ImagiNation
The Monthly Newsletter for the Schools of the
IMAGINE
MID-ATLANTIC REGION
June 20
15
Imagine M
id-Atla nt
ic Regio
n
Imagine Andrews Students Shout, ‘Olé!’
I
n June, members of Ziva’s Spanish
Dance Ensemble, part of Ziva’s
Institute of Spanish Dance in
Potomac, Maryland, visited Imagine
Andrews to perform “Olé Flamenco”
for middle school Spanish language
students. The ensemble taught the
children about different regions of
Spain through culture, language,
and dance. The children also learned
words used during the presentation,
and several students were shown
elementary flamenco dance steps
during the student-participation
portion with the performers.
Committed to Transforming Young Boys to Men
T
he annual Imagine Hope Tolson’s
“Boy’s Brunch” is one of the
highlights of the school year.
The event serves to instill positive
character into the young men through
a strong staff, student, and parent
partnership. Male staff members plan
multiple exciting activities for boys of
all ages, including a delicious cookout.
The staff also shares the importance of
becoming a positive, productive citizen
in society.
In this issue:
2 Campus Kiosk 3
At this year’s gathering, the fifth
annual, held on June 6, more than
100 young men and family members
enjoyed a fun-filled Saturday afternoon.
The boys and men played video games
and participated in several athletic
events, including basketball, football,
inflatable obstacle courses, and tug-ofwar. Everyone left happy and excited
for next year’s event.
commitment is to continue this event
and maintain the partnerships that
have been built over the past five
years.”
“This event has grown each year,
and we are excited about future
opportunities,” commented Stephen
Robinson, Vice Principal. “Our
News from the Regional Office
5
Calendar of Events
imagine the possibilities
Campus Kiosk: Brief Notices from the
Imagine Mid-Atlantic Public Charter Schools
Academic Growth
Imagine Morningside: This year we
celebrated academic success across
the board, with over a year’s learning
gains in reading and close to a year’s
worth in mathematics. Kindergarten
Early Literacy averages reached the 87%
proficient and advanced level, with Mrs.
Cornish’s class close to 94%! Our second
grade Eaglets soared mightily on the SRI,
as close to 84% of the students scored
proficient or advanced on the spring
assessment. But that’s not all, our second
grade students ranked 20th among
Prince George’s County Public Schools
overall (out of 142 schools); 14th when
we looked at comprehensive schools (not
TAG centers or specialty programs); and
second overall among charter schools
with second grade. Congratulations to all
for showing JIF and academic success in
2014-2015!
Note from
the Regional
Vice-President
I
Imagine Leeland: The annual “Donuts
with Watch D.O.G.S. Dads Day” drew
more than 78 dads this year. We played
games and activities, showed videos,
held roundtable discussions about how
dads can better assist throughout the
school, created an “Imagine Leeland
Dad’s Pledge,” and surveyed the men on
ways to improve for next year. It was an
amazing event and we look forward to
implementing more activities with our
dads and male role models over the 20152016 school year.
Character Development
Imagine Hope Lamond: As part of
our “Caring About Our Community and
the People and Places In It” Character
Campaign, the students and staff
participated in a community clean-up
activity in honor of Earth Day. Students
cleaned up the school grounds, prepared
the school garden for planting, and
engaged in various projects and activities
to promote a safe and clean school
environment.
Shared Values
Imagine Lincoln: In late May, the
fourth-eighth grade instrumental music
students performed in the annual Spring
Concerts. Students showcased music
from all types of genres, including
pop, jazz, movie music, and classical.
Hundreds of friends and family
members came to hear the wonderful
Imagine Penn Hills: We recently
performances, which showcased the
students’ dedication and hard work. We’re unveiled our model to stay “Rooted
in Integrity.” Carolyn Davis, Regional
already looking forward to next year!
Director, identified that we “fit together”
with Imagine Schools in four key areas:
“The Roots” (how we develop minds,
enrich character), “The Tree Trunk”
(our mission and vision), “The Branches”
(our goals for 6 Measures of Excellence),
and “The Leaves” (our strategies and
interventions).
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t’s a great day at Imagine. I am so
proud of all of you, as you certainly
continue to give our Imagine
scholars, families, and communities
opportunities
that will impact
them for the rest
of their lives.
Thank you for
being a true
team and family.
This has been
an exciting and
eventful year. We
have accomplished a lot and changed
the lives of many scholars and families.
As we come to the end of the year,
please take this time to reflect on all
of the great things that have been
accomplished as well as things that
we would like to improve. In the spirit
of justice, Imagine schools should be
the highest performing schools in the
country, as we believe in giving each
individual student what he or she needs
to be successful. Together, we are great
and have the ability to impact all of our
scholars across the Mid-Atlantic region.
As you read this month’s edition of
ImagiNation, please celebrate and
embrace all of the great things that
are occurring on all of our campuses
and get ready for the upcoming school
year. We are headed into next year
with a “Growth Mindset.” In the spirit
of integrity, we are responsible for the
growth and success of each other. I
respect and appreciate each of you
greatly. We are Imagine!
Shawn Toler, Mid-Atlantic Regional
Vice-President
Please follow our Regional
Vice-President on twitter at
shawn.toler@
Imagine_schools
imagine the possibilities
News from the Regional Office
From the Data Room
A
s the 2015 school year comes to a
close, I wanted to take a moment
to celebrate the growth of our
Mid-Atlantic schools. As a region, the
most growth was made in the area of
reading. Through the implementation
of the Imagine Literacy Foci and
the hard work of all instructional
staff and students, the region had an
overall mean learning gain of 1.032.
This is a notable accomplishment,
as the expectation by Imagine is an
overall learning gain of 1.0, or 1 year’s
academic growth. Kudos to all!
Our regional math learning gain as
a region was 1.002. Several of our
schools saw a decrease in their math
performance this year; however, with
the adoption and implementation
of a new instructional program, the
“implementation dip” is not entirely
unexpected. This means we have room
to improve next year!
Each school experienced academic
growth this year that should be
celebrated. Here is a list of some of
those accomplishments.
c
Imagine Penn Hills: First and
fifth graders were more than 90%
proficient in math.
c Imagine Hope Tolson: This
school had the highest overall mean
learning gain in the Mid-Atlantic
region in math, with a 1.092, and
in reading, with a 1.090. The first,
second, and eighth graders were
more than 80% proficient on the
STAR math assessment!
c
Imagine Andrews: Students had
the highest overall proficiency in
the region on the spring STAR
reading assessment at 66%!
c
Imagine Morningside:
This school went well above
expectations, with an overall mean
learning gain of 1.023!
c Imagine Leeland: The first grade
students were over 90% proficient
in math on the spring STAR
assessment!
c Imagine Lincoln: Students gained
more than a year’s academic growth
in reading, with a mean learning
gain of 1.011.
c
Imagine Hope Lamond: Students
made more than a year’s academic
growth in math with a mean
learning gain of 1.008.
Though we still aren’t where we want
to be, as a region academically, we
are growing and improving each year.
Looking forward to even more growth
in the 2016 school year!
Kathy Robinson,
Regional Education Specialist
Celebrating a Great Year of Character!
T
his year, the Imagine MidAtlantic Region implemented
and embraced the performance
character traits, Responsibility and
Curiosity. Each campus was able to
display various ways to infuse these
traits into the instructional day and
extended school activities. Our MidAtlantic Character Network Team was
able to collaborate monthly
to seek
advice as well as ideas on how to assist
students in the development of their
character. We are very proud of the
gains made this year and are ready to
launch into another school year with
Perseverance and Creativity. Our goal
is more “character collaborations”
among our students and teachers in
the Imagine Mid-Atlantic Region.
Andria McMichael, EdD,
Regional Director
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Summer
Reading
Isn’t Just for
Students
T
he summer months are a great
time to sit back, relax, and enjoy
a good book. This is true not only
for students, but also for teachers. We
recommend the following professional
development books that address
issues that concern our Imagine
Schools campuses — Common Core,
technology, pedagogy, performance
character, and so much more. Grab a
book, a beach chair, a cool drink, and
enjoy!
• Classroom Instruction that
Works, 2nd Edition by Dean, Pitner,
Hubbell, and Stone
• Using Technology with Classroom
Instruction that Works, 2nd
Edition by Pitner, Hubbell, and
Kuhn
• Sparking Student Creativity,
by Patti Drapeau
• A Close Look at Close Reading:
Teaching Students to Analyze
Complex Texts, by Moss, Lapp,
Grant and Johnson
• The Power of Extreme Writing:
How do I Help My Students
Become Eager and Fluent
Writers?, By Cruchley
• Accessible Mathematics:
10 Instructional Shifts That Raise
Student Achievement, by Steven
Leinward
• Classroom Discussions: Using
Math Talk to Help Students
Learn, by Suzanne H. Chapin
Happy Reading!
Devoria Armstead and Amia Johnson,
Regional Education Specialists
imagine the possibilities
The Imperfect Art: Reflection and Celebration
T
eaching is sometimes referred
to as the “Imperfect Art.” Our
scholars change from year to
year, “best practices” are adjusted and
analyzed for effectiveness, curriculums
and educational programs become
outdated, and it seems as if no matter
how hard we try, we as educators will
never be “perfect.” Or, just when we
think we have mastered a technique
or technology, something changes and
we need to adjust and adapt to the next
new thing. These are all situational
occurrences that will continue to be
present in our field.
As the school year is coming to an end,
all of us have a variety of emotions
— happiness, sadness, excitement,
anxiety, frustration, peace, and
satisfaction, just to name a few that one
may feel at this time. In other words,
educators feel differently after a long
year of hard work, perseverance, and
dedication to providing the highest
quality of instruction for all of our
scholars.
Regardless of the diversity in
emotions at the end of the school
year, all of us as Imagine educators,
should have a number of qualities in
common. First and foremost, Imagine
educators understand the necessity
in maintaining a growth mindset.
Reflection is a key component to
sustaining a growth mindset. When
speaking in terms of the end of the
year, it is obviously important to be
critical of ourselves and our craft, but it
is equally important to celebrate. Some
people’s first thought might be “I can’t
celebrate. Celebrate what? There is
nothing to celebrate!”
Let me be the first to tell you, all
Imagine educators have something
to celebrate! Some of your next
thoughts might be, “Well [that] could
be a celebration, but really, that is
not a big deal.” Celebrations are not
determined to be celebrated based on
our perception of their significance.
Celebrations are celebrations because
they have positive impacts on our
young scholars. The teacher with a
student that won the Imagine National
Essay Contest and the teacher that
taught a student to be respectful, stand
quietly in line, or turn their homework
in on time both have celebrations to
reflect upon. While these celebrations
look different, Justice tells us that each
person is unique and should be treated
as such; therefore, celebrations are
celebrations and the only perception
should be whether a young scholar was
positively impacted. So congratulations
on the many celebrations you have had
this year!
Through collaborative and productive
reflection that both constructively
criticizes and celebrates, we as Imagine
educators can be confident that we are
providing the highest quality education
possible for our young scholars. Have
a safe and restful summer! We are
Imagine!
Stephan Sereda,
Regional Education Specialist
Concluding with Collaboration
D
uring the month of June, we
concluded our Professional
Learning Team meetings with
our writing focus. Teachers were able
to examine the stages of writing by
collaborating with each other while
viewing student-writing samples. In
addition to our writing topics, we also
reviewed the most recent class data
for the 2014- 2015 school year. Each
classroom teacher overall did very well,
scoring in each of the three domains,
Emotional Support, Classroom
Organization, and Instructional
Support. For the 2015-2016 school year,
teachers will continue their focus in the
domains of Instructional Support, with
a focus on the dimensions of Concept
Development, Quality of Feedback,
Language Modeling, and Literacy
Focus.
Also, our PreK-4 scholars at Imagine
Hope Tolson gave their final farewell
to PreK at their end-of-year graduation
ceremony on June 11 at Gallaudet
University. Our young Imagine Scholars
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did an excellent job presenting songs
and poems to their school community
and family at the celebration.
Congratulations, Imagine Tolson
PreK-4 Class of 2015, and best wishes
in Kindergarten!
Danah Telfaire, Regional Education
Specialist
imagine the possibilities
Calendar
JULY
14th Q Report Cards mailed, Imagine Morningside
AUGUST
3In-Service Day for Staff, Imagine Hope Community Charter
School
24First Day of School for Students, Imagine Hope Community
Charter School
ImagiNation, published monthly by the
Imagine Mid-Atlantic Regional Office, offers
facts and features about our faculty and staff,
and shares information about our schools
and organization. For more information
contact:
Imagine Mid-Atlantic Regional Office
4489 Forbes Blvd.
Lanham, MD 20706
Phone: 301-316-1802
Shawn Toler
Mid-Atlantic Regional Vice-President
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