Eagles on a mission
Cutter Morning Star Elementary School, under the guidance of Principal Jann Gibson, will continue its mission of “Every Kid. Every Day. Whatever It Takes.”
The school plans to utilize leadership camps during the beginning of the school year to develop leadership capacity and train students to monitor their own learning and take responsibility for their choices. This is accomplished through utilizing the “7 habits” series by Sean Covey.
Cutter Morning Star is a one-to-one district. All students in grades kindergarten through sixth grade have use of a Chromebook laptop computer at school. This technology supports personalized learning in all grade levels for all students. Students also may move between classrooms or small groups to ensure individualized learning
The fifth- and sixth-grade teaching team is excited to be one of 17 schools in the state using the Summit Learning Platform to mentor students through personalized learning and projects. Summit Learning is designed to “give students the opportunity to reach their full potential and teachers the tools they need to meet the unique needs and interests of each student.”
Orange Week will return this fall after raising more than $4,500 the first year and more than $6,000 the second year to help fund the Eagle Power Pack program, which sends food-filled backpacks home with any student who struggles with food insecurity.
Plans are in place to continue and expand the school garden, which provides hands-on curriculum connections, service learning opportunities and supports healthy habits. The garden also supports the food bank. In the first season, the garden provided more than 100 pounds of produce.
Grades 1-2 will continue their work on the Cutter Morning Star YouTube news station, “Eagles On Air.” They will continue to write scripts and research different school topics for parents and students to watch at school and at home.
Cutter Morning Star School District will continue to serve breakfast in the classroom from 7:30-7:45 a.m. To eat with their classmates, students must arrive at 7:30 a.m.
“Students who participate in school breakfasts show improved attendance, behavior and overall learning, as well as decreased tardiness,” Gibson said. “Having our students here, on time and wellfed, is the best possible way to start each day.”
Students in grades K-6 will each have coding classes and spend time in our MakerSpace area and science lab to promote and extend STEM learning.
“The focus here will be on experiments, engineering projects, robotics and other activities which give students and teachers time to build and create together,” Gibson said.
Cutter Morning Star High School Principal Nathan Sullivan returns for his second year. Sullivan has 20 years of experience in education.
In recent years, the high school utilized asynchronous learning labs to offer a wider variety of classes to its students through Virtual Arkansas. Sullivan said concurrent credit courses will continue through National Park College and the University of Arkansas at Monticello.
The high school offered flexible modular scheduling for the first time in 2016-17 school year. The new scheduling prepares students for the challenges they will face beyond high school and gives them the skills they will need to achieve a lifetime of success.
The new scheduling has “safety nets” built in. Sullivan said students are allowed to catch up on assignments, go to the band hall for private lessons, go to the gymnasium for extra time with coaches or visit common areas for time with friends, snacks or calls to their parents.