Captain's Call - Land Skis

It was another busy day for incoming MAST freshmen today. Blogs were updated, boat construction was finalized, and during Captain's Call we had three atria and six teams working the "Land Skis". It was a great adventure for all with lots of noise, competition, cooperation, and quite a bit of creativity! Novel ways of aproaching and solving the problems presented that is what learning is about! And now on to boat races and cotillion!



-- Post From My iPhone

Summer Anchor 2009 - Boat Race Schedule

ANNOUNCEMENT FOR INCOMING FRESHMAN PARENTS!

Tomorrow is the day for our MAST Anchor Program cardboard boat races. Please see the schedule below for the time that your child's class will launch their craft to test their designs as they attempt to navigate the distance of the MAST pool! You're invited to be there and cheer everyone on!

Summer Anchor - First Week

We have come to the end of our first week of the 2009 Summer Anchor Program and it has been a great week!  In and among some tired starts I have seen many a brilliant smile and bright eye begin to grasp what a truly amazing school that MAST is.  It is wonderful to see and know that this group will leave its mark on our school, no less distinguishing and remarkable than those who came before.  As principal, it is always a good occasion when you are welcoming a new group to school.  It is always important to emphasize the commitment, drive, and perseverance that it takes to continue being successful.  This summer anchor is no different.  It has been an amazing first week and the students are terrific.

Along the tides of this first, we have discussed significant literary and scientific texts, begun the sketch up of boat plans, "built squares" in silence, plotted graphs on calculators, been in the pool for swim testing, and learn the important step of how to log on to moodle.  And this was just the first week ... imagine what next week holds for adventuresome academics!

In addition to summer voyages into learning, we received the results from this year's Advanced Placement exams.  It is with no small measure of elation that I congratulate all MAST AP students and teachers for an absolutely outstanding job.  Our schools overall percentage of students scoring 3 or better skyrocketed to 71%, up some 22% from last year.  This is the "proof in the pudding" of hard work, dedication, and  perseverance.  I cannot truly express how proud I am to share this with the world.  Thank you and, for present and future students, the bar has been set!

Have a wonderful weekend shore leave!  See you on board bright and early, ready for a Monday shove off! 

Online Learning - Plotting a Course into New & Uncharted Waters

Being as we encourage our students to spend time reflecting on what they have been learning and why their learning is important, I believe our community should see that the adults involved heed their own advice - starting with the principal. For new and old, the purpose of this blog is to share information about the goings on at MAST from my, the principal's, perspective, and, much like we encourage students to do, to share my reflections about the things I am learning. To that end, below are my initial thoughts and questions about the possibilities of online learning opportunities and what they might mean for MAST. The beauty of learning is that it is constant motion, knowledge grows and creates new knowledge, opens new doors and shows new perspective. I invite and encourage you to post comments and ask questions - please be a part of the conversation!

As of late I have been spending much of my own time learning, reading, and reflecting on the role, or possible roles, that online learning can serve in both our smaller MAST community and the larger communities of our city and state. I must admit that this thinking and learning is in infancy and is quite amorphous. I do not believe that there is a doubt that this type of learning - as a delivery model in particular - is growing. Everywhere you look is another opportunity to study something online. My curiosities revolve more around how does this change in/adaptation of instructional model become part of our schooling and learning experience, not just another peripheral for occasional and supplemental dabbling. As a draft, the inquiry I would frame would be as such:

1. What can be the role of online learning for MAST? How do we develop and deploy our own content? What will be the indirect implications of online learning opportunities?

I welcome any feedback and comments. Please share and join the debate - opinions and hard questions welcome!

MAST Summer - About to Weigh Anchor

The 2009 MAST Summer Anchor Program is a just about to set sail for our three week voyage into the wider sea of high school for our freshman. The summer program is a great time where the newest Makos get to wet their fins and learn all about what it means to be a student at MAST. It is an exciting time for students, parents, and staff alike. In order to make sure that our shove off goes smoothly, some details are reiterated below:

- Breakfast will be served each day from 7:15 AM to 7:55 AM
- Class starts promptly at 8:00 AM
- Summer course components include: Science Research, Mathematics, and Design &
Engineering
- Metropasses will be issued on July 6th to students who requested them. Students must sign
for and will be issued 15 single day passes. Students are responsible for the care of their
passes
- Anchor Program dates are July 6 through July 24 and each day runs from 8 AM to 12 noon

For parents of our newest mariners, July 23rd will be our boat races in which the design and construction of student boats from the Design & Engineering class will be tested by the teams racing them across the Shark Tank (MAST pool). In addition, other student work will be on display to showcase the students' learning. You are welcome to attend - just come and sign in at the boat!

Welcome aboard!