Have a restful and wonderful holiday break. Enjoy your time with your wonderful children. Make time to snuggle up and read some enjoyable books together!

All children receiving Reading Support in Grades K-3 received a new book as a gift to take home and read or share with their families. There were lots of smiles as the books were handed out today!

In January, all students in kindergarten through 5th grade will be assessed using various grade-level appropriate tests to make sure they are making adequate growth and progress and to identity academic needs they may have. The Academic Support Program will  reevaluate which students are receiving service after reviewing the data from NWEA-MAP, DRA, Bear’s Spelling and DIBELS. If you have any questions about these assessments, please contact your child’s teacher or me.

 

Mrs. Natalie Knaggs has begun working at Bennie as an instructional aide in the 31a Academic Support Program. Mrs. Knaggs was a Montessori teacher and most recently was a lunch aide at Lindemann. Mrs. Knaggs will bring a wealth of experience and knowledge about working with young students as she begins working with mostly kindergarten students at Bennie. Natalie and her husband have a son and a daughter who are in dental school and a 16 year old daughter.  She has been hired for Kelly Paffhausen’s position. Kelly resigned for a career change in November.

On Monday, December 11th, the Allen Park Rotary Club attended the School Board Meeting to present Arno, Bennie and Lindemann with a large check for $7,200! The funds were granted to fulfill a proposal for book sets that was submitted earlier this fall by the district’s Reading Specialist team. Dr. Barbara Chuby, Sandy Artman and Georgianna Asteriou wrote the proposal on behalf of the district’s elementary teachers and students to purchase additional high-quality book sets for each school’s Literacy Library/Guided Reading collections.

Children representatives from all three elementary schools attended the standing-room-only school board meeting to accept the check and thank the Rotary Club members.

They also presented the Rotary Members with thank you cards and a sign made by other students.

   

The presentation this night was particularly moving because Georgianna Asteriou, Lindemann’s Reading Specialist passed away in November after a battle with cancer. This grant is one of her last “gifts” to her beloved students and colleagues at Lindemann.

 

 

Academic Support Program Instructional Aide, Maureen Page has been given the honor of being Bennie’s Outstanding Support Person of the Year. She will join other award winners and guests at the PTA’s Founders Day Banquet to receive her award in February. Maureen is an exceptional person and does an outstanding job working with lower elementary students in the area of literacy. She is very deserving of receiving this honor. Congratulations, Mrs. Page!