Students Take Ownership of Their Learning

On Thursday, November 10th student led parent conferences were held at the Newcomer Center.  As part of the one on one iPad initiative at the Newcomer Center, conferences were paperless, allowing students to integrate a variety of documents, including multimedia, into their portfolios. Prior to the conferences, students were asked to select artifacts from each class and reflect on their learning.  On the night of the conferences, students took ownership of their selected materials and led their » Continue Reading

Field Trip to Art Institute of Chicago

On Friday, September 30th, Newcomer students visited the Art Institute in Chicago.  Prior to the field trip, students talked about several different artists and styles of art as part of their culture unit in social science.  They also gained respect for how challenging creating art can be by producing their own works of art.  In addition to the art museum, students also saw contrasting mediums of artwork at the Chicago Cultural Center, Millennium Park, Daily Plaza and outside the Tribune Tower. » Continue Reading

After School Science Project Blasts Off

On Thursday, September 22nd, the Newcomer students got a lesson on Newton's Third Law, which states that every action has an equal and opposite reaction. Several students voluntarily stayed after school to take part in a mini-science project about rockets.  Students constructed their own rockets out of soda bottles and launched them by using only water and air pressure.  In preparation for the rocket launch, students studied the scientific method and were asked several questions during the » Continue Reading

Newcomer Center Open House Was a Success

The Newcomer Center held its Open House on the night of September 14th. In addition to meeting teachers, families received information on the iPad individual technology initiative at the Newcomer Center.  As a result of this initiative, students are utilizing this technology both in school and at home.  Newcomer staff explained to parents the rationale behind using iPads in the classroom and reviewed expectations.  At the end of the open house, the students took their iPads home for the first » Continue Reading