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INSIDE THIS ISSUE... |
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The District's First Strategic
Planning Meeting Generates Great
Ideas for
Improving Student Achievement |
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Brookside Elementary School
celebrates Geography Awareness Week |
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Pulaski Elementary Holds Technology
Workshop for Parents |
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Leasure Students Organize
Halloween Candy Collection |
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Glasgow High School "Researchers"
Visit UD |
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Wilson Students Donate $464 to
District's United Way Campaign |
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Dr. Willard Baxter Celebrates
Milestones at Newark High School |
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Two Christina School Receive Grants
from National PTA Organization |
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Glasgow High School
Drill Team Earns Top Honors |
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Pulaski Students Are Winners in Poster Contest |
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Leasure Elementary Students
Decorate Tree at Longwood Gardens |
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NHS Student Jason Morris Chosen
as National 4-H Delegate |
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McVey Elementary Students Adopt
a Marine Wing Support Squadron |
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24 Club Returns to Marshall
Elementary |
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Newark High School Celebrates
Diversity |
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Villamarin Family Donates Fossil
and Mineral Collection to McVey
Elementary School |
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Christina in the News |
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Keene Elementary to Host "What
in the World?" Career Awareness
Program |
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Great Things Happening In Our
Schools |
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Calendar Reminders... |
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The District's First Strategic Plan Meeting
Generates Great Ideas
for Improving Student Achievement
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The first meeting on the District’s new
Strategic Plan was held on December 1st at
Newark High School, and was attended by 52
participants, including 30 parents and
community
members, 6 students, 2 local
legislators, 2 members of the Christina
Board of Education, and 22 Christina
staff members. The topic of the meeting was
Excellence and Equity: Accelerating Student
Achievement, and activities were lead by
Team Leaders Vilicia Cade, Director of
Secondary Curriculum and Professional
Development, and Heather Bordas, Director of
Elementary Education and Professional
Development. The Christina Board of
Education liaison for the Excellence and
Equity team is Elizabeth Scheinberg, and the
community liaison is David Coker from the
School of Education at the University of
Delaware. There are also two teacher
liaisons for the Excellence and Equity team,
Shirin Skovronski from Newark High School,
and Michelle McClure from Keene Elementary
School.
The meeting included a lengthy sharing
session that allowed participants to voice
ideas to improve the District over the next
three years. Their suggestions are listed
below.
Suggested Priorities for the Christina
School District in the next three years:
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Expand Early Education
(from birth through Kindergarten)
Areas to explore: Early
Head Start, parent training, early education
centers, pooling resources.
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Set Higher Academic
Expectations for All Students
Areas to explore: second
language beginning in the elementary school,
higher standards for high school science and
math, SAT preparation, college preparation,
"magnet" programs in the arts and science,
future areas of job growth and how they tie
in with the curriculum.
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Ensure Equity
Areas to explore: more
focus on students' learning styles,
vocational opportunities for special
education students, Student Success
Plans for every student, Individualized
Education Plan (IEP) meetings held in
September, offer same opportunities at all
three high schools, determine the causes of
the high drop-out rate.
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Increase Professional
Development for Teachers
Areas to explore: Engaging
all teachers in students' IEPs, classroom
management and discipline, effective use of
block scheduling, systematic professional
development for all teachers.
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Increase Extracurricular
Activities
Areas to explore: duplicate
successes at all schools,
require students to participate in
extracurricular activities beginning in
elementary school, expand sports and arts
offerings at elementary and middle school.
Come and join the conversation! The next
Strategic Plan meeting will be held on Tuesday,
December 15 at 7:00 p.m. at
Bayard
Middle School. It will also be on the
topic of Excellence and Equity: Accelerating
Student Achievement, and all are welcome to
attend.
Click here for a complete list of Strategic
Plan meeting dates and locations.
Too busy to attend meetings? Here are some
other ways to get involved!
 Become a fan on Facebook: Search
"Christina School District" to find our page
and join others interested in Christina
School District news and events. We
have more than 100 fans and interest is
growing every day!
Click here to visit our Fan Page.
 Follow
us on Twitter: Visit our
Twitter page at
http://twitter.com/ChristinaK12 to
create a Twitter account and sign up to
follow us. Already a member?
Login, click "Find People" and search "Christina
SD". Brief updates may be sent
to an email account, mobile device, or both.
 Visit our Strategic Planning Blog:
http://christinaexcellence.blogspot.com.
On this website, you may read the latest
news about the Strategic Plan process, post
questions and comments, and access links to
resources.
Learn more about the Strategic Planning
Process. |
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Brookside Elementary School celebrates
Geography Awareness Week
Students
at Brookside Elementary School celebrated
Geography Awareness Week in late November.
Geography trivia questions were announced
daily on their morning announcements, and
staff and students participated in Geography
Shirt Day. Everyone was asked to wear a
shirt with a city, state, or country. Each
location was then plotted on a world, United
States or Delaware map that is displayed in
the school lobby. Locations included
numerous U.S. cities and even far away like
South Africa, Australia, and China! The
classes with the highest percent of
participation in Geography Shirt Day won a
geography game for their classroom.
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Pulaski Elementary Holds Technology Workshop
for Parents |
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On November 23, Pulaski Elementary School
held its first Technology Workshop for
Parents. Since parents were already
expected to be in the school having
conferences with teachers, they were offered
the chance to visit the recently upgraded
computer lab. There was a rotating schedule
of workshops that introduced them to various
programs that their children use in school
such as First in Math and
www.starfall.com. They also received a
list of additional websites that can be used
at home with their children to enhance
reading and math skills.
Pulaski’s
Technology Workshops will take place
throughout the year demonstrating the
usefulness of the Internet and various
computer applications. These workshops will
provide an opportunity for parents to see
what their children are learning and will
allow them to learn about the Internet,
Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and many
other exciting computer programs. Parents
can learn about a program to assist them at
home with their children’s homework or to
enhance their own careers while giving them
a chance to learn something fun and exciting
with their children. Several dates and
various topics have already been scheduled
throughout the year. Parents are eager
for the next workshop!
Pulaski
is PC-friendly: Parents and Children
improving Personal Computer skills.
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Leasure Students Organize Halloween
Candy Collection |
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Fifth-grade students at Leasure Elementary
School helped their fellow classmates
collect
318 pounds of unwanted and uneaten
Halloween candy to donate to the Ronald
McDonald House, Governor Bacon Nursing Home,
and troops serving overseas. From the first
day of collection, candy started pouring
into homeroom classrooms, and soon the
school ran out of storage space. Marshall
Elementary School students also contributed
40 pounds of candy.
Ms. Brelick’s 3rd grade
class was the top class with 46-1/2 pounds
collected. For their
“over-the-top” effort,
the class was awarded an ice cream party.
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Glasgow High School "Researchers" Visit UD |
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The inaugural class of Glasgow High School
Researchers visited the University of
Delaware from November 16th through December
1st. Seven classes of high school seniors
are being
 introduced to campus life and the
rigors of college research.
Christina School District requires all
seniors to complete a research project,
including a paper and a presentation. With
the help of Ms. Margaret Grotti, UD
Librarian, and Ms. Vilicia Cade,
Director of Secondary Education, Dr.
Madelyn Jablon, twelfth grade English
teacher, transformed this age-old assignment
into an exciting, educational field trip.
After a brief
tour of campus
and introduction to the fundamentals of
research, students visited Morris Library,
where they are taught advanced research
practices. They were then set loose to
explore the library. Students returned to
Glasgow with a better understanding of
college life and the rigors of academic
research.
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Wilson Students Donate $464 to District's
United Way Campaign |
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Christina School District employees have long
participated in the annual United Way Campaign
that ends this week. However, some of the
donors this year were not paid employees—they
 were
students from Wilson Elementary School.
Wilson students were asked to make
contributions, and their generosity totaled
$464.06. Student donors had their pictures
taken and posted in the school hallways.
Thank you to the generous students of Wilson
Elementary
School for your thoughtfulness and generosity
towards those in need. |
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Dr. Willard Baxter Celebrates Milestones at
Newark High School |
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Dr. Willard Baxter, a
volunteer at Newark High School, recently
celebrated his 80th birthday and a decade of
dedication and contributions to the students at
NHS. After retiring from university
teaching 15 years ago, Dr. Baxter felt the
need to utilize his individual talents. He
chose to do this by offering one-on-one math
help to the many students in grateful need at
Newark High School. He volunteers his time four
days a week, and has logged countless hours as a
school volunteer.
“I’ve had nothing but
good experiences at Newark High School,” Baxter
told student Zainab Akande in 2008. “The
students I get are interested in learning and
have the determination to do better. They come
to me to get help on their own and respond
positively.”
Baxter humbly started
out his ambitious math career in Pennsylvania
where he was born and raised. In the eighth
grade, Baxter became certain of what he wanted
to do in life; his love of helping others and
sharing his knowledge with others lead him to
teaching. Baxter attended Ursinus College after
graduating from high school. At Ursinus, Baxter
said, “I found out that I was pretty good at
math. I figured that I could combine my
two interests together. That’s when the thought
of being a university professor first came to
me.” When Baxter graduated from Ursinus, he
attended the University of Wisconsin, where he
attained his master’s degree. Finally, Baxter
went back to his home state, studied at the
University of Pennsylvania, and received his
Ph.D. He then taught for two years in Athens,
Ohio at Ohio University before relocating to
Delaware, where he taught and was a part of the
UD faculty for thirty-six years.
Students have praised
Baxter for helping them to understand concepts,
prepare for tests, and clarify what they have
learned in class. “He gets the message
across perfectly,” one student said. Their
glowing appraisal of Dr. Baxter’s skills is only
a minor testament to the selfless effort he has
contributed exclusively to Newark High School.
Baxter’s “volunteer hours” are an outstanding
example of what it means to give back to the
community.
Contributed by Zainab Akande, Class of 2009 |
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Two Christina Schools Receive Grants from
National PTA Organization |
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Shue-Medill Middle School and
Maclary Elementary School are the
recipients of grants from the National PTA.
Shue-Medill will receive a $1,000 Healthy
Lifestyles grant to assist in the launch of
their after school, co-ed intramural
program. Maclary will receive a $1,897
Take Your Family to School Week grant for
their 2nd annual International Festival to
be held on February 10th.
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Glasgow High School Drill Team Earns Top
Honors
 On
November 21, The Glasgow High School AFJROTC
Drill Team competed at Dover High School in
a drill competition. They were awarded 4
Trophies: 1st Place - First Year Cadets
Armed Regulation -- Marching with rifles
performing rifle movements;
2nd Place - First Year Cadets Unarmed
Regulation - Marching without rifles; 2nd
Place - Dual Rifle Exhibition - Cadets
Jacob Bennett and Joshua Ein; 3rd
Place - Unarmed Inspection - Cadets are
inspected for uniform wear and are
questioned on current events. |
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Pulaski Students Are Winners in
Poster Contest |
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The New Castle, Kent and
Sussex Conservation Districts recently sponsored
a conservation poster contest throughout the
state. This year’s theme was “DIG IT! The
Secrets of Soil.”
 Students
in Mrs. DiIenno’s fourth grade class at Pulaski
Elementary were excited to participate,
especially since they were learning about land
and water in science. After almost a
hundred entries, winners were chosen, and
Dontel Banice and Veronica Cantoran
were selected as 2nd and 3rd place winners in
the contest. Dontel and Veronica will
receive awards valued at $25 and $15
respectively. Everyone at Pulaski is proud
of these two artistic students! |
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Leasure Elementary Students Decorate Tree
at Longwood Gardens
Twenty students in grades 3-5 from Leasure
Elementary School decorated a holiday tree at
Longwood Gardens this year, which is now part of
Longwood’s annual holiday celebration of trees.
Leasure applied and was awarded the privilege of
decorating a tree for their annual display of
Christmas trees from about 20 elementary
schools. The ornaments depict children snuggled
up in their beds, as part of the year’s theme
based on the famous yuletide poem by Clement
Clarke Moore. The students did a great job with
the project, and the tree is displayed in the
greenhouse. For more information about the
exhibit, visit Longwood Gardens’ website at
www.longwoodgardens.org |
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 NHS
Student Jason Morris Chosen as
National 4-H Delegate
Newark High School tenth grader Jason Morris was
selected as a delegate for the 2009 National 4-H
Congress held in Atlanta, Georgia from November
27-December 1. Congratulations to Jason for
receiving this honor and representing NHS and
the Christina School District at this national
event. |
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McVey Elementary Students Adopt a Marine
Wing Support Squadron |
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The staff, students, and
parents of McVey Elementary have “adopted”
Marine Wing Support Squadron (MWSS) 472 now
stationed in Iraq. Through the McVey
community’s generous gifts and donations, the
Marines of 472 will have a wonderful holiday
season. Students wrote
letters, made cards, and collected over $400 so
they could bring a little holiday spirit to the
troops not fortunate enough to be home for the
season. Students sent items to the Marines to
help make their stay in Iraq a little more like
home. Lance Corporal Josh Smith, son of Dr.
Jane Smith, Dean of Students at McVey, says the
unit has been overwhelmed with the generosity
exhibited by McVey. “McVey has gone above and
beyond with their response to this need! I
can’t thank everyone enough for helping to make MWSS 472’s stay in Iraq more bearable. My son
says he and his squad have never had so much fun
reading student cards and letters while enjoying
the cookies, candy and other personal items that
were donated. He wishes to let McVey Elementary
know that by showing their support in this way,
it brings them a little closer to home.” Many
thanks to the entire McVey learning community
for their donations and support of MWSS 472. |
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24 Club Returns to Marshall Elementary
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This year's first session of the 24 Club has the
largest number of participants in Marshall's
five year history. Each Wednesday, 146
second through fifth graders are arriving at
school by 7:30 a.m. to play the 24 Game.
They, along with the 9 coaches, spend 30 minutes
trying to use combinations of numbers to make
24. Special thanks to those teachers that
make this 5-week session possible: Mrs.
Murphy, Mrs. McCord, Mrs. Johnson,
Mrs. Sinanan, Miss Tuthill,
Mrs. McLaughlin, Mrs. Fredricks,
Mrs. Watkins, Mrs. Ventresca and
Mr. Jones. |
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Newark High School Celebrates Diversity
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The Brothers and Sisters Union (BASSU) hosted
the fourth annual International Day celebration
on Friday, December 4. The purpose of the
event was to celebrate different cultures and
raise awareness in an effort to promote
diversity and unity within the Newark High
School community. This year's theme was
A Celebration of the Arts Around the World.
A program was presented in which various
cultures were represented through dance, music,
poetry, and native dress. The presentation
was followed by a multi-cultural food tasting in
the East Gym.
Special thanks to NHS teacher Linda McCoy
for sponsoring the event. |
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Villamarin Family Donates Fossil and Mineral
Collection to
McVey Elementary School |
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This
summer, McVey Elementary School received a
Fossil and Mineral Collection with an
accompanying set of books from Juan and Judy
Villamarin. Their generous gift was made to
give McVey students the opportunity to see,
enjoy, and be inspired by an impressive
collection of specimens, many of which the
students can directly relate to what they
are learning in earth science and human
studies.
The
Villamarins have lived close to McVey
Elementary for over thirty years. Their
daughter, Joann Villamarin, attended McVey
beginning in 1971 as a first grade student,
and completed fifth grade there in 1976.
Juan Villamarin, a Professor of Anthropology
at the University of Delaware from
1970-2004, was a passionate teacher and
collector. When he passed away, his wife
Judy decided to share some of his treasures
with the students of McVey Elementary
School, so they could enjoy and learn from
them as he did.
When the
offer was made to the school, Principal
Heather Bordas and the PTA purchased a
lighted and locked display case so the
collection could be viewed easily, safely,
and securely.
 The
case is now positioned in the hallway
opposite the school office, so children
walking down the hall can enjoy the
treasures inside each time they pass by.
“It’s
fantastic and exciting to see the students
mesmerized by the amethyst, fluorite,
dinosaur teeth, stalactites, shells, and
other objects in the case,” said Danne-Michelle
Murphy, who served as McVey’s Creative
Mentoring Coordinator last year. “Juan would
be very proud and happy to know that part of
this collection is inspiring the imagination
of the students at McVey--perhaps a whole
new generation of anthropologists,
archeologists, and geologists!"
Bordas
has also reported that the case has a huge
captive audience all day long, and that
teachers and students love the display and
can’t wait to use it in their academic work.
Everyone at McVey is proud of this honor and
thanks Mrs. Villamarin for this
extraordinary gift.
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Delaware: Donated turkeys helping needy
set holiday table
Community rallies to help annual drive
reach 2,500 people
November 25, 2009, The News Journal -
Wilmington, DE
Newark High School basketball team and coach
Shannon McCants
helps delivery truckloads
of holiday turkeys to residents of the
Southbridge neighborhood in Wilmington.
Click here to read the complete article. |
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Delaware trooper will stay in touch from
Middle East
Christiana coach installs two-way webcam
at school
November 28,
2009, The News Journal -
Wilmington, DE
Dan Salfas soon will head off to war.
But he won't go alone. He will
take
the students and staff at Christiana High School
with him.
Click here to read the complete article. |
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Delaware schools: Credit union open for
business, education
Newark High students operate their own
branch
December 3,
2009, The News Journal -
Wilmington, DE
Student branch of the Louviers Federal
Credit Union opened for
business at NHS last month - becoming the first
student-run credit
union at a Delaware high school.
Click here to read the complete article. |
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Delaware Schools: Christina pilot program
opens doors to preschool
Kids get academic boost, educators say
December 5,
2009, The News Journal -
Wilmington, DE
National research shows children who attend
high-quality preschool
do better throughout
school, and as adults, are more likely to go to
college, get jobs and pay taxes.
Click here to read the complete article. |
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Keene Elementary to Host "What in the
World?"
Career Awareness Program |
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Keene Elementary School will host the
Business, Industry, Education (BIE)
Alliance’s “What
in the World?” career
awareness program for Grade 4th grade
students on Thursday,
December
17. “What in the World?” is an
interactive program designed to introduce
students in grades
3 through 12 to a wide
variety of careers in the
math, science and
technology fields.
For more
than a decade, “What in the World?” program
volunteers from the local business community
have gone into area schools, bringing with
them job-related “mystery objects” designed
to spark the students’ curiosity and inspire
them to learn more about the skills and
education necessary for success in these
jobs. Participation in “What in the World?”
broadens students’ horizons by exposing them
to unfamiliar occupations and motivates them
to explore career options in a whole new
way.
Representatives from the following business
partners are among those who will be sharing
their time and expertise with the students
at Keene Elementary School:
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Christina
School District
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University
of Delaware Environmental Health and
Safety
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Christiana
Care Health System
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University
of Delaware College of Earth, Ocean and
Environment
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Horace Mann
Insurance
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University
of Delaware Cooperative Extension.
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Great Things Happening In Our Schools
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Newark High School
Senior Holly Firlein is a 2010
National Merit Semifinalist. Seniors
Anna Dmytrenko and Jessica Palmer are
Commended Students of the 2010 National Merit
Program, with scores in the top 5 percent of 1.5
million tests nationwide. Senior Ryley
McDullie is among the 2010 National
Achievement Program Outstanding Participants.
The Newark High School Nature Society, in
cooperation with the Delaware Nature Society
(DNS), will host a seminar on Habitat Gardening
and Backyard Habitats. The DNS will
provide the basics of habitat gardening and will
include information regarding certification of
their garden by the National Wildlife
Foundation. The seminar is free and will
be held on December 3 from 7:00-9:00 p.m. in the
City/County Chambers at the Newark Municipal
Building on Elkton Road. For further
information, please contact Robert McDowell at
mcdowellr@christina.k12.de.us.
Three NHS students were among the 40 student
athlete representatives selected to attend the
Delaware Interscholastic Athletic Association
Youth Leadership Conference. Representing
the Yellowjackets were juniors Josh Vann
and Christina Andres and sophomore
Taylor Reynolds. Andres is a key
member of the field hockey team and winter track
team. Vann and Reynolds, both currently on
the football team, will go on to wrestle and
play basketball, respectively.
Congratulations to Matthew Roarty and
Leslie White who earned all 5's on the
2009 DSTP! Several NHS student athletes were
recognized at the fall sports banquet.
Field hockey awards went to seniors Paige
Vichich who earned the Principal/Athletic
Director Award and Chelsea Spyres who won
the Williamson Sportsmanship Award. For
men's soccer, the Principal/Athletic Award went
to senior John Sabatino and the
Williamson Sportsmanship Award going to Diego
Ruiz. Senior Kristin Ryan was
named the Principal/Athletic Director Award
recipient and was honored with a four-year
varsity plaque. The Williamson
Sportsmanship Award for volleyball was won by
senior Brooke Sheriff. Junior Jeffrey Bahnson will be competing in the Cyclocross
Races in Portland and Bend, Oregon with the hope
of qualifying for the National Team which will
compete in the world championships in the Czech
Republic.
Marshall Elementary School
Marshall's Enrichment students would
like to send a "shout out!" to thank everyone
who participated in their Halloween Candy
Donation project. Over 70 pounds of candy
was collected and will be distributed to
Veteran's Hospitals, the Ronald McDonald House
and our troops overseas. Once again, the boys
and girls of Thurgood Marshall have met their
goal for the Basket Brigade of Delaware by
collecting more than 700 cans and boxes.
Additionally, the students made 294 cards that
were included in the packed boxes during
assembly on November 21. The Marshall
family continues to display all the characters
of good citizenship. Way to go Marshall!
Congratulations to Atiyah Muhammad, the
winner in the PTA Spirit Wear T-Shirt design
contest at Marshall Elementary. Atiyah is
a 5th grader in Ms. Branfield's class and her
drawing was chosen by a school-wide vote. |
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Calendar Reminders... |
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Wednesday, December 9 |
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Thursday, December 10 |
- Porter Road Elementary
School Winter Concert
(Location
Kirk Middle School
Auditorium), 7:00 p.m.
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Saturday, December 12 |
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Tuesday, December 15 |
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Wednesday, December 16 |
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Thursday, December 17 |
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Monday, December 21 |
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Tuesday, December 22 |
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December 24 - January 1 |
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SCHOOLS CLOSED - Winter
Holiday
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December 24, 25, 28, 31 & January 1 |
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January 4 |
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This message is coming through the csdnews
(Christina School District E-News) listserv.
Replies to this message
will be forwarded to the Christina School
District Webmaster. |
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Christina School District -
News for the Christina School District's Parents and
Community. To learn more, visit us on the web at
http://www.christina.k12.de.us |
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Send an e-mail to the
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