|
Beaver Creek (Lawless)
Student representatives from each homeroom at Beaver Creek Elementary sang our
"Respect Rocks" chant. They are pictured below and a video will be posted on ourwebsite soon. Homerooms are enjoying earning rocks at encore specials, in the hallways,
and in their classrooms for following school-wide expectations. Everyone is off to a great
start!
Students in grades 3-5 have completed Study Island Benchmark Assessments for both
reading and math this week. Teachers are digging into this valuable data so flexible
instructional groups can be formed. Other beginning of the year benchmark assessments
such as Aimsweb and Fountas & Pinnell are nearly complete. Grade levels are putting the
finishing touches on first trimester reading and math goals. Thank you for the team
effort!
Please join us Saturday the 15th at noon for a community build of the first two beds of
our gleaning garden. Bring a wheelbarrow and shovel if you can.
Community members are invited to join us on Monday at 10:00 for our annual
Constitution Day celebration (weather dependent). Be sure to wear red, white and
blue.
Bradford Heights (Solon)
Dottie Graham has been hard at work cultivating the BH garden. She worked diligently
all summer so that we could return to a flourishing garden. Since returning to school,
Mrs. Graham has brought many classes out to the garden to help pick vegetables for The Lord's Pantry, as well as take out plants that are no longer in season. This has been a task that all of the Bradford Heights students look forward to and appreciate. Even the ladies in our cafeteria have been outside picking vegetables to use in our own lunchroom. We are very happy that our garden is so successful. Thank you, Mrs. Graham, for all of your hard work.
Brandywine Wallace (Leib)
On Tuesday, the entire school wore red, white, and blue in honor of the 9/11
anniversary and our fifth graders presented BW's eleventh annual 9/11 Remembrance
Program. Several students were chosen to share essays they had written about the
American Flag and patriotic songs were shared. Third and fourth graders learned about
the significance of our nation's freedom and the responsibility of service by each of its
citizens. As part of the program, BW welcomed East Brandywine Fire Chief Joe Edwards
and East Brandywine Police Officer and veteran John Hayes who spoke to students about
the importance of community and national service. Special thanks to Mrs. Cain, Mrs.
Kauffman, and Mrs. Weisser for organizing this solemn time of remembrance. Thanks,
also, to Mrs. Baer for providing our musical accompaniment.In addition,
BW staff and students practiced fire drills this week so that everyone will be prepared in the event of a real emergency. Finally, Mrs. Leib met with Mr. Clegg to begin the Comprehensive Planning process and also worked with Mrs. McGlone on setting up a Twitter account.
East Ward (Argonish)
East Ward Giving Garden Harvest and Fall Planting
This week, students at East Ward joined parent volunteers and teachers in our Giving
Garden. Students harvested many green bell peppers, eggplant, celery, and banana
peppers, and planted four varieties of lettuce, and kale. While students may have the
opportunity to sample some of our vegetables, most of our crops harvested benefit the
Lord's Pantry in Downingtown.
Testing and RtII at East Ward
Students in all grade levels are completing various reading and math assessments in the
month of September. We are beginning to analyze this data in order to target specific
learning needs for students. Each grade level will be setting a goal for students in the
areas of reading and mathematics. During our 30 minute RtII block teachers and
support staff will be planning to meet students needs for enrichment as well as
remediation. Our RtII period is set to begin the first week of October.
Can You Help Kindergarten Find the GingerBread Man?
"Run, run, as fast as you can, you can't catch me, I'm the GingerBread Man!" After
reading this story, our kindergarten students received a visit from the GingerBread Man,
but he didn't stay long; he ran away. Our students have been spending a bit of time
each day, making posters, and searching around East Ward to see if they could catch a
glimpse. So far, they haven't found him, but they now know where all the very
important places are at East Ward.
EW Courtyard
As promised, below are a few shots of our new courtyard. Once our volunteer schedule
is finalized, we hope for students to enjoy this outdoor experience during lunches.
Springton Manor (Abbott)
Patriot Day, Day of Remembrance: On Tuesday, September 11, 2012, Springton
Manor Elementary joined with schools across the District and across the country to
pause and remember those who died on September 11, 2001, their families, and all
those who have given the ultimate sacrifice to protect our freedom and our rights as
American Citizens. In Mrs. Coyle's fifth grade classroom, for example, the students
reflected on a quote from President Obama, "I think it's important for us to realize that,
as terrible as that day was, it brought America together and it reminded us that we're all
one people." The class then read aloud and discussed an interactive Scholastic News
article, "I was 11 on 9/11," and ended the lesson with a moment of silent reflection.
Grade-Level Intervention
Team Meetings: On Wednesday, September 12 (Day 2),
the Faculty of Springton Manor Elementary met for our weekly Grade-Level Intervention
Team Meetings. These meetings, also called Grade-level Data Meetings, provide
Springton Manor Teachers and opportunity to look at the data we have collected on our
students, employ that data to inform instructional decisions, and make decisions about
the appropriate Tier Level for intervention each student in each grade should receive and
what those interventions will look like. The discussion is truly rich and student-centered.
The staff finds great advantage in gathering together in one location so teachers can
readily ask questions of previous teachers, encore teachers, and our Special Education
staff and our Intervention Specialists (IST Staff).
Home and School Ice Cream Social:
On Thursday evening, September 13, 2012, the Home and School Association sponsored our annual Ice Cream Social, a family fun activity. Over 400 parents, students, and siblings registered to come out for an evening of fellowship, treats, and music. DJ Marc Hayford provided musical entertainment and
dancing for the children (and a few parents even joined in) while the Association
members provided Ice Cream and treats. This Social event provides an opportunity for
our school community to join together, meet one another, and enjoy visits from
Springton Manor alumni. Thank you, Home and School Association, for an evening
enjoyed by all!
August Eisenhower Student of the Month Award Winner:
Springton Manor Elementary is pleased to announce the August winner of our Eisenhower Student of the
Month Award. Mr. Luke Connolly, a fifth grade student in Mrs. Coyle's classroom,
received the August Award. Mrs. Coyle nominated Luke for his outstanding positive
attitude, strong character, and integrity and his willingness to go above and beyond to
assist younger students get to the bus safely at the end of the day. Congratulations,
Luke, and thank you for demonstrating Mustang Pride!
Science in Motion
On September 11, 12 and 13, Ron Faust from Science in Motion visited the 7th grade
students of DMS during their science classes. Science in Motion provides free science
equipment and expertise to schools in our area. Mr. Faust brought a computer program
called FACES, which helped the students sharpen their observation skills and learn about
careers in forensic science. This is an experience the students often rate as one of their
favorites of the year!
Back to School Night
Downingtown Middle School held its Back to School Nights on Tuesday, September 10th
and Thursday, September, 13th. Team presentations were held in various locations
throughout the building. In addition, each encore and special area had an opportunity
to meet and greet parents and share pertinent information.
The nights were incredibly successful and well supported by representatives of our
Student Council, who served as guides around the building. Our DMS Home and School
group was also present to recruit volunteers for various events held throughout the year
and to distribute information regarding upcoming events.
Team Building
 
Team 7A hosted an amazing day of team activities that included: team bonding activities
such as group skiing and a chicken toss, creating a team cheer and preparing a special
video surprise for parents/guardians during their Back to School Night visit. The video,
which will be shown Thursday evening during Back to School Night, will include the
entire team singing, "Call Me Maybe," and will include a slide presentation from the team
building activities.
9/11 Remeberance
On the 11th anniversary of 9/11, Mr. McLaughlin's, 8th period, 8C History class was
visited by a parent of a former student who shared his experiences from that day. Mr.
Pinkus worked in a building next to the World Trade Center and recalled his memories
for the group. He shared his observations and confusion over the events that were
unknown at the time, but will be forever etched in our memories. In addition, Mr.
Pinkus had time to visit one of Mrs. Miles' , 6C Social Studies classes as well.
Mr. McLaughlin recorded the brief presentation and plans to post it on his course Moodle
so that other students can benefit from Mr. Pinkus' presentation.
DHSE (Hurley)
 | | Aerial Photo of our Seniors! |
National Merit Scholarship Program:
1.5 million Students in more than 22,000 high schools entered the 2013 National Merit
Scholarship Program by taking the 2011 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship
Qualifying test (PSAT/NMSQT). Downingtown East High School is proud to announce
that seven of our students are in the 16,000 Semi-finalists. They have distinguished
themselves as being in the top one percent of high school seniors. Please join me in
congratulating the following students for their achievement:
Heather M. Cai
Jonathan Goldberg
Heather L. McConnell
Rajat Pillai
Benjamin L. Rowles
Rachel C. Simmons
Maura Sugg
Advanced Placement Classes:
Downingtown East is excited to report that we had an increase in enrollment in our
Advanced Placement classes again this year. Additionally we are thrilled to report that
we had 99 AP scholars this past year. This is an increase of 17 AP Scholars from the
previous year. Please see the chart below for more detailed information regarding
Downingtown East's Advanced Placement information.
| 
