Blog, Events•
on April 2nd, 2011•
CT Experiential Learning Center students really get around! 
Last week, in addition to math, grammar, history, and more, students visited a refugee resettlement agency
,
produced a science fair, and spent a day at a professional pottery studio. Here are some photographs and highlights from the week of 28 March.
Next week at CELC:
Monday, 4 April – Students will begin interviews with residents at La Casa Otoñal in New Haven. As part of our study of immigration, CELC students will conduct oral histories and compose written memoirs about the lives of elders in this mostly Latino community. In addition to getting to know one another, students and residents will share a traditional Latino meal, and play and sing music on authentic instruments from South America and the Caribbean. read more
Blog, Events•
on March 22nd, 2011•
It may be that a CELC student could give the standard reply to a parent asking a “so, what did you do at school today?” question. Yet, it is unlikely, and would be quite suspect! A typical week is filled with such variety that there are rarely even traces of typical day in any given week in this extraordinary middle school experience!
Monday, 21 March – Greetings to a new day and settle into the groove of classes. Some like to set goals for themselves. We begin, we learn, we look, we are ready!
Tuesday, 22 March – Outdoor education class with Naturalist Lucy Meigs to observe wood frogs and their eggs as they appear this season in vernal pools.
Wednesday, 23 March – Meet and Greet traditional Latino lunch and sing-a-long in Spanish with elders at Casa Otonal in New Haven. This commences a partnership as part of our immigration study. Stay tuned for more news about this exciting endeavor. read more
Blog, Events•
on March 3rd, 2011•
in Branford
Connecticut Experiential Learning Center
Informational Meeting 16 March
Middle School Parents! Give your children a successful middle school experience. Connecticut Experiential Learning Center (CELC) students benefit from small classes in a safe and exciting environment that builds leadership, promotes a love of learning, and challenges students to think for themselves. CELC is middle school at its best (for students grades 5 – 8). Registering now for 2011-2012. Join us from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. for an informational meeting. Meet the teachers and some of the current students, talk with parents, view a slideshow, and enjoy student-prepared, gourmet refreshments. Click here to view flyer!
Thursday, 24 March 11:00 a.m. – noon: Visit and talk with Maine author Patricia Q. Wall to discuss her works A Child Out of Place and Beyond Freedom. These books share the story of servant and newly-freed slave girl Matty, as she grows up in New England during the early 19th century. Recommended for ages 8 and up.
Wednesday, 30 March 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. Who did invent the potato chip? Find out about this and more during our Immigrant and African-American Scientists and Inventors Science Fair/Activity Day. From George Washington Carver to Albert Einstein, learn about famous scientists and inventors as students dress in costume and share about their life and work in a hands-on and interactive display. All ages welcome.
Thursday, 31 March CELC will visit and tour the headquarters of the Integrated Refugee and Immigrant Services (IRIS) and meet with the read more
Blog, Events•
on January 21st, 2011•
Middle School At Its Best
Now registering middle school students for 2011-2012 academic year
Wondering what to do about middle school ?
Consider CELC
Find out about a middle school experience where students
work hard and are happy to come to school.
read more
Blog, Events•
on November 18th, 2010•
Three free hands-on water – science workshops by the Connecticut Experiential Learning Center (CELC) and the New Haven Regional Water Authority will give students 4th to 8th grades a mini-education about water, from how to measure the health of a stream to how many marbles will make a cup overflow or sink a boat.
Workshops take place at the Blackstone Memorial Library and will benefit CELC’s food drive for the Branford Community Dining Room. Participants will be asked to contribute a specific food item to each session.
Tuesday, 9 November, 12:30 p.m. – 1:30 p.m. How scientists assess health and water quality of streams.
Tuesday, 14 December, 1 p.m. – 2 p.m. What shape does a water drop have? Can water be stretched? What does water’s surface tension mean?
Tuesday, 18 January 1 p.m. – 2 p.m. How many marbles make a cup of water overflow? Estimating predictions about water supply. read more
Blog, Events•
on September 26th, 2010•
The second full week at CELC includes lots of math, some science, writers’ workshop, working together, learning about each other, and continuing to build our community of learners.
While we have a full class schedule to follow, which includes thirteen different subject areas, this week is one that takes CELCers to a variety of places, thus having experiences both in and outside of the “classroom”.
read more
Blog, Events•
on September 14th, 2010•
“I can’t wait to start grammar, Maria!” declares Henry, an eighth grade CELC student. Starting the adventure, CELC year two commences as students gather Tuesday, 7 September. The first days include some get-to-know-you/ get re-acquainted activities, designed to build community and foster respect for oneself and others. Students will design ‘personal treasure boxes’ that will hold items and student writing to document our learning experiences and the places we will go.
This year our social studies theme, entitled Quest for Freedom: Immigration and African American Migration to America, is integrated into all subject areas. We are raising migratory butterflies that we will tag and contribute to the data records for Monarch Watch, an organization that monitors the migratory behavior of these fascinating animals. read more
Blog, Events•
on July 18th, 2010•
The final week of instruction brought CELC students to Trap Rock Ridge camp for a two-night overnight. Cooking outdoors, sleeping under the stars, clamming in Long Island Sound, touring the Yale Art Gallery’s ancient art exhibit, and traveling to circus class filled the days.
read more
Blog, Events•
on June 18th, 2010•
No wonder middle-schoolers thrive at CELC
Connecticut’s Experiential Learning Center (CELC) offers the most desirable aspects of a middle school education:
For parents, the assurance that their children will succeed in a full range of academic subjects, because they receive individual attention designed to maximize their abilities.
For students, CELC is where learning is an adventure, because math, literature, history, science, music and art are hands-on, speak-out experiences connected to them. read more
Blog, Events•
on June 1st, 2010•
The auditorium at the Blackstone Memorial Library became transformed into a “living museum” of ancient civilizations, representing months of research and study by students of the Connecticut Experiential Learning Center.
Each interactive project contained a variety of informational items, including a timeline specifying dates of the civilization, listing important events that occurred within that time period; hand-drawn maps of ancient compared to modern geographical locations and place names of the region studied; a research report; and a plethora of visuals, dioramas, models, and more. read more
Last week, in addition to math, grammar, history, and more, students visited a refugee resettlement agency
,
produced a science fair, and spent a day at a professional pottery studio. Here are some photographs and highlights from the week of 28 March.
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