by dr. amy m. burch brentwood borough school districtthe brentwood borough school district was...

S U P E R I N T E N D E N T ’ SM E S S A G E

B Y D R . A M Y M . B U R C H

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Brentwood BoroughSchoolDistrict

Leadership Pittsburgh Experience Through the generosity of the Grable Foundation a once in a lifetime opportunity was made possible to

School Board Director, Mr. David Schaap and Superintendent, Dr. Amy Burch. These District representatives

participated in Cohort XXXIII of Leadership Pittsburgh (LP), which is a 10 month program for established

senior-level leaders. From September through June, LP sessions provided exposure, experiences, and

connections that prepared them to tackle the challenges of senior leadership in our community. Over

the months, the two developed a deeper, behind-the-scenes understanding of the connected systems

of the region, met with the “movers and shakers”, and gained a different perspective on the Pittsburgh

community. The cohort met to analyze and discuss topics such as our regions’ economy, education and

career development, the impact of local government, inclusive communities, justice and human services,

our state government, and arts in our region. In addition to the scheduled workshops, the cohort were

also teamed with local organizations to apply what we learned.

The session that had the greatest impact on Dr. Burch as a leader was the opportunity to travel to

Harrisburg to learn more about our state government. Leadership Pittsburgh organized speakers to

discuss the most challenging issues surrounding our state, education and budget deficit. Multiple leaders

from both sides of the House and the Senate shared their views on these two topics. It reiterated the

necessity for everyone to be actively engaged in advocating for public education.

64 Brentwood-Baldwin-Whitehall

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SSuperintendent’s Council

Did You Know? 1) The Elroy playground has been completed upgraded. To the entire team of people that collaborated on this project, THANK YOU!

2) Our students are engaging in learning opportunities that go far beyond the walls of our schools? These include trips to GOOGLE headquarters on the Southside, participation in local, regional and national competitions in STEM related fields, and commitments to community service projects.

3) Our teaching staff and administration collaborated to initiate a College Readiness Program with the National Math and Science Initiative (NMSI). Look for more information to be released as the summer continues.

4) Our Acres of Makers event was a celebration of local makers, artists, writers, musicians, film-makers, engineers, and more. What was once known to the community as the District’s Art in the Park, organized by high school art teacher Mr. Ben Miller, expanded this year to showcase more of Brentwood’s maker spirit with a celebration highlighting what Brentwood students and community members contributed to Pittsburgh’s city-wide maker initiative.

5) Elementary librarian, Ms. Megan Casey was selected as a Keystone Technology Integrator Star and, as a result, will be traveling to the Keystone Technology Innovators STAR Summit on the campus of Shippensburg University, July 24-28, 2017.

6) The Brentwood Borough School District was one of the Districts highlighted as a leader in STEM/STEAM education in the national publication, School Administrator sponsored by the School Superintendents Association (AASA). Read the article at http://www. pageturnpro.com/AASA/78207-May-2017/default.html#page/20.

7) The Brentwood Borough School District was recognized by the Allegheny County Health Insurance Consortium (ASCHIC) for being a Champion of Wellness and was awarded with $3,000 to continue to promote a healthy lifestyle.

Each year the Superintendent’s Council meets once a month to discuss topics relevant to the District. Students in grades 9-12 are invited to apply and this year’s Superintendent’s Council boasted 21 members, the largest council by far. The students generate the ideas and research the steps necessary to complete each task. Some of the highlights from this year included teaming

with the GBU to package holiday care boxes for soldiers overseas, volunteering at the Veteran’s Place, donating a basket to Drop the Puck, and participating in the Baldwin –Brentwood-Whitehall Relay For Life. Each time our students participate in community service activities the response is overwhelmingly positive!

Brentwood-Baldwin-Whitehall | Summer 2017 | icmags.com 65

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SH I G H S C H O O L N E W S

Considering Steel Center for Career and Technical Education Continues to be a Wise Choice

Every year the Brentwood Borough School District offers informational programs to freshmen students, as well as providing tours for student to see Steel Center for Career and Technical Education and the offerings in action. We also provide individual and small group tours as needed. Students enrolled at Brentwood High School may attend Steel Center for Career and Technical Education for a morning session in a career area of their choice. They get to work in the class and get an actual experience of what the class is like and if it meets their needs before making a decision. We have a number of students who are taking courses at Steel Center for Career and Technical Education and are also taking high level academic classes at Brentwood High School. We do our best to accommodate schedules so that our students can take career education and high level classes for college readiness.

What does Steel Center for Career and Technical Education offer in regard to programs for our students? There are 16 programs that our students are eligible to take. These are the program offerings:

• Advertising and Design• Automotive Mechanics• Baking/Pastry Chef• Building Trades• Carpentry• Collision Repair and Refinishing• Computer Information Systems• Cosmetology• Culinary Arts• Electrical Construction• Health Assistants• Heating, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration• Medium/Heavy Truck Technology• Protective Services• Retail Food Merchandising and Production• Welding

If you or your child would like more information about the opportunities at Steel Center, please call the guidance office at 412-881-4940 ext. 2131.


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Emma Betz Speaks at SHASDA Student Forum

Each year the South Hills Area School District Association (SHASDA) holds a student forum where selected students are asked a number of questions related to schools to share with South Hills Area superintendents, board members and principals. The forum is designed to engage students from the area on a number of topics related to school improvement. SHASDA has long held the belief that the students, who are immersed in the schools and the state mandates, are the best source of firsthand knowledge on how to make improvements to schools and to gain valuable insight.

This year there were twenty-four school districts represented by students, superintendents, board members and principals. The forum took place at Upper St. Clair High School and the evening was moderated by Brentwood Borough School District Superintendent, Dr. Amy Burch. The groups were split into teams of two students and a mixture of representatives from the participating school districts. The topic of this year’s program was “College and Career”. The students were engaged in a variety of questions asking their input on the preparation for college as well as their preparation for future careers. The questions also engaged the students on their thoughts of 21 Century Learning and STEM.

Emma Betz was the student representative for Brentwood High School. She is a senior and the senior class president. Emma is also a member of the volleyball team, member of the basketball team, member of the track team, member of Student Council, member of Pep and Garden Clubs and other school activities and leadership roles. Emma will be attending Duquesne University in the fall. She will be majoring in English and has aspirations to attend Law School.

Dr. Burch, Superintendent of Schools, Mrs. Werner, School Board Secretary, Mr. Topolosky, School Board Member and Mr. Olexa, High School Principal were also with Sydney representing the school district.

Matthew Rohe and

Brett Zakowski Honored at

SHASDA Conference

Brett Zakowski

Each year the South Hills Area School District Association (SHASDA) holds an annual conference where students are honored with the SHASDA Extra Effort Award. SHASDA has long recognized that there are students who come through our schools who face obstacles and challenges that not every student faces as they make their way through high school. Often these students are not recognized by the conventional honors, so SHASDA established this annual award to give credit to students who have worked hard to be successful in their respective schools. The philosophy for the award has remained the same. This award recognizes students who have demonstrated significant improvement in student performance and/or have overcome obstacles in attaining their present status. The criteria may include improvement in grades, achievement test scores, attendance and outstanding improvements in academics as well as the practical and fine arts. This year Brentwood High School was pleased to honor Matthew Rohe and Brett Zakowski. We wish Matthew and Brett the best of luck as they move on from Brentwood High School.

Matt Rohe


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H I G H S C H O O L N E W S

Brentwood’s F1 team again advances to the national qualifier

By: Mrs. Jennifer Hughes

Fueled by a recent win at the New York super regional on Apr. 1, Brentwood’s current F1 in Schools team, Interstellar M1, is headed to Texas for the national qualifier this June.

“We were very excited to be such a dominant contender at the regional competition, but we will send little time savoring the win because we need to prep for nationals. The team is putting in more time to perfect each aspect of the competition to prepare the team for a possible advancement to the world competition,” said team manager Destinee Kellner.

The super-regional event included schools from New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania and was held at the Manhattan Classic Car Club.

“The classic car club provided a professional venue where the team gain needed experience to advance to the national stage of competition,” said engineering teacher Beau Sedlar.

At the regional event, Interstellar M1 was named grand champions and also won best engineered car, fastest car, best team identity and best sponsorship and fundraising.

“We are very excited about the win in New York. It’s a confidence boost to come in and dominate the competition the way that we did. But we did take back some constructive criticism that we are using to better our car, display and portfolio books,” said design engineer Michael Casey.

The next step for the team is the national qualifier in Austin. The team will race against schools from Texas, Montana and Florida. The top three teams at the national competition will advance to the world finals, this year held in Malaysia.

Right now, the team is spending their time updating just about every aspect of their car, pit display and marketing materials. Interstellar will also spend a good chunk of time creating a launch energy recovery system (L.E.R.S.).

“The L.E.R.S. will compact the co2 coming out of the canister and provide more forward thrust on the car. I will most likely design a cone shape and a tube that will help hold the car starter,” said specialist engineer Grant Davis.

A stopping system is also in development by the team. The stopping system will catch the car at the end of the track when it races. Which according to manufacturing engineer Ryan Schwarz is important to slow the car and not damage it.

“An improper catching system could damage the car. Our delicate front spoiler can easily break off our car is stopped abruptly,” said Schwarz.

The national qualifier is June 7-11 at the Circuit of the Americas racetrack in Austin, Texas. If you would like to keep up with the team you can check them out on Twitter and Instagram at @Interstellar M1.


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Communication Students Dominate at the Digital Media Arts ConsortiumAt the Digital Media Arts Consortium on April 20, Brentwood earned an eye popping total of 10 awards. Freshman Ashley Klein won an Award of Excellence for her feature article titled, Hip-hop teacher comes out with a BaM. Sophomore Julianna Winkowski won Best in Category for her news and sports articles. Junior Sierra Powers won Best in Category for her Photo Illustration. Seniors Lexie Balkovec and Sam Wiltrout won Awards of Excellence for their animation and news package. Seniors Amanda Vickless and Bryanna Brown won an Award of Excellence for their documentary. Brown also won a founder's award. Senior Madison won Best in Category for her black and white and sports photos as well as an award of excellence for her feature photo. Way to make us, #brentwoodproud!

Brentwood puts “FOCUS” on safe driving

By: Ms. Bryanna Brown

Every day, 11 teens die while texting and driving. A recent AAA pool revealed that 94 percent of teens understand the dangers of texting and driving, but continue to do it anyway.

“I try not to look at my phone in the car, but sometimes I hear a notification and I just can’t help myself to look at it,” said senior Madison Pelkey.

To get students to focus more on this serious issue, school resource officer Alyssa Budd organized a grant through Allstate and Children’s Hospital to bring the “FOCUS” program Brentwood. One of 34 schools in Western PA, Brentwood given the opportunity to experience the interactive stations that simulated different distracted driving situations.

“The program will help students realize that distracted driving is a reality as much as we think it is important to respond to someone right

away, it’s better to stay safe first because you need to protect yourselves and others on the road,” said guidance counselor Linda Capozzoli.

The simulator gave students experience in a situation where they were driving a friend to work and the friend asked them text or call while driving. It also showed students how important it is to watch the road because pedestrians and other vehicles don’t always pay attention. Throughout the course of the simulator, the other cars on the road made driving errors that the students had to react to.

“The simulator wasn’t really like driving a real car. The wheel was sensitive and the car just kept turning. But the pedals were too hard

to press and were not sensitive enough. It did open my eyes that texting and driving is a really big deal. I crashed my car in the first 10 seconds,” says junior Sierra Powers.

In addition to the simulators, this year, the Allegheny County Health Department and AAA/Allegheny Police Department were included in the program. The health department brought in a game to help students learn safe driving statistics. The police department and AAA brought in drunk goggles so students could experience how if felt when vision is impaired.

“Doing things like this help the students understand what it feels like when we’re driving the car trying to take control of the simulator or wearing the fatal vision goggles,” says officer Mike Spagnoletti.

Officer Spagnoletti spoke to the students about the impact of driving simulators exercises can have on the students. The students had the chance to listen and interact with each other by playing catch while wearing the drunk goggles.

“When I put on the goggles at first I thought it was going to super easy to throw it. After I threw the ball I realized how bad the accuracy was. I was way off with throwing the ball,” explained senior Jared Toth.

Along with renting the stimulators, the grant money acquired for the FOCUS event also helped to pay for the travel expenses for the staff involved with this program. Kristen Urso, coordinator from Children’s Hospital, explained that people ages 16 to 25 are four times more likely to get distracted while driving rather than people of older ages who have more experience.

In order to continue to spread awareness for safe while driving, Urso says Children’s Hospital and Allstate will continue bringing this program to local high schools.


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H I G H S C H O O L N E W S

National Honor Society Helps Local Food Pantry

By: Ms. Megan Casey

Frigid temperatures did not stop Brentwood High School’s National Honor Society from fulfilling their service project of helping to provide local families with holiday food, gifts and books.

Despite air temperatures in the low teens, 47 high school students spent the day volunteering at the Stewart Avenue Lutheran Church Food Pantry to assist them in preparing for their monthly food distribution.

Students donned extra layers to help unpack a moving truck filled with 4,200 pounds of food received from the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank, which distributes food to local food pantries. Once the food was wheeled into the church basement, one group of students unpacked the boxes and began the careful process of counting out items into bags that are distributed to food bank clients each month. Vicki Murrio, the director of the food bank, directed the students, making sure that each bag contained the proper amount and selection of items to ensure that clients had enough to eat.

“Having the students here is so helpful,” Murrio said, explaining that it normally would take a much longer time for her and the other volunteers at the church to unpack and prepare all the food.

While some students bagged food, other students also arranged new and gently used gift donations into a “Santa Shop”, enabling the food bank clients and their children to pick out gifts for each other.

A third group of students cheerfully sorted donated books into age levels, and prepared bags of books for each child whose family uses the food bank.

This is the third year that the students have completed their group service project at the food bank.

“Seeing that there is a need for food in their local community is an eye-opener for many of them,” said NHS sponsor Megan Casey. “I think it really makes them consider how important their volunteer work truly is to people who may be their neighbors and friends.”


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Senior Service Project with Drop the Puck on CancerThe Brentwood High School graduation project has taken on a new look. Instead of students completing 50 hours of individual

volunteer work, the entire senior class rallied together for one service project. The Class of 2017 helped set up for Drop the Puck on Cancer. Students were proud to serve our community and help local families who have been diagnosed with cancer. Brentwood students are planning to help each year as the day brought all of the teens closer together and helped others in need.

Pet ToysRecently, 95 Brentwood High School students came together to help Julianna Winkowski and Josh Gildea with a project for Pittsburgh's Youth Advisory Council entitled Project-Pet. Students created over 100 bunny toys, 200 cat toys and 300 dog toys to donate to Animal Friends. Julianna and Josh also collected a variety of pet supplies to help care for pets. The day was filled with fun and for a good cause.

Dedicated Staff Retire

Middle school counselor, Mrs. Karen Manning, mathematics teacher, Helen Hughes Smith, and special education secretary, Ms. Marie Schmitt retired from the Brentwood Borough School District at the end of the 2016-2017 school year. These individuals have provided valuable service to the students, the district, and the community during their tenures. We wish them many years of health, happiness, and relaxation as they enter this new journey in their lives.


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SA T H L E T I C S

Emma Betz, Hannah Livingston, Stephanie Thomas, Molly Huffman

Front row: Melita Karadza, Dana Frey, Britney Lukasiewicz, Amanda VicklessBack row: Brendan Topping, Ethan Kemmler, Matt Bakowski, Ben Smith,

Bennett Buechel


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SA T H L E T I C S

Photos courtesy of Je� Healy

Emily Kraeuter, Hannah Livingston, Stephanie Thomas, Elissa Kortz

Michael Lane, Cameron Lipiello, Tanner Klein, Jared Toth, Adam Hoebler, Jake Thomas


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SM I D D L E S C H O O L N E W S

Thirty-six Brentwood Middle School students, teachers and family members participated in the MS Walk in Downtown Pittsburgh. For the past eleven years, this charity walk has served as one of the group service projects for Brentwood Middle School’s National Junior Honor Society. Walkers not only raise valuable funds for the Multiple Sclerosis Society but also provide awareness and support for those battling Multiple Sclerosis. This year, our Brentwood team raised more than $700 for the MS Society, which is amazing! Middle School teachers Diana Kleinhampl and Lynne Golvash and Elroy teacher Mindy Golvash served as chaperones for this event.

A special thank you to First Student, our bus company, for providing complimentary transportation for the participants that day.

Facility and Instructional Enhancements at Brentwood Middle/High School

The Brentwood Borough School District and the

Brentwood Middle School Parents and Teachers for Student Success (PTSS) organization recently collaborated to make both a facilities improvement and an academic enhancement at Brentwood Middle/High School.

In January, the middle school PTSS received a Lowe’s Toolkit grant for $4400 to purchase ceiling fans for the classrooms in the middle/high school building. The grant was written by PTSS President Sharon Sedlar and allowed the district to purchase 72 fans which outfitted 36 classrooms. The fans were installed by Wolfpack Electric who agreed to complete the project on weekends so no classroom instruction was disrupted. As the temperatures have already begun to rise throughout the spring, the students and teachers have enjoyed the relief provided by the fans!

Also this year, through increased fundraising efforts, the PTSS was able to provide a $1000 academic grant for the middle school. The grant, which was designed to provide curricular enhancements to a middle school programs, was used to purchase cell phones to house educational applications that are being used in conjunction with virtual reality headsets in the middle school social studies classrooms. Mr. Chris Pierce, an 8th grade American History teacher, was the first to incorporate the virtual reality technology as his class was studying the impact of slavery on the United States prior to the Civil War. By using the VR headsets and the Google Expedition application, the students were able to tour the Whitney plantation in Louisiana, including the slave quarters and a memorial that was later built on the property to honor former slaves.

Thanks to the PTSS for helping Brentwood Middle School continue to find new and exciting ways to engage our students in learning!

Brentwood Students & TeachersParticipate in Charity Walk!



Wild Times with Brentwood Alum at Moore Elementary

By: Katy Kennedy-Rodriguez

“Do you have to wash the animals?”“How do you become a zoo keeper?” “How do you feed dangerous animals like lions?” The students had no shortage of questions. For two weeks, ESL (English as a Second Language)

students in second and fifth grade at Moore Elementary School had been learning to conduct interviews to gain information. They learned to craft general, open-ended questions and specific, follow-up questions. They interviewed family members and friends, recorded the information, and developed informative paragraphs to share the results. But, interviewing family and friends is easy. It was time to test their skills on a new pair of ears.

That is when Mara Eisenbarth (BHS class of 2013) stepped in to help. Mara is the new elephant keeper at Reid Park Zoo in Tucson, AZ. She was excited to help the students practice their English speaking and listening skills and to teach about her experiences in zoos around the world. She was more than willing to help but a trip from Tucson was way out of the budget. So Mara came into the classroom via video conference using Google Hangouts.

The students wore headsets and “met” with Mara one-on-one. She patiently answered questions and rephrased her responses as the children painstakingly wrote notes for their paragraphs. Mara’s warmth and kindness radiated from the laptop screen and the children were fascinated by her vivid descriptions of a zookeeper’s day. Students then compared notes and authored paragraphs expressing their favorite parts of the interviews.

Opportunities like this one provide students with an authentic audience. By March, teachers can understand their students with limited English proficiency. Students are used to the words and instructions that they are given by their teachers. But, talking with someone new who uses a different vocabulary offers a new perspective on the students’ growth.

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SM O O R E E L E M E N T A R Y

Read Across America DayBy: Mrs. Christie O’Neill

National Read Across America Day is held every year on the birthday of beloved children’s author, Dr. Seuss. Students at Moore Elementary School in the Brentwood Borough School District commemorated this occasion with several different activities, including coloring and poem contests, Seuss related guessing games and crafts, Crazy Hat Day, and of course reading and listening to many stories by Dr. Seuss. The fourth grade students at Moore School picked out a favorite Dr. Seuss book to read to the Kindergarten students to add to the Seusstastic Day!

As one year ends, a new one begins

By: Mrs. Bonnie Betler

The 2016 – 2017 school year has drawn to a close. This year our students were exposed to wonderful learning experiences that went beyond the basic facts. Our assemblies taught them the wonders of science and nature. Our book fairs were a big hit; especially when their families could come and join them for breakfast! Each grade level went on fantastic field trips that introduced them to opportunities and adventures they can have in their own neighborhood. Moore Elementary had many visitors including guest readers and high school students who taught our youngest learners. Students saw previews of the play and enjoyed the spring concert. The year ended on a high note with Fun Day festivities and fifth grade graduation. We wish our fifth grade students the best as they move on to the middle school!

As one group is moving on, Moore Elementary is already making plans for the in-coming kindergarten students. Our staff will be busy over the summer getting the building spruced up and ready to greet everyone on their first day. Our teachers are planning some great things for next year and can’t wait for the next school year to begin. Enjoy the summer, run, play and read; Moore Elementary will be ready to say hello to our students on Tuesday, August 29, 2017!


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E L R O Y

Safety Day!Local Girl Scout Troop #52086 held a Safety Day Assembly

at Elroy Elementary to earn their Bronze Award. During this assembly various safety personnel joined them to help inform children in grades Kindergarten thru second grade understand what they do. Not only did they have various safety personnel, they also had Scout, the fire safety dog, and Eddie Eagle, the gun safety eagle, to talk to the children as well. The Girl Scouts set up various information stations ranging from fire safety, first aid, to Eddie Eagle and Charlie Check-Stranger Danger. Officer Jason LaGamba and Officer Alyssa Bunn are pictured with Scout and Eddie Eagle.

ElroyBy: Mrs. Barb Pagan

This spring, Elroy Elementary School welcomed six student teachers from Duquesne University. Ms. Mallory Accamando (third grade), Ms. Caroline Connors (first grade), Ms. Jamie Niemiec (first grade), Ms. Caroline Plante (first grade), and Ms. Jessica Walker (second grade) joined Elroy teachers starting in January. They all completed their student teaching in April. Ms. Danielle Wenger (second grade) joined Elroy in March after completing part of her student teaching abroad in Ireland. She will remain until June. The student teachers worked very hard alongside their cooperating teachers to plan and deliver instruction, differentiate lessons, and create exciting learning experiences! They used research to bring and incorporate new teaching techniques. All student teachers have made plans to return for special school events at the end of the year. The Elroy teachers and students were excited to have these excellent teacher candidates join them this spring. Elroy was fortunate to have such enthusiastic student teachers that brought new learning and teaching ideas to our teachers and students. We wish them lots of luck in their future teaching careers.

2nd Grade Visits the Brentwood Fire StationBy: Mrs. Melissa Sauro and Mrs. Karri Forsyth

After reading the story Fire Fighters by Angela Royston, the 2nd graders at Elroy Elementary took a walking field trip to the Brentwood Fire Station. While at the station, the students learned how firefighters prepare for emergencies by listening to calls over their radio and putting on protective gear. Students also learned how to protect themselves from a fire by practicing how to have a fire drill at home and how to call for help. Lastly, the students toured the fire station and the fire trucks. The 2nd grade students want to thank the fire fighters for dedicating their time to keeping the residents of Brentwood safe!


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SE L R O Y

S P E C I A L E D U C A T I O N

Every year on the evening of April 1, some 10,000 buildings across the world are lit with a bright blue light in an effort to raise awareness of autism. Autism Speaks, the country’s largest autism advocacy group, celebrated the start of its annual Light It Up Blue campaign, in recognition of April as World Autism Month. Light It Up Blue is a global campaign to increase understanding and acceptance of autism. This year's Light It Up Blue participants included the Empire State Building, Niagara Falls, Aspen Mountain, Brazil's Christ the Redeemer statue, Rockefeller Center, Sydney Opera House, the New York Stock Exchange, the Paris Stock Exchange, and the Great Buddha at Hyogo, Kobe, Japan. Each of these locations was cast in blue light throughout the month of April to raise awareness and funds for autism. Thousands of iconic landmarks and buildings joined the hundreds of thousands of homes and communities around the world to “light it blue” in support of people living with autism.

Autism is a general term that describes a group of developmental brain disorders that involve communication difficulties, social and behavioral challenges, and repetitive behaviors. We now know that there is not one autism but many subtypes,

and each person with autism can have unique strengths and challenges

A ribbon made of multicolored puzzle pieces has become one of the most recognizable symbols of autism in the world. The various colors reflect the many “faces” of autism, also known as Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) because no two people with autism are alike. The ribbon symbolizes solidarity and hope for a happy and fulfilling life for people with autism. The puzzle pieces remind us that the condition and the people living with it are still very much a mystery.

Autism is the fastest-growing developmental disability in the U.S., affecting an estimated 1 in 68 school-age children, according to a recent survey from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) . According to the CDC, more children will be diagnosed with autism this year than with AIDS, diabetes and cancer combined. Autism costs our nation more than $238 billion per year, and is expected to increase significantly over the next decade. These statistics are sobering and so is the need to secure quality support services for children and adults with autism. And though awareness of the disorder is increasing, autism still has no cure—and millions of autistic children

and adults are unable to access the early diagnosis, behavioral interventions, and other resources they need

Autism Awareness Month first came to be some 25 years ago, when the Autism Society of America undertook an effort to promote autism awareness. The primary objective was to “promote … inclusion and self-determination for all, and assure that each person with autism is provided the opportunity to achieve the highest quality of life. Awareness calls for seeing, understanding, and supporting the needs of parents and families living and caring for a child on the Autism Spectrum.

Following a recent report released by the CDC, autism awareness is more important than ever. The report cites that autism rates have increased by 30 percent since the CDC’s last estimation in 2012. At that time, one in every 88 children in the United States suffered from the condition. Now, the CDC estimates that one in every 68 children in the United States are suffering from autism, which equals approximately 1.2 million Americans under the age of 21. Those numbers are nothing short of staggering and they help show why it is so important to heighten autism awareness.

By: David Pavlecic, Elroy Elementary Physical Education Teacher

A HUGE Thank You goes out to everyone that helped make the first “Fun Day” at Elroy Elementary School a success! We would like to thank the volunteers, local businesses, faculty and staff for donating and adjusting their schedules to make the day successful. We want to take this opportunity to thank the local businesses for their generous donations. The donations from the organizations helped provide refreshments for the volunteers and prizes for our students. The Elroy Elementary School would like to thank Pizza Hut, Wendy’s, Definitely You, Giant Eagle and Dairy Queen (Whitehall) for their generous contributions and their support to our school.

Did April Have You Seeing Blue?By: Dr. Chris Winiarski


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SC U R R I C U L U M A N D I N S T R U C T I O N

How Much Screen Time Should Your Child Have?By: Mrs. Melissa Fulmer

Today, screens and media are everywhere. From the car to the house, children have access to a wide range of media and screen time. As

a result of this, controlling screen time can become a difficult task for parents. So, how do you manage your child’s screen time? The American Academy of Pediatrics have set guidelines in place to help parents aid in their child’s media use each day. The guidelines

widely discourages media use, except for use of video chat, by children younger than 18 to 24 months. Introducing media at the 18 – 24 months age group, should include high quality apps and videos that are educational. For children in the 2 -5 years age group, screen time should be limited to an hour a day with high quality educational apps and videos. For children that are 6 years of age and older, parents should place consistent limits on how much screen time they are allowed per day. Parents should ensure that kids do not use digital media at the expense of being involved in activities, sleep patterns, or exercise. Excessive screen time can lead to obesity, irregular sleep schedules, behavioral problems, loss of social skills, violence, and less time for activity.

The American Academy of Pediatrics has recommended that parents should talk to their kids about online behavior and safety in an online environment. Recommendations have also been made for parents to be selective about what types of apps and programs that they allow their children to use. Parents being educated or understanding types of apps that are on child’s device, could prevent bullying and situations from happening. Experts suggest that the quality of the media children are exposed to is more important than the platform or the amount of time spent on a device.

Brentwood Borough School District Recognized as a Common Sense

Certified DistrictBy: Lindsay Klousnitzer

Common Sense, the national nonprofit organization dedicated to helping kids and families thrive in a world of digital media and technology, has recognized Brentwood Borough School District as a Common Sense Certified District in Digital Citizenship.

Brentwood has demonstrated its commitment to preparing its students to use the immense power of digital media to explore, create, connect, and learn, while limiting the perils that exist in the online realm, such as plagiarism, loss of privacy, and cyberbullying.

“We applaud the faculty and staff of Brentwood for embracing digital citizenship as an important part of their students’ education,” said Jessica Lindl, Head of Common Sense Education. “Brentwood deserves high praise for giving its students the foundational skills they need to compete and succeed in the 21st-century workplace and participate ethically in society at large.”

Brentwood has been using Common Sense Education's innovative and research-based digital citizenship resources, which were created in collaboration with Dr. Howard Gardner of the GoodPlay Project at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. The resources teach students, educators, and parents tangible skills related to Internet safety, protecting online reputations and personal privacy, managing online relationships, and respecting creative copyright. The free resources are currently used in more than 90,000 classrooms nationwide.

By preparing our students to use technology safely and responsibly, we are providing them unlimited opportunities to maximize and personalize their learning. For more information about Common Sense Education learning tools and resources to use at home, please visit www.commonsensemedia.org.

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What is it like to learn from Harvard? Art teacher Barbara Girone knows. This year, she has received days of ongoing professional development in a special regional cohort as a member of the Pittsburgh Agency by Design Learning Community. Agency by Design (AbD) is a multiyear research initiative at Project Zero, a research center at the Harvard University Graduate School of Education. The focus of the research investigates promises, practices, and pedagogies of maker centered learning experiences. Mrs. Girone was selected to be one of approximately twenty teachers from around the Pittsburgh region to participate. Along with her participation, the District received funding for substitute coverage during her monthly professional development days as well as an iPad for Girone to document her learnings. Girone narrates AbD, “Agency by Design is a value-based approach to documentation and assessment for Maker-Centered learning. The values we are asked to consider during our documentation processes are part of the three core maker capacities of looking closely, exploring complexity, and finding opportunity. The main goal of our focus is maker empowerment, which is agency. So each participant of the Pittsburgh Cohort of AbD is asked to focus on a value lens in their own classes, and we have to document through writing, pictures, and video when we see evidence that our value lens is being captured by our students.”

In collaboration with researchers from Harvard University, Graduate School of Education, Agency by Design (AbD) is a multiyear research initiative at Project Zero, a research center at the Harvard University Graduate School of Education. Girone was selected because of her outstanding reputation for championing innovative thought in her art classes and through her leadership with other innovative District initiatives. Girone meets monthly with these colleagues from schools participating around the region. Speaking of the opportunity, she says, “We meet once a month and we share our documentation with each other, giving each other reflection and feedback. We then take what we are sharing and we ‘zero-in’ on themes within the values, and how we can create framework and assessment, but still foster student agency. All of our documentation is uploaded to the Harvard Graduate School of Education, so it can be used as research on best practices in maker-centered learning. In our March session at Holy Family Academy, we were able to spend time and directly talk to researchers from Harvard, sharing our documentation and lessons with them. Once a month we visit a different type of learning facility where we also document the value lens of AbD in the learning we see there. We have been to Avonworth Primary, the Pittsburgh Children's Museum, Holy Family Academy, and the Millvale Community Library.”

One benefit Girone notes is the cross-disciplinary diversity of her fellow Agency by Design colleagues: “The benefits of being part of the cohort is hearing what educators from different areas are doing in their educational placements. It's not just teachers in this cohort, for we have museum educators, afterschool educators in maker spaces, and library educators. The teachers in the cohort are not just art teachers, there are teachers from all subjects and all grade levels plus different types of schools. It has been so inspiring

to hear other teachers’ lessons from across the board. We use prompts during our documentation sharing, but it evolves into lots of questions, suggestions, and compliments beyond the prompts. We share things outside of the sessions as well, like worksheets, videos, and resources to enhance each other's teaching practices. I know that I plan to attend some of my other cohort's events at their schools, during Remake Learning Days, and some fellow participants will be attending our [Remake Learning Day Event] Acres of Makers. I am also planning to take a class this summer led by one of the members of the AbD cohort.

After each session, which began for her in January, she has started to implement new practices in her classroom and share learnings with colleagues. She remarks, “I am implementing AbD principles in my classroom. I feel it is really structuring my questioning and reflection that I do with my classes. I ‘zero-in’ often on the value lens of creativity and tinkering, with problem solving and evidence. I am looking closely at my own lessons, building upon what works and what needs to be improved. I see my students exhibiting perseverance in difficulty and thinking outside the box. The students, in turn, are excited for the reflection part, where they are having honest discussions about their own work, and constructively provide feedback to each other.”

The goal of the Pittsburgh AbD Learning Community is that each participant will spread the information about understandings and assessments related to “signs of learning” in maker-centered learning to their colleagues at their schools. The participants attempt to answer these questions:

• “How can learners make visible their ability to look closely, explore complexity and find opportunity?”

• “How can teachers qualitatively measure students’ performance within the realm of these three core maker capacities?”

• “How can we collaborate with students and teachers to design a suite of documentation and assessment tools best suited to the development of maker empowerment?”

Girone reflects, “I have been sharing ideas with my own colleagues. I shared ideas about using stations that include maker resources with some primary teachers to enhance language arts and spelling. I also shared ideas for resources for organization of a maker space with my IS4I team. I just shared an idea of a combined art and library activity to connect with our families, which I just learned about through the Millvale Community Library. The final outcome with my participation in Agency by Design is to collaborate with our colleagues in our own district, and eventually even beyond to other schools and education facilities, to share our documentation and assessment tools so others can develop maker empowerment for their learners.”

Brentwood feels honored to have one of its teachers participating in this collaborative cohort and believes Girone to be an excellent candidate whose leadership and natural collaborative spirit will lead to sharing these new research-based practices with others at Brentwood. Girone reflects, “I love the process of Agency by Design and look forward to sharing.”

Professional Learning...in the ‘making’ By Ms. Kylie LaSota


by dr. amy m. burch brentwood borough school districtthe brentwood borough school district was...

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