Spring 2014

CONFLUENCECONNECTIONS

Student tutoring session at South City as part of the Mastery Projects

Mastery Projects announced incentives improve student achievement

mastery project is meant to influence academics. A mastery project helps students really understand a subject or a concept. A mastery project goes above and beyond for the good of students. A mastery project provides even more opportunities for students to achieve and be successful. To foster creative methods for student achievement, Confluence Charter Schools launched a pilot program called the Mastery Project. It is part of the 2013-2014 incentive program for teachers and staff. Mastery projects are led by an individual person or a team, but the overall purpose is the same to influence student achievement. Each school within the Confluence network could receive up to $5,000 to fund projects that impact student achievement. Confluence awarded nearly $12,300 for 9 mastery projects at schools including

Confluence Academy-Old North, Confluence AcademySouth City, Confluence Academy-Walnut Park and Grand Center Arts Academy. The literacy and math projects involve technology, cooperative learning, support for English Language Learners, games, books and parent involvement. At the end of the school year, teachers and staff will share the results of the mastery projects with the Board of Directors. The 2013-2014 Mastery Projects are: Confluence Academy-Old North Second Grade Team Improve literacy and math skills for second-grade students with technology by using Kindle Fire tablets and online reading and math programs. Kiersten Saenz Improve reading skills for students in grades 3-8 with class sets of leveled reading materials. The

project includes a home-toschool reading plan to encourage parents to help children at home, which will lead to increased reading levels. Jennifer Susa By using learning games that are fun and rigorous, fourth-grade students can learn and practice specific reading and math skills in small groups. The games challenge students and encourage active participation among reluctant or lowperforming students. LaShawn Thomas Guided reading and leveled-reading activities will help first-grade students with reading confidence, fluency, comprehension skills and independent reading. The project goal is to help students read at a second-grade level by the end of the school year.

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CHAIRMANSLETTER

Sun opening and MAP tests are spring focus CPA graduation caps another great year
Its spring! We endured a long winter and we had more snow days that we couldve ever imagined. I want to thank our staff, our families and our students for staying focused and working hard through such an unexpected challenge. Now, its time for all of us to focus on the annual Missouri Assessment Program and End-of-Course exams. Students in grades 3-8 who attend public schools and public charter schools take the MAP test. It is a series of tests focused on English language arts and math. Students in grades 5 and 8 are also tested in science. High school students take EOC exams in certain subjects. MAP testing begins in April for our students. All year long, our teachers and staff work hard to educate students to prepare them for their grade level and beyond. In the K-8 buildings, students have 90 minutes of What I Need (WIN) time to work on skills in math and communication arts. Many students attend after-school tutoring to improve and advance their math and reading skills. Parents, MAP tests are important for student academic success and for the future of Conuence Charter Schools. We know it might be overwhelming to help your child prepare for testing. In this edition of Conuence Connections, weve included tips that you can use at home. Some of the tips that will be the most helpful include: Make sure your child gets plenty of sleep during testing. Make sure your child is at school each day during testing. Do not schedule doctor or dentist appointments for your child during test time. Eat a good breakfast at home or at school every day. Read for at least 20 minutes a day and practice math facts. Encourage your child in his/her academics.

Mission Statement

Confluence Charter Schools provides the highest quality public education for our students. Every day, students are engaged and encouraged to excel in reading, math, science, technology, visual arts and performing arts.
Vision Statement

Confluence Charter Schools will provide a world-class public education to prepare our students for success in college, career and life.

Spring is also the time of year for milestones such as graduation. We are so proud of the class of 2014! Confluence Preparatory Academy seniors will graduate on May 27 at 6:00 p.m. at the Ferrara Theater at Americas Center. It is the third graduating senior class in the history of CPA. Parents, please make sure your senior has effective planning sessions with a guidance counselor, and make sure your child is pursuing postsecondary opportunities such as college or career training. We will also celebrate the grand opening of the Sun Theatre on May 10. The theater has been under renovation for nearly two years. The theater allows Grand Center Arts Academy to expand to welcome more students, and give students a performance space to enhance their artistic talents. The expansion sets GCAA apart as the only

public charter school in St. Louis to specialize in the arts with a 600-seat theater. Please enjoy the newsletter and take pride in the achievements of our students, our staff and our schools. Thank you for choosing Conuence Charter Schools for your childs education.

Sonya G. Henry Chairman Confluence Academy Board

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CAMPUSHAPPENINGS

from page 1

Jessica Brown, Brooke Woods Through literacy and numeracy centers, fifth-grade students can work on specific skills in small group settings. The centers, or kits, target reading skills such as comparison and contrast, sequencing and drawing conclusion. The math kits target skills such as division, multiplication, area and perimeter. Confluence Academy-South City Jan Antrim, Landon Wood Tutoring teams will be created to help kindergartners who are English Language Learners improve their reading and writing skills. The project will pair a kindergarten student with an older sibling or cousin who is proficient in English. They will work together at home to improve basic English skills. The project involves training, working directly with families and monthly assessments. Maria Casaleggi To help teachers improve their instructional methods, document cameras in the classrooms will provide instant visuals and feedback. The cameras work with technology already available in the classrooms. The project will fund 10 document cameras to impact improved instruction in classrooms across all grade levels. Confluence Academy-Walnut Park First Grade Team To influence math skills among first-graders, the team will purchase supplemental materials for Singapore Mathematics. Students learn the foundation for understanding math in first grade. Using the materials during Singapore Math instruction will lead to higher student engagement and academic success. Grand Center Arts Academy Donna Black, Andrew Goodin The concept of density is the focus of a math project for ninth-grade students. The project will integrate STEM science, technology, engineering, math-creativity and cooperative learning by partnering with the Makerspace Lab.

Recognizing service to Confluence Academy

At the January 2014 Board of Directors meeting, Conuence Charter Schools recognized staff who have been part of the Conuence family for ve and 10 years. Congratulations!

Confluence Charter Schools Board Member Recruitment 2014-2015

Conuence Charter Schools is seeking prospective members for its Board of Directors. Conuence Charter Schools is a public charter school founded in 2000. Its rst school opened in August 2003. The current Board has seven (7) volunteer members. The Board structure calls for a minimum of seven (7) and maximum of 11. Each board member may serve two (2) three-year terms. In June 2014, four (4) members will have reached set term limits. The Board seeks to ll the expected vacancies by April 2014. The meeting schedule for 2014-15 includes 10 monthly meetings with the majority beginning at 8:00 a.m. Prospective candidates will have experience and expertise in one or more of the following areas: Academics, Finance, Governance, Human/Public Relations, Arts and Fundraising. Candidates must be committed to attending all general meetings, attend and/or chair committee meetings, share new ideas, build and enhance relationships, and fulll the duties expected of a Director of the Board. Candidates will submit a current resume and complete required forms by Conuence to be recommended for acceptance by the Board of Directors. Interested candidates should contact Conuence Charter Schools at (314) 436-2313. For more information about our schools, visit www.conuenceacademy.org

Five years
Quantonya Ponder, accounts payable specialist, Resource Ofce Tausha Howard, administrative assistant, South City

Ten years
Debra Bahr, math coach/Title II, Walnut Park Juanita Johnson, library media specialist, South City Pam Davenport, principal, South City Stacy Blassingame, special education coordinator, Resource Ofce Robert Greenhaw, second grade teacher, South City Bryan Rickert, art teacher, Walnut Park Brad Zirkelbach, technology manager, Resource Ofce

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QUICKTAKES

The word is... South City 8th grader spells regionals success
Condence. On March 1, the top student spellers in the St. Louis area showed their condence at the St. Louis PostDispatch Regional Spelling Bee at McKendree University. Walneisha White, an eighth-grade student at Conuence Academy-South City, was among 30 students who earned a spot in the bee. The experience of spelling bees is a rst for Walneisha. Starting in January at South Citys school bee, she won rst place with plagiarism, then moved to the second round at McKendree. At regionals, Walneisha competed in ve rounds. At the end of the sixth round, only 10 students remained out of 30. She was eliminated in the sixth round. She did a great job, said Principal Pam Davenport, South City. Just days before regionals, Walneisha said, I feel excited. I made it this far by doing my best. For my rst time, Im doing pretty good. Her study strategies included focusing on the origin of the word, looking for patterns and paying attention to pronunciation. Her study tools included a Merriam-Webster dictionary and a list of words from the bee. At school, friends helped her with practice tests. Outside of spelling bees, Walneisha likes science and technology. Next school year, shell be a freshman at Carnahan High School of the Future. She is interested in computer programming and accounting. She reads romance novels like the Twilight and Beautiful Creatures series, listens to music, talks on the phone with friends and hangs out with my mom. Although she would have liked to win the regional spelling bee, Walneisha can look back and remember that her condence and believing in herself led to a great experience.

Class of 2014 college acceptances arrive for CPA seniors

The college acceptance letter is the most exciting letter for a high school senior, and seniors at Conuence Preparatory Academy are experiencing the excitement. There are 87 seniors at CPA. Many of them have been accepted to schools such as Lindenwood University, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Columbia College Chicago, Missouri State University, Harris-Stowe State University, Lincoln University, University of MissouriColumbia, University of Central Missouri, Saint Louis University, St. Louis Community College, Southeast Missouri State University, University of MissouriKansas City and Webster University. Its also exciting to nd out that you earned a college scholarship. In the past few weeks, a small but growing number of seniors have shared good news about receiving signicant college scholarship offers. Jamari Sky Jackson was accepted to the School of the Art Institute of Chicago with an offer for $40,000 in scholarship funds. She was also accepted to Columbia College Chicago. Jasmine Spates will study nursing at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. She earned a full scholarship worth more than $40,000. She was also accepted to SEMO and UMKC. Oksana Hill received a four-year scholarship to Lindenwood University, valued at $33,600. She received the scholarship as reward for being named Downtown YMCAs Youth of the Year. She was also accepted to Webster Universitys art program. In the coming weeks, more students will have good news about college scholarships both big and small. Every scholarship is an honor to be proud of!

Brains at breakfast honors breakfast recognizes hard work

On January 29, Conuence AcademyWalnut Park celebrated the academic achievements of 142 of its scholars. These outstanding scholars represented grades third through eighth. In observance of their hard work and achievements, the administration honored them with a complimentary breakfast from Chris Cakes. Students who attended this Honors Breakfast earned a 3.0 or higher upon completion of the second quarter. The administration and instructional team at Conuence Academy-Walnut Park are extremely proud of their scholars and look forward to relishing in many more of their academic achievements."!

Submitted by Keely Sutton, assistant principal, curriculum and instruction

Board news upcoming board of directors meeting dates

Friday, April 25, 8:00 a.m. Conuence Academy-Old North Campus 3017 N. 13th St. Friday, May 16, 8:00 a.m. Conuence Preparatory Academy 310 North 15th Street Friday, June 20, 8:00 a.m. Conuence Academy-Walnut Park 5421 Thekla Avenue

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PARENTTIPS

Ten Tips For Parents

Prepare your student for the MAP test

Students are often required to gather information from photos, captions, drawings, charts and graphs. You can help by teaching your child to look at all of these materials as part of the total text. Tip #6: Help your child know how to use text-based support in written responses. Most of the constructed-response items on the MAP assessments have two parts or require children to explain or show how they arrived at their answers. Children will receive only partial credit for answers to questions that are not supported with specic details or that do not contain an explanation. Tip #7: Teach your child to preview the test before starting. Planning the test time will allow your child to pace himself while he is working and decrease stress. Tip #8: Teach your child to identify all parts of a question. Teach your child to identify exactly what each question is asking. Some questions have multiple parts, which are often combined into a single sentence with a single question mark at the end. The child should underline each question word (who, what, when, where, why, how and any other word or phrase that indicates a question). By doing so, she can see if a question has multiple parts. Not answering all parts of a multi-part question is a common error. Tip #9: Teach your child to paraphrase test items, turning questions into statements. Teach your child to turn questions into statements. The child may underline the question words as described above, and then turn each part of the item into a statement. For example, the question, "Why did the main character play with the ball?" could be rephrased as "The main character played with the ball because ..." This practice allows the child to phrase the question in a way that makes the most sense to him. He is then ready to read the passage and look for answers. Tip #10: What can you do to help your child have a good testing experience?

Be aware of the test schedule. Be sure to nd out which days and times students are testing in class. Make sure your child gets plenty of rest and a good nights sleep. You might try going to bed earlier about a week before testing starts so your child gets adjusted to a new bed time. Continue going to bed early throughout testing. Make sure your child eats a good breakfast so he can concentrate and stay focused. Be on time for school, and be at school every day during testing. Attendance during MAP testing is important. Avoid scheduling appointments that can be done at a later date. Dress your child in layered clothing. This way, he/she may add clothing to get warmer or remove some clothing to be cooler. If your school allows it, make sure your child has a book to read when the test session is complete. Be certain that your child has two or more No. 2 pencils, not mechanical pencils. Have a positive attitude!

Our students will begin Missouri Assessment Program (MAP) tests in April. Students in grades 3-8 are tested for their knowledge in communication arts and math. Students in grades 5 and 8 are tested in science. Each year, students across the state take MAP tests and End-ofCourse exams, as required by the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE). Many parents ask for advice to help their child do well in school and on the MAP test. The following 10 tips from DESE can help you prepare your child. Tip #1: Read, Read, Read! Reading takes skill and practice. One of the best and simplest steps to improve the reading ability for children is to provide sustained periods of time for children to read. Tip #2: Help your child to read like a writer. Even in the early grades, children can begin to "get into the head" of the author. Reading improves a child's writing and writing improves a child's reading. Tip #3: Read a variety of books and magazines. The MAP communication arts test has short stories, poems, dialogues, magazine articles, charts and tables. Children need to be able to read a wide variety of texts ranging from road signs to restaurant menus, comic books to classics, and from tennis shoe ads to computer manuals. Tip #4: Build your child's reading stamina. To build reading stamina, you may encourage your child to gradually increase the amount of time she reads each day. Include short breaks, such as stretching or closing her eyes for a minute. Set individual reading goals based upon doing the "best that she can." Tip #5: Teach your child that visuals are part of the text.

Conuence Core Values Wisdom # # Justice# # Courage Compassion# Hope ## Respect Responsibility# Integrity

Grand Center Arts Academy Core Values Academics Arts Social Justice Community ! ! CC Spring 2014

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FIELDNOTES

A trip to Memphis

a note from Confluence Academy Old North

Last fall, Keith Davis, academy director at Confluence Academy-Old North, took the chance to ask professional athletic teams for donations to give to students as rewards. A few weeks later, Old North found out they were getting basketball tickets from the NBAs Memphis Grizzlies for a game in Memphis. In February 2014, Old North planned a field trip to Memphis as an incentive reward for University of Junior Academy students who met expectations for academics and behavior. The trip focused on education, not just fun. A summary of the trip gives a glimpse into their experience. In connection with Black History Month, students from Confluence Academy-Old North visited the National Civil Rights Museum at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tenn., where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated."This trip not only was enjoyable for the youth, but also the adults that were chaperoning."As we toured the museum, our students were engaged in learning more about some historical moments and struggles during the Civil Rights movement, such as how people like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, Rosa Parks, Ella Jo Baker, Mary Bethune, and Harriet Tubman, to name a few, struggled and died to ensure we were given a fair opportunity to enjoy what was written in 1776 as part of the Declaration of Independence: We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness. After a day of learning more about our history, we were treated to an NBA game featuring the Memphis Grizzlies and the LA Clippers."All of the students and chaperones had a wonderful time watching a live NBA game. The last stop before arriving back home in St. Louis was lunch at Lamberts Caf in Sikeston, Mo., the home of the Throwed Rolls."We had around 60 students and 12 chaperones return back home with smiles and memories for a lifetime! Our staff chaperones were Sonya Murray, principal; Keith Davis, academy director; Patricia Henry, Cotreena Jones, Ieshea Goree, Tameka Cooley, Sheila Caradine, Erik Jefferson, Robert Narrow, Gary Mitchell, Orlando Payton, Sherman Lindsey and LaKisha Martin.

Submitted by LaKisha Martin, data owner, Confluence Academy-Old North

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NEWSPACE

The Sun Rising

In just a few weeks, Grand Center Arts Academy will celebrate another milestone the opening of the Sun Theatre. The Sun Theatre opened in 1913 as the Victoria Theater. Over the years, the name changed a few times; it has served as a playhouse and a movie theater. Eventually the building grew quiet and stood vacant for 40 years. Inside, the theater was a wreck. A tree had grown on the roof, spreading its roots to empty space below. There was a gaping hole in the ceiling, graffiti on the walls and decay from years gone by. But, someone saw the potential in bringing the theater back to life. About two years ago, The Lawrence Group, an architecture firm, and Grand Center, Inc., a non-profit dedicated to the growth and development of the historic arts and cultural district, started working together on the renovation. The renovations cost approximately $11.4 million. What does the renovated theater mean for the students and staff of Grand Center Arts Academy? It means they will gain a theater and classroom space. The expansion includes almost 30,000 square feet of space and will allow GCAA to accommodate more students. The theater will have approximately 600 seats. There are three new classrooms designed as small lecture halls, a space for a small dance studio, and offices. There are dressing rooms for performers and a large, open space to design sets for productions. On May 10, GCAA will host a gala event to highlight the Sun Theatre. The classroom spaces and theater will be ready for students in the fall. Plans are underway for some events during the summer. Growth is happening inside GCAA, too. Classroom space will be constructed to get ready for 2014-2015. The school hopes to draw 700 students for enrollment, up from more than 500 who attend GCAA. GCAA currently serves students in grades 6 through 10 and will continue to grow one grade per year through 12th grade in 2015-2016. Grand Center Arts Academy is the first performing and visual arts public charter school in Missouri. Classes include core curriculum of math, science, communication arts and social studies, along with dance, instrumental music, vocal music, visual arts, theater and musical theater.

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CALENDARCHANGES

Confluence Charter Schools has updated the 2013-2014 academic calendar for April, May, June and July. The updates include make-up days for school closings, changes to professional development days and the last day of school for students.
April 18 # No School

April 25* # School Day ! Conuence Preparatory Academy, Ultimate Purpose Program Old North, South City, Walnut Park A full day of school for students who attend CPA, the Ultimate Purpose Program, Old North, South City and Walnut Park ONLY April 25! May 23* ! May 26 ! May 27 ! May 28 ! May 29 ! May 30 ! June 2 ! June 3 ! June 3 ! June 4 ! June 4 ! June 27 ! June 30 ! July 4 ! July 7August 1! Grand Center Arts Academy, Professional Development, No School - GCAA ONLY School Day - All Conuence Charter Schools Memorial Day - No School Make-Up Day - School Day for All Students Make-Up Day - School Day for All Students Make-Up Day - School Day for All Students Make-Up Day - School Day for All Students Make-Up Day - School Day for All Students Last Day of School - Conuence Preparatory Academy, Grand Center Arts Academy ONLY Professional Development, No School, Grades K-8 - Old North, South City, Walnut Park ONLY School Resumes, Grades K-8 - Old North, South City, Walnut Park Teacher Close Out Day - Conuence Preparatory Academy, Grand Center Arts Academy ONLY Last Day of School, Grades K-8 - Old North, South City, Walnut Park Teacher Close Out Day, Grades K-8 - Old North, South City, Walnut Park Fourth of July - No School Summer School - Grades K-8

*Previously scheduled as Professional Development for teachers, staff **Dates are subject to change if school is canceled for any reason, including weather.

Revised March 25, 2014

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