South Fayette Elementary School

Building Report

May 2013

Over the next few weeks, the students in second grade will

be observing the life cycle of the Painted Lady Butterfly. They

will watch their caterpillars grow, shed their skin several times,

transform into a chrysalis, and finally emerge as a black and

orange butterfly; all within a month. After the metamorphosis

has occurred, the students will be able to observe them in a

butterfly cage. After a few days, they will be released into the

wild. The second graders are excited to be able to experience

this amazing change. Be on the lookout for these Painted Ladies;

some do escape! Submitted by Second Grade Teacher, Mrs.

Colangelo

Just like spring, the kindergarten students

have really bloomed! They have learned all 26

letters of the alphabet and 40 high frequency

words. They are able to decode and read

sentences. In math, they have learned shapes,

solid figures, and how to represent a two-digit

number using tens and ones. This is such an

exciting time of year! Look out first grade…here

they come!

The kindergartners planted sunflower

seeds and are watching them grow. They also went on a field trip to the South Fayette library,

police station, and post office. There was a fire truck and ambulance parked outside of the police

station, so the students could learn about the jobs they do. They also visited Lomma Construction

Company and were given yellow construction hats. Submitted by Kindergarten Teacher, Mrs.

Brentin

The Painted Lady Butterfly

There are many exciting things happening in fourth grade

during the month of May! On May 3, the students were treated

to a visit from “Big Mike” Dorsey, a contestant from the TV show

The Biggest Loser. He came to South Fayette to take part in

healthy activities with the fourth grade students. Fourth grade

teacher, Sara Oddis, knows Mike from college, and was able to

arrange his visit. Her class also corresponded with Mike during

his time on the show. Mike didn’t win the competition, but as you

can see, he certainly is a positive role model for the students

about what healthy eating and exercise can do. To learn more

about Mike’s visit to South Fayette, you can read the article from the May 6 edition of the Almanac

at http://www.thealmanac.net/article/20130506/NEWS07/130509969/-1/NEWS#.UYh0ooImaG4.

May is also a time for

fourth grade fine arts week.

During the week of May 6-10,

the students centered all of

their academic learning around

the arts. Visiting artists,

coordinated through the

Pittsburgh Center for the

Arts, facilitated activities

centering on puppetry, dance,

theater, and the visual arts. This was a terrific opportunity for the students to be exposed to

many different types of artistic expression.

Earlier this year, the fourth grade students were visited by Cindy Cox and Holly Bomba from

the South Fayette Conservation Group. As an extension of the fourth grade environmental science

curriculum, they brought a watershed table into each of the classrooms to explain how a watershed

works. As a follow-up to this activity, members of the conservation group will be taking each class

to the wetlands to participate in hands-on science activities. This collaboration has been a very

positive learning experience for the students. It will also help to prepare them for the fourth

grade field trip to The Outdoor Classroom later in the month of May. Submitted by Fourth Grade

Teacher, Ms. Brandtner

Ms. Oddis and her class with Mike Dorsey

In January, South Fayette Elementary School was chosen for the

first time to be a part of The Giant Eagle Kids of STEEL; a running

program through Dick’s Sporting Goods Pittsburgh Marathon. KOS is

an exercise and nutrition program developed to promote and encourage

healthy lifestyle habits in young children. Children in grades K-5 were

eligible to run.

Over the course of 18-weeks, students who participated ran

approximately 25.2 miles. On May 4, 2013 the

KOS ran their last mile together in the Toyota of

Pittsburgh Kids Marathon. There were over 200

South Fayette students who participated in the program. During their

training, the students and their coaches ran two times per week prior to the

beginning of the school day. The coaches offered cardio stations such as

burpees, squat jumps, planks, and wall squats. They ran for at least 10-15

minutes per session. As the weather improved, they were able to run outside

on the elementary playground.

The Giant Eagle Kids of STEEL Physical Education Grant worth $1,000 was awarded to five

different schools that had more than 50 participants. The money is to be used to purchase new

physical education equipment. South Fayette was chosen as one of the five schools. We are looking

forward to choosing some new equipment for all of the children to enjoy.

The SFEPTA bought all of the KOS participants a “Lions of Steel” training

shirt. The children wore the shirts on training days and on the day of the race.

The logo on the shirts was drawn by Mrs. Jen Sander’s daughter, Jillian Sander.

Thank you to the PTA for your generous gift and for supporting our program!

To encourage healthy eating habits, KOS

participants were encouraged to taste different

kinds of fruits and vegetables. The children also

logged their own activity time. Besides running at

school, 20 minutes of other activities such as hockey, soccer, dance, or

tennis counted as one mile. As a group, it is estimated that we ran over

5,000 miles in 18 weeks. Way to go LIONS OF STEEL!!!!

Thank you to Mrs. Jessica Lapinski, a seasoned runner herself, for

bringing the Giant Eagle Kids of STEEL program to South Fayette. Coaches

Mrs. Lapinski, Mrs. Rebecca Colangelo, Mrs. Jen Sander, Ms. Emily Bigley, Ms.

Jesse Lee, and Mrs. Angela Johnson were able to make this program

successful by assisting the students with their training for the race and

teaching them valuable health and fitness habits.

With the help and support of our running coaches, parents, administration, and our young

emerging runners, this program would not have been

successful. The smiles on the runners’ faces as they

crossed the finish line were priceless. The sense of

accomplishment and our South Fayette pride were apparent

throughout the streets of Pittsburgh and at the finish line. It

is our hope to continue to bring programs to South Fayette that will promote

and foster the idea of living a life of health and fitness. Additionally, running

qualifies as a life sport; one in which athletes are likely to maintain over their

life spans. It is important for children to cultivate a healthy lifestyle at an

early age to obtain the goal of lifelong fitness. Submitted by Second Grade

Teacher and Running Coach, Mrs. Colangelo

First grade began their science unit on organisms this month. This is a hands-on unit that

explores similarities and differences between living things such as animals and plants.

During the month of May, we are observing terrariums in which the first graders planted

tree seedlings and moss. The students will also observe bess beetles and pill bugs in their new

environment. These little critters are not as small as you may think!

Next, the students will set up their aquariums; they will observe their new guppies and snails.

The children will feed and care for their guppies daily and observe the changes in their aquariums,

as well.

Some exciting changes that take place during this unit are the addition of baby guppies and

snail eggs. They will use their magnifying glasses and record their new findings. The students are

responsible for the care of each aquarium and terrarium, which makes this a great learning

experience for the whole class!

The first graders started a new unit in math class called Investigations. This unit

emphasizes careful observation and description of geometric shapes. They will learn

characteristics and attributes of these shapes and compose and decompose them in different ways.

They will also find ways to sort, categorize, and name the relationship between their shapes.

The first graders joined the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra and Resident Conductor,

Lawrence Loh, in a symphonic reading of Maurice Sendak’s classic children’s book Where the Wild

Things Are. They followed Max on his voyage to the land of the Wild Things while discovering

music that illustrates his exciting journey. Submitted by First Grade Teacher, Mrs. Johnson

Did you know that Andrew Johnson, the 17th President of the United States, was a tailor

before he was President? Or that one of George Washington's favorite foods was ice cream?

These are just two of the interesting facts about past U.S. Presidents that our third grade

students discovered through their research. Many Presidents had unusual careers before entering

the White House. Jimmy Carter, the 39th President, was a peanut farmer. Ronald Reagan, the

40th President, was a movie actor. Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President, once worked chopping

wood to make fence rails. The study of Presidents is fascinating and interesting for students at

this age. The third grade students conducted research using a variety of methods and synthesized

information utilizing audience and purpose. The students first read about the president they would

write their report on and took detailed notes on key information such as important dates, critical

events in the President’s life, people who influenced his life, and major world events in his life.

Rough drafts were written, corrections and revisions made, report covers created and printed, and

final copies were submitted. All third grade students are sharing their research through oral

presentations this month.

Spring begins with buds on trees, daffodils, and ... chicks and ducks? Yes! Once again this

year, Mrs. Leroux's class anxiously awaited the arrival of new chicks and ducklings on May 1. They

also had some tiny classroom visitors to wish them luck on the PSSA's. About 300 newly hatched

praying mantis nymphs to be exact. These springtime bugs prove that spring truly has SPRUNG!

Heraldry is the study or art of tracing genealogies, and the designing and granting of coats

of arms. A coat of arms shows an individual's or family's history

and heritage. Students from several third grade classrooms

created their own family’s coat of arms by choosing symbols they

felt best represented their family. Students were required to

include a family photo and write out the meaning of their coat of

arms and explain why they chose those particular elements.

Our annual Celebration of Excellence was held on Thursday,

April 25. Thank you to everyone who attended. The students and

teachers worked hard to prepare for the special evening, and we

appreciated your attendance. We are proud of the many successes of your sons and daughters.

Your comments stimulate our thinking and help us with the ongoing improvement of instruction.

Research has shown over and over that schools that are the most successful have a high percentage

of parent involvement. Submitted by Third Grade & Enrichment Teacher, Mrs. Kuntz

Cyberbullying is when someone is tormented, threatened, harassed, humiliated, embarrassed,

or otherwise targeted using the Internet, interactive and digital technologies, or mobile phones. It

is a growing issue in our society, but South Fayette students are learning how to deal with this

problem in positive and appropriate manners. As we prepare our students to become digital citizens

and members of online communities, it is important that we teach them about online safety,

appropriate use of technology, and cyberbullying. Mr. Wachter, our technology specialist, began the

discussion in each third and fourth grade classroom with the hope that students would continue the

conversation with their families at home. Students in fourth grade empathized with the targets of

cyberbullying, recognized some of the key similarities and differences between in-person bullying

and cyberbullying, and identified strategies for dealing responsibly with cyberbullying. Third grade

students learned that people their age sometimes think and behave differently in groups, they

tried to understand the feelings of someone who is the target of cyberbullying, and generated ways

to be upstanders when faced with cyberbullying. Anti-cyberbullying posters were created and

displayed around the school. Here are some tips about how to handle cyberbullying situations:

Avoid sites that are not age appropriate. Did you know that sites like Facebook, Myspace,

and Instagram require everyone to be at least 13 years old to create an account?

Don’t respond or retaliate. If you are angry and reply, then you might say mean things.

Cyberbullies often just want to get a reaction out of you. Don’t let them know that their plan

has worked.

Block the bully. If you get mean messages online, take the person who sent you the

messages off your buddy or friends list. You can also just delete messages from bullies

without reading them.

Save and print bullying messages. If the bullying continues, save the messages. These

could be important evidence to show your parents or teachers if the bullying does not stop.

Talk to a friend. When someone makes you feel bad, it can help to talk the situation over

with a friend.

Tell a trusted adult. Telling an adult – like a parent, family member, teacher, or coach –

isn’t tattling. It’s standing up for yourself.

If you are a bystander to cyberbullying, be an upstander. Stand up for the target, assist

them in finding help, don’t be silent, and don’t join in the bullying behavior.

Submitted by Mr. Wachter

The week of May 6 - 10 was Teacher Appreciation Week

and Kelly Scheel outdid herself this year! Kelly and the Teacher

Appreciation Committee worked many dedicated hours to make

our teachers and staff feel extra special by providing treats and

surprises all week long.

Breakfast, lunch, and a

dessert table were

provided on different days,

thanks to our parents and different businesses who donated

items. Special treats were provided every day this week,

such as M&M’s in

buckets with shovels

that read “We Dig our Teachers.” At the end of each

school day, several lucky teachers were called to the office

to be presented with gift cards and other little presents

that were donated by our generous parents and local

businesses. Kelly and other helpful volunteers also created

a special bulletin board out of several of our students’

handprints just to show their teachers how much they are loved. Thank you to Kelly and the

teacher appreciation volunteers for your commitment and hard work; the teachers and staff

appreciate and value each and every one of you!

The Thursday after Easter marked the performance of the Fourth Grade Performing Arts

Club. The 85-member group presented their literature inspired “This Book Belongs To…” It was a

great success for the students who sang, danced, acted, and played instruments. Directors, Dana L.

Falosk and Shad Wachter, were incredibly proud

of the students throughout the entire rehearsal

process, as well as the night of the performance.

The students’ dedication was apparent at every

Wednesday rehearsal. “Bravo,” Performing Arts

Club Students!

During the week of May 6 – 10, South

Fayette Elementary School hosted the Fourth

Kelly Scheel, Dana Beck

& Renee Haviland

Students work on listening and group

interaction during the Theater Session

with Sam Turich.

Grade Artist in Residence week. Fourth grade students were asked to “Imagine the Future and

Explore the Unknown” via the arts. The following artists enriched the lives of the entire fourth

grade:

Mr. Sam Turich, who led theatre improvisation

sessions

Artist, Mr. Tom Sarver, who aided the students in

envisioning the future through puppet making

Members of Attack Theatre, a local modern dance

group, who gave the students the opportunity to

explore the unknown through dance and rhythmic

accompaniment

Ms. Jessica Rutherford and Mr. Kevin Wenner,

who led a visual art project that will be installed at

the new Intermediate School next year.

Students worked independently and collaboratively in the

four art residencies. Through the visual arts, the

students created, solved how to achieve their plan using

different materials, and learned how the arts are inter-

related. Projects requiring collaboration were the

improvisation through acting, creating group

choreography, and installation pieces for the

intermediate school. Students were also given time

throughout the week to reflect upon these experiences

and assess how they personally can impact their world in

the future.

Thank you so much to the following groups who provided funding for the Artist in Residence

Program: South Fayette School District, the PTA,

and the Pittsburgh Center for the Arts through an

Arts In Education Partnership of the Pennsylvania

Council on the Arts, a state agency. State

government funding for the arts depends upon an

annual appropriation by the Commonwealth of

Pennsylvania and support from the National

Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency.

Submitted by Arts Alive Teacher, Dana Falosk

Jessica Rutherford and Kevin Wenner

explain the students' part in the

installation project.

Tom Sarver helps students

add to their puppets

Students work on their choreography for

their group dance with Attack Theatre