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The Prep Class of 2024 has grown throughout this fall term as students have embraced all aspects of the program. As we finish the first quarter of our year, we are thrilled to share some highlights of our students' experiences in the classroom, the gym, and out in the world. The ability to provide experiential learning modules in addition to the classroom lessons has made for a both meaningful and memorable first few months.
Over the first few weeks, we hosted most of the area's private high schools, who came to introduce their programs and provide overviews as to why they may be a good fit for our students as they decide what that next step in their journey is. Our program has a 100% acceptance rate, with many students qualifying for scholarship money. We also visited several schools, including Delbarton and Saddle River Day, which provided excellent opportunities to see first hand some of the great options available as we look to the future.
Registration for The Prep Class of 2025 is open, with our class already more than half full, and we have scheduled our next open house for Tuesday, November 21, at 7pm in our Oakland classroom. Contact us to reserve your spot or for a link to join virtually as we welcome your participation either way. Here are some of the wonderful things our students have been working on this fall.
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Career, Culture & Current Events | |
Our social studies course offers one of the biggest departures from the traditional school experience as we first have been sourcing, presenting, and discussing current events in class. We have been impressed with how thoughtful our students have been weighing in on world events, questioning, and sharing opinions. We have also researched and visited several sites as part of our cultural explorations. | |
At the Great Falls in Paterson, it was very cool to see how the Society for the establishment of Useful Manufacturing still has a building at the base of the falls, the country's second largest falls by volume east of the Mississippi River. This complemented our class lessons on the industrial revolution nicely, providing a glimpse into the vision Secretary of Treasury Alexander Hamilton had when considering how water could be used to power factories in the area.
A visit to the Van Allen House in Oakland showed us the site General Washington used as a headquarters in the summer of 1777, as he was marching the Continental troops from Morristown toward Suffern along what is now Rt 202. We also got out this fall for several beautiful hikes in the county and state parks in the area. Lunch atop Almost Perpendicular in Harriman, and a stroll around the nature preserve in the Celery Farm in Allendale were two of our nature baths.
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Our goal of providing a glimpse into a variety of potential career fields for our students featured some very powerful experiences. Gathering research before our meetings, we were able to ask some very thoughtful and insightful questions as we met with professionals in a variety of industries. Certified Financial Planner TJ Spizzo hosted us and spoke about how he discovered his interest in the field during a high school lesson the stock market. Restaurateur Craig Kunisch talked to us over a nice lunch at his restaurant about the challenges of owning and running a small family business, as well as why the food service industry is an ideal first job for many young people.
We visited the factory of My Case Builder, where president Steve Holand gave us a tour, demonstrating how his company creates and ships custom foam cases all over the world. Our meeting with Assemblywoman Lisa Swain complimented our class lessons on forms of government nicely as Lisa explained her role in state government, and how she balances that with being a world class endurance athlete.
|  | We spent a gorgeous fall day on the farm with the Nevin Family, who shared both the history of Dr Davies and the farm, and what it is like to run a local farm thriving in the agritourism industry. | |
A trip to the Bergen County Jail provided a valuable look into careers in law enforcement as we had the privilege to meet with Lt Damian Pope, the OIC at the Bergen County Police Academy. Lt Pope shared his journey emigrating from Trinidad and Tobago, joining the military, and on to a decorated career in law enforcement. Officer Thomas then gave us an eye opening tour through the jail that we will never forget. This first quarter has already provided us with some lifelong memories and meaningful experiences sure to play a role in our growth into young adulthood. We are excited to see what's next! | |
We are off to a great start in Healthy Living as students are introduced to the idea of how to use diet and other wellness practices to improve their mind and body. Students had the opportunity to log their food and assess the quality of their current diet. With that valuable information, students created SMART goals which they can focus on over the year to make positive changes in current habits. Over the course of this term, we will cover some important topics - such as food safety, factors that affect our food habits, calorie needs, dietary guidelines and much more! Students are engaged in class and open to sharing their own experiences which greatly enhances the learning process. I look forward to hearing any feedback from the students as we dive into the many areas of Healthy Living! | |
Mindset, Mindfulness & Focal Attention | |
The ability to be aware of the thoughts and feelings that our students have each day, and how those thoughts affect how they feel and ultimately how they act. This concept was introduced to our students in the first term of our Mindset, Mindfulness and Focal Attention course. Through the Jon Gordon book, The Energy Bus, we discovered how positive thinking and the ability to direct our thoughts and influence our mindset, can ultimately change our lives and the lives of those we come into contact with. Understanding the superpower of choice and how it affects outcome in everyday life is an awareness that our students are recognizing, during our class discussions. | |
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In our first two units in math class we have used high school level concepts of probability and geometry to help master skills we will need not only to perform well on the HSPT, but to have a strong foundation for our high school courses to follow. It is very encouraging to see the effort that students put into performing well in math class so far; taking advantage of online extra help sessions, completing supplemental IXL practice, and asking thoughtful, probing questions in class. Many students also completed our HSPT Prep class which gave an intensive review of both practice for the exam and strategies to help manage the time constraint and format of the test. We also offered the first class in our enrichment series, and optional selection of class sessions for students willing to be introduced to some of the higher level math concepts they will see in high school. Overall, an outstanding start to the year!
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In our first term of language arts classes we began by exploring the book Boy21, by Matthew Quick and how the concepts and themes in the book can mirror situations that directly apply to their lives.. The concept of active reading as opposed to passive reading is a skill that we have been practicing and an approach that will help these learners in their comprehension abilities, as well as their essay writing skills. A focus on vocabulary and sentence structure is always included in our class discussions and homework assignments. One of our goals is to develop higher thinkers that can pull ideas, concepts and comparisons from the text that they are reading, and, to grow ideas and determine themes from the material presented to them. | |
 |  | As we began this year, we explained to the students that the main goal of this course is to explore topics that will help them be ready for study of Biology, since that will be what most students study during their freshman year of high school. Students have completed work regarding the first topic of study, which was to research the Spotted Lanternflies we've been seeing in the area and the harm they potentially cause to trees and plants. They've now got a good understanding of what an invasive species is and how it might negatively affect biodiversity and our ecosystem. At the end of the unit, the students developed an infographic that explains why the topic is important and what actions people might take to help. Students have just begun a major project that involves the design and plan for a rooftop garden. Students have begun work with partners and have researched possible food source plants they can grow in our area and have also used Google Earth to identify and measure building roof spaces that could possibly be suitable for a rooftop garden. Next, they will create their own designs, plans, and budgets for their projects.
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The Prep Class of 2024 has already completed over 900 hours of personal development activities in the areas of service, leadership, and personal growth. Some students have endorsed and deposited their first 'NIL' checks into their student checking accounts. Students have also won the morning, cooked with the family, completed household chores, tutored siblings, donated clothes, presented work to the class, and much more. Students participated in our first essential skills activity on basic car care, with with a hands on session changing a tire, jump starting, and other important things to know for new drivers. We look forward to see what activities our students engage in this next term as they push the boundaries of their own comfort level, as that is where the most growth occurs!
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The first cycle of the year is characterized by focus on movement literacy pertaining to the most fundamental patterns; push, pull, squat, hinge, carry. We are dialing in on technique for the most important lifting techniques and ensuring that the basic strength movements such as push ups, chin ups and squats are fully perfected before progressing to more advanced programming. Our targeted energy system for this cycle is general, work capacity. This will support more intense cycles to come. We are also working on the developing fundamental skills and drills to teach proper mechanics for linear speed, change of direction and jumping. The group has seen a lot of progress already and with continued patience and focus will see a huge increase in speed and strength related to their sports. As we have completed our first check in with training evaluations since the summer, the improvement in just the first 8 weeks has been dramatic. Many students adding 50% + to their push up and pullup totals, inches to their vertical jump, and significant changes on body composition (increase in muscle, decrease in body fat). This is only the start so we can not wait to see how everyone is doing by our mid year check-in coming in January! | |
Follow The Prep Class of ‘24 as they explore the #pathlesstraveled | | | | |
