• News from the District
• News from Elementary Schools 
• News from Middle Schools
• News from High Schools 
• News from Special Programs
• News from Statewide Programs
• News from Community Partners
• Calendar Reminders

Newark High School and Oberle Elementary School are two of nine schools statewide that have made significant gains and have met the requirements set by the Delaware Department of Education to exit state support programs, also called Focus School Status.  

At Newark High School, low-income students have shown growth of more than 20 points, at almost double the pace of other subgroups. The achievement gap between low-income and non-low income students was reduced by 8.6 points. 

Since the 2012-2013 school year, Oberle Elementary School has not only recovered from a drop in performance for its English learner students, but the percent of students proficient increased from 23.3 percent to 56.6 percent, showing a one-year growth gain of 33.3 percent. This is a gain of 47 percent from the school's baseline in 2010-2011.  During the same time period, the school's subgroups of low-income and Hispanic students made gains of more than 26 percent and 27 percent, respectively.  

Newark High School (NHS) and Oberle Elementary School administrators surprised their teachers and staff on November 4 with a breakfast at NHS and a luncheon at Oberle to celebrate their accomplishments. It was a way to acknowledge their hard work and dedication towards meeting the Focus School exit targets, and the celebrations were attended by District administrators and Department of Education Deputy Officer of School Turnaround, Brian Curtis. He highlighted the schools' successes and encouraged both schools to keep up the good work. 

Beatrice Speir, Principal of Keene Elementary School, has received National Principal Certification from the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards. She began the process of seeking certification in 2010, and completed it in 2012. She was officially recognized in October 2014.  She is the only school administrator in the State of Delaware that has completed this certificate. Most recently, Ms. Speir received a House of Representatives Tribute for this National Certification Program. This tribute was signed by the Speaker of the House, the Chief Clerk of the House and Representative John J. Viola (pictured at left).

 Christina School District's three "Priority" schools have spent the past two weeks discussing the challenges they face, and beginning to map out plans to increase student success. All three schools are focusing on ways to support accelerated achievement for all students. Although discussions have included feedback about environmental factors facing each school, the schools are addressing root causes that are within their control to change within the school environment, not those things that affect students outside of school. At all three schools, a mix of teachers, parents, community members, board members, school administrators, and district staff have met to discuss each school's strengths as well as ways changes can be implemented to increase achievement.  The groups have been focusing on data analysis, looking carefully at data and trends in the areas of student proficiency and growth, discipline referrals, attendance and tardiness, teacher retention, student mobility, and parent involvement.

The District's two elementary "Priority" schools. Bancroft and Stubbs, have also been discussing how the District's Strategic Plan might align with their school-based plans. As part of its Strategic Plan, the Christina School District proposed developing a feasibility plan for an Early Education Center in Wilmington. One idea being explored is to review the grade configuration in Wilmington schools and investigate the possibility of regrouping grade levels to make a Preschool-Grade 2 Early Education school, and a Grade 3-5 elementary school.This and other ideas for an Early Education Center will continue to be explored.

For a more detailed update of the progress being made by each Priority School Planning Team, please click here.

PRIORITY SCHOOLS UPDATE WITH THE SUPERINTENDENT

The Christina School District has scheduled the following "Town Hall" style meetings with the Superintendent to provide opportunities for all members of the public to engage in dialogue about the Priority Schools.

Monday, November 10

Newark High School Cafeteria A
6:00-7:30 p.m.

Monday, December 15
Sarah Pyle Academy Auditorium
6:00-7:30 p.m.

______________________________________________________________

• November 6 - Dr. Milton Holmes, Tuskegee Airman and author speaks to 5th grade students at 11:30 a.m. in the library 
• November 6, 13, and 20 -- Thursday morning (9:00 a.m.) Chat N Chew events
• November 6, 13, and 20-- Zumba
• November 6 - Meedra Surrate - Preparing for Parent Teacher Conferences
• November 13 - Dr. Gina Moody, Elbert-Palmer Principal, meets with parents for the Parent Advisory Council (PAC) monthly meeting.  All parents are welcome
• November 20 - Sherrie Manlove - come hear about her agency, Helping Hands, supporting families living in the Southbridge Community and beyond
• November 21 - Turkey Bingo 6-7 p.m.

 On October 29, Ronald McDonald visited Keene Elementary School students.  He engaged them in an interactive Friendship Adventure. Ronald encouraged students to "Stand up and help others and never stand by and watch a friend get bullied!"  He said students could help by telling a teacher because Bullies disappear when teachers are near.  Keene students enthusiastically participated in activities on stage with Ronald McDonald.  They eagerly watched him juggle and perform magic tricks. Students took a helpful Anti-Bullying tip with them; "Playing together makes us all better."

Matt Slap Subaru has chosen Girls on the Run Delaware as its hometown charity!  Matt Slap Subaru is proud to be sponsoring a local non-profit organization that delivers life-changing character development programs for girls in 3rd through 8th grades. The Girls on the Run mission is to inspire girls to be healthy and confident by using a fun experience- based curriculum that creatively integrates running. Pictured here is the Maclary Elementary School's Girls on the Run team posing with one of the Matt Slap Subaru cars.

Marshall Elementary School Student Council and families worked with the Food Bank of Delaware during the month of October to help provide hungry families with food for Thanksgiving.  Together they managed to donate more than 235 pounds of macaroni and cheese that will go into Thanksgiving baskets.  A significant portion of this huge donation came from first grader Morgan Charnik, who brought in over 160 boxes herself!  This was a great way to show the community that Marshall cares.

Marshall Elementary School 3rd and 5th grade students got a visit from some members of the University of Delaware men's and women's basketball teams on October 29 to promote an upcoming basketball clinic.  Students got a chance to hear about the clinic, learn about the basketball program, and then had a few minutes to play with the players during their recess time.   

McVey Elementary School held its 2nd Annual McVey Mile to start the day on October 31. Family and friends were invited to join the staff and students of McVey as they walked a mile throughout the neighborhood of Robscott Manor.  The walk promoted a healthy life style of good foods and lots of exercise.  Neighborhood members came out to cheer the walkers on in the brisk fall air.  It was a fantastic way to start the day and everyone was ready to learn when they returned to school.

 On October 29, in recognition of Delaware's Cyber Security Awareness Month, Captain Richard Barrett provided a Department of Technology & Information presentation to the fourth grade students at Oberle Elementary School that encompassed online citizenship, stranger safety, and cyber security. 

On October 23, Oberle Elementary School Kindness Club and Safety Patrol hosted the First Annual Walk-a-Thon in support of  the Delaware Breast Cancer Coalition. On November 6 a representative from the DBCC will visit Oberle to be presented with the school's donation.

The staff and students at Pulaski Elementary School along with the Bayard Middle School Drum Line marched around the community in honor of Red Ribbon Week.  Red Ribbon Week is the oldest and largest drug prevention program in the United States.  The week began with Super Hero Day and ended with the community march.  Pedestrians, drivers and residents demonstrated their support of the march by encouraging walkers and honking as students chanted, "No More Drugs!"  At Pulaski, students know the importance of living a healthy lifestyle, free of drugs.

Many thanks to the outstanding PTA volunteers for the wonderful book fair at Smith Elementary School!  Students enjoyed purchasing books for their teachers and for themselves.  Students also helped others by bringing in change so that every student could purchase a book.  During the week, students were also able to guess the number of Smarties in the candy jar.  Congratulations to Kamil for guessing the correct amount.  

Smith Elementary School has a new banking partner!  The school's new bank is New Castle County School Employees Federal Credit Union (NCCSEFCU).  Based on State Economic Standards, the Bank at School program is designed to teach students about economics and financial management through hands-on experience.  Bankers from NCCSEFCU will make weekly visits to the school to accept student deposits and help students learn about the world of banking.  This real-life banking experience will help students practice the life skills to become wise consumers and prudent savers.  Smith welcomes the New Castle County School Employees Federal Credit Union!

On November 7, Stubbs Elementary School will host its Annual "Bring Your Dad To School Day" from 8:00 a.m.-9:30 a.m.  Fathers and father figures are invited to shadow their child/children through their morning procedures.  The school invites all fathers and father figures to come and make the commitment to be involved in the education of Stubbs' children.  Coffee and donuts will also be provided for all men who attend. Last year 62 men participated; this year the school hopes to double that number. For more information, please contact Mr. Livingston at 302-429-4175 ext. 103.

During the month of October, Gauger-Cobbs Middle School National History Day (NHD) Club hosted two presentations that featured  Mr. Tom Summers from the  Delaware Public Archives and Ms. Alyson Mitchell, NHD State Coordinator. Both presentations primarily focused on this year's NHD competition theme "Leadership and Legacy."  Ms. Mitchell spoke with students about expectations for the competition, while Mr. Summers provided students with a  presentation  which highlighted the leadership and legacy of the late Dr. Raymon Cobbs, former Christina School District administrator.   Gauger-Cobbs Middle School NHD students will compete at the Delaware Technical Community College -Stanton Campus in April 2015.

Congratulations Katie and Nate for a job well-done!

On November 1, the Christiana High School and Kirk Middle School Bands celebrated Middle School Band Day.  Due to the foul weather, the directors of both bands had to make a few alterations to keep the activities dry.  Mr. Jeffrey Dombchik, the Christiana High School (CHS) band director, started the day by greeting Kirk Middle School families and telling them about the high school band program and what would happen at a normal marching band performance and football game.

Next, all of the Kirk and Christiana students joined together for a rehearsal of Christiana's music that we would have been playing together in the stands at the game.  Students performed songs like "The Hey Song" and "The Final Countdown."  Kirk even tried to keep up on the school's fight song "Christiana Loyalty."  Christiana band students were helping the young Kirk band students with note fingerings and kept them from getting lost in the music.  Mrs. Elizabeth Lockhart, the Kirk Middle School band director, even played along to help the saxophones.  

After the rehearsal, the Kirk families and students got to listen to the CHS band perform their full halftime show in the CHS Auditorium.  Even the color guard showed off their excellent flag work on the stage.  The Kirk students can't wait to come back next year and look forward to keeping the 20 year tradition going for many more years to come.    

1. Sign into the Common Application
2. Open the Dashboard, and click on University of Delaware or Delaware State University
3. Go to "Questions"
4. The third question asks, "Do you intend to use one of the school-specific fee waivers?"
5. Choose the following response from the drop-down menu:  "Yes, I participated in the UD Senior Search Program."
6. After clicking the response, there will not be a payment requested when you submit the application.

The Christiana High School (CHS) Marching Band has been very busy.  On October 25, The CHS Marching Band continued its tradition of performing in the annual Timber Farms Parade.  "It is a lot of fun," says Mr. Dombchik.   "We have been doing this parade as a community service for the past 15 years."  My students really enjoyed interacting with the little ones.  There have been past CHS drum majors that marched in this parade.  It has become a special event for both CHS and the Timber Farms community.  

On October 26, The CHS Marching Band made a return to this year's Annual City of Newark Halloween Parade. In past years, "I had a lot of students who had Sunday commitments and could not participate," says Mr Dombchik.  "It was really hard to make it work if I had students missing.  I know I wanted to try it again so I put it on the calendar and it worked out the past two years. We are looking forward to attending future Newark Halloween parades."     

The Christiana High School Marching Band will be finishing up its marching band season performing at the Hodgson Vo-Tech School football game and at the New Castle County Band Festival.  Both events will take place on November 8.  The festival will be held at A.I. Dupont High School and will start begin at 6:00 p.m.  This is an hour earlier than past years.  Please contact Mr. Dombchik if you are interested in purchasing tickets to the New Castle County Band Festival.  They are $7.00 for adults and $4.00 students.   

VARSITY FOOTBALL:  The Dragons defeated Delcastle HS 34-16. Lammot Brown had 20 carries for 224 yards and 3 touchdowns. Tyrique Woodland had 10 carries for 91 yards and 2 touchdown. On a night dedicated to our Breast Cancer survivors, our band, football and cheerleading team wore pink. This was Glasgow's first ever "pink out" game and a $550 check was presented to the American Cancer Society. We want to thank all the students, teachers, parents, and members of our community who participated in this wonderful evening.

VARSITY VOLLEYBALL:  Congratulations to seniors Saryah Charles, Zharica Delabanque, Katherine Salhuana, and Danyelle Tucker who played their last game for the Dragons. We want to wish you the best of luck in the future and remember that you are forever a Dragon!

FIELD HOCKEY:  The lady dragons finished the season with two ties against Newark Charter HS 0-0 and Christiana HS 1-1. Congratulations to seniors Ashley Keen, Chelsea Edmond and Nailah Shubert who played their last game for the Dragons. We want to wish you the best of luck in the future and remember that you are forever a Dragon!

VARSITY SOCCER:  The Dragons defeated AI DuPont HS 1-0. Salvador Albarran scored for the dragons on an assist from Daniel Gonzalez. Congratulations to seniors Isaiah Rufus, Martin Cooper, Marcus Kimani, Jean Pierre Amougou, Savador Albarran, Daniel Lopez, Cameron Laureta, Eduardo Silva, Elvin Fonjweng and Dainel Infranco who played their last home game for the Dragons. We want to wish you the best of luck in the future and remember that you are forever a Dragon.

JUNIOR VARSITY SOCCER:  The young team tied AI DuPont HS 2-2. Andres Tovar-Perez and Craig Turk scored for the Dragons.

BOYS CROSS COUNTRY:  The Boys Cross Country team was able to finish 5th overall (5th out of 16 teams) with a team average of 17:46.93. The Boys Dragons were lead my Malachi Harris (17:04) who finish 13th overall and was named 1st team All-Conference. Malachi was followed by Darius Balock who placed 23rd (17:49), Raul Romero 27th (17:54), Jawann Grant 30th (18:02) Alex Nieves 31th (18:04) Fernando Zavala 71th (19:37) Erick Ayon 85th (20:25).

GIRLS CROSS COUNTRY:  The girls cross country team lead by Araceli Taboadawho complete the course in 28:43.  Araceli was followed by Karla Perez (31:55) and Charlene Fowajuh (31:55).

 The annual hay ride at Coleman's Tree Farm in Odessa was on a beautiful sunny afternoon.  Families enjoyed a hay ride, wandering through the fields and selecting a pumpkin before sampling apple cider.

Just a few weeks later the spaghetti dinner and costume party was held at school with oodles of noodles and sauce, fun and games, and dressed up children and adults.  Everyone had a great time!

Fun, decorative pillow "creatures"  have been placed around the school at Delaware School for the Deaf, including in the nurse's office, library, great hall, and elementary bus area.  Students are encouraged to touch them, and the school will hold a student drawing before Thanksgiving break. Winners will be able to take home the decorated pillow of their choice. Many thanks to the Fraud Claims Department of Bank of America for donating the pillow creatures!

Heart In The Game announces it's 4th FREE EKG screening event at Middletown High School on Saturday December 6 from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.  The event is open to ALL Delaware students aged 10-19.  There will be a $15.00 Registration Fee for the event. This is fully refundable when parents and students attend event.

Online Registration:  http://www.heartinthegame.org/forms.html

Contact: Greer Firestone  302.494.3133