News at St. Catherine's
St. Catherine's Represented at NAES and VAIS Conferences
St. Catherine's faculty and staff shared educational insights at NAES and VAIS conferences.
St. Catherine’s teachers and administrators shared their knowledge and expertise with other educators at conferences hosted by the National Association of Episcopal Schools (NAES) and Virginia Association of Independent Schools (VAIS) this November.
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Over the weekend, Head of School Terrie Hale Scheckelhoff and Director of Upper School Cathy McGehee presented at the NAES Biennal Conference in Baltimore. Scheckelhoff presented on successful strategies for difficult conversations. Both Scheckelhoff and McGehee joined a panel on teaching boys, focusing on girls and the media.
"Episcopal Schools have a unique opportunity to educate young women, not only about the negative ways media influence girls but also how to use media as a powerful,tool for social change and learning," McGehee said. "Through our tradition of worship, self reflection, spiritual development, inclusivity, and focus on social justice, Episcopal Schools can help girls and boys grow (mind, body and spirit) fully into the person God intended them to be even in this media saturated culture."
The 2012 VAIS Annual Conference was chock full of St. Catherine’s faculty and staff representatives. This year’s conference, held on Nov. 12 focused on leadership, 21st century learning in Lower School, technology, collaboration and global outreach and student life. These themes are a continuation of VAIS’s “T.I.L.L.” Program (Teaching, Innovation, Leading, Learning) a two-year theme, that started in 2011.
More than 800 participants from independent schools from around Virginia contributed to the conference. St. Catherine’s Director of Brilliant Choices, Lewis James’ session “Exploring Art History” discussed the fifth grade art history curriculum, with an eye towards the cultures of ancient societies like Egypt, Rome, India and China. James uses hands on activities in the classroom to integrate art with science, math, language and other academic disciplines.
- Middle School History teachers Renee Price and Catherine Hammer, along with Middle School Study Skills teacher Katie Yohe, presented “Exhibiting Understanding: Student Created Museums in Your History Class.” The lesson concentrated on creating social studies courses with a global focus by way of a student-created museum exhibit project.
- Representing Junior Kindergarten teacher Pam Oken-Wright’s “Early Literacy in the Social Constructivist Classroom” addressed the importance of providing literacy experiences for children at a young age and how these experiences enhance the social constructivist model of learning.
- Fourth grade teacher Judy McCallum shared her insights on creating a multimedia classroom at the lower school level in her presentation “Using Technology: Language Arts with a Twist.” Judy’s presentation explained her strategies for the classroom that combine 21st century technology with language arts.
- Director of Libraries Laura McCutcheon and Middle School Thinking Skills Teacher/Librarian Shelly Dean joined other independent schools librarians on a panel to discuss the different techniques used in school libraries every day. During the panelist discussion entitled “What is Happening in Other School Libraries,” the panelists compared how their school utilizes ebooks and other technology in their libraries.
Located in the heart of Richmond, Virginia, St. Catherine’s School is a private, all-girls pre-K, kindergarten, elementary, middle and high school. We provide a well-rounded educational experience for girls from communities across Richmond, Chesterfield, Henrico and all of central Virginia. St.Catherine’s all-girls educational experience is rooted in more than a century of history and tradition. From our revolutionary past to our dynamic present, St. Catherine’s has always focused on preparing students for a boundless future.
