August 8, 2011

1. Thomas Jefferson Classical Academy A Challenge Foundation Academy August 8, 2011 THOMAS JEFFERSON CLASSICAL ACADEMY A Challenge Foundation Academy 

2. Thomas Jefferson Classical Academy A Challenge Foundation Academy How are we doing on our journey from: GOOD…TO GREAT? Have we: ANALYZED FRAMEWORK OF GROWTH FOR EACH STUDENT? DEMONSTRATED CONSISTENCY? HAD GRADE LEVEL MTGS, MINIMUM WEEKLY WITH WEEKLY GRADE TEAM CURRICULUM COORDINATION? KEPT ACHIEVERS CHALLENGED AND FOUND WAYS TO HELP THE STRUGGLING-FOCUS ON GROWTH? INTEGRATED PARENTAL SUPPORT-E-MAIL OR PHONE CONTACT REGULARLY? DO WE LOVE WHAT WE TEACH?

3. Thomas Jefferson Classical Academy A Challenge Foundation Academy ONCE AGAIN! IN 2011TJCA-CFA IS AN HONORS SCHOOL OF EXCELLENCE! 81A Thomas Jefferson Class Academy K-12 Yes Met High Growth 95.5 (up from 94.7) Proficient Honors School of Excellence High Growth Met AYP in 25 of 25 categories

4. Thomas Jefferson Classical Academy A Challenge Foundation Academy Local Comparisons:

5. Thomas Jefferson Classical Academy A Challenge Foundation Academy Local Comparisons:

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7. Thomas Jefferson Classical Academy A Challenge Foundation Academy Our Focus On Student Growth

8. Thomas Jefferson Classical Academy A Challenge Foundation Academy Our Focus On Student Growth

9. Thomas Jefferson Classical Academy A Challenge Foundation Academy Our Focus On Student Growth

10. Thomas Jefferson Classical Academy A Challenge Foundation Academy Summer 2011 Bond Projects Improvements and Repairs at the High School Campus Auditorium Roof, Ceiling and Air Conditioning Parking Paving Cafeteria Middle School Halls & Plumbing Phone System New Carpet in locker room Gravel on Stadium Parking Lot Grammar School Awning

11. Thomas Jefferson Classical Academy A Challenge Foundation Academy

12. Thomas Jefferson Classical Academy A Challenge Foundation Academy Auditorium Roof The Drama production, “Singing in the Rain” has been canceled due to a new roof.

13. Thomas Jefferson Classical Academy A Challenge Foundation Academy Auditorium Ceiling With hopes of keeping the original ceiling, we started the ice blasting. The ceiling already had to much water damage causing it to crumble. Installation of the new drop ceiling starts on 8/8/11.

14. Thomas Jefferson Classical Academy A Challenge Foundation Academy Auditorium AC/Heat 3 x 5 ton Air Conditioning units installed. 2 units in the back of the auditorium and 1 unit on the stage area. They were able to run 1 of the 5 ton units and maintain 80 degrees on one of the hottest summer days. You can barely hear them running.

15. Thomas Jefferson Classical Academy A Challenge Foundation Academy Parking Lot Paving Good news, the moon driving experience has been removed. With the paving being done we will no longer have to avoid the craters as we leave to go home.

16. Thomas Jefferson Classical Academy A Challenge Foundation Academy Cafeteria Tile WOW !!!

17. Thomas Jefferson Classical Academy A Challenge Foundation Academy Cafeteria Kitchen A special thank you to the custodial and maintenance staff for there hard work in the cafeteria.

18. Thomas Jefferson Classical Academy A Challenge Foundation Academy Junior High Halls

19. Thomas Jefferson Classical Academy A Challenge Foundation Academy Grammar School Awning Providing a dry path from the car to the school. Also giving our teachers shelter during the morning and afternoon traffic.

20. Thomas Jefferson Classical Academy A Challenge Foundation Academy NEW FACULTY BIOS 2011 Kyra Battle received her elementary ed degree from Limestone College with a minor in psychology in December 2010. She is a local East Rutherford High grad who starred on the ladies basketball team. In addition to teaching third grade as the Core Knowledge pilot moves up to third grade, she will be coaching our ladies varsity basketball team. John Burnette received his bachelor’s degree in theoretical mathematics from Duke University and his master’s degree in education from Harvard University. With 24 years’ of teaching experience at the high school and college levels, Burnette helped author a math textbook that was underwritten by a grant from the National Science Foundation. Burnette joins Thomas Jefferson’s trivium department as a logic and statistics teacher and will teach an AP course. 

21. Thomas Jefferson Classical Academy A Challenge Foundation Academy Alison Moore joins Thomas Jefferson’s cultural studies department as a junior high school English teacher. She received her bachelor’s degree in education from Western Carolina University, taught at area middle schools for seven years, and is a former Shelby Star teacher of the year. Keven Langston has taught in area schools since 1992 after earning her BS in Elementary Ed from Appalachian State, and joins us from Union Elementary in Shelby. Keven is Nationally Board Certified, and has four children attending TJCA-CFA. She will teach 5th grade science. Bridget Myers joins Thomas Jefferson’s science department as a junior high school teacher. She received her bachelor’s degree from Hillsdale College, where she majored in biology, minored in chemistry, and completed an educator apprenticeship. At Hillsdale, Myers also served as an advanced biochemistry laboratory assistant and a marine biology teaching assistant. She completed her undergraduate research on “The Effects of Diet and Blood Sugar on Motor and Cognitive Abilities.”

22. Thomas Jefferson Classical Academy A Challenge Foundation Academy Peter Orlowski received his bachelor’s degree in liberal arts from Thomas Aquinas College and completed his graduate coursework in philosophy at Catholic University of America.  His bachelor’s thesis was entitled “A Critique of Riemannian Geometry: Einstein’s General Theory of Relativity and Geometrodynamics,” while his graduate thesis examined “How the Soul Moves the Body according to Aristotle.” After working for a law firm for nine years, Orlowski has devoted his last 13 years to high school teaching and has written a logic textbook. A winner of a National Endowment for the Humanities scholarship to study Galileo and the Inquisition in Italy, Orlowski has in recent years presented papers on geometry and mathematical physics at the Society for Aristotelian Studies. Orlowski joins Thomas Jefferson’s trivium department as a logic and geometry teacher. Risa Ryland joins Thomas Jefferson’s cultural studies department as a high school U.S. history teacher. She received her bachelor’s degree in French literature from the University of San Diego and her master’s degree in history from the University of Central Oklahoma; she is currently a Ph.D. candidate in history at the University of Virginia, where she has served as a project manager at the Virginia Center for Digital History. She has 27 years’ experience in teaching at the high school and college levels and has served as a reader (grader) of the AP U.S. History exam, as well as a paid consultant to the American Board for Certification of Teacher Excellence’s United States History Standard Setting meeting.

23. Thomas Jefferson Classical Academy A Challenge Foundation Academy Rachael Sjoerdsma joins Thomas Jefferson’s fine arts department as a junior high school art teacher. She received her bachelor’s degree in art from Hillsdale College, winning first place in the student art show the past two years, and she completed a teaching assistantship.  Sjoerdsma has also studied art and art history at St. Andrew’s University in Scotland. Sally Walker earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Elementary Ed from Limestone College in 2011. She will teach sixth grade language arts. Tim Will earned his bachelor’s degree in political science and his master’s degree in architecture from Ohio State University. He is well known in Rutherford County as director emeritus of Foothills Connect Business and Technology Center and is the 2009 winner of the Purpose Prize. The prize citation reads: “A telecommunications systems analyst who had given up the big money to teach high school, Tim Will has a habit of following his passions. He helped rebuild poor communities in Honduras and Fiji with the Peace Corps. As a neighborhood planner in New Orleans, he refined his understanding of the needs of low-income residents. Much of his telecom career involved introducing complex technological innovations in the Caribbean and South America. He even managed a small Florida town as its part-time mayor, balancing elected office with his other job -- teaching U.S. history in a Miami high school.” Fluent in Spanish and Portuguese, Will joins Thomas Jefferson’s cultural studies department as a high school civics, economics, and human geography teacher and will teach three AP courses.

24. Thomas Jefferson Classical Academy A Challenge Foundation Academy Non-teaching staff additions: Courtney Brown, Teacher Assistant Jeff Ruppe, Maintenance at the high school campus Alicia Urmston, Teacher Assistant

25. Thomas Jefferson Classical Academy A Challenge Foundation Academy GOALS FOR 2010/11 Were: • ALL TEACHERS MUST KEEP WEBPAGES CURRENT, MINIMUM WEEKLY! • SYLLABI ON LINE, ONLY SIGNATURE PAGE TURNED IN…GET PARENTS USED TO CHECKING WEBSITE! • COMMUNICATE VIA E-MAIL OR PHONE WITH PARENTS REGULARLY • SAT PREPARATION! ALL GRADES CAN CONTRIBUTE • CONSOLIDATION of DEBT-PAYING DOWN DEBT THROUGH GIFTS AND FUNDRAISERS. - New Fundraising Committee • CAPITAL PROJECTS ON HISTORIC MS BUILDING • JOIN AN ADVANCED ED STANDARDS COMMITTEE! NEXT SCHOOLWIDE MEETING IS WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 14 AT 3:30 IN THE HS CAFETERIA

26. Thomas Jefferson Classical Academy A Challenge Foundation Academy Goals for 2011/12: Continue to focus on communication via the school web pages--sites MUST be updated at least weekly! Be sure to meet with grade teams at least once per week, and keep minutes! These should be sent to Joe and Jeff for 7-12, and to Jason and Cynthia for K-6 Get to KNOW your MAP! We must be sure to USE our MAP scores to inform instruction!