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We will be having parent/student conferences on Friday, 3/19/10 -- please let us know if you are leaving early that week, as we want to meet with everyone before Spring Break. Students will be writing self-evaluations (see class pages for questions they must answer) which will give us a starting point for our discussions. Kirsten's essay (linked below) is a thoughtful analysis of the effects of technology on education today -- much of what she says applies to your chilidren, and to our classes. Please take the time to read it, as it will also inform our discussions this month. News from the world out there: Kirsten Wiking, now at Marlboro CollegeDuring my first semester as a freshman at the University of San Francisco, I was enrolled in an Honors English class reserved for incoming students who had in high school received a "4" or "5" (the highest grades) on their AP English exams. The class focused on exploring ways in which modern technology either has or has not improved how people today learn and gain knowledge. For our first major assignment, I wrote an essay defending the reading of historical texts. For the class following the turn-in date of this assignment, my professor had run photocopies of my essay for my classmates to read as an example of the kind and quality of writing he was looking for. I received an "A" on the assignment, and very quickly became the go-to editor and proofreader of my peers' papers. In reading their essays, I often found basic grammar and syntax-related errors, errors that I had learned to avoid because of the intensive editing process emphasized in my NFS classes. I definitely credit my strong writing and academic success in large part to my education at the North Fork School. News from the world out there: Kathryn Pope in GermanyGymnasium here is much more serious business than high school in America. The classes remind me more of North Fork than of high school; students are graded fifty percent on participation and fifty percent on monthly essay-exams in all the subjects. I think that English in the thirteenth grade here is much more advanced than anything at MDHS. We read like, Tenessee Williams and George Orwell and must compare and contrast the texts with respect to the American Dream, things like that. Anyway, the English teacher loves me, and my telling her that I went to private school for English validated all of her worst suspicions about the American public school system. She said something to the effect of, "You are the first exchange student I have ever known in fifty years of teaching who actually KNOWS something. I knew you couldn't have gone to public school. I KNEW it." So funny. She is a very strict little German lady with a very proper British accent. For those of you who do not know Kathryn or Kirsten, they graduated from MDHS & NFS in June, 2009. Kathryn is spending this year in Germany on a Rotary Exchange before attending college. She spent eight years in NFS programs, beginning with Writing Workshop in 2000 - 2001; Kirsten began one year earlier, with Writing Workshop & 3rd grade French (!) for a record nine total years with us. Their comments are a nice complement/addition to the 2 Million Minutes films we have been showing at the Shore Lodge. We will have another showing soon if you missed the January 5th date... stay tuned! Also -- below is our response to an article that appeared in The Star News celebrating the AP exam achievements of twelve MDHS students. The specifics of how MDSD schools benefit from the achievements and exam scores of NFS students are important for all of you to know and to share with others in the community. By understanding how our efforts enhance all education in this communtiy, district patrons, teachers, students, and administrators may eventually be more appreciative of the educational alternatives we offer at NFS. To the Editor: I would like to applaud all of the MDHS students who earned AP Scholar Awards in recognition of their achievements on the College Board's Advanced Placement Program exams (The Star News, 10/15/09) as well as mention that four of those students were concurrently enrolled in North Fork School AP classes during the 2008-2009 school year. Forrest Reiling, James Valle, Bailey Hoover, and Kirsten Wiking all were dually-enrolled in North Fork School AP classes in their senior year. Kathryn Pope, a National Merit Scholar Finalist, and Ben Smart, who was awarded National Merit semi-finalist status this September, were also NFS students last year. As all NFS students are dually-enrolled in McCall-Donnelly schools, and as the College Board will not separate a student's scores among more than one school, MDHS reports all high school student scores, including those of NFS students, in its own tally. All NFS student test scores are included in MDSD totals for AP, SAT, ACT, and ISAT district averages. With the increased achievement attained by North Fork School students, local public schools have higher total average test scores, as well as higher-level academic class participation and college acceptance/graduation rates. Students benefit from their combined attendance at both NFS and MDHS, as teachers at both schools contribute to their more intensive, individualized academic programs. This unique symbiotic relationship enhances student achievement in all areas - not just in those subjects taken at the NFS. Students learn how to apply themselves, how to study more efficiently, and how to apply the new knowledge they are gaining to all their academic subjects. In addition, parents selectively inject financial contributions into the public system in a way that benefits their own children, as well as benefitting the public schools at large. As the achievements of these AP Scholars reveal, the relationship between MDSD schools and the North Fork School is a contributing asset to the McCall-Donnelly School District. Marie Furnary, Head of School
To see who has signed up for classes in 2009-2010 so far |
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The North Fork School has been accredited with MERIT since 2003 by the Northwest Association of Accredited Schools. Merit accreditation status indicates that a school significantly exceeds all standards for accreditation of both the State of Idaho and the NAAS.
Some quick highlights of our 2004 SIP Survey results:
Of the groups who were given forms:
100% (38 of 38 students) completed their surveys (this number included several students who are not in NFS this year, but who participated last year...that all of them returned surveys is significant!)
Groups of survey questions included in all four types of surveys (student, parent, teacher, and community) had the following AVERAGE scores on a FIVE-POINT scale:
Quality of Instructional Program: 4.4
Individual survey questions that were similar in all four types of surveys (student, parent, teacher, and community) had the following AVERAGE scores on a FIVE-POINT scale:
1) The educational program offered to students is of high quality: 4.8
You can send Marie an email by selecting the address at left. Or, click on a name below to send an email message to an individual teacher: Parents' Contacts 2008-2009 | The North Fork School Home Page | top of this page
Copyright January 24, 2010 Marie M. Furnary. All rights reserved.
Go to this link for a copy of the grading requirements for High School classes.
83% (5 of 6 teachers)
54% (27 of 50 parents)
32% (16 of 50 community members), including public school teachers & administrators, and former parents of NFS students returned surveys.
Support for Student Learning: 4.3
School climate/ Environment for Learning: 4.4
2) Students see a relationship between what they are studying and their lives: 4.2
3) The NFS is preparing students to deal with issues and problems they will face in the future: 4.4
4) Teachers hold high expectations for student learning: 4.8
5) The school's facilities are adequate to support the instructional program: 4.1
6) In the NFS, students have access to a variety of resources to help them succeed in their learning, such as technology, media centers, and libraries: 3.7
7) The NFS provides students and teachers with a safe and orderly environment: 4.7
Writing Workshop 2009-2010 | 2nd year Program | English II & American History I | all Math classes