July 2011
It is with great pride that we share with you the highlights that together the AIM community has accomplished throughout our fifth full school year. Through the insight and dedicated support of our Board, faculty, families, and many friends, it has been another year of mission-driven growth for both our school and the AIM Institute for Learning and Research as we strive to ensure that children who learn differently have the opportunity to maximize their potential. Most importantly, our students continue to become confident in their abilities, excel in their studies, and express their unique talents and gifts in their work everyday at AIM.
Thank you for believing in AIM. Because of the passionate support of this community, we will be moving into our new home—1200 River Park in Conshohocken, Montgomery County, by year end. This lovely combined campus heralds the next phase of AIM’s development as a valued educational resource for the Southeastern Pennsylvania region. Please enjoy this year in review and a look into AIM’s bright future!
Warmest regards,
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Matt Naylor |
Pat Roberts Executive Director |
Nancy Blair Associate Director & Director of Admissions |
It has been another year of mission-focused growth and accomplishments for AIM~Academy In Manayunk culminating in the signing of a lease for our new home at River Park 2 in Conshohocken, Montgomery County. The following is a review of highlights throughout the year and a look to the future.
AIM Hosts 500 Parents and Professionals at 2010 PBIDA Conference
AIM was excited and honored to be a part of raising awareness of dyslexia and promoting literacy when we hosted 500 parents and professionals at the Pennsylvania Branch of the International Dyslexia Association (PBIDA) Annual Conference and Educational Leadership Symposium on October 7 and 8, 2010. Programs showcased what an incredible resource AIM can be to Greater Philadelphia educators and advocates for literacy. Co-sponsors for the event with AIM included Wilson Language Training, The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, and Philadelphia Society of Clinical Psychologists
On the eve of the PBIDA conference, AIM hosted an Educational Leadership Symposium for university and school administrators and champions of education. Mayor Michael Nutter’s representative officially welcomed our nationally recognized panel of presenters including Louisa Moats, Barbara Wilson, Nancy Hennessy, and Sandra Jones. On October 8, AIM hosted the official PBIDA conference that brought together 500 educators from across our region. This signature event for literacy and learning served as a symposium for the exchange of innovative ideas, teaching methods, and research for improving education across the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and beyond.
At AIM, we make it our priority to prepare our students for college and beyond. Fall 2011 will mark AIM’s first 12th grade class. Senior year is often a daunting year for graduating students. To make the all-important high school to college transition as successful as possible, AIM has developed an amazing partnership with Cabrini College.
Qualifying seniors and honors juniors are given the opportunity to become dual enrolled at Cabrini College. As enrolled students, they are eligible to receive up to 6 credits per year. For the fall semester, students will enroll in a transferable English 101 course. This course is structured to provide students with college level reading and writing skills. Students will drive with an AIM teacher to Cabrini, twice a week to participate in classes with their classmates and freshman. As enrolled participants, AIM students are expected to handle the course requirements and are graded by the professor. The AIM teacher acts as a class auditor, taking notes, helping with research, and guiding the students through the resources available to them. The AIM teacher also provides the support needed back at AIM, to make sure the students are keeping up with the readings, building essays, and preparing for exams.
The goal is for AIM graduates to go on to college familiar with the learning support options available to them on campus and the ability to seek them out and use them. This experience is truly invaluable. It allows our students to not only understand what college is like, but to know that they can handle being independent, self-advocating learners and that they can succeed in higher education.
Thanks to a friend of AIM and a passionate supporter of education for all children, eight faculty members from AIM had the unique opportunity to participate in a weeklong institute sponsored by the University of California at Berkeley and presented by David Berg, the author of Making Math Real. This weeklong training was held in beautiful Aspen where the donor hosted the AIM team during their week stay in this beautiful city. Making Math Real is often identified as the “Orton-Gillingham of mathematics.” Conceptually structured to follow the developmental acquisition of number sense and knowledge, Making Math Real incorporates both the structure and the strategies so necessary for the multi-sensory learning that students with learning differences require. The Making Math Real program is comprised of a number of modules. The weeklong training in Aspen focused on place value and the application of multiplication, both difficult and abstract concepts for children to understand. The AIM math team returned in September and immediately put this learning into practice in the classroom with astounding results as shared by many parents. One mother said that her son had previously avoided math and now tells her, “Math is my favorite subject! I get it!”
It has been another milestone year in the area of Professional Development at AIM. As word spreads of the effectiveness of research-based programs in literacy, demand for training in the Wilson Reading System®, LETRS and RAVE-O has reached an all time high at AIM. This year, several prominent local school districts have committed to implementing the Wilson Reading System® district wide and have called on AIM to provide the training for their teachers. Most recently, a County Intermediate Unit contracted with AIM to provide training to local non-public schools in Fundations®, Just Words® and Wilson Level One Certification. To date, 90 teachers have been trained in Fundations Level One in that county alone with even more scheduled to attend workshops over the coming year. AIM is making an impact globally as well. Among those participating in training on campus were teachers from Australia and South Africa. AIM’s impact on the community continues as we stay true to our mission of disseminating best practices in literacy.
AIM’s First Teacher Scholars Graduate
One example of how AIM and a local university are answering the challenge to recruit, reward, train, learn from, and honor a new generation of talented teachers, and how it can be funded, is a newly developed program announced March 1, 2010 by Saint Joseph’s University, Philadelphia, in partnership with AIM. These partners launched a competitive Rhodes-type Teacher Scholar Program for graduate students of education. Modeled after the decades long program developed by American University and The Lab School of Washington® in DC, St. Joe’s Teacher Scholars competed this past spring for one of only five Teacher Scholar openings made available in the pilot 2010-2011 school year. Our first class of St. Joe’s Teacher Scholars spent 20 hours a week learning the research-based programs, strategies, and assessments implemented at AIM. Among the programs that were presented to the Teacher Scholars during the year were LETRS, RAVE-O, Wilson Reading, and AIMSWeb Progress Monitoring along with detailed strategies for interpreting the Woodcock-Johnson Achievement Test results and developing diagnostic prescriptive individualized education plans. These Teacher Scholars will be formally assessed pre and post- for their knowledge and practice standards as set forth by the new IDA guidelines. Congratulations to Molly Conlon, Lisa DeMarco, Monica Hessler, Ashley McKeown, and Nichole Pugliese – AIM’s first St. Joe’s Teacher Scholar graduates!
8th Grade Graduate Honored with PA Peer to Peer Award
Pennsylvania State Representative Pamela A. DeLissio, 194th Legislative District (from Manayunk to the Main Line), has created an award to recognize graduating 8th grade students for making a difference and exemplifying good citizenship in their communities. The Representative’s Peer to Peer Award is given in recognition of a student who helps by offering support, via an established program or on their own, to another student who may be in need. When the call for nominations came in, the choice was clear, 8th grade student, Max Wallace.
The best way to share why Max Wallace deserved the Peer to Peer Award is through his own words:
“Three years ago I began a new journey at AIM, and I was very scared and confused. Without AIM I would never have been able to look forward to the next chapter in my educational life. I am very lucky my parents were able to recognize my educational challenges with learning and realized I could not succeed in the school that I was attending. AIM has made me realize, there are so many kids like me in the world, but the difference is some of these children might not be able to afford to come to AIM, even though they can’t succeed without it. Because of this reason, I wanted to give something back to AIM, but most importantly to some child that needs AIM. With the help of my parents, family and friends we went out on a fundraising campaign to raise scholarship dollars. Due to our success, some lucky child, who needs AIM desperately will receive a half scholarship per year for the next 3 years. I realized the best way to give back to AIM, was to help another child who has the same learning differences that I do.”
Max received his Peer to Peer Award at his 8th grade commencement ceremony from AIM on Thursday evening, June 9th, 2011 in front of his classmates, teachers, family, and friends. His efforts will also be recognized with a Young Heroes Award from the National Liberty Museum and TD Bank to be presented on August 11, 2011.
AIM successfully launched its second season of Crew this spring thanks to the guidance and support of coach Mark Valenti. His devotion and dedication to our students allowed them to not only appreciate rowing, but served as a model for the benefits of hard work and perseverance.
This season proudly encompassed a rigorous swim test, physical training both in and out of the water, rowing on the Schuylkill River (thanks to the two racing shells recently purchased), time volunteered at the Stotesbury Regatta and an internal race performed in front of our Whitemarsh Boathouse for all of the Upper School students to watch. We are certainly determined to expand our crew season next year with plans of a junior and high school program during the 2011-2012 school year.
The AIM Board of Trustees welcomed 4 new members this year.
Terry Bovarnick, an AIM parent and current president of the AIM Home and School Association, serves as a Director of the Credit Suisse Asset Management Income Fund and the Credit Suisse High Yield Bond Fund. She, her husband, and two children reside in Bala Cynwyd, PA.
Mitch Codkind, an AIM parent, is Vice President of Business Operations for the Primavera Global Business Unit of Oracle Corporation. Mitch, his wife, and two children reside in Lower Gwynedd, PA.
John Glomb, an AIM parent, is Senior Vice President and Chief Underwriting Officer of Philadelphia Insurance Companies. John, his wife, and four children reside in Wyndmoor, PA.
Nancy Hennessy is an experienced general and special education teacher, diagnostician, administrator, and consultant. She is a founding member of The Consulting Networks, and is a National Trainer for LETRS (Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling). Nancy is the author of articles on the dyslexic experience, study strategies, mentoring, professional development practices, and program implementation and is a past president of the International Dyslexia Association.
New Home for AIM! River Park 2 Lease Signed
On Thursday, May 26, 2011, the River Park 2 lease was signed! This exciting event signaled the next step in securing this beautiful facility for the future home of AIM Grades 1-12 and serving to move into the next phase of development of the AIM Institute for Learning and Research vision. With architectural permits for the interior build-out of the property submitted to the Whitemarsh Township Supervisors, formal construction began July 1, 2011.
The Pennsylvania Department of Education will meet on October 14 for final approvals. Move-in plans continue to target mid-December so that students can begin their classes at River Park on January 3, 2012. The interior plans of the building are amazing and are the result of collaboration between our teachers — led by our very own resident architect Susan Braccia, and Blackney Hayes architect Jennifer Crawford.
Proposals for the turf soccer field, playground, and gymnasium are being completed as well, with these plans set to go to the township shortly.
AIM for the Future Capital Campaign
AIM began with a team effort and that is the focus of the AIM for the Future Capital Campaign! We are pleased to announce that we have 100% Board participation on the Campaign. We have a $6.5 million goal to build out the classrooms, fields and the gymnasium/performing arts community center with $2.2 million currently pledged. We are honored to have received a Challenge Grant from the Glomb Family who, along with the Maguire Family, presented AIM with a $500,000 Cash Match Challenge Grant for donations received for the AIM for the Future Capital Campaign by June 30, 2011. Through the generosity of the entire AIM community, that challenge was met on June 17th! We continue to track the progress of our $1.5 million RACP grant proposal in Harrisburg under Governor Corbett. We are working with the Montgomery County Redevelopment Authority on this opportunity which is also a matching challenge that has been met.
Technology use at AIM’s
Upper School is cutting
edge. The AIM Home
and School Association
donated iPads to the
Upper School students
for their science and
technology lab work
as well as all of their
advanced coursework at Cabrini College. Each of our
Upper School students also has a Macbook loaded with
research-based assistive software including Don Johnston’s
Solo Suite, Read Naturally and FASTT Math. Additionally,
our students use a variety of web-based programs such
as Google Applications, CAST, Edmodo, and Wordpress
Blogs. All of these tools inspire our students and teachers
to work collaboratively in becoming twenty-first century
students and twenty-first century educators. In addition
to our 1:1 laptop program, teachers and students use
SmartBoards throughout the school to foster interactive,
meaningful learning experiences across the curricular areas
of Reading, Writing, Math, Science and Social Studies.
Thanks to a generous grant from the state, AIM has a fully
equipped Graphics studio complete with 27” I-Macs with full
animation/graphics capabilities, Canon digital SLR cameras,
Canon digital Video Cameras, Large Format Printers, and
Large Format Scanners.
AIM Faculty and Staff for 2011-2012
With the completion of the River Park facility, the entire AIM student body and AIM faculty and staff will come together under one roof thus leveraging the vision and talent of an incredible team of educators and professionals. In keeping with this vision of a unified school model, AIM is pleased that Dick Baroody will join AIM as its first AIM School Principal. Dick Baroody joins AIM with over 30 years of administrative school experience and is excited about the future vision of AIM.
© 2006-2012 AIM~Academy In Manayunk
1200 River Road, Conshohocken, PA 19428
215-483-aim1 (2461) | Fax: 215-483-4597