Abby’s Corner: Project Based Learning and More

December 16, 2019

Getting In the Pit: Developing Growth Mindset during our Winter Performance As we wrap up 2019 at Tapscott, teachers and students are heavily immersed in preparation for our Winter Performance, Maisie’s Journey of Friendship. In past years, we have chosen a story that we could retell. This year, we asked our incredible drama teacher Matt..

Nathan’s Notes

November 4, 2019

Welcome to Nathan’s Notes, your monthly report from middle school! Each month I’ll share some moments from the classroom, curriculum thoughts from me and/or our amazing teachers, some ideas about education that I’m excited about, and more. One thing that got me excited this month… Janis Chun’s 5th-grade science class. The students were using ratio..

Experiencing Joy at Prospect Sierra

November 4, 2019

Joy is watching first graders in colab work through their partnership by offering endless suggestions for compromise. Joy is listening to our third graders share their process and pride  in the detailed work of their insect drawing art pieces. Joy is witnessing our fifth graders walk arm and arm down the hallways of Avis. Joy..

Abby’s Corner

October 24, 2019

October is Underway While some may say Halloween is the most exciting event in October, I’d say that the head-to-head division race at Panther Picnic is a close second! Rachel, Luis, and I are geared up for another great race this year and we hope you all will come out and cheer on Team Tapscott...

Our Commitment to Environmental Sustainability

September 4, 2019

Greetings Prospect Sierra community, near and far! We are committed to environmentally sustainable practices on campus and a curriculum that gives our graduates the tools to be future stewards of our planet. We have been recognized both locally and nationally for these efforts, earning designation as a Green Ribbon School and a Certified Green Business...

Dr. Jo Boaler Opens Minds

March 19, 2019

The PSPA Authors & Lectures team recently brought Dr. Jo Boaler to campus to talk about maths. We intended to write “maths” because Dr. Boaler, who is British, refers to “math” as “maths.” Further, the “s” on “math” makes the subject expansive and full of possibilities and “expansive” and “full of possibilities” is exactly what..

Everyone Represented: Advocating for More Inclusive Health Education

March 11, 2019

“I applaud each of you for your courage to write me and for also embracing what we must all do to respect and care for each other. How can we do that? One way is doing just what you did—learn about the wide spectrum of gender as well as the facts about sex and sexual..

Project Based Learning Comes to Life in 7th Grade Science

March 7, 2019

Project based learning, a dynamic classroom approach in which students actively explore real-world problems and challenges and acquire a deeper knowledge about a subject, is one of many approaches that our classroom teachers use at Prospect Sierra. But what does project based learning actually look like in the classroom? And how specifically is it employed..

Abby’s Corner

February 14, 2019

It is common for parents to periodically ask me how the year is going. Depending on when you ask me, I might say incredible, busy, or exciting! Recently when asked this question, I shared my amazement at the ways that years of thoughtful work were helping us continue to lead by example in the larger educational landscape, doing what we believe to be best for students while also continuing to reflect, refine, and make changes that will ensure all students thrive.

Bienvenido a los Estados Unidos

February 1, 2019

We know that language learning takes a stronger hold in a student’s mind when it comes to life. Recently, our 8th graders had the opportunity to connect their Spanish language learning with real world events. Because students were discussing current events and the migrant caravan of families traveling to the U.S. from countries such as..