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Summer Trip Intense But Productive

8/21/2014

Summer trip intense but productive
Board member Elaine Chagnon again traveled to Nigeria this past summer, leaving on July 25 and returning home on August 10. She traveled with FaithCare and members of Trinity Church, Tariffville, her home church. She was scheduled to meet with Gusau teachers and then work the rest of the time with the combined teams at her church-sponsored medical clinic.
Travel was long and tiring, and the group was faced with numerous challenges along the way. Just before the trip, a bomb blast killed scores in Kaduna. Although team members were made aware and were given the option of cancelling, no one backed out, including three high school students. On the flight over, the group was made aware that the first case of Ebola was diagnosed in Lagos, 8 hours away from the site.

Teachers from Graceland International School traveled to Kaduna for training workshops led by Elaine Chagnon.

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Architect for Next School Building at Graceland International School

8/10/2014

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Ndanusa Fearon, a young local architect, agreed to provide drawings for the third classroom building– a science/computer lab/media center/administration building. Once he has seen the site, he will determine an appropriate placement for this building. He will also assist in locating a reputable computer distributor who could provide the laptops using recently acquired grant money.

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Teacher Training

8/6/2014

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Board member Elaine Chagnon again traveled to Nigeria this past summer. Prior to the trip, she attempted to determine topics that would be most beneficial to teachers. Making arrangements through email is dicey at best, so flexibility is key. Elaine knew teachers would come but made the assumption that there might be as many as 6, similar to last year. To her surprise, she was greeted by 12 educators from Graceland International, including the young principal! Teachers represented a range of grade levels from kindergarten through high school. She taught for two days.

Training began using Recipe for Reading as a method of teaching phonics. Teachers also worked in groups making reading games and planning reading lessons. In addition, teachers learned how to use Cornell notes and provide writing instruction.
Nearly 200 pounds of school supplies were disseminated among the teachers. The supplies were donated by staff and students from the Granby Public Schools, along with books for the young children written by Granby kindergarten students. The book-writing project, now beginning its third year, was embraced by kindergarten teacher Betsy Wilken and has spread to other class-rooms throughout the district.
Training continued the second day, with time interspersed for conversation. Discussions included shared stories, dreams for the school, and “shop talk”- the outcome being a prioritized list of needs. The principal presented this list formally as a written document prior to their departure.

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Summer Trip Intense But Productive

Architect for Next School Building at Graceland International School

Teacher Training

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