Travis Heights Elementary School is the district’s first campus-initiated in-district charter school, which means there are exciting changes this year for the school's curriculum, program design, budget allocation, scheduling, professional development and more.
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I’m proud of the work that Principal Lisa Robertson is doing with her staff, and of course I am proud of the kids who made the end of the tour truly memorable.
One new change is its emphasis on Service Learning Programs--programs that emphasize how to learn, serve and lead. As part of this focus, students are encouraged to do research and determine real things they can do to make a difference in their community. This year at Travis Heights, students are focused on good citizenship. That means brainstorming the characteristics that make an ideal student or citizen, selecting one trait they think is most important, and striving to achieve that throughout the year.
I got to sit in on a class of 5th graders who were helping their kindergarten counterparts with an activity that supports this idea. It was uplifting to see the students share with one another the things they have internalized as being contributors to a better society.
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I also got to watch fourth grade students engaged in an inner circle activity. Students chose a character trait that embodies how they want to behave and act: patience, determination, forgiveness, etc., and shared with one another the words they chose to focus on and why those things were important to them. Again, it was remarkable to see students making observations and decisions that would have the effect of improving the school experience for their peers, their teachers and themselves.
I also got to watch fourth grade students engaged in an inner circle activity. Students chose a character trait that embodies how they want to behave and act: patience, determination, forgiveness, etc., and shared with one another the words they chose to focus on and why those things were important to them. Again, it was remarkable to see students making observations and decisions that would have the effect of improving the school experience for their peers, their teachers and themselves.
I’m proud of the work that Principal Lisa Robertson is doing with her staff, and of course I am proud of the kids who made the end of the tour truly memorable.