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very year Confluence Academy – South City celebrates Latino Heritage

Month with a special event, Latino Heritage Night. Each class picks a Spanish country to study and then presents their findings at the event. With a personal connection and a little luck, Megan Antes-Faulk’s fifth grade class got to present something special.

The fifth grade class chose Costa Rica as their country of study and as chance would have it Ms. Antes-Faulk has a personal relationship with Henrietta Boggs, a former first lady of Costa Rica. So, Ms. Antes-Faulk reached out

to her old friend and asked if her class could interview her to get a better feel for the country. The students divided into groups and each group got to come up with a question to ask Henrietta Boggs over Skype.

On September 20, all four fifth-grade classes at Confluence Academy – South City joined

together in the library to speak with Henrietta Boggs. The students sat quietly as pre-selected students approached the computer and asked their questions.

About half the students asked their questions in Spanish and Ms. Boggs even responded in Spanish.

The questions about Costa Rica focused on holidays, food, and what to see when visiting. Henrietta Boggs really shone when the students asked her personal questions. As a little background, Henrietta Boggs was married to Jose “Pepe” Figures a notable revolutionary and iconic Costa Rican president. However, she was born and raised in Alabama.

Latino Heritage Night has special guest Former Costa Rican First Lady visits, teaches

Teacher Megan Antes-Faulk

with her fifth grade class at

Confluence Academy-South City

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Confronting important issues respectfully safe, open discussions lead to learning and understanding Dear Confluence Families: A central part of Confluence Charter Schools’ mission is providing our students reasonable opportunities to discuss their thoughts and feelings about important issues, when this can be accomplished within a safe and respectful learning environment. We commonly take this approach around significant current issues, whether they be civic, social or scientific. This fall has already offered us a myriad of subject matter. As educators, we are responsible to model constructive behavior, allowing your student to listen, learn from others, and express themselves in respectful community. These values are central to our mission and crucial to our success.

As always, we will work to keep your children safe, bring them into closer community, and create opportunities for learning that can help to ultimately build a more just society. We encourage our families to continue discussions at home about not only important issues of the day, but also important happenings in your student’s life. It is important to always encourage open and honest communications.

No matter what occurs, we will keep our Confluence community informed of any

issues that arise within or around our schools.  We will also be communicating via confluencacademy.org and on social media on Twitter @ ConfluenceAcad and Facebook at Confluence Charter Schools. Please reach out to me or to your school principal if you have any continuing questions or concerns.

Thank you for your dedication to the safety of Confluence students and families, and to a just society.

Sincerely,

Candice Carter-Oliver, Ph.D. Chief Executive Officer

CEO

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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.

Board news upcoming meeting dates* Wednesday, December 6, 2017Confluence Academy – South City3112 South Meramec Street

Thursday, January 25, 2018Confluence Academy – Old North33017 N. 13th Street

Thursday, February 22, 2017Confluence Charter Schools – South City3112 South Meramec Street

* Meeting dates, locations and times are subject to change. Please check the calendar on the Confluence Charter Schools website for updates –www.confluenceacademy.org

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Her life is full of intrigue and adventure and yet not much is widely known about her. At 97 years old her life is gaining more and more attention. Last year, a movie was released about her time in Costa Rica and her hopes for the future.

The question students seemed to be particularly interested in was asking Ms. Boggs about when she met former President Barack Obama. She was happy to share the story and even called President Obama, “the most handsome man in the world.”

Getting to meet a political leader would be exciting for anyone, but the fifth graders at Confluence Academy – South City were particularly excited. “My students are particularly excited to ask her advice about politics,” said Antes-Faulk. Ms. Antes-Faulk encourages this thinking as she tells all her students that it is her dream to teach a future president. When one student asked Ms. Boggs how best for them to get involved in politics, Henrietta replied that it was important to get involved on all levels, always vote, and have a thick skin.

The experience of the fifth grade students truly encompasses the purpose of Latino Heritage Night. It is not just about researching the history of each county, but allowing students to create a personal connection with each place that will last a lifetime.

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ack in July, Colin Schuessler, a seventh grader at Grand Center Arts Academy (GCAA), competed at the American Youth on Parade national competition at the University of Notre Dame. The American Youth on

Parade (AYOP) is a week-long event where baton twirlers across the United States compete for a spot on the 2018 National Team. AYOP is considered to be baton twirling’s most prestigious event of the year and is affectionately referred to as the “World Series of Baton Twirling.”

Colin participated in various events as an individual and with his team, The Sugarettes. He had a great showing. He placed first in Men’s Solo baton twirling, Men’s Open Rhythmic Twirl and Men’s National Rhythmic Twirl for the 10-12 age

group. He also came in 4th for the Men’s 2 Baton for his age group. Additionally, Colin’s team, The Sugarettes, placed 8th in Half-Time Show Team Twirl Primary and 5th in Beginner Large Dance Twirl Team.

Those accomplishments sound pretty great within themselves, but it is even more impressive because Colin was in a cast the entire time. He broke his tibia two weeks before competition. He was determined to still compete and luckily the doctors cleared him as long as he modified his routines. This was the first year he was eligible to qualify for the World’s Baton Team and he ended up being one spot away. Colin didn’t need to hang his head because later in the summer he placed first at the Springfield Illinois State Fair baton twirling competition. This time sans cast.

Colin has been practicing baton since 2012. After watching his sister Brooke (also a GCAA student) start dance classes, Colin wanted to join in on the fun. He decided to take baton and ballet, but baton twirling was where he shone. “He was a hit from the beginning,” said his mother, Melissa Schuessler. While he still practices with The Sugarettes, he also receives additional training from Mr. Proctor, a GCAA dance teacher after school. Colin hopes to keep practicing baton and eventually earn a scholarship because of his accomplishments.

B TWIRLING TO THE TOP Grand Center Art Academy student Colin Schuessler captures first in national competition

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Hoops honors top basketball talents get more visibility Two Confluence Charter School students are being recognized for their abilities on the court. Prep Hoops has recently honored Corey Cushshon and Derrick McKay from Confluence Preparatory Academy twofold. Both were honored as being top point guards for their smaller stature and being top overall point guards for the class of 2020.

Prep Hoops is a platform for high school students to get premium visibility and basketball coverage. It allows players to build in-depth recruiting resumes as well as participate in local expos. It is a 25 state-wide organization committed to helping young players get to play the game they love longer. Earl Austin Jr., an award-winning St. Louis sports writer and a Prep Hoops writer, was on hand to witness the expo. He watched both players and nominated them for the awards.

Both Confluence Preparatory Academy students are measured at 5’7” but their games styles are completely different. Corey Cushshon was praised as being a good pass-first point guard. “[He] dropped a number of excellent passes to open teammates and played a very under control game,” said Earl Austin Jr.

Derrick McKay is a smooth point guard that can penetrate to the basket. “A small point guard who played with good pace on both ends of the court. He is a nice scoring threat who can penetrate and knock down 3-pointers,” said Austin Jr.

Time will tell if their stars will continue to rise throughout the basketball season.

On the run Confluence girls take part in a 5K for fitness On November 18th, students, faculty and families of Confluence Charter Schools participated in the semi-annual Girls On The Run 5K. The rainy weather held off long enough for the girls to cross the finish line. With their faces dotted with face paint and lit up with smiles, each girl crossed the finish line excited to have accomplished something great.

Girls On The Run is a physical-activity based, positive youth development program. It is a program to empower 3rd to 8th grade girls for a lifetime of healthy living. The curriculum centers around training for a 5K. So participation in the November 18th 5K, was more than just fun, it was a payoff for all the hard work the students had been putting in.

Health and wellness flu season means keeping healthy habits It is never too early to start thinking about the flu season. The virus isn’t circulating the halls, yet, but it will be before we know it. This is a great time to start practicing good habits that can prevent the spreading of the flu. Children are more susceptible to flu viruses because their immune systems are still developing. Here are some reminders of things you can teach your student to better protect themselves and others.

• Wash your hands frequently especially before eating, after coughing, sneezing, or blowing your nose.

• Keep your sneezes and coughs to yourself by either directing it into a tissue or your elbow.

• Keep your hands out of your eyes, mouth, and nose.

• Get plenty of sleep.

• Maintain a well-balanced diet.

A critical part of keeping the virus from spreading through our schools is by keeping your student home if they present symptoms. If you do need to remove your student from the classroom due to illness, we will work with you to make sure they stay up to date on all lessons.

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ANTHE FUTURE OF CONFLUENCE strategic plan for Confluence Charter Schools takes shape

s some of you may know, in 2015 Confluence Charter Schools embarked on strategic planning. We see this planning as essential to fulfilling our mission for our students and families. Just as we encourage our students to learn and grow, it is important for us to do the same. Over many months,

some fifty Confluence team members refined our Mission and Vision Statements, analyzed our operating environment, and determined four strategic objectives:

1) Financial strength – Maximize our network’s financial resources, personnel and opportunities in anticipation of our students’ changing societal and innovative needs.

2) Community and family engagement – Develop a positive culture that invites, engages and retains students and staff in order to support the personal and academic growth of all of our youth in all the schools in the Confluence network.

3) Teacher recruitment and retention – Devise a comprehensive system designed to attract and employ teachers whose commitment and outlook toward our students are a match for our mission and vision; develop and enhance the skills of those teachers; and identify incentives to retain talented and effective teachers.

4) Curriculum to meet current and future needs—Prepare and implement a systematic and comprehensive pre-k through 12 curriculum that supports and develops the diverse needs of the whole child.

Strategic planning is wise for any large organization, but especially for one like ours which is entrusted with educating students. Since 2003, Confluence Charter Schools has grown from one campus with 245 students to five campuses with nearly 3,200 students. Throughout that growth, student achievement and family choice remain at our core. The purpose of the strategic plan is to ensure that our actions and goals are aligned with our operating environment and enduring values, thereby setting our course for the next five years.

We have made significant headway on several of these objectives and in future editions we will keep you informed of our progress. The full strategic plan is available at: http://www.confluenceacademy.org/apps/pages/index.jsp?

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Reading, writing and math are all essentials for succeeding in school. Students need more than education skills and good test scores to succeed in school and in the real world. An additional skill set they need is known as “executive function skills.” Executive function skills provide support for the learning and development of your student. There are three basic dimensions of these skills: the ability to hold information and use it, the ability to master thoughts and impulses, and the capacity to switch gears to changing demands. These skills help us to stay on task and filter out distractions. We are not born with executive function skills, but we do have the ability to develop them.

So how can you help develop these skills in your student?

First, teach your student how to make a to-do list, enter assignments on a calendar and color code tasks. There isn’t necessarily a right a wrong way to go about this, but encouraging students to create their own system can make it more fun and more likely to be continued.

Instead of asking your student whether or not they have homework, set aside a mandatory 30 minutes of study time each day. To keep them on task during this time use timers to promote accountability.

Here are some activities broken down by age groups that can help develop and maintain executive function skills.

Age 5-7 Age 7-12 Adolescents to teens

Type of Games

For younger children, games and activities can help them develop these skills. Specifically, games that are constantly challenging, but not too hard.

It is important to find games and activities that steadily increase in complexity.

In adolescence, executive function skills are not yet at adult levels, but the demands placed on them usually are at adult levels. Therefore effective communication is also important at this time.

Games/Activities

• Go Fish • Uno • Battleship • Red Light, Green

Light • Duck, Duck Goose • Simon Says • Copy and Response

Games • Puzzles

• Hearts • Bridge • Chess • Double Dutch • Soccer • Flashlight Tag • Learning an Instrument • Dance • Brain Teasers

• Savings Plans •Writing a Journal • Playing Sports •Yoga and Meditation • Strategy-based Computer Games

Resources

www.coolmath.com www.thinkfun.com www.toolsofthemind.org

www.lumosity.com www.commonsensemedia.org www.cogmed.com

www.extension.missouri.edu/p/GH6150 www.cogmed.com www.lumosity.com

DEVELOPING BETTER STUDY SKILLS

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August

15 First Day of School

September

4 Labor Day, No School

11 Professional Development, No School

October

9 Professional Development, No School

27 Parent-Teacher Conferences, No School

November

10 Veterans Day, No School

22-24 Thanksgiving Holiday, No School

December

21 Recordkeeping Day, No School

22 - 1 January Winter Break, No School

January

2 Professional Development, No School

3 School Resumes

15 Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, No School

February

16 Professional Development, No School

19 Presidents Day, No School

March

23 Parent-Teacher Conferences, No School

26 – 30 Spring Break, No School

April

13 Professional Development, No School

May

19 Graduation – Confluence Preparatory Academy, Grand Center Arts Academy

22 Early Dismissal, Gr. 9-12 ONLY

23 Early Dismissal, Gr. 9-12 ONLY

24 Recordkeeping Day, No School

25 – 4 June Make Up Days**

28 Memorial Day, No School

June

5 Summer Session 1 Begins, Grades K-8

28 Summer Session 1 Ends, Grades K-8

July

4 Independence Day, No School

** These are make-up days and will be used if school is canceled for any reason, including weather.

All dates are subject to change if school is canceled for any reason, including weather. * Early Dismissal hours to be announced