The Learning Center prides itself on their long standing Middle REAL program offered to 5th through 8th graders.  Middle REAL stands for the Rural Entrepreneurship through Action Learning.  Additionally, TLC also has a Mini REAL program that serves kindergarten through 4th graders.  Both the Middle REAL and Mini REAL programs are a component of the North Carolina REAL program that is dedicated to helping bring entrepreneurship and small business creation to our state.

 

The Mini and Middle REAL programs work together to hold two annual Mini Malls, an event that has students writing business plans, conducting marketing surveys, and devising effective advertising in order to create a successful marketplace.

 

 

Mini Mall is a hugely popular event on campus but Middle REAL and Mini REAL achieve far more than just that at TLC!  These programs also educate in the following ways:

·         Community Problem Solving – Students focus on the basic rules of safety at home, in the community and on the internet. Students create dramatizations of problematic situations then model effective solutions. Students compete for “best” solutions much like real-life contractors.

·         Community Environmental Design – Students are involved in the design and construction of a miniature “green” community and the design and creation of a Japanese garden.

·         The Global Community – Students learn Internet safety as they develop an awareness of the world that is accessible with the click of a mouse. Student research will support other Middle REAL classes and Friday activities.

·         Community Wellness –With a focus on overall health of humans and the good earth, students experiment with good-tasting, nutritious, “kid-friendly” snack recipes. These recipes are then be distributed to grades K-4 for classroom use.

 

 

 

[Just last week Ms. Mary Jo posted here to tell you more out the Venture Out Program at TLC!  You can click <<<HERE>>> to jump to that post.  Don't forget, you can always use the category selector drop down menu over in the right sidebar to jump to any category you'd like to learn more about.  In this instance, you would scroll down to "Venture Out."  Here are scenes from the recent 8th grade Venture Out trip to the John C. Campbell Folk School and the antiquated general store in Peachtree that was opened by the owners especially for our students.]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yes, at last, here at The Learning Center! Charter School we are attempting our debut into the performing arts with a late spring production of The Princess and the Pea, a Traditional Tale Told Anew for Unison and 2-part Voices by Andy Beck and Brian Fisher. Some have already called us crazy. However, as Director of The Learning Center! Charter School working alongside those have been involved with the initial phases of getting this undertaking off the ground, I can assure you that we are very excited about this opportunity for our Learning Center students and the larger community that we are hoping to impact.

Our predominant goal here at our school is to provide our middle school students  with educational opportunities that develop basic skills for and an appreciation of the performing arts.  Additionally we are extending an invitation for some of our area homeschoolers to participate in this rich experience. Opportunities will be available in acting, singing, set design, tech support and costume design.

I have also extended an  audition invitation to two talented older youth that have been a part of our Learning Center student body in the past.  Candy Cook is additionally in communication with Dr. Hendley from TCCC to discuss interests from the Early College Students drama students. Some may ask why we are involving older, more experienced students if the focus is predominately on offering performing arts education to the middle school students here at The Learning Center. In the research that I have done prior to finalizing our plans for this undertaking, I have been encouraged by others to include a “padding of experience” when working with students that are middle school and below in order to provide a production experience that is positive for the younger students as opposed to possibly being totally frustrating. We look forward to accomplishing much through these combined efforts.

Please note the following dates. Depending on how these dates apply to you, please add to your calendars accordingly:

·         Friday, February 3, 2012, 12:30-2:55: All homeschool 5th-8th students who are interested in being a part of the upper-grades production of The Princess and the Pea should sign-in through The Learning Center! Charter School office no later than 12:20 in order to be in the Dining Commons for the organizational meeting of The Princess and the Pea Production Elective. (If high-school students are interested in auditioning for parts or working in other aspects of the production, please attend this organizational meeting also to know more about the process.  AUDITIONS WILL NOT TAKE PLACE AT THIS INTRODUCTORY MEETING. Additionally, we welcome adults who may be willing to volunteer in a behind-the-scenes capacity.) *Copies of parts for auditioning will be available for older students who cannot attend this meeting. Please request parts by emailing Candace Cook at ccooksdamusic@gmaill.com.

·         Friday’s in general from 12:30-2:55 (If there is a change in this schedule you will receive notice in advance.), The Princess and the Pea Production Elective, Grades 5-8.

·         AUDITIONS FOR PRINCESS AND THE PEA AT THE HENN THEATRE: FRIDAY, FEB. 17, 2012, 12:30-until finished. (Depending on the part for which you are auditioning, we may ask you to arrive at a more specific time during this time frame.)

·         Tuesday, May 22, 2012, 6:00 at the Henn Theater/ Dress Rehearsal for The Princess and the Pea. Guests will be by invitation only to people who make up the Art Community. A reception will be held immediately following the production to introduce our players and staff to the Art Community guests. (more details to follow)

·         Thursday, May 24, 2012, 6:30 at the Henn Theater/ presenting The Princess and the Pea. Open to the public with advance sale of tickets.

·         Tuesday, May 29, 2012, matinee performance for Learning Center students ONLY at the Henn Theater.

 

I have decided to use email for the majority of the communication. I will be counting on each of you to spread the word of this exciting undertaking in the area of the performing arts. Please, do not hesitate to stay in communication with me as the details of this production unfold. The school office number is 828-835-7240. Kelly , our receptionist, will direct your call. Emailing me is probably more effective and less frustrating than trying to reach me by phone. I also encourage those of you who are not yet aware of our website: www.naturallygrownkids.org, our blog: www.tlcgrowzone/blog or our presence on Facebook www.facebook.com/TheTLCGrowzonePage to spend some time with these information resources, for they truly capture the heartbeat of our school.

 

Sincerely,

Mary Jo Dyre, Director

As most of you know Wilderness Adventures was founded in the hopes of reaching as many children in the Tri-State area and preparing them for all levels of outdoor activities in the great outdoors. Paralee, in association with The Learning Center!,  had the pleasure of working with a group of 11 to 13 year olds for the first semester of this school year. Paralee has ten years of experience long-distance backpacking and has written two books that share valuable resources to assist in the preparation stages of a backpacking trip and some humerous stories of her adventures along the Appalachian Trail. Check it out at www.outdoorhikerbooks.com.

 
All classes where held in the The Outdoor Learning Center on campus and consisted of multiple levels of training from Leave No Trace, orienteering, survival skills which included use of only the natural materials found in the woods, safety and first aide, becoming comfortable with their environment in the woods and leading up to an overnight campout.

They were challenged at all levels during the campout since the weather did not cooperate. It was calling for a 60% chance of rain so I offered a rain date but the children would not hear of it so we continued on with the planning. We did not get rain but the temperatures dropped to the low 20′s that night. One of the girls in the group, that participated in the campout, was afraid of getting dirty in the beginning days of the class, but advanced to loving the challenges of camping.

When asked what their favorite parts of the class were they offered the following;

• campout
• learning how to make survival bracelets
• orienteering and learning how to use a compass
• becoming one with nature and eliminating the fears of being in the woods

If you have children or know someone that does and would like to have them experience the great outdoor, contact Paralee at info@wilderness-adventures-children.com or visit at www.wilderness-adventures-children.com

Local Charter School Advocates for National School Choice Week

This week marks the Nation’s largest-ever celebration of education reform in American history. National School Choice Week, a series of hundreds of events spotlighting the need for better educational options for students, kicks off at a special event in New Orleans, Louisiana on January 21, 2012 and runs until January 28. During the week, thousands of school choice advocates, teachers, students, organizations and leaders will gather all across the country to build public support for school choice so that more children can benefit from the promise of educational equality.

According to the organization’s website, www.SchoolChoiceWeek.com, governors from across the country are expected to commemorate the Week with special proclamations.

Local charter school, The Learning Center! will be among the many schools of choice paying close attention to the event. “We believe that children and families deserve increased access to great public schools, public charter schools, virtual and online schooling, private schools, and home schooling,” said Dana Bolyard, Social Media Director & Charter Advocate for the school. Advocates for school choice believe that education is not “one size fits all” because not all children learn the same and therefore every child, and their parents, should have the opportunity to choose the best education to suit their needs. The Heritage Foundation’s website features an excellent short video called, “School Choice Made Simple” explaining school choice, how it benefits parents and children and why school choice is needed. http://www.heritage.org/multimedia/video/2011/07/what-is-school-choice

This year was touted as “The Year of Choice” by The Wall Street Journal’s website, citing that, “No fewer than 13 states have enacted school choice legislation in 2011, and 28 states have legislation pending.” North Carolina and Tennessee also eliminated caps on the number of charter schools.The Learning Center! was one of the first of 34 charter schools to open its doors in 1997 when charter legislation was passed in North Carolina. Director Mary Jo Dyre has always felt strongly that healthy, vibrant communities must offer school choice to its public. Over the past few years as The Learning Center! has seen an increase in enrollment of more than 25 percent, Dyre continues to be grateful that The Learning Center! is part of a community that places a high value on choice in education.

[If you've been a regular reader of this Grow Zone blog then you know that STEM stands for Science, Technology, Enegineering and Mathematics and is an integrated, cross cirricular approach to teaching that implements higher cognitive skills for students and enables them to inquire and use techniques used by professionals in the science, technology, engineering and mathematical fields.  The administration and staff at The Learning Center have taken STEM one step further by including "A" for art.  STEM has now become STEAM!  Your first introduction to STEAM is with this post from third grade teacher Ms. Stephanie. ]

 

 First:  We read a non-fiction book (Caldecott Medal winner) titled Snowflake Bentley, which is about the life of Wilson A. Bentley and the work he did photographing ice crystals in Vermont back in the 1800s and early 1900s.  The book lead into a discussion about magnifiers and how the camera in the 1800s depended upon an attached microscope to be able to take such detailed photographs of ice crystals.

Second: We talked about the intricacies of snow and how no two have ever been observed as being identical and how the power of ‘observation’ is important in Science (related to Snowflake Bentley).

Third: I introduced an activity where we would be making “snow” in class.  I introduced an observation sheet where the children had to observe the “snow” in powder form, count the number of drops it took to hydrate the powder, how much snow ½ teaspoon of the powder would make, etc.

Fourth:  I did a lesson on how to measure accurately and why it is important when conducting experiments, etc.  We then transitioned into a measuring lesson on 1/8, ¼, 1/3, ½, ¾, and 1 cup- how many 1/8 it took to equal 1 cup, how many ¼ it took, etc.  Then we moved into a similar lesson with teaspoons and tablespoons (had to use 1/8 teaspoon and 1/8 cup for the experiment). 

Fifth:  The children were given cups, powder, eye droppers, magnifiers, and a recording sheet.  They had to observe the powder before hydrating it, make predictions, feed the powder water, track their water amounts and make further observations after the powder was given water and turned into “snow.”  The children had to record each step on their experiment/observation sheets. We closed by making a gaint batch of snow for the class, the students were encouraged to share their observations and each child was given 2 cups of “snow” to take home and enjoy.

It was a lot of fun and the students LOVED it.

 

On January 23-29, 2011 more than 200 organizations came together for a week of action to spotlight effective education options for all children in American. Tens of thousands of advocates, parents and concerned citizens participated to raise awareness of school choice. This year National School Choice Week is January 22-28, 2012.

So, what does school choice mean?

School Vouchers 

School vouchers give parents the freedom to use all or part of the tax funding set aside for their children’s education to send their children to the public or private school of their choice. Vouchers can take different forms – including universal voucher programs, income-based voucher programs, vouchers for children performing poorly in public school or who are attending failing  public schools, or special needs vouchers. During the 2011-12 academic year, there are 16 voucher programs in 11 states and Washington, D.C.

Tax-credit Scholarship Programs 

Tax-credit scholarships allow businesses or individuals to invest in the education of children in their communities by giving them tax credit from state taxes for donating to non-profit organizations. The organizations use that money to fund private school scholarships for students. In some programs, students must meet certain income criteria to be eligible for  scholarships. Scholarship Granting Organizations (SGOs) are non-profits that can be started by anyone. Participating private schools are required to meet standards for safety, fiscal soundness, and non-discrimination. Currently there are ten tax credit scholarship programs in eight states.

Personal Tax Credits and Deductions

Personal tax credits and deduction situations,  parents are given a tax credit or tax deduction from state income taxes for approved educational expenses. This usually includes private school tuition as well as books, supplies, computers, tutors, and transportation. Even when tuition is not eligible for the credit or deduction, these programs still make school choice easier for parents because they relieve the burden of non-tuition expenses at private schools. Some programs restrict the income level of eligible recipients or the amount they can claim. There are currently 6 programs in 6 states during the 2011-12 academic year

Open Enrollment 

Open Enrollment improves student achievement and enhances parental choice in education by providing additional options to students to enroll in public schools without regard to their parents’ residence. Open Enrollment provides students in the traditional public school system the choice to enroll in a school in any district provided without regard to the pupil’s school of residence. Open Enrollment laws vary by state with some states having more restrictive policies and others more liberal.

 Homeschooling 

Parents who choose homeschooling educate their children outside of public or private schools, typically within their own homes. This method of education is becoming more and more common in the United States, growing from about 15,000 students in 1970 to approximately 1.5 million as of 2007, according to the U.S. Department of Education.  Many states require standardized test scores, curriculum approval, and regular professional evaluation of students.

 Charter Schools 

Charter schools combine the accountability and oversight of traditional public schools with the flexibility of private schools.  Charters are tuition-free independent public schools that are freed from many state and local rules and regulations in exchange for increased financial and academic accountability. Parental involvement is strongly encouraged.  Charters are open to all children – students are selected at random. They are accountable for results-based student achievement. According to the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools during the 2010-11 school year, 40 states and Washington, D.C. operate charter school laws. Currently 5,277 charter schools serve more than 1.8 million students.

Virtual Schools and Online Schooling 

Virtual schools are institutions that teach students entirely or primarily through online curriculum. They provide flexibility and allow for highly individualized, personalized instruction. In some states, virtual schools must have a brick-and-mortar location where children go to receive online instruction. In other states, online instruction can be done from home. The International Association for K-12 Online Learning estimates that 1.5 million students took one or more online courses in 2010.

 

[Information for this post came from the National School Choice Week website at http://www.schoolchoiceweek.com/]

[In October 2011, 8th graders visited Western Carolina University's Forensic Science Department as part of TLC's Venture Out Program.  Students got to scientifically analyze their own mock crime scene.] 

A Learning Center! Charter School Cross-Curricular Appalachian Studies  Program designed to introduce 8^th graders to the process of making the world their classroom

In my last year in the classroom, I assigned Peter Jenkin’s book Walk Across America to my rising 8^th graders as a summer reading requirement. Inspired by an author that had turned the world into his classroom, so to speak, I found myself in a state of growing fascination with all the possibilities of combining travel with education.  I soon saw with this particular book and extended study how research, virtual tours, and creativity could be used in an assignment called “Walk Across North Carolina” that is still, by the way, being used with Learning Center 8^th graders.

As the year had progressed with the original class that had initially been assigned the “Walk Across North Carolina” project, I became determined to push my 8^th graders to VENTURE OUT into the most fascinating textbook they could possibly use…the world around us. It was obvious to me that our region offered many day trips that in turn offered lessons across the curriculum. Soon other teachers began to get involved in the development of our VENTURE OUT program. You might even say that Peter Jenkin’s wanderlust spirit seemed to take root in our school mindset.  As the well known saying goes, “The rest is history”.  We educators at The Learning Center naturally insist upon adding literature, science, and math to that quote, creating a rich, cross-curricular Appalachian Studies experience linking education and travel.

The VENTURE OUT program promotes trips to places and people of interest across the Mountain Region of North Carolina. Typical outings may include, but are not limited to the following:

• Cherokee County:  Historic downtown Murphy including the trail of historic cemeteries; John C. Campbell Folk School, Brasstown, including resident artist hands-on tour and the Rivercane Wall; a stop at the renowned “Clay’s Corner”; a step back in time at the old country store in the Peachtree community; Walker Inn, Andrews; study of historic area schools.
• Clay County: Finding fairy crosses, visiting the Ogden School as part of a study of historic area schools in the midst of scenic Clay County.
• Graham County:  Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest, stopping along the way to explore a small portion of the Trail of Tears, Cherohala Skyway, Fontana Dam
• Jackson County: Forensic Studies Field Trip to Western Carolina University
• Macon County: Gem and Mineral Museum of Franklin, Civilian Conservation Corps, Wayah Bald, Nantahala Lake as a source of hydroelectric power, Glen Choga Lodge.
• Swain County: the abandoned sites of Hazel Creek and Proctor; Deep Creek area of Great Smoky Mountain National Park.

Venture Out goals include expanding to overnight trips in other Mountain Region Counties of North Carolina.

 Additionally, VENTURE OUT works in conjunction with the annual Upper Grades Class Trip opportunities that are offered to Learning Center students on a three-year cycle, covering the 6^th, 7^th, and 8^th grade years of our students. The three year cycle always includes 1) New York City, with in-route stops including Natural Bridge, Hershey Factory, or Gettysburg. 2) North Carolina Coast, with in-route stops in the Piedmont area. 3) Director’s Choice: This choice has included Charleston, Savannah, and New Orleans.

Center students start their North Carolina studies in fourth grade. We like to say that we start Venture Out Junior at this point, laying the foundation for combining education with travel, using the world and people around us as a rich, educational resource.  Again, a cross-curricular approach is taken to social studies and history, expanding into a STEM to STEAM approach, including rich field work including such sites as Cherokee County Historical Museum, Heritage Park Cherokee Exhibit in Hayesville and the Clay County Museum. Students even venture into northeast GA to better understand the regional ties to a border state such as ours. An annual visit to Georgia Mountain Research and Education Center to experience the “Trees Program” is always a part of 4^th grade adventures.

4^th and 5^th graders are also offered a one night, two day travel opportunity comparable to the 6^th-8^th Upper Grades Class Trip. This offering has included the HOTlanta tour featuring the Atlanta Zoo Night Crawler Program, Center for Puppetry Arts, World of Coca Cola or Fernbank, and the famous Pitty Pat’s Porch; The Sleep with the Sharks tour featuring “Hands on Cherokee” and Oconaluftee Indian Village, Cherokee Botanical Garden and Nature Trail, and Ripley’s Aquarium; the Chatanooga Belle tour featuring an overnight adventure on board the new dockside boat and all that Rock City has to offer.

On January 17, 2012 professor at Tri- County Community College, Billy Ray Palmer, visited the fourth grade class and spoke about Cherokee history and culture. He recounted several Cherokee legends, showed his arrowhead and spearhead collection, and talked about the Seven Clans, hunting and matrilineal culture. He was very informative, a good storyteller, and the students enjoyed adding this rich dimension to their social studies of the Cherokee.