of next year’s curriculum, conducted by a well-qualified educator, skilled in both curriculum and learning differences. But we won’t stop there.  I believe that great schools are constantly challenging themselves to do better, learn more, and set the bar higher.  I have an intense personal interest in emerging knowledge about how we learn, and what those findings mean to every one of us who, in fact, ALL learn differently.  We know that great learning is influenced by so many factors beyond the classroom – nutrition, exercise, multi-sensory stimulation, technology – and we will be looking for ways to apply new knowledge to teaching and learning with the whole child in mind.

Just as summer is a time of renewal, and excitement, and fun for our children, it will be the same for Trident (yes, even the fun!)  True, we have great challenge ahead.  But we have even greater opportunity.  The community that will open Trident in the fall – the faculty, students, parents, and leadership - are united in the belief that it is not our goal to survive, but rather to THRIVE.  The past is behind us, the tools are in place. Summer days are looming with time for thoughtful, thorough exploration and work. Just like our students – I can’t wait!

Check in throughout the summer as I blog about what’s on my mind for the future of Trident – or what’s on yours.  Feel free to contact me at sclerici@tridentacademy.com.