March Commendations
Students of the Month: Congratulations to February’s Students of the Month. Those who were recognized on February 29 during lunch with a framed certificate by Mr. Garritano were Bryan Dinh, first grader; Caroline Turner, second grader; Krista Grammerstorf, third grader; Kathleen McErlean, fourth grader; and Noah Deichmann, fifth grader. Photos were taken and are being displayed in our student of the month display case during the month of March.
Read Across America: Schuylkill Elementary’s Read Across America activities took place on Friday, February 29th. Chairperson for the event was Mrs. Antoinette Thais, reading specialist. She was assisted by reading specialists, Mrs. Sandy Yeager and Mrs. Debbie Valentine. Guest Readers came to read in every classroom. Ms. Jen Horos, psychologist intern, dressed up as the Cat In the Hat, and made an appearance distributing book marks to every child in the school. The school children made a pledge to be life long readers. Mr. Jim Wilson and the Seussettes led the school in singing “Happy Birthday” to Dr. Seuss. Afterwards treats donated by homeroom moms were served in every classroom. Many thanks to Mrs. Susan Turner for contacting the parents. Students dressed in their favorite Seussical attire. Students received certificates of participation.
Prior to the 29th, students read with their buddy readers and watched Dr. Seuss videos. Posters donated by Mr. Spollen were on display throughout the building. Bulletin boards and display cases were decorated for the celebration. Third grade teachers, Kristy Young, Jennifer Lau, Ibby Rios, Katie McCall, Debbie Foresta for hosting a “Green Eggs and Ham” breakfast in the morning for the staff. Mrs. Tammy Kurtz, gym teacher, integrated Dr. Seuss book themes into her gym classes for the day. Students rotated to stations of activities and had lots of fun.
Many thanks to our guest readers who included Mr. Matt O”Donnell, Mr. Paul Slaninka, Mr.Frank Garritano, Mrs.Gini Salava, Dr.David Noyes, Mr. Jim Salava, Mrs. Chris Garritano, Mr. Alex Stefanelli, Mrs. Nancy McAvoy, Miss Lindsey McAvoy, Mrs. Mary Dehnert, Mr. and Mrs. Hugo Buda, Mrs. Heidi Smithson, Mrs. Ellen Truax, Rep. Carole Rubley, Mrs. Sandra Henzie, Mr. Rob Frees, Mrs. Margaret Pearsall, Miss Lisa Germeroth, Mrs. Sue Spollen, Mr. Keith Wickstrom, Mrs. Jeanne Fritz, Mrs. Sandee Mandel Mrs. George Frazier.
Many thanks to Nicole Delson for organizing the refreshments for the guest readers.
The following is the list of the parents who provided the tasty treats.
Jodi O'Neill, Heidi Smithson, Becki Kerchner , Barbara Mashtare , Beth Smiley ,Megan Perillo, Megan Eggleston.
Blue and Gold Banquet: Phoenixville Pack 73 hosted their Blue and Gold Banquet. Fifth Graders Nathan Boscher, Christopher Carney, Joseph Dowd, Russell Emery, Vincent Gervasi, Kurtis Houting, Peter Kruger, Alec Loges, Jack Morris and David Nascari bridged up to the boys scouts. Over 100 people including parents, siblings, troop leaders, and school personnel were in attendance. Opening Ceremony, Buffee Dinner, Achievements and Bridging Ceremony, and entertainment by a magician were on the agenda for the evening. Jack Morris was honored with the Dave Vognetz Outstanding Scout Award.
Teacher Leadership: Many thanks to Mrs. Meldine Brodar for updating the staff on “how to” access Electronic Resources both at school and home and to Miss Parsons for her update on Security Procedures for administering/handling the PSSA at the February faculty meeting.
Support of PCEF Fundraiser: On Frebruary 29th, the PCEF hosted Their annual dinner-auction-dance fundraiser. The Schuylkill faculty donated $200 and Mrs. Illig created a coffee basket for the auction. The basket contained coffee from around the world along with a coffee bean grinder, inspirational book to read when sipping coffee, mugs and lots more. The staff from Schuylkill was well represented that evening. Miss Barnes, Miss Mauldin, Mrs. Nabozny and husband, Miss De Marco, Mrs. Kornaga, Mrs. Nestler, Mrs. Illig, Miss Parsons, Miss Valencia, Mrs. Di Giorolomo, Mrs. Gray, Mrs. Horos-Hensler and husband , Mrs. Snaith and husband, Mrs. Salava and Mr. Garritano and wife all came out. Mrs. Lees and her art club painted and decorated princess and knight student chairs for the auction which generated close to $300.00. Mrs. Greene helped with the skirt and pillow for the chairs. The Schuylkill parents had the highest percentage represented of all parents in the district. Go, Schuylkill!!!!
Chartwells Wellness Activity: March 3rd to 7th was designated as Breakfast Week. Chartwells provided large picture books for first and second grade teachers to read aloud to their students. The first grade team had the entire first grade congregate in cafeteria to hear the reading of the book titled Step Into a Breakfast Story. First graders interacted to a stretching exercise with actions mimicking “making whole grain muffins”. The culminating activity was singing the song about egg preferences sung to tune “ If You’re Happy and You Know It.” Students each received an individual package of graham crackers from Chartwells. Second graders repeated the activity but in the privacy of their own individual classrooms.
The Ice Cream Shop: Mr. John Collaruso, proprietor of Petrucci’s Ice Cream Shop, came to read to all first graders on Wednesday, March 12th . Mrs. Collaruso not only read the book about his shop but gave each first grader their very own copy. Students enjoyed the story. Thanks , John!!!!!
Weller Health Institute: The Weller Health Institute presented grade-level assemblies on March 7th . Funding was provided by the SSHA and PASD school district. Handful of Healthy Habits was the title of the assemblies for grades 1 and 2. Food and Fitness was the topic presented to grades 4 and 5. Third graders did exercise during their assembly titled Kids in Motion. Mrs. Carl Flahavan is the parent in charge of assemblies for Schuylkill Elementary School. Many thanks to him for organizing this healthy educational experience for the students. The students loved it.!!!!
Congratulations Dr.Garritano !!!!!!: On Wednesday, March 12, Mr. Frank Garritano defended his dissertation at Immaculata University and officially received his doctorate. . The staff celebrated with a surprise gathering on March 13th before school to honor and congratulate the doc. His first official plaque inscribed with honorable title of Dr. was presented to him. Banners, balloons, and confetti greeted him in the morning. A school-wide banner with the entire student body signatures hung in the hallway by main entrance. Students were congratulating him all day and call him Dr. Garritano. What a wonderful male role model for our students.
Pi Day: On Friday, March 14th the fifth graders celebrated π day. The day focused on that mysterious number which defines the circumference of a circle. March 14th is also Einstein’s birthday. Mathematical investigations were the theme for the day.
Activities included:
· Mrs. Walker’s and Mrs. Sadofsky’s classes worked to prove the theory of circumference. They compared the relationship between the diameter and the circumference of a circle.
· Mrs. Chapman’s class had a real life application of the word “pun” when they used pi and pie humorously. Some of the children were delighted when they discovered the pattern that proved the existence of pi.
· Miss Parson’s class learned about the history of pi and located their birthdays on the sequence of digits. They made pi key chains and necklaces, using the first hundred digits of pi. Robbie McMahon was the first person to complete the sequence.
· Mrs. Hrynko’s class discovered the meaning of pi by measuring the circumference and diameter of their mini apple pies. Students tested their theory on other circles and many used the compass for the first time!
· Mrs. Illig’s class used string to make their compasses and draw a circle. They found that its diameter was about 1/3 of its circumference. After trying other circles, they found that any diameter multiplied by 3.14 equals the circumference. After measuring their own mini pie and finding its circumference, students enjoyed eating their apple pie.
· Miss Valencia’s class used measurement strategies to find the volume of the pie box and the circumference of the pie. They used their compasses to create a Frisbee and made necklaces using beads to represent the first 100 digits of pi.
A very special thank you goes to Mrs. Janice Illig who special ordered the 125 pies, picked them up and distributed to fifth grade teachers.
K-Kids and Art Club’s Community Service Project: The Art Club and K-Kids at Schuylkill Elementary recently completed a service project for the Phoenixville Hospital. The students came in every Friday before school for 2 months and designed and stitched pillows for the heart patients at the hospital. The students also made get well cards for the patients. It was a rewarding activity for the students and they should be commended for their hard work and sacrifice. Taylor Tague wrote a beautiful poem which was placed in each card. These pillows will be given to patients following a heart procedure.
Mrs. Kornaga’s Classroom News: Mrs. Kornaga’s second grade class published the March Edition of their classroom news letter. Students wrote, edited, typed, and inserted photos of Pajama Day and the 100th Day of School celebration!! Nice Job second grade!!!
Kudos to Mr. John Odell: PASD Elementary Chess Club Advisor: Mr. John Odell, an 8th grade science teacher at PAMS and the faculty advisor of the PAMS Chess Club organized chess clubs at all the elementary schools. Fifth grade students had an opportunity to learn to play the strategic game of chess. The culminating activity for the elementary clubs is a chess Tournament. Here are the results :
On Saturday, March 8th, 18 students of the East Pikeland, Barkley and Schuylkill Elementary School chess clubs gathered for a tournament held at the Phoenixville HS cafeteria in conjunction with the Future Phantoms Basketball tournament. The tournament used a Swiss system in which players were reseeded after each game with each student playing 6 games. 1 point is awarded for a win, ½ point for a draw and 0 points for a loss. David Coffman from Schuylkill came out blazing with 3 wins in his first 3 games to lead at the halfway break. Right behind him were Jack Morris from Schuylkill and Caleb Garven from East Pikeland, each with 2 wins and a tie for 2 ½ points and Christopher Carney from Schuylkill with 2 wins and a loss for 2 points. Following a break for lunch, the dynamic play continued with Braden Bowdish from Schuylkill and Darin Cleveland from Barkley making strong charges by winning all 3 of their games to finish high in the standings. Michael Cunliffe from Schuylkill won 2 of his final games to finish in a tie for 5th/6th place with Darin Cleveland. Braden Bowdish’s strong 2nd half showing gained him 4th place. Caleb Garvin won 2 games but lost a critical game to Jack Morris putting him in a tie for 2nd/3rd place with Morris. David Coffman opened up the 2nd half by losing a game to Christopher Carney but won his last two games with victories against David Snyder from Barkley and a key final game win against Caleb Garvin which gave him the championship with 5 points and an overall record of 5 wins and only 1 loss. Other players included Justin Ackroyd, Shane Kramer, Chris Fitting, and Sam Fanus from East Pikeland. Andrew Mangabat, Becca Rush and Jerimiah Perez from Barkley, and Vincent Gervasi and Jonathan Gibson from Schuylkill.
Bringing Home the Trophies: Both girls’ and boys’ teams won the Championship games during the Phuture Phantom’s Basketball Tournament held at the PAHS on March 8th. Kudos to coaches Joe Labik, second grade teacher, Mr. Ibby Rios, third grade Spanish Immersion teacher, Marlene Valencia, fifth grade Spanish Immersion teacher, and Jennifer Barnes, second grade teacher. Kudos to the high school coaches Kate Casaday, Ellen Dvorak, Jessie Daywalt, Scott Crabtree, and Mike Matson. Their mentorship was very much appreciated. The teams were cheered on to victory thanks to parent, Mrs. Chrissy Panella, who coached the cheerleaders. The two trophies are proudly displayed in our lobby display case. Many thanks to the committee of administrators, teachers, and parents who organized the event.
Citadel Heart of Learning Nominee: Mrs. Kelly Walker, fifth grade learning support teacher, was nominated for the Citadel Heart of Learning Award sponsored by Citadel Savings and Loan. Congratulations, Kelly!!! She deserves the honor.
A/B Letters: Congratulations to the 126 fourth and fifth graders who received A /B letters for the second marking period. These students demonstrated achievement due to hard work and a lot of effort. They assumed the responsibilities that are necessary to being successful students.
Service Learning: Miss Bonkoski’s fourth grade homeroom has collected $1,120.00 for the Phoenixville Early Childhood Learning Center to date. The project will continue throughout the remainder of the school year. Look for monthly postings of their success. Their goal is to raise $10,000.00.
Iditarod: Mrs. Chapman’s fifth grade class has been working on an integrated unit that centered on the Iditarod, “The Last Great Race”. The students studied Alaska and produced travel posters that persuaded Mrs. Chapman to visit Alaska. After watching a short film that introduced them to the Iditarod they prepared a power point presentation on the Iditarod itself and developed a opinion vs. fact poster. Students chose individual mushers to study. They wrote a biography of their musher and shared that via a power point slide. They wrote an Iditarod poem and haiku. They read and responded in literature groups to leveled Newbery award winning books about the Iditarod by Gary Paulsen, Scott O’Dell, and John Reynolds Gardiner. They will go on to read and respond to another fiction and one non-fiction Iditarod books after finishing their PSSA testing mid-April. Math skills were used during this unit as well. students graphed the temperature in Anchorage, AK and Philadelphia each day and compared the two. They graphed the sunrise and sunset in both Anchorage and Philadelphia and discussed the lengthening days. As the race itself began each child tracked his/her musher on a map and recorded his/her place daily on a chart and graph they developed. They studied a chart each AM to find the information in order to record it properly. The student (Nathan Boscher) who had chosen the winner of the Iditarod received a prize as does the child who chose the winner of the Red Lantern (last place-we don’t know who it is yet but it looks like Lily Jennings may be the winner). Mrs. Walker’s class joined Mrs. Chapman’s class for many of the activities. A fun learning time was had by all.
Drama Club Performs Dr. Seuss Skits: Thirty-two fourth graders came together once a week for 15 weeks to work on a production of Dr. Seuss stories. The performance was held after school on Thursday, March 6th under the direction of Mrs. Yeager, Reading Specialist and Mrs. Lamont, Fourth grade teacher. Students auditioned for their roles. At each meeting, students worked on relaxation and focusing techniques, dramatic games and improv activities. They worked cooperatively to create the production including costumes and some props. Kudos to all the students and the drama club advisors. After the production, a cast party was held. The show was wonderful!!!!!
Second Graders Celebrate Green Day: On St. Patrick’s Day the second graders celebrated with an Irish flair. Six classrooms were set up with Irish activities for all to enjoy. Pin the Shamrock on the Leprechaun was being played in Miss Barnes’ room. A large banner of multi-color construction paper hands (129 in all ) were arranged like a rainbow with a pot of gold in Mrs. Leman’s room. In Mrs. Kornaga’s room was the Fear Factor challenge. Students were encouraged to eat fresh brussel sprouts, green beans, cucumbers, broccoli, green apples, and green grapes. Dancing leprechaun finger puppets were made in Mrs. Havrilla’s room. Leprechaun contraction wheels were made in Mrs. Chapracki’s class. Mr. Labik played a computerized St. Patrick’s Day Memory Game. All 6 second grade classes rotated to each classroom for the activities. Thanks to the teachers for organizing the activities and to the parents who helped.