Schools update board on goals

SANDPOINT — Hope and Washington elementary schools have similar goals and similar tools to achieve them, according to recent reports to Lake Pend Oreille School trustees.

The last two school board meetings featured presentations by Hope Elementary Principal Sherri Hatley and Washington Elementary Principal Sandy Maras, who gave similar overviews of their schools’ challenges and approaches. Notably, both elementary schools were beneficiaries of grants secured in early 2013, which have allowed for an increased use of iPads and other technology this school year.

Thanks to a grant from the Khan Academy, a leading nonprofit in online education resources, both schools have closed in on the one-to-one ratio between students and technological devices. With grant funding, the schools secured 100 iPads each — and both have been a valuable addition to the teaching process, school staff reported.

For example, Washington Elementary students usually use their iPads three to five times a day, according to second-grade teacher Charlene Hitchcock. At both schools, the iPads link up to a centralized display, and as students input answers to their work, they can see their “energy points” rise in real time at the head of the classroom.

“It’s fun to watch, because they’ll be entering their answers and then all look up to see the outcome,” Hatley said.

Washington Elementary students are getting another technological thrill from their lessons thanks to a 3D printer purchased through a grant. A device that carves three-dimensional objects from blocks of varying materials, a 3D printer can be programmed to create an enormous variety of shapes and parts. This gives the students an opportunity to learn programming techniques and geometry fundamentals in an exciting way, teachers said.

“I went to visit the class, and there was an absolute buzz in that room,” Superintendent Shawn Woodward said. “Kids actually ran up to show me what they were doing.”

As with other schools, both Washington and Hope are ramping up efforts to prepare students for Common Core State Standards, the principals said. Writing exercises are a much bigger part of classroom activities this year. In addition, the schools are keeping students’ eyes on the prize with learning targets in view at all times. These targets are expressed in a positive, empowering way to let students know what they should be capable of upon mastering the lesson.