The Wood Acres School News

A Day On, Not Off...Wood Acres Day of TLC- Teaching, Learning, Caring!

The Wood Acres School — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 16:45:55 +0000

Monday, January 16 marked the Wood Acres Day of Service. The whole campus came together to begin this “day on” at a Rally ‘round the Flag. Special visitors at the Rally were Sandy Welfare, Executive Director of Cool Girls of Georgia, Norman Davis, one of Atlanta’s first black police officers and father of one of our Early School teachers, Pearline Davis, Director of Spellman College, retired and mother of our teacher, and Dr. Terrence Roberts, member of the Little Rock Nine and international consultant. Wood Acres’ own music teacher, Brishelle Miller, gave a rousing performance of Lift Every Voice.

Members of the Glee Club gave an outstanding rendition of Bruno Mars’ hit song Just the Way You Are.

Every student, from the Twos through Eighth Grade, participated in creating links of love and kindness that encircled the entire quad. On the paper links, all 5,000 0f them, were messages of service and dreams and wishes for our world. What an awesome sight!

Several guest speakers and visitors roamed the Woods on this day honoring Dr. King. The Upper School had the pleasure of hearing from Justice Harold Melton from the Georgia Supreme Court. Dr. Terrence Roberts spoke to Upper School students encouraging them to embrace a life of learning and caring. Family members of students also came to share their personal stories and give students a firsthand account of what life was like during the time of Dr. King.

Projects on this Day of Service included raising funds for a Heifer International Animal Ark, Better World Book Drive, canned food drive for MUST Ministries, clipping coupons, Bike-a-Thon for Smile Train, compiling birthday bags, Mittens for Moms for MUST Ministries, compiling “Get Ready for School” bags for a local school, donating breakfast foods and a complete non-perishable meal to MUST Ministries, creating file folder literacy games to donate to a local school, compiling dinner bags to go to the Marietta Soup Kitchen, authoring ABC books for area children, clothing drive for Cool Girls organization and the Atlanta Women’s Shelter, touring Loaves and Fishes Soup Kitchen and MUST Ministries Distribution Center, and donating books to children of Joplin, Mississippi.

What a fabulous day “ON!”

What does a smaller class size mean for my student?

The Wood Acres School — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 19:35:00 +0000

The US Department of Education has found considerable findings in the relationship between a lower student/teacher ratio and student success. Read on to see why Wood Acres’ smaller-than-average class size plays an important role in your student’s future.

In 1997, Wenglinsky published research findings concerning the relationship between class size and student achievement based on his analysis of data drawn from three national level databases. The study was designed to investigate the relationship between spending in education and student performance, and combined data from three different databases generated by the National Center for Education Statistics. Based on an analysis of data on fourth-graders in 203 districts and eighth-graders in 182 school districts from across the United States, Wenglinsky found that class size served as an important link between school education spending and student mathematics achievement at both the fourth- and the eighth-grade levels, although in different ways:

At the fourth-grade level, lower student/teacher ratios are positively related to higher mathematics achievement.
At the eighth-grade level, lower student/teacher ratios improve the school social environment, which in turn leads to higher achievement.

Using data from more than 800 Texas districts containing more than 2.4 million students, Ferguson found significant relationships among teacher quality, class size, and student achievement. For first through seventh grades, using student/teacher ratio as a measure of class size, Ferguson found that district student achievement fell as the student/teacher ratio increased for every student above an 18 to 1 ratio.

In 1978, Smith and Glass published the results of 77 empirical studies pertaining to the relationship between class size and achievement, and soon followed it with a second meta-analysis analyzing the relationship between class size and other outcomes. Overall, they found that small classes were associated with higher achievement at all grade levels, especially if students were in the small classes for more than 100 hours, and if student assignment was carefully controlled. They found that the major benefits of reducing class size occurred where the number of students in the class was fewer than 20. In their second study, they concluded that small classes were superior in terms of students’ reactions, teacher morale, and the quality of the instructional environment.

This is a mere sample of the research that has been conducted. Please visit the US Department of Education’s website to read the article in its entirety.

Everyone Can be Great because Everyone Can Serve

The Wood Acres School — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 20:12:57 +0000

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. is known for his outstanding work in the civil rights movement, but his later years were filled with a desire to encourage participation in service learning. When it comes to service to others, the words of the late Dr. King ring loud and clear-“Everybody can be great because everyone can serve.” As the 26th anniversary of the King Day of Service approaches, plans are well underway to make service learning an enduring component of a Wood Acres education.

Wood Acres has always been an altruistic school and quietly participated in charitable projects such as the Smile Train, St. Jude’s Hospital, Jump Rope for Heart, MUST Ministries, UNICEF, and Cool Girls. This year, the school will “raise the bar” by developing a template for service learning that begins with our two year old students and grows in scope through 8th grade. To help us focus our efforts and learning, Wood Acres will choose an area of philanthropy each year that resonates with our school community. Our focus this year is “Feeding Young Minds & Bodies: Literacy and Childhood Hunger.”

What have we done so far? There has been conversation, discussion, research and reading about service learning as well as literacy and childhood hunger. We have learned much and want to tackle it all! But we also have learned that to sustain service learning and make it contextual, experiential, and cross-disciplinary for our students, planning and revising those plans will be one of the driving forces of this first year. The great thing we have discovered is that small steps are celebrated, small projects grow, and dreams become school-wide realities very quickly when one puts both head and heart into the programming.

Coretta Scott King said, “The greatest birthday gift my husband could receive is if people of all racial and ethnic backgrounds celebrated the holiday by performing individual acts of kindness through service to others.” We plan to do just that! Please join us on January 16th for a day of service on the Wood Acres campus as we learn and grow to become great.

Judy Thigpen
Head of School

Holiday Pops Concert

The Wood Acres School — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 20:24:00 +0000

The Two’s through Fourth Graders enjoyed listening to the 5th grade and Upper School Concert Bands’ morning edition of their Winter Pops Concert, held that evening for family and friends. The bands performed seasonal selections as well as some special musical treats to the delight of an appreciative audience.

Band Director, Holly Lawing, has worked hard with the band members to prepare them for their Winter Concert, and students were so excited to catch a sneak peek!

Giddy with Glee!

The Wood Acres School — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 20:22:00 +0000

Under the direction of Music teacher, Brishelle Miller, the Glee Club held their first performance Tuesday night, and what a performance it was! The voices and moves that came out of the Club’s third through eighth graders were astonishing! The students’ performance proved that practice and hard work really pays off.

Performers took the audience through several genres of music with eight songs. Numbers included MC Hammer’s hit You Can’t Touch This, Stuck Like Glue by Sugarland, Irving Berlin’s Blue Skies, and I Want You Back by The Jackson 5. A great message was sent with Journey’s Don’t Stop Believing, and socks were knocked off with Brian Setzer Orchestra’s Jump, Jive, An’ Wail. They brought the show current with Just the Way You Are by Bruno Mars, and there was even a Thriller mash-up!

Did you know??

The Wood Acres School — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 19:08:59 +0000

Wood Acres is accredited by the Georgia Accrediting Commission.
Wood Acres teachers practice a variety of research-based teaching methods that have proven successful.
An average Grammar School class at Wood Acres is less than 16 students.
An average Upper School class at Wood Acres is 13 students.
Wood Acres consistently ranks on the top of lists comparing quality vs. tuition.
The original campus oak tree, still visible from Johnson Ferry Road, inspired the Wood Acres logo of the acorn and the oak leaf.

A Dual Dynamic Celebration!

The Wood Acres School — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 20:19:00 +0000

Friday, November 11, was a day of celebration at Wood Acres. Not only were United States Veterans and current servicemen honored, but the Fours through Eighth Graders also participated in Wood Acres’ second Science Carnival, It’s Elemental! Students were immersed in activities that demonstrated a variety of scientific principles.

While learning about and exploring the scientific principles, students also enjoyed spending time with friends.

Lots of laughs as well as encouragement could be seen and heard throughout campus.

None of this outstanding day could have been possible without the help of all of the parent volunteers.

The entire school Rallied ‘Round the Flag in the middle of the science carnival festivities where the Pledge of Allegiance was recited at 11:11 on the 11th day of the 11th month. The third graders dazzled us with their performance of America.

Servicemen and Veterans were recognized and honored with a boisterous, “Thank You!” What a touching moment as Wood Acres students proudly joined their family members.

Thank You, Troops

The Wood Acres School — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 19:18:00 +0000

From the Woods to our men and women in uniform wherever they serve…

Take a peak into the thankful hearts of Wood Acres students in sketches and in words as they write to our military and their families in anticipation of both Veterans Day and Thanksgiving.

These letters and artwork will be sent along with hundreds of thousands of other messages from the Atlanta area to our troops both home and afar to be received in time for Thanksgiving. Classes are also learning about Veterans Day in anticipation of our school-wide celebration of this Day of Honor for both veterans and those still on active duty.

Join us to show your thanks at 11:00 AM on 11-11-11 as we Rally ‘Round our Flag to Pledge our continuing Allegiance to our country and the people who serve to keep us safe!

A Note from the Woods...

The Wood Acres School — Sat, 24 Sep 2011 19:37:27 +0000

The next time you walk onto campus please pause, be still… and just listen - first with your eyes open and then with them shut.

Can you hear it? Can you feel it? Yes, you’re right! You hear and feel the “rhythm of the Woods”.It’s a very special sound, almost a symphony of sounds that create the cadence of our school year.

In fact, it is an opus number 2011-2012 in progress whose melodies will be heard until the final crescendo late in May. All students have found their places, their seats, the “music” has been distributed and it is practiced by day and studied by night. It echoes in the halls and resounds during recess.

While teaching and learning at the Woods has no symphonic instruments, it is a magnificent choral piece of almost 400 young voices in perfect a capella pitch with almost 60 staff who help direct each day’s composition. It is truly a work of art in progress and certainly as wondrous as childhood. The days are filled with movements of adagio, allegro, and even staccato. While none of us has perfect pitch, we all join in creating this amazing teaching and learning symphony.

And, yes, it does deserve a standing ovation. Bravo, Wood Acres! Encore! Here’s to another great performance in 2011-2012. Thank you for helping us make this Opus amazing!

Judy Thigpen,

Head of School

Turning up the heat at Wood Acres

The Wood Acres School — Sat, 24 Sep 2011 19:35:00 +0000

Each year Wood Acres fetes the staff at a kick-off event that blends “mountain top” goal setting with “down in the valley” logistics for the coming year.

Although each year’s kick off theme is special, the one this year has so resonated with everyone that we are sharing it the Wood Acres community. Our theme for the 2011-2012 school year is …simply 212º - the boiling point of water! At 211º water is hot. At 212º, it boils. And with boiling water comes steam. And steam can power a locomotive. The one extra degree makes the difference.

This simple analogy reflects the ultimate definition of excellence. Because it’s the one extra degree of effort, in education, business and life, that can separate the good from the great. The powerful book by Sam Parker and Mac Anderson, 212º : The Extra Degree, gives solid examples of how to incorporate the 212º philosophy into all aspects of your life - at work, with friends and as a parent.

Great quotes and great stories illustrate the 212º concept at simpletruths. A warning… once you read it, it will be hard to forget. This year, faculty and staff plan to “turn up the heat” on our TLC… teaching, learning, and caring. Caution! Wood Acres will be boiling hot with 212° sightings of excellence, all focused on the educational success of each and every student. Join us in recognizing these moments, large and small, that will propel the Woods into its next era of excellence.

It’s Fahrenheit 212° - and this is 2011-2012 school year… Whoa! That’s hot!

Open House for Prospective Parents

The Wood Acres School — Sat, 24 Sep 2011 18:49:58 +0000

A school for all seasons, for all the right reasons.

The Wood Acres School Prospective Parent Open House for Early Childhood through 8th Grade will be held:

Sunday, November 13 2:30pm - 4:00pm

The Wood Acres School approach to education uses classical yet innovative curriculum, establishes challenging, achievable goals and offers a traditional educational setting which also cultivates creativity.

Join us at open house for a glimpse of how engaging school can be!

Constitution Day Celebration

The Wood Acres School — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 19:14:00 +0000

We the People…celebrated the 224th anniversary of the signing of the Constitution of the United States today!

The Wood Acres School was awash in red, white, and blue as hundreds of students and families came together on the campus Quad to Rally ‘round the Flag for this special occasion.

We retired our old colors and posted the bright new flag with a moving flag ceremony done by the Wheeler High School Jr. AFROTC under the leadership of Sgt. Love. The flag was flown over the US Capitol just for Wood Acres in honor of the new school year.

We cheered, we sang, we laughed, and we learned as a united school family…“We the People.”

We were even visited by the 39 signers of the Constitution and enjoyed a surprise finale of a mini flash mob of enthusiastic students singing “Firework.”

At the Wood Acres School we develop the habits of citizenship and pride in our country in word and in action, in song and in verse, in heart and in mind. And “We the People” had a wonderful time! Hooray for the Red, White, and Blue! Happy 224th birthday, Constitution!

Constitution Day Celebration

The Wood Acres School — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 18:16:00 +0000

We the People…celebrated the 224th anniversary of the signing of the Constitution of the United States today!

The Wood Acres School was awash in red, white, and blue as hundreds of students and families came together on the campus Quad to Rally ‘round the Flag for this special occasion.

We cheered, we sang, we laughed, and we learned as a united school family…“We the People.”

We were even visited by the 39 signers of the Constitution and enjoyed a surprise finale of a mini flash mob of enthusiastic students singing “Firework.”

Chess Club Trophy Day

Shelley Adkisson — Mon, 07 Feb 2011 15:57:17 +0000

The Wood Acres Chess Club celebrated Trophy Day last week. Everyone received a trophy and had a great time. The kids with the highest scores from the tournament took home the biggest awards.

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The Wood Acres Chess Club is open to all Wood Acres Grammar School and Upper School students. Winter & Spring club meetings start Wednesday, January 26th and conclude May 18th. Click here for more information about the Wood Acres Chess Club.

Book Fair Carnival February 22nd to 25th

The Wood Acres School — Sun, 06 Feb 2011 22:06:39 +0000

Step right up! Your ticket to read is at the Book Fair Carnival, coming very soon to The Wood Acres School.

Fabulous books, a carnival atmosphere and a drawing for Scholastic book dollars will be waiting for you!

The fair will be held in the Multipurpose Building’s Music Room during the times listed below:

Tuesday, Feb 22 - 9:30 to 4:30
Wednesday, Feb 23 - 9:30 to 4:30
Thursday, Feb 24 - 9:30 to 4:30
Friday, Feb 25 - 9:30 to 11:30

So, put on your clown shoes and head to the fair!

A portion of all sales benefits “The Stacks”, The Wood Acres library. Please note that only checks and credit cards will be accepted.