CR Weekly News Update
Friday, June 7
LAST WEEK OF SCHOOL, JUNE 17-20 SCHEDULE BY DAY
Tuesday, June 18 - Half Day for Grades 9-11
Wednesday, June 19 - Half Day for Grades 9-11; Last Day for PM Kindergarten
Thursday, June 20 - Last day of School / Half-Day Dismissal for AM Kindergarten - Grades 11
UPCOMING BOARD COMMITTEE MEETING
POLICY COMMITTEE
Monday, Jun 10, 2019, 07:00 PM
Chancellor Center, Historic Classroom 1
COUNCIL ROCK SCHOOL DISTRICT EARNS “GREAT DISTRICT FOR GREAT TEACHERS” DESIGNATION
The National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ), a national leader on teacher issues, has named Council Rock School District a winner in its Great Districts for Great Teachers initiative. Council Rock School District earned this honor after a rigorous analysis of over 50 district policies and district data points demonstrated that Council Rock School District is a leader in developing and caring for great teachers, so that they, in turn, can deliver great instruction to their students. “Great Districts for Great Teachers is a celebration of great teaching,” said Kate Walsh, President of NCTQ. “We commend the hard, often politically challenging efforts by school districts who have managed to put together policies and practices that make them great places for great teachers to work.” “We are honored that NCTQ selected us as one its Great Districts for Great Teachers,” said Superintendent Dr. Robert Fraser. “We are especially pleased that this award recognizes the tremendous work of our administrators to identify and support great teachers and of our great teachers themselves.” For more information on this recognition please visit www.crsd.org
COUNCIL ROCK FINANCIAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE - APPLICATION DEADLINE EXTENDED
COUNCIL ROCK STRATEGIC PLAN WORK CONTINUES
On Tuesday, June 4 the Strategic Plan Steering Team came together once again to continue their discussion of the three goal areas, Student Wellness; Redefining Student Success; and School Safety and Security, that will make up Council Rock's newly developed Strategic Plan. Comprised of over sixty members, the Steering Committee consists of Council Rock administrators, teachers, support personnel, students, parents, and community members. On June 4th, the team split into subgroups to review and discuss the three strategic plan goals under development. Committee Chair Persons will now synthesize feedback from the May 7th and June 4 Steering Committee meetings and begin the work of developing detailed priority action steps for each goal. Once approved, Council's Rock's Strategic Plan will run from 07/01/2020 - 06/30/2023. A draft version of the plan will be available for public review on the district's website before it undergoes School Board and state approval processes.
COUNCIL ROCK COMMUNITY AQUATICS PROGRAM
The Council Rock Community Aquatics Program is currently accepting registrations for our summer program. Classes include children’s swimming lessons, summer recreational swimming hours, and a competitive swim training program for swimmers 8thgrade and up. Registration is held weekdays from 3-7pm Monday to Friday at the pool lobby area (door 3A) at Council Rock North. No registration will occur on Monday, June 17th due to graduation. Weekday registration begins on Monday, June 24 from 10-2pm Monday to Thursday. Please check our website atwww.crsd.org/aquatics and click on summer 2019 to view the brochure and registration form. If you have any questions, please email Brian Johnson atbjohnson@crsd.org.
Summer recreational swimming hours begin on Monday, June 24 from 12:45-2:00 Monday to Thursday until Thursday, July 26. Also, one Friday this year (Friday, June 28). Please check our website atwww.crsd.org/aquatics for the full list of Rec Swim dates for the summer.
Now on twitter: If you want to keep up with what is happening at the Council Rock pool, please follow us on twitter by searching for Council Rock Community Aquatics or following us @cr_aquatics.
2019 CRSD SUMMER ACADEMIC AND STEM ACADEMY
Council Rock School District will be holding summer school, offering a variety of academic programs for students entering grades K-8. Programs run between July 1st and July 25th. If you have any questions, please contact Mr. Robert Francis, Director of Summer Programs (rfrancis@crsd.org).
GREAT NEWS FROM AROUND THE DISTRICT
COUNCIL ROCK 10TH GRADE STUDENT TAKES TOP HONORS IN CERTIPORT MICROSOFT TECHNOLOGY COMPETITION
Council Rock sophomore, Anish Mhatre, has earned the honor of being the best in Pennsylvania on the Certiport Microsoft Office Specialist exam in Word 2016. This award is given to the highest performing high school or college student in the Microsoft Office Specialist Certification Challenge. Anish beat out close to 700 other students to win this award. The Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS) certification is the premier credential chosen by individuals seeking to validate their skills and advance their careers. As the best in Pennsylvania, Anish now has the opportunity to represent PA and the District at the Certiport Microsoft National Championship Competition this summer in Orlando, Florida.
COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH PERFORMS BIG AT MUSIC IN THE PARKS COMPETITION
Congratulations to the Council Rock South Combined Band, Symphonic Choir and the South Vocal Ensemble on three wonderful performances at Music in the Parks! On Saturday, June 1st, our music ensembles performed for a panel of adjudicators in the Allentown area. Each group earned the coveted rating of “Superior,” which is the highest festival rating.
South also won first place in the HS Concert Band competition along with the award for best High School Band overall! The Symphonic Choir and South Vocal Ensemble also won first place in their divisions, along with the award for Best High School Choir overall!
COUNCIL ROCK NORTH STUDENTS SHOW OFF PSYCHOLOGY KNOWLEDGE AT THIS YEAR'S PSYCH FAIR
This week, Council Rock North continued its annual tradition of holding the Psych Fair. Led by AP Psychology teacher, Ms. Althea Tomlinson, The Psych Fair is an opportunity for AP Psychology students to demonstrate their knowledge, understanding, and interest in the varied course topics explored throughout the year. After successful completion of the AP Psychology Exam, students selected a topic of interest and engaged in real-world research. Although students can choose to investigate a topic through traditional academic research, many choose to engage in basic or applied psychological research. Basic research refers to studies and experiments that are meant to increase the scientific knowledge base. Applied research refers to problem-solving research. Congratulations to all of our CR North students who successfully completed AP Psych and subsequently showed off their knowledge at this year's fair.
COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH LATIN CLUB FIELD DAY A REAL BONUS TEMPUS
Students in Council Rock South's Latin Club enjoyed a fun-filled Field Day on Tuesday, June 4. Club Sponsor, Ms. Erin Parfitt, organized the outdoor activity that saw over eighty Latin students participating. The event featured Roman re-enactors who set up a display of helmets, artifacts, and even a mock catapult. Students were invited to try on chain mail gear, hold standards, and take part in field day events that included a tug of war competition. Everyone enjoyed a "bonus tempus" or real good time at this year's Latin Club Field Day.
COUNCIL ROCK NORTH NATIONAL HONOR SOCIETY STUDENTS TEST TRIVIA SKILLS AT FUNDRAISER
Council Rock North's National Honor Society held a Trivia Night Wednesday May 22nd. Eight student teams participated with each contestant contributing $5 to a special the donation fund. The categories for the game consisted of science, history, geography, English, pop culture, miscellaneous trivia, and CRN trivia. Newtown Chick-fil-a, Jules, Nina’s Waffles, Nothing Bundt Cakes, and Zebra Striped Whale contributed to the event with gift cards which were given to the winning team. The event collected a total of $200 from all of the participants. The winning team decided to donate to Camp Discovery, a nonprofit organization that mentors and supports underprivileged children in the Philadelphia area. Overall, the officers had a fantastic time putting it all together and all the participants enjoyed testing their knowledge and eating food typically forbidden in the library.
CR STUDENTS TAKE THE LEAD AT 24 GAME CHALLENGE TOURNAMENT
The Annual Bucks County 24 Game Challenge Tournament was held at William Penn Middle School in Pennsbury School District on May 18th. The 24 Game is similar to the games in the online First in Math Skill Sets, but students compete at tables, head to head with their opponents, with 24 Game cards. Council Rock School District students, from grades 4 through 8, competed against students from 30 other schools in Bucks County, totaling 108 participants in all. The grades 4-6 categories each had 30-40 competitors, and the grade 7/8 category had 9 participants. There were 22 award slots at the county tournament, and 13 Council Rock students received top awards. Congratulations to all of our competitors and the following grade level champions!
Churchville Elementary School
Alexander Gromosaik, 3rd Place
Shawn Saknovsky, 1st Place
Andrew Freeman, 5th Place
Hillcrest Elementary School
Joseph Sciochetti, 6th Place
Holland Elementary School
Ryan Kraychik, 1st Place
Maureen M. Welch Elementary School
Finnegan Reckner, 5th Place
Newtown Elementary School
Vincent Tang, 2nd Place
Kathan Desai, 4th Place
Richboro Elementary School
Hayden Kang, 4th Place
Sol Feinstone Elementary School
Jaden Heble, 4th Place
Wrightstown Elementary School
Bianca Becker, 3rd Place
Holland Middle School
Ryan Kraychik, 1st Place
Newtwon Middle School
Max Lin, 2nd Place
Alyssa Khusid, 4th Place
GOODNOE ELEMENTARY STUDENTS TAKE IT TO THE STREETS FOR 8TH CONSECUTIVE YEAR TO LEARN MATH AND BUSINESS
On Wednesday, June 5th, over 125 fourth grade students from Goodnoe Elementary School hit Newtown's State Street to learn about math and business. Coordinated by Goodnoe Elementary School math teacher, Mrs. Charyl Hills, this unique project bridges rich, local history with real-world learning. On the day of the activity, students toured local sites to gather data. All the while, they made real-world math connections and gained an understanding of how and why local institutions and storefronts operate and function. Visitation sites were chosen to provide a representative sampling of the character and charm of our Newtown Community and to help students appreciate the many ways that our local merchants and organizations operate. Thank you to the following Taking it to the Streets business partners for opening their doors for this real-world learning experience: Adorn Me, Allstate Financial Service, Alternate Dimension Toys, Athleta, Blue Pooch Grooming; Bluemercury, Clark’s Flower Shop, Countryside Gallery & Custom Frame Design, Edward Jones; First National Bank of Newtown, Gigi’s Boutique, Giovanni’s Fine Fashions, Holy Chic Boutique; John’s Barber Shop, Luxey Little Ones, J. McLaughlin, Mom Mom’s Gourmet Pizza, Newtown Bicycle & Fitness Shop, Newtown Boro Council Chambers, Newtown Book & Record Exchange; Newtown Hardware House, Rittenhouse Home, Salon on State, Salt Cave @ Newtown Soulutions, The Coffee Room, The Pro Shop of Newtown, Tubby Olive Oil.
MAUREEN M. WELCH STUDENTS HOLD SUCCESSFUL "WISH THEM WELL" FUNDRAISER
Maureen M. Welch Elementary School students took part in a very exciting community service project this past fall that has now come full circle. Earlier this year, students held a "Wish Them Well" week to raise funds for a village and orphanage in Togo, West Africa. The MMW community raised enough money for a fresh water drinking well and also raised funds to send school supplies to the orphanage. Last week, the Director of the "Wish Them Well" project traveled to Togo to personally visit the new clean water source. Recipients were so thrilled by MMW's outreach that they held a special dedication ceremony in honor of the school.
GOODNOE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL INSTALLS SPECIAL NEW MOSAIC MURAL
COUNCIL ROCK 10TH ANNUAL ELEMENTARY MEDIA FESTIVAL A GREAT SUCCESS
2018 DISTRICT STEAM NIGHT SEES SUPER TURNOUT
On May 30, over 500 individuals, K-12 students and their families, participated in Council Rocks’ annual S.T.E.A.M. (science, technology, engineering, The Arts and Math) Night at Council Rock South. This free family fun night offered 30 exciting hands-on experiments and learning experiences and was made possible by support from the Council Rock Education Foundation and by the generous sponsorship by KVK Tech, Inc. Activities like Slime City, Walking on the Moon Planetarium, Crystal Towers and the Hunch Robotics Team, just to name a few, help to engage and challenge young minds to further develop their critical thinking skills and curiosity for learning. Featured activities included: Rock Rovers & Star Lab, Planetarium, Snap Circuits & K’Nex Challenge, Liquid Nitrogen, Phenomenal Physics, Slime City, Crystal Towers, Princeton Bimolecular Dept, Enzymes, Fun with Coding & Fractals, Technology & Engineering, Jungle Joe Animal Extravaganza, STEM Stars, Chocolate Milk Tornadoes, Tasty Science - Mad Science - Polymers, Blood in a Bag- Blood Typing & Senses, Optical Illusion, Liquid Nitrogen, HUNCH Team, Robotics, STEAM Studio (art), Origami, Electrolytes in Solutions, How to Build an Atom, and Walking on the Moon .
Thank you to our wonderful S.T.E.A.M. Team of teachers, students and community volunteers for sharing your fun and exciting projects.
CREF NEWS AND INFORMATION
SALUTE THE PAST, EMBRACE THE PRESENT, AND MAKE YOUR MARK ON THE FUTURE WITH A CR COMMEMORATIVE PLAQUE CAMPAIGN!
The Council Rock Education Foundation is pleased to announce the Leave a Legacy Plaque Campaign! This is a unique opportunity for our community to show their support for our updated and new schools – Holland and Newtown Middle School - by purchasing a personalized, engraved plaque that will be placed at the new entrance at Holland Middle School and the north entrance at Newtown Middle School. Not only will you be able to help us in "Building the Way to Knowledge", but you can leave a permanent family and or corporate legacy in our community! Great way to honor your family, graduate, a beloved teacher, alumni or Class, company, organization, or a commemoration of a special occasion. For more information click here