Aventura City of Excellence School, (ACES)
ACES ACCOLADES

Aventura City of Excellence School, (ACES) ACES ACCOLADES

Aventura City of Excellence School, (ACES)
ACES ACCOLADES

By Leslie Loewenthal

ACES Pi Day Offered Engaging Lessons for Students
Middle Students Mentored Elementary Students in Math on Pi Day

ACES Hands-On Eco-Literacy Curriculum Teaches Science and Values

Middle School Drama Performance “Bed Bugs” entertains students and teaches conflict resolution skills

By Leslie Loewenthal

ACES Pi Day Offered Engaging Lessons for Students Middle Students Mentored Elementary Students in Math on Pi Day

ACES Hands-On Eco-Literacy Curriculum Teaches Science and Values

Middle School Drama Performance “Bed Bugs” entertains students and teaches conflict resolution skills

ACES Pi Day Offered Engaging Lessons for Students
Middle Students Mentored Elementary Students in Math on Pi Day

With nearly 100% re-enrollment and a consistent waiting list of 1100, ACES is finishing the 2008-2009 year with accolades in all areas. ACES has achieved an “A” rating for the past 4 years ranking among the top high performing schools in the county and state. ACES has developed a reputation for innovative and engaging educational “best practices” with cross curricular studies that enhances students’ interest and teaches several lessons at once, while addressing the whole child in the process. “ACES won 2nd place in the Fairchild Garden Exchange for 08-09and for the past 2 years, ACES Middle School Garden Project won first place for the “Best Garden.” ACES has also won an Innovation Award and 9 other state and national awards.

What’s ACES formula for success? Principal, Julie Alm states, “ACES success comes from focusing on meeting the needs of the “Whole Child.” Our emphasis on child-centered learning encourages creativity, academic excellence and provides students with a solid foundation for social responsibility and emotional growth. Our “whole child” approach has proven to yield maximum results while building our students’ self esteem and confidence.” Vice principal, Daniel Sandberg said, “In addition to a rigorous curriculum and as a result of teaching the whole child, students learn to make choices that benefit themselves, our school and the community.”

Pi Day activities enrich and deepen students' understanding of the math concept of pi. This year ACES middle school students shared their understanding of pi with elementary students through a variety of special activities. Students read author Cindy Neuschwander’s stories about Sir Cumference and his wife Lady Di of Ameter and son Radius, and then created their own math storybooks. Students measured the circumference and diameter of circles in order to compute pi by finding the ratio of circumference to diameter. Students discovered that a circle is the set of all points that are the same distance from a given point by using a compass to create circle pictures. Students participated in a scavenger hunt discovering humorous and interesting pi facts. Students shared their musical and dramatic talent by performing songs, poetry, raps, and skits about pi. In preparation for pi day middle school students created projects about pi, researching interesting information about the discovery of irrational numbers by the Pythagoreans, the search for an accurate value of pi by different civilizations throughout the ages, the appearance of pi in areas such as probabilities, and the attempt to legislate a value of pi in the Unites States. Students even held a contest to see who could memorize the most digits of pi - our record for the day was 92 digits!

For the past three years students in sixth grade science classes have experienced the impact of their actions on the environment first hand. The ACES Eco-Literacy curriculum includes the design and implementation of a school garden that focuses on cross-curricular applications of content and processes. Middle students learn teamwork, cooperation and the art of caring for their environment and each other as they work together side-by-side to create a vision of beauty for all to share. Elementary school students also visit the garden where they learn from their middle school peers.

This year ACES students created the “Bee Victorious Garden” to reflect today’s trying economic times and to remind us of a period during World War II when the economy also suffered. At that time, Eleanor Roosevelt planted a Victory Garden and over 20 million Americans followed her example by starting their own Victory Gardens. Nearly a third of all the vegetables consumed in the country that year were grown in Victory Gardens. ACES “Bee Victorious Garden” reminds students and families to help our economy, care for our earth and to do their part in global warming. Students donate a portion of the food grown from the garden to the less fortunate. The garden curriculum integrates teaching the “whole child” with core academics such as; science, math and history. By planting a “Bee Garden” students learn how to “bee” peaceful, how to “bee” responsible stewards of our earth, how to “bee” loving, how to “bee” honest, “bee” respectful and to share ACES caring values with each other.

ACES first through fourth grade students enjoyed an outstanding theatrical production of “Bed Bugs” put on by ACES Middle School Drama Classes. The play portrays a group of “bed bugs” friends and their encounters with a child whose bed was their home. At first they thought the child was a “mean witch” who intentionally harmed them. By the end of the play the bugs learned that communication was the best way to solve any problem. They worked together with the child to create a way to coexist that was optimal for both groups.

ACES “Reading Buddies” Mentoring Program

“Reading Buddies” is a mentoring program in which a 3rd grade student is paired with a kindergartener for various reading activities. The main activity is “buddy reading”, where the students read books to each other. Other activities will include art projects, the making of books, journaling, and visiting the library together.

The benefits of this program are innumerable. 3rd grade students feel motivated to read aloud because they feel confident when reading to a younger and less skilled reader. The kindergarteners have an opportunity to hear how an older student sounds and how a fluent reader reads. The kindergarteners in turn have the opportunity to practice their “budding” reading skills. Younger and older students also benefit by learning social skills. Reading buddies create a bond with students and often older students find themselves choosing books that their “buddy” would like.

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Aventura City of Excellence School, (ACES)
ACES ACCOLADES

By Leslie Loewenthal

With nearly 100% re-enrollment and a consistent waiting list of 1100, ACES is finishing the 2008-2009 year with accolades in all areas. ACES has achieved an “A” rating for the past 4 years ranking among the top high performing schools in the county and state. ACES has developed a reputation for innovative and engaging educational “best practices” with cross curricular studies that enhances students’ interest and teaches several lessons at once, while addressing the whole child in the process. “ACES won 2nd place in the Fairchild Garden Exchange for 08-09and for the past 2 years, ACES Middle School Garden Project won first place for the “Best Garden.” ACES has also won an Innovation Award and 9 other state and national awards.

What’s ACES formula for success? Principal, Julie Alm states, “ACES success comes from focusing on meeting the needs of the “Whole Child.” Our emphasis on child-centered learning encourages creativity, academic excellence and provides students with a solid foundation for social responsibility and emotional growth. Our “whole child” approach has proven to yield maximum results while building our students’ self esteem and confidence.” Vice principal, Daniel Sandberg said, “In addition to a rigorous curriculum and as a result of teaching the whole child, students learn to make choices that benefit themselves, our school and the community.”

ACES Pi Day Offered Engaging Lessons for Students
Middle Students Mentored Elementary Students in Math on Pi Day

Pi Day activities enrich and deepen students' understanding of the math concept of pi. This year ACES middle school students shared their understanding of pi with elementary students through a variety of special activities. Students read author Cindy Neuschwander’s stories about Sir Cumference and his wife Lady Di of Ameter and son Radius, and then created their own math storybooks. Students measured the circumference and diameter of circles in order to compute pi by finding the ratio of circumference to diameter. Students discovered that a circle is the set of all points that are the same distance from a given point by using a compass to create circle pictures. Students participated in a scavenger hunt discovering humorous and interesting pi facts. Students shared their musical and dramatic talent by performing songs, poetry, raps, and skits about pi. In preparation for pi day middle school students created projects about pi, researching interesting information about the discovery of irrational numbers by the Pythagoreans, the search for an accurate value of pi by different civilizations throughout the ages, the appearance of pi in areas such as probabilities, and the attempt to legislate a value of pi in the Unites States. Students even held a contest to see who could memorize the most digits of pi - our record for the day was 92 digits!

ACES Hands-On Eco-Literacy Curriculum Teaches Science and Values

For the past three years students in sixth grade science classes have experienced the impact of their actions on the environment first hand. The ACES Eco-Literacy curriculum includes the design and implementation of a school garden that focuses on cross-curricular applications of content and processes. Middle students learn teamwork, cooperation and the art of caring for their environment and each other as they work together side-by-side to create a vision of beauty for all to share. Elementary school students also visit the garden where they learn from their middle school peers.

This year ACES students created the “Bee Victorious Garden” to reflect today’s trying economic times and to remind us of a period during World War II when the economy also suffered. At that time, Eleanor Roosevelt planted a Victory Garden and over 20 million Americans followed her example by starting their own Victory Gardens. Nearly a third of all the vegetables consumed in the country that year were grown in Victory Gardens. ACES “Bee Victorious Garden” reminds students and families to help our economy, care for our earth and to do their part in global warming. Students donate a portion of the food grown from the garden to the less fortunate. The garden curriculum integrates teaching the “whole child” with core academics such as; science, math and history. By planting a “Bee Garden” students learn how to “bee” peaceful, how to “bee” responsible stewards of our earth, how to “bee” loving, how to “bee” honest, “bee” respectful and to share ACES caring values with each other.

Middle School Drama Performance “Bed Bugs” entertains students and teaches conflict resolution skills

ACES first through fourth grade students enjoyed an outstanding theatrical production of “Bed Bugs” put on by ACES Middle School Drama Classes. The play portrays a group of “bed bugs” friends and their encounters with a child whose bed was their home. At first they thought the child was a “mean witch” who intentionally harmed them. By the end of the play the bugs learned that communication was the best way to solve any problem. They worked together with the child to create a way to coexist that was optimal for both groups.

ACES “Reading Buddies” Mentoring Program

“Reading Buddies” is a mentoring program in which a 3rd grade student is paired with a kindergartener for various reading activities. The main activity is “buddy reading”, where the students read books to each other. Other activities will include art projects, the making of books, journaling, and visiting the library together.
The benefits of this program are innumerable. 3rd grade students feel motivated to read aloud because they feel confident when reading to a younger and less skilled reader. The kindergarteners have an opportunity to hear how an older student sounds and how a fluent reader reads. The kindergarteners in turn have the opportunity to practice their “budding” reading skills. Younger and older students also benefit by learning social skills. Reading buddies create a bond with students and often older students find themselves choosing books that their “buddy” would like.