PARKSIDE ELEMENTARY APRIL 2015 What’s your superpower? 3/30 – 4/3 Spring Recess 4/6 No School for Students In-Service Day 4/7 Kindergarten Field Trip 4/8 Grade 1 Field Trip 4/13-4/24 PSSA English Language Arts/Math Testing Window 4/14 Grade 1 Field Trip PSSA Breakfast Grades 3-5 4/15 School Board Study Session 7:30 pm 4/16 PSSA Breakfast Grades 3-5 4/20 PSSA Breakfast Grades 3-5 4/21 2015-16 Kindergarten Orientation @ Aston Gym 7:00 pm 4/22 2015-16 Kindergarten Orientation @ Coebourn Library 9:30 am PSSA Breakfast Grades 3-5 School Board Meeting 7:30 pm 4/27 Reading Olympics Competition @Springton Lake Middle School 4/27-5/1 PSSA Science Window Grade 4 4/29 Progress Reports Mailed April Calendar Dear Parents, I hope everyone had an opportunity to spend extra time with family and friends over the break. It is hard to believe we are in the final trimester of the school year. Please be sure to contact your child’s teacher with any questions or concerns you may have regarding progress. Over the next several months there is still much to be accomplished as we continue to forge ahead at Parkside Elementary. Throughout the month of April, Parkside Elementary students in grades 3, 4 and 5 will participate in PSSA Math and PSSA ELA as required by the Pennsylvania Department of Education. Grade 4 will also participate in PSSA Science testing at the end of the month. Please see the testing windows on the April calendar and visit the Parkside web page to view the testing schedule and parent information. The tests are scheduled first thing in the morning - thank you for assuring your child is well rested and has a nutritious breakfast. Please see the April calendar for dates of PSSA breakfast (4/14, 4/16, 4/20, 4/22) provided by the Parkside PTL for students in grades 3, 4 and 5. The PTL breakfast has been a Parkside tradition for many years and is great way for our testing students to start the day! As we head into warmer weather please be reminded of the following safety guidelines: Students are required to wear closed shoes with a back strap. Flip-flops or backless sandals are not permitted. Students are required to wear shirts with sleeves. Tank tops are not permitted. Pets are not permitted on school grounds before, during or after school. Thank you for your continued support. Best, Teresa Ford Principal
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PARKSIDE ELEMENTARY
APRIL 2015
What’s your superpower?
3/30 – 4/3 Spring Recess 4/6 No School for Students In-Service Day 4/7 Kindergarten Field Trip 4/8 Grade 1 Field Trip 4/13-4/24 PSSA English Language Arts/Math Testing Window 4/14 Grade 1 Field Trip PSSA Breakfast Grades 3-5 4/15 School Board Study Session 7:30 pm 4/16 PSSA Breakfast Grades 3-5 4/20 PSSA Breakfast Grades 3-5 4/21 2015-16 Kindergarten Orientation @ Aston Gym 7:00 pm 4/22 2015-16 Kindergarten Orientation @
Coebourn Library 9:30 am PSSA Breakfast Grades 3-5 School Board Meeting 7:30 pm 4/27 Reading Olympics Competition @Springton Lake Middle School 4/27-5/1 PSSA Science Window Grade 4 4/29 Progress Reports Mailed
April Calendar
Dear Parents,
I hope everyone had an opportunity to spend extra time with
family and friends over the break. It is hard to believe we are
in the final trimester of the school year. Please be sure to
contact your child’s teacher with any questions or concerns
you may have regarding progress. Over the next several
months there is still much to be accomplished as we continue
to forge ahead at Parkside Elementary.
Throughout the month of April, Parkside Elementary
students in grades 3, 4 and 5 will participate in PSSA Math
and PSSA ELA as required by the Pennsylvania Department
of Education. Grade 4 will also participate in PSSA Science
testing at the end of the month. Please see the testing
windows on the April calendar and visit the Parkside web
page to view the testing schedule and parent information.
The tests are scheduled first thing in the morning - thank you
for assuring your child is well rested and has a nutritious
breakfast. Please see the April calendar for dates of PSSA
breakfast (4/14, 4/16, 4/20, 4/22) provided by the Parkside
PTL for students in grades 3, 4 and 5. The PTL breakfast has
been a Parkside tradition for many years and is great way for
our testing students to start the day!
As we head into warmer weather please be reminded of the following safety guidelines:
Students are required to wear closed shoes with a back strap. Flip-flops or backless sandals are not permitted.
Students are required to wear shirts with sleeves. Tank tops are not permitted.
Pets are not permitted on school grounds before, during or after school.
Thank you for your continued support.
Best,
Teresa Ford
Principal
Build-a-Book Family Night Parkside families enjoyed a fun-filled evening of literacy and imagination at Build-a-Book Family Night.
This event allowed students and their parents to write and build a very special one-of-a-kind book all while
promoting writing and reading. Families worked together using their writing skills, imagination and craft
materials to create a keepsake book to read at home.
Thank you to the Parkside faculty and staff who organized and facilitated this wonderful event.
Rock Your Socks
Parkside Elementary students and staff participated in the district wide “Rock Your Socks” event for
World Down Syndrome Day; everyone wore mismatched or crazy socks to show their support.
Thank you to everyone who participated in this event for World Down Syndrome Day!
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A New Kind of Hero Parkside Elementary students enjoyed an assembly hosted by Sadeky’s puppets. The focus of the
assembly was on everyday heroes who stand up for others, which is in alignment with Parkside’s school
wide theme. The students were spellbound by the puppetry and able to ask questions of the puppeteers
after the show. Parkside’s very own puppet friend, Peter of Parkside, was on hand to welcome his fellow
puppets and to speak about the importance of good character at Parkside Elementary.
Everyday heroes are kind, honest, respectful, helpful, thoughtful…
Men, Women and K9 in Blue Police officers from the Parkside, Upland and Aston Police Departments recently visited Parkside Elementary.
Officer Lou Scaperotto from the Parkside Police Department and Officer Samantha Wilding from the Upland
Police Department presented to second grade students on Career Day and spoke about the training and job
of a police officer. Officer Mikell Jones and K9 Officer Jax from the Aston Police Department presented to
third grade students who recently learned about service dogs. Officer Jones spoke about the training and job
of K9 Officer Jax. Both visits were exciting and engaging for students who had many questions.
Thank you to all of our police officers who protect and serve every day!
Read Across America Parkside Elementary celebrated Read Across America with breakfast and a book! Students and
staff enjoyed lounging in pajamas while reading Dr. Seuss books and munching on healthy
breakfast snacks. Guest readers, including Assistant Superintendent Mr. Gregg, visited various
classrooms to wrap up a wonderful day of literacy at Parkside Elementary.
The more that you read, the more you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you will go.
- - Dr. Seuss
Spotlight on the Curriculum
The Right Time to Write Well…
Regardless of a student’s chosen profession, the need to write well in the workplace has never been greater. Employers
across the U.S. agree that one of the greatest reasons for not contacting prospective candidates for an interview include
poorly written cover letters and résumés. For many potential employees, the door closes even before it opens. Writing
matters!
Across the state, the upcoming Science, Reading and Writing, and Math PSSAs in the middle and elementary schools will
measure the effectiveness of students’ writing. In preparation, teachers have been rigorously preparing students to
meet the challenges of these assessments. At Sun Valley High School, seniors recently completed a round of mock
interviews where they were interviewed by members of the Aston Business Association. Students presented their
prospective employers with cover letters and résumés they prepared in their English classes. Following this activity,
students received written feedback from the interviewers that they can later use to prepare for the day when the
interview is real. At Northley Middle School, students participated in a symposium that featured college and career
topics that emphasized the need for basic communication skills. Guess what skill was at the top of the list? And at the
elementary level, students participate in a district writing assessment to monitor growth in writing. Again, writing
matters!
So how do we convince students to take writing seriously? Some students naturally gravitate toward writing and seem
to enjoy it, much like reading. In fact, the two often go hand-in-hand. Students who enjoy reading typically enjoy
writing. But what about those reluctant writers—those students who just do not like to write? How do we motivate
them? Like anything in life, writing takes a great deal of practice and patience. It is difficult to say if one ever really
masters the craft in life. A great many authors say that they would revise their books after print if they could. To that
end, students need to know that writing is a process that consists of brainstorming, drafting, revising, editing, and
publishing. There are specific expectations for each step of the process and skipping any one of those steps could
undermine its integrity. Writing is important.
Penn-Delco teachers strive to provide students with the essential lessons and support to be successful writers. Writing
across the curriculum shows students that writing does not simply reside in the English classroom. An extension of
teaching young writers to write well could involve something as simple as parents or guardians taking time to read their
students writing. Celebrate the good aspects of the piece, but also point out areas of weakness and some suggestions to
help make it better. Ask the writer two important questions about the writing: Who is your audience? and What is your
purpose for writing? Focused writers know the audience and purpose of their writing. Finally, ask the writer to read his
work aloud—either to himself or to you. The ear is often as sharp as the eye. Whether it be for a state assessment, a
résumé for employment, or simply a pastime activity, the need to write right is always important! Celebrate the process
by encouraging young writers to write more often. The following links are to some great writing resources for parents