Lyndeborough Central Early Childhood Learning Center

WLC Middle/High School:

Home of the Warriors

Florence Rideout Elementary School

Wilton-Lyndeborough Cooperative School District provides a safe and educational environment that promotes student exploration, critical thinking, and responsible citizenship. Florence Rideout Elementary School encourages students to reach their potential and become responsible and productive citizens; prepares challenges, and empowers our students to be life-long learners, and provides a safe and diverse learning environment. Wilton-Lyndeborough Cooperative Middle/High School is a positive learning community that ensures each student has the opportunity to develop to his or her potential. WLC Middle/High School believes all children learn at different individual rates and times and under different teaching and learning situations. We bring the family, school and community together to be accountable for the cognitive, affective, and physical growth of our students. We work together to help them become creative, future-oriented problem solvers who take responsibility for their education, live and learn in harmony, and are involved in their school and their community. Wilton-Lyndeborough Cooperative School District provides a safe and educational environment that promotes student exploration, critical thinking, and responsible citizenship. Florence Rideout Elementary School encourages students to reach their potential and become responsible and productive citizens; prepares challenges, and empowers our students to be life-long learners, and provides a safe and diverse learning environment. Cooperative Middle/High School is a positive learning community that ensures each student has the opportunity to develop to his or her potential. Wilton-Lyndeborough Cooperative School

©2015 WLCSD, Lyndeborough, NH.

Prepared by Dolores Fox, Curriculum Coordinator

Wilton-Lyndeborough Cooperative School District provides a safe and educational environment that promotes student exploration, critical thinking, and responsible citizenship. Florence Rideout Elementary School encourages students to reach their potential and become responsible and productive citizens; prepares challenges, and empowers our students to be life-long learners, and provides a safe and diverse learning environment. Wilton-Lyndeborough Coope rative Middle/High School is a positive learning community that ensures each student has the opportunity to develop to his or her potential. WLC Middle/High School believes all children learn at different individual rates and times and under different teaching and learning situations. We bring the family, school and community together to be accountable for the cognitive, affective, and physical growth of our students. We work together to help them become creative, future-oriented problem solvers who take responsibility for their education, live and learn in harmony, and are involved in their school and their community. Wilton-Lyndeborough Cooperative School District provides a safe and educational environment that promotes student exploration, critical thinking, and responsible citizenship. Florence Rideout Elementary School encourages students to reach their potential and become responsible and productive citizens; prepares challenges, and empowers our students to be life-long learners, and provides a safe and diverse learning environment. Cooperative Middle/High School is a positive learning community that ensures each student has the opportunity to develop to his or her potential.

Wilton-Lyndeborough Cooperative School District:

Great Things Happening In Our Schools

Superintendent of Schools SAU #63: Dr. Christine Tyrie

Table of Contents

Who We Are: 3 Schools, 2 Towns, One Educational Community…………………………………………………..….1

Our Teachers……………………………………………………..……3

A Solid Start: LCECLC & FRES…………………………………4

Learning by Doing……………………………………………………5

STEAM: Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts &

Mathematics……………………………………………………6

Technology & Computing at WLCSD……………………..….7

Sharing the Learning: Student Performances………….8

Senior Project: Culminating the Journey………………….9

Looking to the Future……………………………………..……..10

Curriculum Spotlight puts a

spotlight on an example of a Great

Thing Happening in Our Schools

1

WHO WE ARE:

The Towns:

Nestled in the eastern foothills of

the Monadnock Mountains lie

the suburban/rural towns of

Wilton, population 4000 and

Lyndeborough, population

almost 1800. Wilton-

Lyndeborough Cooperative

School, SAU#63, provides the

education for the students K-12

in these two towns.

WLC district’s size allows our students to

receive individual attention in our classrooms

and schools.

Student/Teacher Ratio: 9.3

Average Class Sizes:

K ≤ 15 students

Elementary ≤ 17 students

Middle School ≤ 19 students

High School = 6-27 students

The Schools:

Lyndeborough Central Early Learning Center

192 Forest Rd, Lyndeborough, NH 03082

(603) 654-9381

Grades Pre K - K

Florence Rideout Elementary School 18 Tremont St., Wilton, NH 03086

603.654.6714

Grades 1- 5

WLC Middle/High School 57 School Rd., Wilton, NH 03054

603.654.6123

Grades 6-12

“There was never a sense that our aspirations as students were defined or limited by the size/location of our school district.”

Sharon L., 2009

“…we are lucky to have such a small school and

have the relationships with our teachers.” Tom B. ‘09

Plans after Graduation:

attending 4 - year

colleges70%

Attending 2-year

colleges25%

Enlisting in Military

2%Attending

Trade/Vocational Program

1%

Other2%

The Students:

Students per Grade Level

Grade K 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

# of Students

32 43 44 46 34 50 45 43 38 38 57 40 46

3 Schools, 2 Towns, 1 Educational Community

New Hampshire Scholars Program:

Annually, most of our graduating students

participate in the New Hampshire Scholars

Program which recognizes students for their

successful completion of a rigorous 4-year

education plan, including 4 years of math and of

science.

Advanced Placement Coursework:

WLC High School provides students the

opportunity to participate in the national

Advanced Placement program. Students may

participate in this opportunity to earn college

credit while in high school by taking courses

offered onsite at the high school or a wide-

array of AP courses offered online via VLACS

and VHS.

In 2014-2015, 11 students took a total of 21

exams with an average score of 3.

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

Score 5 Score 4 Score 3 Score 2 Score 1

Nu

mb

er o

f St

ud

ents

AP Results 2015

English European History

Calculus Physics

US History

Preparing Students for Success

The WLCSD K-12 curriculum provides our

students with the problem-solving and

communication skills as well as the essential

knowledge to succeed in a rapidly changing global

world.

“The individual attention I received in my AP

high school classes allowed me to receive college

credits that would later save me more than ten

thousand dollars in college tuition.” Alex T., ‘10

“I found that the writing and critical thinking skills I learned in high school, have been invaluable both in college and in law school. It is essential to succeed in higher education.”

Tim B. ‘09 2

Our Teachers

50%47%

3%

Educational Degree Levels of WLC School District Teachers

Bachelor's Degree

Master's Degree

Doctorate

Wilton -

Lyndeborough

Cooperative

School

District

Teachers are

highly qualified

team of teachers

with a passion

for education

and who

genuinely care

about their

students.

“…the thing that

makes WLC such

an amazing place:

the teachers

genuinely care

about setting the

students up for

success of all

kinds…” Tom J.,’09,

Teachers in WLC School District exhibit the

characteristics of “warm demanders.” Warm demanders are

educators who build positive relationships with students.

Knowing their students and recognizing their students as

individuals allows teachers, as warm demanders, to make

curriculum relevant to students. Building a relationship

around mutual respect allows teachers to demand high learning expectations and classroom expectations of students.

“With few exceptions,

the teachers at WLC

had passion for their

career and a genuine

desire to connect with

the minds of the

student body. I owe

those dedicated

intellectuals no small

part of what makes

me the person I am

today.”

Trevor S. ‘09

“I think the teachers at WLC exposed us to different places and cultures that fostered a desire to explore what is out there. They also made us work hard, which set us up to work hard in the future. I also think they really made us think we were actually capable of reaching our dreams.”

Ashley M. ‘09

“The teachers were always helpful

and really cared about where their

students were going in life.”

Jill J. ‘09

“I definitely credit the WLC staff

for providing me with kindness

and an effective education and

for preparing me for the real

world.”

Kayla S. ‘08

“Shortly put, I think WLC

taught me to have passion,

because the educators there

certainly did.”

Lauren C. ‘09

More importantly, the support

and mentorship of my Wilton-

Lyndeborough teachers,

counselors, and coaches

empowered me to confront the

non-academic challenges of

college life. WLC also instilled

in me a work ethic that led me

to complete internships in the

US Senate, the International

Trade Commission, and the

Executive Office of the

President.

Alex. T, ‘10

Early Childhood Learning Center includes our

Extended Day Kindergarten Program,

an optional program for our local families.

The Extended Day program provides

additional learning experiences to reinforce

and enrich the Kindergarten curriculum.

Students engage the arts, music, and physical

movement activities that nurture their growth

emotionally, socially, cognitively and physically.

The story of Florence Rideout

Elementary School is an example of

the WLC School District’s commitment

to improvement and innovation. In 2015

Florence Rideout Elementary School

underwent a reorganization and physical

renovation. The tired physical plant

underwent a complete reconstruction

that brought modern conveniences to

the historic portion of the building from

1895 and enlarged the school with a new

addition of classrooms and dedicated

spaces for art, music, and computer.

WLC School District also reorganized the

configuration of its elementary schools,

making way for the Early Childhood

Learning Center and consolidating the

elementary grades into one new state of the art building.

Renovation of physical plant is

complemented by the renovation of the

curriculum.Teachers and administration

at FRES excitedly investigated and

adopted new math, reading, and

vocabulary programs to continually

provide our students with instructional

and curriculum materials based on the

current best practices supported by

research.

A Solid Start: Lyndeborough Central Early Childhood Learning Center

Florence Rideout Elementary School

Lyndeborough Central Early Learning

Center is a school dedicated to students Pre-

K through Kindergarten. We are fortunate in

our district to have a school entirely devoted

to meeting the unique needs of our youngest

learners. At the Lyndeborough Central School

Early Childhood Learning Center, we educate

to the whole child. Our dedicated, highly

trained and nurturing staff provide an

environment that allows our students to build solid foundation for future academic success.

Fundations Reading

program was adopted and

beginning readers K-2 have

the phonemic awareness and

phonics knowledge that they need to be

successful readers in the future. Laying a

strong foundation for reading skills

supports our students to achieve their

academic and life goals. 4

5

http://issuu.com/sau63/docs/sau_63_5

LEARNING BY DOING: Hands on Learning/Project Based Learning/Authentic Learning

Learning by doing goes by many

names: hands on learning, project based

learning, authentic learning and

experiential learning. Each of these terms is

based on the students learning by doing an

actual task that has immediate relevancy to

the student and is meaningful to the student

and the community. Depth of knowledge,

rather than breadth of knowledge, is the curriculum goal of learning by doing.

The River Project:

Each year 7th and 8th grade students test the water

quality of the Souhegan River, which runs through

downtown Wilton. The students visit the river and

collect water samples under the direction of their

science teachers, William Fox and Kelly Ruppel. They

test these samples and analyze the results to assess

the health of the river, a river that many of these

students pass by every day on their way to school or

town.

Apple Pie Day!

Apples are a staple of New Hampshire farms.

Apple orchards are a part of the

landscape of Wilton and

Lyndeborough. First grade students

learn about this historic New

England crop and use this local

resource to make their own apple pies.

Learning by doing creates

educational experiences in which our

students have to plan, act on their

plans, and reflect and revise based on

the results. The teachers are the

architects of the learning experience

and serve as facilitators and coaches to

lead students to discoveries about

themselves, the world around them,

and their role in the world. These

learning experiences have the student

come to see themselves as valued members of a larger community.

“Give the pupils something to do, not something to learn; and the doing is of such a nature as to

demand thinking; learning naturally results.” John Dewey, American Educational psychologist/philosopher

“For Honors American History class, we were

told to prepare a half-hour presentation on two

decades' worth of history. The imaginative

projects I saw come out of that were great, but

most dear to my heart was the project I made a

half-hour movie. Our zany movies were a

complete blast to work on and we learned a lot

doing them, too.” Tom J. ‘09

6

Celebration of

Learning at WLC

Middle/High School

April 23, 2015

STEAM projects are embedded in types

of learning and assessment activities

that students at WLC Middle/High do

on a regular basis. In the 2014-2015

school year, the students with guidance

from their teachers displayed these

STEAM activities in a Celebration of Learning event.

On the evening of April 23, 2015, the

WLC community was invited to attend

a showcase of student work. Students

explained their work and what they

learned to parents, other students,

teachers and interested community members.

In the summer of 2014, a team of WLC teachers joined forces with the Museum of Science in Boston and teachers throughout New England to explore ways to incorporate STEAM into the curriculum.

But what exactly does STEAM mean?

STEAM stands for Science, Technology,

Engineering, Art and Design, and Math.

STEAM is about incorporating into

curriculum of all the disciplines the

concepts and critical thinking skills

inherent in STEAM subjects to meet real-

world challenges. STEAM is an

interdisciplinary approach to learning

where rigorous academic expectations are

coupled with real-world problem-based and

performance-based tasks. Students learn by

responding to the real-world situations

presented in their courses in creative and

meaningful ways that develop each

student’s ability to problem-solve and to

think creatively. The primary goal of

STEAM is to develop the way students

think, not the content students know.

“The STEM workforce is exploding and is expected

to continue to grow well into the future. That is

why STEM education is vital to the careers of the

future…”

Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math

e-Portfolio

Elementary and middle

school students use an e-

portfolio to capture the

projects that they complete

in academic core classes.

Each student has an e-portfolio on Google Drive. Their work and, importantly, their own reflections on their learning are saved to this portfolio. It provides the teachers and students with a record of student progress and development. Students recognize how using technology supports their learning across the disciplines.

7

WLC elementary and middle/high schools

students participate in the international Hour

of Code event annually.

This event provides our students with exposure

to coding and allows out students to participate

in a worldwide event, connecting the classroom

to the world through technology.

Technology & Computing at WLCSD

WLC School District prepares students

who can adapt to the challenges of the 21st

century through the access and utilization of

technology in gathering, using and

communicating information. Integrating

technology and technology tools into the

classroom is an ongoing goal of the WLC School District.

WLC’s elementary and middle/high schools

each have dedicated computer labs available

for student and classroom use. In addition,

each school has a computer classroom for

computer instruction required for first

through ninth grades students. Mobile

laptop carts are available for classroom use as

well. The middle/school high school science

labs have dedicated in class computers for

student use. Interactive whiteboards are a

tool available to most classroom teachers K-

12. The district has also invested in a variety

of handheld devices including tablets and e-

readers. Web-tools and software are an

important part of the students learning experience.

Students use technology to learn, practice, discover, report, and create.

“Asking students to reflect often and

regularly teaches them how to examine

their experience and interpret it in

ways that lead to new understanding.

An experience full of jumbled memories

of emotions and reactions falls into order as genuine learning.”

Mariane Gfroerer, NH Dept. of Education

“e-Portfolios at WLC encourage students to take ownership of their learning. Reflecting on their school assignments students, think about their learning: They use the portfolio as a repository to gather their work. Then from the ‘working’ portfolio, students create a showcase portfolio - or website- that reflects their personal learning journey. They can show their peers, teachers, parents, and themselves how they have grown and changed as learners.

“WLC Students reflect on their use of technology as it is integrated into their learning in all the subjects in school. For example: How does technology enable them to collaborate in Language Arts? When did technology help them with research and how can they show how they used technology in problem solving and critical thinking? Using projects that they do in all their subjects, students reflect on how technology is integrated in their learning and how it has influenced their education.”

Amy White, WLC MS/HS Media Specialist

Poetry Café:

Eighth grade students study and

write their own poetry in their

English classes with guidance

from their ELA teachers Mrs.

Muriel Pawlik and Mrs. Laura

Bujak. Each student makes

his/her own book of original poetry. Then

they read aloud to their peers one of their

original poems and one poem by a published

poet. Teachers transform the classroom into a

1950s Beat Café. Students take turns on the

stage sharing their poetry and showing

appreciation for others’ creativity with hand

clapping and snapping fingers.

Students sharing their work builds a sense

of ownership and pride in their learning. It

builds presentation skills and most importantly confidence in themselves.

Sharing the Learning: Student Performances

Quality education supports student

sharing what they learned, often through a

public display of their learning. When

students display and share their work,

their learning becomes a contribution to

the community and the learning takes on a

deeper meaning and value to the students.

In the WLC School District students at all

grade levels share their work in a variety of ways:

School and classroom performances

On the worldwide web at teacher and

school sites

Display cases throughout the schools

POETRY CAFÉ 2015

Florence Rideout Elementary School

music students perform before a live

audience.

Art Classes

Presenting final products in WLC High School art classes is an expected part of

any art class. Presenting work in progress is also an integral part of the coursework. Presenting at all stages improves student ability to critique others’ work and to take constructive criticism. The peer-critiques develop student self-confidence and students’ “eye for art”.

“I feel very fortunate that I was able to find a career path that allows me to be an artist and communicator of ideas. Many people warned me that art school wouldn't get me anywhere, but none of them were from

WLC.” Shelby N., ‘10

8

Senior Project: Culminating the Journey “One of WLC High School’s great strengths is Senior Project because it allows students to show who they are as individuals.”

Katy Dudek, Senior Project Coordinator

Seniors at WLC High School complete

independent self- directed learning projects, called

Senior Projects, in which they demonstrate the

research, problem-solving and communication skills

developed over the years in the WLC School District.

Every student receives guidance through the process

from a teacher mentor and an outside expert, a

community member who has an expertise in the area

of the student’s interest. Senior Project allows our

students not only the opportunity to demonstrate and

apply their learning, but also allows them opportunity

to explore their special interests or passions and to

share that passion with the community. Students

stretch the limits of their and gain confidence in

themselves when they realize what they have

accomplished.

Each student successfully completes their own Senior

Project as a graduation requirement.

Awakening the Passion for Life-Long Learning:

Senior Project inspires a Career

“Senior year I had to figure out what to do for my

Senior Project. A project in which seniors would

be given an entire year to focus on a topic of their

own choosing and present to their peers what

they learned in the process. I decided to do

something that I'd always wanted to do: write a

feature-length movie. And I did, along with the

help of my then-and-still mentor, a teacher at

WLC. Writing Chaos, my screenplay, is what

gave me the confidence to be a film student in

college.

“I attended Keene State College majoring in film studies, with the help of a film scholarship I got based on the strength of the screenplay I wrote for Senior Project. I ended up double-optioning, focusing on both the film production and critical studies academic tracks. Film production students at Keene State are required to take a year-long capstone class in their senior year during which they generally produce a 30-minute short film with a crew of their peers. Because I had a professor who trusted my work ethic, he gave me the opportunity to write and direct Keene State College's first feature-length senior thesis film. We shot all over New England, and by spring, we had finished St. Osmund's, Since graduating from college, I've also gotten the opportunity to edit two feature-length films for a director in Massachusetts, one of which I did cinematography for as well. I'll also be editing his next one this winter.

“This year, I left my job as a producer at a

community access TV station and moved to Los Angeles to continue pursuing my dreams of becoming a successful director in the film business. I honestly believe that the lessons I learned at WLC, both scholarly and moral, have prepared me for success in life of the highest caliber. That is a debt I owe to WLC, and it's a debt I'll never be able to repay.”

Tom Jorgensen, Lambda Complex Productions, ‘09

"I believe that education is all about being excited about something. Seeing passion and enthusiasm

helps push an educational message." Steve Irwin, Crocodile Hunter

During the Celebration of

Learning, April 23, 2015, seniors

shared their Senior Projects with the community.

“Students are usually limited in their learning by the

topics in the curriculum of their classes. Senior

Project allows students to pursue what genuinely

interests them and explore aspects of themselves

that they did not know previously. Being in charge

of one’s own education instills valuable maturity

and responsibility that would not be accessible in the

regular classroom setting.” -Lorrie B. ‘15

Running Start Program at

WLC High School

Running Start program

allows high school students to

simultaneously earn high school

credits towards graduation and

college credits at cooperating

colleges. Through Running Start,

students at WLC High School will be able to

earn credits in mathematics, sciences, and

English in the New Hampshire Community

College System while still in high school.

These courses use a face-to-face model; the

students’ courses are conducted at the high

school during the normal school day, and

WLC High school teachers teach the courses.

Odyssey:

A School Wide Enrichment

Program

Florence Rideout Elementary

School launched the inaugural

voyage of its schoolwide

enrichment program Odyssey in the Fall

2015. Each student took an interest

inventory to identify his/her learning

expression style. Using the results from the

interest inventories, FRES specials teachers

designed course or “cluster” offerings.

Students at each grade level chose the

course in which they wanted to participate.

Once a week for 8 weeks, students

participated in their chosen cluster working

on a project of their choice and design.

After the 8 weeks, students shared

their experiences in a culminating event.

Looking to the Future at WLC School District

Wilton-Lyndeborough Cooperative

School District is committed to providing

quality education to all our students. As the

times and needs of our students change, WLC

School District administration and faculty adapt

and adopt. These are exciting times in the WLC

School District as we face a societal and cultural

renaissance of education in the Information Age.

As we responding to this renaissance, we create

improved opportunities for all students to

develop their creativity and problem-solving skills.

WLC School District is in the process of

adopting a K-8 competency-based education

curriculum. Competency-based education is

characterized by personalized education,

focused on the specific needs and strengths the

individual student. Our elementary and middle

school teachers enthusiastically explore ways to

personalize the education for each student,

allowing us to improve on our ability to support and challenge ALL our students.

Florence Rideout Elementary School has

implemented a schoolwide enrichment program

“Odyssey” based on the work of Drs. Renzulli &

Reis, University of Connecticut. Odyssey brings

students who share common interests together

for a specific block of time to pursue these

interests. WLC Middle School is currently

piloting an enrichment program, Genius Hour.

Both these programs place a premium on the

development of higher-order thinking and

problem solving skills and of creative thought

while promoting independent and collaborative learning.

WLC High School academic departments

engaged in a self-reflective process to assess

their current programs. They recommended

changes to strengthen the rigor of the high

school program to meet the needs of all our

students in this rapidly-changing global world.

Principal Bagley, WLC Middle/High School

This publication is the result of a collaborative effort.

Thank you to all the faculty contributors and, especially,

to the WLC alumni contributors:

Tom J., film writer/director, Lambda Complex Productions, Los

Angeles, CA

Ashley M., RN, Molokai, HI

Tim B., law student Boston University

Shelby N., book designer for Cider Mill Press, Kennebunkport,

Maine

Alex T., Georgetown University alumni, Washington, DC

Trevor S., Associate Engineer, Lockheed Martin's Intelligent Robotics Laboratory, PA

Tom B., manager, LaBelle Winery

Jill J., RN, Southern NH Medical Center

Sharon L., student UNH, MSW program

Kayla S., Early Childhood Education teacher

Lauren C., PhD candidate, Clark University, Worcester, MA

Lorrie B., Student St. Michael's College in Colchester, Vermont,

studying Biology and Chemistry.

“I share the opinion with many of my classmates that the Wilton-Lyndeborough school district helped us develop very strong writing skills and therefore the ability to express ourselves on paper. In retrospect, learning how to create an organized, thoughtful, and grammatically correct essay proved to be an invaluable skill later on when I was faced with writing meaningful applications, in-depth research papers, a college thesis, and eventually cover letters and professional emails. This skill became my ultimate tool for standing out in a sea of resumes.”

Shelby N, ‘10.