Fall 2010 - American Paradigm Schools

FALL
'10
Tacony Earth Balloon
A PUBLICATION OF FIRST PHILADELPHIA PARADIGM
Tacony Academy Grows into a
High School in the 2010 School Year
NiNth Graders (the Class of 2014)
The first day of school is always exciting for everyone
involved but for Tacony Academy Charter School there
was extra excitement in the air because they began their
school year with their first fifth
grade class and their first ninth
grade high school class.
At 7:30 am, on September 7,
2010, the Ninth grade class of
students entered the school
building to a clap-off of
applause by special invited
guests, the Board of Trustees,
all of the teachers, assistants
and the administrative team.
They were lined up inside the building in a reception
line formation for the incoming class of 2014. This
welcoming tradition will continue in the years to come and
will include each and all of the
upper grade students.
Tacony Academy Charter School
is a K-5 and grade 9 school
for 2010 with 550 students.
It will be a K-6 and grades 9
and 10 school in 2011 with 725
students. In four years it will be
a K-12 charter school with
1,075 students.
★
Tacony Academy has a lot to celebrate this year:
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tacony academy lower grade students arrived at 8:30 am, on september 7, 2010
★ The Center for Character Education Partnership
(CEP) named Tacony Academy Charter School and
First Philadelphia Charter School as 2010 National
Award Winning Schools for their Promising Practices (All School participation in the International Dream Flag Project: Opportunities to Build
Community and Support Student Achievement)
★Tacony Academy Charter will be making application to
become a “No Excuses University” this year. No Excuses
University Schools promote a culture of universal achievement.
★
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★The First Tee National School Program has asked
Tacony Academy Charter to join the golf program. It is a
program that establishes a lifelong interest in golf by
engaging children in a structured golf curriculum taught
during physical education.
first Philadelphia Charter school
started back to school on Wednesday, august 11th, at 8:30 aM.
First Philadelphia Charter is a Kindergarten through
Eighth Grade school with over 730 children. They have
a lot to celebrate this year;
• This will be our ninth year in existence as a public
charter school
• The eighth grade class, the school’s first
Kindergarten class, scored 90% proficient or
advanced in both Mathematics and Reading on the
2009-2010 PSSA assessments.
• In accordance with “No Child Left Behind” we are
very proud to have met “Adequate Yearly Progress”
– AYP, continuously for the past three years,
2007-2008, 2008-2009 and 2009-2010.
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alumni Meeting Bubble day
of first Philadelphia Charter school
There are now over 160 young men and women who have
completed Eighth Grade at First Philadelphia Charter. On
August 28, 2010, the alumni met as a group for the first time. Games
were played, songs were sung, stories were retold and all
enjoyed pizza, soda and juice. Everyone is thrilled that so many
students returned for this first alumnae event.
Shortly into the beginning of every school year,
when the weather outside is still very hot, we
always spend a portion of a Friday with a school
wide buddy activity to develop relationships and
enjoy the activities involved in making bubbles.
ronald Mcdonald
dental Van
The Ronald McDonald Charities dental van came several times
to First Philadelphia Charter School. This mobile van gives an
opportunity to students who need dental care to receive it for free.
The van included two dental chairs staffed by a dentist, a hygienist,
and dental assistant. These caring professionals offer cleanings and
exams, fillings, and referrals for more complicated work.
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a Night at the opera:
OTELLO
The Opera Company of Philadelphia provides a variety of programs
accessible for middle school and high school students throughout the
Delaware Valley. The magic of opera comes to life as students experience
the art form and participate in cross-curriculum lessons. The 7th Grade
students from First Philadelphia Charter went to see the Opera Otello.
The Sounds of Learning student dress rehearsal for Otello was held in the
Academy of Music in late September. The opera was performed in Italian
and featured English subtitles so the students could understand every word.
Garden Club
Penn State 4-H, with assistance from the
Master Gardener program, the Morris Arboretum and others, worked with teachers
and administrators at the First Philadelphia
Charter School for Literacy to present a
study unit that involved students in every
aspect of growing food. They prepared the
seedbeds, examined the seeds as they
planted them, watered and weeded the
plants, and finally enjoyed the harvest.
College settlement Camp
In September 2010 the fifth graders from Tacony Academy and
First Philadelphia joined forces at College Settlement Camp.
The students worked together, played together and most
importantly learned together. The time spent there was
invaluable and encouraged long lasting relationships, memories,
and fun times. As the students had activities and meals together
they were able to learn more about each other and build
relationships that we will continue to foster in order to build a
caring community between the schools as a paradigm.
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Tacony Earth Balloon
On Thursday and Friday, September 30 and October 1st, from 8:30
am to 3:00 pm, a large inflatable model of the earth was positioned
in the school gymnasium. The Earth Balloon is 19’ across at
the equator but is only about 17’ high. It serves as a hands-on
supplement to classroom learning.
The program started with a world tour around the outside of the
balloon, followed by a discussion of geographic features such as
continents and oceans. The Earth Balloon is like looking at the earth
from outer space. The Earth Balloon is made of about 2000 satellite
photographs that were taken high above the actual earth and allow
you to view the earth without any clouds blocking the view. The children were able to see mountains, rivers, deserts, rain forests,
islands, and oceans.
The children entered the large Earth Balloon through a zipper in the
Pacific Ocean to learn about our amazing planet. Once they enter
the Earth Balloon, the children sat close together on Antarctica.
arthur ashe tennis
The mission of Arthur Ashe Youth
Tennis and Education is to create
opportunities for a diverse cross-section
of young people, especially those from
low-income families and communities,
to make positive choices in their lives,
remain in and succeed in school, reject
violence and other risky behaviors, and
grow into active, responsible and productive citizens. They work to achieve
these goals through innovative tennis
instruction, education, life skills, and
leadership development programming
in neighborhoods throughout the
Philadelphia area and at the Arthur
Ashe Youth Tennis and Education Center. Both Paradigm Schools received
grants for students in the upper grades
to receive free tennis instruction for 8
weeks in the Fall.
United states
tennis
association
Tacony Academy and First Philadelphia
Charter were both awarded grants from the
United States Tennis Association to
introduce Quick Start Tennis to our
younger students. Quick Start Tennis is an exciting new play
format for learning tennis, designed to bring kids ages 10
and under into the game by utilizing specialized equipment,
shorter court dimensions and modified scoring, all tailored to
age and size.
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Building a
“foUNdatioN”
As the Paradigm Schools continue to grow as an organization, all of the
relationships that are fostered serve to make an imprint on each and every
student that attends one of our schools.
On Thursday, September 30, 2010, a kick – off reception was held to introduce
Jo–Jo’s Foundation for Children and Youth. First Philadelphia students
provided instrumental and choral ensemble entertainment, as the mixing-andmingling of new partners, donors, staff and friends gathered to learn about the
foundation. Established to provide resources for after school activities that
keep students safe, active, and educationally engaged, Founder Josephine
Chan and Foundation President, Dr. Frances Connolly have awarded Paradigm Schools as the benefactor of any contributions made to the foundation.
As the decadent hors d’oeuvres were butlered by Birchtree Caterers and table
top treats lined the vestibule of the Gerald Santilli Arts & Science Center, attendees were graced in conversation and toured by student guides
who participate in the after school programs currently offered. From tennis
instruction, Chinese culture, music programs, to karate and tutoring clubs,
Jo-Jo’s Foundation has been an integral contributor in allowing these after
school activities to flourish.
The future of Paradigm Schools has a blueprint constructed with an expectation of success. Developing an infrastructure that offers
choice to families who want the best for their children is a goal of Paradigm Schools. Having the support of an organization for
children and youth such as the Jo–Jo Foundation ensures that our students are preparing for a future in the right direction!
By Donielle Jones
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There was a full day visit by Wondergy, the group of young scientists who make
learning about Science fun and exciting. It was a great demonstration all about electricity
and computers in electronic devices – cell phones, microwaves, and computers.
MOTOROLA GLOBAL DAY OF SERVICE PARTNERS WITH
tacony academy Charter school
On Wednesday, October 13, from 9:30 AM till 3:00 PM, about
20 employee volunteers from the Motorola Corporation in
Horsham, Pennsylvania, spent their day sharing their scientific
knowledge about innovation and design in the making of
electronic devices with the students at Tacony Academy
Charter School.
The Mission of the Tacony Academy Charter School is to
enhance, support and promote creative and critical thinking as
well as the problem solving skills of school-age learners in the
making of original inventions as amazing solutions to puzzling
problems while mastering Pennsylvania and national standards.
Motorola is a company of engineers and scientists, with
employees who are eager to encourage the next generation of
inventors. They believe that innovative solutions are needed to encourage more young people to study STEM (Science,
Technology, Engineering, and Math) subjects. By making the complex concepts behind math and science real and relevant,
students look at their world differently through strengthened problem-solving skills. Motorola matches employee volunteers
with schools to build strong relationships that bring their unique expertise into the communities where they live and work.
The Motorola staff and volunteers educated and guided the students in each of the innovation stations. They learned by
hearing the same things repeated over again, and it was also echoed in the opening presentation.
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The Second and Third Grade classrooms from
Tacony Academy Charter went to the
Delaware Children’s Museum on Thursday,
October 21st and Friday, October 22nd.
The “Structures Exhibit” is where these
classrooms had a focused field trip lesson.
What exactly does an Architect do? Structural engineer? Steel worker? Designer?
Structures is where it all takes shape. They learned all about the various components and
jobs within the building industry as they role played and imagined themselves hard at
work. From drawing blue prints to exploring structural stability requirements, and from
connecting with blocks and exploring materials, the students walked away with a whole
new understanding of what it takes to create buildings across the globe.
Through hands-on investigations, open-ended inquiry, and geometric challenges,
students worked together as teams to explore their world in two and three dimensions.
This program re-forms the often abstract study of geometry into concrete experiences to
build children’s understanding of spatial relationships.
taCoNy aCadeMy at
The Fourth, Fifth and Ninth grade students went to the Franklin
Institute on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, October 26th,
27th and 28th. The students spent a period of time in the exhibit
“Amazing Machines”, and then students watched the live
demonstration of “Carnival of Machines”. This show explored
the concept of work-what we need to accomplish-and the basic
physics of motion demonstrated in various simple machines.
Content was adjusted for the age of the group. Additionally,
the students participated in an interactive workshop called the
K’nex workshop. These workshops enabled the students to list
general steps of the engineering process, think critically about
the importance of machines to our lives, and use their
knowledge of simple and compound machines to design and
build machines of increasing complexity, depending on age.
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PaJaMa day
at first Philadelphia Paradigm schools, october 31st
soccer Game
Both the boys and the girls played on the same
Middle School Soccer Team for First Philadelphia
Charter. They were the only Charter school in the
league. This game was against the Kearny School.
Baby University is a program that
was developed to provide an
education in early literacy skills for both parents and their babies. Every baby born
into the school community and attending Baby University receives a container with
25 cardboard picture books. This hard cover collection includes concept books that
teach numbers, shapes, colors, and the names of common objects. In addition to
providing books, Baby University offers parent/child learning sessions to teach
parents literacy strategies they can use in their homes. Access to these books gives
parents and caregivers the chance to begin developing the skills needed for when
their children begin their future successful school experience.
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Macbeth at
The Ninth Graders from Tacony Academy Charter, as a result of
our new partnership with the Wilma Theater Project in Philadelphia,
were able to go see a matinee performance of Macbeth. After the
performance there was an intimate question and answer period between the students and the entire cast of the show.
fire Prevention Van Visits first Philly
Sparky the Fire Dog® is a registered trademark of the NFPA.
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5th Grade
iNVestitUre CereMoNy
Dr. Joseph E. Gillespie and Captain John Darby were the key note
speakers at the Fifth Grade Investiture Ceremonies for First Philadelphia
Charter and Tacony Academy Charter’s Fifth Grade Moving Up Ceremony.
First Philadelphia Charter School’s Fifth Grade Moving Up Ceremony
It is in the fifth grade at the Paradigm Schools that the students experience
the annual ceremonial right of passage that allows them now to wear the
school’s navy blue uniform blazer. When their names were called they each
proceeded onto the stage to an administrator and received an emblematic
gold pin, either an eagle or a lion, which are the school’s mascots. It is on
this occasion of public celebration that the students assume the time and
need for them to accept responsibility for their actions.
Dr. Joseph E. Gillespie is beginning his eleventh year as Professor of
Education and Dean of the Division of Education and Human Services at
Neumann University. In this role, Dr. Gillespie provides leadership for a
unit that consists of undergraduate and graduate programs in teacher
education, a graduate program in Pastoral Care and Counseling, the
Department of Theology, and the Child Development Center. Gillespie
earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Education from Mount Saint Mary’s
University in 1976, his Master of Education degree from Temple University
in the Psychology of Teaching in 1993 and the Doctor of Education degree
from Widener University in 1999.
Captain John Darby has been with the Philadelphia Police Department for
30 years. Captain Darby rose up through the ranks serving as Sergeant,
Lieutenant, and presently Captain. Captain Darby worked in North
Philadelphia, South Philadelphia, and Southwest Philadelphia. Captain
Darby is presently the Commanding Officer of the Philadelphia Special
Victims Unit. This year Captain Darby will be inducted as the President of
Southeastern Police Chiefs. Captain Darby attended Northeast Catholic
High school and is a graduate of St. Joseph’s University.
Tacony Academy Charter School’s Fifth Grade Moving Up Ceremony
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Native Nations dance theater Performs
at two Paradigm Charter schools
PoWWoW—KeeP the sPirit aliVe
On Monday, November 22, 2010, the beautifully costumed powwow dancers performed
their high–energy, interactive program that combined authentic dancing, flute and
drumming traditions from American Indian nations across North and South America.
They performed at both Tacony Academy Charter School and First Philadelphia
Charter School.
Native Nations Dance Theater was developed for the purpose of educating people
about the presence of Native American artists and culture in their communities. They have
presented to millions of people nation-wide appearing on radio, television and films. They
have performed at over 500 schools world-wide including England where they also performed for members of the royal family and Canada.
It is the mission of the Native Nations Dance Theater to present authentic American
Indian themes to institutions of higher learning and audiences worldwide. Children learned
with hands on activities, the round dance, and the snake dance. They left with a better
understanding of American Indian people and their culture. The themes were all based on
Native American Indian legends and oral traditions.
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first Philly
Charter school
annual fund
2010-2011
donors
alicia spence
alex torres/ leslie rodriguez
Carol dunleavy
Gary Joseph
Wai sum Chan-lee
latifa Johnson
herman and leslie ramos
leona Camacho
santilli & thompson
Bsi Construction llC
Margaret Bickerstaff
Kim stokes
elizabeth reidy
flower Chau
Marian Meyers
flower Chau
ruth dwyer
James stanton
Joyce skoczylas
Marie anne Guersaint
sabrina Pearson
Micheal Peahota
Bernadette Mclaughlin
loan h Vo
su hung
Claudio ramos
anthony & theresa harasa
thai thieu thai
Chellise & Bernard McBride
Militza thompson Plummer
Gerald santilli
Barbara Bee
Michael Judge
yelena litvenko
Catiriainet Mutko
anita Kaiser
rodrigo Bonilla
Marilyn Portelli
rachel smith
PNC foundation Matching Gift Prgrm
frances hagstotz
yvette & simeon Carr
stacey Cruise
J2a architects
Cheryl Nelson
rose sanchez
Patricia Corr
James Cassidy
donna Cassidy
Chandai Jaglal
robert & Mary Witalec
Monica Manning
Marilyn Cartagena
Kelly Zinn
John Macdonald
tacony academy
Charter school
9th Grade harvest dance
annual fund
2010-2011
donors
steven Benko
ylber feruku
tarcini family
Charlotte Kellam
Jill Ward
Pauka sy
regina Bynum
Maria del Moral
Krupa James
Vincent estevez
shannon Zeller
Joan Ciccone
aja sterling
faust Kajtazi
Michelle Nedby
Jean Zablin
shamar thompson
Nakita fleming-ryan
susan hemphill
Giezy Perez
Melissa Painter
McCollum
Cynthia fenn
roselyn diaz
dawn Keller
Katherine arias
Nicole Cascarelli
leah dignam
Nicholas dignam
Michael ogoke
Patty Mundhenk & heather Noel
aja Kinlaw
Pat darby
Melissa Cummiskey
Gilberta rocha
emmanual Costas
emmanual Costas
Bernadette Costanzo
elizabeth Mclean
Brandy herman
ashley Villanueva
r & a Personal touch
linda Coger
albert & Josephine Nelson
linda sallard-luby
stacy & Bill Moebius
leslie & anthony arvelo
Chris Clark
Cynthia Uylimos
Micklerlande salomon
soissette hudson
Christina Morio
delia Gonzalez
alex hamrick
Manuela ramos
santilli & thomson
John Macdonald
Joe Bauer (Citizens Bank)
afterschool thanksgiving dinner
the turkey and the Pilgrim
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flag football Championship
First Philadelphia Charter went to the championship against
New Foundations Charter School. It was a close game!
second Graders Visit Johnson’s farm
The Phase
A FIRST PHILADELPHIA PARADIGM PUBLICATION
4300 Tacony Street
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19124