Comstock's 21st Century Pledge to Students -in Song
"" [yout6]
[yout6]: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hu0zypRdJkc&feature=youtu.be "Comstock's 21st Century Pledge - YouTube"
Comstock's Mission & 21st Century Pledge
Comstock's Mission Statement
At Comstock, our mission is to inspire our students to be global thinkers who will thrive in the 21st Century. We are devoted to developing academic excellence, creating a nurturing environment, and fostering an innovative approach to learning. We aim to cultivate in students a desire to understand their world more deeply, an ability to think critically, a capacity for tolerance, and an appreciation of the cultural diversity in our world.
The Comstock Commitment
Comstock is a unique environment. Because we are small, personal and dedicated, we can tailor the educational experience to the needs of each student. Faculty and staff at Comstock are invested and care personally about
their students and each other. Our motto is: "Together we believe! Together we achieve!" By believing in our students, we encourage them to believe in themselves, so they can achieve their greatest potential.
Focus on STEAM
We are partnering with our feeder high school, Piner High School, to develop more STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math) programs. In the summer of 2012, teachers from Piner and Comstock collaborated in a new Maker's Summer Camp, held on the Comstock campus. In this camp, students used their creativity and innovation to design and make interesting projects such as CO2 Racing Cars, duct tape, backpacks, wallets, functional art, and Rube Goldberg machines. Comstock continued offering a Maker course during this school year with our Project Make elective. In addition, we continue to expand STEAM offerings with an arts wheel that includes Digital Storytelling, Culinary, and Drama. Next year we will launch a MESA class (Math, Engineering, Science Achievement), in conjunction with Piner High School and Santa Rosa Junior College.
Comstock’s 21st Century Pledge to Students
As we further develop our 21st century programs, we pledge to provide our students with the support and tools for mastering both content knowledge and skills. They also need to be empowered to be problem solvers, to think critically, to collaborate, to ask thoughtful questions, and to take the initiative to realize their visions. These five
21st Century Support Systems are our guide to creating a culture at Comstock that helps support this shift for our students:
- Learning and Innovation Skills: The 4 "C"s of the Common Core are: Communication, Collaboration, Creativity and Innovation, Critical Thinking, and Problem Solving. We are developing project-based learning that incorporates the 4 "C's" by enabling students to plan, discuss, and create together, both in core subjects and in the STEAM electives we are developing.
- Life and Career Skills: These skills incorporate the ability to be flexible, adaptable, self-directed, socially aware, accountable and responsible. We are part of the Middle School Career Exploration program administered by the Sonoma County Office of Education. Every student has a Kuder Navigator account and lessons are incorporated in core classes that help students post resumes, cover letters, and analyze future careers and income potential. Our cooperative grouping helps students work together, and our social culture programs like Safe School Ambassadors and Chill Skills helps build emotional and social intelligence.
- Core Subjects and 21st Century Themes: Our core subjects are taught in the context of themes like global awareness and civic literacy. We have teachers in English, Math, Social Studies and Science working in Professional Learning Communities to develop thematic lessons that address 21st century goals.
- Information, Media and Technology Skills: We teach Information Literacy, Media Literacy and ICT (Information, Communications and Technology) Literacy, using three full functioning computer labs, and with our Chromebooks pilot using Google Apps. More information can be found on the "Incorporating Technology" tab.
-Project-based learning: At Comstock we are developing project-based learning units where students explore real-world problems and challenges, across disciplines, while working in small collaborative groups. Because project-based learning is filled with active and engaged learning, it inspires students to obtain a deeper knowledge of the subjects they're studying. Research also indicates that students are more likely to retain the knowledge gained through this approach far more readily than through traditional textbook-centered learning. In addition, students develop confidence and self-direction as they move through both team-based and independent work.
Together we believe! Together we achieve!
At Comstock, our mission is to inspire our students to be global thinkers who will thrive in the 21st Century. We are devoted to developing academic excellence, creating a nurturing environment, and fostering an innovative approach to learning. We aim to cultivate in students a desire to understand their world more deeply, an ability to think critically, a capacity for tolerance, and an appreciation of the cultural diversity in our world.
The Comstock Commitment
Comstock is a unique environment. Because we are small, personal and dedicated, we can tailor the educational experience to the needs of each student. Faculty and staff at Comstock are invested and care personally about
their students and each other. Our motto is: "Together we believe! Together we achieve!" By believing in our students, we encourage them to believe in themselves, so they can achieve their greatest potential.
Focus on STEAM
We are partnering with our feeder high school, Piner High School, to develop more STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math) programs. In the summer of 2012, teachers from Piner and Comstock collaborated in a new Maker's Summer Camp, held on the Comstock campus. In this camp, students used their creativity and innovation to design and make interesting projects such as CO2 Racing Cars, duct tape, backpacks, wallets, functional art, and Rube Goldberg machines. Comstock continued offering a Maker course during this school year with our Project Make elective. In addition, we continue to expand STEAM offerings with an arts wheel that includes Digital Storytelling, Culinary, and Drama. Next year we will launch a MESA class (Math, Engineering, Science Achievement), in conjunction with Piner High School and Santa Rosa Junior College.
Comstock’s 21st Century Pledge to Students
As we further develop our 21st century programs, we pledge to provide our students with the support and tools for mastering both content knowledge and skills. They also need to be empowered to be problem solvers, to think critically, to collaborate, to ask thoughtful questions, and to take the initiative to realize their visions. These five
21st Century Support Systems are our guide to creating a culture at Comstock that helps support this shift for our students:
- Learning and Innovation Skills: The 4 "C"s of the Common Core are: Communication, Collaboration, Creativity and Innovation, Critical Thinking, and Problem Solving. We are developing project-based learning that incorporates the 4 "C's" by enabling students to plan, discuss, and create together, both in core subjects and in the STEAM electives we are developing.
- Life and Career Skills: These skills incorporate the ability to be flexible, adaptable, self-directed, socially aware, accountable and responsible. We are part of the Middle School Career Exploration program administered by the Sonoma County Office of Education. Every student has a Kuder Navigator account and lessons are incorporated in core classes that help students post resumes, cover letters, and analyze future careers and income potential. Our cooperative grouping helps students work together, and our social culture programs like Safe School Ambassadors and Chill Skills helps build emotional and social intelligence.
- Core Subjects and 21st Century Themes: Our core subjects are taught in the context of themes like global awareness and civic literacy. We have teachers in English, Math, Social Studies and Science working in Professional Learning Communities to develop thematic lessons that address 21st century goals.
- Information, Media and Technology Skills: We teach Information Literacy, Media Literacy and ICT (Information, Communications and Technology) Literacy, using three full functioning computer labs, and with our Chromebooks pilot using Google Apps. More information can be found on the "Incorporating Technology" tab.
-Project-based learning: At Comstock we are developing project-based learning units where students explore real-world problems and challenges, across disciplines, while working in small collaborative groups. Because project-based learning is filled with active and engaged learning, it inspires students to obtain a deeper knowledge of the subjects they're studying. Research also indicates that students are more likely to retain the knowledge gained through this approach far more readily than through traditional textbook-centered learning. In addition, students develop confidence and self-direction as they move through both team-based and independent work.
Together we believe! Together we achieve!