Pegasus School Vision Newsletter

8/14/2019 Pegasus School Vision Newsletter

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visionnewsPegasus Stays True to Its RootsVision Continues to Drive Progress

When we look back on

the 2008-09 school year,

what will we remember?

Surely the passing of our founder

and head, Dr. Laura Hathaway,

will shape our memories of the

year. As will the deep economic

downturn that is impacting eachof us in one way or another.

Despite these unexpected

circumstances, The Pegasus

School hasnt wavered in its

commitment to the goals and

principles of the Vision Plan,

which Dr. Hathaway guided from

its inception. (See page six for

a summary of the Vision Plan.)

Indeed, our resourceful faculty

continues to implement key

elements of the plan in ways thatrequire little more than innovative

thinking. The result: enriching

new programs that enhance our

childrens experience at Pegasus

without adding costs.

The Vision Plan is so ingrained in

all of us now, says John Sullivan,

Acting Head of School. Even

small changes or decisions are

based on the set of 21st century

skills. We encourage our teachers

to take risks and try new things, but

they do so within the framework

of Vision.

The Vision Plan can be viewed

as a blueprint for The Pegasus

Schools futurea blueprint that

reects Dr. Hathaways wishes for

the evolution of our school. Were

all certain about the future of theschool due to that very critical

foundation that we created with

Dr. Hathaway, Sullivan says.

Along with program changes,

the Vision Plan requires physical

changes on the Pegasus campus.

In good economic times, we

anticipated taking great strides

in the near future towards

developing the schools master

plan. Our goal is to gradually

transform our 1950s campus to

a facility designed for learning

technologically advanced and

environmentally sound, with an

infrastructure that will function

effectively for decades to come

In light of the current economicclimate, we have modied the

pace for implementing the various

phases of the plan. Yet we remain

no less committed to seeing ou

campus evolve into a true 21s

century learning facility.

Just like any business, Pegasus

must adjust its expectations in

difcult nancial times. But we

refuse to adjust our expectations

as they pertain to the quality of ou

childrens education. For 25 years

now, Pegasus has delivered on

Dr. Hathaways promise of giving

bright and gifted students a place

to ourish. Now, more than ever

we all must remain committed

to Dr. Hathaways vision. In this

newsletter, youll read about

how we have demonstrated this

commitment during the 2008-09

school year.

he Newsletter of the Pegasus Vision Committee Spring, 200

Laura S. Hathaway, Ed. D.Founder and Head of The Pegasus School

In Loving Memory, May 18, 1941 - March 8, 2009

The world awaits and we have a limited time to make a difference.

Building wings is more than just academics; it is how we dene

ourselves as human beings. Lets soar on this adventure together

and see the difference the Pegasus community can make.


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It takes little more than a glimpse inside a classroom

to see the Vision Plan in action. You can see it in

second grade, where the Famous Americans

presentations have been expanded this year to

include famous people from around the world,enhancing the students global awareness. And in rst

grade, where a new unit on different cultural traditions

for marking the loss of a tooth teaches that the tooth

fairy doesnt leave money under pillows in far reaches

of the world. And in middle school, where expanded

options for eighth grade Spanish will give students who

demonstrate a high level of prociency the choice of

a course focusing on culture and conversation, or a

more traditional course focusing on vocabulary and

grammar. The conversation class will be a wonderful

way to develop our students Spanish speaking skills

and foster their condence to use the language,

says Spanish teacher Charline Nakamura.

The impact of the Vision Plan can also be seen outside

the classroom, as far away as Sudan, where last years

coin collection at Pegasus raised enough funds to buy

two wells for an impoverished village. As a direct result

of Pegasus fundraising, girls from that village are now

able to spend their days in school instead of walking

nearly 10 miles round trip to collect water.

Pegasus Middle School students were deeply moved

by Lost Boy of Sudan, Benjamin Ajak, who spoke at

our school last year. Their connection with him was so

deep that they invited him back to Pegasus, where

he played soccer and joined in the middle school

eld trip to Fountain Bowl for his rst time bowling. An

inspirational international gure, Ajak was nonetheless

accessible to the students on a personal level.

Independent Study for Grades 45Recognizing that many of our bright and gifted

students thrive on in-depth research, our fourth and

fth grade teachers now give them a pretest on

each new social studies unit. Students who alreadyhave a solid grasp of the material are encouraged to

select a more narrow area of study to enhance thei

critical thinking. Oral presentations by these students

upon completion of their units not only build their own

communication and leadership skills, but also enrich

the entire class experience.

Technological AdvancementsEnormous campus-wide benets have been realized

this year under the leadership of our new Director

of Technology, Trish Paulson. Weve upgraded ou

computer network, making Internet access 20 times

faster and providing wireless access to 100% of the

school. Its all part of our efforts to make our teachers

and students more technologically astute. Teachers

are better able to use technology in the classroom

when it runs quickly and efciently. Weve also

updated the middle school technology lab with ove

20 new computers and acquired software programs

such as Adobe Suite, Flash/Reason multimedia, and

animation software, all of which allow our students to

use technology like never before.

Vision Inside the ClassroomWhats New This Year

With Independent Study I get topick a topic that interests me and

then learn a lot about it. Its fun!~ Randon Davitt,

Fifth Grade Student


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Interactive whiteboards are becoming ubiquitous in

our classrooms and teachers are growing more and

more adept at using this outstanding communication

tool, thanks in large part to training programs offered

during the February intersession.

In what many of our faculty called the best intersession

ever, multidimensional seminars were offered,

depending on the teachers skill level and interests.

Several of our teachers are now Promethean Masters,

a certication that qualies them to lead other faculty

members in the use of the Promethean interactive

smartboard.

Spatial-Temporal Math for Grades 25Pegasus has always embraced differences in learning

styles, and now we have a fun new program that

better accommodates spatial-temporal learners in

math. This year, roughly 80 students participated in the

computer-based Spatial-Temporal (ST) Math program

from the Mind Institute. The animated program

engages the students in visual interpretation of math

concepts using no language at all. Our teachers

agree that even students who learn well in the more

traditional logical-sequential manner will benet from

ST Math, because it enhances their critical thinking.

Thus, our teachers will be further trained in ST Math

over the summer, and it will augment our Saxon Math

program for all students in grades 25 next fall. Thanks

to a generous donation by a parent, we now have a

perpetual site license.

Moodle Merges Poetry and the InternetFourth graders have been ocking to the Internet

this year, but not just for Facebook or YouTube

A program called Moodle allows our students (and

our students only) to publish their own poetry online

and then comment on each others work. In this

safe online haven, students enjoy writing, analyzing

and sharing their thoughtshelping them become

technologically astute, excellent communicators

creative and innovative.

Teachers to Tap Into Moodle, TooA collaborative Moodle site for our teachers called

Global Perspectives is in the works, thanks to

middle school teachers Jim Conti and Vicki Schmitz

The Global Perspectives Moodle site will allow ou

teachers to share ideas and materials to enhance

learning and instruction. Teachers will post in an

open forum about topics on which they are working

and receive feedback and suggestions from thei

colleagues. A searchable Resource Exchangedatabase will enable teachers, along with their

students, to easily nd educational tools such as

videos and print materials. Teachers will also contribute

resources to the database.

Other Moodle sites for students and staff are in the

initial stages of development.

Middle School RotationAll middle school students now participate in a rotation

that includes courses in global affairs, creative writing

and technology every third day. These ungraded

courses develop students global awareness

communication skills, creativity and technologica

astuteness in a setting that encourages learning for

learnings sake.

The rotation gives students the opportunity to be

exposed to more subject matter across the span of

the school year than if those courses were offered

only individually and without the pressure of grades.

My children and I spent an enjoyable hour

solving the challenging puzzles on the ST

math website. Theyre a great way for adults

and kids to exercise their minds together.

~ Nancy Fries, Parent

If youd like to try the sample ST Math games, go

to www.mindresearch.net and click on demo.


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Science Night for 3rd and 4th Grade GirlsStudies have shown girls interest and performance in

science, technology, engineering and math (STEM)

drops off dramatically in the late elementary years.

We consider condence in these areas to be a criticalfactor in the emotional well-being of our bright and

gifted girls. To that end, we are implementing some

special STEM events for our third and fourth grade girls.

The rst such event will be a Science Night in April with

a CSI theme. The girls will collaborate in an exciting,

educational investigation while their parents listen to

speakers on the importance of keeping girls interested

in STEM. We anticipate this will be the rst in a series

of similar events designed to foster leadership and

excellence in the sciences.

Middle School Curriculum IntegrationA key step in enhancing curriculum integration in

the middle school was the designation of grade

level English teachers. In the past, teachers shared

responsibility for sixth through eighth grade English,

but now those grades each have their own teacher.

This allows for a distinct, well-orchestrated progression

of skill sets throughout the middle school years.

Additionally, it facilitates curriculum integration

between English and other subjects. For example,

the term paper for social studies is also graded by

the English teacher; the book jacket design for English

becomes a technology project, too. Not only do

teachers work collaboratively, but students do as

well, with an increasing number of group projects

specically designed to develop this key skill.

Earth Day Goes GlobalTo promote more global awareness, we shifted ou

entire observation of Earth Day from the national date

in April to the international date, which falls on the

Spring Equinox. In the middle school, students learnedabout their eco-footprints and completed surveys to

determine their own environmental impact on the

world. Based on their survey results, students worked

with their advisory groups to develop fun and creative

presentations for the rest of the middle school on ways

to reduce their eco-footprints.

Entrepreneur Day Goes Eco-FriendlyEntrepreneur Day this year was expanded to include

all grades in this event that promotes economic

literacy. But we took it one step further by tying it in

with International Earth Day and calling it Entrepreneu

World Market. Roughly half of the 28 businesses

reected environmental consciousness, among them

an organic produce stand and a booth selling green

cleaning supplies.

Environmental Consciousness ExpandsAdditional programs to make our students

environmentally conscious include our Tanaka Farmsprogram, which brings a selection of fresh produce

directly from farm to school each week. Students

in grades K-4 continue to complete the cycle o

soil to table to soil, by planting, harvesting and

composting. Third graders this year cleared an area

for planting a native, drought-resistant garden. Many

of our children have become more eco-conscious as

their parents!

Vision Inside the ClassroomWhats New This Year Cntinud fom page 3


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Increased Programs for Emotionaland Physical Well-Being

We aim to keep our students not only academically

challenged but also emotionally and physically

balanced. To further that goal, we have expanded

our human development program in grades 48 and

added new units on health and nutrition. In middle

school, weve changed the advisory program so that

groups are smaller, averaging around 12 students.

The advisory groups meet for weekly tutorials and

participate in various middle school activities that

build school spirit and enhance the students sense

of belonging.

Growth in our Programs for the ArtsThe collaboration between our music teacher Cheryl

Wilson and our new drama teacher, Janice Krell-Coyle,

has enabled our entire K-8 arts program to take on a

new dimension. For the rst time, our Winter Concert

included middle school and lower school students

together on stage. In the middle school, overall time

spent on the arts has increased 50% and all electivesfall into the categories of ne or performing arts. As a

result, all of our students are becoming well versed in

the arts.

After-School Options IncreaseOur new Assistant Director of Special Programs

Terry Link, has introduced roughly a dozen new afte

school activities for our students, ranging from sports

to music to technology. The options are as diverse

as our students interests and offer the opportunity

to try new things on our own campus. Depending

on the programs they choose, students can develop

their physical, technological, artistic, creative, and

communication skills.

This has got to be a place

where bright and talented

students feel safe to be who

they are.~ Dr. Laura Hathaway

Founder and Head


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Summing it up: The Vision Plan

Emotionally and PhysicallyWell-Balanced

Part of being successful is being healthy inones physical and personal life. We aim to

teach our students how to care for themselves

and for one another, for personal success in

school and beyond.

A Good CitizenGood citizenship starts from within, with

strength of character and belief in oneself.

It extends to the community with a sense of

personal responsibility and an awareness of

how your own actions impact others. Pegasus

students understand their role and welcomethe responsibilities and the potentials that full

citizenship represents.

A Critical ThinkerIn an increasingly complex world, students

need the ability to analyze, synthesize andevaluate vast amounts of information

While concrete thinking will continue to

be essential, critical thinking will help ou

children use problem-solving skills and pure

intuition to decipher complex information

It will also help them gauge the credibility o

information, whether on the Internet, in a text

message, or in old-fashioned face-to-face

communication.

Technologically Astute

Prociency in key technological tools is clearlyessential to todays students. But prociency

isnt enough. They need to understand the

risks inherent in our technological world

Technologically savvy students will know how to

protect their own identities and cultivate thei

reputations while using the power of technology

to gather information and communicate more

efciently and effectively than ever before.

The Vision Plan, in case you are not familiar with it, helps our children see the world more clearly, today and for

the future. Dr. Laura Hathaway was truly visionary when she started Pegasus 25 years ago. From its humble

beginnings with a tiny student body of 40 in two Fountain Valley classrooms, Pegasus has grown to a community

of 565 students on a 14-acre campus that we now own. Its reputation has grown within Southern California and

beyond, drawing students from a wide radius whose parents know they can receive no finer preschool through

grade eight education anywhere.

But Dr. Hathaways vision didnt stop there. A few years ago, she formed the Vision Committeea collaborative

group of faculty, administrators, and parents who aimed to identify the key skills 21st century Pegasus students

would need to succeed in life. Committee members visited 40 top-tier schools around the nation and identifiedeleven core skills, outlined below. Based on that research, Pegasus faculty members have implemented myriad new

programs that help build those skills in our children.

When you hear teachers mention that a program has stemmed from the Vision Plan, you will know that it is a

program that enhances one of these eleven core skills.

The Pegasus 21st Century Student Will Be:


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Creative and InnovativeWe cannot even conceive of the new issues

our children will confront as adults. Those who

succeed will have the courage to think beyond

the status quo to nd exciting new solutions. The

founders of Apple, eBay and Google are good

examples of creative and innovative thinkers

in the rst phase of the Technology Age. The

trendsetters of the next phase will be equally

adept at envisioning a possibilitysome might

say a wild ideaand making it a reality.

Economically LiterateOur local and national economies are

inextricably intertwined with those around

the globe. While it is essential for our students

to understand the world economic market,

economic literacy goes well beyond

nancial concerns. Our students need to

grasp how the economic forces of supply

and demand drive virtually everything

in the worldtime, resources, money,

and more.

Well Versed in the ArtsIts more than being well-rounded; the arts

help enhance many of our students other skill

sets, from creativity and communications skills

to global awareness and physical well-being.

The arts are an essential part of the human

experience, steeped in history and evoking

the range of human emotions.

An Excellent CommunicatorWritten and verbal skills have always been

important, but our children will need to be able

to communicate appropriately in a vast range

of formats. Texting, e-mailing, and blogging

use different writing formats than traditional

communications, and our students must master

both old and new styles. Persuasive verbal skills

will always be essential, whether for landing a

job, pitching an idea, contributing to a group

effort, or managing personnel.

A Collaborative Worker withLeadership SkillsEmployers cite the ability to work collaboratively

as one of the key skills they look for in hiring

Professionals at every level will have to work

together to help navigate the mazes of

technology, bureaucracy, and our innate

resistance to change. Few big ideas come

to fruition without teamwork. Leadership is

required to unite the team and make those big

ideas happen.

Environmentally ConsciousOur students must understand their role in

managing our planets resources. They need

to be aware of their interaction with physical,

biological and chemical properties of

our world, so they can develop innovative

solutions to problems like global warming,

diminishing fossil fuel supplies, overpopulation,

and much more.

Equipped with a Global PerspectiveMessages travel around the globe in

milliseconds; people do so in mere hours.

Although our students may have lived their

entire lives in Southern California and perhaps

never attended a school other than Pegasus,

they need to consider themselves members

of a global community. Understanding

different cultures, viewing the world from the

perspective of those with lives different than

our own, speaking at least one additiona

languageall are essential to success in our

shrinking world.

The Vision Plan updates our program with skills that are essential for

21st century citizens; it has changed the way we prepare our kids for the

future and enhanced the relevancy of our program. Despite Dr. Hathaways

passing, the Vision Plan will ensure that our school continues to evolve the

way she anticipated.

~ John Sullivan

Acting Head of School


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The Pegasus Vision Committee

19692 Lexington Lane

Huntington Beach, CA 92646

Documents

Pegasus School Vision Newsletter