Dear Fallsington Families,

We are proud to present the sixth issue of our school newsletter, Tiger Tales. Our school newsletter serves as a forum for cele-

brating our learning community. We look forward to presenting our next edition in the Fall of 2017.

Please visit our school website, http://www.pennsburysd.org/fallsingtonelementary_home.aspx, for the monthly calendar

and for other pertinent information.

At the beginning of the 2016-2017 school year, we expanded our Character Education Initiative by joining the global commu-

nity in celebration of Character Day. Students at all levels reflected on who they are and who they want to become. This

event reinforced the development of caring and engaged learners who are empowered and encouraged to actively contribute to

our community (please see page 10 for more information).

Our Character Journey continued in January 2017 with our Peace March, which served as a celebration of Martin Luther King

Jr.’s birthday, provided a venue for students to express their individual beliefs, and created an atmosphere of respect where all

beliefs were accepted and embraced. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech played over the intercom as our 5th

grade students led the march from the school into our central office administration building. The march continued outside and

caught the attention of community members who paused to listen to King’s speech and to watch our students carry their sym-

bols of peace (please see page 10 for more information).

Continued on Page 12

FROM THE PRINCIPAL

Congratulations to Charlie Cordisco and Bryan Sanchez-

Dominguez for their great efforts at the Challenge 24

Competition! These two amazing mathematicians repre-

sented Fallsington Elementary School at the Bucks County

Competition in May. Way to go boys!

Happy Summer! Who wants to become a Mathlete? All you have to do is com-

plete 26 review sessions over the summer. Packets were emailed on Tuesday,

June 13th, and are available inside our office as well. Let’s keep our math skills

sharp by participating in our “Mathlete Marathon!”

Inside this issue:

Super Hero Readers/ Math 2

PAW Pride Recipients 3

Exemplary Attendance 4

Challenge 24 4

Library Happenings 5-6

Computer Lab 7

PTO Updates/News 8

ESL Student 8

Everyday Math and Pi Day 9

Promising Practice Awards 10

Physical Education 11

Art Room 11

DEP Grant & Courtyard Garden 12

...Con’t from the Principal 12

...Con’t from the Principal 13

FALLSINGTON ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

FALLSINGTON ELEMENTARY TIGER TALES MAY-JUNE, 2017

VOLUME 2, I SSUE 3

Be sure to visit our website for important dates, Backpack Thursday

flyers, news & more!

www.pennsburysd.org/fallsington PAW Pride!

CHALLENGE 24 COMPETITION

&

MATHLETE MARATHON

See page 4 for more information about Challenge 24.

SUPER HERO READERS

MATH SUPER STARS

Page 2

FALLSINGTON ELEMENTARY

March Spotlight Student March Super Hero Readers

April Spotlight Student April-May Super Hero Readers

March Spotlight Student March Math Super Stars

April-May Spotlight

Student

April-May Math Super Stars

Super Hero Readers and Math Super Stars recognize students that demonstrate perseverance, effort, and growth within the areas of reading and math. Each month, a student is selected by his or her classroom teacher. All students are awarded a spirit stick and are assembled for a group picture. One student is selected as a "spotlight" student. This student receives an award and is recognized at our end of marking period assembly.

SUPER HERO READERS and MATH SUPER STARS

Page 3

PAW PRIDE RECIPIENTS

Pictured below are students who received Tiger PAW Awards and group shots of all recipients for March through May. Students are given this award by staff members when they display behaviors that exemplify Fallsington's Core Beliefs - Put safety first. All people deserve respect. We are a responsible community. Fallsington Spotlight Students are stu-dents who were nominated by their teachers to receive special recognition for their demonstration of excellent charac-ter. The elementary years are a crucial time for the development of our students' character values, and we are proud to recognize the growth of our students in this area.

April PAW PRIDE Recipients

March Spotlight Student

May Spotlight Student

April Spotlight Student

March PAW PRIDE Recipients

May PAW PRIDE Recipients

EXEMPLARY ATTENDANCE

Page 4

KINDERGARTEN Nathan Evans, Gianna Gibbons, Charlotte Jurrens, Navya Patel, Brooke Scott, Nadia Tramel, Savannah Wilkins

FIRST GRADE John Hampton, Saanvi Kabadi, Suhavi Kaur, Josue Medina, Jason Nemeth

SECOND GRADE Gabriella Constantino, Summer Gamino, Grace Semmens, Kelsey Swinnerton

THIRD GRADE Carly Barnett, Rian DeGaetano, Elma Ibric, Joseph Ligato, Cory McClister, Ariana Medina, Kaylee Stedman

FOURTH GRADE David Aidee, Joseph Beitler, Swathi Bodduluri, Trevor Brandon, Anthony Cartusciello, Andrew DeGaetano,

Makena Doan, Angel Lazcano-Rodriguez, Jonathan Pajrowski, Bhakti Patel, Richard Pazer, Gavin Thompson

FIFTH GRADE Abigail Aidee, Gavin Casselli, Jack Elmer, Disha Kaklotar, William Lazcano-Rodriguez, Samarth Mannikeri, Al-

exander Platov

Exemplary Attendance is defined as three or less attendance points for ab-

sences, which are worth one point each, and/or tardiness or early dismissal,

which account for a half of a point each. Congratulations to the following

students who achieved Exemplary Attendance for the 2016-2017 school

year.

CHALLENGE 24 Students in fourth and fifth grade practiced their quick thinking math skills during 24

Challenge practice two mornings a week before school. The object of 24 Challenge is to

be the first person to make 24 with all 4 numbers on the card. Students can add, sub-

tract, multiply, or divide to get to 24. The tricky part is that all 4 num-

bers must be used, but only once!

Students can practice online at www.4nums.com!

Try it….it’s fun for the whole family!

Page 5

Library Happenings

Missing Books?

It’s summertime and that means the librarians need to account for every library book. All li-brary books were due back to school on June 2.

Does your child have a Lost Book? We know where to look.

In his or her desk? (#1 place where lost books are found!)

Under his or her bed?

In a friend’s desk?

In his or her book bag?

On the bus?

Under the seat in your car?

On your bookshelves in your home?

On the teachers’ bookshelves?

At a friend’s house?

Behind the sofa?

Under the sofa cushions?

On the nightstand?

In a brother or sister’s bedroom or backpack?

At his or her other house?

In his or her desk? (Yes, look there again!!)

In the library? Ask Mrs. Stolber or Mrs. Pope if you can check the bookshelf to see if it is hiding there.

If all else fails ask Mrs. Stolber or Mrs. Pope to check the library shelves themselves. It’s amazing where library books can hide.

How to Keep Kids Reading All Summer

Jodie Rodriguez at www.GrowingBookByBook.com has made a list of fun summer reading challenges to keep your kids reading this summer.

Challenge #1 Find the Caldecott winner book for each year someone in your family was born and read them. You can see the Caldecott winners list here.

In Mrs. Stolber’s house we will read: 1970: Sylvester and the Magic Pebble by William Steig

1972: One Fine Day by Nonny Hogrogian

2001: So You Want to be President? by Judith St. George

2004: The Man Who Walked Between the Towers by Mordecai Gerstein

…...Continued on page 6

Challenge #2 Visit the library and go to the picture book area. Most libraries organize their books in alpha-betical order by author’s last name. Find the section of books that begins with the first letter of your last name. Select a book and then move to the section that begins with the second letter in your last name and choose another book.

In Mrs. Pope’s house we will read: P: Chicken Sunday by Patricia Polacco

O: Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O’Dell P: The Rainbow Fish by Marcus Pfister

E: Planting a Rainbow by Lois Ehlert

Challenge #3 Ask the librarian to recommend a hidden gem (an often overlooked book) somewhere on the library shelves. Let us know what the librarian recommends! We’re always looking for books to add to our shelves.

Challenge #4 Go to the “A” section and select the very first book on the shelf. Then, go to the “Z” section and select the very last book on the shelf.

Challenge #5 This a quick challenge. Head to section 599 of the library and select a book.

Challenge #6 Spend a few days writing down all the questions your kids ask on little pieces of paper. Randomly pick one slip. Take it to the library and see if you can find a book that will help you answer that question.

Challenge #7 Select a book that has won a Theodor Seuss Geisel Award. This award is given to the most distinguished beginning reader book each year.

Challenge #8 Go to the “G” section of the library. Look on the bottom shelf. Pick the third book from the right. What gem will you discover?

Challenge #9 Your favorite authors were once kids too! Pick an author from this list and read one of their favorite books from when they were a child.So have fun discovering new books this sum-mer!

And, don’t forget to print your free printable tracking sheet to keep track of your progress and your free printable challenge list to take to the library!

….Continued from Page 5

Page 6

From the Computer Lab

Fallsington students had a wonderful year in the Computer Lab. It was amazing to see children from Kindergarten through Fifth Grade utilizing and mastering all the technology we offer including laptops, iPads and Androids, and, of course, Chromebooks!

This year, students at all levels had access to Chromebooks in their classrooms. This required them to learn new ways to log-on into their accounts (Clever) and to learn new ways to access online programs. Students began to acquire new skills and began exploring Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides. I have created a Symbaloo website that has links to all the websites we used as well. The link to my page is on your students’ Clever page.

Be sure to ask your child(ren) what their favorite site was when they visited the computer lab. All programs are web-based and are available at home, too!

With summer here, don’t forget about Compass Learning. All students have ac-cess. Any practice they get over the summer helps avoid the “summer slide.”

See you in September! Have a safe and wonderful

Mrs. Christy

pchristy@pennsburysd.org

Over the course of the year, students’ headphones sometimes stop working. Please inspect your child’s headphones to see if they need replacing over the summer. Inexpensive headphones can be found at any Dollar Store, Five & Below, or a store such as Walmart and Target. Please be sure the headphones are in a zip-lock bag with your student’s name and homeroom. Also, ear “buds” are difficult for young children to use (and they tend to get very tangled) - headphones are preferable.

Page 7

PTO UPDATES/NEWS

What a fantastic year it has been! Thank you for making the 2016-2017 school year both productive and FUN for not only the students and staff, but also for all of the Fallsington families. Because of the parents and staff members who gave the gift of time by volunteering at many of the P.T.O sponsored events, we were able to organ-ize several exciting and memorable events, from the Fall Hayride to our Family Bingo night!

There are several open positions on the PTO for next year. The positions that need a chairperson are as follows: Holiday Shop, Donation Solicitation, Assem-bly Organization, Walk-A-Thon, Spirit Wear, Winter Dance, and Raffle Baskets (Fallsington Day and the Car Show). If you are interested in being a chairperson , please contact the PTO at fallsingtonpto@gmail.com. Unfortunately, if we do not find chairpersons for these activities, we will not be able to offer them to our chil-dren.

Thank you to all of those parents who have given the gift of time and who have re-mained dedicated to their positions throughout the years!

Daniel K read about famous actor, Henry Winkler in Mrs. Cornell’s class. Henry is also a producer and an author. When Henry was a young boy, he had difficulty with reading be-cause he had dyslexia. Daniel read about how successful Henry has be-come. He wrote a letter to Henry to congratulate him on his success in Hollywood and his successful Hank Zipzer book series. Henry sent Dan-iel a photograph of himself and his pet dogs with a personal mes-sage. Daniel was so excited to re-ceive the autograph and kind mes-sage!

ESL STUDENT RECEIVES LETTER FROM ACTOR, HENRY WINKLER

Page 8

Think about the master chefs you see on television--how do they acquire their knowledge and skill?

No one starts out chopping onions at high speed, inventing their own dishes, or running a restaurant!

Chefs develop their cooking expertise over time, starting with basic skills and easy recipes. Gradually,

they practice these skills, learn important food-science concepts, and gain experience by cooking in

many different restaurants.

Similarly, Everyday Mathematics is based on the idea that students build understanding and develop

skills as a result of many meaningful and connected learning experiences. Depth of knowledge and

mastery of mathematics procedures, concepts, and applications come with repeated exposure and

practice over time, not after just one lesson. To help students develop deep knowledge and enduring

mastery of mathematics, Everyday Mathematics returns again and again to key grade-level content in

different context across months or years, first with informal exposures and then through more formal

and directed instruction.

The design of the Everyday Math program allows students to gain a deeper understanding of math

concepts, a much more solid mathematical foundation, and experience with content in a range of

mathematical domains each year.

EVERYDAY MATHEMATICS: HOW STUDENTS LEARN

Students celebrated Pi Day on March 14th (3.14)!

What is Pi you ask? Pi is the number that is approxi-

mately equal to 3.14. It is the number you get if you

divide the circumference of any circle by its diameter.

It is the same for all circles. Actually, 3.14 is only ap-

proximately equal to pi. That's because pi is an irra-

tional number. That means that when you write pi as

a decimal it goes on forever, never ending and never

repeating itself. The first six digits of Pi are 3.14159,

and that's all you need for most practical purposes. In

most cases just 3.14 is enough.

Students had fun calculating the circumference and

diameter of round objects by using 3.14! It was also a

very delicious day from all of the Pi(e) we ate:)

Page 9

In May 2017, Character.org awarded Fallsington Elementary with two Promising Practices in Character Education. “The Promising Practices program highlights what’s going well in classrooms across America and the world. Each Practice must be tied to one or more of Character.org’s 11 Principles of Character Education.”

Character.org awarded Fallsington with a Promising Practice for our celebration of Character Day, which was a global event that included 92,000 events in 124 countries. At Fallsington, our counselor delivered classroom lessons and coordinated a celebration where our fifth grade students assumed the role of superheroes and our Kindergarten students served as their sidekicks. The superheroes and their sidekicks engaged in literacy activities that were designed to define “super” character traits while promoting a partnership across grade lev-els. Teachers throughout the school led their own activities, integrating character education and development as they delivered their respec-tive grade level curriculums. Character Day served as a venue to open up the dialogue of what character education is and identify what makes us each unique.

Fallsington’s Peace March was awarded with a Promising Practice. In January, Fallsington honored Mar-tin Luther King, Jr. through the facilitation of a Peace March. The march provided a venue for students to

freely express themselves while learning to respect and embrace the beliefs and feelings of others. Stu-dents at each grade level participated in develop-mentally appropriate activities and created symbols of peace to carry during the march. Students donat-ed their symbols of peace to decorate the doors in central administration, spreading their messages beyond our school community. The Peace March served as an authentic learning opportunity where students demonstrated our Core Beliefs by display-ing respect and by assuming responsibility for pro-moting peace and embracing diversity.

“PROMISING PRACTICE” AWARDS

Page 10

Parents/ Guardians,

Welcome to the end of the school year! How time flies when you’re having fun. In the month of March, our school participated in the Hoops for Heart program, in which students and their families donated money to children with heart conditions. What a great cause! Due to the generosity of donations by the Fallsington families, I kept my promise and kissed a pig!

In grades 3-5, we worked on the Pacer Test three times this school year. Each students’ goal was to run further and longer than they did the last time. I can say with confidence that all of the students achieved their goal and are more fit from where they started in the beginning of the school year! Way to go upper grades!

In grades K-2, we focused much of the school year on learning the basics of fitness, sportsmanship, and getting the students to become interested in sports and what sports offer. It is a joy watching and teaching our younger students about fitness, and seeing them really take an interest. Great job grades K-2!

During the summer, please try to have your children outside a minimum of 60 minutes a day. It is crucial that they are outdoors not only for the fitness aspect, but for the socialization as well. Always be sure to be hydrated in these hot summer months. As a family, set some healthy goals for the summer (participate in a fun run, cut back on TV time, chose 2-3 fruits/vegetables to eat each day). Ask your children what they did in class this year, and try it with them. There are quite a few fun places for families to go in Bucks County that have to do with physical activity. I highly recommend Sky Zone Trampoline Park and the Doylestown Rock Gym.

Have a great summer!

Mr. Davidson

PH YSICAL EDUCATION AT FALLSINGTON

Page 11

FROM THE AR T ROOM

Thank you to everyone who made the Fallsington “Art and Literacy Fair” such a great success! The high quality of both the visual and written work that our students created is certainly something to celebrate! Please continue to encourage the success of your child(ren)’s art education over the summer and into the next school year. The Pennsbury School District Art Show was an equally celebrated and successful event. Fallsington had over 100 students with artwork displayed and recognized at the show in the Pennsbury High School East gymnasium and the work by one of our young artists, Teagan Kean, was selected as a feature design for the invitations! Great job, Fallsington! Thank you for everyone’s support of the Fallsington Art Department. Enjoy your summer!

Page 12

ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION GRANT -

“COURTYARD GARDEN”

Students from second and third grade classes worked with Snipes Farm on a year-long “Courtyard Garden” project. This project was made possible thanks to an Envi-ronmental Education Grant from the Department of Environmental Protection. Special thanks to our community partner, Snipes Farm and Education Center, with a special thanks to Luann Dietrich and Melanie Douty-Snipes for coordinating this grant and providing all the tools, gloves, and plants for the project. The classes of Mr. Obert-Thorn, Mrs. Mount, Mrs. Massaroni, and Mr. Rosica be-gan preparing garden beds in the fall. The students harvested cool weather vegetables and started a new crop of spring plantings. The second grade gardeners focused on a “pollinator garden” consisting mainly of perennial plants. This tied in nicely with their butterfly science curriculum. Third grade students focused on a “ seed to fork gar-den” with mostly annual plants. Students observed changes and documented findings

in their journals and helped with maintenance, including weeding and watering. In May, second grade students released their butterflies to the pollinator garden. The garden was available as an outdoor class-room for all students to enjoy. In June, third grade students celebrated with a salad party. The students and teachers loved working with Snipes farm on this project.

...Continued from page 1

FROM THE PRINCIPAL

Our Character Education Initiative continues to promote the development of a “Growth Mindset” by reinforcing and encourag-

ing perseverance, effort, and growth among our students. Students are acknowledged for demonstrating these characteristics

and receive special recognition during our quarterly awards ceremonies. Each month, a nomination is submitted to the LYFT

(Lower Makefield, Yardley, Falls Township, Tulleytown) Coalition to further recognize our students. A special congratulations

to the following students who were nominated for displaying the character traits that are identified for each month.

Month Nominated Student Character Trait

September Joseph Beitler Responsibility

October Bryonna Senzick Fairness

November Tyler Boraski

Elementary Division Winner

Positive

Engagement

December Caring Jason McAnulty

January Peace Making Olivia Piccinotti

Elementary Division Winner

Month Character

Trait

Nominated Student

February Perseverance Rian Ciotti

March Integrity Jackson Kean

April Leadership Jocelyn Harris

May Service to

Others

Elma Ibric

Continued on Page 13

Fallsington Tigers

134 Yardley Avenue

Fallsington, PA 19058

Phone: 215.428.4170

Fax: 215.428.5210

FALLSINGTON

ELEMENTARY

SCHOOL

Page 13

...Continued from page 12

FROM THE PRINCIPAL

Our technology initiative continues to progress! All classrooms now benefit from Sound Field Systems! We are hoping to re-

place two antiquated systems and repurpose them for use in special area classes. We also look forward to the redeployment of

Chromebooks from the secondary level to the elementary division, which will likely create a 1:1 initiative in elementary schools

as well. Please note that the devices at the elementary level will be used in the school setting only.

Charlie Cordisco, grade five, and Bryan Sanchez, grade five, participated in the Bucks County Challenge 24 tournament,

which was facilitated in May (please see page 1 for more information). A special thanks to Mrs. Mix, Math Specialist, for spon-

soring this activity!

A special thanks to our PTO for sponsoring many exciting and rewarding events over the course of the school year! Please con-

sider becoming a committee chairperson so these events can continue (please see page 8 for more information).

All students who are entering first through sixth grade are encouraged to participate in our summer programs. Please see below

for more information.

SUMMER READING: All students in grades 1-5 have required reading postcards to complete this summer. Students in

grades 1-2 are required to read 5-10 books (depending upon length); and students in grades 3-5 are required to read 3 books

(appropriate to level). All students are required to complete one postcard about one of their summer reading books. The

postcards are due back at school by Friday, September 8th.

SUMMER MATH: All students in grades 1-5 are encouraged to keep their math skills sharp over the summer by partici-

pating in our Mathlete Marathon. Packets were emailed on Tuesday, June 13th, and are available inside our office as well.

Tracking forms are due back at school by Friday, September 8th.

COMPASS LEARNING: Students in grades 3-5 are encouraged to use the online program, Compass Learning, to con-

tinue working on their reading and math skills over the summer. To improve and strengthen their academic skills, students

should spend at least thirty minutes on both components (reading and math) for a total of sixty minutes each week. This

technology based program delivers instruction at each student’s instructional level. Please join us in our library for addi-

tional help with areas that are targeted for intervention by this program. For dates and times, please visit our school web-

site.

I hope you and your family have an amazing summer! Relax, stay safe, and don’t forget to read. I’m looking forward to wel-

coming everyone back to school in the fall. Thank you for your continued support. Together, Fallsington continues to become

an even greater place for students to learn and grow.

With Much Appreciation,

Mr. Brian G. Shaffer

Principal

FALLSINGTON’S CORE BELIEFS

Put Safety First!

All People Deserve Respect.

We are a responsible community.

PAW Pride!