Kaila Stassi

829969197
EDUC350
Due: Sept. 15, 2016
Setting & Context
Thompson School District:
Thompson School District is the 17th largest school districts in Colorado. It encompasses
Loveland, Berthoud, southern Fort Collins, and small parts of Larimer, Weld, and Boulder
counties. It is home to 32 different schools. There are 20 elementary schools, five middle
schools, five high schools, and two charter schools. Thompson School District also has an option
for online learning K-12 and an option for parents who wish to homeschool their children; this is
called Loveland/Berthoud Enrichment Access Program (LEAP). The online learning program is
not an alternative for high school nor is it to finish credits, it is an option for personalized
learning. Students must be responsible, proactive and independent learners. They are provided
with support throughout their learning experience whether thats from teachers, mentors, family,
or friends. Student are still required to take TCAP and any other annual yearly progress
expectations, they are still expected to meet the same requirements as all Thompson School
District students.
During the 2015-2016 school year 16,043 students were enrolled in Thompson School
District. Of that 16,043, 75% of these students are white, 20% are Hispanic, about 1% are Asian,
1% are African American, .5% are American Indian, 2.5% are two or more races, and finally .1%
are Hawaiian or Pacific Islander. Thompson School District had a notice on their website that
states, Non-discrimination notice. This notice made anyone who crosses the webpage aware
that Thompson School District is an inclusive environment for anyone of any race, ethnicity,

gender, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation, or socioeconomic status. I personally found
that interesting and intriguing. The mission of this school district is also unique. The mission is
to empower, inspire, and challenge, not only students, but faculty, staff, school leaders, parents,
and community members to learn, excel, and achieve. I found this so interesting because the
schools arent only worried about their students, staff, and parents, but the community as a whole
and how the schools and community work together. Throughout Thompson School District
schools have different focus areas that cater to different interests such as, early college credit
found in a few high schools, Loveland Area Integrated School of the Arts (LISA), Health and
Wellness, Next Generation Learning, Global Learning, Dual Language Immersion (DLI), IB,
STEM, Leader in Me, and STEAM. These programs are in different schools throughout the
district. Some such as STEM and LISA are in elementary, middle, and high schools.
As a teacher in training who is interested in teaching in Thompson School District it is
important to me and for me that I consider what Family and Consumer Sciences (FCS) looks like
in the district. FCS is offered in middle schools around the district as an elective class. In high
schools it is an elective, but schools throughout the district have a variety of different FCS
classes I could potentially teach. These classes include Teen Choices & Challenges,
Relationships, Life Management, Culinary Careers and Nutrition, Catering, Child and
Adolescent Development, Early Childhood Education, Interior Design 1 and 2, Teacher Cadet 1
and 2, Nutrition & Wellness, Prostart 1 and 2, and Fashion Design and Merchandising 1 and 2.
As a FCS teacher in training I have many options of what to teach throughout the schools district
because so many schools offer FCS classes.
Thompson School District also has Thmopson2Life, which is a district academic
initiative thats goal is to ready students for college, career, and community engagement starting

in early childhood and continuing through 12th grade. The way the district views this as being
achieved is through competency-based education system. This means students are given the
opportunity to personalize their learning through the application and transfer of their knowledge
from each different content area. Thompson School District is an all-encompassing school
district that gives many options to students in order for them to succeed after graduation.
Thompson School District prepares and cares for their students by offering different programs,
support, and classes that will best ready them for their future.
Conrad Ball Middle School:
Conrad Ball Middle School (CBMS) is the educational home to over 600 students.
CBMS is a member of the Colorado Coalition of Breakthrough Schools. This means Conrad Ball
is redesigning for students, to meet the needs of students for their success beyond graduation.
CBMS is the host of a program called Next Generation Learning that is part of the new redesign.
It creates learning environment for students that are transforming to be more engaging and
dynamic so students can take ownership of their learning. The implementation priorities include,
competency-based, rubrics and standard-based scoring (which goes hand in hand with
Thompson2Life), advisory, counselor core, and technology integration. Competency-based
covers academic, professional that teaches about accountability and grit, personal teaching about
self-awareness and self control, entrepreneurial where students will learn critical thinking,
curiosity, and inquisitiveness, and civic that teaches about collaboration, teamwork, and social
awareness. Students at Conrad Ball also have an advisory class. This class is not to catch up on
missing assignments, but to build connections in a nonacademic setting. Students will build
relationships with the adults in the room as well as other students. Students will create their own
SMART goals, manage their schoology, practice time management, and work on their ICAP and

Naviance portfolios. During this time theres also a support team for students who need it. For 8th
graders theres a 9 Months to 9th Grade program, to help students become prepared for high
school. Finally, CBMS became a 1:1 technology integrated school and one of the largest 1:1
schools in 2012. They received a grant from the Erion Foundation that made it possible to buy an
iPad for every teacher and every student. This has given different educational possibilities in the
classroom through connected learning. It has impacted the way teachers instruct, given different
opportunities for students and teachers, and added more creativity to the classroom. Conrad
Balls community and environment is being built for the students current need and future needs.
Faculty and staff make it possible for students at Conrad Ball to have a safe, engaging, integrated
learning environment through the new design the school is going through. The 1:1 iPads make it
possible for students to learn new technologies and be connected with learning. CBMS is
focused on the student, for the students needs, and for their success currently and in the future.
The Classroom:
The classroom experience I have had is extremely different than I anticipated. I am in a
classroom that is taught by two teachers, Mr. Simonds and Mr. Arakaki. This class teaches about
the different competency-based learning skills that were discussed above. On Tuesdays the class
is filled with 6th and 7th graders, nearly 40 or more students, about half boys and half girls.
Thursdays the class is even more full with 6th and 8th graders about half and half as well. I have
noticed that the racial differences in the classroom are similar to the Thompson School District
statistics given above. Due to the vast amount of students entering the classroom, Mr. Simonds
or Mr. Arakaki are in the hall taking attendance as students enter. The other teacher who is not
taking attendance is in the classroom help kids find a seat to get started on their Do Now.
Students are given about 5 to 8 minutes on their Do Now, and then they go into their plan of the

day. Students then begin their activity for the day. Over the past few weeks of being in this
classroom I have noticed a variety of activities Mr. Simonds and Mr. Arakaki have planned for
their students. Some days activities are interactive and students work together to accomplish a
task, some days are silent and individual work. For example, students worked together to make
SMART goals for a specific person that they all knew, my group chose Drake, and then the next
class period students were sent off individually to make their own SMART goals for the
semester. This class is different than any class I have personally had in the past and different than
any class I have observed. I think this class allows students to build and learn how to selfmotivate, self-advocate, and manage time. This class also teaches students to work together as a
team at different age groups. I remember in middle school I thought I was so much bigger than a
6th grader and found it hard working with them. This class specifically will encourage group
work like that and teaches students good collaboration. In my own opinion this class will be
extremely beneficially to students in discovering who they are and how they learn. They will
learn self-advocacy, time management, and collaboration.