September 5th - 9th

This week was shortened due to Labor Day, but no less busy! On Tuesday and Wednesday, students drew entries for our YESS 2016-2017 t-shirts. Nearly every scholar entered a design, which was voted on. The winning entries will need some minor tweaks, but they look fabulous and I'm excited to get the shirts printed!

On Thursday, we used some Kagan activities to compare and contrast our values. We also practiced a Kagan structure, Round Robin, to ensure each student's voice was heard. The kids thoroughly enjoyed working with each other in this manner.

Friday was our very first "No Fun Friday!" The scholars were keen on the irony of the term and we had a wonderful time during "Pass Right, Pass Left," during which students passed dice while listening intently to a story. Then, we played "Wanna Buy My Monkey?" This game allowed students to be silly and make others laugh. Of course, they had the most fun when I was the monkey and had to sing, dance, and hop like a frog. Pride is overrated, right? 

August 29th - September 2nd

This week, we completed the Coat of Arms lesson, which allowed students to ask: "What makes me unique?" The assignments also targeted the Personal/Social learning target that teaches scholars to create and adhere to a personal timeline to complete a multi-step task. They did wonderfully and showed immense creativity in their artwork, however many struggled to follow their timeline. We'll definitely practice creating timelines in the future.

On Thursday, we took some time to complete our Student Pre-Surveys during class. In the evening, students brought their families to Back to School Night. It was a lovely time and, as always, I enjoyed meeting the kids' parents.

Friday, we built Spaghetti Bridges. The students were tasked with teaming up with someone they didn't know very well and I was impressed with how well they functioned!

August 22nd - 26th

There are already some bonds being forged by the scholars and, even though we're still missing some mentees, this was a successful week! For the first several days, students worked with a partner to create an artistic representation of their similarities and differences.The kids did a great job. Thursday and Friday were spent doing teambuilders. We played Four Corners and the M&M Game. Additionally, we had a tower building contest today. The winning tower was more than four feet!

Next week, we'll be diving into some academic enrichment centered on writing and its importance.

August 16th - 19th

We're off to a great start at Scott Carpenter! The mentors are eager to be paired up with their mentees, who are still joining the ranks. I'm already pleased with the level of professionalism being shown by the mentors. This week, we did a lot of relationship-building. Games were the name of the, well, game! We played Who Am I?, which encouraged students to ask each other good questions. We also completed two classmate scavenger hunts before beginning a small art project. The project highlights similarities and differences between students and their classmates and provides an opportunity to introduce multiple Kagan Structures and Thinking Maps.

Ready for kids!

Students' work will be displayed here throughout the year!

These scholars are doing a wonderful job!

May 23rd - 26th

What a whirlwind of a year! The kids showed some real growth over the last few months. The scholars that improved their Scantron scores were especially proud of themselves, as was I! 

This week, we welcomed Michael Azira of the Colorado Rapids to speak to all the YESS students. He spoke of the many challenges he overcame to achieve success and how setting good goals was vital for him. The kids loved hearing him talk and enjoyed taking photos afterward. 

During this mini-assembly, we announced winners of various awards the YESS kids voted on. All the winners were ecstatic to be recognized by their peers for being positive, motivated, energetic leaders!

In class, we revisited our time capsules. The students made these at the beginning of the school year and delighted in reflecting on their progress. Some students even commented on how much better their handwriting became, while others thought their penmanship got worse!

As always, there were group photos galore. I'm beyond proud of the family these kids have become and I can't wait to see how they continue to grow!

May 16th - 20th

Our last full week of school was an interesting one! The mentors and mentees had their final split Monday and Tutoring Tuesday. Next week, Michael Azira, a Colorado Rapids player will speak to all the YESS students. In order to prepare, the scholars researched Uganda (his home country) on Wednesday and Thursday, then presented their findings today. We're all excited about the end of school, but I'm pleased with how focused the kids were.

May 2nd - 6th

I can't believe the end of the year is so close! The kids' energy is unbelievable, but many scholars are holding it together and working hard. This week, we had another Tutoring Tuesday to help make sure everyone is meeting their learning targets. We also created YESS superheroes! The students demonstrated immense creativity when devising their heroes and I'm proud of their efforts.

Enovy and her hero, Super Meme!

Alex works with his sidekick to beat his arch enemy, Mr. Mean!