Our final Ever Forward Window on the Woods highlights a critical need for our entire Montessori through eighth grade student body: an updated technology infrastructure. Below, read how every child will benefit from a new fiber optic network backbone, server room, interactive whiteboards and Ethernet switches.

 

As with all aspects of the project, (each highlighted below: Critical Need: Additional Classrooms;  Designed with the Future in Mind; Safer, Smarter Science; and Why are Lockers so Important to Middle Schoolers?) the technology plan was designed for our current students and will meet the long-term needs of the Woods Academy.

 

Our Ever Forward Campaign has made great strides. At this point, we have passed the one million dollar mark! Our construction goal is to pay for the Upper School renovation without affecting tuition. For this to happen, we need to reach our estimated goal of $1.3 million.  Thus far, we have received a total of eighty pledge forms. Twelve of our pledges have been for $30,000 and above. Now is your chance to participate. Please consider clicking the pledge form at the bottom of the page and making a committment to participate in our FiveOverFive program. You can spread your gift out over time-- and help us meet our goal.

 

We appreciate your support to our Ever Forward Campaign. Thank you for your love and support of the Woods.

Regards,
John and Mary 

 

Essential for Learning: Classroom Technology Could you survive without your internet connection? Maybe. Could you thrive? Doubtful.  At the Woods our reliance on the web has grown as the Internet and email have become our primary communication tools. Now our text books such as Wordly Wise come with companion sites where students can practice their vocabulary online. Sites like Spelling City, Math Magician and Khan Academy provide kids with practice and support. Even our security system and phone system rely on our connection to the web. You can imagine the loss of learning and productivity when we lose the internet even for just a few hours. That is why we are so eager to move forward with our Upper School renovation.   One key behind-the-scenes benefit of the renovation will be the redesign of our school server room. Our data is critical and deserves a climate-controlled server room with reliable battery backups. New gigabit ethernet hubs and switches connected to a fiber optic backbone will guarantee that classrooms have ample bandwidth. Then, some students can edit their French videos while others view Discovery Channel’s streaming videos without crashing the system.   Best of all, the Upper School will be equipped with brand new Epson BrightLink 450Wi projector and pen combination interactive boards. These projectors empower teacher and students with 80 inch touch screen functionality on which notes, equations, and data can be effortlessly captured, stored, and emailed. These short throw projectors produce bright, vibrant images and can be operated without dimming the rest of the classroom. They integrate interactive functions without the constraints of an interactive whiteboard. You can see the benefits of the Epson ultra short throw projector here.

Critical Need: Additional Classrooms A 1960’s public school model of education isn’t optimal for an academically challenging independent Catholic school of today.    Our building was originally constructed as Fernwood Elementary School. At one point, Fernwood Elementary enrolled more than 425 students. Classrooms were crammed with 28-36 students. Not anymore.   Today at the Woods, we believe that small class size is one of the most important attributes of an excellent school. We proudly boast of having 14-18 well-known and cared for students in each class. Unfortunately, we lack dedicated classrooms for Upper School social studies and Spanish. Even more pressing, we lack a room for some sections of pre-algebra. At times, Mr. Maloney is forced to teach math in the library. Our students will benefit from the Upper School Renovation that will reconfigure our six current oversized classrooms into eight rooms that are right-sized for our school model.

Designed with the Future in Mind Just like a modern submarine, classrooms at the Woods must make the most of their space. Throughout the day, our rooms are used for hands-on activities, whiteboard lectures, and writing centers. Rooms are used for teacher, parent and student meetings. They hold advisor lunches, study halls and more. Students and teachers gather in small groups and large. On any given day, a room may house a choir rehearsal or be used as an art-making center. Every centimeter of space must be functional and flexible.   To most efficiently use our resources, four rooms will be equipped with movable partitions. One of these flexible walls will separate our two sixth grade classrooms and the other will separate our 7-8 language arts and social studies rooms. These partitions utilize the latest sound dampening technology and are significantly improved over the partitions of even a few years ago. To increase sound dampening in the classrooms, we will install carpet tiles specially made for high-traffic, high-childhood locations such as schools. These floor tiles are made directly from post-consumer products. They are anti-fungal, stain resistant, easily replaceable and recyclable. In addition, teacher workstations are specially designed to give teachers handy access to their PCs, bookshelves and files. Shelves are designed to be extra deep and functional so they can hold all kinds of classroom materials. Even the closets are designed to make access to the highest shelves convenient. And each room has a sink to promote hand washing and hygiene.

Safer, Smarter Science Our upper school science program is rigorous, demanding and it prepares our kids for high school. Our recent alumni have found that having real lab experiences in middle school has put them ahead of the other kids in their freshman science classes. Hydrochloric acid, calcium carbonate, alcohol burners and sodium nitrate. These are some of the tools of the Woods Academy Science program. They are safely secured in a cabinet in our seventh and eighth grade lab.  We take our responsibility to teach students how to be safe in a science lab seriously. Our eighth grade program involves lab experiments utilizing test tubes and evaporating dishes, among other labware. To protect their eyes during labs, students must wear ANSI Z87.1 certified goggles that meet industry standards for impact and penetration resistance or they will not be allowed to participate in the experiment.   This summer, in order to increase the safety standard in our lab, we will be installing a new ceiling ventilation system. This is an important addition to our science labs because frequently the reaction of some of the chemicals used creates noxious odors.  Air will be replaced in the science lab every 10 minutes or so thanks to a new, powerful vent system. In addition, we will install a new eyewash station and three new sinks. These are not cosmetic changes; they are necessary, safe and smart.

Why are new lockers so important? Just ask our students... In the 1920s Virginia Woolf believed that a successful ‘woman must have money and a room of her own.’ In the Woods Upper School, our recipe for success includes a spacious backpack and a double-height locker. Ask our students about their lockers and you’ll hear one consistent message: bigger is better. For years, our sixth and seventh graders have been compressing full-sized ambitions into half-sized lockers. Sadly, all this squeezing can lead to desperate organizational challenges. You can get a pretty good idea who is a candidate to be on the TV show Clean House by looking inside these little steel boxes. New, full-sized lockers are just one of the many enhancements coming this summer with our Upper School renovation. Our new lockers will be eighteen inches deep and twelve inches wide. They will be tall enough to keep everyone’s blue blazers totally wrinkle-free.

What is Ever Forward? Ever Forward is a Capital Campaign. Money raised will be used to secure the school’s long-term viability through (1) physical improvement of the school building and (2) by raising endowment that will support financial aid and professional development costs on a permanent basis. The Ever Forward Campaign provides those individuals with a special commitment to the Mission, Values and Identity of the Woods Academy-- the only Catholic, Independent and Co-ed elementary school in the DC region—to contribute to the school’s long-term ability to maintain our high standard of excellence.   The Ever Forward Campaign is different than the Woods Annual Fund drive now known as The Greentree Fund. The Greentree Fund is designed to cover anticipated operational expenses related to the current school year. We rely on the Greentree Fund to close the approximately $1500 gap between tuition and the actual cost of educating each Woods student each year. On the other hand, gifts to the Ever Forward campaign will make a long-lasting impact on this and succeeding generations of Woods students.  Both funds are crucial to the success of the school.

The Five-Over-Five Phase The FiveOverFive phase of the Ever Forward campaign allows all Woods families to help us reach our goal by pledging to give $1,000 each year for the next five years. I encourage you to fill out the pledge form that is attached below. We are not asking for money now, but only a committment to give over time. We accept payments in all forms including gifts of stock or securities. Please contact the Development Office to make arrangements for this type of donation. Now is your chance to do your part to support our renovation and long-range success. Please consider a pledge of FiveOverFive.

/ Campaign Leadership The Ever Forward Campaign Leadership is ready to answer any questions you may have about this critical renovation project and our drive to build endowment for faculty professional development and financial aid. Feel free to contact any member of the Campaign Committee listed below.   Campaign Co-Chairs Peggy & George Sotos and Janet & David Pappert   Honorary Co-Chairs Gerry & Thomas Borger Tonja & David Murray Patricia & George Reese   Internal Leadership Mary Worch, Head John DeMarchi, Associate Head   Campaign Committee Doug Cooper Maureen Dolan Lisa Hotchkiss Martha Humler Bob Smith