Principal's Corner

Fork Shoals International Baccalaureate School is off and running in 2010. Literally, we will be running as our children, teachers, parents, friends, and family members are invited to participate in the Reedy River Race on March 5 and 6^th.  This is a great event for families to come together to exercise and support our school.  We hope to see you downtown on those dates.  Fork Shoals School believes in the inquiry-based approach to education.  We want our students to ask lots of questions and then seek out answers to their questions. Parents can foster their child’s inquiry by asking them, “Did you ask any good questions today?”  Each unit of study is called an IB planner, and your child will be applying the skills they learn in a project they complete in class.  Be sure to ask your child what they are researching and how they will present their information to their classmates. Along with inquiry come experiences beyond the classroom.  Our school has taken advantage of the distance education opportunities throughout the United States and even oversees.  Our 5^th graders met and spoke with a World War II Veteran at Pearl Harbor last month and four classes participated in Read Around the World this month.  Everyone is invited to join us as we go to the Great Barrier Reef in Australia on the evening of February 23.   Starting at 6 PM, we will have a screen and microphones set up in the cafeteria as we interact with a diver along the Great Barrier Reef in Australia.  Please join us for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.  The event is free of charge.  Our teachers are getting our children ready for the first part of the state test in writing which is just around the corner.  Students in grades 3^rd-5^th will take the writing section of PASS on March 16^th and 17^th.  On day one the students will formulate an essay based on a topic given to them.  Even more important than the content in their essay is their structure, word choice, details and main ideas in their writing.  All of these are areas the teachers have focused their writing instruction around.  On day two the students will edit passages for word choice, conventions, content, and organization. Students have practiced similar questions to these in their language arts’ lessons.  This is the second year of administering the PASS test. Our school’s results on last year’s test showed us just missing AYP, adequately yearly progress. Four of our five subgroups met the mark while one subgroup missed it ever so slightly.  The results on several standardize tests show our students are growing, and we expect to make AYP next year for all subgroups.  Our parental support has been tremendous, and we want to continue to welcome you into the school to be involved in your child’s education.

Christopher Ross

Principal