1. find your child’s school on the steps & check mark their name.
FUTURA
Please
find your child’s school on the steps & check mark their name.
Developing the Intellect through Inquiry and Investigation
Show this slide as people enter.
Structures

2. Meet Mr. Charlish This is me!
My name is Steven Charlish and I am so excited to be teaching FUTURA at Arcola again this year.
I have been a teacher in the county for the past twelve years, and have been teaching in various places around the world for the past twenty something!
I was born in England, just outside of London and then moved to the west of England to study education in Bath. Before coming to the United States in 2006 I had been teaching third through fifth grade at schools in the city of Bristol in the west of England. I was also lucky enough to teach in New Zealand and Nicaragua.
I graduated with honors from Bath Spa University earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in Creative English and Studies of Childhood with Qualified Teacher Status. Since then I have earned my Masters in Education from Shenandoah University, and my endorsement in gifted education. My degree certificate in educational leadership and administration. What can I say, I love learning!
Outside of school I am an avid football (soccer) and I enjoy many American sports, such as football and baseball. I enjoy playing golf, traveling and generally anything that can help me be outside!

3. Meet the Administration
Principal:
Mr. Andrew Stevens
Assistant Principal: Dr. Lindsay Orme
Dean: Ms. Meghan Doherty

4. Arcola FUTURA Center Schedule
Serving:
Monday- Pinebrook 4th
Tuesday- Arcola 5th and Aldie 4th/5th
Wednesday- Arcola 4th
Thursday- Pinebrook 5th
Friday- Goshen Post 5th
Arcola Parents the forms that went home stated 4th would be on Tuesday and 5th on Thursday. That was my mistake All the information online has been correct.

5. FUTURA What does it stand for?
Facilitating 
Understanding 
Through 
Utilizing 
Real-life 
Application
The FUTURA program seeks to enhance and to develop the intellect of 4th and 5th grade students who have been formally identified in need of gifted services. FUTURA is a pull out program where identified students receive enrichment and challenges one day a week in a center at another school. Some students receive services in their own school through the in-house model. Students are immersed in lessons that correlate the themes Structures and Systems to the Virginia Standards of Learning Objectives for the core content areas. FUTURA offers a stimulating environment focusing on higher level thinking skills and activities including:
Problem Solving
Critical Thinking
Creative Thinking
Evaluative Thinking

6. FUTURA Goals #1 To become divergent creative thinkers who recognize
problems and solve them.
#2 To construct personal meaning and
understanding of others
and of the world around them.
FUTURA Goals:
#1 To become divergent creative thinkers who recognize problems and solve them.
#2 To construct personal meaning and understanding of others and of the world around them.
#3 To develop the capacity for self assessment. (ownership of the learning)
Main Skills
Complex Thinking Skills
Research Skills
Independent Learning Skills
Interactive Skills
Additional Skills
Creative Expression
Affective Education and Leadership
THINKING & ACADEMIC RIGOR:
Experiences Qualitatively Different Academic Environments (More In-Depth, Complex and Abstract Concepts and Ideas)
Builds Upon Interests, Strengths, and Personal Goals
Engages Consistently in Sophisticated Investigations of Materials, Texts, Interactive Technologies and Learning Activities
Employs Advanced Critical and Creative Processes
Investigative and Open-Ended Learning Processes
#3 To develop the capacity for self
assessment. (ownership of the learning)

7. Expectations Involvement Collaboration Ownership Problem Solving
Mistakes
Involvement in active learning
Development and use of planning strategies
Utilization of problem solving techniques
Application of core content learning to projects and products
Flexibility and critical thinking
Collaboration with fellow students
Perseverance and task commitment
Maintenance of proper classroom decorum
Students will follow the FUTURA honor code, which we go back to time and time again
Passion: Feeling very strongly about a subject
I will find a new passion for some of the topics we study, and become excited to learn more about them. Being an active participant in all we do will open up some new interests for me.
Faith: A belief in the trustworthiness of an idea
I will have faith in my abilities. Things in FUTURA will be challenging, but if I set my mind to it, I can do it! It is important to persevere at difficult tasks.
Work Ethic: A set of values based on the virtues of hard work and diligence
I am expected to work hard in FUTURA all the time, giving my best effort no matter what I am working on.
Sportsmanship: Conformance to the rules, spirit, and etiquette of sport
In FUTURA I will work with many different people. I am expected to cooperate and collaborate with fellow students and teachers, maintaining a positive attitude.

8. Expectations
Engage students in critical thinking problem solving and communication skills. 
Students question the answers rather than answer the questions.
SORRY!!!

9. Expectations: Rights You have the right to ask questions.
You have the right to contribute to an attentive audience.
You have the right to be treated respectfully.
You have the right to have your ideas discussed, not you.

10. Expectations: Obligations
You are obligated to speak loudly enough for others to hear.
You are obligated to listen to others in order to understand.
You are obligated to agree or disagree with the speaker, and explain why.

11. Take risks, make mistakes..
Growth Mindset – Carol Dweck
In a fixed mindset, people believe their basic qualities, like their intelligence or talent, are simply fixed traits. They spend their time documenting their intelligence or talent instead of developing them. They also believe that talent alone creates success—without effort. They’re wrong.
In a growth mindset, people believe that their most basic abilities can be developed through dedication and hard work—brains and talent are just the starting point. This view creates a love of learning and a resilience that is essential for great accomplishment. Virtually all great people have had these qualities.
Please consider using the growth mindset help form that I have given you this evening.

12. Who had a fabulous struggle today?
Mistakes are a natural part of learning, they happen when you take on challenges.
Children often say “I haven’t ever tried something I can’t do.” They say it so often that it becomes part of the personality. When they are finally challenged and fail this experience can be devastating. In FUTURA this year we are going to be encouraging mistakes and celebrating them, we want to use them and our failures to help us learn.

13. Kids Are Born Scientists
I love this guy!

14. Our Typical Day Interest Centers Structures Curriculum Enrichment
 reflection
Lunch and Recess
Arrive at center at 9:00 leave home school at around 8:45 depending on bus pick up
Recess usually at 10:15
Lunch is at 11:30
Leave arcola to return to base school at 1:45
Students are transported by bus from their home school to and from Arcola Elementary.

15. Structures: Discover The Essential Understandings
meet the needs of the designer /user.
provide frameworks.
are self-supporting.
can be modified.
are a meaningful arrangement of elements.
Essential understandings are statements summarizing important ideas and core processes that are central to a discipline and have lasting value beyond the classroom. They synthesize what students should understand—not just know or do—as a result of studying a particular content area

16. Possible Topics Under Structures
Skyscrapers
Geometric Shapes
Domes
Tiny Homes
Poetry
Writing
Natural Structures (Birds' Nests)
Man-made Structures
Bridges

17. Independent Passion Projects
Genius Hour
Satisfy curiosities
Develop tenacity
Foster independence
RESEARCH
Goals:
To provide FUTURA students with opportunities to both satisfy and elicit their intense curiosity.
Provide real world application of knowledge and interactions with the thinking of professionals within the field of interest or topic.
FUTURA students have the opportunity to choose activities based on interest and learning style while working at their own individual pace.
Encourage independent thinking, risk-taking, creative and critical thinking.
Students learn task commitment and time management skills.
Reflect on individual accomplishments and set goals.
Some possible center topics: Art, Strategy Games, Geometry, Medieval Times, Immigration, Titanic, Wordplay, Newspapers, and more…. Yet with passion projects the door is wide open. One of the forms you will see in their binder concerns projects and different ways they can show what you know. The children will highlight projects once they have tried to use it and are encouraged to try new ways on the menu of choices. It is like a balanced diet of projects and presentations.

18. RESEARCH... We focus on issues not topics Penguins – this is a topic.
I can google it – and I am done.
What should be done to reverse the destruction of habitat that now endangers the survival of penguins as a species? - this is an issue.
It is not google-able!

19. Assessments 1st Skill 2nd 1 2 3 4 5 6 S T Goal Setting
Given the opportunity, the student does not demonstrate this skill
Attempts to set goals but unable to meet them
Sets appropriate goals and works to meet them with guidance
Independently sets appropriate goals and works to meet them
Independently sets and meets appropriate goals
Independently sets and meets appropriately challenging goals
There is an example of a report card on the stairs, they come home on pink paper in February , well it is valentines day time, and yellow paper at the end of the year for summer!
Formal Assessments are given at the end of each semester.
(late January and May)
Informal Assessments are ongoing. These will be in your child’s FUTURA binder with major projects/centers work.
Students are often asked to complete self-assessments prior to teacher evaluation of various products. This allows them to reflect on their learning and make comments/suggestions prior to another’s evaluation.
Children and parents often ask about grades, what is my grade? Wat grade did I get? I prefer to use the word feedback, there are no grades per se in FUTURA there are responses and feedback to a task that was undertaken. Sometimes this will be in the form of a paper rubric for your child and I to discuss together, self assessment. More often, in fact every day, the feedback is verbal and instant to guide the children to successful independence and collaboration. Children will also spend time in self reflection, using their journal at the end of each day.

20. Your Attendance Is Important To Us!
Please call both
your home school and
Arcola
Students don’t get to opt in and out of FUTURA. 
FUTURA Attendance Policy!!! (new)
If there is an issue at the home school (special event, stressed out about work) please let me know so I can help.
If your child is going to be late to school, please drive him or her to FUTURA center and our office will alert the base school when your child arrives but remember FUTURA starts at 9 so don’t drop them off before that. The bus probably leaves at 8:50-9, call the home school to find out if it has already left.
Students attend FUTURA one day a week.  Most students are transported by bus from their home schools.  There are no makeup classes for holidays or snow days.  If there is a delay in school opening, students will attend FUTURA.
Tardy? If past 9:00 bring your child directly to FUTURA,
not base school.
Call base school first to see if bus has left.

22. Hungry?
Students may bring their lunches from home or buy at the FUTURA center.
The lunch account is connected to your child’s base school. Please make sure your child has money on his/her account if he/she plans to buy lunch when at FUTURA.
Please send your child with a nutritious, nut-free, snack.
We take working snacks, I am fine with your child eating whenever they are hungry, I know that I struggle to function at my best when I am thinking about eating!
Please make sure the snack can be eaten using hands. We do not want yoghurt or fruit pieces falling all over the carpet.
Lunch Time is 11:30

23. Creative Problem Solving
Communication Binder
Completed
Assignments
and Graded
Rubrics
FUTURA News
Creative Problem Solving
Take a walk through your child's binder once a month, ask them to explain what has been happening.
Their passion project work stays in a folder in the classroom.
The binder goes home and comes back every week.
Please remind them to pack the binder on FUTURA days.

24. FUTURA Website https://www.lcps.org/domain/9632
Have a question, probably going to find the answer here or in other forms of communication

25. FUTURA Communication
Please collect your bloomz forms, they are specific to your childs day so don’t grab any one you see!
Sign up, it is free and easy

26. FUTURA Communication
Please collect a Bloomz form for your child’s day of FUTURA if you missed them on way in.
They are on the stage stairs for you to collect and contain the codes you need to sign up.
I also use Twitter quite a bit and you can follow to keep up to date too.

27. Information for FUTURA
Medical forms
All other forms are on Phoenix
IEP / Child study?
Most forms are all on Phoenix now, so that is good!
If your child is not able to be photcographed please let me know asap.
Also if your child has an IEP, is in child study, or if there are cistidy concerns please inform me.
I have asked your home schools for this information it just mabey be quicker coming from you directly!
Emergency

28. Forms to collect
If you didn’t already grab them on the way in, please take..
Growth Mindset Feedback sheet
Bloomz sign up guide
Example of a report card

29. Medicines at FUTURA Treatment Plans Medications 2 sets
Please speak to the school health care specialist at this school or home school and mention that they will be in FUTURA. Medicine does not travel with child we need 2 sets one for here and one for home school.

30. Make-Up Work Policy 2 days to make up work Let me know…
Look at the parent handbook for guidance.
Talk to me if there are any challenges
Well they are if FUTURA they should be able to do it is not an okay response to catcing up work.
Executive functioning skills are often challenging for our children

31. Withdrawals or Changes in Placement
If, for any reason, a student needs to withdraw from the program, a parent conference will be scheduled. There is a form to be filled out, signed and returned to your child’s SEARCH teacher or us, and we will forward it to the GT office. Your child may choose to opt back in at any time beginning the NEXT school year.

32. Parent Concerns/Conferences
Arcola Elementary
Best times to call:
7:30-8:00 am
2:00-2:20 pm
Bloomz or (best option)

33. Wish List String. Sunday papers, broad sheets.
Toilet paper/kitchen towel tubes.
Small cardboard boxes
Playing cards cheap or used
Pencils
More on the webpage and/or Bloomz

35. find your child’s school on the steps & check mark by their name.
Thanks for coming out tonight!
Please
find your child’s school on the steps & check mark by their name.
Questions, comments, concerns?