It's Q & A TIme!

There are so many new faces at the start of a new school year... Students, Parents, and Faculty. This year, I thought it would be fun to do a little Q & A with Mrs. McCanles to introduce our community to some of the new faculty faces.

Meet Mrs. Elaine Scheidecker

Q: What is your role at Oakhill? 

A: What I do at Oakhill is a variety of different things.  I help out with Coach Ziegler in PE.  I also help Coach Speer with 3rd grade PE. Another activity I do is teaching Preschool and Prekindergarten computer skills.  Another wonderful thing is working with the middle-school age with enrichment activities, and  in the Panther Power Place.  Lastly, I help in Kids' Club by opening every morning and working some afternoons after school. 

Q: What is your educational background? Last teaching experiences? What drew you to Oakhill? 

A: I have  a B.S. degree from Northwest Missouri State University and obtained my Master’s Degree from Baker University.  I also have gifted certification received from UMKC and Drury University.  I spent the last twenty-six years in Smithville teaching fourth grade, gifted education, and first grade.  I also helped with many clubs and activities.  I was drawn to Oakhill because of its amazing reputation for quality teaching.  I also heard wonderful things about the students and parents.  Everyone is so welcoming!

Q: What are your “other” gifts, talents, interests that you bring to Oakhill?  

A: I enjoy playing the piano and singing.  I have been the accompanist for school choir for many years. I have coached Fourth and Fifth graders in Math Contests... and I really enjoy sports.  

Q: What are you enjoying most about your new position at Oakhill?  

A: The best thing about being at Oakhill this year is getting to know all ages of students.  I am not just with one grade level, but working with two year olds all the way up to eighth graders.  It is a joy to be around all these ages.   One of the things I am enjoying at Oakhill is meeting all these new students, parents, and colleagues.  Everyone has been great.

Q: What have the students taught you so far?  

A: What I have learned from the students so far this year is that we are all a child at heart.  Also I have learned that the students at Oakhill are so polite. 

Q: What do you want parents to know about you?  

A: I want parents to know that I hope your students enjoy learning new things from me.  I have taught every grade from kindergarten through sixth grade.  I also want them to know that I am always approachable with new ideas or suggestions.  I will lend an ear or open the door to anyone.

Q: what do you like to do in your spare time?  

A: I fill my spare time with hanging out with my husband and sons (whenever my sons are home from college).  I also like attending any sporting activities they are involved in when they are close to home.    I also am on a worship team along with several other activities at church.  I love being with my friends and helping out other people.  

What is a signature event?

There are many things students look forward to in a given school year, but we have a few events that are truly signature! Our goal is for each school year to have SOMETHING the students really, really, really look forward to! The event has a reputation that precedes it!

In Kindergarten, it is the hatching of the chicks! They learned so much before the eggs arrived, during the week long wait in the incubator, and after the hatch! This is truly something special and an event no child will forget. Our older students still make the journey to the Kindergarten rooms during the hatching “season” to see the chicks!

What are some of Oakhill’s signature events? Here is a sampling…

Early Learners – Ms. Ferris and Mrs. Ely made sure the camping unit came to life with tents, flashlights, roasted hot dogs, and smores!

First Grade – Mrs. Manley and Mrs. Parrack bring Hawaii to Oakhill each winter – hula dancing, Hawaiian delights, and lava cakes!

Sixth Grade – Mrs. Newhouse leads the 6^th grade in the design and creation of a haunted house for all ages.

Eighth Grade – Mr. Feagles joins the newly graduated 8^th graders the last day of school on an afternoon adventure!

I haven’t listed all of our signature events – what do you believe are Oakhill’s signature events each year? I would love to have you share your thoughts… ask your students… see what stands out to you... each and every year!

Suzanne

What Makes a Teacher Great...

When an alumna walks through the doors at Oakhill, I know he or she will make a teacher's day! Not only will the past student reconnect with his or her teachers, but, most likely, the student will share a story or articulate a specific instance showcasing how that teacher made a difference or left a lasting mark! These moments make a teacher remember exactly why he or she went into such a demanding profession. We are all here for the children...to make an impact...to make a difference!

As many a wise person said, "Teaching is the profession that makes all other professions possible" — including ours.

-Pat Bassett

I ran across the most recent article by Pat Bassett, President of NAIS, titled Twenty-Five Factors Great Teachers Have in Common. I have encouraged the faculty to use the article to reflect, grow, and converse! 

Aloha!

It is wonderful to watch our first graders present their PowerPoints! They display such confidence and pride...speaking on front of a crowd of about 75 people! This is just one example of the emphasis we place on communication, creativity, and collaboration. I am so proud of their work!

Are we a 21st Century School?

The Oakhill Day School faculty and administration had an opportunity to share, grow, and connect on Monday, January 28^th.

My colleagues – other heads of school in the KC area – from St. Paul’s, Pembroke Hill, The Barstow School, Bishop Seabury, Topeka Collegiate, St. Teresa’s Academy, Notre Dame de Sion, Rockhurst High School, Kansas City Academy, Horizon Academy, Hyman Brand Hebrew Academy, and Cristo Rey of Kansas City strive to bring professional development opportunities to our schools.

Although the Heads of Schools get together each month to chat, discuss, and share, our communities had not gotten together for the past five years. We were excited to meet at St. Paul’s Episcopal Day School on January 28^th. We began by hearing from Pat Bassett, President of the NAIS (National Association of Independent Schools). His presentation focused on 21^st Century Schools – what needs to be taught and emphasized. The skills needed in today’s world and beyond are: creativity, character, communication, critical thinking, collaboration and cultural knowledge. 

As Pat discussed each of these skills, of course, my reaction was to say to myself… is Oakhill cultivating these skills as well? And, the answer is yes! These skills can be hard to measure, yet our “products” – our graduates and alumni truly “measure up”! If you came to Fly Up Night, you were able to hear from a few of our alumni – their confidence and presence in front of a large crowd were amazing!

Our teachers then went to breakout sessions with their divisions. For instance, the Early Childhood teachers were able to share and interact with other Early Childhood teachers…the Lower school…the Middle School…and, the Specialists. Pat Bassett did a second presentation for the school administration. This presentation focused on the importance of managing and leading a school to greatness. As he pointed out, a strong community is essential to a school’s overall success.

Finally, Mr. Bassett presented to the Board of Trustees from the various schools. He focused on the commonalities of great independent schools – it was exciting to see how well Oakhill “scored” according to his rubric!

I feel we are great…but, of course, there is ALWAYS room for improvement! We will continue to reach for the stars, to be better, to be stronger, to stay true to our mission! Being good is not enough – being great is expected!

Setting Us Apart

Each year, I watch the 8^th graders blossom and transform…from middle school students to high schoolers! There are many things they take with them – confidence, character, the ability to clearly communicate, written expression, mathematical abilities, the understanding of our past and present, the ability to hypothesize, and so much more. I know Oakhill provides a solid foundation for what is to come.

When I watched the 8^th grade perform at last month's Holiday Concert, I watched their unique personalities come out on stage. In many middle schools, there are a select few who choose to participate in drama and music…maybe they choose this as an elective and maybe they don’t! Maybe they are chosen by the music and drama teacher, and maybe they aren't! At Oakhill all of our 8^th graders have the opportunity to shine on stage…to share their talent in front of family and friends…to let their confidence grow even more. Those moments are important to me as an administrator…we are producing students who believe in themselves and know who they are!

Of course, hard evidence is just as important. As parents, I know you are always looking for evidence of value…and, you should be!

I want to take this opportunity to share with you some remarkable statistics. On Wednesday, November 7^th the eighth grade students took the EXPLORE test, which is part of the ACT family.  It is written for the 8^th or 9^th grade level with a goal of getting a head start on ACT testing and making sure students are on track for high school.  Via an inventory, it also suggests careers and course direction that match the student’s interest.  The test consists of a section in English, Mathematics, Reading, and Science with a high score of 25.  The English section has two components, usage/mechanics and rhetorical skills with a high score of 12.  Each student also received a composite score with 25 being the highest.  The charts below show how our students at Oakhill compared to the national norm group. Quite impressive AND expected!

Some interesting points: (For each of the following the high composite score is 25.)

In English our students average composite score was 21.6 compared to a national average of 14.7.

In Mathematics our students average composite score was 20.8 compared to a national average of 15.5.

In Reading our students average composite score was 21.1 compared to a national average of 14.6.

In Science our students average composite score was 20.8 compared to a national average of 16.6.

Overall composite:  our students averaged 21.2 compared to a national average of 15.5!  100% of our students scored ABOVE the national average!

We are excited to share our results with the entire community.  We understand that Oakhill is an investment.  The performance of our 8^th grade students on the EXPLORE is just one of many way we can show you the dividends.

Suzanne

The Next Generation of Field Trips

I love to travel! I truly believe traveling, whether near or far, is such a powerful experience for children of all ages. We can learn so much from road trips – culture, economics, map reading, independence, budgeting, geography, geology, ecology, and the list goes on and on!

When I was eight and had to get in the back of a hatchback for 10 days (no seatbelts back then were used), I probably didn’t realize the impact those travels would have on me. My family spent 10 days each summer driving around the US…hitting every state except for Alaska and Hawaii by the time I was in college (are we there yet?). Since then, my own family and I have made a point to mark those last two states off the list. Our past travels, similar (in a less exaggerated way) to those in Chevy Chase’s Family Vacation, have brought back many laughs and memories.

The power of travel motivates Oakhill to offer opportunities each year for our students whether it be in Kansas City, Hermann, MO, or Omaha, NE. Our middle school students are afforded the opportunity to travel to Washington D.C. in 5^th and 6^th grade and the Florida Keys in 7^th and 8^th grade (every other year). On the off years, we have taken a Spanish Immersion trip to Minnesota’s Concordia Language Village and hope to head to northern Arkansas to visit Heifer International’s camp this Spring.

And, now…thanks to the passion of former Senora Herman and our 1^st-4^th Science specialist, Dena Cole, our 5^th-8^th graders are now going to have the opportunity to travel to Costa Rica this coming summer (completely optional). Last summer, Senora Herman and Mrs. Cole spent eight days in Costa Rica on a school tour for teachers who might be interested in bringing students to the Rainforest. I just watched Mrs. Cole’s presentation to the Middle School and WOW! I am excited!!!

Why are we going to offer a trip to Costa Rica? I thought I would do a Q & A with Mrs. Cole for the answers…

Mrs. McCanles: Why Costa Rica?

Mrs. Cole: It is such an authentic experience with a very professional tour company created to cater to school groups. Costa Rica has such a vast rainforest and the country spends a great deal of its money on education and ecotourism.

Mrs. McCanles: Why take 5^th – 8^th graders?

Mrs. Cole: A great mix of Spanish and Science. The students have the background necessary to appreciate the rainforest and the problems that exist. The students will have the opportunity to use their Spanish skills as they feel comfortable. And, most importantly, the students who were here in 3^rd grade spent a great deal of time on their rainforest projects and animals. Now, they get to go back with their “old” science teacher to bring those projects to life.

Mrs. McCanles: What are the top three things the students will take away from the trip/experience?

Mrs. Cole: 1) seeing the animals up close and personal in their natural habitat is incredible 2) just experiencing the rainforest is something pictures and videos cannot replicate and 3) the bonding and team building is unforgettable – the white water rafting and zip lining are icing on the cake.

Mrs. McCanles: What might you say to the parents to help them make a decision about this trip?

Mrs. Cole: As a parent, I sent my children on trips and I worried most about their safety and comfort. I’ll start with safety. I will be going on the trip and if we get 20 students another teacher will accompany me. We will also have parent chaperones with us. The tour guides are amazing – trained in first aid and ready to cater to your every need. The tour company was created just for school groups and the adventures are so well planned and organized…they thought of everything! The hotels were very nice and, the food is incredible – so many varieties to choose from; you will never go hungry!

As you can see from many of the pictures, a whole new world awaits us!