Charleston Bilingual Academy has hit the midway point in the 2021/22 school year. Tuesday, Dr. Johnson and Mrs. Lane shared the school’s Progress Report during a morning Parent Chat.

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During the Chat, Dr. Johnson and Mrs. Lane shared details on assessment, MAP testing, and more.

Growing connections

One area of focus for the school this year has been increasing the depth of student relationships. The leadership at CBA truly wants students to have an intercultural educational experience.

While trying to keep classes isolated due to COVID, we are looking for ways to connect students from a variety of ages and backgrounds with each other.

An example of this was the elementary school’s Super Playground Day. Our first- through fifth-grade students enjoyed recess together.  And it was definitely a blast!

Student Progress

By the end of this week, parents should have received a report card for their student(s). You’re encouraged to review them for two key reasons. These remind parents of age-appropriate skills for the student. It also allows teachers to share what they are observing in the classroom.

Our teachers strive to learn about and love on your child. One way you can see the depth of their love is in the comments on the report card and the intimate way they know and understand their students.

Learning at CBA

The project-based learning approach at CBA allows teachers to create units of study over the course of nine weeks where all aspects of the student’s education are wrapped into a single project.

Most recently during a study of the planets and solar system, 4th-5th grade students focused on building a rover with eggs inside that could be dropped from some 20 feet high. The goal was to create the rover so that the eggs wouldn’t break on impact.

The experiment was hands-on and fun while also being educational.

Students in first grade will soon be doing a unit on the anatomy of birds. They recently completed a study of jobs and tools.

In all of these lessons, students are not only learning the national standards but they are also being pointed back to God’s perfect design and creation.

Along with their academic studies, students in elementary school attend two chapels each week. Preschool chapels begin again next week, after a break due to COVID concerns. In chapel, students watch skits performed by an interesting cast of characters (Dr. Johnson, Mr.Lenny, and Coach B). The skits are a modern-day spin on timeless parables. The speaker ties the skit back to scripture. On Fridays, Dr. Johnson is talking students through the Foundations Worldview curriculum, where students learn to identify what is truth, what are lies and what are opinions, and how all truth first comes from Our Creator.

Looking Ahead

CSU students are coming to CBA to observe as part of an agreement with the college. And through this Memorandum of Understanding, CBA is able to invite international students to the school to teach.

Leadership teams have been going on trips to a variety of project-based learning schools around the country. These trips are allowing the school’s leaders to draw on all the best elements from those sister schools to incorporate into the middle school plans that are currently in the works.

Areas to Improve

While professional development is ongoing, Dr. Johnson said the school could improve on the support offered to teachers. Plans are in the works for a Teacher Appreciation Week and a Valentine’s Day meal hosted by PTO.

Another area the school is focused on is developing stronger standard operating procedures as enrollment continues to grow. One way the school is doing that is by running students through a fire drill in the coming weeks. The school is also developing an active shooter policy and procedure.

Also, the admin team is looking for a better communication platform for elementary families. Dojo is not the ideal application for elementary.

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