A letter from Valley Catholic Middle School Principal Dr. Jennifer Gfroerer
Dear VCMS Families,
Now that it is the fourth quarter, our 8th grade students have started the beginning phase of their Capstone Projects. Since 6th grade, they have been learning to research, write, produce a product, and present (the four academic STEM pillars).
Knowing that these skills scaffold with each other, students have been using style guides and receiving grading rubrics in preparation for the final 8thgrade project, Capstone. Until now, the students have been learning why teachers focus on developing their research, writing, presentation, and project completion skills and the best way to achieve those based on teacher-designed assignments incorporating Design Thinking practices.
The last quarter of the 8th grade year marks the beginning of the students’ opportunities to showcase what they have learned. The fruition of the work during the past two-plus years will now be shown in the final quarter of their middle school experience. This final work is called their Capstone Project.
The Capstone Project is a topic of each student’s choice that allows him or her to demonstrate their development within the four academic STEM pillars – research, writing, product, and presentation. Students showcase their critical thinking, communication, collaboration, and creativity with this final project. It is an exciting way to end their year while allowing students some autonomy over their learning.
We invite you to see the final presentation of the Capstone Projects on the afternoons of June 3-5. Specific topics and times will be announced in the coming weeks.
Dr. Jennifer Gfroerer
