1 PENNSBURY SCHOOL DISTRICT • FALLSINGTON, PA • FEBRUARY 2018 www.pennsburysd.org PENNSBURY SCHOOL DISTRICT • FALLSINGTON, PA • FEBRUARY 2018 Across the D ISTRICT Pennsbury has launched an on-site mental health counseling program on Mondays and Fridays for students and families at the high school level in conjunction with the District’s newly-formed Addiction and Mental Health Task Force. In a partnership with St. Mary Medical Center and Family Service Association of Bucks County, clinical counseling at Pennsbury High School East began this month through a grant from St. Mary Medical Center to Family Service. The District will continue to work with St. Mary and Family Service in order to build capacity and expand the service to middle and elementary students and families, as well. “This is a key component to the added services that we are providing to our students as a result of our new Task Force,” said Sherri Morett, Director of Special Education, who is spearheading the program for the School District. “Students in crisis require specialized attention, and this partnership enables us to take clinical action as needed. We are truly grateful to our community partners for working with us to provide this new addition to our on-site counseling services.” The District also signed on with the Caron Foundation at the start of this school year to conduct on-site assessments for students who need help. Referrals made by the Caron LOCAL AGENCIES HELP DISTRICT LAUNCH CLINICAL COUNSELING Superintendent representatives will result in the client base for the new mental health counseling. Pennsbury announced the formation of the Addiction and Mental Health Task Force in August, 2017 during a press conference led by School Board President, Jacqueline Redner. Since then, the group has formed multiple subcommittees addressing a variety of issues and maximized Pennsbury stakeholder involvement with contributions by School Directors, administrators, local elected officials, special education supervisors, social workers, nurses, and many others. To date, two community forums have been staged for the public, with a focus on the theme, “Committed to Life.” The first forum occurred at Charles Boehm Middle School in October, and the second took place at William Penn Middle School in January. At the urging of the School Board, Pennsbury is taking the lead in the fight against opioid addiction with a focus on mental health supports and suicide prevention, enhancements to existing drug and alcohol awareness programs, and the development of further collaborative efforts with local agencies. In the SCHOOLS “As energy is always changing and in motion, so were all of Afton’s fourth grade students when they recently visited the Exelon energy plant in Tullytown,” said Gifted Support teacher, Eileen Koch. The enthusiastic students joined Diana Andrejczak of the PA Resources Council in learning AFTON ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
Transcript
1PENNSBURY SCHOOL DISTRICT • FALLSINGTON, PA • FEBRUARY 2018www.pennsburysd.org
PENNSBURY SCHOOL DISTRICT • FALLSINGTON, PA • FEBRUARY 2018
Across the DISTRICT
Pennsbury has launched an on-site mental health counseling program on Mondays and Fridays for students and families at the high school level in conjunction with the District’s newly-formed Addiction and Mental Health Task Force. In a partnership with St. Mary Medical Center and Family Service Association of Bucks County, clinical counseling at Pennsbury High School East began this month through a grant from St. Mary Medical Center to Family Service. The District will continue to work with St. Mary and Family Service in order to build capacity and expand the service to middle and elementary students and families, as well.
“This is a key component to the added services that we are providing to our students as a result of our new Task Force,” said Sherri Morett, Director of Special Education, who is spearheading the program for the School District. “Students in crisis require specialized attention, and this partnership enables us to take clinical action as needed. We are truly grateful to our community partners for working with us to provide this new addition to our on-site counseling services.” The District also signed on with the Caron Foundation at the start of this school year to conduct on-site assessments for students who need help. Referrals made by the Caron
LOCAL AGENCIES HELP DISTRICTLAUNCH CLINICAL COUNSELING
Superintendent
representatives will result in the client base for the new mental health counseling.
Pennsbury announced the formation of the Addiction and Mental Health Task Force in August, 2017 during a press conference led by School Board President, Jacqueline Redner. Since then, the group has formed multiple subcommittees addressing a variety of issues and maximized Pennsbury stakeholder involvement with contributions by School Directors, administrators, local elected officials, special education supervisors, social workers, nurses, and many others. To date, two community forums have been staged for the public, with a focus on the theme, “Committed to Life.” The first forum occurred at Charles Boehm Middle School in October, and the second took place at William Penn Middle School in January.
At the urging of the School Board, Pennsbury is taking the lead in the fight against opioid addiction with a focus on mental health supports and suicide prevention, enhancements to existing drug and alcohol awareness programs, and the development of further collaborative efforts with local agencies.
In the SCHOOLS
“As energy is always changing and in motion, so were all of Afton’s fourth grade students when they recently visited the Exelon energy plant in Tullytown,” said Gifted Support teacher, Eileen Koch. The enthusiastic students joined Diana Andrejczak of the PA Resources Council in learning
AFTON ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
2 FEBRUARY 2018 • PENNSBURY SCHOOL DISTRICT • FALLSINGTON, PA www.pennsburysd.org
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Principal Stephanie Hultquist and the Edgewood Tiger hosted a school wide E-A-G-L-E-S pep rally on Friday, February 2nd to raise money for those battling leukemia and lymphoma. The pep rally, which consisted of celebratory chants, a special “boomwhackers” edition of Fly, Eagles, Fly, and obstacle-course challenges, reached its culmination with raffles of Philadelphia gear. “Although our corner of Yardley, PA sits nearly 30 miles outside the bounds of the city, the brotherly love of the Eagles flap was felt and celebrated within our school walls,” said Ms. Hultquist. “In just three days, our community raised $1,360 for a great cause as our
EDGEWOOD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
about the intricacies of renewable and nonrenewable energy. “As students moved through three different activities, they used their creativity to build wind turbines, engage with various energy games like solar puzzles and marble runs, and participated in a game show to determine the best environmentally-friendly and renewable products for their homes,” said Ms. Koch. “All of this was possible through the generosity of the Exelon Energy Corporation, the PA Resources Council, and the Pennsbury Partners Program for providing the funding for the transportation costs. It was a wonderful opportunity for the students to visit an actual energy plant and to learn more about the various forms of energy all around them. This experience helped them to see their part in the conservation of energy and to consider a future career in science.”
Afton Kindergarten students celebrated World Read Aloud Day on February 1st, according to teacher, Coleen Jones. “The students were surprised with an extra special guest reader – Michele Spack, Director of Elementary Education,” said Ms. Jones.
Fourth grade students from Afton Elementary enjoyed ahands-on learning experience at the Exelon Renewable
Energy Education Center in Tullytown.
Enthusiasm abounded during the Edgewood Elementary pep rally held on the Friday before the Eagles beat the New England Patriots
in Super Bowl LII.
“Ms. Spack involved the students in a shared reading and she also explored vocabulary with our youngest learners.”
Afton’s Kindergarten Girl Scout troop discovered “February Friendship” with PHS junior Kelsey Jones. Kelsey developed a “Buddy or Bully” program to help empower young girls to recognize good citizenship, teamwork, and acceptance.
3PENNSBURY SCHOOL DISTRICT • FALLSINGTON, PA • FEBRUARY 2018www.pennsburysd.org
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The Fallsington Student Council sponsored a Kindness Challenge during the month of January. Students were challenged to complete a different kind act every day for the whole month. Each morning during announcements, students were informed of the challenge of the day and encouraged to complete it, either at school or at home. Some examples of the kind acts that students were challenged to complete included: sit with someone new at lunch, compliment a teacher, or thank an adult who works in the cafeteria. The completion of the acts were not tracked, and there were no rewards. The purpose of the challenge was simply to motivate students to make kind choices. “It was wonderful to see students participate and to witness their acts of kindness in the classrooms, halls, playground, and more!” said school counselor, Kristen Cahill.
FALLSINGTON ELEMENTARY SCHOOLThe Super Duper Bowl, an annual tradition at
Eleanor Roosevelt, took place once again on the Friday before Super Sunday. The four sections of fifth grade became the tournament teams that played up to the final matchup in Super Duper Bowl VIII. These teams included the Kean Kongs, Miller’s Mean Machine, the Toledano Tornadoes, and the Melnick Mashers. After seven years of domination, the Kean Kongs fell to Miller’s Mean Machine for the Golden Falcon trophy and a year’s worth of bragging rights! The winner of the MVP award for this year’s game was Joey Fonde, a member of the Kean Kongs. Leading up to the big game, the school held a food drive, inviting students to “vote” for their favorite teams by placing non-perishables in labeled containers. An impressive amount of food was collected, and these donations were
ELEANOR ROOSEVELTELEMENTARY SCHOOL
A Kindness Challenge was led by the Student Councilat Fallsington Elementary.
students witnessed the making of athletic history.” Winners and prizes included: Madison Ferrohi, Eagles hat; Mia Covrljan, Eagles shirt; Parker Boyd, NFL Play60 football; Justin Peake, signed Eagles helmet; and Julian Solar, signed Eagles helmet.
graciously picked up and delivered to the Bucks County Emergency Homeless Shelter by members of the Levittown-Fairless Hills Rotary, a Pennsbury Partner. The 2018 Super Duper Bowl event also included a fundraising component to add to the school campaign established to buy a new play structure for the playground.
In February, the Student Council organized a “Souper” Bowl food drive. Participating students brought in non-perishable goods to be donated and
After a seven year dynasty, the Kean Kongs team fell to Miller’s Mean Machine in Eleanor Roosevelt Elementary’s Super Duper
Bowl VIII. The fifth grade tournament also featured the Toledano Tornadoes and the Melnick Mashers.
4 FEBRUARY 2018 • PENNSBURY SCHOOL DISTRICT • FALLSINGTON, PA www.pennsburysd.org
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used as “votes” for the team they wanted to win the Super Bowl. Two students who voted for the Super Bowl champions, the Philadelphia Eagles, were randomly chosen to receive football-themed prizes. All of the donations supported the Operation Helping Hand food drive through the United Way of Bucks County.
As the third, fourth, and fifth grade classes sat quietly and watched, the top ten finalists in Makefield’s National Geographic Geo Bee competed for the school championship. The event, organized by Gifted Support teacher, Alison Majikas, is the longest running Geo Bee in Pennsbury. Additional support was provided by Cortney Wible, Makefield’s Educational Technology Associate, and Joseph Spinelli, Math Specialist, who moderated the competition. In the final round, fourth grader Colin Unger became the school champion, making him eligible to take the qualifying test to compete at the state level in April. The national competition takes place in May in Washington, D.C., and the winner earns a $50,000 college scholarship. Good luck, Colin!
PTO President, Danielle Frost, shares: “We had a wonderful afternoon of service on Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day! We had a total of 105 students and parents working side by side on our chosen projects. We made 80 no-sew, fleece pillows for recovering veterans at the VA Hospital in Philadelphia. Each child made a pillow and a card to donate. The PTO
MAKEFIELD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
The “Souper” Bowl food drive at Fallsington Elementary yielded plenty of donations in conjunction with Operation Helping Hand,
sponsored by the United Way of Bucks County.
Makefield Geo Bee WinnerColin Unger and his parents.
Michael DeLuca is the Health and Physical Education teacher at Fallsington. “This month we have been using different technology to help motivate, challenge, and self-assess during class,” writes Mr. DeLuca. “We have been using ‘plickers’ during our jump rope unit. Plickers provide an engaging way for students to challenge themselves, and they also provide a fast and simple way for me to gather data on how hard my students are working. I also incorporated Growth Mindset for the different levels of the challenge. It was great to see how much more students were motivated to challenge themselves!”
John Darrington, a fifth grade student, won the Fallsington Elementary competition of the National Geographic Geo Bee and a chance at a $50,000 college scholarship, shared Angela Mastropaolo, the Gifted Support teacher who coordinated the event. The school bee, at which students answered questions on geography, was the first round in the 30th annual National Geographic Bee, a competition designed
to inspire and reward students’ curiosity about the world around them. Thousands of schools are participating in the 2018 National Geographic Bee. The school champions, including John, will take a qualifying test; up to 100 of the top scorers in each state will become eligible to compete in their state Bee on April 6th. The state winners will then travel to Washington, D.C. to compete in the National Bee on May 20th-23rd. Good luck, John!
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Penn Valley students and their families completed their fifth annual collection for Project Send a Smile to a Soldier for a non-profit organization that sends care packages to deployed men and women serving in the U.S. Armed Forces. “The collection included protein-packed snacks, candy, and activities like puzzle books and word searches,” said second grade teacher, Jennifer McCormac. Over 300 hand-written Valentines were sent to the soldiers, as well. “The collection was another great success and will be sure to send many smiles along to the brave men and women who serve our country,” added Ms. McCormac.
Third grade teacher, Janice Portland, writes: “In order to culminate our study of geology, the third grade students of Penn Valley were delighted to welcome and experience the Rocks, Minerals, and Fossil Show presented by two
Armaghan Alvi, a fifth grade student, won the Oxford Valley Elementary competition of the National Geographic Geo Bee and a chance at a $50,000 college scholarship, shared Angela Mastropaolo, the Gifted Support teacher who coordinated the event. (See the item from Ms. Mastropaolo under Fallsington Elementary for more details on the 2018 National Geographic Bee.) The school champions, including Armaghan, will take a qualifying test; up to 100 of the top scorers in each state will become eligible to compete in their state Bee on April 6th. The state winners will then travel to Washington, D.C. to compete in the National Bee on May 20th-23rd. Good luck, Armaghan!
“In the spirit of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service, Manor would like to thank all of our community partners for their generosity and service to us all year long,” writes teacher, MaryBeth Davis. “This year we would like to especially thank Dr. Roshni Dhruva from Heine & Associates, the American Legion, the Fraternal Order of Eagles, the Levittown Fire Company #1, Pennsbury High School students and staff, and our own Manor staff for helping us donate approximately 60 pounds of candy to Operation Gratitude, 17 Thanksgiving food baskets, 35 Christmas food baskets, and several coats to our Manor families. In addition to donations, we were also able to adopt and support 11 families over the holiday season. Our Manor Giving Tree raised another $284, thanks to the generous donations from our Manor families. This goes into our Manor Families in Need fund for use at a later time. Our families also donated approximately 15 boxes of paper products and toiletries that were donated to the homeless shelter. Many thanks to our Manor Student Council and ambassadors for helping to
PENN VALLEY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
OXFORD VALLEY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
MANOR ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
Students contributed volunteer hours to create pillows for local veterans during a day of service held at Makefield Elementary on
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.
supplied all of the needed materials, and Principal Donna McCormick-Miller gave each student a special sports stick.
organize those events, to Mrs. Kurtz, our school nurse, for organizing all of our donations, to Mrs. Casselli for transporting the candy to Dr. Dhruva, and to Mr. Ranniello for transporting all of the paper products to the shelter. We are blessed to be a part of such a wonderful community all year long!”
6 FEBRUARY 2018 • PENNSBURY SCHOOL DISTRICT • FALLSINGTON, PA www.pennsburysd.org
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Several Walt Disney fifth graders participated in a school STEM Design challenge competition during recess. Students had to create a new home item that was environmentally-friendly. The winning team will move on to the Bucks County STEM Design Challenge in March. That team includes fifth graders, Samantha Shedaker, Nick Fisher, Adam Lindenberger, and Hailey Markow. Dario Flores is the alternate for the team. Special thanks to music teacher, Duane Kolar, and Gifted Support teacher, Katie Duncan, for running and judging the event.
In late January, Math Specialist Natalie Costanzo extended a fifth grade Everyday Math 4 lesson called the Million Dollar Math Project to Walt Disney’s very own version of Shark Tank. Fifth grade students, Rhion Stahler, Samantha Shedaker, and Nicholas Fisher, were selected by their classmates to present to Pennsbury’s Shark Tank panel. The panel included Katie Duncan, ESL and Gifted Support teacher, Mark Constanzo, fourth grade teacher, Gary McManus, K-12 Math Supervisor, and Principal Laurie Ruffing. “Students had a budget of one million dollars and pleaded their cases to the sharks looking for an investment in their big ideas,” said Ms.
paleontologists, Mike and Roberta Straka. This program explained geology and the formations of rocks by showcasing rare and unusual minerals through experiments, games, and magic. Student involvement was paramount! The children were in awe as an eight-foot triceratops skull was unveiled. This amazing program ended with our students participating in a ‘dig,’ uncovering real dinosaur bones that they needed to reassemble. It was as if a museum had come to our school! We even left with a mineral souvenir provided by the paleontologists. This program rocked our third graders and we thank our teachers, Principal Barbara Hidalgo, and the Pennsbury Education Foundation for providing us with this opportunity!”
Third graders at Penn Valley Elementary unearthed real dinosaur bones during a special “dig” organized by visiting paleontologists,
thanks to a grant from the Pennsbury Education Foundation.
The Pennsbury Arts Foundation provided a grant to enable students at Walt Disney Elementary to learn about the customs (and a few
dance moves) of India.
Last month, Walt Disney students were treated to an assembly called Bollywood Dancing and the Culture of India. Students were engaged while learning about some of the customs of India and they also acquired some Bollywood dance moves. This assembly was made possible by a generous grant from the Pennsbury Arts Foundation.
WALT DISNEY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
7PENNSBURY SCHOOL DISTRICT • FALLSINGTON, PA • FEBRUARY 2018www.pennsburysd.org
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It’s Cool to be Kind is Team 8B’s initiative for the 2017-18 school year, writes teacher, Tom Mellon. “Students anonymously nominated fellow classmates who exemplified this motto since the start of the school year,” he explained. “A tee-shirt design was adopted from local artists, Jennifer and Dan Jones. They reside on Big Oak Road and display
CHARLES BOEHM MIDDLE SCHOOL
Walt Disney third graders prepared special Valentine-themed bags for local first responders as a gesture of gratitude.
Local artists, Jennifer and Dan Jones (center), gathered on their front porch with visiting teachers from Charles Boehm Middle School’s 8B
team to celebrate their part in a school kindness initiative.
Constanzo. For their project, each student created a presentation and a pitch detailing why their project was the best. Included in their presentation was an itemized list of how the investment would be spent and their long term goals.
The Pre-K students at Walt Disney celebrated National Preschool Fitness Day on Friday, January 26th. “This fun-filled day of exercising and healthy treats was the perfect culminating activity for this month’s theme, Growing Up Healthy,” said teacher, Tarisa Bosack. “The students learned all about healthy habits, including the importance of exercising and eating nutritious foods. On fitness day, we started by making smoothies full of important fruits and superfoods, including spinach and kale, so that we had the energy to learn some new exercises and play some great games. We ended with some pre-school yoga!”
Third grade students donated snacks and created Valentines for our local first responders, writes teacher, Jessica Checkovage. Students packed bags, colored heartfelt Valentines, and prepared Valentines for delivery. “The students were so excited to surprise our first responders with little treats to say thank you for all that they do,” said Ms. Checkovage. “The community we saw among the students to complete this service project was amazing. The collaboration and effort put forth by the third graders was notable.”
Walt Disney Math Specialist Natalie Costanzo (right) led a fifth grade project that simulated the network TV show called Shark Tank. Students used their math skills to develop million-dollar ideas that
they pitched to a panel of “sharks.”
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chalkboard art work each month. When asked, they were delighted to allow the team to create the shirt using their design. Student nominees each received a shirt. Every month for the remainder of the year, students on Team 8B will continue to be kind to one another and hopefully earn the honor to wear this awesome shirt!”
Teacher, Christian Korn, reports that eighth grade Social Studies classes at Boehm played a breakout game and used critical thinking, collaboration, and communication to get into a locked box containing the “stolen” U.S. Constitution. “When students arrived to class they found that the Constitution had been locked away and they had 45 minutes to open the box and save it. Using teamwork and a little creativity, a few groups were able to unlock the box and save the Constitution,” said Mr. Korn. Here are a few of the student responses to a Google Form survey conducted by Mr. Korn after the game:
“This was awesome and really fun to do and I would love to do something like this again.”
“It was fun and challenging and we should do it again.”
“It was fun working with my group to solve the challenges put ahead of us. We should do it again.”
“It was really, really neat. I thought that it was really clever and I would love to do it again. The game was fun, organized, and allowed students to work with each other in a new way.”
“It felt like I was really on a mission.”
“Greatest day of Social Studies ever!!!!!!”
Students at Charles Boehm were welcomed back to school from winter recess with the exclusive
opportunity to pilot Google’s yet-to-be-released Augmented Reality (AR) Expeditions program. “Google sent their AR prototype materials to Charles Boehm on January 2nd, which allowed students, the first in Pennsylvania, the opportunity to explore 3D objects placed directly in the classroom,” said Brad McCormick, Pennsbury’s Supervisor of Educational Technology. Seventh grade science teachers, Sandy Hollenbaugh and Melissa Vitucci, coordinated this experience for their students with the Pennsbury Technology Department. Mandy Lutz, Educational Technology Specialist, together with Mr. McCormick, facilitated sessions that involved students using a cell phone-like device to examine the many futuristic inventions of Leonardo Da Vinci and also to experience the impacts of tornadoes, hurricanes, and tsunamis. Throughout the sessions, students discussed how Da Vinci took inspiration from nature for his designs and then they brainstormed ways to prevent damage caused by devastating natural disasters. “Educators and students alike are excited for the Google AR Expeditions app to be released for public use to allow more people to experience this incredible technology in their classes,” added Mr. McCormick.
Students at Charles Boehm Middle School used Google devices to examine a projected 3-D object as they piloted an Augmented
Reality Expeditions program.
9PENNSBURY SCHOOL DISTRICT • FALLSINGTON, PA • FEBRUARY 2018www.pennsburysd.org
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Last month, William Penn seventh grade students extended their learning by visiting the Exelon Energy Education Center in Fairless Hills. At the Exelon facility, the students’ knowledge about renewable energy sources was reinforced and enriched. Diana Andrejczak, the Manager of Education for the PA Resources Council, taught a lesson to the students that showed how many of the concepts and skills they learned during the seventh grade unit on environmental science apply to the real world of energy generation. Students used the STEM skills of brainstorming, inventing, innovating, imagining, designing, modeling, and redesigning as they participated in a hands-on investigation of wind power, the building of a model pipeline, and in the creation of a model of a renewable energy source of their choice. Using Play Doh, plastic spoons, wooden dowels, and other craft supplies, each student pair created a power generation model that included a generator, magnets, a turbine, and a means to distribute the electricity generated. During their visit, student teams also competed in an interactive energy game show as either part of the
Pennwood’s Team Galaxy enjoyed a Google hangout with Peace Corps worker, Carmin Bermudez, who is stationed in Encarnacion, Paraguay. Carmin answered questions about her responsibilities in South America and why volunteering is important to her. “This amazing experience kicked off the team community service project,” shares teacher, Stacy Kirsh. The project was a team effort organized by Mrs. Kirsh, Doug Disbrow, Kelli Voorhees, Jeremy Rhoads, Colleen Brodbeck, Annimaria Babel, and Robert Morris. The project began on Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day with students electing to become involved in projects of their own choosing. They were asked to research opportunities, select one, and then document their experiences for a presentation to the class. “This was a service learning project to help children find purpose and give back to the community in order to help them find their ‘peace’ in our world,” said Stacy Kirsh. “We feel that our children should experience community service as part of their education because they gain benefits ranging from increased self-esteem
Charles Boehm was one of four Pennsbury schools that attended an Eagles Training Camp at Lincoln Financial Field in December, writes Family and Consumer Sciences teacher, Allyssa Churchwell: “The students participated in three main sessions, which included a tour of the facilities, an innovation challenge, and a Summit Scholarship presentation. Not only did we have nine students attend, but one of our students, Sebastian Godun, also presented during the Summit Scholarship session. Sebastian has attended two different NFL Fuel Up to Play 60 Summits! Our students presented a school-wide healthy eating initiative to a panel of judges. The winner of the innovation challenge would win $500 to help fund their idea. Students worked with retired Eagles player, Mike Quick, who thought their idea was fantastic! Although Charles Boehm Middle School did not win, we believe we are going to try and implement the students’ ‘Once a Week Dairy’ idea at our building in 2018.”
WILLIAM PENN MIDDLE SCHOOL
PENNWOOD MIDDLE SCHOOL
William Penn Middle School students gleaned information about renewable energy while participating in games and interactive
exhibits at the Exelon Center.
to acquiring valuable job skills. In addition, these skills will help students succeed in the future, both in school and in their future work world.”
10 FEBRUARY 2018 • PENNSBURY SCHOOL DISTRICT • FALLSINGTON, PA www.pennsburysd.org
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During a recent staff development session, the PHS English department put pen to paper and engaged in the craft of writing. “This session was planned to awaken the teachers’ love of the written word, ultimately inspiring the same passion in their students,” writes English Curriculum Coordinator, MaryAnn Daley. “We all came to this discipline because we love books and writing. It was nice to have had time during Keystone testing to write creatively. “As a warm-up, teachers were asked to tap into a personal reverie and write about a painting titled, The Moorish Chief. “After sharing their samples, teachers worked with a partner to create an original short story, much like we ask of our tenth grade students,” said Ms. Daley. “Using blindly-selected objects, teachers used their creativity to tie those objects to the personality of uniquely-created characters. Those characters then came to life in co-authored stories via shared Google Docs.”
PENNSBURY HIGH SCHOOL
Energy Hog Team or the Green Team to review the benefits or negative effects of energy choices in their homes. “This classroom extension definitely further energized the education of these lucky students,” said science teacher, Kristin Slota. “Thank you to Exelon and PECO for providing the funding to cover the expenses of this amazing classroom extension.”
Following the visit to the Exelon Energy Education Center, Diana Andrejczak came back with the students to William Penn to join Jamie Swanson (K-12 Science Curriculum Coordinator) and Brittany Morgan (science department paraprofessional) as members of the third annual William Penn Wind Turbine Challenge panel of judges. In the days leading up to the challenge, student teams of three or four were asked to design wind turbine blades that would generate the greatest electrical output. Student teams began by brainstorming and then designed and built their turbines. Students tested and evaluated their designs and redesigned as needed. At the challenge, 11 student teams presented their designs to the panel of judges by first explaining their engineering design process and then demonstrating how their blades would function. The judges were impressed with the creativity, the teamwork, and the high performance of many of the blade designs. Select teams were recognized for the greatest electrical output, the strongest teamwork, and the best presentation.
Ms. Slota reports that William Penn 7C science classes held two special events at the school. At an elementary Energy Expo in the morning, the seventh grade students shared their energy expertise with visiting fifth graders from Oxford Valley Elementary. Pennsylvania State Representative Perry Warren and Pennsbury Superintendent Dr. William Gretzula were also special guests at the morning event. Later that same day, an evening Energy Expo was held for families in the school cafetorium. “This Expo was held on the same evening as the WP STEAM Fair,” explained Ms. Slota. “Students were excited to share what they have learned about a variety of curricular energy
District Superintendent Dr. William Gretzula engaged with William Penn Middle School students who were sharing their knowledge on
energy with visiting fifth graders from Oxford Valley Elementary.
topics, such as types of energy, nonrenewable and renewable sources of energy, energy conservation, recycling, wind energy, hydropower, biomass, solar energy, geothermal energy, uranium, petroleum, coal, and natural gas.”
11PENNSBURY SCHOOL DISTRICT • FALLSINGTON, PA • FEBRUARY 2018www.pennsburysd.org
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Please join in congratulating Nick Swinehart, a ninth grade student from Pennsbury, who was chosen by his teachers and administrators at the Bucks County Technical High School to be named Student of the Month in January.
On Sunday, January 14th, while many people were watching football to see who the Eagles’ opponent would be on the road to the Big Game, ten Pennsbury students, all members of the Multi-Cultural Youth Leaders Club (MCYL), along with John Sanders, Applied Engineering teacher and MCYL’s sponsor, participated in the fifth annual Teen Peace and Social Justice Summit hosted by William Tennent High School. The Summit drew 500 students from school districts around Bucks County to discuss racism and social justice. “There
BCTHS STUDENT HONORED
PHS English teacher, Kim McLane, observed a digital version of a painting called The Moorish Chief while participating in a writing
exercise for teachers.
These students (listed in the story above), with their club advisor, John Sanders (left), participated in the fifth annual Teen Peace and
Social Justice Summit at William Tennent High School.
were compelling keynote speakers to kick off the summit in the auditorium, followed by breakout sessions for all of the young people, as well as some not-so-young people,” said Mr. Sanders. “At the summit’s conclusion, everyone gathered in Tennent’s auditorium, and each group assigned a representative to discuss some of their eye-opening findings. Many of our own Pennsbury students were courageous enough to get on stage and talk about issues that exist within our schools.” Even Mr. Sanders appeared on stage to discuss issues from an older viewpoint. “It was absolutely time well spent,” he said. “We’re already looking forward to attending next year. Talking is one thing, implementation is another. Let’s see what the future holds.” The MCYL Club members who attended this event included Taliyah Dingle, Ashzijnae Paxton, Jason Turner, Joshua Paul, Makula Karsor, Atlantis Leonard, Sabella Prime, Katrikki Lennon, Shivani Patel, and Ngakiya Camara.
commenDAbleACCOMPLISHMENTS
Instrumental Music Curriculum Coordinator, Frank Mazzeo, is pleased to announce the following students successfully auditioned into Region Band and Orchestra: Greg Glatzer, Alan Herbst, Amanda Rearden, Jordan Spivack, Lance Steiner, Jackson Simon, and Avi Bewtra. Congratulations!
INSTRUMENTAL STUDENTS SELECTEDFOR REGIONAL GROUPS
12 FEBRUARY 2018 • PENNSBURY SCHOOL DISTRICT • FALLSINGTON, PA www.pennsburysd.org
DIstrIct hIghlIghts report
In conjunction with Pennsbury School District’s ongoing character education initiative, students at the elementary, middle, and high school levels are being spotlighted each month for possessing specific positive character assets. For the month of February, 2018, students were recognized for exemplifying the trait of “Cooperation.” The students honored this month are Gillian Arcuri, Lucas Dolan, and Camille Kakoyan.
At the high school level, the award this month goes to Gillian Arcuri, who is a senior at Pennsbury High School. Gillian was nominated by Family and Consumer Sciences Curriculum Coordinator, Nancy Quigley, who says that Gillian has cooperated with St. Mary Medical Center to create a plan to provide a favorable senior experience for several students and that her eagerness to participate in the senior internship has helped to make a positive impact for this PHS partnership. Gillian has offered to provide a ride for one of her fellow students who otherwise would not have been able to participate in the internship course. Finally, Gillian has taken the leadership to prepare a team presentation that will be presented to the school board.
Camille Kakoyan, an eighth grader at Charles Boehm Middle School, is our middle school winner this month. Nominated by her Team 8A teachers, Sherry Snyder, Joy Booz, Heather Mengert, Eric Haidinger, and Emily Michaels, Camille has demonstrated her ability to work well with other students of different levels and backgrounds. When asked by her teachers to work with others to help create a display of student work, Camille agreed without hesitation and did her part to accomplish the task. As a member of the Charles Boehm Girls Basketball team, Camille has shown that she is a selfless, team player, often making the extra pass to a teammate so that the teammate could score.
LYFT CHARACTER AWARDWINNERS ANNOUNCED
The winner of the Character Award this month at the elementary level is Lucas Dolan, a fifth grader at Quarry Hill Elementary. Lucas was nominated by Carolyn White and Nicole Pfender. They praise Lucas as a student who follows through on commitments and pitches in when others need assistance. On his own, Lucas has taken on the responsibility for counting, organizing, and securing the classroom’s Chromebooks at the end of the day. He demonstrates cooperation during science labs, where he shows his ability to both lead and follow. In class he worked well with his peers to design a skit for DARE, readily sharing his own ideas, listening to those of others, and working together to make decisions.
BOArD FACILITIES COMMITTEE5:00 p.m., March 1, 2018
Superintendent’s Conference Room
BOArD FINANCE COMMITTEE7:30 p.m., March 1, 2018
Superintendent’s Conference Room
BOArD EDuCATION COMMITTEE5:00 p.m., March 8, 2018
Superintendent’s Conference Room
BOArD PArTNErSHIPS/MArkETINg COMMITTEE7:00 p.m., March 8, 2018
Superintendent’s Conference Room
ACTION BOArD MEETINg7:30 p.m., March 15, 2018
Fallsington Elementary School
Upcoming MEETINgS
PENNSBURY HIGH SCHOOLSUBURBAN ONE LEAGUE • ALL LEAGUE TEAMS • FALL 2017
SPORT 1st TEAM 2nd TEAM 3rd TEAM HONORABLE MENTION
CROSS-COUNTRY, BOYS
Aidan SauerJed Scratchard
Thomas MinkNicholas Gribbon
CROSS-COUNTRY, GIRLS
Chloe Connor Megan SchaalRachel Estey
Anna Bogdan Madison WebberVictoria Parisen
FIELD HOCKEY Maya GellerEleanor Webber
Katherine ChesneySamantha Hackman
Gianna PintoAnnie Price
FOOTBALL Offense:Zachary DeMarchisNicholas WrightMatthew RossoChristopher Knop
Are you interested in exploring job opportunitiesin the Pennsbury School District?
Full-time, part-time, and substitute positions are available in these categories:
Stop in during the Job Fair hours to meet Pennsbury administrators at individual stations. Please bring your resume and come ready to learn more about these job openings!
Wednesday, February 28, 2018 • 3:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.Pennsbury High School West – Falcon Cafeteria
608 South Olds Boulevard, Fairless Hills
Representatives from the District’s substitute service will also be available.
TeachersNurses
Health Room AidesBus Drivers (CDL training provided)
