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Welcome to the wiki of The Green Magnet School for Career Exploration in the Arts, Sciences and Government through Multimedia Technology - Robert A. Van Wyck M. S. 217 Explore this space to share and peer review lessons and units, resources, student work, suggestions for magnet work, discussion threads, and inspiration.

This is a historic photograph. In 2011, the City began the redesign of the Kew Gardens Interchange. The roadway in the middle of the photo right now being re-designed, re-engineered, and widened to better handle the 500,000 vehicles/day. Look for other historic Briarwood neighborhood photos on this wiki.
 * Photo: Hoover Park, Briarwood at Queens Blvd and the Van Wyck Expressway, 2010, K. Phillips.**

__The Green Magnet Production Company__
Phase II of Going Green has begun. Going into our 5th year, federal funding has ended. The Green Magnet Specialists are now teaching in classrooms, and students and faculty are continuing the Green Magnet work with teachers in all disciplines through magnet-themed: Understanding by Design 4-8 week units, Green Family Evenings: Family Literary Evening, Social Studies Night, Science, Physical Education, and Math Family Nights Sustainability Weeks - Teachers in all disciplines run sustainability labs. Students learn the language of sustainability and its diverse meanings in ELA, Science, Math, Chorus, Dance, Social Studies, Language, and more. Working in groups, students produce creative and persuasive work. In the Green Magnet Production Company students select a quarter's focus, including:
 * CONTENT **
 * 9/11 Commemoration (relatives’ remembrances)
 * Radio Show -
 * iDocumentary Films/Festival
 * Hispanic/Latino Heritage-10/15
 * Queens Green Schools Council
 * Videoconference-Everglades
 * Family Culture Nights
 * Journeying into the Future
 * Teri Pakier Nature Collection
 * Sustainability Week – 11/10
 * Green Cup Challenge
 * Golden Apples Award
 * SKILLS (the skills are implemented across content **
 * Powerpoint
 * Garageband
 * iMovie
 * Microsoft Word
 * Excel
 * Googledocs
 * Interviewing
 * Envisioning the Future
 * Curating/Docenting
 * Glogster
 * Business Proposals

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We began working towards these goals in 2009. As of August, 2011 a significant number of faculty members are engaged with 1, 2, 4, and 5. We are continually developing Big Ideas, Essential Questions, units, creating Family Green Evenings, and helping students set goals. Our major failure is our inability to get a Recycling program in place.=====
 * 1) **Magnet-related Big Ideas, Essential Questions, Focusing Questions developed and posted in classrooms.**
 * 2) **Develop units and lessons** that integrate content, skills, and NYC/NYS standards-based work to Magnet Standards: Sustainability, Sense of Place, Inquiry, Activism, Careers, Technology.
 * 3) **Recycling** Program developed for all classrooms
 * 4) **Departmental Family Green Evenings**
 * 5) **Students set goals**. Series of lessons to develop intrinsic motivation and set goals in 3 areas: 1. Personal 2. Academic 3. Green School/Neighorhood Sustainability

Long Term Goals

 * **UbD curriculum development - Y****ear-long plan of magnet-integrated units by discipline**
 * **Green Walls, Green Roof, Solar Panels**
 * **Organic Farm Stand Garden**
 * C**areer Fair, Science Fair, 2 Earth Weeks** - Fall and Spring

2011. Students made signs, marched, emailed politicians, and called Mayor Bloomberg to say that we cannot afford to absorb another 200 students, to go from our 1400 student body/1525 full community members to 1600 students/1750 community members. 2010. We succeeded with some students. Last year, after Earth Week, one of Danielle Williams' students unilaterally decided to help clean up in the cafeteria each day, as his way of helping to keep our planet cleaner and safer.
 * Review of work on short and longterm goals:**
 * Learning Standards.***** I**n August 2009, Lainie Leber, director of the magnet for the DOE, held a Magnet Standards Institute. Shamena Alli, Linda Hoffman, Karen Phillips, and Lakendra Ravizee attended, and with help of Dr. Ed Andrade and Gennaydi Gurman, Queens Botanical Garden, developed 6 magnet standards: Sustainability, Inquiry, Sense of Place, Activism, Careers, Technology.
 * Manifesto***** -** We have not accomplished this. Maybe
 * Wiki***** - The** Wiki has a lot of resources. We also need to review what we have for usability.
 * Careers***** -** With our 1-1 laptop program, our students are computer literate. We have to work on integrating career exploration into the classroom. As of September 2011, teachers are more sensitive to relating learning to career paths.
 * Students Understanding Responsibilities to the Planet*** A lot of students develop a greater awareness of their responsibilities. Many students are ahead of faculty in their interest and fervor.
 * Students Preparing to Participate in Democratic Process***** -

2008-2009 =Short Term Goals= •Develop learning standards for environmental responsibility. •Collaboratively write a Green School Manifesto. •Develop this wiki, so the Green Magnet 217 community shares lessons, units, and links, including multimedia student and teacher work.

=Long Term Goals= •Prepare students for 21st century careers. •Prepare students to understand their responsibilities to our planet. •Prepare students to participate with knowledge and understanding in the democratic process.