by admin
Stafford Primary school’s enrichment program will now boldly step into the twenty first century by doing all of our registration online. Brochures will not be sent home but will be found via our school website. Registration will open on April 1st and close on April 4th. Our spring enrichment session will start on the week of April 12.
by admin
Our Stafford Science Fair was a great success! Visitors and participants enjoyed exploring the various projects and seeing the results of the various investigations. Thank you to all the parents who supported their children through this process, to the students from West Linn High School who came and gave feedback to our students and to the scientist themselves- who created and displayed their beautiful work!
Our district Science Fair will be at West Linn High School on March 12, from 5:30-7:30. This is an opportunity to see projects from the various primary schools, as well as the ISEF projects that our high schoolers have been engaged in. This is a wonderful event for all children and families. Hope to see you there!
by admin
The Science fair is almost here! On February 24th, students will have the opportunity to share their discoveries and experiments with each other. In addition to sharing with their peers, a group of students from West Linn High school will be here to give feedback to each participating student. This is a great opportunity for Stafford students to see and hear from older students who continue to be engaged in the inquiry process. The Science Fair is a wonderful event, where students from every grade level have the opportunity to explore and learn from the inquiries their fellow students have made.
Research and inquiry has been one of our themes this year and topic of discussion across the school. The process of inquiry comes naturally to children, as it gives them the opportunity to do what they do best- ask questions, investigate the world around them and share what they have discovered. Inquiry is not always an orderly process, and students do not always arrive at a pre-conceived answer. There is such value in going through the process of asking a question and investigating to find an answer. With the amount of information at our fingertips today, creating opportunities to sift through and analyze a wide range of information is important.
The science fair is a great example of inquiry in action. Each project begins with the student: their interests, curiosities and experiences. From these interests comes questions and ideas to investigate. As discoveries are made, students share that information with others, receive feedback on what they have done and more questions come from this experience. This cycle can continue or it can lead to other ideas, inspiring children to explore some more about the world around them.
Inquiry is an integral part of any classroom instruction. While inquiry is typically associated with scientific pursuits, it is a really a process that is evident in every content area. Whether students are exploring the relationship between addition and subtraction, what the theme of a novel may be or what the causes of the Revolutionary War were, students are asking questions and seeking to understand. It is through this process of inquiry that there is depth of student learning. Simply telling our students what to do is not enough- working with them to form understandings about the world around them is what will lead to durable learning over time. This kind of complex instruction, where the teacher is a guide in the process of inquiry, is essential as we prepare our children for the challenges of the 21st century.
I hope you will be able to make it to the Science Fair on February 24th and join our students in a celebration of their investigations. If you have any questions about Science Fair or the process of inquiry, please do not hesitate to give me a call or drop by my office.
Patrick Minor
by admin
During the next few months, all kindergarten and new students to Stafford will be given the Raven’s Progressive Matrices assessment. This is a standard assessment in the West Linn – Wilsonville School District.
The purpose of this assessment is to provide us with information about a student’s nonverbal reasoning processes. These are important indicators which help teachers and parents see how students can be successful learners at school. It also provides an initial screening tool for Gifted Education identifications, as recommended by the Oregon Department of Education.
The Raven can be described as a “test of observation.” The assessment consists of a series of puzzles in a booklet. Students choose the piece that is missing from the picture on each page. The activity usually takes about 20 minutes for students to complete. We find that students enjoy solving the puzzles and participate eagerly. The assessment is given either one on one or two on one depending on each student’s comfort level. This assessment will either be conducted by myself or with a trained instructional assistant.
By the end of the school year, all of the Raven assessments will have been given and scored. If you would like to know the results of your child’s Raven, you are welcome to contact me at 673-7154 or minorp@wlwv.k12.or.us.
by admin
The response and interest in our school Science Fair has been tremendous! The enthusiasm of students, parents and staff has been wonderful to see. By helping to guide students through this process we can ensure that this enthusiasm continues. Students can become easily disengaged if they feel overwhelmed. In order to avoid this, it is important to help students design a testable question or a narrow focus on a topic in such a way that it guides the rest of the process. By doing an experiment or study that is narrow in scope, students feel like the task is more manageable and often the results are more meaningful. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me. I will also be holding support meetings after school from 2:15-3:15 in the library every Friday until the Science Fair. The Science Fair will be held on February 24 here at Stafford- this is a change in dates so please make a note.
by admin
Hello Stafford students and families! For those of you who do not know me yet, my name is Patrick Minor and I am the Instructional Coordinator at Stafford Primary School. Some of my responsibilities include overseeing the Talented and Gifted program, our after school enrichment program, state testing and supporting curriculum development at Stafford. Along with this, I work closely with our principal Patrick Meigs in planning professional development and supporting students, teachers and families. I will use this blog to update our community about current events and to share my thoughts about how we can all help our children at Stafford be successful and engaged in their learning.
I am a (somewhat) recent transplant to the Portland metro area, having moved here with my wife 4 years ago from San Francisco. Before becoming the Instructional Coordinator at Stafford, I taught 4th grade. I have a wonderful baby girl neamed Frances and two high maintenance black labs. I enjoy going on walks with them, visiting the beautiful Oregon coast, reading and playing golf in my free time.
If you ever have any concerns or questions regarding your child’s experience at Stafford, please do not hesitate to contact me. My email is minorp@wlwv.k12.or.us, my phone number is 673-7154 or you could just stop by my office when you visit Stafford. Hope to see you soon!