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Dear Fallsington Families,
We are proud to present the second issue of our school newsletter, Tiger Tales. Our school newsletter serves as a forum for celebrating our
learning community. Our third issue will be distributed in June.
Please visit our school website, http://www.pennsbury.k12.pa.us/pennsbury/Fallsington/, for the monthly calendar and for other pertinent
information.
The Fallsington Team continues to provide high quality educational experiences for our students. In collaboration with classroom teachers,
our art teachers, Miss Mummey and Mrs. Chong, presented our 2016 Art and Literature Night on Wednesday, May 4th. This culminating
event highlighted our students’ work over the course of the school year. I hope you were able to join us for this exciting event.
Our technology initiative continues to progress! Our PTO purchased four sound field systems and collaborated with the school to purchase
a fifth. Mrs. Cohoon shares, “This resource enables our students to hear instruction from any location in the classroom, which promotes
better attention and understanding of the content.” The school has also purchased five replacement projectors and three replacement docu-
ment cameras, which include a microphone to further amplify the teacher’s voice throughout the room. Our students now benefit from the
use of thirty tablets and twenty one iPads that have been distributed to classroom teachers. A cart with thirty Chromebooks was recently
added to our computer lab and is used by teachers for the delivery of whole group instruction inside the classroom.
...Continued on page 9
FROM THE PRINCIPAL
STUDENT COUNCIL UPDASTUDENT COUNCIL UPDASTUDENT COUNCIL UPDASTUDENT COUNCIL UPDATETETETE
Student Council has been busy this second half of the school year with the following activities and
events:
• “Super Bowl Can Drive” donations were donated to “Mary’s Food Cupboard.”
• Valentine’s Day Candy Gram sales were a great success.
• “Valentines for Veterans” were created by students in the following classrooms:
Mrs. Miley, Mrs. Tietz, Mrs. Yates, Mrs. Tomko, Mr Obert-Thorn, Mrs. Cohoon,
and Mrs. Gould, in collaboration with our parent partner, Ms. Charlene Rendeiro
of The Fallsington Library. The valentines were on display in the Library before
being distributed to the Philadelphia VA Medical Center. We hope this activity
instilled the importance of giving back and sharing cheer with our Veterans.
• On our 100th day of school, “100 Reasons Why We Love Fallsington” messages were displayed on
a bulletin board.
• Black History Month facts were shared during announcements.
• A Door Decorating contest was facilitated in celebration of Read Across America Week. The win-
ners were: Mrs. Tietz and Mrs. Miley’s classes tied for first place; Ms. Sherman’s class was second;
and in third place was Mr. Rosica’s class.
• Gold coins were shared with all classes in celebration of St. Patrick’s Day.
• “Pennies for Patients” collections in the amount of $1400 were donated to the Leukemia Society.
• Some funds raised from the Candy Gram Sales were used to donate money to CHOP’s “Walk for
Hope.”
Inside this issue:
PTO Updates/News 4
Gr 4 Fallsington Library trip
4
Library Happenings 5
Mrs. Mount’s Daily 5 6
Reading Olympics 6
Computer Lab 7
Art Room 8
Perfect Aendance 3
Super Hero Readers/
Math Super Stars
2
Physical Educa�on 7
Math News 10
FALLSINGTON ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
FALLSINGTON ELEMENTARY TIGER TALES
JANUARY-APRIL , 2016
VOLUME 1, I SSUE 2
Be sure to visit our website for
important dates, Backpack Thursday
flyers, news & more!
www.pennsburysd.org/fallsington PAW Pride!
SUPER HERO READERS
MATH SUPER STARS
Page 2
FALLSINGTON ELEMENTARY
January Spotlight
Student
January Super Hero Readers February Spotlight Student February Super Hero Readers
March
Spotlight Student
March Super
Hero Readers
January Spotlight January Math Super Stars
February Spotlight
Student February Math Super Stars March Spotlight Student March 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
Congratulations to the following students that have achieved Perfect
Attendance for the third marking period. GREAT JOB!!
PERFECT ATTENDANCEPERFECT ATTENDANCEPERFECT ATTENDANCEPERFECT ATTENDANCE
Page 3
VOLUME 1, ISSUE 2
KINDERGARTENKINDERGARTENKINDERGARTENKINDERGARTEN
Isabella Broadbent, Abel Clarey, Colin Delahanty, John Hampton, Ryan Kang, Brandon Killian,
Connor McAnulty, Ray LaPorte, Josue Medina, Charles Rhein, Eli Thayer
FIRST GRADEFIRST GRADEFIRST GRADEFIRST GRADE
Sarah Andre, Dillon Allen, Isabella Badner, Jake Cartusciello, Gianna Castelize, Gabriella Con-
stantino, Khloe Emmitt, Halle Hislop, Eric Huang, Gabriella Killian, Gavin Killian, Efrain Medina-
Hernandez, Emma Miller, Matthew Pajrowski, Jacob Perry, London Rehill, Alexander Sanchez-
Dominguez, Parker Scott, Kelsey Swinnerton, Ava Walker, Matthew Wylie
SECOND GRADESECOND GRADESECOND GRADESECOND GRADE
Autumn Black, Rian DeGaetano, Jackson Detweiler, Sea-
mus Gould, Chloe Huang, Brennan Kean, Daniel Khramkin,
Joseph Ligato, Chloe Link, Sofia Martella, Jason McAn-
ulty, Noah Nicol, Brenna Nysse, Jaylynn Rodweller,
Srimedha Shivadevuni, Kaylee Stedman
THIRD GRADETHIRD GRADETHIRD GRADETHIRD GRADE
David Aidee, Swathi Bodduluri, Trevor Brandon, Anthony Cartusciello, Rachael Constantino,
Andrew DeGaetano, Brianna Freeling, Robert Gore, Giavana Holcombe, Nicholas Martin, Bhakti
Patel, Ruth Schwartzkopf, Gavin Thompson
FOURTH GRADEFOURTH GRADEFOURTH GRADEFOURTH GRADE
Abigail Aidee, Colin Baker, Tyler Boraski, Joseph Brooks, Gavin Casselli, Nathan Casselli, Gianna
Chambers, Charlie Cordisco, Simone Cordisco, Mahek Dixit, Jack Elmer, Zane Lazar, Samarth
Mannikeri, Dimitri Martella, Vaunsh Patel, Chloe Rhein, Bryan Sanchez-Dominguez, Bryonna Sen-
zick, James Watson
FIFTH GRADEFIFTH GRADEFIFTH GRADEFIFTH GRADE
Alicia Adamovich, Madisyn Allen; Caleb Barnett; Matthew
Berg; Claudia Black; Maysen Cameron; Christopher Cichon;
Randall Ciotti; Charles Darrington; Mackenzie Detweiler; Derek
DiLorenzo; Miranda Evans; Gabriella Freeling; Maryerin Gould;
Alexander Hamburg; Pari Lakhia; Caitlin Marinelli; Shane
McGurrin; Niyah Mickles; Amelia Modzelewska; Kiran Patel;
Prutha Patel; Trystan Rehill; Jamie Rosta; Jayce Secoda; and
Gabriella Visco
PTO UPDATES/NEWS
Remember to send in your Campbell Soup Labels and
Box Tops to your classroom teachers. We appreciate
your support of this program and the funding it brings to
the school.
Because of all of the amazing Fallsington families, the Ger-
trude Hawk fundraiser was a huge success! We truly ap-
preciate your generosity and support!
The 2nd
Annual Car Show sponsored by the P.T.O. was
held on Saturday, April 30th
from 10-2:00 p.m.
Mother’s Day flower pens will be on sale during the first
week of May. The Book Fair will be held May 2-6th
. Any
amount of �me you can give to support the fair will be
greatly appreciated. The Art & Literature Night/Ice
Cream Social was held May 4th
.
Please con�nue to visit weekly the P.T.O. link on the
school’s website (www.pennsbury.k12.pa.us/Fallsington)
to stay involved and informed of school-wide events!
Have a happy spring!
PRETZEL SALES May 27
June 10
FINAL SPIRIT STICK SALE
May 25
What a busy, yet exci�ng third marking period
Fallsington has had! Thank you to those who
a�ended the monthly P.T.O. mee�ngs! We wel-
come all of you back with a friend or spouse and
encourage those of you who could not make last
month’s mee�ng to COME JOIN US and make a
difference for your children on May 12th
in the li-
brary at 7:00 p.m. Please check the website for
the upcoming May mee2ng date.
The morning pretzel sales have been a success!
We appreciate all of the parents who have been
working the pretzel table and for the parents and
teachers who have been suppor�ng these sales for
the children. Pretzels will be on sale every 2nd
and
4th
Friday before school. Please check the school
website for other important dates such as Spirit
S�ck sales and School Store.
Page 4
GRADE 4 TRIP TO FALLSINGTON LIBRARY
Fourth grade classes at Fallsington Elementary had
the opportunity to extend their science curriculum
by visi�ng the Fallsington Library, through a Penns-
bury Partners Mini-grant, to learn about habitats
and ecosystems. Students par�cipated in a mini-
lesson given by parent partner, Ms. Charlene Rendei-
ro. A@erwards, students followed a series of steps to
create their very own self-contained terrariums. Stu-
dents really enjoyed this hands-on ac�vity!
VOLUME 1, ISSUE 2
Page 5
LIBRARY HAPPENINGS
March started with Read Across America Week and Dr. Seuss’ birthday.
Students and teachers at Fallsington celebrated in mul�ple ways, includ-
ing wri�ng their favorite book quotes on the Book Graffi� Wall outside
the library. Next �me you are in school, stop down and read some of our
favorite quotes.
The second half of the school year is full of lots of interes�ng ac�vi�es in the library. Kindergar-
ten will con�nue to learn nursery rhymes. First grade students are listening to fairy tales and
iden�fying all of the important elements found in fairy tales. Second grade will begin to learn
about Aesop’s fables. A@er hearing several fables the students will research an animal and
write their own fables.
Third grade is finished their research and is learning about the uniquely American folk tale gen-
re of Tall Tales. You may hear lots of exaggera�ons from your third grade student as they learn
about Annie Oakley, Paul Bunyan, John Henry, and other larger-than-life American heroes.
In celebra�on of the 100th anniversary of the Na�onal Park Service, the fourth grade students
are researching na�onal parks. This research project uses mul�ple sources (books, web sites,
etc.) and has the students synthesize all of the informa�on to plan a trip. As part of the centen-
nial celebra�on the Na�onal Park Service is offering all fourth grade students a free pass to all
Na�onal Parks for 2016. Check out the web site at www.nps.gov to obtain your child’s free
pass.
Fi7h grade students read the Caldeco Honor winner Gone Wild before beginning their final
research project. Gone Wild is an ABC book about animals that includes a pictogram of the ani-
mal. Students are researching their animals, wri�ng a brief descrip�on of their animals, and
then crea�ng a pictogram.
The Reading Olympics compe��on was held on April 6 at Neshaminy High School. The fourth
and fi@h grade students on each team were busy reading and mee�ng weekly with Mr. Obert-
Thorn and Mrs. Stolber.
April was also Poetry Month and included Poem in Your Pocket Day on April 21. Students deco-
rated pockets and selected (or wrote) poems to put on their pockets during library class. On
April 21 all students carried their poems and were encouraged to share them with classmates
and teachers.
VOLUME 1, ISSUE 2
Page 6
MRS. MOUNT’S 3RD GRADE ENJOYS THE “DAILY 5 READING PROGRAM” WITH CAFÉ COMPONENTS
Students have been spending the year using the “Daily 5 Program” during their reading �me block. This program was
designed for teachers to be able to meet with a small number of students in guided reading groups to help meet the
needs of each student at their reading level. While the classroom teacher is working with the small group, the rest of
the students rotate into independent reading sta�ons. Students can read quietly to themselves, read with a partner,
listen to reading on a computer, work on wri�ng or prac�ce daily skills. These reading rota�ons help to foster greater
independence, higher engagement in self-selected reading and more meaningful and authen�c reading.
Since using the “Daily 5 Program” we’ve no�ced the students enjoy making their own choices, have a greater sense
of classroom community, and most of all, their reading stamina is stronger. This is evident in the selec�on of books
they are now choosing to read.
This year, in coopera�on with Mrs. Sanso8a, our reading specialist, we have added the “CAFÉ Component” to our
“Daily 5 Program.”
C for Comprehension
A for Accuracy
F for Fluency
E for Expanding Vocabulary
The stu- dents in Mrs. Mount’s Class are really proud of their efforts and look forward
to reading across the curriculum each day!!!
READING OLYMPICS
Fallsington proudly sent two teams to participate in
the 2016 Bucks County Reading Olympics Competi-
tion. This year, 31 students from Fallsington’s fourth
and fifth grade classes took part in the event. Stu-
dents were required to read from a designated
booklist and become “experts” on those books.
Practice took place for this event during the stu-
dents’ recess time throughout the school year. During
the night of the competition, the teams of students
were asked questions about every book on the list.
Teachers, staff, and families were proud of the hard work and dedication that the students displayed. We look forward to participating in next year’s com-petition. If your son or daughter is interested, you can find the booklist for 2017 on the school’s website.
VOLUME 1, ISSUE 2
From Mrs. Powell & Mrs. Christy in the
Computer Lab Our Fallsington students have been doing great in the Computer Lab! It’s amazing to see children from Kindergarten through Fifth Grade using all the technology we have to offer.
During the 1st week of March, to celebrate Dr. Seuss’ birthday, many classes had the chance to explore the website “Seussville.” There are challenging and fun games and activities that go along with all the familiar characters from the Dr. Seuss books. Students had a wonderful time spelling in “Fishin’ for ABCs” and “Hop on Pop”, or gathering Truffula seeds in “The Lorax Quest”, among others.
As the year progresses, students are becoming more and more comfortable with all our technology. Activities provide opportunities to practice and reinforce Math and Literacy skills they are learning in their classrooms. Ask your child(ren) what new websites they have been visiting in school!
Second through Fifth Graders have continued to work extremely hard in the Compass Learning Program. This program is designed to reinforce Reading and Math skills for each student. Students can also access this program at home at: www.thelearningodyssey.com. All students also enjoy using our iPads, android tablets, and Chromebooks in their class-rooms for small group activities and centers!
There’s much more to do in computers during the year ahead! Look for more updates in the next edition of Tiger Ta-les!
If you haven’t sent in headphones for your child, please do so as soon as possible. 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 baggie with your student’s name and homeroom. Also, ear “buds” are difficult for young children to use, headphones are preferable.
Fallsington Parents,
Welcome to May! As we near the final stretch of the school year, I am proud to announce the excellent job Fallsington
students have done to this point in Physical Educa�on. Students in all grade levels have improved upon their fitness and
it’s amazing to see what they can do now compared to what they were doing in September. Students are learning fitness/
sport ac�vi�es that they can enjoy for a life�me. Let’s con�nue to learn for the health of it!
As a family, set some healthy goals (i.e., par�cipate in a fun run, cut back on TV �me, chose 2-3 fruits/vegetables to eat
each day). Ask your children what they are doing in class, and try it with them. There are quite a few fun places for fami-
lies to go in Bucks County that have to do with physical ac�vity. I highly recommend Sky Zone Trampoline Park and the
Doylestown Rock Gym. As the weather gets warmer, playing outside for 60 minutes is crucial, not just for the fitness as-
pect, but for the social aspect as well.
PHYSICAL EDUCATION AT FALLSINGTON
Page 7
VOLUME 1, ISSUE 2
Our talented Fallsington ar�sts have been busily preparing their drawings, pain�ngs, and sculp-
tures for various upcoming art events. Fallsington’s spectacular, “Art & Literature Night” was held
on Wednesday, May 4th
and was a HUGE success! Thank you to all the parent and staff volunteers
who contributed to this event.
In addi�on, the District Art Show will be held on Tuesday, May 24th
through Thursday, May 26th
in
the Pennsbury High School East gymnasium from 6pm-8pm. Students with artwork featured in this
show receive an invita�on approximately one week prior to the event. Please come out to cele-
brate the accomplishments of students in grades K-12 from schools throughout the Pennsbury
School District.
The final round of Art Club for grades 4th
& 5th
has concluded. We have explored projects and ac-
�vi�es such as: making sewn and stuffed monsters, crea�ng Pilgrim Hat centerpieces, designed the
Holiday Sing banner, made clay seed planters, created milk jug bird feeders, painted the Spring
Concert banner and more! We are already looking forward to hos�ng new groups of students next
school year. There will be many more art adventures to come!
In addi�on, the “Sit-N-Sketch” drawing club offered to our 2nd
& 3rd
graders has fin-
ished as well. Approximately sixty second and third grade students par�cipated in this
NEW supplemental program. We have explored many brain-teasing drawing exercises
such as: “Draw things that roll,” “Draw things that close,” or even “Draw things that
are cold.” The students have taken their sketchbook home to con�nue drawing and
sketching the world around them. A special “thank you” to Mr. Shaffer for purchasing
the books for the student ar�sts and making this event possible!
Make sure you ask your child about what they are doing in the art room. And as always, thank you
for your con�nued support of the visual arts program here at Fallsington!
-Miss Karen Mummey
- Mrs. Lindsay Chong
THE ART ROOM HAS BEEN BUSY!
Page 8
VOLUME 1, ISSUE 2
...Con2nued from Page 1
FROM THE PRINCIPAL
Odyssey of the Mind is an international educational program that provides creative problem-solving opportunities for students from
Kindergarten through college. Team members apply their creativity to solve problems that range from building mechanical devices to
presenting their own interpretation of literary classics. For the first time, Fallsington was represented by two Odyssey of the Mind
Teams at the regional competition. Our upper grade team tied for first in the Southeast PA regional tournament, advancing to the state
competition that was facilitated in Pittsburgh. Both teams performed for our school community, generating interest and excitement
among our students. A special thanks to Mr. Caro (“Coach Squirrel”) and Mrs. Secoda who served as coaches for our primary and
upper grade teams respectively. We’re looking forward to next year.
Through our partnership with the Fallsington Library, our students in Kindergarten and grade four (please see page 4 for more infor-
mation) have enjoyed classroom extensions to the library where they have participated in lessons that were created and delivered by our
parent partner, Ms. Rendeiro. Mr. Rosica’s third grade class will also visit the library in May. Our student council collaborated with
the Fallsington Library to create Valentines for local veterans (please see page 1 for more information).
At the beginning of the 2015 – 2016 school year, we expanded our partnership with the Peace Center by initiating a Peer Mediation
Program, which serves as an extension of the “Respecting Me, Respecting You” Program, which has been presented to our third grade
students for two consecutive years. Our Peer Mediation Program benefits all students and enhances the school climate by recognizing
the importance of peaceful conflict resolution along with teaching valuable leadership skills. The program has proven to be successful
with resolving student conflicts. We are currently collaborating with the Peace Center to secure funding for our partnership in the up-
coming school year.
Our Character Education Initiative continues to promote the development of a “Growth Mindset” by reinforcing and encouraging per-
severance, effort, and growth among our students. Students are acknowledged for demonstrating these characteristics and receive spe-
cial recognition during our quarterly awards ceremonies. Each month, a nomination form is submitted to the LYFT (Lower Makefield,
Yardley, Falls Township, Tulleytown) Coalition to further recognize our students.
At the District level, the elementary division is currently undergoing a curriculum renewal in the area of mathe-
matics. Through a core group of teachers, math specialists, and principals, Everyday Mathematics (EM4) has
been identified as a program that meets the needs of our elementary students. I am very excited about EM4 and
the program’s offerings. Developed by the University of Chicago School Mathematics Project and published by
McGraw-Hill Education, EM4 is a comprehensive K – 5 mathematics program. At the heart of EM4 is a focus
on developing students’ mathematical understanding and skills. This is accomplished through the use of real
life examples, repeated exposure to concepts and skills, frequent practice of computation skills, and the use of
multiple methods and problem solving strategies. Moreover, EM4 differentiates to meet various learning styles.
Elementary principals and math specialists had the opportunity in January to visit the Pennridge School Dis-
trict and observe EM4 unfold in the classroom setting. Throughout the visitation, students and teachers were overwhelmingly enthusias-
tic about the program. Students were engaged and enjoyed their lessons. The team also engaged in follow-up focus groups with Penn-
ridge teachers who shared positive experiences and results with the program.
At present, grade level specific EM4 materials are in the hands of our elementary teachers and a staff development timeline has been
established. This includes grade level meetings, principal training, principal/math specialist co-training, and math specialist/educational
technology associate co-training to support the technology component of the program. Summer workshops are also being planned.
I look forward to seeing you at our upcoming events, our June edition of Tiger Tales, and to celebrating with you all of the accomplish-
ments of our learning community. I am grateful for your support and contribution. Together, Fallsington continues to become an even
greater place for students to learn and grow.
With Much Appreciation,
Mr. Brian G. Shaffer
Principal
Page 9
VOLUME 1, ISSUE 2
Fallsington Tigers
134 Yardley Avenue
Fallsington, PA 19058
Phone: 215.428.4170
Fax: 215.428.5210 F A L L S I N G T O N E L E M E N T A R Y S C H O O L
their brains! Prac�ce this FUN game and see if
you up for the challenge by visi�ng hp://
www.4nums.com.
The 4th
and 5th
Grade Math Olympiads gath-
erered before school to challenge themselves
by using mathema�cal strategies to answer vari-
ous higher-level math ques�ons. Thank you to
all the parents who ensured the students were
on �me and consistently present at all of the
mee�ngs. Below are pictures of the group hard
at work!
Students involved in Mentoring
Mathema�cal Minds (M³ ) have
been working very hard! Fi@h
grade students recently complet-
ed a lesson involving Guinness
World Records where they dis-
covered and demonstrated with
rulers the world’s longest docu-
mented hair. This record belongs
to Xie Qiuping from China. Her
hair length is 18 feet 5.54 inches!
The Challenge 24 Math Club has
been mee�ng in the mornings on
a weekly basis geSng strong-
er at coming up with ways to
make twenty-four by mul�ply-
ing, dividing, adding, and sub-
trac�ng. Together, they have
been challenging and training
MRS . MCGURRIN’S MATH NEWS
FALLSINGTON’S CORE BELIEFSFALLSINGTON’S CORE BELIEFSFALLSINGTON’S CORE BELIEFSFALLSINGTON’S CORE BELIEFS
PPPPut Safety First!
AAAAll People Deserve Respect.
WWWWe are a responsible community.
PAW PAW PAW PAW Pride!
Page 10
VOLUME 1, ISSUE 2