Annual Report - Colonial School District

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AYP continued AP courses provide students with the opportunity for in-depth college-level study and college credit for successful performance on AP exams. “If I were to return to high school and give students one piece of advice it would be to take as many AP classes as you can,” said PWHS Class of 2011 member and now Penn State student Clayton Harris. “There are advantages to taking AP classes. Foremost among them is gaining an advanced knowledge of the subject that will definitely aid students in college. “I definitely felt well prepared for my college course work and got a very helpful jump start to my academic year,” Harris continued. “I am very happy that I took AP classes in high school and wish I could have taken more.” Harris, an AP Distinguished Scholar, earned 32 credits from Penn State without stepping foot in a university classroom. Additionally, 13 current PWHS seniors have been recognized for their “exceptional academic promise” by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation, based on their performance on the 2010 Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test or PSAT. (See story page 12.) Enrichment Activities Colonial students of all grade levels also fared well in 4 560 540 2011 SAT Mean Scores competitions against their peers. The District again qualified competitors to state-level competitions in Odyssey of the Mind, the Technology Student Association, the Pennsylvania Computer Fair and DECA. Other programs such as FIRST Robotics, The Science Olympiad, LEGO Robotics, the Mock Trial Club, the Girls in Technology Summer Academy and more give students an opportunity to expand their horizons outside of the classroom. “The successful academic program in the Colonial School District is the result of a lot of smart and creative people working together to deliver a consistent and rigorous curriculum that builds logically from kindergarten through 12th grade,” says Dr. Gorodetzer. “We’re lucky to have a highly qualified professional staff in place to give our students the best possible academic experience using the most innovative resources we can. “The results over the past few years show that it’s working,” Dr. Gorodetzer continued. “It really is an exciting time to be in Colonial.” Clayton Harris works on an independent study project at Plymouth Whitemarsh High School (PWHS). The 2011 graduate earned 32 credits at Penn State University by taking Advanced Placement classes at PWHS. 528 520 514 500 480 506 493 487 501 502 489 479 SState National PWHS 460 440 Reading Math Writing Another strong winter sports season for PWHS teams in 2010-2011 Plymouth Whitemarsh High School (PWHS) earned another state championship during the 2010-2011 school year, and, just as the year before, it came in March. This time it was an individual championship performance turned in by Class of 2011 member John Michael Staudenmayer who won the 171-pound title at the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA) AAA Wrestling Championships. Staudenmayer’s younger brother, Justin, also qualified for the state meet but did not place. The girls’ indoor track and field team had another strong showing. Class of 2011 member Emerald Walden placed third at the PIAA Indoor Track Championships in the 60meter hurdles. She also finished 12th in the same event at a national meet. Classmate Haley Gorenflo placed seventh in the pole vault at the PIAA Indoor Track Championships and 26th at the national meet. Several Plymouth Whitemarsh High School boys’ swimmers distinguished themselves at the PIAA Championships. PWHS placed 17th overall as a team and scored in five of the six events in which they swam. Kyle Lukens, Tyler Sauder, Alex Chialastri and Pat Kennedy placed 15th in the 200 medley relay. The 400 freestyle relay team of Steve Hargrove, Lukens, Kennedy and Chialastri placed 22nd. Individually, Chialastri set a new school record when he placed fifth with a time of :45.90 in the 100 freestyle. He also finished 8th in the 200 freestyle. Lukens placed 13th in the 100 butterfly and 15th in the 100 backstroke. The boys also broke a number of school records during the season. Lukens, Sauder, Chialastri and Kennedy set a new mark of 1:36:35 in the 200 medley relay. Chialastri set new records with times of 1:58.02 in the 200 individual medley and 21.55 in the 50 freestyle. Luken set records in the 100 butterfly (:50.49) and 100 backstroke (:51.50). Lindsey Mover set a new girls’ individual record with a time of 2:16.40 in the 200 individual medley, while Michelle Kudack set a new mark of 1:02.21 in the 100 backstroke. The boys’ basketball team, which won the 2010 state title, didn’t quite make it back to the finals last winter. The Colonials did win their eighth consecutive Suburban One League American Conference title and advanced to the PIAA AAAA Final Four for the third straight year. Head Coach Jim Donofrio, who was inducted into the PWHS Distinguished Graduates Organization last spring, became the first PWHS boys’ basketball coach to lead his team to three consecutive PIAA AAAA Final Four appearances. The spring season was highlighted by the boys’ lacrosse team’s first-ever Suburban One League American Conference Championship. The Colonials were led by Colin Joka, whose 58 goals gave him 188 for his career, both school records. Walden and Gorenflo also excelled at the outdoor PIAA Track and Field Championships. Walden placed second in the 100-meter hurdles while Gorenflo was in the top 10 in the pole vault. Walden later placed fifth in the 100-meter at the New Balance Outdoor Nationals, setting a new school record with a time of :13.95. Below: Steve Hargrove swims a leg of the 400 freestyle relay, 17
School Board recognizes seven new master teachers The Colonial Board of School Directors recognized the District’s seven new Master Teachers at their September 15 public business meeting. The seven new Master Teachers include Sandy Connelly, Liz Jones and Cecilia Quarino from Plymouth Elementary School, Linda Colantonio from Ridge Park Elementary School, George Hankins and Traci Rovinsky from Colonial Middle School and Jill Ruggiero from Plymouth Whitemarsh High School. Connelly, Colantonio, Hankins and Ruggiero have all served as Master Teachers previously. “I am honored to be recognized as a Master Teacher and am enthusiastic and committed to carrying out my new role,” Rovinsky said. “For me, being a Master Teacher means implementing best teaching practices daily, demonstrating a commitment to the improvement of Colonial School District and serving as a role model for 16 Cecilia Quarino Linda Colantonio Plymouth Elementary School Teacher Liz Jones, one of seven Colonial School District teachers recently named Master Teachers, works with a student. Sandy Connelly George Hankins my students.” Teachers may apply for Master Teacher status each spring. To be eligible they must possess an Instructional II Certificate, receive satisfactory final ratings in all categories for a minimum of five years without having any “needs improvement” ratings during the same time period and demonstrate leadership among their peers. Meeting those criteria then qualifies candidates to undergo an extensive peer and administrative evaluation process. The Master Teacher is a two-year designation as long as the requirements are maintained. Master Teachers receive a stipend of $5,000 per year. Colonial’s innovative Master Teacher program began in 2001 and provides career ladder opportunities Liz Jones for classroom teachers wishing to remain in the classroom while assuming leadership responsibilities. Traci Rovinsky Jill Ruggiero 2003-2005 2004-2006 2005-2007 2006-2008 2007-2009 1. Jason Bacani 2. Cindy Crayder 3. Susan Dryburgh 4. Nancy LeCron 5. Ron Yaracs 6. Sandy Connelly 7. Lisa Knapp 8. Priscilla Holleran 9. Ed Swetkowski 1. Brian Adams 2. Barbara Grugan 3. Tonia Kaufman 4. Rachel Milleo 5. Roe Overcash 6. Jill Ruggiero 7. Kathi Young 1. Tara Holdsworth 2. Krista Piombino 3. Jan Canterbury 4. Joseph Carracappa 1. Fran Miller 2. Bonnie Coll 2008-2010 2009-2011 2010-2012 2011-2013 1. Linda Colantonio 2. Sandy Connelly 3. Jen Esmonde 4. George Hankins 5. Carie Litz 6. Erin Secker 7. Amy Venkus 8. Susanne Williams Colonial School District 2011-2013 Master Teachers 1. Brian Adams 2. Marna Caintic 3. Kim Clemente 4. Hope Garfinkle 5. Michelle Gilbert 6. Gina Nelson 7. Jane Rush 8. Laura Yeakel 1. Susan Dryburgh 2. Erin Powers 3. Tanya Prickitt 4. Lisa Swartwood 5. Sam Swetkowski 6. Robin Ubaldini 1. Linda Colantonio 2. Sandy Connelly 3. George Hankins 4. Liz Jones 5. Cecilia Quarino 6. Traci Rovinsky 7. Jill Ruggiero 1. Lisa Furness 2. Nina Pratowski 3. Chris Manero “Read me a story!” Learning to read is fun with Reading Adventures “Read me a story.” because you can easily use the same book to demonstrate a For many parents, this is a familiar request. Reading to dozen different concepts. For the show, we like to narrow kids is a great way to model “fluency” and other literacy skills. it down to one,” explains Caintic. “The work behind the Plus, children love it. With that in mind, Colonial Instructional scenes putting each episode together is definitely worth it. I Television (CITV) has introduced Reading Adventures, a new showed the program to some of my students, and they were daily program featuring Dr. Rita Book mesmerized.” and her alter ego, The Word Wizard, Because children like repetition, played by Whitemarsh Elementary CITV airs the same episode of Reading School Teacher Marna Caintic. Adventures for a week, changing books In each episode, Dr. Rita Book on Mondays. Recent episodes have reads a story and engages the viewers featured books by such noted authors by asking questions along the way. This as Kevin Henkes, Ian Falconer, James practice helps the children become more Stevenson and Eric Carle. “thoughtful readers” – and is also a key “It’s such a great opportunity to component of the elementary language arts program in the District. “By predicting what happens next in the book, thinking about how the Learning to read is fun with Dr. Rita Book and The Word Wizard on the CITV series Reading Adventures. extend the students’ learning past the school day,” explains Superintendent Dr. MaryEllen Gorodetzer. “And it’s a fun way to engage children in reading.” characters are feeling and developing questions, children can Reading Adventures airs on CITV, channel 28 on both explore what they read more deeply, discuss what they read with their friends and have an overall better understanding of the text,” says Kathleen Hamill, curriculum supervisor for language arts. “The show draws the children into the program, because they can respond directly to the characters on the screen.” In addition to reading the story, Dr. Rita Book transforms into The Word Wizard and presents a language arts lesson related to the book. While the lessons come directly from the kindergarten through third grade curriculum, children who aren’t in school yet may also enjoy the show. Past lessons have included defining adjectives, “putting said to bed” and identifying character traits. Comcast Cable and Verizon FiOS, every day at 5:30 p.m. “Creating the lessons is probably the hardest part, Former Master Teacher Marna Caintic is Dr. Rita Book. 2011 ACT Scores 24 23 23.5 5 23 22 22.5 5 22 21 21.5 5 21 21.9 23 23 23.3 3 22.6 22.6 23.4 21.8 22.7 22 22.3 3 23.2 English g Math Readingg Science Composite p State PWHS 5
Page 1 and 2: The mission of the Colonial School
Page 3 and 4: District establishes memorial garde
Page 5: Whitemarsh teachers honored by West
Page 9 and 10: Respected anti-bullying program now
Page 11 and 12: The College Board recognizes 77 PWH

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