The Monthly Snapshot
An Electronic Newsletter for LES and NPLiberty HS
Join LES on Remind!
To join, you can use the link below. We will also be sending instructions home with our students.
https://www.remind.com/join/les16930
Important Announcements
- Letters were recently sent home to all students who took the Keystone Exams in the spring of 2018. These letters reported student scores and also offered further instruction to any students who did not pass the Keystone taken. If you would like your son or daughter to have further instruction to pass a Keystone Exam, please contact the high school main office at 570-324-2071.
- The picture retake day for students at LES and NPL is scheduled for Friday, October 17.
- The FFA Parent Night is scheduled for Friday, October 17 at 7PM. This will be an informational night for parents to find out how the FFA organization at the high school benefits our students. If you have any questions about FFA or this event, please contact Mr. Schanbacher at nschanbacher@southerntioga.org.
- LES students will be experiencing Global Maker Day on Wednesday, October 24. On this day, students will experience unplugged and hands-on STEAM activities in the library with the theme, "What can you do with a plastic cup?" A STEAM Team of high school students led by Dr. Brion will be leading activities with the elementary students.
- The last day of quarter 1 for students in grades 3 through 12 is Thursday, October 25.
- Our next Act 80 Day is Monday, November 5. There will be no school for students on this day of professional learning for staff members.
- The last day of the first trimester for students in kindergarten, grade 1, and grade 2 is November 15.
- The next LES Family Night will be Thursday, November 15 from 5:00 to 7:00PM. We will have a book fair and a community art event for students, families, and community members! More details will be advertised as they become available.
- Parent-teacher conferences are currently scheduled for November 19 and 20. More information on times will be communicated in the future.
- Thanksgiving break is right around the corner! We will have an early dismissal on Wednesday, November 21. There will be no school on Thursday (11/22) and Friday (11/23). There will also be no school on Monday (11/26) and Tuesday (11/27).
Attendance Awareness Month comes to an end, but the importance continues
Below is a link to an important Frequently Asked Questions document about school attendance. Please look over this document, and if you have any additional questions, please contact the main office of your child's school.
Students participate in recycling program
The LES Student Council has been building a recycling program for our school over the last three years.
It began with collecting scrap paper from classrooms that went to our township recycling once per month. Then plastic was added as we saw how much we could collect in a month's time. Last year, we added tin cans and cardboard from the kitchen and couldn’t believe how big the piles of recycling were!
This year we are “up and running” a full recycling program with bins located outside the school provided by REAL Disposal Company. On a bi-weekly basis, the Student Council members collect items from the classrooms, which include scrap paper, magazines, plastic bottles, tin cans, cardboard and aluminum cans.
This year’s Student Council members are sixth graders Marissa Forgeng, Kaylee Graham, Ciara Kieser, George Valentine, Cody Wagner, and Laci Wright. The adviser is Mrs. Feaster.
We thank all the students and staff for recycling the correct items and helping our environment!
Kindergartners create math journals
By Miss Chunko
Kindergarteners are settling into the school year routine. They are learning basic foundational skills to help them succeed. Part of these basic skills includes pre-number sense skills like attributes of objects. Students began the year analyzing, classifying, and sorting objects. To demonstrate their knowledge to others as well as show themselves how much they have gained during their math time, students have begun recording in math journals.
These math journals include a prompt that is stated in an “I can” format. Students are either completing math drawings or are cutting and pasting pictures in a certain set-up to show their understanding of a math concept. These math journals help students to be accountable for doing their work in a neat and organized manner since they are aware that others will want to see how hard they have been working in school. Another benefit of these journals includes reading practice, fine motor practice, and understanding that drawings are another way to show a number. Students have enjoyed working hard on learning math topics and showing their classmates their work. We are looking forward to filling our journals as we grow more in our number sense skills!
Above, Joshua T. shows his completed journal entry for the day.
Meet Our New Staff Members: Mrs. Harold
Mrs. Harold obtained her bachelor's degree from Mansfield University, and she is currently taking classes in school counseling at Messiah College where she will obtain her masters degree.
She is passionate about providing love for all children through support, motivation, and caring. She also enjoys helping to push children to be the very best they can be and tries to provide an example by being the best version of herself.
In her free time, she likes to take walks, play with her dog, read, take photos, quilt, bake, and play sports.
Grade 2 plays games to fine tune math skills
By Mr. Wilson
Grade 2 students have been working diligently on place value and double - digit addition with regrouping. A variety of hands - on activities such as memory, matching, card sorts, and ka-boom are being used to fine tune these math skills.
In the coming weeks, students will begin researching different types of clouds and birds of North America. After the research process is completed, grade 2 will transform the primary wing into a bird sanctuary.
Meet Our New Staff Members: Ms. Dincher
She graduated from Edinboro University of Pennsylvania.
She has a variety of experiences in her field. In the past, she has provided speech and language services at an on-campus clinic to young adults with intellectual disabilities, and she helped start an Edinboro preschool program for children who are deaf and/or hard of hearing. She also provided speech and language therapy for her clinic using American Sign Language and spoken English. She worked as an intern at a skilled nursing facility in Pittsburgh, providing cognitive and swallowing evaluations and treatment. She provided evaluations and treatment at UMPC Susquehanna in the acute care and rehabilitation settings, and she worked with elementary students individually and in small groups at a school district near Philadelphia (Rose Tree Media School District).
Ms. Dincher is most passionate about her family and her career. She enjoys working with younger students, traveling, and learning new things.
In her free time, she reads, travels, bakes, takes pictures, and spends time outdoors.
Grade 4 students enjoy flexible seating, Mad Minutes
By Miss Flook
LES grade 4 students had a phenomenal start to the 2018-2019 school year. One of the students' favorite parts of their classroom is the flexible seating options! Old, used tires were transformed into comfortable reading chairs. There are also bean bag chairs, butterfly chairs, and a futon that have made independent reading time one of the most enjoyable parts of our daily routine.
A second highlight in grade 4 is the Mad Minutes year-long multiplication challenge. Each Friday, students have the opportunity to take one multiplication timed test. Students all started with the zeroes timed test, but as soon as they pass, they move on to the next number (ones, twos, threes, all the way to twelves). Students have three minutes to answer fifty multiplication equations, proving their mastery of the multiplication table. If a fourth grader passes the Friday test, he or she gets to sign the giant number in the hallway (shown in the picture below). The goal is for every fourth grader to have mastered all 12 Mad Minutes tests by the end of the school year.
Meet Our New Staff Members: Mrs. Smith
She received her bachelor's degree from the Southern Institute of Technology and her master's in education from Albright College.
When asked what she is passionate about, Mrs. Smith stated, "I left my engineering career to pursue my passion of bringing STEM education to all students in our area. I am particularly passionate about increasing opportunities and awareness for girls in STEM fields. I believe that the area you grow up in should not limit or define your potential."
In her free time, Mrs. Smith enjoys spending time with her family and yoga, hiking, and travel. She likes to learn new things and write, act in, and direct Hamilton Gibson plays.
Students use new weight room equipment
In the summer, the Southern Tioga School District finalized the purchase of equipment for the three weight rooms at North Penn - Liberty, North Penn - Mansfield, and Blossburg Elementary School.
This new equipment will be extremely beneficial for our students and athletes. At North Penn - Liberty, the purchase brought in nine new exercise machines, including a complete new set of dumbbells and five new pieces of cardiovascular equipment.
Since the beginning of September, the weight room has been open three mornings per week for our students and athletes to use. During this time, we have had athletes from football, basketball, baseball, softball, and cross-country as well as regular students who are interested in personal fitness show up to use this equipment. There are many benefits this new equipment can bring to all of our athletic programs, but probably one of the most important things it can bring is positive self-esteem for our students. Once they have used the equipment for a longer period of time, hopefully they can see some self-improvement, which will in turn make them feel much better about themselves.
I hope to see more and more students take advantage of this new equipment and gain personal satisfaction!
Meet Our New Staff Members: Miss Biddle
She graduated from Lock Haven University in May of 2018, so this is her very first teaching position! While in college, she had a unique experience with teaching. She traveled to the Dominican Republic where she taught students who ranged in age from five to 13 years old. She also participated in various community service projects like food and clothing distribution and medical outreach.
She is passionate about good food and good books. In her free time, she enjoys long-distance trail running, playing with her dog, working on the farm, and spending time with friends and family.
Grade 7 students show off their book knowledge
By Dr. Miller
The grade 7 students in English language arts class are reading in literature circles and working on book reports, but their work reflects more than the traditional book report fare.
When choosing book report assignments to complete, students are given nearly forty options to consider, including each of the following:
- Explain character astrology signs. After reading brief descriptions of the astrology or sun signs, figure out which signs you think three of the main characters from your book were born under. Write an explanation of why you think they fit the sign, drawing on their actions, attitudes, and thoughts from the book.
- Which character has one or more qualities you want to develop within yourself? What are the qualities? Why would you like to develop these qualities?
- Title acrostic - Take a sheet of white paper and write the title of the book down the side of the paper. For each letter in the title, construct a sentence that begins with that letter and that tells something significant about the story.
- Locate five examples of figurative language in your book. Include the page number and the sentence in which the figurative language occurs. Identify what type of figurative language you’ve found. Explain what the device really means, and explain why the author used it OR the effect of the language on the story.
Grade 7 student Lydia Sparks chose to locate figurative language in her literature circle book, Milkweed. She identified the sentence “The tanks roared up the boulevard" on page 19, sentence 29 as personification. She explained that the tanks were very loud as they drove up the boulevard, and it also gives the readers a bad feeling about the tanks. She also identified the sentence “We scattered like cockroaches” on page 9, sentence 7 as an example of simile. The author used this figurative language to show the reader how everybody desperately needed to get away from something and that no one cared where they went as long as they got away.
As students finish reading in literature circles, they begin their book report assignments. But, some students prefer not to call it that - they just like to say that they get to have fun showing off what they learned from their books!
Student Comments About Book Reports
- "I like the new book reports because we have more options than before." - Jesse Castle
- "Book reports could be overwhelming from all your choices, but you'll always find the ones you like. - Jarred Bogaczyk
- "I like doing this book report because it inspires a lot, and it also makes our brains think. We get to write, and Dr. Miller is pushing us to the max to tell about our books." - Nehemiah Spencer
Biology students use teamwork
An offensive line must anticipate defensive blitzing and provide pass protection for a quarterback. The quarterback must correctly read defensive coverages and accurately deliver a pass. The receiver must elude defensive backs and catch the ball. Each portion of this teamwork must meet fruition in order to score a touchdown.
The benefits of teamwork should be no more surprising in academics as they are in athletics. NPL AP Biology students - amidst learning copious amounts of content - must conduct a multitude of experiments throughout the course. After conducting their own research and agreeing upon an experimental procedure, the students shown above are observing and recording data.
Above, NPL students (left to right) Savannah D., Kylee K., and Dylan W. collect and record data during an AP Biology experiment.
In the picture to the bottom right is a stereo microscope view of brine shrimp.
Meet Our New Staff Members: Mrs. DiFuccia
She recently received her bachelor's degree from Lock Haven University. Before going back to school for this second degree, Mrs. DiFuccia spent the past 13 years as a business manager for a heavy equipment repair company.
Mrs. DiFuccia is most passionate about her family, volunteer work, and encouraging her students to have a love of reading.
In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her three teenage children. She also engages in dog training and volunteering with her certified therapy dog, Paxton.
Students participate in Tioga County Ability Awareness Day
By Mr. Sparks
On November 2, students from North Penn - Liberty Jr./Sr. High School will be joining four other local high schools in the Tioga County Ability Awareness Day.
In 1999, Ability Awareness Day, otherwise known as National Disability Mentoring Day (NDMD), began in Washington D.C. The idea of NDMD was to promote opportunities for employing students with disabilities. In 2002, Pennsylvania followed suit and began the Pennsylvania Disability Mentoring program. This is the fourteenth year that Tioga County has participated in the program.
Students who participate in the program will select a career of interest and then are paired with a mentor in the career field. Students will job shadow their mentors for the day and will meet in the afternoon to discuss what they learned. Area businesses that have participated in the past include Matthews Motors, Stepping Stones Preschool, NAPA, Liberty Welding, Broad Acres, and the Animal Care Sanctuary.
Meet Our New Staff Members: Miss Kichman
She is a graduate of Alfred University.
When asked what she is passionate about, Miss Kichman stated the following: "I am very passionate about helping students be successful in the educational setting, no matter what it takes. All students deserve a chance to have a positive experience in their learning environment, and it is part of my job to help students get there. Also, I am passionate about the use of therapy dogs within the school setting to help students' well being, reduce stress, and help children through difficult situations."
In her free time, Miss Kichman enjoys spending time with family, friends, and her dog. She likes being outdoors either camping, hiking, or going to the beach. She plays and attends sports, especially basketball and football. She has previously coached basketball and would like to continue with this in the future.
Studying the Revolutionary War through creative writing
By Mr. Munford
Grade 8 students are studying United States history chronologically from the era of exploration to 1800 and the US Constitution. Mr. Munford’s class delved deeply into the events of the American Revolution.
The students developed the background knowledge on the Revolution and the Battle of Trenton through written and visual content. They created their own newspaper stories called the “Patriot’s Journal.” This involved imagining they were journalists on the front lines of the battle moving with Washington’s Army across the Delaware River, marching on Trenton and fighting the Hessians. The students were coached through the process with one on one guidance from the instructor on content validity, written flow, and conventions. Students read aloud to the class their finished projects.
As each story was read, the class used a listening guide to choose a few memorable events from the stories. After every story, the class discussed the memorable elements. Through this writing, students gained a base of knowledge and applied it to a creative and enjoyable activity.
Above, students Amy F. and Jaclyn N. share their newspaper stories.
Background Credit
Mr. Boarts used this project to emphasize lines, shapes, and color mixing with the kindergarten classes at LES.
These images are very seasonally appropriate representations of pumpkins!
Upcoming Event Calendars
Liberty Elementary School
Email: jeglesia@southerntioga.org
Website: http://www.southerntioga.org/?page_id=249
Location: 8622 Route 414, Liberty, PA, United States
Phone: 570-324-2521
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LES16930/
Twitter: @Lbrty_Principal
North Penn - Liberty Jr./Sr. High School
Email: jeglesia@southerntioga.org
Website: http://www.southerntioga.org/?page_id=193
Location: 8675 Route 414, Liberty, PA, United States
Phone: 570-324-2071
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NPLiberty
Twitter: @Lbrty_Principal