Beth-Center Title I News - Bethlehem

Beth-Center Title I News
Winter 2008
TITLE I
Improving Your Child’s Education
Title I is the largest federally funded program for schools.
The goal of Title I is a high-quality education for every child,
so the program provides extra help to students who need it
most.
Beth-Center practices the Targeted Assistance model,
which helps to ensure that eligible children receive assistance
to meet performance standards. Reading and Math programs
provide a combination of in-class instruction and a pull-out
program that addresses the individual instruction to the
identified Title I students. Pull-out only occurs during the
regular reading and/or math class. Students are serviced if
in need of academic support. Reading help is offered to
students in grades K-5 and math help is offered to students in
grades 2-5.
Both programs are aligned with grade
appropriate Pennsylvania State Standards. All students
receiving additional support must qualify through the district
assessments.
This year, our district will receive $655,037 in Title I
funding. 1% ($6,550.37) of this money must be used for
parent involvement. The Parent Advisory Council helps to
plan and carryout how this money will be spent.
As a parent, you are a vital part of the Title I team! You
influence your child’s education more than any teacher or
school.
Your involvement can boost your child’s
achievement! By taking an active role in Title I, you will
show your child how important he or she is to you; how
important education is to you; and that you and the school
are a team.
►See the Parent Advisory Council section to see how you
can take an active role in our Title I Program.
Title I Staff – First Row: Marilyn Gallagher, Secretary; Karen
Downie, Superintendent; Angela Lipniskis, Title I Reading;
Danielle Berdar, Title I Math. Second Row: Leno Corazzi,
Title I Math; Marlene Bobish, Elizabeth Rankin, and Julianna
Pagac, Title I Reading; and Michael Shargots, Title I Math.
Kindergarten students pictured above are busy sounding out
letters and building words. From left to right Mackenzie Little,
Aiden Callaway, and Ronald Jay.
TITLE I READING SERVICES IN KINDERGARTEN
The 2008-2009 school year is the advent of a new Title I
program for students in Kindergarten. The Title I services in
Kindergarten include a combination of time in class working
with the classroom teacher and supporting students as they
work on skills in the classroom, and pull out time during which
students go to Mrs. Bobish’s Title I classroom to work in small
groups on skills and concepts that they are experiencing
difficulty with.
Our new program focuses on supporting students as they are
learning phonemic awareness (the understanding that spoken
words are made of individual sounds), letter recognition,
phonics, and early reading skills. Research has proven that
students who are aware of phonemes (the smallest unit of
spoken sounds) move easily into reading and by teaching
phonemic awareness, students’ reading and writing growth are
accelerated. During the first part of the school year, students
have been learning that spoken language is made up of
sequences of little sounds, and that the sounds that are paired
with letters of the alphabet are the same as the speech sounds
they know. Many of the activities we have been focusing on to
help students notice phonemes involve rhyme, rhythm,
listening, and sounds. Other activities center on recognizing
the letters that have been introduced in the regular classroom.
Building words from the letters learned in class, and reading
the words they build are two other activities the students have
been engaged in. Parents can help their child at home by
practicing letter recognition and by reading and rereading
nursery rhymes and rhyming stories.
Beth-Center Title I
Page 2
B. C. Title I News
Student Speaks at Parent Orientation
Chris Lacey, an eighth grade student at Beth-Center Middle School, was this
year’s student speaker during the Annual Title I Parent Orientation Luncheon
held at Adams Pine Creek Restaurant on October 17, 2008. To a group of
school administrators, teachers and over 45 parents, Chris spoke about being a
Title I student during his elementary years, and how the program helped him to
become a “B” student.
This is Chris’s second year of marching with the high school band and he is
also a member of the concert band. He serves on the Student Council and plays
soccer too! Along with being a great student and having so many extracurricular activities, Chris is a member of 4-H and enjoys showing his hogs,
rabbits and horses at the Washington County Fair each year.
Chris was presented with a Barnes and Noble gift card in appreciation for
speaking at the luncheon. WAY TO GO CHRIS!!
Annual Title I Parent Orientation
Mr. Shargots opened this year’s Title I Parent
Orientation Luncheon with some mind-boggling or
should we say mind-reading activities using parent
volunteers. For the eighth consecutive year, Mr.
Shargots has been the Master of Ceremonies for the
annual Title I Luncheon. He is so entertaining and
loved by everyone who attends, and we’re certain
that he will continue with this role for many years to
come.
An audience of over forty parents listened and
learned as Mrs. Bobish and Mrs. Berdar provided
information about the Title I Reading and Math
programs and how they work at Beth-Center. Parent
Involvement opportunities were shared by Mrs.
Pagac and our parent speaker, Dana Paci. As
mentioned above, Chris Lacey was the student
speaker.
Three Web-based programs used in our district
were demonstrated by the teachers. Mrs. Rankin
showed a video and step-by-step instructions of how
to access and the benefits of Classroll.com; Mrs.
Lipniskis explained how the Accelerated Reader
program works and the goals for each grade level;
and Mr. Corazzi demonstrated how students can log
on to Study Island from anywhere that has Internet
connection. Study Island lessons and practice tests
Continued, next column…
are based on the state assessment anchors and are
designed to prepare students for the PSSA. Study
Island is available to students for math in grades 2
through 5, and for reading in grades 6 through 8.
Dana Paci, a member of the Title I Parent
Advisory Council, talked about how parent
involvement is critical to a child’s education. Dana,
her children Zachary, Jacob, Samuel and Sarah, along
with her mother Sue Binns, attended the PDE State
Parent Conference at Seven Springs on August 1820, 2008.
Teresa Johnson and her son Cameron,
and Ann Howes and her children Courtney and
Kirstin also attended the conference. All participants
brought back handouts of great ideas and tips for
parents, and parents attending the orientation
received copies.
Dana shared some advantages of being a member
of the Title I Parent Advisory Council. She said that
by being a PAC member, parents have a voice on
how to spend federal dollars.
To end the program, twenty-one lucky people won
some great door prizes and everyone enjoyed a
delicious home-cooked buffet at Adam’s Pine Creek.
Surveys taken showed an overwhelmingly positive
response.
Beth-Center Title I
Page 3
B. C. Title I News
Math in Grades 2-5 has gone “Tropical”
W.C.F.P.C.A. FALL PARENT WORKSHOP
Five Beth-Center Title I parents along with two
teachers attended the annual Fall Parent Workshop
sponsored by the Washington County Federal
Programs Coordinators Association on October 8th,
at the Holiday Inn - Meadowlands. Presenters
included Bonita Allen from the State Parent
Advisory Council, Stevie Kline, M.Ed. from
Intermediate Unit I, and Kristin Van Strien, M.L.S.
also from I.U.I.
Bonita informed parents how they can obtain
free resources from the Title I State Parent
Resource Center at Midwestern Intermediate Unit
IV. These parent resources provide concise and
up-to-date information on topics that impact
children, teenagers, and their families. If you
would like an order form to receive these free
booklets, contact the Beth-Center Title I office at
(724) 267-4918, and we will be happy to send one
home with your child.
Stevie Kline is the Technology Integrator for
I.U.I. During her session, parents learned about
netTrekker, an Internet search tool that provides
academic content that is pre-screened and selected
by educators. This site makes it easy to select
material based on elementary, middle or high
school levels, reading ability and topic with content
tied to state standards.
Kristin Van Strien is the Assistant Director of
Information Services for I.U.I. Her presentation
was an overview of i-SAFE classroom curriculum,
home information and what we as a community can
do to promote safe use of the Internet by our youth.
I-SAFE, inc. is the worldwide leader in Internet
safety education.
Parents attending this workshop had a great
lunch and received a $15.00 gift certificate toward
the purchase of books from the “Books Are Fun”
display.
Mark Your Calendars!!!
Celebrate Math Around the World!
22009 Math Fair
April 20th – 24th!
Students in grades 2-5 have all been using a newly
purchased computer program called STUDY ISLAND
to practice and reinforce skills specific to their grade
level. Students can log-in at school and/or access the
program anywhere Internet services are available. All
students have their own username and password that
allows the students and teachers to keep track of
progress and how well the students are doing.
Students earn “blue ribbons” when they have
earned a proficient or advanced score in a specific
topic. Congratulations to any students who have earned
that award!
The purpose of the program is to
help students prepare for the
Pennsylvania State Assessment
(PSSA) given in March. This is a
great, fun tool to help your child
practice and get ready for those
tests! Students are able to play a
variety of games, print worksheets,
and view lesson tutorials once
logged-in. Please take advantage
of this wonderful site.
The website address is:
www.studyisland.com
Meeting of the PAC 
A meeting of the Parent Advisory Council took
place on Friday, November 14, 2008. Suzy Lacey,
Stacey Lacey, Lisa Johns, Dana Paci, Tammy Gray and
Brandi McGrady attended the annual meeting where
they reviewed the Title I Parent Involvement Policy
and Compacts; discussed evaluations of the current
Federal Programs; and gave suggestions for
improvement. Dr. Downie gave an overview of the
Title I, Title IIA/CSRI, Title IID/EETT, Safe and Drug
Free Schools, Classrooms for the Future and the Rural
and Low Income School Grant.
Mr. Corazzi shared that the math teachers are in the
process of changing the theme for the Math Fair to
“Math Around the World.” A few of the games may be
changed to go along with the new theme.
The purpose of the Parent Advisory Council is to
acquaint both the educational community and the
general community with the federal programs being
conducted at Beth-Center. The council also provides
input into the planning of the programs and parent
involvement activities.
Beth-Center Title I
Page 4
B.C. Title I News
Second Grade Students Begin to
Explore
2-Digit Addition and Subtraction….
From the beginning of the year, second grade
students have been practicing basic addition and
subtraction facts as well as learning addition and
subtraction strategies.
These strategies include
counting on and counting back, making groups of ten,
using mental math, and looking for doubles. Now it is
time for them to apply these strategies to larger
numbers.
Second grade students will be adding and
subtracting a two-digit and one-digit number as well as
a two-digit and two-digit number. They will also be
rewriting horizontal addition and subtraction sentences
in a vertical or “working” form. Some problems will
require “regrouping” and some will not. Using visual
aids such as ones and tens blocks will help your child
make a more abstract concept concrete.
At home, please continue to practice basic addition
and subtraction facts to 18. It is very important that
every second grade student have immediate recall of
these facts, especially for these upcoming chapters.
While Third Grade Students….
The third grade math students are just finishing
chapter three. The focus of chapter three was addition
and subtraction of two and three digit numbers and
money. Problem solving included drawing pictures and
deciding when to use an exact answer or an estimate.
In the near future, we will begin studying time, data,
and graphs. Skills include telling time, finding elapsed
time, using a calendar, interpreting and organizing data
in tallies, line plots, pictographs and line graphs, and
graphing ordered pairs.
First Grade Students pictured from left to right: Kenneth Biser,
Sarah Hess, Kamden Studnicki, Carrington Brown, Logan
Burrell, Christopher Fiedler, Morgan Popielarcheck, and
Christopher Cramer.
There is Snow Better Time to Read
in First Grade
At this time of the year in First Grade, we are
learning many new and exciting things. We have
just finished our second book from the Harcourt
Reading Series 1-2. We are practicing learning the
First 100 Sight Words and will be tested on these at
the beginning of January. The students are moving
right along with our Accelerated Reader program;
the students now feel pretty confident about taking
the tests on the computer with little or no help at
all. Also, the Title I Reading program has
scheduled for the Kindergarten and First Graders to
see a play at the Uniontown State Theatre in
January, based on the works of Dr. Seuss called,
“Seussical.” We are all looking forward to this.
Keep up the good work!
Happy Holidays and Happy Reading!
Mrs. Lipniskis☺
Stay tuned for…
Math Problem of the Week!
Beginning the third nine weeks
In Grades 2-5!
Title I Math Teachers
And Fourth Grade Students….
The students in fourth grade have been working on
addition and subtraction of whole numbers, decimals
and money. They have also been learning the standard
and metric units of measurement for lengths.
In the next few months students will be learning the
standard and metric units for measuring capacity and
weight, and will be starting multiplication and division.
It is very important that the students practice their
multiplication facts as they are introduced.
Visit the Title I section of the B.C. Website at
www.bc.k12.pa.us. Here you can view the Beth-Center
Title I Newsletter, the Home and School Connection and
Early Years Newsletters, the Title I Annual Performance
Report, Parent Involvement Policy and Compacts, PAC
Agendas and Minutes, and information on the Parent
Resource Center.
Beth-Center Title I
Page 5
B.C. Title I News
Educational Plays at the State Theatre for the Arts in Uniontown
Look Out! Here She Comes.
Third Grade Students pictured from left to right- Front Row:
Elizabeth Abbot and Mikayla DeFranks. Back Row: Dominic Clutter,
Mariah Vaglia, Sara VanDivner, Alec Rasel, and Lindsey Crawford
On October 10th, third, fourth, and fifth grade
students attended a Theatreworks’ production of
Charlotte’s Web at the State Theatre Center for the Arts
in Uniontown. The play is based on E.B. White’s story of
the friendship between a pig named Wilbur and a little
gray spider named Charlotte. Students prepared for the
event by reading Charlotte’s Web and doing classroom
activities.
Fourth Grade Students pictured from left to rightShane Evans, Andrew Lacey. Pictured on the bulletin board are
Wilbur and his cousin Wally the pig.
Hurray, Hurray! Here is Junie B. Jones! Junie
B. (as she likes to be called) is on stage at the State
Theater in Uniontown on December 15, 2008; and
Beth-Center’s second grade will be joining Junie B.
for two hours following her antics and adventures.
Theatreworks USA’s musical is based on
several books about Junie B. Jones experiences
including diary entries by Junie B., which are
designed to give children ideas for their own
writings. Every second grade student will be given
a diary and a pencil upon return from the play, and
enter their first diary entry about the play.
Junie B. Jones is a fun-loving character who has
a unique way of speaking. Throughout the show,
Junie B. Jones keeps a “top-secret personal
beeswax” journal in which she writes about
everything she says and does. She also writes
about her feelings, drawings and anything else she
can imagine. Junie B. Jones is an imaginary
interesting character in a multi-series book group
written by Barbara Park. These books are all
included in our Accelerated Reading program and
would make wonderful Christmas gifts. Junie B. is
such a funny character that she is sure to make
everyone of all ages laugh out loud.
On January 15, 2009, the Kindergarten and First
grade students will be attending Seussical at the
State Theatre for the Arts. Students will have the
opportunity to see a live performance on stage that
includes some of their favorite characters from the
Dr. Seuss books. The Cat in the Hat will be there,
and so will Horton the elephant.
Wilbur’s Cousin Wally
On October 10, 2008, the fourth grade students had some very special guests
come to visit at the school. Wally the pig, Wilbur’s cousin, arrived in a trailer to give
the students the opportunity to see what a full grown Wilbur would have looked like.
Wally was accompanied by Rick and Renee Lacey and their son Andrew, a fourth
grader. The Lacey’s had graciously taken time from their busy day to bring Wally for
the students to see, and to talk to the students about what it is like to raise pigs and to
show them at the fair. They also answered any questions the students still had about
pig behavior and care. The students were thrilled and excited to see Wally. They
were amazed at the many things they learned about raising pigs, and the similarities
between what they had read about in Charlott’s Web and Wally’s actual life.
Funding for the students to attend Charlotte’s Web, Junie B. Jones and Seussical is brought to our elementary students
through the cooperation of the Title I program, District funding and the Elementary PTA. There is no cost to the students.
Page 6
B.C. Title I News
Beth-Center Title I
It’s Elementary!
Fifth Graders Learn about GEOMETRY!
This nine weeks fifth grade students will focus
on the study of geometry. Geometry is the study of
shapes and angles. It is a foundation for building,
engineering, art, and astronomy. The students will
explore geometry as a means to describe the
physical world and learn to recognize and name
shapes; examine, sort, and classify attributes of
plane (2-D) and solid figures (3-D); identify similar
and congruent figures and lines of symmetry; apply
transformations; and develop spatial sense.
Circles, squares, pentagons, polygons, angles,
rays, points, and lines, there are so many names to
learn in geometry. They may sound strange and
new, but geometry is all around you. Your
computer monitor is a rectangle and your pencil
roughly a cylinder. To help the students have a
more concrete example of these abstract terms, the
fifth graders will work with manipulatives such as
mirrors, protractors, and geoboards.
You may wish to help your child understand
properties of geometric figures by reviewing
vocabulary in his/her math journal! Have fun at
home because we are in the classroom!
New Location for the
Parent Resource Center
If you are planning a visit to the Parent
Resource Center, you will no longer find it at the
end of the red-wing, and you will not longer find
Mrs. Sabarese working there. The PRC has been
moved to a room in the cafeteria and Mrs. Gina
Zabrida will be there to help you. Mrs. Sabarese is
now working at the middle school.
The PRC offers many helpful informational
booklets containing ideas and ways to help you and
your child have a successful school experience.
Other resource materials that can be borrowed
include: Leap Frog and Quantum Leap Learning
Systems with books and software, Leap Frog Word
Whammer Fridge Phonics, Leapster Game System,
Hooked on Phonics, Hooked on Math, Lightspan
software, computer software, games for reading
and math, learning clocks and much more.
If you would like to contact the Parent
Resource Center, please call (724) 267-4928 and
ask for Mrs. Zabrida.
HAPPY READING
IN FIFTH GRADE
The fifth grade students spent the months of
October and November reading the novel
Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White. All of the reading
skill lessons, and many creative writing activities
centered around the book. On October 10th, BethCenter’s fifth, fourth and third grade students
attended the production of Charlotte’s Web at the
State Theatre for the Arts in Uniontown, PA. After
the performance, the students enjoyed making
comparisons between the dramatic performance
and the novel. Currently, the fifth grade reading
students are conducting a literature study of
Frindle, by Andrew Clements. It is a fictional
account of a young boy’s exploits as he learns
about how new words are created, and sets into
motion a series of events that end in a new word
being added to the dictionary. Some of the skills
and strategies students have been working with and
applying to their reading, making inferences and
drawing conclusions based on explicit or implicit
information in the text, using context clues to help
clarify the meaning of text, summarizing and
identifying the main idea and supporting details of
a chapter. In addition, the students are building
their vocabularies by learning new words as they
come across them in the story. Students have
created a new word of their own to put in their
“classroom dictionary of newly created words.”
Students are also expanding their knowledge of
narrative (story) structure by identifying literary
elements such as characters, setting and plot.
Together we have been mapping the story using
graphic organizers. One activity used a Venn
diagram to compare and contrast characters in the
story. Using the information from the graphic
organizer, students wrote a paragraph describing a
particular character they had focused on.
Additionally, students are learning about
propaganda, bias, and author’s point of view.
Students will be writing their own advertisement
for a “Findle” using propaganda techniques they
studied in class.
Mrs. Bobish
5th Grade Title I Reading
Page 7
B.C. Title I News
Beth-Center Title I
WEBSITES
2008-2009 PSSA DATE SAVERS
PSSA Writing – Grades 5, 8, and 11
 February 9-18, 2009
PSSA Reading & Mathematics – Grades 3, 4, 5,
6, 7, 8 and 11
 March 16-25, 2009
PSSA Science Test – Grades 4, 8, and 11
 April 27-May 6, 2009
District Website
State Website
Study Island
Classroll
NetTrekker
Kidsource
Eduplace
Surfnet Kids
Grow Parents
Brainchild
PSSA ACCOUNTABILITY
AYP Targets for Reading:
% of students proficient or above
2008-2010 – 63%
2011- 72%
2012 – 81%
2013 – 91%
2014 – 100%
AYP Targets for Math:
% of students proficient or above
2008-2010 – 56%
2011- 67%
2012 – 78%
2013 – 89%
2014 – 100%
Fourth Grade Students pictured
from left to rightRyan Findley, Jenna Miller and
Shannon Ortosky
www.bc.k12.pa.us
www.pde.state.pa.us
www.studyisland.com
www.classroll.com
http://school.nettrekker.com
www.kidsource.com
www.eduplace.com/parents
www.surfnetkids.com
www.growparents.com
www.brainchild.com
PSSA Performance Level Descriptors
Advanced
Proficient
Basic
Below Basic
Superior academic performance indicating an
in-depth understanding and exemplary display
of the skills included in the Pennsylvania’s
Academic Standards.
Satisfactory academic performance indicating
a solid understanding and adequate display of
the skills included in Pennsylvania’s
Academic Standards.
Marginal academic performance, work
approaching, but not yet reaching satisfactory
performance.
Inadequate academic performance that
indicates little understanding and minimal
display of the skills included in
Pennsylvania’s Academic Standards.
Kindergarten Students pictured
clockwise – Mallory Little, Brendon
MacFann, Malik Stephens, Joseph
Crawford and Morgan Jones
Pictured above are Santa’s helpers, Debbie
Shriner and Michele Dolak who are helping
second grade students, Victoria Gilpin and Sydney
Frazee select gifts.
Non-Discrimination Notice
Bethlehem-Center School District is an equal opportunity educational institution and will not discriminate in its admission procedures, educational
programs, activities, or employment practices on the basis of race, color, age, creed, religion, gender, sexual orientation, ancestry, national origin, marital
status, pregnancy or handicap/disability. For information regarding complaint procedures contact, Dr. Karen S. Downie, Superintendent, 194 Crawford
Road, Fredericktown, PA 15333 (724) 267-4915.
Beth-Center Title I
Whishing you all a very safe and happy Holiday Season
full of Peace and Joy! Best Wishes for the New Year too!
The Beth-Center Title I Staff
Beth-Center Title I