Principal's Desk

  • October 24th

    Posted by Dr. Robin Christian on 10/24/2023

    We have had a very busy October on Flight 2324 of BAMO Airways! 

      

    We have completed student conferences for every BAMO scholar. Teachers were provided with uninterrupted time to meet individually with each student, kindergarten through 5th grade, to set academic goals. Using baseline data from our MAP diagnostic assessments in literacy, math, and science (5th grade), prior GMAS testing data, and other data including attendance, behavior, and classroom assignments, teachers used a schoolwide video with two exemplar teacher/student conferences, to set goals for the first semester. After kicking off student conferences with an Academic Pep Rally, students are all trying to exceed their goals to earn status in the BAMO Sky Miles club! We will be sure to keep you all posted on how our students are performing! #ProficiencyandBeyond 

      

      

    The BAMO Literacy Night is one of our highlights of the year. We recently hosted an amazing night; “A Passport to Literacy World Tour”. Each grade level represented a county and infused grade level literacy activities for parents to support students at home.  We even hosted a surprise guest author, a 10-year-old, and her mother, Payton and Shayla McGhee, who have pinned several books about traveling the world. Our BAMO students were able to ask questions about how to become an author at a very young age. Led by our Literacy Coach, Ms. Womack, and our Media Specialist, Ms. Foushee, teachers were highly engaged in the planning and enjoyed facilitating sessions on literacy. We appreciate the grant received from Redefined Atlanta, for your generous grant to fund and support this worthy annual event! Flight 2324 is super focused on improving literacy outcomes for all students.

      

     

      

    Did you know that BAMO’s Leadership Team meets monthly to support me with ensuring that we are focused on meeting our Continuous Improvement Goals for the 2023-2024 school year? Two of our BAMO staff members, Mrs. Fassinger (MTSS Lead) and Ms. Linder (Restorative Practices Coach), serve as co-chairs and work closely with other members of the BAMO Leadership Team to collaborate and monitor action steps associated with our CIP.  We also use this time to analyze school-wide data and discuss other pertinent instructional areas. The team is comprised of grade level chairs, support area leads, and cross-functional reps from special education and school-wide enrichment, to ensure that we are focused on building consensus around our school-wide goals. At our recent meeting, we revisited our mission and vision and took a deep dive into student growth performance. I truly look forward to these meetings as an opportunity for two-way communication and a vehicle to share ideas! 

      

     

      

    Did you know that BAMO’s Dazzling Dolls and Gents left smoke on the pavement at the most recent City of Fairburn Annual Parade? Comprised of students in kindergarten through 5th grade, our team travels across metro Atlanta showcasing talent, confidence, and showmanship? Students must hold high academic standards and great character to participate. Our goal is to expose our students to the arts, as well as to show them they can have opportunities to perform in many different avenues in high school and college. We are so appreciative of our teachers, Ms. Harris, Mrs. McCoy, Mrs. Barker, and Ms. Appling, who put in countless hours of practice to make sure that our students are ready for showtime! Catch us in the coming weeks for multiple performances!  

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  • September 29th

    Posted by Dr. Robin Christian on 9/29/2023

    Our teachers have been busy at work analyzing student data from our baseline MAP assessments in literacy and mathematics. MAP, a norm-referenced screener, provides real-time feedback on how students compare against the nation. Data from our data talks will support improving and accelerating student achievement in both literacy and mathematics.

    Improving literacy outcomes is a major goal of our school and the entire school district. Our teachers engaged in professional learning with Dr. Fran Perkins, a national consultant in literacy, who is well respected for supporting teachers in using research-based practices to improve literacy outcomes. Her full day with our BAMO teachers consisted of providing professional learning on how to effectively use our curricular resource as well as understanding the importance of interactive read-aloud, mini-lessons, and an introduction to guided reading. BAMO is well on the way to accelerating the growth of literacy! 

     

    Can you believe that over 59 students have completed applications to hold a spot on our highly sought after BAMO Broadcast Club? Under the direction of our amazing Media Specialist, Ms. Foushee, we are all waiting to see who will serve as our first anchors and broadcast crew. These opportunities provide students with authentic opportunities to improve listening and speaking standards found within the ELA curriculum, not to mention being more confident in speaking and presenting, which are skills for life! We are so proud of our students for taking risks as an IB candidate school!

    In celebration of National Attendance Month, the month of September across APS, efforts to work closely with parents to improve school attendance. Students must be in school to master content and grow academically. Our school social worker, Ms. Afeso,  launched the NBA “Never Been Absent” program and it was a huge hit.  With a team of teachers and staff serving as NBA coaches, targeted families will compete for improved attendance over the course of the first semester. Using a grant from ReDefined Atlanta, students, and parents, will earn prizes and incentives with improved attendance. The kick-off was held, and it was a huge success!

    With a focus on improving literacy outcomes, we are excited that so many students are interested in participating in the APS Picture and Helen Ruffin Reading Bowl! Our applications are in, and the students are focused on reading and preparing to make the final team.  

     

    BAMO truly believes in family and community engagement. Our school showed up in record-breaking numbers at our annual Maynard Jackson High School cluster football night! We were also able to feature our BAMO dance team. We had such a great time and are looking forward to next year’s event with our other amazing schools in the Jackson cluster!

     

     

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  • September 13th

    Posted by Robin Christian on 9/13/2023

    teachers collaborate

    Our teachers enjoy learning and working collaboratively to plan and analyze student data to meet the needs of our students. It truly brightened my day to “catch” two of our brand-new educators planning an in-depth lesson and not even recognizing that I had entered the room. We are truly focused on continuing the important work of improving our instructional practices to improve student achievement!

    student workstudent workstudent work

    Quality student work is on display all throughout the building at BAMO. From hands-on 3D Solar System projects in 4th grade, to dioramas in 3rd grade, we are committed to giving our students optimal and engaging learning opportunities to spark and motivate classroom experiences. 

    smoothie celebration

    We are so proud of our educators for a great first month of school! I decided to surprise them with “Smoothies” for a “Smooth Landing” as they took a quick layover to enjoy a much needed and well-deserved three-day weekend for the Labor Day weekend. Our entire staff brings such great energy into the building daily, the energy of commitment and teamwork! The flight crew of FLIGHT 2324 is on a mission!

    foushee intervention

    Our students completed MAP testing last week! This baseline academic data will provide us with an even more detailed analysis of our students’ strengths and opportunities for growth. We will be sending home MAP Family Reports in the next week or so with scheduled times in October to discuss your specific child’s performance with teachers. We have already started our academic Intervention/Enrichment block for Literacy and Mathematics. The sky is the limit on how far we can improve our proficiency rates for the school! 

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  • Welcome to the BAMO Blog

    Posted by Principal Christian on 9/13/2023

    It brings me so much joy to launch my new principal’s Blog Page, “Principal Christian’s Chronicle of the Week”! BAMO is an exciting place for teachers to teach and for students to learn. As a school community, our focus is on improving student achievement outcomes in both literacy and mathematics, more specifically on increasing our percentage of students scoring at the proficient level and beyond. With an emphasis on building teacher capacity with professional learning opportunities, we are simultaneously providing programming and initiatives in the arts to build the whole child. Additionally, we are continuing our journey as an IB Candidate School. 

    Each week, I will share highlights from the previous week which align with our common purpose and schoolwide academic goals.  I truly hope that you take the time to “see and feel” the positive energy and intentionality centered around improving academic outcomes for students at BAMO! 

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