Focus on Instruction

At Hidden Valley Middle, students presented digital portfolios through student-led conferences (SLCs). During their presentations, students shared the Opportunity Ready work they have been doing this year and presented artifacts centered on collaboration, critical thinking, and communication. Additionally, students discussed their progress with a growth goal they had set for themselves, how they have met schoolwide expectations, and a project they were particularly proud of.

At Herman L. Horn Elementary, students in Ms. Witt's 4th Grade Science class conducted research on various ocean animals and developed PowerPoint presentations to share their findings with classmates. Ms. Coffey, the Instructional Technology Resource Teacher, collaborated with the students to design and create a 3D printed movable version of each animal. Following their presentations, each student will be able to take their 3D print home as a keepsake of their learning experience.

At Burlington Elementary,students explored the life and culture of the Pueblo Native American tribe. Students discovered that the Pueblos resided in multi-story terraced structures constructed from clay. To enhance their understanding, students were provided with clay to create models of these traditional homes, incorporating elements such as animals they would hunt, ladders, and other relevant features.

At Hidden Valley High, Mr. Harris' students incorporated a bank while exploring the exponential functions of simple, compound interest, and the monthly payment formula as well as simulated the dynamics of the banking system at large. The simulation required students to support a potential borrower with the help of an investor as well as borrow from the Federal Reserve if required. Students crafted a final presentation, a reflection using our ORG performance outcomes, and archived their work in their online portfolio.

At William Byrd Middle, students participated in a Science Showcase. Students presented their Science Fair projects to their parents/guardians, community members, central office staff, and to high school students. It was an exciting night in which students demonstrated a tremendous amount of pride in their final products. The projects showcased students' ability to communicate, critically think, collaborate, and showcased their creativity.

At Hidden Valley Middle, students in Mrs. Riddle’s English classes designed houses made of graham crackers and candy. Students had to use their Opportunity Ready skills of collaboration, creativity, communication, and critical thinking to build a structure that would be part of a winter village. They then wrote an advertisement for their houses as if they were putting them on the market for sale. Lastly, students engaged in a reflective process to evaluate the experience as a whole.

At Glenvar High, Geometry students applied their skills by creating angles with lasers to measure and order angle size and the length of the side opposite the given angle. They practiced using key geometric terms such as vertex, segment length, and distance. Through this hands-on activity, students justified their results and reinforced their understanding of geometric principles. This engaging exercise demonstrated the real-world application of their knowledge and problem-solving skills.

At Fort Lewis Elementary, 4th and 1st grade students traveled back in time for Colonial Day! Students wore colonial period clothing, danced the Virginia Reel, prepared food from scratch, and played colonial games. Students were fully engaged in this immersive learning experience. With the help of the Frontier Culture Museum, our teachers, volunteers, and our students developed a deeper understanding of colonial life.

At Masons Cove Elementary, first graders learned about fractions—halves, fourths, and wholes—and their real-life uses, like cooking and sharing. We explored splitting our class (e.g., ½ boys, ½ girls; ¼ wear glasses). To conclude, students opened a "pizza shop," ordering pizzas with fractional toppings (e.g., whole cheese, ¼ sausage, ½ pepperoni, ¼ peppers). They used fractions to plan and build their pizzas, applying their knowledge in a fun, hands-on way.

At Burlington Elementary, the Windsock Project offers students a hands-on way to study wind's role in weather. By building colorful windsocks, they explore how wind direction and speed affect daily patterns. Testing with a fan shows wind behavior as the streamers move and orient away from airflow. This engaging activity connects meteorology to real-world applications in aviation, outdoor activities, and beyond.

At Masons Cove Elementary, students were able to play on the playground equipment to show examples of force, motion, gravity, and friction. Students also observed their peers on the equipment and drew pictures that illustrated where forces were applied. Students then looked at the cause and effect scenarios of all parts of the playground noticing that the equipment moved because of their force, gravity pulled students down, and for every action, there was an opposite reaction.

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At Northside Middle, 8th grade English students in Mrs. Waldron's English classes pitched their creative new innovations "Shark Tank" style in front of a panel of judges on September 27th in the NMS auditorium. Inspired by the science fiction readings of Ray Bradbury, students chose to work independently or in groups to create a new technology. Using craft materials, the 3D printer, 3D pens, and other MakerSpace materials, students constructed their own prototype of the product that would solve a modern-day problem. Students studied public speaking and persuasive techniques to prepare for their own stage presentations. Lastly, students also studied the fundamentals of a logo to create their own. We are "all in" after seeing these future entrepreneurs' great ideas and skills!.  

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At Clearbrook Elementary, following the reading of the book "The Shape of Things", the students partnered up and designed a shape creation of their choice meeting certain parameters preset.  They identified how many and what size shapes they would need from the precut selection of squares, triangles, circles and rectangles.  The students collaborated and problem solved with their partner to identify flaws with their design and original selection, they then had to go back to Mrs. Harrison to change out their shapes and justify orally why they needed to swap out pieces.  

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At Glenvar Elementary, In their Library classes, the students were asked to brainstorm some of their favorite story book characters.  They then wrote why they chose the character, and then decorated a pumpkin like their favorite character.

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At Glen Cove Elementary, each child was assigned a letter as the anchor point for their alphabet vest.  Students collaborated with the teacher and their families to design their vest.  All GCE students cheered on our kindergarten students during the alphabet parade

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