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April 2017
NOMINATE THE TEAMCFA TEACHER OF THE YEAR We want to celebrate our teachers! Teachers are the backbone of our schools and
without them we couldn’t educate the next generation of American Citizens. At
this year’s annual TeamCFA conference the teacher of the year will be announced
and the recipient will receive $2,000. Candidates for Teacher of the Year should:
o inspire students of all backgrounds and abilities to learn
o have the respect and admiration of students, parents, and colleagues
o play an active role in the community as well as in school
o demonstrate a commitment to developing the next generation of American citizens
Nominate a teacher through this link!
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NOMINATE THE TEAMCFA ADMINISTRATOR OF THE YEAR
Our schools wouldn’t run without our amazing administrators. At this year’s annual TeamCFA conference the
administrator of the year will be announced and the recipient will receive $2,000.
Candidates for Administrator of the Year should:
o promote the success of all students by ensuring management of the school, operations, and resources for a safe,
efficient, and effective learning environment.
o promote the success of all students by collaborating with families and community members, responding to diverse
community interests and needs, and mobilizing community resources.
o promote the success of all students by modeling a personal code of ethics and developing professional
leadership capacity.
Nominate an administrator through this link! Teammate in the Spotlight: Our April Teammate in the Spotlight is
Academic Division advisor, Jennifer Purdee.
TeamCFA Academic Division advisor and Piedmont
Community Charter School director, Jennifer Purdee, is
committed to serving staff, students and parents daily.
She strives to have a servant leadership style. This is
seen in her service work through AdvancED teams and
Gastonia East Rotary Club, even recently earning the
Paul Harris Fellow award. Every student matters every
day, so Mrs. Purdee is very focused on individual
student achievement and growth. It is a strong asset to
her leadership to have the perspectives gained from
serving Piedmont as a substitute teacher, teacher
assistant, teacher, curriculum coordinator, AdvancED
Coordinator, Assistant Managing Director, Elementary Director and Head of School. Fifteen years
experience at PCCS­CFA as well as her Masters Degree in Administration and Supervision have given her
the wisdom needed to lead Piedmont. Mrs. Purdee is an instructional leader who uses data heavily to make
informed program planning decisions.
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A note from the Academic Division
Please visit the Core Knowledge Foundation's new website
(https://www.coreknowledge.org/) to download free curricular materials and to learn more
about the Foundation.
TeamCFA exists to help educate the next generation of American citizens. Click the link
to see if you and your students can answer the questions on the US citizenship
test! https://www.uscis.gov/citizenship/teachers/educational­products/100­civics­
questions­and­answers­mp3­audio­english­version
The Core Knowledge Foundation is having a special sale on grades 3­5 History and
Geography materials! https://www.coreknowledge.org/store/?filter_subject=subject­02­
history­and­geography#store­content
A note from the Educational Technology Division
We now offer a selection of very quick website tutorial videos to help our teachers get the
most out of their class web pages! These cover topics that are frequently asked about by
teachers and superusers. If you have any questions or requests for additional training
topics, email [email protected] Be sure to take advantage of our teamcfaresources.org site that contains links to
hundreds of free, non­copyrighted material that you can use in your planning and
instruction. TeamCFA Website Training Modules
A note from the School Support Team
From instructional coach, Amber White: Hello TeamCFA Family, I just wanted to send a shout out to Ethos Academy! All the teachers and staff did an
outstanding job preparing for and welcoming scholars to their new campus on Monday,
March 27th. The first day was a smashing success! The scholars were so excited, the
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March 27th. The first day was a smashing success! The scholars were so excited, the
teachers were prepared, the staff was on top of it all! It was truly amazing to see it all
come together. The new classrooms are spacious, comfortable and full of color! The
teachers did an excellent job making their classrooms stimulating and highly functional.
The extra room in our very large cafeteria made for smooth lunch periods and after
school care. Thank you TeamCFA, the Challenge Foundation, and all the Ethos teachers and staff for
making Ethos a shining star in the West Valley! Ethos teachers and staff, thank you for
allowing me the privilege to be a part of your outstanding learning community. Cheers to
Ethos!
PUTTING OUR SCHOOLS IN THE SPOTLIGHT, FOR YOUR INFO AND DELIGHT
Brevard Academy: A Challenge Foundation Academy
Pisgah Forest, North Carolina
“The mountains are calling,” and Brevard Academy’s students
are answering! In March 2017, Brevard Academy initiated a
mountain bike team for 5th through 8th grade students to
experience group mountain biking rides throughout the school
year. They meet about four times a month at different trail heads throughout Dupont
State Forest and Pisgah National Forest.
This mountain biking program provides a healthy, fun, and encouraging riding
environment, with experienced riders who encourage and train all levels of riders,
teaching safe and proper riding technique, etiquette, and determination on the trail.
Students learn about bike safety, riding etiquette, trail navigation, hydration, biking attire,
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choosing a line, weather concerns, fixing chains and tires, trail maintenance, and local
animal dangers. They are also taught how to keep their pedals flat when not pedaling,
how to change gears, how to keep the bike steady, how to properly ascend and descend
a trail, and more. Students experience a healthy, physical outdoor activity where they can find an
encouraging social environment and push themselves mentally and physically. Group
rides allow students to make new friends and have loads of fun, gaining a lifelong
physical activity. This program is especially great for those who are not inclined to
participate in the usual sports programs offered at most schools.
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Hirsch Academy: A Challenge Foundation Academy
Scottsdale, Arizona
Hirsch Academy students have had a “spring” in their step this
semester by moving their bodies in dance, sports, and drama! In
the heart month of February, students first moved their bodies to
the music in our community Valentine Night party by line dancing and playing musical
chairs, while other kids enjoyed different activities including Valentine card making,
cookie decoration, and face painting.
The students then participated in the annual Jump Rope for Heart, including different
stations like "jumping the river" with someone jumping over a winding rope on the
ground, limbo, and a jump rope relay race! This was the culmination of two weeks
learning about heart health and raising money for children with sick hearts.
Next, students who are members of our after­school “Fit Club” went to the Mesa­Phoenix
Marathon where they ran a 1K race with other elementary students from the Greater
Phoenix area and enjoyed other fun activities like hoola hooping and basketball shooting
while tasting yummy, nutritious snacks provided by local vendors.
Finally, all the students performed amazing song and dance numbers to the wonderful
music of the Lion King play for the school as well as their families! This was truly a
collaborative effort by the drama teacher Ms. Oney who produced the play, one of our
parents who actually built the stage and set, as well as teachers who did makeup and
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backstage work! This has really been an active month for students developing their
fitness, creativity and relationships with each other! Visit them @ http://hirsch.teamcfa.school Indianapolis Academy of Excellence: A Challenge Foundation
Academy
Indianapolis, Indiana
"Failure is only the opportunity to begin again, this time more
intelligently." ­Henry Ford
The 3rd, 4th, and 5th­grade scientists at IAE have been
engaged inventors this quarter! Core Knowledge's "Eureka! Files" was a perfect
complement to the STEM activities taught by Mrs. Graham during reading class and
spring break intersession. The scientists were given missions to create "cost­effective"
catapults, moon landers, rockets, and rocket­propelled lunar cars using a limited number
of materials and a budget. Students kept track of dollars spent and learned the value of
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being resourceful with supplies. They also improved their willpower, as they had to
refrain from eating items like marshmallow astronauts! "The students stayed on task and
created innovative machines but the most rewarding aspects were how the students
worked together to build something new, and how they used their mistakes as learning
opportunities to improve their inventions," said Mrs. Graham. "My team failed 3 times
but we kept fixing our lander and it worked on the 4th try!" Fourth­grader Sharlyn
exclaimed. "Can you catch autism?" "Are you born with a disability" "Can you develop autism?"
These are some of the questions Mrs. Brennan, IAE's Special Education Coordinator,
received during the disability and autism awareness presentation given to the 3rd, 4th,
and 5th grade students. March and April are both important months in special education:
Disability Awareness and Autism Awareness, respectively. Students were able to view
some of their classmates with a new lens of friendship, empathy, and understanding as
the challenges these students face were outlined. Students were exposed to visible and
invisible disabilities and how they can be a role model and friend to all. IAE_Autism_Presentation.pdf Visit them @ http:/iae.teamcfa.school https://t.e2ma.net/message/j7but/jn0bwb
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Thomas Jefferson Classical Academy: A Challenge Foundation
Academy
Mooresboro, North Carolina
The Gryphon high school Academic Team is on a roll! 11/12/2016­ The Thomas Jefferson Classical Academy high school
academic team took second place at the highly competitive 14 team tournament at the
North Carolina School of Math and Science. Early College at Guilford took first, East
Chapel Hill High third, and Carrboro High was fourth. TJCA senior, Alex Harrelson, was
recognized as the second highest scorer of the day. Participating teammates were Eli
Hornback, Goutam Gadiraju, Jonathan Shauf, Dalton James, and Adam Mystkowski.
12/10/2016­ In the State Finals of the William Peace University Academic Team
Competition, TJ led the high school competition nearly the entire way and ended up with
a four point victory over second place Atkins High School of Winston­Salem.
2/18/2017­ In the Southside Tiger Invitational regional tournament in Greenville, the
TJCA varsity team tied for second place out of 23 teams, and the JV team tied for first
place out of 10 teams. Strong performances were seen in many other tournaments, including first place in the
Gryphon Bowl in October, second place at the Crusader Cup (North Greenville
University), and second place at the NCASA Western Regional Championship hosted by
Thomas Jefferson. The team earned spots for the National Quiz Bowl and is headed to
regionals in Atlanta, and on to the National History Bowl in Washington D.C. in late April,
2017.
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Special Mention: Lake Lure Classical Academy senior Tristan Roos was awarded the first­ever Raptors
Soar Scholarship, sponsored by Vista at Bill's Mountain. Tristan was selected because of
an amazing list of achievements including his service with Bill's Creek Volunteer Fire
Department and Tristan's sense of duty to help save the entire community during this
past fall's Party Rock fire. Some of Tristan's other major contributions include volunteer
work at the Lake Lure Baptist Church and numerous school projects with the National
Honor Society and other school groups. The Raptors Soar Scholarship was presented to
Tristan by Chip McDonnell, Vista at Bill's Mountain Community Representative who
noted that Tristan has truly exemplified the LLCA:CFA Motto of "Inspire, Inquire, Serve." https://t.e2ma.net/message/j7but/jn0bwb
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Stay tuned for more school spotlights. We take turns each month.
Watch and enjoy our 2016 promotional video:
Have you missed anything? All recent editions of Around the Network:
March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016
October 2016 June 2016 March 2016
September 2016 May 2016 February 2016
August 2016 April 2016 January 2016
Together Each Achieves More: Challenge Foundation Academies www.teamcfa.org
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