Ed Rendell, former governor of Pennsylvania, visited Copper Beech Elementary School to present Ms. Hagarty’s fifth grade class with a $500 check as part of their award in the 2015 Citizenship Challenge.

Mrs. Hagarty’s class participated in the 2015 Citizenship Challenge, sponsored by the Rendell Center for Civics and Civic Engagement. The class wrote essays expressing their point of view regarding a current issue related to government as well as rights and responsibilities of citizens. An essay written by a team of students in Mrs. Hagarty’s class was chosen to compete in the Finals.

At the National Constitution Center, the team of students from Mrs. Hagarty’s class competed in the Finals. After giving a three-minute team presentation and answering questions about the issue, a panel of judges chose the Copper Beech team to win a fourth place award. $500 was awarded to the school today where Mr. Rendell held a lively session with the entire fifth grade at the school.  Mr. Rendell challenged students to analyze and provide their opinion on two scenarios.  One scenario involved probable cause as utilized by a police officer in stopping and searching individuals after a report of a burglary in the neighborhood.  The second issued involved individual rights of privacy in a Supreme Court case where the FBI tapped a pay telephone in a public place without a warrant, asking whether the user, who utilized the telephone for illegal gambling operations, had the right to privacy and whether the information obtained in the wire tap should be disallowed.

In addition to the $500 award, the school received a selection of books that deal with the Constitution and individual rights, a DVD of the students’ presentation at the Constitution Center, and every fifth grade student at the school received a gavel/pencil.

Photos include: Mr. Rendell challenging students in his presentation; the check received by the school; Mrs. Hagarty (left) and Copper Beech Principal Ms. Stephanie Viola (right);  the team from Mrs. Hagarty’s class that made the presentation at the Constitution Center with Mr. Rendell, the check, and Superintendent of Schools Dr. Amy Sichel; Dr. Sichel congratulating the team and the fifth graders that participated in the discussion with Mr. Rendell.

In honor of National Nutrition Month, Chartwells Food Service is sponsoring the “Breakfast Challenge”  –  challenging all students to come to school and eat a healthy breakfast to help jump start their day! The excitement is growing as 67 students at Roslyn participated today, which is an increase from 40 students on Monday. Daily incentives are put into place to encourage student participation.

At the recent Abington School Board meeting, Abington Junior High School Principal Dr. Mark Pellico introduced a 6abc Action News video that featured Junior High School student Alexander Kubel.  Alexander was recognized for being named a semi-finalist in the 2016 Pennsylvania Geographic Bee sponsored by the National Geographic Society.  Alexander will compete in the National Geographic Bee at the state level on April 1, 2016 at the State Museum of Pennsylvania in Harrisburg.

At a recent Abington School Board meeting, Abington Senior High School Principal Mr. Angelo Berrios introduced and the School Board honored the Abington 4×400 meter relay team.  On February 28, 2016, the 4×400 meter relay team placed first, winning a State Championship, at the Pennsylvania Track and Field Coaches Association (PTFCA) State Championships held at Penn State University. The relay team consisted of Isaiah Smith, Cameron Mitchell, Aaron Sooknanan, and Keion Broadus. This team has been ranked #1 in the state all year and is currently ranked #9 in the country. Keion and Cameron were also members of the 4×800 meter relay team that placed third at the PTFCA State Championships. The Indoor Track teams are coached by Mr. William Neely and assistants, Ms. Kristen Loew and Mr. Tony Parker. At the School Board meeting the team members were presented with Certificates of Commendation, recognizing their outstanding performance.

On Thursday, March 10, 2016 the Roslyn Elementary School community came together for its annual Family Fun Math Night. It was a huge success with families playing a variety of math games with staff members, reading stories with various math themes, watching sixth graders solve problems using a variety of algorithms as well as learning how music is mathematics in disguise!  A fun time was had by all!

The Abington Senior High School Key Club won many awards at the PA District Key Club Convention held this past week. The club, advised by teachers Ms. Michelle Ritterman and Ms. Christa Peters, took 18 students to the conference –  10th, 11th, and 12th graders, including: Sumner Sykes, Sam Wells, Stanley Tang, Nick Cerdera, Celia Timbers, Cameron Hayes, Steph Waldstein, Sami Gable, Julie Gelman, Lindsay Fullerton, Swathi Prakash, Mackenzie Greiner, Jackie Kizel, Reilly Burton, Devon Conroy, Mary Portugal, Bria Corbin, and Tanya Yevdosyuk.

Distinguished officer awards were awarded to Lindsay (Editor) for her monthly informers, Sam (Treasurer) for his early submission of club dues, Cameron (Secretary) for her submission of at least 6 monthly reports, and Sumner (Vice-President) for his early submission of the club officer report.

The Key Club received 2nd place in the Platinum Category (the highest category for clubs with more than 86 members) for Sam’s write-up of our Single Service event – our annual Breast Cancer Awareness Football Game and Program. Lindsay was awarded 3rd place for her digital poster; Bria and Tanya received 3rd place for their non-digital poster; Celia, Sumner and Cameron were awarded 3rd place for their work on the non-traditional scrapbook (a painted door portraying a collage of this year’s service events – which is being displayed in the senior high’s reception area); Julie and Stanley received a 2nd-place tie for their work on the video. Finally, Sumner was awarded 1st place for his speech in the oratory contest.

Students from Mrs. DaSilva’s APEX gifted grades 3, 5, and 6 classes from Rydal Elementary School and Highland Elementary School’s grade 5 gifted students collected over 70 blankets to be donated to Temple University’s Hospital Neonatal Care Unit as part of the Gracie’s Gift Project and the service learning project at the school.

The Gracie’s Gift Project was started by the Sonneborn family, in memory of Grace Sonneborn. Born in March of 2003, Gracie was found to have the rare condition known as OsteoGenesis Imperfecta (Brittle Bone Syndrome) and lived only one day.

According to the Sonneborn family, during the difficult time leading up to Gracie’s birth, tremendous kindness was extended to the family by friends, colleagues, and medical health professionals.  This support took many forms, and often came from unexpected places.  In a particularly touching gesture, nurses who attended Gracie’s birth gently wrapped her in a beautifully crocheted receiving blanket and bonnet that had been donated to the hospital.

In 2005, the family hoped to return some of the kindness extended to them by sharing a small gift with families in need.  They invited a few friends to join them in honoring Gracie’s memory by donating baby blankets to families served by the maternal infant unit of Temple University Hospital.  Word about the project spread and on Gracie’s birthday, the family delivered 40 gift-wrapped blankets to Temple University Hospital.  They were told by the nursing staff that these blankets would be the only gift that many of these infants would receive.

In that first year, the Gracie’s Gift Project donated 40 blankets.  Last year, over 1000 blankets were collected and distributed.  The goal for 2016 is to collect and donate 1200 blankets and Mrs. DaSilva’s classes are contributing to meeting that goal.

Abington Senior High School hosted its very successful Third Annual Mini-THON this month.  The Mini-THON, a fundraiser to combat pediatric cancer, raised over $29,400. Staff members Ms. Dawn McGee, Mr. Mike Zanetti, Ms. Kelly Miller, Ms. Casey Shapiro, and Ms. Melanie Yocku guided and supported student organizers Brian Agnew, Johnny Brandenburger, Brittany Levy, Karli Meller, and Caitlin McCalister along with 200 committed students and dozens of committed faculty and staff members.

The money raised supports the Penn State Hershey Hospital’s Four Diamonds Fund, which is committed to conquering childhood cancer by funding innovative research and supporting children and families impacted by the disease. Four families who are connected to the Abington school community and have been impacted by cancer shared their personal experiences with the students at the Mini-THON. The families thanked our students for their service and asked them to continue the important work of raising awareness and funds.

Additionally, the following faculty and staff volunteered their time on Friday night: Nicole Callahan,  Carol Capps, Jodi Haasz, Veronica Johnson, Jess Levin, Ian McMilan, Jon Morrissette, Brad Palmer, Laurie O’Connor, Taylor Shrunk, Pam Smith, Tim Sorber, David Turetzky, Todd Vaccaro, and Tony Viscariello. Former student, Matthew Simmons, donated a large portion of his noon to 10:30 PM DJing services. In addition, a dozen faculty and staff members donated baked goods and other food items.

Modeled after the Penn State Dance Marathon, “Four Diamonds Mini-THONs” originated in 1993 and empower students to learn about event management and philanthropy by joining in the fight against pediatric cancer. Last year, 100 schools like Abington held Mini-THON’s and raised a combined $2.1 million for Four Diamonds. The Four Diamonds’ mission is to conquer childhood cancer by assisting children being treated at Penn State Hershey Children’s Hospital and their families through superior care, comprehensive support, and innovative research.

The Roslyn Hockey Season wrapped up on March 15th when The Beastly Bananas topped the Broadstreet Bullies by a score of 3-1 to win the 2016 RHL (Roslyn Hockey League) cup. The season began on January 5th, and involved six teams: The Dangerous Divas, The Warriors, Purple Dragon Fury, The Underdogs, The Broadstreet Bullies and The Beastly Bananas. Six captains selected their teams and faced off in an exciting regular season and incredibly competitive playoff tournament. Individual award winners for the league included: Sabrina Chaieb – Most Valuable Player, Andrew Herman – Scoring Champion, Stan Newman – Best Goaltender, and Austin Brown – Rookie of the Year. The club was led by Mr. Schaffer, sixth grade teacher.

At the recent School Board meeting, Copper Beech Elementary School Principal Ms. Stephanie Viola introduced fifth-grade teacher Mrs. Linda Hagarty and the seven-student team that participated in the 2015 Citizenship Challenge sponsored by the Rendell Center for Civics and Civic Engagement. The students, Kaydin Ford, Jonathan Kim, Sean Doyle, Andrew Shultes, Ashley Rice, Jamie Ehnow, and Kathryn Moran, competed in the finals held at the National Constitution Center, presenting a three-minute team presentation and answering questions about the issues of the rights and responsibilities of citizens. The Copper Beech team was selected as the third-place runner-up. Earlier this month former Governor Edward Rendell presented a $500 check to the students and Mrs. Hagarty. A video of the team’s presentation at the National Constitution Center was shown at the School Board meeting and can be viewed with the video of the March 22, 2016 School Board meeting, available on the School District website. Shown here are photos of the team members attending the School Board meeting and screens from the Constitution Center video. Photos of the presentation at Cooper Beech by Mr. Rendell can be seen on an earlier Facebook post.

At the recent School Board meeting, Abington Senior High School Principal Mr. Angelo Berrios introduced Mr. Shawn Simmons, the High School’s Chess Team coach, and the team that won two state championships at the Pennsylvania State Scholastic Chess Championship earlier this month. The Chess Team won its second consecutive team State Championship in the U1300 division. The team of Dennis Phan, Alexander Serebriiskii, Andrew Nolan, and Nathanael Cheng earned an unprecedented score of 17 points. This total score has not been reached by any winner in this division in the last decade. Dennis Phan, a junior, scored a perfect 5-0 to capture the U1300 State Individual Championship. This is the second year in a row that an Abington player has claimed this prestigious title. The team will now prepare for the United States Chess Federation Scholastic Championship at the end of the month in Atlanta, Georgia.

Students who met Roslyn’s Elementary School’s “March Reading Madness” reading initiative goals attended a basketball clinic run by the Abington High School Boys’ & Girls’ Varsity Basketball Teams today. The Galloping Ghosts basketball teams visited Roslyn to promote the importance of reading along with academic and extracurricular goal-setting.  The high school team members reviewed the importance of setting academic goals with the students and distributed a form to help Roslyn students create SMART goals – goals that are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Time-bound.

     Abington Senior High School Varsity Head Coaches, Charles Grasty (a 1990 Abington alumnus and teacher at the high school) and Dan Marsh (teacher at Abington Junior High School) and their basketball teams spoke to the Roslyn students about their love of reading, the importance of goal-setting with regard to academics as well as extracurricular activities, and the benefits of teamwork. The teams then ran a mini-basketball clinic for students in grades 5 and 6 who reached their reading goals in the “March Reading Madness” program. They also distributed very popular player trading cards that feature the titles of the basketball players’ favorite children’s books.

Three Abington Senior High Students recently participated in the PMEA Region VI Chorus Festival at Upper Dublin High School.  Hunter West, Peirce Robinson, and Jack Sullivan represented Abington after qualifying for Regional Chorus at the District Chorus Festival held in February.  At the Region VI Chorus Festival, Jack Sullivan qualified for the PMEA All-State Chorus Festival held in Hershey, PA this past week.

Abington School District has been honored with the “Best Communities for Music Education” designation from the NAMM Foundation for its outstanding commitment to music education. This is the ninth time that Abington School District has received this prestigious award.

The Best Communities Music Education designation is awarded to districts that demonstrate outstanding achievement in efforts to provide music access and education to all students. Districts that have been recognized by the NAMM Foundation are often held up as models for other educators looking to boost their own music education programs.

To qualify for the “Best Communities” designation, Abington answered detailed questions about funding, graduation requirements, music class participation, instruction time, facilities, support for the music program, and community music-making programs. Responses were verified with school officials and reviewed by The Music Research Institute at the University of Kansas.

This award recognizes that Abington is leading the way with learning opportunities as outlined in the new federal education legislation, the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). The legislation, signed into law in December 2015, replaces No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), which was often criticized for an overemphasis on testing–while leaving behind subject such as music. ESSA recommends music and the arts as important elements of well-rounded education for all children.

The NAMM Foundation’s “Best Communities for Music Education” Award and the implementation of the federal ESSA law bring attention to the importance of keeping music education part of the school’s core education for all students. It also highlights music’s vital role in students’ overall success in school.

Community music programs have been drawing increased attention because of a landmark study by Northwestern University brain scientists. These researchers found new links between students in community music programs and academic success in subjects such as reading.  Beyond the Northwestern study, other reports indicate that learning to play music can boost academic and social skills, such as processing math and learning to cooperate in group settings. A 2015 study, “Striking A Chord” supported by the NAMM Foundation, also outlines the overwhelming desire by teachers and parents for music education opportunities for all children as part of the school curriculum.

About The NAMM Foundation:

The NAMM Foundation is a nonprofit supported in part by the National Association of Music Merchants and its approximately 10,300 members around the world. The foundation advances active participation in music making across the lifespan by supporting scientific research, philanthropic giving and public service programs. For more information about the NAMM Foundation, visit www.nammfoundation.org.

Ten Abington students are currently exhibiting artwork at the 2016 PSEA “TOUCH THE FUTURE” Juried Art Exhibition at the Abington Art Center.  The 29th Annual PSEA “Touch the Future” Student Art Exhibition will run from April 3 – 30, 2016 at the Art Center. This year’s juror is Nicole Hall, Director of Admissions at Temple University’s Tyler School of Art. After the selection process, students from public high schools in Bucks and Montgomery counties exhibit traditional and digital photography, computer graphics, drawings, paintings, ceramics, mixed media and sculpture. The show displays area students’ talents and artistic abilities, and is a tribute to the work of our public high school art programs and teachers. Elisabette (“Betta”) DiSalvo (pictured) won the award for best work in the category of 3-D Mixed Media.

Abington students in exhibition include: Alex Biel, Chris Cho, Zoe Ernst, Samantha Krauss, Isaiah Knox Rowlette, Elisabetta DiSalvo, Jack Acevedo, Daniela Munoz, Sara McCaffery, and Diedre Howard.

Abington Senior High School’s Chess Team competed at the United States Chess Federation’s National Scholastic Championship in Atlanta, Georgia last week.  Through the seven grueling rounds, the team brought home two team trophies and three individual trophies.

The Ghosts’ team of Dennis Phan, Timmy Ferry, Micah Cheng, and Brian Ouzomgi placed 5th among 63 teams competing in the u1200 section.

Abington’s u1600 team of Alek Sherstyuk, Nathanael Cheng, Andrew Nolan, and Sasha Serebriiskii placed 15th among 54 teams competing.

As individual players Dennis Phan took 11th place in the u1200. Timmy Ferry took 19th place in the u1200. Amin Mojarad placed 8th in the unrated section.

At the School Board meeting last night, Mr. Howard Baxter, Supervisor of Music and Coordinator of Elementary Art, introduced music teacher Ms. Julie Maragos – who has been selected as the recipient of the Pennsylvania Music Educators Association (PMEA) District 11 Citation of Excellence. PMEA District 11 includes music teachers in Bucks and Montgomery Counties. PMEA grants this award annually to one member in each PMEA district to bring special recognition to outstanding educators and recognize and reward excellence in music education. Ms. Maragos teaches music at Overlook Elementary School, where she inspires students to appreciate and perform music at high levels of performance.  Ms. Maragos is the fifth Abington music teacher to receive this honor and award.

The Parent Council Community Showcase of programs for children, many for the upcoming summer as well as year-long, was very successful this week in presenting interesting, excellent community programs and activities. Many community organizations participated and the showcase drew many interested parents.

Photo: Willow Hill Elementary School Principal Mr. Damon Jordan shares the good news with Abington School Board; Dr. Ann Bacon (background) explained grant possibilities.

The Pennsylvania Department of Education has announced that Willow Hill Elementary School has achieved status as a 2015-2016 Title I Reward School for High Progress after meeting four measurable requirements.

This designation places Willow Hill in the highest five percent of Title I schools in the state based on aggregate progress in closing the achievement gap in Reading and Mathematics for PSSA and/or Algebra I/Literature for Keystone Exams combined for the All Student group and the Historically Underperforming Student group.   Willow Hill Elementary School received this award for High Progress on the combined results of the Reading and Mathematics PSSA.

There are over 1,800 Title I Schools in Pennsylvania and only the top five percent earn this designation.

In addition to meeting the criteria for closing the achievement gap for the combined All Student group and Historically Underperforming Student group, to earn this designation the school had to meet four Annual Measurable Objectives (AMO’s) related to PSSA testing. These are:

• At least 95% of the students in grades 3 through 6 at Willow Hill must have participated in the Mathematics and Reading PSSA’s
• The Attendance Rate for All Students at Willow Hill must have been at least 90%.
• The school must have met its designated goal for Closing the Achievement Gap in Mathematics/Reading PSSA for All Students. This performance measure is based on a calculation involving the percent proficient/advanced in the base line year of the assessment and the average percent increase needed to close half of the total gap within six years.
• The school had to meet its designated goal for Closing the Achievement Gap in Mathematics/Reading PSSA for Historically Underperforming Students. The procedure for calculating this score is the same as that for the All Student achievement gap.

Willow Hill met all of these criteria and, as a result, was identified as one of 90 Title I Reward Schools for Progress. This number represents 5% of the Title I schools in Pennsylvania.

As a Title I Reward School: High Progress, Willow Hill will be eligible to apply for two competitive grants, an Innovation grant and a Collaboration grant.

An Innovation grant is a competitive grant that is designed to promote the implementation of new learning structures and processes to meet individual student needs. 

A Collaboration grant is a competitive grant that is awarded to Title I Reward and Focus schools. This requires a partnership between a Reward and a Focus school;  a Focus school is a Title I school that has the largest “within-school gaps between the highest-achieving subgroup or subgroups and the lowest-achieving subgroup or subgroups” or has a subgroup or subgroups with low achievement. Together, both schools must work collaboratively to create goals that will address the Annual Measurable Objective(s) that were not achieved by the Focus school, demonstrating its cooperation and outlining its plan to increase student achievement in those areas.

Under the leadership of Willow Hill Elementary School Principal Mr. Damon Jordan, a Willow Hill team has been selected by the Pennsylvania Department of Education to participate in the 2016 Governor’s Institute, P-3 Collaboration: Working Together for Student Success, to be held this summer in Philadelphia. Teams were accepted through a competitive application process.  The purpose of the P-3 Governor’s Institute is to help school districts, early learning providers, and community organizations throughout the state make the vital connections and collaborations necessary for student success from birth through grade 3.  The content of the Institute focuses on Kristie Kauerz’

Framework for Planning, Implementing, and Evaluating Pre K-3rd ‘Grade Approaches.

The three-day institute includes teams that serve children and families in the prenatal to 5-year-old and kindergarten-through-grade-3 systems.  The goal is to support high-quality early learning opportunities from prenatal through grade 3 by bringing together early education and community organization leaders to experience and share strategies to improve third grade literacy and mathematics outcomes; provide strategy-focused learning from local implementation teams to the broader statewide population; and, ultimately, help close the achievement gap for at-risk children.

When initially applying to participate in the Governor’s Institute, teams had to agree to:

• Bring a core team of no less than four educators and maximum of eight that must include at least one administrator and one K-3 teacher.  (Preference was given to applicants that included the following on their teams: family member, early intervention partner, community member, librarian, curriculum specialist, higher education partner, intermediate unit representative, out-of-school time representative).
• Participate in pre-networking, light reading of P-3 research and a phone call connection to an assigned specialist
• Attend and actively participate in the three-day institute
• Engage in continuous improvement via implementation and sharing of strategies/programs that will enhance student achievement
• Maintain an active role in the Governor’s Institute cohort subsequent to the Institute.

In addition to Mr. Jordan, Willow Hill’s team includes: Elementary Curriculum Specialist Ms. Cheryl Alexion; Ms. Shalon Doctor, a third-grade teacher; Ms. Kathleen Walton, a Reading Specialist; Ms. Loretta Henry, a parent of two Willow Hill students; Dr. Kelly Doyle, Supervisor of Elementary Communication Arts; and Dr. Kathleen Fadigan, Assistant Professor of Education at Penn State, Abington.

The Willow Hill Elementary School Team will receive hotel accommodations at no cost and travel reimbursement as well as registration for the Institute.  Participating teams will also have an opportunity to apply for a P-3 mini-grant;  information about the grant and the application process will be announced at the Institute.