Cape Town, South Africa

Kids Are Kids, By: Lauren Drake, English Teacher

Cape Town, South Africa’s miles of breathtaking views, abundant vegetation, and precocious wildlife appeal to any traveler. However, behind every gleaming and enchanting appearance are grim and sober realities. The same is true for South Africa.

Several teachers at Clarksville Academy have been blessed with the opportunity of a lifetime: visit South Africa’s cultural landmarks… and learn about the grim and sobering realities of township schools.

Perhaps some of us ventured into this expedition images of starvation and poverty pervasive in the school yard. Others came in with a take-charge and can-do attitude; whatever challenge faced us in a township school, we would fix. Yet, only half an hour inside Langa LEAP school and the students and teachers shattered every preconceived notion.

Pull back from South Africa for a moment and imagine your favorite campus spot; mine is a bench just outside the Academic Building. I can see and wave to every passerby; I can work on grades and planning or simply eat my lunch in the sun. It is refreshing and serene.

This is not the case at Langa LEAP schools. Students have the same breathtaking views as the tourists– Table Mountain is practically in their backyard. Yet, they cannot see the mountain without the sight of razor wire around their school buildings in the forefront. Still, the students and the school has such a mood of hope and optimism that arises from more than the bright, cheery orange paint on every window and door trim.

In fact, that hope and optimism may face and overcome poverty and other obstacles but it is the same hope and optimism that I see in our students. In just half an hour of interacting with the faculty and staff of LEAP, we all saw that their kids are the same as our kids. We are separated by income, opportunities, and a giant ocean. Yet, they hold doors and demonstrate the same level of respect and integrity as our students. They have goals to become doctors and lawyers, just like our students. And, just like our students, they occasionally bend the rules about food and cell phones in class.

This trip is full of promise for Clarksville Academy teachers, but in the end, Langa and LEAP schools will likely teach us much more about the craft of educating the whole child than we could teach them.

Weekly News: May 20 – May 24, 2019

Summer Hours

Thursday, May 23 is our last day of the school year. Our offices close that afternoon and will reopen with Summer Hours on June 3. Summer hours will be Monday through Friday from 8:30-Noon.

Debbie Hollis Retires

Upper School Music teacher and choral director, Debbie Hollis is retiring at the end of this school year. Please join us in honoring Debbie on May 23, from 4:00-6:00PM in the Fine Arts Building. This come and go reception is open to all current and former students, friends, parents, and the entire community. Please RSVP to Sally Allen at sallen@clarksvilleacademy.com if you are able to attend.

Student Life

Please take a moment to bookmark our new student life website. This will feature different student works of art (all genres) throughout the summer and school year!

http://castudentlife.com/

Graduation

The Class of 2019 will take their final walk across the stage at CA on Friday, May 24 at 7:00 PM. There will be a brief reception in the breezeway immediately following. Congratulations to all our graduates.

Reader’s Choice

It’s that time of the year again! Clarksville Academy has been nominated in 3 categories this year!!! Favorite Private School, Favorite Principal—Mrs. Jennifer Hinote, and Favorite Teacher—Emily Lindsey, 1st Grade. Please follow the links below and vote daily!!!

Check out Clarksville Academy. 2019 Reader’s Choice Awards
https://theleafchronicle.secondstreetapp.com/og/6b5e0a9f-327c-4d2b-af18-eb9c24b233b3/gallery/160923708

Check out Jennifer Hinote_Clarksville Academy. 2019 Reader’s Choice Awards
https://theleafchronicle.secondstreetapp.com/og/6b5e0a9f-327c-4d2b-af18-eb9c24b233b3/gallery/160923977

Check out Emily Lindsey Clarksville Academy. 2019 Reader’s Choice Awards
https://theleafchronicle.secondstreetapp.com/og/6b5e0a9f-327c-4d2b-af18-eb9c24b233b3/gallery/160678325

Summer Camp

CA’s summer camps are live this week! Check out what we have to offer online here: https://marketplace.clarksvilleacademy.com/summercamps/

We also encourage you to check out ClarksvilleTennis.com for more information on tennis camps this summer. This is a great way to introduce your child to tennis or to strengthen their skills.

Athletics

Tennis
Ayden Kujawa is competing in the State Tournament tomorrow! Updates will be posted on Social Media.

Baseball
Varsity Baseball lost last night to Goodpasture in the SemiFinals of the Baseball State Tournament. They must win today’s game in order to stay in it. Updates will be posted on Social Media.

Track

We want to wish our Track Team well today as they compete in the State Tournament. Updates will be posted on Social Media.

Boys 4×200: TJ Jenkins, Jarius Satterfield, Gregory Carter, Deiondre Wilson take first place and qualify for the State Tournament on May 22.

Boys 4×400: TJ Jenkins, Luke Page, Nick Whitlow and Jarius Satterfield placed first and qualify for the State Tournament on May 22.

Girls 4×100: Jayden Adolphin, Ashley Roberts, Diamond Bryant, and Aliyah Wise placed second and qualified for State on May 22.

Girls 4×400: Jayden Adolphin, Ashley Roberts, Diamond Bryant, and Aliyah Wise placed second and qualified for State on May 22.

We are so proud of our State Bound Athletes!!!!!

Marketing

CA’s Instagram is now live! Follow us on Instagram at CACougarsTN.

Have you seen our new video? We’d love you to share it on social media or with friends or neighbors you think would be interested in CA.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5O6sx–YQUs&feature=youtu.be

Engage, Embrace, Empower

Clarksville Academy is blogging! Our new blog launched the week of Thanksgiving and will post twice weekly. The hope of this blog is to offer insights for parents. We will discuss a variety of topics from technology, to parenting ideas, ways to prepare your child for testing, long breaks, etc. We hope you will choose to subscribe and to encourage your friends to do so as well. These blogs will not be CA centered, but will offer insights for any parent at any school. Subscribe at: https://clarksvilleacademy.com/category/engage-embrace-empower/

Giving

Giving is ongoing at CA. There is still time to give to the annual fund for the 2018-2019 school year. Annual Fund monies have helped to secure much needed professional development, technology, security needs, campus improvements and more. We encourage you to reach out with questions regarding giving or with ideas on how you can support Clarksville Academy in our giving efforts. Please contact Sally Allen at sallen@clarksvilleacademy.com to find out more about how you can help.

Important Dates

May 24 – Graduation 7PM

Summer Fun—Ways to Stay Engaged During the Summer Months

By: Catherine Shea, FUSE Reading Teacher

The beginning of summer is an exciting time! It feels like it is full of possibilities and opportunities. We can use this time to build and expand our children’s innate curiosity and excitement about learning. Tapping into fun, authentic learning experiences can also solve the problem of “summer backslide” and keep parents and students from feeling overwhelmed or behind when school begins again.

Read. It sounds so simple, but I know it can be a challenge. Everyone knows how important reading is, but getting kids to read during the summer can feel like a herculean effort. Below are some ideas to help.

Book Club! Start a book club with your child. This is an amazing experience. (As a reading teacher, I am lucky enough to have it each day!) Your child will love talking to you about the book you read together. Mix it up. Read out loud to each other sometimes and sometimes read alone silently. You will learn so much about how your child thinks and how you think.
Look for a favorite! Librarians spend a lot of time studying books. Ask them to help find books that match your child’s interests. Pinterest is also full of book lists that can help. Here are a few ideas:

Kids love a series.
Comic books or graphic novels are great for reluctant or struggling readers.
Kids love a book that has been made into a movie. Read the book, then watch the movie and discuss the differences. What did the movie get right or wrong?
Strategy guides for video games are great ways to get video game fans to begin reading more.
Kids love historical fiction!
Look up lyrics to songs and sing them.
Don’t try to force kids to read what you think they should read. There are many things to read and comprehend in the world. Encourage them to read about things they are interested in and let them tell you what they learn.

Incentives! Kids love prizes. It is amazing what they will do for a little recognition. (Again, as a reading teacher I speak from experience.) Plan something fun to do after your child finishes a book. Kids will do a lot of reading for a small reward.
Drama! One of the most exciting parts of the year in our reading class is when we read and act out plays. Everyone is engaged. It is so much fun to create costumes and act out a play. Have some friends over and create a production.

Be Active.

Be a tourist! Learn about the local history of the places you visit during summer break. Have your child do some research, read the guidebooks, and help you plan parts of your vacation. Each summer, my family visited Nags Head, NC, where we would see a play about the Lost Colony. After the play, we would read everything we could about that time and debate theories about what happened to those people. The play energized me to read, research, and discuss. If you are having a “staycation” this summer, be a tourist in your own town. Kids love to learn about local history. It helps them feel connected to and excited about the place they live.
Plant a garden! You don’t need to dig up the yard! Your garden could be a couple of planters with your child’s choice of veggies in them. Encourage your child to research recipes and plan meals to cook when the veggies are ready. This will encourage him or her to read, plan, and measure!

Create a game! At my house we call this “Calvinball” in honor of the Calvin and Hobbes comic strips. In the comics, Calvin often creates a haphazard game full of activity and creativity. Have the kids create a game with rules and equipment that gets everyone moving. Then, have the kids teach you the game. Strategize and problem solve about the rules when snags come up. As Calvin said, “The only permanent rule in Calvinball is that you can never play it the same way twice.”

Write. After you read all these wonderful books, take exciting trips, and create a fabulous dramatic production, encourage your child to write about it all. I know. This is another thing that sounds easy but is incredibly hard. Here are ways to make writing fun.

Journals! Have your children write a couple of sentences about what they do each day during the summer. Letting them pick out a new journal to write in doesn’t hurt. Each week, read the journal together and talk about the things you did that week. (There is no need to check grammar or spelling. Just make it a fun bonding experience.)
Blog! Edublog.org is a safe blogging site for kids to publish their ideas, gaming strategies, book reviews, and summer experiences. If you use a regular blogging site like WordPress, you can make the blog private, so that only family members can look at it. Encourage grandparents and other family members to comment on the blog. This makes the experience interactive and exciting!
Create! Encourage your child to create art and crafts that include poetry and stories. Have readings and art shows to celebrate your child’s creativity. The Kitchen Table Classroom is a great blog to get ideas on how to incorporate reading and writing in arts and crafts projects. There are wonderful, printable templates to help you get started.

The most important thing we can do during the summer is model how we as parents are lifelong learners. Encourage your child to ask questions, research, and find answers. Look for answers with them, and let them teach you something new. It is also important not to fill every moment with an activity. Let them get bored and use their imaginations to create their own screen-free fun.

What to Know as Your Child Leaves Kindergarten

By: Frances Traughber, Kindergarten Teacher

Children grow and change so much during their kindergarten year. They have made new friends, worked with a partner, solved group problems, and shed a few tears (and probably some teeth too!). They have learned many new words to expand their vocabularies. They can add and subtract, count by ones, tens, and fives all the way to 100! They’ve learned more than could possibly be listed here.

What can you do to help your child retain all this knowledge and stay ready for first grade? Here are a few suggestions for ways to keep your child’s mind engaged without playing school.

Send your child to a camp this summer. We are offering many fun and educational camps that will provide your child with enriching activities plus social time with other children.
Communicate with your child. Language development has taken off this year and you can continue this growth by having conversations with your child. When cooking dinner, working in the yard, or taking a day trip explain to your child what you are doing and why.
Continue reading aloud. Even though your child is beginning to read themselves, they still need to hear a fluent reader. If they want to read, share by reading alternate pages or let them say the words they know.
Talk about whether the story is real, fiction, or fantasy. Discuss characters and the sequence of events in the story. Talk about ways the story could have ended differently.
Allow your child to be in the kitchen with you. Measuring, stirring, watching how a mixture changes as things are added. Count the chocolate chips, marshmallows, etc. being added to the mix. Cooking is fun, educational opportunity for your child.
Educational apps and videos make learning fun. Homer Reading App, Moose App, Draw and Tell, and Kids Academy are just a few. We love Jack Hartmann videos for review.

These are just a few ways to enjoy the time you have with your child and retain and build on what they have learned in kindergarten.

Weekly News: May 13 – May 17, 2019

Debbie Hollis Retires

Lower School Field Day

Lower School Field day will be held on Thursday, May 16 at the Cougar Sports Complex. All Lower School children should be dropped off the Complex on that day and not brought to main campus. Students will be returned to campus for pick up. Parents should follow normal pick up procedures for your child. Please see your child’s newsletter for additional information.

Exam Schedule

The exam schedule can be found below.

Tuesday, May 21

8:00-9:30 1st Period Exam
9:30-9:45 Break
9:45-11:15 2nd Period Exam

Wednesday, May 22

8:00-9:30 3rd Period Exam
9:30-9:45 Break
9:45-11:15 4th Period Exam

Thursday, May 23

8:00-9:30 5th Period Exam
9:30-9:45 Break
9:45-11:15 6th Period Exam

Reader’s Choice

Check out Clarksville Academy. 2019 Reader’s Choice Awards https://theleafchronicle.secondstreetapp.com/og/6b5e0a9f-327c-4d2b-af18-eb9c24b233b3/gallery/160923708

Check out Jennifer Hinote_Clarksville Academy. 2019 Reader’s Choice Awards https://theleafchronicle.secondstreetapp.com/og/6b5e0a9f-327c-4d2b-af18-eb9c24b233b3/gallery/160923977

Check out Emily Lindsey Clarksville Academy. 2019 Reader’s Choice Awards https://theleafchronicle.secondstreetapp.com/og/6b5e0a9f-327c-4d2b-af18-eb9c24b233b3/gallery/160678325

Reminder

The second enrollment fee was due Friday, May 10. If you have not yet paid this fee, please do so immediately. This is the fee that locks in your enrollment for the 2019-2020 school year. If you have questions regarding your enrollment or fees please contact the Business office at 647-6311.

Cafeteria

Wednesday, May 15 will be the last day for breakfast and subs.

Summer Camp

CA’s summer camps are live this week! Check out what we have to offer online here: https://marketplace.clarksvilleacademy.com/summercamps/

We also encourage you to check out ClarksvilleTennis.com for more information on tennis camps this summer. This is a great way to introduce your child to tennis or to strengthen their skills.

Athletics

Tennis
Ayden Kujawa is the 2019 Regional Girls Tennis Singles Champion for Division II Class A! She will advance to the State Tournament!!!! We are so proud of Ayden and all her accomplishments both on and off the court!

Baseball
Varsity Baseball won Saturday against Northpoint Christian in the first round of the State Tournament! They advance to the Quarterfinals in Knoxville this Thursday/Friday. They must beat Webb School of Knoxville in a best of 3 series! Good luck to these boys!

Track
We had a great showing at the Regional Track tournament on Friday night. Many of our Cougars will advance to the State Competition!

Boys 4×200: TJ Jenkins, Jarius Satterfield, Gregory Carter, Deiondre Wilson take first place and qualify for the State Tournament on May 22.
Boys 4×400: TJ Jenkins, Luke Page, Nick Whitlow and Jarius Satterfield placed first and qualify for the State Tournament on May 22.
Stone Norris place 5th in the 1600m & 8th place in the 3200m.
On the Girls side, Jayden Adolphin placed 4th in the 100M as well as the 200M, Morgan Crowley placed 6th in the 400M and Shay Conn placed 7th in 400M.
Girls 4x400m team of Ashley Roberts, Anna Sawyer, Shay Conn, & Morgan Crowley placed 5th.
Girls 4×100 of Jayden Adolphin, Ashley Roberts, Diamond Bryant, and Aliyah Wise placed second and qualified for State on May 22.
Girls 4×400 of Jayden Adolphin, Ashley Roberts, Diamond Bryant, and Aliyah Wise placed second and qualified for State on May 22.

We are so proud of our State Bound Athletes!!!!!

Intermediate Golf
On Monday and Tuesday, Intermediate School Golf will be competing in the TMSGA Middle Region Tournament at Two Rivers Golf Course. We wish these students the best of luck!

Cougar Store

Coming this fall the FBLA (Future Business Leaders of America) will begin managing the Cougar Store. This student organization will oversee the day-to-day operations as part of their service to our school. To kick off this change, we are offering 50% off in the bookstore. Please stop by and take advantage of this great sale!!!

Marketing

CA’s Instagram is now live! Follow us on Instagram at CACougarsTN.

Have you seen our new video? We’d love you to share it on social media or with friends or neighbors you think would be interested in CA.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5O6sx–YQUs&feature=youtu.be

Engage, Embrace, Empower

Giving

Important Dates

May 17 – Academic Awards Day
May 21-23 – Finals for Intermediate & Upper School
May 22 – Last Day for Lower School
May 24 – Graduation 7PM

Washington, DC: Day 4 May 8th

Once again, we made our way into downtown DC and began the morning with two firsts for Clarksville Academy students and chaperones. Those firsts were visiting the Supreme Court and Library of Congress. Walking through the exquisite, marbled halls and exhibits of these magnificent buildings was an experience we won’t soon forget. After eating lunch at the Ronald Reagan International Trade Center, we made our way to the National Archives to experience the historical documents that tell the stories of our nation’s history. Then, we strolled through the National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden on our way to the Museum of Natural History.
We filled our night by making the trek to Baltimore to watch an Orioles vs. Red Sox baseball game at Camden Yards while partaking in all-you-can-eat concessions! The game went into extra innings, so it made for a late night arrival at our hotel. The students had a great time experiencing all the wonderful exhibits, competing in learning challenges, viewing the game, and enjoying time with friends.

A Strong Work Ethic

By: Kristen Stowe, Student Services

In today’s world of entitlement, everyone wants everything handed to them without a please, thank you, complete sentence or hard work. This new line of thinking is embedded in the hearts and minds of adults and children everywhere. I see this attitude every day.

My mom was a single mother of three children. She worked hard, finished business school, took care of each of our individual needs plus family needs and made it to games, even though she slept through most of my softball games in the car, she tried. Let me also state that this was on top of working a full-time job, going on 43 years in September, running the concession stands, being on the board of our school and serving as secretary for our church. Plus she did it all in five inch heels! She was the real MVP. She also took care of two children, who though they were not her biological children, she loved them just the same.

Watching this great woman of faith, taught me to appreciate the work, the struggle, the grit, the good, the bad, the ugly, the unfair, the just, the sacrifice, the reaping, the harvest, whether plentiful or poor, and especially the journey. People in these times think you get something for nothing. It doesn’t work like that folks. How can that last if everyone is taking and there isn’t anyone working? I teach my kids to do their best at everything, from making the trash bag look presentable to turning in projects. I believe without hard work and a strong work ethic, an accomplishment is not humbly appreciated, so I try to put that in word and action.

Anyone can get a job. A strong work ethic keeps the job. Anyone can go to college, but college retention and college degrees come from a strong work ethic. Webster states that work is to “perform or carry through a task requiring sustained effort or continuous repeated operations or to exert oneself physically or mentally in sustained effort for a purpose”. In other words, something has to be given or an effort must be made. Now, let’s look at ethic. Webster says ethic is a “set of moral principles, or a philosophy”. Strong means “having or marked by great physical power or having moral or intellectual power”. So a strong work ethic can be broken down to a purposeful, meaningful, effort that defines you physically and/or mentally.

Any and everything we do represents us: our world, our parents, our children, our job, our school teams and clubs, literally everything we touch. We must strive to represent ourselves well and stand for something. A strong work ethic is a gem and its rarity is unbelievable. Your work ethic gets you that promotion, your work ethic keeps that job, your work ethic keeps you on top on your game. You may not have all the answers, but you will dig to find them.

When students come back to visit they often tell me, that they appreciated my advice to stay on track and to learn time management. We need to impress upon our children now how important work ethic is and how to create and achieve greatness. It is ok to fail. The lesson is in getting up, figuring out where you went wrong and moving on to get it right your way, owning it and becoming great! Children need to feel pain, joy, disappointment, success, love, support and discipline. Of course, they are individuals and will do what they want, but deep down inside the lesson is there. I see it with my son every day. Keep teaching and pushing. They will get it! Look for outside resources if you need help. We must work together to succeed.

Watching my mother has taught me that a strong work ethic precedes you. I wish people could understand how much hard work gets you in life. I don’t mean material things. I mean respect, support, smiles, great ideas, wonderful co-workers, etc. Those are the things you need to have a great day. It’s not about just working hard, it’s about working hard with a finish attitude. The attitude is the best part about a strong work ethic. You don’t mind working, or criticism, or giving or receiving help. A strong work ethic becomes your attitude.

Washington DC: Tuesday, May 7

We began the Day 3 adventure at the Iwo Jima Memorial and then our day continued with Arlington National Cemetery. We were able to pay our respects at JFK’s gravesite, watch Tomb of the Unknown Soldiers changing of the guard, and honor many others who have served our great nation.

After our morning at Arlington and lunch at Pentagon City Mall, we rushed and possibly ran, to make our appointment with Senator Marsha Blackburn. The students had impressive questions for the senator and she graciously answered all. After a photo with her, we went on to tour the Capitol building. Following the Capitol tour, we were afforded the opportunity to meet with other Clarksvillians that work on Capitol Hill. We met and spoke with Lauren Cohen, lobbyist for the arts and Congressman Phil Roe.

After all of these momentous meetings, we made our way to our tours of the WWII Memorial, Vietnam Memorial, Lincoln Memorial, and Korean War Memorial. Our students were amazed at the size of Lincoln’s statue, the emotion involved in finding a loved one’s name of the Vietnam Wall, and the detailed artistry of the Korean War statues and wall.

While the daytime was packed with visiting these sites, the night was no different. We went again to Pentagon City Mall for dinner and shopping. Next, we topped off the night by experiencing the very moving and serene Pentagon 9-11 Memorial.

Those action-packed 10.5 miles (or possibly more) were worth every memorable step!

Washington DC: Monday, May 6th

Hello Washington, DC!

Our travel time was brief today as we made our way into the DC area. We began our day at the Udvar-Hazy Air & Space Museum at Dulles Airport to experience the phenomenal collection of massive airplanes, the Discovery Space Shuttle and so much more. The observation tower allowed us to observe planes taking off and landing at Dulles.

From there, we traveled to Mount Vernon, home of George Washington. Students enjoyed the interactive museum and even had snow falling on them as they viewed a movie of Revolutionary War battles! The immaculately preserved mansion was another favorite of the day. Walking the grounds, viewing the farm animals, visiting the working farm, walking alongside the Potomac, and honoring the tomb of the Washingtons rounded out our afternoon at Mount Vernon.

We spent our evening experiencing the National Harbor. It’s a great little village area built along the harbor. The Awakeningsculpture was enjoyed and climbed on by all! We also visited plenty of the unique shops in the area. The Peeps Store was definitely a hit!

Up next—-Meeting with Senator Blackburn, touring the Capitol building, and many other wonderful events!

Washington DC: Sunday, May 5th

One hundred four of Clarksville Academy’s finest embarked on a trip of lifetime today! We will spend 7 days in the Washington, DC area. Each day will be filled with learning opportunities and events. We look forward to sharing our experiences and memories with you throughout the week.