Welcome to the Wolfpack Class

Fifth and Sixth Grades - to honor their growing devotion and sense of place within their social group. The intention is to go deep into important studies, acting in stillness and joy, and supporting everyone in the process.

The Wolfpack Classroom is a multi-age group of students ages nine to eleven who spend their days delving deep into studies in a learning environment that reinforces a sense of place within their social group. These 4th and 5th grade students model leadership roles in play and academic activities.  Younger students commonly imitate academic and social behaviors demonstrated by the older children.  When older children ‘teach’ newly learned skills to younger classmates, they strengthen their own understanding of those skills.
Students enter the class each morning and spend time socializing with their peers, playing games, and completing small academic math or literacy component known as “Morning Work.”
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Everyone in the class gathers at circle carpet for Morning Meeting at the beginning of each school day where we greet one another, have time for sharing, complete a group activity, and discuss the morning message/daily agenda.

Our morning academic time is spent focusing on literacy, grammar, and math. Students in the Wolfpack are taught individually or in a small group setting to ensure each child is moving at his or her own academic pace.  Short, playful, whole-group activities are used as breaks in between lessons. One of students’ favorite time of day is known as, “Chill Zone.” This quiet time happens after recess and lunch: the lights are dimmed and students are read an age-appropriate novel. This unique portion of our day, though only twenty minutes, lends to a deepening of reading comprehension skills and prediction making, as students are engaged, asking questions, and understanding the various components of a story.

Additionally, our days are intermixed with a blend of “Specials” and our Science and SocialStudies curriculum, which follows the Core Knowledge guidelines. “Specials”include art, library, music, physical education, and Spanish.


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Meet the teachers

Now Hiring!

Master in Elementary Education - Grand Canyon University
Working on PhD in Reading, Literacy, Assessment and Evaluation

ABOUT ME
I love learning. As far back as I can remember, I loved going to school and being introduced to new things. School was always a magical place for me where I saw a great deal of potential for the future. During my undergraduate studies, I had the opportunity to work in the Arizona State University Child Development Center. It was there that I discovered my love for teaching. After graduation, I stepped into my first official teaching job in a 5th and 6th grade, multi-age class. Sixteen years and three countries later, I still have a deep love of helping young learners reach their full potential.
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I enjoy spending time with my husband and my daughter, studying Japanese, and going to the gym. I enjoy traveling and experiencing new countries and cultures. A future goal of mine is to visit the town in Italy where my grandmother was born.

CLASSROOM ENVIRONMENT
Our classroom is a safe place where students work together to celebrate successes and discuss their challenges as they build each other up through positive affirmations. I give students ownership of their education by having them set their own educational goals, sharing their progress with them, and giving them autonomy over what they learn in the classroom.
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With Responsive Classroom guiding our classroom community, learning will be guided by set curriculum and further developed through student-led questions, Project-Based Learning, partner and small group work, and movement. To support learning and providing a balance, there will be moments of independent discovery and quiet time. Although our days will be full of rich student engagement, there will be a regular daily schedule of routines to ensure a successful classroom community.

Creating the Culture
of the Classroom

Over the first six weeks, the primary focus of all GCS classrooms is to set up the structures and behavioral atmosphere needed to create the ideal learning environment for all students. Students co-create this environment so that they feel safe to voice their concerns and needs, clear in their understanding of behavioral and academic expectations and inspired to learn and grow as a valued member of a real community. Click on the links below on the right for details.

Click on links below for details

Daily agenda Introduced
Every classroom has a daily agenda and the day begins and ends with a morning circle to discuss the the goals for the day and what may have been missed at the end of the day so students are aware of what adjustments will be made for the agenda on the following day.
Classroom Structure Development
Students make lists of what will make the class work smoothly. Procedures are set for how students operate in the classrooms, how they transition from activities, how materials are used and put away, and how they will take responsibility in the classroom for their behavior for their needs.
Social Behavioral Constructs
Procedures for how teachers respond to breakdowns with students, and how peers respond to each other if there is a conflict are developed. Teachers model behavioral responses for students to emulate, which helps to set the tone for a harmonious classroom environment.
Building Trusting Community
Teachers connect with students on a human level to create relationships as caring community members not authoritarian teacher/student roles. Strategies such as being at the door in the morning, saying good morning, showing empathy with separation from parents or emotional concerns of students may have.
Class Promise
A behavioral contract for the rules that govern the class is co-created by students and facilitated by the teacher. All students sign or add hand prints to validate the contract. The contract may get read daily and students are reminded that failure is ok and the class promise is in place for students to realign with if a breakdown occurs. Teachers post the promise in a visibly prominent place in the classroom for students to refer to often.

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About GCS

Our school community is a place of collaboration, trust and civility.  We are a community of learners with classes from 18 months to 5th grade.  Our pedagogy is innovative with a commitment to be on the forefront of the progressive ideas that produce the best education and learning environments.

The Greenbrier Community School

413 Oak Street, Lewisburg, West Virginia 24901
phone 304.793.2420
‍info@greenbriercommunityschool.org