The
Baldwin-Whitehall School District has joined a
statewide public outreach campaign designed to promote
the accomplishments, accountability and value of
Pennsylvania's public schools.
At Whitehall Elementary,
the character word for the month of February was
FRIENDSHIP. The definition of friendship is: showing
kind interest and good will. Everyone has the
potential to be a good friend. The way to make
friends is to be a friend. By being kind, helpful,
and dependable, one can be the sort of person
other people want to be friends with. At Whitehall,
students look for opportunities every day to be
friendly to someone they don’t know very
well. On March 1, a group of students in grades
three through five were recognized by their teachers
for showing the traits that make a person a good
friend. Each of these students were presented
with a Happygram.
Posted
3/3/04
Valentine's
Day Activities - Whitehall
Whitehall Elementary
students enjoyed Valentines Day activities. They
had the opportunity to practice the traits of
the February Character word - FRIENDSHIP.
Posted
3/3/04
Shared
Memories: Baldwin Boro Library
Under the direction
of Baldwin Boro library's Joyce Chiapetta, the
Shared Memories program is enjoyed by community
senior citizens and members of Baldwin High School's
T.I. Sparks group. Shared Memories allows senior
citizens and teenagers to come together monthly
to discuss and compare issues and their impact
on different generations. At the February meeting,
the group discussed the book, Flowers for Algernon,
and the topic of acceptance and understanding
of disabilities and differences.
Posted
3/3/04
BHS
Marching Band California Trip
Baldwin
High School Highlander marching band enjoyed
a fun, educational, activity -packed trip
to California. The group of 180 students,
staff, and adults spent eight days in San
Francisco and Los Angeles. Performances included
a parade at Disneyland, a symphonic band concert
and stage jazz band performance at Disney’s
California Adventure, and a performance at
the Queen Mary. The trip itinerary included
San Francisco’s Fisherman’s Wharf
Pier 39, Ghirardelli Square, Alcatraz, the
Golden Gate Bridge, Hearst Mansion, Monterrey
Peninsula
and the 17 mile drive
tour, Solvang, Hollywood, Disneyland, the Queen
Mary, Farmer’s Market, Santa Monica Beach
and Pier, Disney’s California Adventure, and
Universal Hollywood.
On Wednesday, March
3, 2004, Channel 4 Action News meteorologist,
Don Schwenneker, visited J.E. Harrison Middle
School. He met with 7th grade students who, as
part of their Earth Science curriculum, study
meteorology and atmospheric science with Mr. Reffert,
Ms. Kammer, and Mrs. Brooks-Minetti. These students
have also participated in a NASA satellite data
collection program using cloud formations, and
will be going to the Challenger Learning Center
at Wheeling Jesuit College for a moon flight simulation
this spring as part of their astronomy unit. Students
and staff sported school colors and sun glasses
to welcome the Channel 4 staff, and celebrate
looking forward to spring.
Posted
3/8/04
PES
First Grade Class Update
The first grade
class of Mr. Brennfleck at Paynter Elementary
has been very busy this school year. In reading,
the students are learning to recognize long vowel
sounds when heard and the different letter patterns
that work together to create these long vowel
sounds. The students are now able to think about
what they have read to project what might happen
and analyze why it did. Also, they are learning
to understand the kind of person that a character
is and how he feels at different points in the
story which then enables the students to read
orally with great inflection. Currently in math,
the class is exploring place value and counting
on by various number patterns. Next, they will
be counting money and telling time. Punxsutawney
Phil predicted six more week of winter weather,
and the class is watching it closely, as air and
weather are the focuses of their Science lessons.
Students are recording daily observations in their
weather journals as well as learning about the
properties of air through various exciting hands-on
experiments.
Posted
3/3/04
Paynter
Elementary - National PTA's School of Excellence
Paynter Elementary School has
earned the Parent Involvement Schools of Excellence
Certification for its outstanding parent involvement
program based on National PTA's National Standards
for Parent/Family Involvement. As part of
the certification process, Paynter formed
a team consisting of the principals, teachers,
parents, students, and representatives from
the community; completed a self-assessment;
and applied for the Certification of Excellence.
According to team members, the certification
is a symbol of parents, staff, and community
members working together for the common goal
of helping children succeed.
All schools can apply
for program certification, but only a small number
are chosen. Currently there are eleven schools in
Pennsylvania that have a been certified as schools
of excellence and two of those are in the Baldwin-Whitehall
School District. Paynter joins McAnnulty Elementary,
which became certified last year.
The American Association
of Colleges for Teacher Education, National Association
of Elementary School Principals, National Association
of Secondary School Principals, National Education
Association, and National School Public Relations
Association joined National PTA in the development
and implementation of the certification program.
Posted
3/12/04
Quilt
Art Unit - PES
The quilt design
project was a culmination of a printmaking experience
for Mrs. Cooley's fourth grade art class at Paynter
Elementary. Each student designed the fabric for
their quilt by creating prints on fadeless paper.
Students then developed their designs by folding
and cutting their squares into planned shapes
and worked by developing a grid system to put
together their design. Students needed to keep
in mind color contrast and how the design might
rotate. These students examined traditional quilt
designs before they designed their own.
Posted
3/12/04
Birdhouses
- Whitehall
To celebrate the
beginning of the spring season, Mrs. Siler’s
third grade students at Whitehall Elementary made
birdhouse feeders. Under the direction of a student’s
mother, Mrs. Marini, the children were given peanut
butter, different kinds of cereal, and birdseed
to make a delicious treat to hang in a tree for
the birds.
Posted
3/31/04
St.
Patrick's Day Potato Activity - McAnnulty
In celebration of
the Irish, students in Mrs. Griener's second grade
classroom at McAnnulty Elementary wrote original
creative potato stories with a potato for the
main character. Students also decorated a potato
to represent their main character. Two weeks of
prepartation took place outside of class, and
then the stories were shared with their classmates
and first grade classrooms.
Posted
3/31/04
Whitehall
Elementary Peer Mediation
Peer mediation is coming
to Whitehal Elementary School. Peer Mediation is
a proven conflict resolution program and a voluntary
peaceful resolution of disputes in which neutral
third parties act as mediators. It is students helping
students.
Peer Mediation provides
students with a positive alternative to conflict.
Peers Making Peace is a research-based, educator
created program. It is the only conflict resolution
program in the United States recognized by both
the U.S. Center for Substance Abuse Prevention
and the U.S. Department of Education & Drug
Free Schools & Communities Program!
Peer Mediators are students
trained to provide a safe, scripted, structured,
and confidential process to assist other students
in conflict resolution. During the pilot period
of this new program, selected fourth grade students
will be trained as Peer Mediators. Trained school
staff will confidentially monitor peer mediators.
Peer Mediation will
help make your child's school a friendlier place
to be and learn. Peer Mediation can be used to decrease
social disagreements; however, it will not take
the place of office referrals for severe offenses.
Posted
3/31/04
Differentiated
Instruction - PES
Miss DeSensi’s
second grade class at Paynter Elementary has been
focusing on differentiated instruction through
learning centers. From "Soaring Synonyms"
to "Word Soup" the students are having
fun learning cooperatively with their peers.
Posted
3/31/04
Administration Building, 4900 Curry Road,
Pittsburgh, PA 15236
