Oh 2020, let us count the ways you disrupt.
Our first graders, like students of all ages and stages around the world, have been impacted by the global health pandemic and coronavirus. The disruption to their previous school year and 2020 spring semester has caused expected learning slippage. Here are some ways we’re addressing first grade gaps:
- Informing our instructional practices with universal screeners given to all students at the beginning of the year and monitoring progress.
- Using daily exit ticket data to target instruction and small group interaction.
- Utilizing after-school time to play learning games with our scholars as they wait to go home. The Catalyst team targets phonics and phonemic awareness through game play.
- Building in flex time for every scholar during their academic day. Scholars get individualized instruction from their teachers based on data from each day.
- Implementing Wilson Fundations Program — a systematic phonics instruction program that teaches scholars foundational reading skills sequentially and explicitly.
- Sending extra practice work home with First Grade scholars to reinforce skills taught during the day.
We will get our first graders back on track to grade level learning and ensure a successful year of belonging, growing and achieving. That’s the Catalyst mission! We create these experiences daily via our educational model. As a review, here are the six components:
- High Expectations: We push ourselves and our scholars to always pursue excellence.
- Academic Rigor: College prep, culturally affirming curriculum, longer school day and year.
- Quality Teaching: Small group instruction, instructional coaches, up to two hours daily for planning and practice.
- Strong Relationships: Smaller classes enhancing student and teacher relationships, frequent teacher-parent communication and home visits.
- Innovation & Personalization: Catalyst Expeditions – Week-long project-based learning expeditions, scholar flextime for enrichment and tutoring, and personalized learning tools.
- Holistic Development: Scholar goal circles, social-emotional learning curriculum, dedicated Catalyst Community Time.
Our Catalyst first graders also thrive with us via our five-days-a-week art classes, four-days-a-week STEM time and hands-on music experiences.
About Catalyst
Catalyst Academy Charter School’s mission is to prepare all students for college, career, and life. Catalyst Academy Charter School’s core values of Belong. Grow. Achieve. reflect the school’s deep commitment to cultivating an inclusive supportive school community where everyone – children and adults – is focused on learning every day, in order for all students to define and achieve their dreams. Catalyst Academy Charter School’s education model is designed to close both the achievement and opportunity gap. The approach couples rigorous core academics with a broad offering in the arts and sciences. Students experience STEM learning daily and arts programming four days per week. Enroll your Kinder or first grader today!
