The GEMS community took time to gather and celebrate the generosity of our community right before our Thanksgiving break. During the 4 weeks of the annual Meals Marathon Food Drive, students and families donated 4,018 food items and $76 in cash contributions! The Food Drive team gave special recognition to Mr. Toof (6th Grade Teacher) and … Continue reading GEMS Learning Community Lends a Helping Hand
BFA Fairfax Elementary Harvest Festival a Success!
On Friday, November 20th, BFA Fairfax Elementary celebrated the end of the fall season with a day of fun, exercise, and creativity. All students were part of three multi-age rotations of activities: vegetable-face-making and crafts, an outdoor hike with collaborative tasks, and face painting, obstacle course, marshmallow relays, hula hooping, and no-handed-doughnut-eating in the gym. … Continue reading BFA Fairfax Elementary Harvest Festival a Success!
Student-Led Conferences Focus on Learning and Presentation in Fletcher
In Fletcher, sixth graders have deconstructed the traditional parent-teacher conference format in favor of Student-Led Conferences (SLC's), and the structure is getting rave reviews. "The student is the main player in the conference process," sixth grade teacher Jasmine Tremblay told students. "Teachers guide students through the conference process and help prepare, but the responsibility … Continue reading Student-Led Conferences Focus on Learning and Presentation in Fletcher
BFA High School Students Conduct Field Study
Students in Mr. Lane’s High School Climate Change class recently conducted a field study of tailpipe carbon dioxide emissions at area high schools. Students were interested in finding out how a sampling of car tailpipe Carbon Dioxide emissions from the BFA-Fairfax parking lot compared with cars from other high schools. They suspected they would see a … Continue reading BFA High School Students Conduct Field Study
Making Meaning of Thanksgiving at GEMS
Thanksgiving is a time for reflection, appreciation, and a time to gather with families and friends to be grateful for everything we have. It is a time for laughter and enjoying one another’s company- a time to acknowledge and be mindful of the lives we live. To help students understand the importance of this holiday … Continue reading Making Meaning of Thanksgiving at GEMS
Up for Debate at GEMS
When you enter Matt Toof's 6th Grade Social Studies classroom on a debate day, excitement and energy are front-and-center, along with a hefty emphasis on the development of Transferable Skills. This year, all teachers and students in FWSU are working to deepen their understanding of proficiency in the area of Effective Communication. Teachers across the district … Continue reading Up for Debate at GEMS
STAR’s are Born at FWSU
Recently Juliet King, Literacy Specialist/Coach at BFA Fairfax provided mini-workshops to review STAR 360 with special educators and SLP’s. STAR 360 is a comprehensive K-12 assessment tool, allowing educators to screen and group students for targeted instruction, measure student growth, predict performance on Smarter Balanced exams and Dynamic Learning Maps (DLM) assessments, and monitor achievement on Common Core … Continue reading STAR’s are Born at FWSU
“It is Often What You Don’t See in Classrooms That is the Most Telling!”
Target 1 – Student-Centered Learning FWSU students will engage in personalized learning involving collaborative inquiry, problem solving, and creative learning opportunities. Action Step - Highlight, create, and model innovative learning opportunities that promote collaborative inquiry, problem solving, and creativity for students and staff. Indicator of Success - Students and staff will apply existing knowledge to create original works as a means of … Continue reading “It is Often What You Don’t See in Classrooms That is the Most Telling!”
The FWSU Story 
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