Northern Tioga School District - District Update April 2021 www.ntiogasd.org

Northern Tioga
School District

District Update
  April 2021
 www.ntiogasd.org

        1

Dr. Diana L. Barnes
              Superintendent

                   Spring Keystone Exams
The Spring Keystone Exams will be given on the following dates:
Algebra- May 18 -19, 2021                Literature- May 20 - 21, 2021
Biology- May 25 - 26, 2021
The exams are designed as end-of-course exams. Students who previ-
ously completed the Keystone Exams prior to grade 11 will have their
results banked. Per Act 158, all LEAs are required to notify students,
parents, and guardians of the LEA's high school graduation require-
ments and publish such requirements on its website. Importantly, no
student who was enrolled in a Keystone trigger course during the
spring of the 2019-20 school year may be denied the opportunity to
take any Keystone Exam they were scheduled to take during the spring
2020 administration and LEAs should provide information on oppor-
tunities to participate in the assessments.
Parents and guardians may review the Keystone Exams if they believe
they may be in conflict with their religious beliefs. If you do not want
your child to take the tests due to a conflict with their religious beliefs,
you must make arrangements to come to the NTSD Administration
Building to review the test two weeks prior to the assessments and sub-
mit a written request to the Superintendent prior to the testing dates.
The Pennsylvania Department of Education shares the following: elec-
tronic devices such as but not limited to cell phones, smartphones,
smartwatches, E-readers, Nooks, Kindles, iPods, tablets, camera-ready
devices, and any other electronic device which can be used to photo-
graph or duplicate test materials, access the internet and/or communi-
cate with others during the administration of the PSSA or Keystone
Exams are not permitted in any testing site. In order to ensure reliable
                                     2

test results and to avoid the cost or replacing test items, the Depart-
ment of Education requires schools to protect test materials. Please
speak with your child and let him or her know that the possession
and/or use of a cell phone or other electronic device during the ad-
ministration of the PSSA or Keystone Exams will result in conse-
quences that may include the cost of replacing test items and the ina-
bility to score their exam.

                Federal Stimulus Funding

                                    3

The district will soon be receiving funds from the ESSER III grant. At
least a minimum of 20% of these funds must be set aside to address
learning loss due to the pandemic. Monies are also used for the extra
cleaning and safety measures taken due to the pandemic. In addition,
the district will be addressing the mental health needs of students.
Many people do not understand that one-time stimulus dollars are
not designed for ongoing personnel or mandated expenses. Conse-
quently, subsidy increases and local property taxes may be needed.

                 Clark Wood Elementary
From the Principal:
We will be holding PSSA testing for grades 3-6 from May 8th -May
14th. In addition, 1st and 2nd grades will be taking the Terra Nova tests
from May 18th – May 20th. Please be on the look out for more infor-
mation regarding the testing from your child’s teacher. I know our
children are well prepared and will do their best. Thank you for your
support.
It has been announced that summer apparel is allowed for students
now. Please make sure your child dresses appropriately for the
weather. I also ask that you have your children wear sneakers to
school. Flip-flops, sandals, and other open toed shoes tend to create
safety issues for our children.
As we continue to navigate through this pandemic, please make sure
to help us keep the school open by letting us know if your child has

                                    4

come into contact with someone who is sick or by keeping your child
home when they have exhibited symptoms consistent with COVID
19.
Title 1 Reading:
As the weather gets warmer, you can find ways to practice reading
outside! On your driveway or sidewalk, draw 10 large circles. In
each circle, have your child jump to
a circle and read the word written
inside. You could have them write
spelling words or sight words in-
side. When all the circles all filled,
say a word, and have your child
jump to random words. It is a great
way to practice reading and enjoy
the sunshine!
Student Council News:
Student Council continues to be busy throughout the winter
months. We celebrated Valentine Week from February 8-12 with a
variety of special days and the annual heart decorations contest. The
Council sponsored a Dr. Seuss Dress Up Day on March 2 to cele-
brate his birthday. Students and staff wore clothes that had Dr.
Seuss characters on it or dressed as if they belonged in a Dr. Seuss
book. We also are planning for St. Patrick’s Day on March 17. Stu-
dents and staff can wear green or dress like a leprechaun. We are
sponsoring a Shamrock Coloring Contest. All shamrocks must be
turned in by Monday, March 15. The winners will be announced on
March 17. We will be working on our annual Easter Spring Fling
Week this month. It will be held March 29 through April 1. All stu-
dents will be able to decorate an Easter egg for the coloring contest.
Council members also maintain the monthly bulletin board in the
cafeteria with various holiday or activity themes. Our school and
staff greatly benefit from the work of the Student Council volun-
teers. Thanks for all the work you do.
Family Reading Night:
Our March Virtual Family Reading Night was released on March 18.
Our guest reader was Mrs. Amy Millard, a social studies teacher at
Cowanesque Valley High School. Mrs. Millard has been a regular
guest reader at our Family Reading Night program and is always
one of the students’ favorite readers. She read “The Paper Bag Prin-
cess” by author Robert Munsch and illustrated by Michael
Martchenko. This book is one of Mrs. Millard’s favorite books. Now
we have a lot of students saying it is one of their favorites, too.

                                   5

The story was posted on our Clark Wood Elementary School Face-
book page. It was a huge success. During school that day all students
at every grade level received a free book from Family Reading Night.
Special books or book sets were also given at each grade level. The
winner was selected using our RAMS cards. When students follow
our RAMS expectations, they earn letters and fill up their RAMS
cards. Now those full RAMS cards can also get you free books as well
as prizes in our weekly Wednesday Positive Behavior program.
This is the twenty-second year for the program at Clark Wood Ele-
mentary. The Family Reading Night staff appreciates all the support
that they receive from the students and staff at our school and the
Northern Tioga School District Administration and Board of Direc-
tors. Please check our Clark Wood Elementary School Facebook page
on April 15 for the next virtual program.
School Wide Positive Behavior Program:
       R- Respect Everyone
       A- Act Safely
       M- Make Responsible Choices
       S- Show Pride
Valley Youth Initiative:     Valley Emergency Response Personnel
We would like to thank our Emergency Response Personnel for con-
tinuing to support our schools and communities. We are grateful for
your service.
Upcoming Events:
April 23: School Is Open (Former Snow Day)
May 3-May 14: PSSA Testing (Grades 3-6)
May 17-21 Terra Nova Testing (Grades 1-2)
May 14: School Is Open (Former Snow Day)
May 28: School Is Open (Former Snow Day)
May 31: No School – Memorial Day
June 4: 6th Grade Graduation – 9 AM
June 7-9: Early Dismissal
June 9: Last Day of School

                                  6

Classroom News:
Kindergarten:
The month of April will begin with parent teacher conferences follow-
ing Easter Recess. Now that we have finished our teen number unit in
math, we will now explore addition and subtraction. We will use ma-
nipulatives, fingers, mental images, drawings, verbal explanations,
and equations. Our goal is to add and subtract within 10. We will use
manipulatives to help make the concepts of addition and subtraction
concrete and easier to understand. We will transition to visuals, in-
cluding number lines. This will help to prepare us for the addition and
subtraction strategies we will see in First Grade!
From our reading class - It is hard to believe how quickly the school
year has gone! Kindergarten has completed the whole alphabet!! In
class, we will continue to write and blend all the letters. At home, con-
tinue to practice writing the letters. Practice sight words. If your child
can quickly recognize their sight words, you can practice spelling
them. Continue to read nightly books that are sent home! Thank you
for your support in strengthening your child's reading!
Kindergarten student of the month is Noah Johnson. Congratulations,
Noah!
First Grade:
Our students are very excited about the warmer weather! Please re-
member to still send a light jacket or sweatshirt as it is often much
cooler/windier on the back playground.
We are working hard on becoming au-
thors of our very own class book. Each
classroom will publish their own book
called "The Best Part of Me", highlight-
ing what each student believes is their
best features and reasons why. We can-
not wait for our parents to see our fin-
ished product in a few weeks.
In math class, we are finishing our unit
on place value. We ended by making place value monsters to display
for all to see. We would like to thank parents for continuing to help
with homework, practice fact fluency, help with number reversals,
etc. The extra practice the students get at home is very valuable. The
Moby Max site is always a valuable resource for students at home.
The students have learned over 100 sight words this year. They will
be learning about the "bossy r" in the coming weeks. We are very
proud of all the students. Each child has shown growth in their read-
                                     7

ing development over the course of the year. Please continue reading
at home with your child and practicing sight words.
Second Grade:
New things are springing up all over Second
Grade. Our science studies are all about life cycles
and animal habitats. Children are experiencing
life cycles first-hand as they hatch chicks in the
classroom! We will again be hatching butterflies
in our classrooms as well. Afterward, learners will
be gaining information about the rainforest habi-
tat. Learners have mastered their capital cursive
letters. They are applying their knowledge to
some daily work.
Learners can now how to tell time to the minute.
In math class, they are currently working on data analysis by conduct-
ing surveys, making tally charts, and graphs. Learners have been dis-
covering features of our natural world including weather and volca-
noes in ELA class. They are also working on similes.
We would like to congratulate Eli Bower on being selected as April’s
Second Grade Student of the Month. Eli has a fun, energetic personal-
ity. He is an amazing reader and thinker. Congratulations, Eli!
Third and Fourth Grades:
Math (3/4):
In 3rd grade math, we have been working hard on units of measure-
ment. We will continue to work on measurement and geometry for the
next few weeks. We are also preparing for the PSSA tests. In fourth
grade math, we are finishing up our unit on measurement and data.
We will begin our final unit, geometry, soon. Students MUST know
their basic multiplication facts to be successful at these concepts
and many more. Please study multiplication facts daily at home.
ELA (3/4):
(4) We are wrapping up our sixth unit and have been focused on poet-
ry. We are learning about figurative language, sensory details, and im-
agery! We will be focusing on how word choice can affect a reader's
understanding of a work of literature. We have some wonderful po-
ems that we will be reading, along with a list of spelling and vocabu-
lary words each week. We are steadily improving our writing skills by
constructing a TDA every unit and analyzing a poem for an essay. Be
sure to check out the Google Classroom to see what we are up to!

                                    8

Science (3/4):
(4) Fourth grade is finishing up our unit on physical science. We
learned about force, motion, and electricity. We even were able to
build simple circuits! Our last unit is earth science. We will learn
about weather, the water cycle, and the planets!
Social Studies (3):
During the third marking period, we finished focusing on Econom-
ics. It was a difficult unit with lots of new vocabulary! We are now
beginning a new unit of History, focusing on chronological thinking,
comprehension, research as well as continuity and change. Please be
sure that your child has headphones, so that they may use Study Is-
land and all its features, thank you.
Fifth and Sixth Grades:
Fifth grade social studies classes are wrapping up a unit on the Ameri-
can Revolution and will begin studying geographical regions of the
United States along with the Civil War and Reconstruction.
Fifth grade language arts classes are working on a unit centering on
research skills. We will be researching and writing reports about what
it means to be an American, especially those qualities and characteris-
tics that we commonly hold.
Fifth grade math classes have been very busy. We have completed the
study of geometry. We worked with polygons, triangles, and quadri-
laterals. We know the difference between regular and irregular poly-
gons. We can tell if a triangle is acute, obtuse, or right based on its an-
gles and if it is a scalene, isosceles, or equilateral based on its sides.
We reviewed angles; we know how to describe angles as acute, obtuse,
straight, or right. We looked at how to classify quadrilaterals based on
their sides being congruent and parallel and their angles being con-
gruent. We reviewed perimeter and area. We also studied how to find
the volume of rectangular prisms. We measured various objects to
find their perimeter, area, and volume. We have been working hard to
be ready for the PSSA Math tests in May.
Fifth grade science classes have finished their study of animal charac-
teristics and animal behaviors. We are ready to begin the plant unit.
We will discover the characteristics of angiosperms and gymno-
sperms. We will determine how plant structures and functions are re-
lated to plant survival.
Sixth grade ELA is finishing the figurative language unit. Students
worked hard to analyze poetry written by Langston Hughes, Walt
Whitman, and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, among others. The cul-
mination of this unit is a poetic analysis essay.
                                    9

Students will begin our research unit soon. Characteristics of re-
search, analyzing sources, and text organization will be the focus of
the unit. Students will analyze the research of others as well as con-
duct research themselves.
Sixth Grade Math is wrapping up a Geometry unit and beginning a
Data Unit. They will be learning about various forms of statis-
tics. These would include histograms, inter quartiles, out quartiles,
mean absolute deviations, and box and whisker plots. They will be
able to determine central measures of tendency. On an easier note
they will also be reviewing tallies, frequencies, line plots and dot
plots. This is a fun unit and sounds a lot harder than it is.
Sixth grade Social studies is beginning a unit on Europe. We will be
comparing and contrasting landforms, cultures, governments, and
daily lives with those of the United States. We will learn more about
the holocaust. The books we have read in the classroom have defi-
nitely peaked their interest on this topic.
Clark Wood Students of the Month:
Kindergarten:                 Noah Johnson
First Grade:                  Natalie Baker
Second Grade:                 Eli Bower
Third Grade:                  Rayelynn Krise
Fourth Grade:                 Reed Vargeson
Fifth Grade:                  Ellie Allen
Sixth Grade:                  Josh Manluccia
Clark Wood Student of the Month:              Ellie Allen
Ellie Allen, a 5th grade student and the daughter of Mr. and Mrs.
Robert Allen of Osceola, is our Clark Wood Student of the Month.
Throughout this school year, the fifth-grade teachers have stressed
the importance of always “choosing kind.” The April Student of the
Month is a role model to others in being able to choose kind in all
life situations. Ellie Allen is a sweet young lady who greets teachers
each morning and afternoon with a smile and kind words. Being
polite is just part of who she is and how she treats others.
Ellie actively participates in class and helps around the school with-
out needing praise or attention. We can always count on her to do
the right thing whether we are watching or not. Daily, she does
what she needs to do with a sweet disposition. Ellie has a big heart!
                                   10

Selfless, caring, and hardworking are just a few ways to describe her.
Ellie consistently puts the best interest of others ahead her own. She
is a friend to all and offers a helping hand to any student or teacher in
need. It has been a true pleasure to have Ellie in our classes, and we
are more than proud to have her as our April Student of the Month.

          Westfield Area Elementary School
Kindergarten classes celebrated the birthday of Dr. Seuss on March
2nd with a week of books and activities. The students also enjoyed our
day of Easter Activities! Some received chalk and some bubbles. It
was a fun day.
We are still working on our letters and sounds. We only have 8 letters
and 12 sight words to go. We are getting better at blending the sounds
to read. Writing is also in full swing as we improve with that each
day. It’s very exciting! In math we have begun working on addition.
School can be such fun learning new things.
First Grade: Students have learned how to identify, compare, and
order numbers in math. They’ve become great skip counters and love
using their 120 charts to go “up the ladder and down the ladder”
counting by 10’s, 5’s, and 2’s. Adding and subtracting two-digit num-
bers is quite exciting!
It is amazing to see how well they’ve grown with reading! Long vow-
els and spelling patterns have been introduced. Daily reading is so im-
portant to reinforce skills. Students have moved from books that had
predictable sound patterns, to books with some predictable patterns,
to now beginning to read longer stories with unpredictable patterns.
Writing skills are also growing! Students are using graphic organizers
and journals to help develop writing. Recent topics have been “If I
Had Animal Teeth and Hair,” “A Time When I Lost Something,” and
“My Invention.” They had some great ideas!
Severe weather, clouds, and the water
cycle were introduced in science. Plan-
ets and our solar system were explored.
Each class worked in groups to create
fun facts for a chosen planet. Then the
groups presented their information
along with a model of their planet.
Space exploration at its finest!
6th grade has enjoyed the change in weather. More light and warm-
er temperatures have definitely put a “spring” in our step.
6th grade reading has been studying legends and folktales. They were
very interested in the story of Arachne. Students took the information
                                    11

and discussed what made it a legend
and why people would do that. Then
they researched various spi-
ders. They looked at where and how
these arachnids make their
webs. This information allowed the
students to compare and contrast
what was realistic about the story,
and what was legend. In English
class, students are learning types of
sentences and creating longer para-
graphs by using longer sentences
and stronger voice.
Math has been a geometric lover’s dream. They have learned to find
the perimeter, area, and volume of a variety of 2D and 3D
shapes. The final step was to use these skills to compute surface ar-
ea. Surface area is always a challenge, but the students enjoyed a
hands-on experience of using different sized cereal boxes to compute
it. Next, they will begin a unit on mean, median, range and
mode. Making a “jumping frog” using what they have learned is
bound to keep their attention.
The landing of Perseverance on Mars was a great conclusion to our
space units in science class. The students watched this historic event
with great interest. The classes spent time discussing space travel and
what scientists hope to accomplish with these missions to Mars. We
have also been discussing weathering, erosion, and deposition of
rocks. The students have been excited to learn how these things affect
them and their parents in everyday life. Geography class continues to
take adventures exploring various places and countries on Earth. The
cultures of these different places are unique in many ways, yet stu-
dents are often surprised to find the many traits such as religion, lan-
guage, and celebrations we have in common.
WAES Title I Staff just completed the third round of DIBELS testing
for the year. New MTSS groups have been formed based on several
data sources including the DIBELS results. These new groups began
meeting the week of April 6th and are already making progress to-
ward our new goals. Progress Monitoring and fine-tuning will contin-
ue until the end of the school year.

                                   12

R.B. Walter Elementary School
Kindergarten: Spring has sprung and we are hoppin' in Kinder-
garten! Easter provided us with many delicious opportunities to im-
prove our math skills. We colored bar graphs to show the number of
different colored jelly beans. We also used jelly beans as counters to
complete addition problems. We are now learning to hop on a num-
ber line as another method to solve addition problems. Our reading
lessons have transportation as a theme. We are reading and writing
about the many different ways people travel from place to place. Our
destinations include where you find famous patriotic symbols in
America. We are learning about the many sights in Washington, DC,
and around the USA! These reading stories are getting longer with
harder sight words and more CVC words to sound out. Students are
excited to find that they can actually pick out a library book to READ!
We are pleased to have Ms. Evert come to our school to provide ac-
tivities that help students develop their positive character traits. Her
lessons help to improve a student’s self-esteem and encourage show-
ing kindness to others. Smile until your eyes shine!
First Grade: While this school year has been challenging, it is hard
to believe we are in the 4th marking period already. We continue to be
very busy learning new things. In Science we are learning about in-
sects and how many of them change as they go through there life cy-
cle. Students will observe the life cycle of a meal worm as it starts out
and eventually changes into a beetle. In Math we are learning about
graphing information. Finally, in Language Arts we are continuing
our writing, reading, and sight word fluency.
We will be doing a virtual field trip with the Crayola Crayon compa-
ny. They are sending us several videos and activities to complete in
the classroom. This should be a fun and engaging program for the
students to complete.
As the weather is getting warmer please be sure students dress for
the weather. We will continue to go outside whenever possible for
recess.
Second Grade: Our second graders are counting down the days
now that we are in the final marking period! Currently in reading, the
students are reading about heroes and how hard work and persever-
ance pays off in the end. Speaking of “pays off”, they’re also learning
about idioms! We had a fun time imagining what idioms would really
look like if taken literally, such as “raining cats and dogs” and “a bull
in a china shop”.
Previously in math, the students enjoyed activities to help them de-
velop and reinforce their clock/telling-time skills. The students

                                   13

learned how to tell time on analog clocks to the hour, half hour, quar-
ter hour, and five minutes. Currently, they are learning about coins
and how to count money.
In Science, the students have been studying the water cycle, types of
clouds, and forms of precipitation. In Social Studies, the students
have been studying map skills and are soon going to be learning
about different types of landforms.
Third Grade: How amazing that we are now in the 4th marking pe-
riod! We are starting off this month learning all about how to use
contractions correctly in speaking and writing. We will continue to
practice all the grammar skills that we have been learning all year.
Third graders will participate in the Pennsylvania School State As-
sessment in English Language Arts and Math for the first time in
May. We have been learning and practicing all year long to prepare
for this snap shot of what our students have learned in 3rd grade. It
would be a great help if you would ask them to write a quick sentence
to answer any question you might have and then check to see if there
are capital letters, punctuation marks and if the sentence makes
sense.
How do others inspire us? Third graders will be reading about people
who are courageous and helpful. When we feel inspired, we want to
help others. Students will be reading various poems learning about
narrative and free verse poems. They will use skills and strategies to
determine the theme or main message in a poem. Students will find
repetition, rhyme, & figurative language in the various poems.
In Math, students have been counting money, making equivalent sets
of money, and counting back change. Students have also been col-
lecting data using a survey, creating tally charts and frequency tables,
transferring the data to a bar graph and pictograph. We have also
learned how to create and read a line plot.
Fourth Grade: 4th grade is excited for spring and enjoying the
warmer weather! In ELA, we are continually working on improving
our reading skills and preparing for the PSSA tests that are coming at
the beginning of May. We have been practicing identifying and using
adjectives. This was needed for describing our favorite toys. In writ-
ing, we recently completed an opinion piece about what toy we feel
should be inducted into the Toy Hall of Fame. Don’t be surprised if
they ask to go see the exhibits at the Strong National Museum of Play
in Rochester, NY!
In Science, we are concluding our study of matter. The students
learned about density. Materials that are less dense will float and
those that are denser will sink. We tested vegetable oil, water, and
corn syrup. We found corn syrup to be denser than water, but vege-
                                    14

table oil to be less dense than water. We also tested an egg in plain
water and in salt water and found that the egg sank in plain water
but floated in salt water. This helped them to see that the egg is less
dense than salt water, but more dense than plain water. We learned
all about solids, liquids, and gases and how the molecules move
about during expansion and contraction.
                                In math, we have been doing a great
                                job with operations of fractions and
                                understanding their relationship to
                                decimals. We have also been doing
                                some calculator work in preparation
                                for the math PSSAs. We will soon be
                                moving into our geometry and meas-
                                urement units. Please encourage your
                                child to continue to work on their
                                multiplication and division facts.
                                Knowing these are instrumental to
                                being successful in the fourth-grade
                                math content, in addition to the
                                PSSAs.
Fifth Grade: P.S.S.A.s are fast approaching, and fifth grade stu-
dents have been working to perfect their quality of writing on TDAs,
text-dependent analysis. Learning to write solid TDAs is an im-
portant part of ELA. Students learn to use information from a pas-
sage to write a developed and complete sample that makes logical
inferences from their reading. In math, we are finishing multiplying
and dividing whole numbers and working on real world problems.
In science, students are learning about the theory of Plate Tectonics
and the three types of plate boundaries. In social studies, students
are learning how the different European countries paved the way for
the American colonies. Students are researching a European explor-
er and the importance of their exploration. What a fascinating pro-
ject! You will have to ask fifth grade about it if you have the oppor-
tunity.
Sixth Grade: Spring has sprung! We are so thankful to have sun-
shine and warm days. It is truly hard to believe that we started the
fourth marking period and our time together is winding down. Sixth
grade graduation will be held Thursday, June 3 in the high school
auditorium. This will be an exciting evening to celebrate the accom-
plishments of our students.
In Science, students just completed the rock cycle. We demonstrated
the changing of rocks using heat by using a crayon, maker, and small
pieces of crayons to melt into new and larger pieces. Students will
now begin to study the layers of soil and complete several different
                                  15

projects that involve growing plants, potting trees, and developing
healthy soil.
In Social Studies, students are still exploring South America. They are
learning the countries, capitols, and some of the traditions that make
South America unique. Students are getting ready to research a specific
country and compare and contrast it to the United States using the 8
traits of culture that we learned at the beginning of the year.
Students are working on Statistical Displays in math class. They enjoy
learning about all of the different ways data can be shown and inter-
preted. We are also working on ratios and proportions, as well as pre-
paring for upcoming PSSA testing.
In reading we are working hard on Text Dependent Analysis (TDAs)
and focused on skill mastery as we approach state testing. We all have
spring fever for sure and this wonderful weather has been a great
stress reliever. Students are focused on diagramming sentences to
practice all the parts of speech they have learned throughout the year.
Students continue to work on their propaganda posters and we have
also started our airplane projects. We are practicing our text structure
writing within this project as the students problem solve , compare and
contrast, use chronological order and look for cause and effect rela-
tionships of their decisions for airplanes’ designs and flying outcomes.
Title Reading: Writers are readers and readers are writers!
Another magnificent month has gone by, how are those reading and
writing goals going? Are you continuing to find more ways to make it
enjoyable? For example, work together to build a reading/writing
nook, maybe a tent/fort, be creative! The memories that you make to-
day will stay with them forever – make them worth remembering…
A journal is a wonderful way to both show progress and share infor-
mation while getting better each and every day! Allow them daily op-
portunities to put their thoughts and ideas to paper. This could very
well lead to some amazing revelations! Did you know that many fa-
mous people have written their memoirs by taking information that
they wrote many years earlier? By taking time to write together, you
are setting a lifelong example of what good writers do. Both you and
your “budding” little writer could be become published authors! Write,
reflect, dream, draw, but most of all, remember to make it enjoyable
and it will become a lifelong habit. Continue to develop your writing
and you will be amazed at the results.
Music: This month, the third through fifth grade students will be us-
ing cups to practice reading rhythms! We practice reading musical
scores, as well as adding some “flair” to our cup routines by way of

                                   16

flips, tosses, and different taps. The fourth and fifth grade students
will also be using Chromebooks later in the month, and exploring var-
ious music-making websites. The kindergarten through second grade
students will be reviewing tempo and dynamics terms, and identifying
the various tempo and dynamics in different genres of music. We will
also be using classroom instruments to practice performing different
tempo and dynamics. There will be many chances to move to music
as well – all the kids know that dancing and moving to music is one of
Mrs. Faust’s favorite things to do!
Art: R.B. ART ROOM is rolling along with students building sculp-
tures, making detailed drawings of their footwear, understanding col-
or mixing as well as enjoying the process of Eric Carle (children's book
author and illustrator). Kindergarten is doing a great job with respect-
ing and using the tools with care and following some difficult direc-
tions. All is going well! We are doing our best to learn as much as pos-
sible in the short amount of time remaining in the school year. - Mr.
McKee
Physical Education: It is early April 2021, and we just rotated
groups yet again. Let me briefly explain the changes to Class Schedul-
ing for “Special” classes this year to accommodate the pandemic. In-
stead of having Physical Education every 4th school day throughout
the school year, students now have it in a block. Homerooms are di-
vided into 4 groups. Each group takes the same class every day for 23
straight school days, then rotate to the next class. Over the course of
the entire year, each student has Physical Education 1 session in the
fall semester, and 1 session in the spring semester. Group 2 just fin-
ished their session April 1st. Group 3 is now starting their session.
Group 2 did a great job and I expect the same thing from Group 3. As
the weather turns warmer, the students will start to go outside more.
The goal is to get grades 3-6 outside whenever the weather cooper-
ates. It allows for better spacing. It is a little harder to get grades K-2
outside due to extended transport times, but they will be getting out
occasionally as well. Hope everyone had a Happy Easter.

                                    17

Cowanesque Valley High School

Beginning on March 29 through April 22, 2021 Mansfield University
is presenting the Master & Grasshopper Exhibition for local art
teachers and their students! The exhibition will be held physically in
the Loomis Gallery and online this year. Trinity Hollenbach, a junior
at Cowanesque Valley High School, and her art teacher Nancy Ro-
sario, will have artwork exhibited at the show. This is a nice oppor-
tunity for both students and teachers to exhibit their work.

                                  18

Interested CVHS Seniors attended the Tioga Job Fair on March
24th at the Tioga County Fairgrounds in Whitneyville. There were nu-
merous employers present for on-site interviews to fill open positions
immediately or in the near future. Many of these positions required
only a high school diploma and offered training and continued educa-
tion opportunities to help them grow.

Congratulations to the new members of the National Honor
Society at Cowanesque Valley High School! The National Hon-
or Society is an organization that promotes Service, Scholarship,
Leadership, and Character. Fourteen juniors were inducted into the
Cowanesquean Chapter of National Honor Society on March 22th at
CV High School. The guest speaker for the ceremony was Mrs. Amy
Millard. Students who are selected must have a cumulative GPA of at
least 92% and demonstrate the qualities held by the organization of
scholarship, character, leadership, and service. The 14 candidates that
were inducted exemplified not only high academic standing but lead-
ership qualities, motivation, participation in school and community
activities, and a positive disposition. The Cowanesquean Chapter of
the National Honor Society is advised by Alicia Graham. The organi-
zation sponsors charitable events throughout the year. This year's new
inductees are: Glenn Barnes, Taylor Beebe, Thaddeus Boyer, Hannah
Butkiewicz, Lexie Coleman, Calyssa Hurler, Morgan Jelliff, Evelyn

                                  19

Louca, Schuyler Madison, Michael Sipps, Kade Sottolano, Tucker St.
Peter, Joel Tubbs, and Kara Watterson. Previous members include:
Arch Ackley, Gavin Ahearn, Nicholas Eldridge, Shae Schoonover, Bailey
Stilts – treasurer, Stevia Swimley, Makayla Vargeson – secretary, Rylie
Walker, and Megan Wattles.
                              Star Athletes
Kade Sottolano
Kade was selected to be on the first team of NTL all stars for wrestling.
He felt his season went very well until he injured himself. He feels good
being recognized from a small school with all the hard work put in this
season. His goal for next season is to be at the top and go as far as he
can possibly go. His favorite moment from this season was winning the
sectional title.
Michael Sipps
Mikey was selected to be on the second team of NTL all stars for wres-
tling. He feels his season went very well and is happy. He also wished he
had made it a little further into the season. He also feels proud to be
recognized from such a small school.
Abby Ackley
Abby was selected to be on the second team of the small school division
of NTL all stars for girls’ basketball. She feels her season was fun and
memorable. She found it exciting to be recognized from such a small
school. Her favorite moment from this season was the last game at the
NBE. The team had a lot of fun on the bus singing and dancing their last
time together.
Paisley Nudd
Paisley was selected to be on the second team of the small school divi-
sion of NTL all stars for girls’ basketball. She feels her season went pret-
ty well, especially for having a young team. She feels honored to be rec-
ognized for being from such a small school. She expects the team to be
more competitive next year because they had lots of growth this season.
Her favorite memory this year was senior night. The team had good
bonding, and it was lots of fun.
McGwire Painter
McGwire was selected to be on the first team of the small school divi-
sion of NTL all stars for boys’ basketball. He thinks it went alright for
getting a new coach and some players that haven’t played in a few years.
He feels pretty good to be recognized. He thinks they should do pretty

                                     20

well next season. His favorite moment is when they played Wil-
liamson and beat them by a lot.
                       Upcoming Seasons
Baseball: The baseball team is excited and hopeful about this sea-
son. Although the team is on the smaller side, they are optimistic
about their chances while competing with other teams. They feel as
though COVID-19 is a setback but understand that all teams that
they compete with are facing the same struggles.
Softball: The softball team has a positive outlook for the upcoming
season. They currently have a 3 for 0 win streak and hope to keep
the streak going. Even with COVID-19 restrictions, they believe
they will not be affected negatively by those restrictions.
                          Senior Plans
Brea White- Brea hopes to attend Alfred State College to pursue a
degree in pediatric nursing.
Isaic Walker- Isaic plans on joining the police force and becoming a
police officer after high school.
Isaac Huntington- Isaac wants to enter a branch of the service after
high school.
Seth Neal- Seth is attending Mansfield University to pursue a de-
gree in Journalism for Sports Information
Marian Gardener- Marian would like to attend culinary school after
high school to enrich her palette.
Haley Patterson- Haley plans to take a gap year and find work; af-
terward, she wants to attend college for graphic design.
Bailey Stilts- Bailey wants to attend Thiel College for computer pro-
gramming.
Shae Schoonover- Shae wants to attend Lock Haven University to
pursue a degree in Secondary English Education.
Makayla Vargeson- Makayla wants to pursue an education in archi-
tectural design but has yet to pick a school.
Abby Ackley- Abby wants to attend Penn State Berks to become an
occupational therapist assistant and wants to work in a school dis-
trict with children.
Dylan Freeland- Dylan is enrolled and would like to continue his

                                 21

work in the National Guard.
Arch Ackley- Arch wants to go to Penn State to pursue his nursing
degree so he can become a traveling nurse.
Gavin Davies- Gavin is going into the Army.
Lane Graves- Lane plans to take a year off to enter the workforce
and plans to later go to college.
Johnny Jordain- Johnny wants to go into mechanic work and
wants to attend a trade school, so he can become a licensed me-
chanic.
Susan Bliss- Susan plans on attending Penn State to pursue a de-
gree in nursing.
                           School Plays
The CV Drama Club presented two plays from March 12th to March
14th. The first performance was Perfect Score featuring Bailey
Stilts, Hannah Butkiewicz, Taylor Beebe, Connor Burdick, Calyssa
Hurler, Morgan Jelliff, and Joel Tubbs. The plot consisted of four
friends trying to navigate and understand the process of applying
for college with all of the frustration and confusion that comes with
it. The second performance was The Radio Play Disaster featuring
Seth Neal, Evan Zinck, Kyra Campbell, Carter Ackley, Alexis Shenk,
Jesse Quick, Bryson Fuhrer, Arch Ackley, Madison Vandermark,
Alexandria Fuhrer, Haley Patterson, T.J. Madison, Calyssa Hurler,
and Kaden Cole. It portrayed a self-proclaimed genius who’s trying
to air his very own radio production. Later, multiple characters
doubt his genius abilities and try to take over. Overall, the perfor-
mances were outstanding. Great job to all of those who were in-
volved!
                    Laurel Queen Candidate
We are happy to announce that Rylie Walker will be representing
Cowanesque Valley High School as a queen candidate in this year's
Laurel Festival in Wellsboro, PA. The Laurel Festival will take place
June 12th through June 20th.
Rylie Walker is 17 years old and plans to attend West Virginia Uni-
versity after high school for political science. She was chosen to
represent Cowanesque Valley High School after staff voted for who
they believe should represent us. During the festival, she and girls
from many different schools will give a speech on something they
feel very passionate about and try to make it to finals. Besides com-
petitions, they will be doing things like interviews, touring Wells-

                                 22

boro, and spending time getting to know one another.
Rylie hopes to meet new friends from this opportunity. When asked
what she would like to teach others from this, she said, “I want oth-
ers to know that they can do it, too, and that it's an experience that
you'll never forget about.” She is very excited and so thankful to have
this chance. As June approaches us, we would like to wish Rylie the
best of luck!
                  Student Council Happenings
St. Patrick’s Day: Shamrock mes-
sages with Hershey’s kisses were
sold during lunch and learn and de-
livered to students on St. Patrick’s
Day. The student council also post-
ed paper shamrocks around the
school with students’ names on
them. Each student was encouraged
to hunt for their shamrock and turn
it in for a chance to be drawn for a
prize. CV students had the oppor-
tunity to use a St. Patrick’s Day
themed photo booth during lunch
and learn the week of St. Patrick’s
Day.

                             March Madness: With the college bas-
                             ketball season coming up, the CV Stu-
                             dent Council has kicked off their annual
                             March Madness bracket competition.
                             Faculty and Students completed their
                             brackets with their predictions and are
                             watching the outcomes with great antic-
                             ipation! Prizes will be awarded for the
                             top two most accurate brackets based
                             on points that increase each round.

                                   23

Williamson High School
            WHS Voter Registration Drive 2021
The Williamson History Club is conducting a voter registration
drive this month. Students have been learning about the history of
voter registration in the US and how they can make a difference by
registering voters here at Williamson High School. The goal is to
engage in civic outreach that achieves 85% or higher voter regis-
tration with those 18 on or before May 22nd, 2021. The group has
met a few times a week to develop a plan and build educational
and social media messages to promote the cause. They have also
run a voter registration table at lunches where they educate stu-
dents on how to register and how to pledge to register if they are
not yet 18. Once complete, the club will apply for the Pennsylvania
Dept of State Governor’s Civic Engagement Award for their suc-
cessful participation.

                                24

WHS Student Council
In a typical year, student council would be caught in a whirlwind
of attending the regional conference, fundraisers, and planning a
bunch of end-of-year events for the school. Instead, we are holding
steady and planning only the events that we can do virtually or
with minimal contact.
We just finished up two great fundraisers that we plan to continue
as an annual tradition. The first was a strawberry fundraiser,
where we purchased fresh, delicious Florida strawberries and had

                                   25

them delivered to our school in the beginning of March. There was
sunshine in every bite! The next fundraiser, that truly was FUN,
was “egg my yard”. Participants paid us to “egg” their yard by hid-
ing pre-filled plastic eggs the night before Easter, allowing the kids
in their lives to wake up to a personal egg hunt! I think the council
members had as much fun hiding the eggs as we heard the chil-
dren had finding them the next day! We are finishing our fundrais-
ing this year with spirit wear and hoping to brainstorm a way to
keep our annual flamingo hunt tradition alive but doing so safely.
As far as in school events, we are continuing the monthly online
trivia games and awarding prizes to the top three winners. We
brought a lot of positive energy to the school when we hosted “tape
a teacher to the wall”. The student body “voted” for a teacher by
throwing spare change in their bucket; the teacher with the most
money was the one that got taped to the wall. Mr. Perry was an
awesome sport about it and helped to raise some money too! With
that money, we helped purchase a speaker that can be used for
various things, including outdoor graduations and other events.

                                  26

Spring Concerts:
The Williamson Music Department is proud to present their
spring concert series. All concerts begin at 7PM and will be
streamed at www.facebook.com/williamsonmarchingwarriors.
Check that site for possible live audience information. Sadly, audi-
ence members can’t just simply show up and enter due to COVID
restrictions. Dates are below.
4/14 HS Chorus
4/15 HS Band
4/23 5th & 6thGrade Chorus, 4th, 5th & 6th Grade Band
5/5 Middle School Band & Chorus
                     Dorney Park Bound:
WHS band and chorus students will participate in a competition
and spend the day in Dorney Park on 6/12. Details will be given to
students in class.

                                 27

28