Superintendent's Weekly News Brief
For the week ending March 3rd, 2023
Women's History Month + March Into Literacy
One School, One Book @ Clinton
The World According to Humphrey is Mrs. Marrano's book of choice for the entire school to read this year. Everyone is going to LOVE the star of the book - a rather bright and studious hamster named Humphrey. Can you say personification?
Kindergarten through 5th grade students will be taken into Humphrey's world as a class pet - or is he simply another student? Clinton families are about to find out as the month progresses. On top of all of the known benefits of reading, Mrs. Marrano says, " Participating in a school-wide reading program such as One School, One Book helps build a community of readers and a sense of belonging within our school."
Along with the books, purchased by the school's PTA, students will receive an optional activity packet, and a laminated bookmark with a reading schedule on one side and Humphrey's face and a special QR code on the other. The QR code will take students to teachers reading the book aloud.
The program and QR code can be accessed on the Clinton Elementary Facebook page via our website. Today, Clinton; tomorrow, the district; and after that, maybe the whole town can read together. Around March, it will give us more to talk about other than the somewhat unpredictable weather.
West Elementary's March into Literacy
At West Elementary, March is a verb as well as a month, and march they did, in celebration of reading. In addition to being well-read, they wore red, rounding out Principal Dr. Kristen Frawley's love of word-play with homophones.
Enjoy this photo montage of a small slice of West Elementary's enthusiasm for reading.
Book Creator Making New Authors Districtwide
Many have been using Book Creator in the classrooms for reports, book pals, creative writing, and documenting learning. The Technology Integrators have been enjoying working with students of all ages to engage them with their writing skills. Even more appointments have been scheduled and more books to be completed.
Kim Vlahoff, a 3rd grade teacher at Northwood Elementary is pictured here with her class of digital authors. Mrs. Vlahoff says, "We are completing our nonfiction research unit and decided to research animals. The students worked in small groups filling out their note pages with details such as habitat, body description, enemies, hunting, diet, etc. Then they took their notes and wrote paragraphs from the notes. This information was then put into Book Creator to create nonfiction books - including a Table of Contents, Headings, picture page, fun facts, text features, and so on." Mrs. Vlahoff explains that this activity took the students through the writing process all the way to seeing their books as the end result.
"We will be sharing our books with the 2nd grade classes, and I will post them to the Google Classroom Stream Page for parents to see as well!" she says.
You can link to examples below.
West Senior 50 Book Challenge Readers
All incoming students to West Senior are challenged to read 50 books over the course of their four years at West Senior, and during March Into Literacy, 100 of these avid readers were recognized with a little celebration that took place in the library over the course of two days.
"This is also a celebration for our marvelous ELA teachers who emphasize the importance of reading by giving students dedicated time to read on a regular basis," Mrs. Knaze says. "Their commitment of time and devotion to having the right book for every reader has been shown to be one of the most effective ways to grow and nurture readers. Collaboration between ELA and the library provides the perfect support for this. Students then keep a log of what they've read."
The 100 students who gathered in the library are all on track to complete the challenge, with many reading well beyond that -- some completing the challenge within 1 year! Our readers had the chance to kick back with a steaming cup of hot cocoa, enjoy some treats and share some sweet reads with the rest of the school through their recommendations.
West Senior Staff and students value reading, and it shows!
100th Day of School at Winchester Potters
Celebrating the hundredth day is a blast, and it also means there are only 80 days left of the school year! Congratulations, students and staff, you're 100 days smarter and showing growth every day!
Buffalo Sabres at Clinton
The school enjoyed a day-long hockey clinic that came with about $3,000 worth of hockey equipment the school is able to keep and enjoy for years to come. Some of the goodies included 70 wooden Franklin hockey sticks, T-shirts, Sabres tickets, pucks, nets with splashy Sabres graphics, and a whole lot of excitement.
The grant came in fast and generous! Liz and her colleagues, fellow PE teachers, Jeff Stones and Cale Nicosia, spent a few zoom meetings with the Sabres' outreach office, and within a few weeks, the Sabres hockey clinic was a go. In a district that enjoys its sports, the authentic equipment is a big plus.
Jessica O'Neil, with a background in education, ran the clinic with a handful of colleagues, and she clearly had the attention and cooperation of the students - just in time for their PE Hockey Unit! There's nothing like learning from the pros, and these 3rd to 5th graders received an experience they will never forget, along with game tickets!
Thank you, Sabres, and thank you to our resourceful teachers, who go after opportunities such as this for the enrichment of our students.
East Senior: SOLES 4 SOULS, A KEY CLUB HOSTED EVENT
Key Club has teamed up with Soles 4 Souls and will be hosting a shoe drive in March! Soles for Souls mission is to "provide new shoes to the 1.5 million kids in the US experiencing homelessness". They work closely with their partners to make connections with people and communities so that they can provide new shoes and clothing to people in need across the US and around the world.
Khadijah Williams, a survivor of homelessness and an advocate for homeless youth said, "For me, having a new pair of shoes meant that I was worthy. It meant I had a choice when choice was such a rare commodity in my life. It meant that I could walk and jump and move without pain. It meant I had dignity."
Soles 4 Souls is rated America's Best Charity, the Best Non-Profit To Work For and a 4 Star (highest award) Charity. They have offices in Colorado, California, Tennessee, Texas and Canada.
According to Key Club Advisor Jennifer Eisenmann, collection will take place from March 20th-31st, with drop-off bins in the front foyer next to the main office. "We plan to have students empty these bins and box up the shoe donations on a regular basis to prepare for shipping," she says.
Kudos to our East Senior Key Club Team. We hope you can help them with this ambitious and worthwhile event!
Enjoy your weekend!
Superintendent