May Newsletter Volume 3, Issue 11

2014

Inside this issue:

In an effort to help you know who

to contact should you have any

questions or concerns the

following are your RESA 5 staff

members:

Roderick Armstrong – Public

Service Training Specialist

Steve Ashworth – WVEIS

Specialist

Janet Barrett – Adult

Education/Public Service Training

Secretary

Teresa Branch – SPOKES

Instructor Mason County

Sue Childers – CPPW

Coordinator

Tom Conner – Computer

Technician – Wood County

Diana Crislip – Administrative

Secretary

Amy Curtis – SPOKES

Instructor Roane County

Elvira Daniels – SPOKES

Career Development Consultant

Victor DeRito – Adult Education

Instructor Jackson County

Susan Ellison – SPOKES

Instructor

Russ Emerson – Computer

Technician Calhoun & Jackson

Counties

Lindsey Fetty – Medicaid

Specialist & Special Education

Secretary

(Continued on page 2)

MISSION

Serving Lifelong Learners

Page 2 – RESA 5 Spelling Bee

Page 3 – Transition from GED to

TASC & PD Opportunity for

Teachers this Summer

Page 4 – Threat Assessment &

Prevention of School Violence

Page 5 - PCMS Teacher

Named RESA 5 Exemplary Teacher

Page 5&6 - West Virginia Early

Learning Reporting System

Page 7 - Henry J. Kaiser Elem.

Celebrates Family Fun Night

Page 8 - American Dairy Association

Mideast Tour for Nutrition

Professionals

Page 9 – RESA 5 Legislators

1

Send any news articles you

would like included in

future issues of the

newsletter to:

kbrunica@access.k12.wv.us

Director’s Comments

Happy May, 2014! It has been a busy spring for everyone in the education

field, including the staff here at RESA 5.

The RESA 5 Regional Council recently interviewed and made a

recommendation for the new Executive Director. Joe Oliverio, current Director of

Elementary Schools for Wood County, has been approved by the West Virginia

Board of Education to begin July 1. Joe will be the sixth (including me as Interim)

executive director for our area since the Regional Education Service Agencies were

created in 1972. He will be introduced to you more thoroughly in a future newsletter.

It’s important to note that the RESA 5 Regional Council was granted a policy waiver

by the WVBOE to conduct its own interviews to recommend their Executive

Director, instead of the state board doing so.

Our Professional Development office continues to work with our area’s 13

Focus Schools through training, planning, and assisting with monitoring

requirements. Summer plans include invitations to all Priority, Focus, and Support

Schools in RESA 5 to participate in our 2-day school improvement session “Focus

and Lead.”

RESA 5 hosted our eight counties for “Early Childhood Reporting” training

provided by the WVDE staff May 5 and 6. Approximately 40 educators were

introduced to the online site to be used by kindergarten teachers for reporting student

progress in 2014-15.

Staff in our Professional Development department also sponsored the

regional Middle School Spelling Bee and Exemplary Teacher Awards competition.

See the articles in this newsletter for more details on these exciting events.

The implementation and use of Microsoft 365 is one of the latest tasks to be

given to the RESA 5 Technology Dept. All our users will be involved in a new

email program and our staff here will play a big part in the conversion.

According to Albert Einstein, “Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance,

you must keep moving.” Our goal at RESA 5 is to keep our counties moving! Let

us know how we can help YOU.

Karen B. Brunicardi Interim Executive Director

The RESA 5 Calendar

can be found at:

http://resa5.k12.wv.us

RESA 5 Spelling Bee

Area students participated in the Twenty-Fourth Annual RESA 5 Spelling Bee on Thursday, May 8, 2014, at

RESA 5 in Parkersburg. The RESA 5 Spelling Bee features competition in two divisions (fifth/sixth and

seventh/eighth grades) and is open to county champions from the eight counties served by the agency.

In the fifth/sixth grade division, the winner was Eli Hall, a sixth grade student at Geary Elementary School

in Roane County. Eli is the son of Kevin and Shena Hall of Left Hand, WV. Alexis Hashman, a fifth grade

student at Pleasants County Middle School in Pleasants County, was the runner-up.

Other competitors in this division included: Chaley Morrison, sixth grade student at Ripley Middle

(Jackson), Rylee Copeland, sixth grade student at Wirt Middle (Wirt), and Jordan Gier, sixth grade student at

Ritchie Middle (Ritchie).

Pictured: 5th

& 6th

Grade Competitors

(Left to right): Eli Hall (1st place)- 6

th Grade Geary Elementary School,

Alexis Hashman (Runner-Up)- 5th

Grade Pleasants County Middle School,

Riley Copeland-6th

grade Wirt County Middle, Chaley Morrison-6th

Grade

Ripley Middle School, and Jordan Gier- 6th

Grade Ritchie County Middle

School.

In the seventh/eighth grade division, the winner was Teresa Riffle an eighth grade student at Ravenswood

Middle School in Jackson County. Teresa has won the RESA 5 Spelling Bee, in her respective divisions, for

the last four years. Teresa is the daughter of David and Li-yun Riffle of Millwood, WV. Anna Fatta, an

eighth grade student at Jackson Middle School in Wood County, was the runner-up.

Other competitors in the seventh/eighth grade division included: Walker Hashman, 8th

grade student at

Pleasants Middle (Pleasants), Savanna Petry, 8th

grade student at Walton Elementary/Middle School, and

Miranda Valentine, 7th

grade student at Wirt Middle (Wirt).

Pictured: 7th

& 8th

Grade Competitors (Left to right): Teresa Riffle (1

st Place) – 8

th grade Ravenswood Middle

School, Anna Fatta (Runner-Up)-8th

grade Jackson Middle School,

Walker Hashman- 8th

grade Pleasants County Middle, Savanna Petry-8th

grade, Walton Elementary/Middle School, and Miranda Valentine-7th

grade Wirt County Middle School.

2

Transition from GED to TASC

RESA 5 Adult Basic Education has been busy coordinating the transition from “GED” to the new high

school equivalency exam, known as “TASC” – Test Assessing Secondary Completion.

Teachers, Examiners, and staff have been attending training sessions to ensure a seamless transition. All

Adult Basic Education programs in the region have now administered the new exam with great success.

Some interesting facts related to TASC:

The TASC™ test measures many of the U.S. Labor Department's necessary workplace skills that are

valued by employers.

More than 90 percent of employers consider those with a TASC test credential the same as traditional

high school graduates with regard to hiring, salary, and opportunity for advancement. (Society for

Human Resource Management, 2002)

The TASC test credential is accepted by 97 percent of colleges and universities. (College Board,

2001)

Each year, one of every 20 college freshmen holds a TASC test credential. (National Center for

Education Statistics, 1996)

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, those who have a high school diploma, including a

TASC test credential earn $7,400 more than those who did not graduate from high school. This

difference represents a 35 percent increase in median annual earnings.

To find a test center near you, please go to https://westvirginia.tasctest.com

Professional Development Opportunity for Teachers this Summer

Professional Development (Graduate) course to be offered as part of WVU Summer Dance Academy

-- C&I 930: Integrating Dance and Creative movement.

To register:

1. Download a professional development application/registration form at:

http://elearn.wvu.edu/Registration/forms/ProfDev.pdf

2. Complete both pages of the form.

3. Add the course information provided regarding class.

CRN: 53852

Subject: C&I

Course #: 930

Section #: 6AB

Credit Hours: 1

Title: PRDV: Integrating Dance/Creative Movement

Cost of the course is $71. Courses are now graded Pass/Fail. These courses do not count towards any

degrees at WVU. For more information, contact Dr. Stephanie Lorenze @

Stephanie.Lorenze@mail.wvu.edu

3

For Your Information . . .

4

Pleasants County Middle School Teacher Named RESA 5 Exemplary Teacher

The RESA 5 Exemplary Teaching Technique winner for 2013-2014 is Andrea Lemon, 8th Grade

English Language Arts teacher at Pleasants County Middle School. Lemon’s demonstration lesson

focused on close reading of text to comprehend detail. The lesson which Lemon demonstrated

applied technology components such as document sharing, video files, and word processing

documents to more actively engage students in close reading of assigned text material.

Lemon commented,

“Our students are digital natives. As such, students’

engagement levels and motivation increase with the

integration of technology components. The technique

demonstrated offers students access to close reading

instruction in a format that comes to them as second nature.”

Lemon went on to say that the lesson she demonstrated

affords her the luxury of differentiating her instruction to

meet the individual needs of students. The video format and

integrated technology allows her to be in two places at once and also affords students the

opportunity to experience the lesson multiple times using a variety of access devices. Lemon’s

strategies effectively target both West Virginia’s NxG Standards and the 21st Century Digital

Learning Skills that are essential for today’s learners.

West Virginia Early Learning Reporting System: Kindergarten (ELRS:K) On May 5 and 6, 2014, RESA 5 hosted the West Virginia Early

Learning Reporting System: Kindergarten (ELRS:K) training.

Thirty-three kindergarten teachers and central office

administrators attended as teams from each of the eight RESA

5 counties. RESA 5 Professional Development Staff

participants were: Teresa Pickens, Professional Growth

Coordinator; Brenda Clark, Professional Growth Coordinator;

and Missi Denniston, Technical Assistance Support Specialist.

West Virginia Department of Education, Office of Early

Learning Staff who led this two-day training were: Clayton

Burch, Executive Director; Monica DellaMea, Lead Coordinator;

Charlotte Webb, Coordinator; and Lynn Baker, Coordinator.

Kindergarten teachers discussed training

resources in their county groups.

5

Currently, the ELRS:K is being

piloted in twelve West Virginia

counties. This reporting system

will be used by all kindergarten

teachers in the state of West

Virginia beginning with the 2014-

2015 school year, per revised West

Virginia Board of Education

(WVBE) policy 2510. The ELRS:K is the data entry

component of the formative

assessment process that is utilized

in all West Virginia early learning

classrooms. Kindergarten teachers and classroom assistant

teachers will collect evidence daily of an individual child’s

ongoing development through formative assessments. This data will be analyzed by teachers and

used in guiding classroom instruction, developing learning goals, and monitoring student

progress over time.

Data analysis conclusions about a student’s evidence of learning based on state standards will be

made at least twice yearly (per policy). However, a county may adopt additional reporting

windows to coordinate with reporting children’s progress with families (i.e. to coincide with or

take the place of report cards). Starting with the upcoming school year, this data will be entered

on the ELRS:K through a secure Internet platform on the WVEIS on the Web (WOW) site.

“Child Accomplishment Summary” reports will be available based on each student’s

developmental progress toward proficiency across state standards. School and county

administrators will be able to access outcome reports based on data entry in order to make

decisions regarding continuous quality improvements.

To assist with West Virginia’s progress toward closing the literacy achievement gap across the

state, the ELRS:K will guide continuous quality improvement. It will supply data regarding West

Virginia’s efforts to provide high-quality, comprehensive early learning programming for all

children. Administrative actions and functions will be developed during the summer of 2014.

Clayton Burch, Executive Director of the Office of Early Learning, led the

training with kindergarten teachers.

Kim Mathews (center), Coordinator for

Wood County Schools, led a discussion

with kindergarten teachers in her county.

Lynn Baker (left) and Charlotte Webb

(right), both Coordinators from the Office of Early Learning, facilitated

collaborative activities during

the training.

6

Henry J. Kaiser Elementary Celebrates Family Fun Night To celebrate the end of a year-long grant from Action for Healthy Kids, Henry J. Kaiser

Elementary School in Ravenswood partnered with the Jackson County Health Department, RESA

V and other community-based organizations to host a Family Fun Night. The Health Department

and RESA V set up a farmer’s market in the lobby of the school that featured snack-sized portions

of a wide variety of fruits and vegetables which the students could “purchase” with tokens they

received for participating in activities focused on nutrition, physical activity, reading and math.

The activity stations included a Wii Dance system with an inflatable TV screen, ring toss, cornhole,

a puppet show, fruit and veggie bingo and bounce houses which were hosted by organizations

such as the Jackson County Schools Wellness Center, Unicare, Ravenswood Police Department,

Jackson County Pilot Club, and Healthy Families, Healthy Children. Trudy Humphrey, a second

grade teacher at the school, who was also the writer of the grant and the event’s lead organizer,

said “We wanted to demonstrate to families how to have fun and still enjoy reading and math

activities. We also wanted to show them how easily they can do fitness activities with little or no

equipment”. The result was fantastic; over 180 people participated and a lot of people left here

looking pretty sweaty and tired, but smiling...so that's a pretty good sign that they were physically

active and had fun".

7

American Dairy Association Mideast Sponsors Tour for Nutrition Professionals

Regional School Wellness Specialist, Gina Wood and

about 20 other Registered Dietitians and nutrition

professionals were recently treated to a tour of Mason

Run Farms, a dairy farm in Bruceton Mills, just outside

Morgantown. The tour was sponsored by the

American Dairy Association Mideast and hosted

by Greg Mason, the farm's owner and operator. Greg

shared information with the group about the rigorous

standards for dairy farms in the raising of their cows,

as well as the production, storage and shipping of their

milk to ensure a safe and high quality product for the

consumer. Greg's farm currently has a herd of about 75 Holstein cows which produce 500-650

gallons of milk per day. The milk is then sold to a co-op

which distributes it to a number of local and out-of-state

markets.

The presentation also included information about the

health benefits (especially for children) of milk and other

dairy foods in the context of a healthy and well-balanced

diet. Today 80-90% of Americans do not get the

recommended servings of fruits, vegetables, whole

grains, and dairy foods, however almost 100% exceed the

recommendations for calories from solid fats, added

sugars and alcohol thereby creating a nutritional paradox

in which we are both overfed and undernourished. Other

key discussion points during the presentation were the

importance of a healthy breakfast to the growth, brain

development and increased learning potential of

students; as well as key nutrients, such a calcium,

vitamin D and potassium that children often lack if they

don't consume milk and other dairy foods on a regular

basis. The American Dairy Association provides a wide

variety of resources and support for school breakfast and

physical activity programs and plans to host a Youth Summit in Parkersburg this fall to train

students in 4th-8th grades to be ambassadors for nutrition and physical activity in their schools

and communities as well as provide training and information about available grant opportunities.

For more information on the Youth Summit, please call Gina Wood, Regional School Wellness

Specialist at 485-6513 ext. 1315 or email Sharon Maynard: Sharon.Maynard@drink-milk.com

8

RESA 5 - Regional Council Calhoun County: Superintendent Timothy Woodward Council Member Cynthia Dale (Int.) Jackson County: Superintendent Blaine Hess Council Member Carroll Staats Pleasants County: Superintendent Michael Wells Council Member Jim McKnight, Vice

Chair Ritchie County: Superintendent Ed Toman Council Member Sheryll Jameson Roane County: Superintendent Jerry Garner Council Member Paul Cummings Tyler County: Superintendent Robin Daquilante Council Member Linda Hoover Wirt County: Superintendent MaryJane Pope-Albin Council Member James Rader Wood County: Superintendent J. Patrick Law, Chair Council Member Jim Fox Chief Instructional Leader Representative: Joe Oliverio, Director of Elementary Education, Wood county Schools Teacher Representative: Vacant Principal Representative: Vacant Higher Ed Representative: Cynthia Gissy – WVU-P Secretary to the Council: Karen Brunicardi, Interim Executive Director WBOE Representative: Vacant WVDE Representative: Betty Jo Jordan, Executive Assistant to the State Superintendent

Contact Information RESA 5

2507 Ninth Avenue

Parkersburg, WV 26101

Phone: 304-485-6513

Fax: 304-485-6515

kbrunica@access.k12.wv.us

dcrislip@access.k12.wv.us

http://resa5.k12.wv.us

Dan Canada, WesBanco’s corporate

training officer, talks with the

students about the impact of their

actions and how one person can

make a difference in another

person’s life.

“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”

Maya Angelou

9

RESA 5 Legislators Although the 2014 Legislative session has ended, it is important that we

communicate with our elected officials. Here are the names of the Senators and

Delegates that represent RESA 5 in Charleston.

Senate House

Senate President Jeffrey Kessler William Romine

Larry Edgell Lynwood “Woody” Ireland

Donna Boley Bill Anderson

David Nohe Anna Border

Mitch Carmichael John Ellem

Mike Hall Tom Azinger

Daniel Poling

Bob Ashley

Steve Westfall

David Walker

You can locate their office addresses and phone numbers at the following website:

http://www.legis.state.wv.us/

It is imperative we keep up with the happenings in the legislature that effect

education and that we communicate with our elected officials on issues of vital

importance.