The Coffee Bean
APRIL 2024
" A Team Above All, Above All A Team"
STUDENT SPOTLIGHT...JOHN MIHALKOVITZ
STAFF SPOTLIGHT...DR.COLLEEN PENZONE
Dr. Colleen Penzone is no stranger to special education and has been a champion for education, positive behavior supports, and student learning for her entire life. She has worked for IU19 since the 2011-2012 school year spanning from Early intervention coordinator, a training and consultation specialist, and now a Director of special education overseeing Early Intervention.
Dr. Penzone has been a lifelong learner, receiving her undergraduate from Penn State University, her Masters in education from East Stroudsburg University and most recently, the prestigious honor of receiving her Doctorate in Education from Wilkes University. Colleen has recently successfully defended her dissertation titled “Practices for Minimizing Suspensions and Expulsions: A Case Study of one Head Start Program”. Her research included inclusive settings for students with disabilities and the supports and services needed for success. Dr. Penzone lives her passion for student behavior and positive classroom practices with every interaction she has. Colleen is a PA Program-Wide Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS) Facilitator and supports local early childcare environments with training, developing, and coaching to implement the framework with fidelity at all three tiers. She is also a Licensed Behavior Specialist with a passion for supporting students with disabilities within the typical environment. Colleen has spearheaded many district PBIS teams and programming in her role of training and consultation and continues to build capacity for positive behavior in Early Intervention classrooms and beyond. Dr. Penzone can be found running all aspects of our IU19 Early Intervention programs, Supervising the Training and Consultation department, advocating for Early Intervention and Early learning environments, as well as being a full-time mom. Colleen also loves traveling and jetting off on adventures. She can be found in her extra time enjoying a concert or being surrounded by friends and family. We are proud to have Dr. Penzone as part of our team and family at IU19! Congratulations!
EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS and SERVICES...
The 2024 Academic Challenge was an outstanding success! Twenty-two local teams competed in this year's competition. The Academic Challenge is a testament to the collaborative spirit of NEIU19. Thanks to the coordinated efforts of various departments, including IU Stem, IU Print Shop, Curriculum Department, Facilities Management Team, and the CTC of Lackawanna County Culinary Arts Program. This competition exemplifies our organization's commitment to providing innovative programming for our local students. Each team participated in two rounds of intense competition across various academic subjects, with scores cumulatively tallied. The top three teams moved to a final round at the conclusion of the day. Congratulations to team advisor Laura Lockwood and the team from Honesdale High School for their performance and well-deserved first-place finish. Scranton High School and Montrose came in a close second and third place respectively. As winners, Honesdale High School will advance to the state competition at the State Capitol in Harrisburg. Pictured below are: Honesdale, Scranton and Montrose teams, Scoreboard, and NEIU Coordinating Team.
TRAINING and CONSULTATION...
Kristen Strong, Melissa Orman, and Christopher Olson filmed a MTSS Morsel Video for PaTTAN YouTube channel at our NEIU Admin Building. They were selected by PaTTAN to create a short video to introduce the MTSS Framework to serve as a tool to support statewide implementation of MTSS framework. The PaTTAN film production crew along with PaTTAN MTSS consultants were on site for video production. It was an exciting opportunity to be a part of a video production process to support statewide MTSS implementation. Looking forward to the video premiere!
PBIS Progamming...
Joseph Richter and Christopher Olson conducted a fidelity check on the PBIS programming at McNichols Plaza. They earned a 100% on Tier 1 initiatives and an 87% within Tier 2 (first attempt), which will recognize them at the state level for both Tier 1 and Tier 2 implementation with fidelity.
Shown below is a video recognizing PBIS schools for the 23-24 School Year:
EARLY INTERVENTION...
EI staff members have been out in the community helping with preschoolers and sharing their expertise. Pictured here are Lauren Conaboy and Maggie Mehall at the Abington Library for their monthly Family Place Parent/Child Workshop, ABC Play with Me. Each month, the workshop has community guests to speak about local services available for families. This is a great way to collaborate with community and to help educated families about our services. Lauren and Maggie were able to talk with families about speech services, how to refer children and answer questions about their children's speech and language development.
iCreate and STEM...
BREAK OUT ROOMS...
Lexie Konsur-Grushinski and Steph Williams along with Lackawanna College Esports Program provided a variety of activities to students from 20 districts participating in this year's Academic Challenge 2024. Students and their advisors participated in a breakout room themed as an art heist and competed to unlock characters in Super Smash BrosTM Ultimate.
MaDCom...
High School :
3D Design-
- 1st Place- Holy Cross High School- Clinton Muir and Lucas Urban
Animation -
- 1st Place- Holy Cross High School- Alexis Bilski
Digital Movie-
- 1st Place - CTC (Lackawanna County) Jayla Bilinsky and Alexis Ohlin
- 2nd Place - CTC (Lackawanna County) Ava Penzone
Graphic Design and Logo-
- 1st Place- CTC (Lackawanna County)- Jayla Billinsky
- 2nd Place- CTC (Lackawanna County)- Sean Galliford
- 3rd place - CTC (Lackawanna County)- Talia Canaii and Alexandra Shockey
Middle School:
3D Design-
- 1st Place- Howard Gardner MI CS - Sophia McGovern
- 2nd Place- Dunmore JSHS- William Muir and Saran Joiya
Digital Movie -
- 1st Place- Dunmore JSHS- Aaron Mecca, Evan Eibach and Ty Dougher
Graphic Design & Logo-
- 1st Place Dunmore JSHS- Meredith Baker, Smera Sherstha and Anna Jacquinot
- 2nd Place - Howard Gardener MI CS- McKinely Griffiths
- 3rd Place - Dunmore JSHS- William Muir and Saran Joiya
Web Page Design-
- 1st Place - Howard Gardener MI CS - Lexi Ezbiansky
- 2nd Place- Howard Gardner MI CS - Keller Evans
BASKETBALL BANQUET...
Students at the Dunmore Learning Campus were recognized at their basketball banquet recently. Their hard work and dedication did not go unnoticed this season. The smiles on their faces in the pictures below speak for themselves.
PRINT SHOP
Omar Frias, a student at SOAR, has been a huge help in the Print Shop at the Admin Building. He is learning how to use equipment and helping with production. He is a welcomed asset who brings a positive attitude and great work ethic to our environment.
APRIL 8th SOLAR ECLIPSE
Staff from Chestnut Street and the Admin Building stepped outside with their solar eclipse glasses to catch a quick look at the sky.
"The value of our lives is not determined by what we do for ourselves"
The value of our lives is determined by what we do for others"
-Simon Sinek
APRIL...
EARTH DAY...
Each year on April 22, more than a billion people celebrate Earth Day to protect the planet from things like pollution and deforestation. By taking part in Earth Day activities, we are making our world a happier, healthier place to live. Some ideas to help save the planet any time of year include; plant a tree, turn off the lights, limit water usage, bike more- drive less, use a reusable shopping bag, offer your time (volunteer to pick up trash or start a collection for recyclable items).
AUTISM AWARENESS MONTH...
World Autism Day takes place each year on April 2nd, but because it's such an important event for millions of families and individuals around the world, we get the chance to dedicate the entire month of April to autism awareness. April is dedicated to fostering understanding, acceptance, and support for the autism community. Autism Awareness Month aims to transform the narrative around autism, while also addressing the challenges autistic individuals face daily. It's a call to action for people to be more inclusive and supportive, creating a world where everyone, regardless of their place on the spectrum, can thrive.
MISSION : The NEIU is an educational agency that supports the diverse needs of all learners by collaborating with families, educators and community partners to provide innovative leadership, programs and services.
VISION: NEIU—the leader in advancing education and community partnerships