Yorkshire Elementary Friends Enjoy Dancin’ with the Honeybees

January 24, 2017 by

Submitted by Kathy Pavoncello

Our Yorkshire students were recently visited by master beekeeper and environmental educator, Cliff Wright-Sunflower. A gifted storyteller and performer, Mr. Sunflower teaches children all about the life and times of a typical honeybee by way of his program, “Dancin’ with the Honeybees.”

The assembly reached out to students through the use of storytelling, poetry, prose, puppetry, music, dance and audience participation. The concepts introduced in the main presentation were reinforced during the “Bee Touch Me Museum” lab, which followed. Afterward, our students were divided into workshop groups, and invited to use their senses by tasting various honeys, observing live bee hives in action, and creating their very own beeswax candle. Boys and girls discussed their thoughts on bees in general, including some of their fears, experiences, and then shared lots of questions. Mr. Sunflower answered each question in a way our students could understand and remember, alleviating many of the fears.

Mr. Sunflower provided a fun, energetic, educational experience for our Yorkshire friends, and we very much look forward to having him back in the years to come.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Filed Under: Issue Right, January 2017

Hyde and Seek: An After-Hours Event

January 24, 2017 by

Submitted by Jennifer Arcuri

hydeandseek

Steven File, an eighth grader at YSMS, held the school’s first-ever escape the room adventure.  Inspired by Robert Louis Stevenson’s The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Steven planned and masterfully executed an evening of mystery, intrigue, and suspense that required the use of quick thinking to uncover secrets and analyze clues. To emerge victorious, students had to escape from various areas within the school, locate directions for an antidote, and mix said antidote to counteract “poison” that had been ingested.  

Steven hosted the game on Thursday, December 22, 2016, from 4:45 to 7:15 PM. Game players began in two candle-lit classrooms where they had to find and decipher clues in order to acquire a lock’s combination to free themselves. After escaping the rooms, students were met with another challenge in a darkened hallway: piece together an all-black puzzle to discover a second lock’s combination and, in turn, gain entrance into the library. Within the library, each student worked independently to find the much-needed antidote for the poison.  Once the antidote formula was located, players headed to the first science lab to mix the antidote and then moved to the second science lab to face the infamous Hyde, played by Steven File.

Bravo to Steven and all participants for an excitingly horrific evening that would make Robert Louis Stevenson proud!


 hydeandseek2

Filed Under: Issue Left, January 2017

Stikbots Tell Stories at Valley View Elementary

January 24, 2017 by

Submitted by Dr. Tawn Ketterman

Walter

Students in Mrs. Johnson’s second grade classroom at Valley View Elementary have been working with Technology Integrator Aly Kenee in some creative and exciting ways!  The school was fortunate to receive a Stikbot kit from the Parent Teacher Organization.  The Stikbot program allows students to use green screen technology and action figures (Stikbots) to bring their writing to life.  Students worked in cooperative learning groups to write original plays in a specific setting.  With the help of Mrs. Kenee, students brought the story to life by using green screen technology and animated video.  Students read their own plays and created many still pictures of their Stikbots in various poses to give the illusion of movement in the finished product.   Check out the videos:

Stikbot Wizard

Walter and William in the Rainforest

York Suburban Light Show

Build a Snowman

Tina and the Magic Horse, Julie

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

 

Filed Under: Issue Right, January 2017

Professional Development School Partnership

January 24, 2017 by

Submitted by Victoria Gross, Director of Educational Services

 

millersville

York Suburban School District and Millersville University are in their second year of the Professional Development School Partnership (PDS).   The PDS model provides the opportunity for prospective student teachers to spend an entire school year in the YSSD classrooms instead of one semester under the traditional model of student teaching.   The PDS model provides student teachers with a better contextual framework, veteran educators a better way to further their own professional growth, and additional academic support for the students.

The PDS model is a co-teaching model.  This means that both the smallsheildteacher and the student teacher plan and deliver content to the students together.  The students benefit by having two teachers in the classroom at all times.

Millersville University staff  provides ongoing staff development on the topic of co-teaching.   YSSD teachers and Millersville University PDS interns received co-teaching training in August and January.  

PDS

Millersville University Professional Development School

Filed Under: Issue Left, January 2017

Rutter’s Farm Stores and Weis Markets Help Fund Student Grants

January 24, 2017 by

Rutter's TU pic.2016

York Suburban Education Foundation (YSEF) recently received generous contributions from two local corporations that participate in the Pennsylvania Educational Improvement Tax Credit (EITC) program. The students from East York Elementary sent a big shout out to Weis Markets for their $1,500 contribution. Second grade students at Valley View Elementary were excited to greet Rutter’s Farm Stores employees with high fives and big smiles.  Pictured with the students are Sarah Reinecker, YSEF President, Ben Shaffer (L), Rutter’s Sales Representative and Rick Miller (R), Rutter’s Sales and Marketing Director.   An example of a YSEF grant funded with EITC corporate contributions is the York Suburban School District’s summer camp enrichment program Fizz, Boom, Read. This grant aims to reinforce reading, writing, math and science skills during the summer months for rising first-fifth grade students through teacher led activities. STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts, and Math) concepts are incorporated to guide student inquiry, dialogue, and critical thinking.

2016 Weis EITC TU photo

Filed Under: Issue Right, January 2017

A Season of Giving

January 24, 2017 by

Submitted by Sonia Guyer

Giving 4

December reflects the Season of Giving and the students in Mrs. Guyer’s English Language Arts classes at Indian Rock celebrated the special opportunity of the month. As a writing project, each student drafted an informational essay sharing ways that a 5th grader can help others. Even more importantly, they volunteered and donated to their families and community. We are YS Proud of them!

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Filed Under: Issue Left, January 2017

School Safety Training Update

January 24, 2017 by

Submitted by Victoria Gross, Director of Educational Services

 

York Suburban School District has embraced the A.L.I.C.E. approach to responding to an active shooter incident. A.L.I.C.E. (Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, Evacuate) is a comprehensive program providingALICEinst students and staff with the strategies and options necessary to respond to and survive an active shooter attack.  

All  York Suburban School District staff members received training during the summer of 2016 and have continued that training to date.  As part of the training, the All Hazard Safety committee developed divisional plans to introduce the A.L.IC.E. drill procedures to the students.  Students will be introduced to the A.L.I.C.E. drill procedures sometime within the next three months.  Building principals will inform parents when the drill will occur for their students.

By practicing the A.L.I.C.E. strategies, our students will be better prepared to handle this unlikely event should it ever occur.

Filed Under: Issue Right, January 2017

Foundation Welcomes New Board Members

January 24, 2017 by
newboard

Pictured from Left to Right: Erin Titter, Jamie Vranich, Gina Trimmer and Kevin Linden

The York Suburban Education Foundation (YSEF) will welcome four new board members in January 2017. 

Kevin Linden

Erin Titter

Gina Trimmer

Jamie Vranich

Kevin Linden is an Executive Vice President with First Capital Federal Credit Union.  He has two daughters; one graduate of YSHS and one a current YSHS senior.  Kevin is involved with the Sertoma Club and loves to golf.  Erin Titter is in sales for STORAGELogic of Maryland, Inc. out of Sparks Maryland.  She and her husband, Adam, have three children attending YSMS and Valley View Elementary.  Erin’s hobbies include coaching sports, hiking, photography, kayaking and interior space planning and design.  Gina Trimmer is the VP of Operations for Synergistic Industry Relationships, Inc. (S.I.R.).  She and her husband, Kris, have a daughter at the York Suburban Middle School.  Gina enjoys spending time with family, working out and watching her daughter’s sporting events.  Jamie Vranich has four step-children attending Yorkshire Elementary and is the Media Director for Mid-Atlantic Media Hub.   Jamie enjoys spending time in Florida, hiking, cheering on the Orioles and Penn State and watching her kids play sports.  

YSEF is also very grateful to the following retiring board members for their years of service and dedication:  Wendy Berg, who chaired the Celebration of Excellence event for three years and Andrea Cote Molitoris, Class of ’07, who served on the alumni and marketing committees. 

YSEF is an independent, non-profit organization existing to do more for York Suburban students beyond what basic education funding is able to provide.  Since 2008, YSEF has awarded 97 grants to YS students and teachers totaling over $171,000. 

For more information about getting involved with YSEF at the Committee or Board level, please visit the YSEF website at www.ysef.org.

Capture

Filed Under: Issue Left, January 2017

STEM Toy Shop at Indian Rock Elementary

January 24, 2017 by

Submitted by:  Stef Crumbling

As part of an ongoing project, students in Mrs. Crumbling’s math classes participated in a series of holiday STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) activities. Each class had a chance to plan, design, build and test a Stylin’ Sleigh, Toy Tower, Snowball Cannon and an Elf Trap. Teams of four or five students worked together to move through each of four stations and used their fraction, measurement and problem solving skills. The students enjoyed this hands-on experience and the winning teams took home candy cane “trophies”.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

 

Filed Under: Issue Right, January 2017

Busy Holiday for Middle School Athletes

January 24, 2017 by

Submitted by Jamie McFadden

During the holiday break, the York Suburban Middle School Boys Basketball team competed in the New Oxford Holiday Tournament held in New Oxford, Pennsylvania. The tournament consisted of eight middle school boys basketball teams from around York County.  In bracket play, the boys played against Spring Grove, York Catholic, and West York.  On December 26, the Suburban team defeated Spring Grove 43-22. On December 27, the Suburban team defeated York Catholic 54-33 and in the championship game defeated West York 50-21.

BBTournament Pic

Back Row (left to right) Coach Jamie McFadden, Aidan Hughley, Treyton Smith, Nate Banks, Eli Smith, Joey Englar, Isaiah Pineda, Luke Passariello. Front Row (left to right)- Vinny Giuffrida, Spencer Butz, Tyren Posey, Brenden Petersen, Kael Greenplate, Cole Hamberger. Not pictured: Israel Rivera

Filed Under: Issue Left, January 2017
« Previous Page
Next Page »