Students in the REACH program at Gauger-Cobbs Middle School participated in a building project for students at Bancroft Elementary School. The students helped build attractive wooden cubbies for the students to use as storage units. The cubbies, complete with hooks for hanging coats, will certainly be appreciated by the younger students.

To prepare for the DSTPs this month, all 6^th grade students at Kirk Middle School took a DSTP testing Pledge.  7^th and 8^th graders joined in to show their support.  The pledge was led by Kirk’s Student Government President, Angeliki Adamopoulos.

Good Morning,

My name is Angeliki Adamopoulos and I am the President of the Student Government at Kirk Middle School. 

This week, sixth graders were given DSTP pledge cards to take home and have signed.  On behalf of our seventh and eighth grade students, we would like to show our support for our fellow students who will be taking the DSTP next week. We join you in the pledge:

1. To get a good night’s rest and eat a healthy breakfast.
2. To believe in our talents and skills
3. To answer all the questions and stay focused on the test
4. Not to spend too much time on one answer
5. Be present at school on all test dates
6. And finally, make our parents, our school, and ourselves proud by doing our very best 

Glasgow High School is instituting a school-wide Positive Behavior Support Program.  Currently, this program is used in over 30 states and the District of Columbia.  The goal of this program is to reduce problem behaviors and to maximize academic success for all students. 

The positive outcomes associated with this program include:

• A decrease in office discipline deferrals

• Increases in student instructional time

• A decrease in teacher's and administrator's time spent on discipline issues

• An increase in school safety

Various businesses, including Marshalls, Philadelphia Phillies, Philadelphia Eagles, Philadelphia Flyers, Borders Books and Music, McDonalds, and the Delaware Academy of Beauty are supporting the school’s efforts.  On Friday, November 7, Glasgow students will be rewarded for their positive behavior by having members of the Delaware Academy of Beauty style their hair and apply makeup. There will also be a raffle.

Junior Achievement (JA) is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2008 Junior Achievement of Delaware Outstanding Leadership Awards.  These volunteers and educators have demonstrated an unwavering commitment to the mission of Junior Achievement through their classroom work and volunteer work.  Each year up to 25 individuals are eligible to receive this first level of recognition in the three tier recognition system.  This year, only 8 applicants were selected out of many nominations from the field.

The 2008 Outstanding Leadership Award Winners are:

• The total credits required for graduation for the Class of 2009 is 26

• The Senior Project credit will be waived for the Class of 2009.  However, there will be a Senior Project Pilot Group at each high school as delineated by the principal.

• All other graduation credit requirements will remain the same.

• Click here to view the updated High School Graduation Requirements.

Please note this is a change in the High School Graduation Requirement materials that have been previously published, including the Graduation Requirements information that appears on page 5 and 6 of the 2008-2009 High School Planning Guide.  For information about individual students, please contact your school guidance counselor.  For more information about the graduation requirements, please contact Dr. Virginia Navarro, Professional Development and Student Services, 302-552-2647.
 

A dollar a month may not seem like much, but it can go a long way to improving literacy skills in Delaware while also giving people the opportunity to succeed.  Thanks to the generosity of Verizon customers who participated in the company’s “Check Into Literacy” program, Verizon Delaware president, William R. Allan, presented a $28,729.86 grant to the Delaware School for the Deaf (DSD) on October 8 to upgrade its lending library program and integrate advanced technology in its classrooms. 

The Check Into Literacy initiative allows Verizon landline phone customers to check a box on their monthly bills to make a $1 per month, tax deductible donation. The program has raised more than $50,000 through donations by Delaware customers since 2006. 

“This is a classic case of a little bit going a long way to address a significant challenge for our society,” said Allan.  He presented the check to Secondary School Leader Mindi Failing Rittenhouse at Delaware School for the Deaf.  Grants are given to organizations and programs like DSD that have a statewide focus.  DSD serves deaf, hard-of-hearing, and deaf-blind students throughout the state. 

Part of the money ($6,458.86) will be used to support the Lending Library Program, which provides resources to parents for developing competency in American Sign Language (ASL) as well as storytelling skills in sign language.  Literacy skills are the foundation of all learning and begin developing at an early age.  More than 90% of deaf children are born to hearing parents who have not yet developed the necessary skills to communicate in sign language with their child.  The lending library materials enable parents to increase their skills while allowing their child to experience a variety of books, with signed versions of stories available on videotape. 

The Integrating Advanced Technology in the Classroom portion of the grant applies the remaining $43,899.00 toward the purchase of document cameras, LCD projectors, and SMART boards in classrooms, in order to enhance access to information in sign language and English.  The interactive SMART boards, which look like regular white boards but have many features that allow for the visual presentation of images and elements, as well as connections to the Internet, help support the development of language and literacy lesson activities. 

Shannon Taylor, a middle school teacher at DSD, remarked, “The SMART boards allow me to be more creative.  The kids can be more independent in the classroom, and I act more like the facilitator.  The students love being able to be involved like that.  I can also get through the material much faster.  The flow is more natural in the classroom now.”  

Elementary School Leader Debra Trapani agrees, stating, “The SMART boards support both English and ASL.  Students are able to see in English what they’ve just seen in ASL and make those connections immediately.  Verizon has given us so much support for our students.  This technology really drives us forward, and we appreciate it so much.”