Mandarin Comes To Souderton Area High School As A . - SharpSchool
Spring Newsletter 2021Congratulations, Dr. Gallagher!The enormous task of leading a school districtthrough a pandemic, and providing in-personinstruction for all who wanted it, has earnedSouderton Area School District SuperintendentDr. Frank Gallagher the honor of being this year’sIndian Valley Chamber of Commerce CharlesH. Allebach Community Service Award Winner.“Providing in-person instruction was a hugeaccomplishment,” said Chamber PresidentSteven Hunsberger. “It allowed students to continue learning in away that worked best for them, and allowed our parents to continueearning a paycheck. While everyone did their part, it really took theleadership of Dr. Gallagher to make it all happen.”Hunsberger said the selection of Gallagher by the 17-memberChamber Board of Directors was a unanimous choice. In previousyears, police chiefs and Rotary Club members have won the award.It is typically given to someone who makes an impact on the localcommunity and the lives of those who live in the area.Mandarin Comes to Souderton Area High School as a Language OfferingStudents at Souderton Area High School now have anopportunity to learn Mandarin, the official form of Chinesespoken by more than 730 million people around the world.possible by the vision and leadership of our World LanguageCoordinator, Anne Fitch, and the support of the SchoolBoard and District administrators.”In China, English classes are mandatory for Chinese K-12students, but less than .04 percent of K-12 students in theUnited States study Mandarin. The language offering is newthis school year, and joins the high school’s other foreignlanguage offerings of Spanish and French.Souderton Area High School teacher Xia Pomposi, whopreviously taught Chinese at Columbia University, teachesthe Mandarin courses.“This is a tremendous opportunity for Souderton students,”said High School Principal Sam Varano. “This was made“Xia brings authentic enthusiasm and demonstrates thepedagogic mastery of a veteran teacher,” said Fitch. “Studentreactions and interactions with her reflect her dedication andFull Day KindergartenThe Souderton Area School Board will continue its evaluation of FullDay Kindergarten over the next few months. Stay tuned for updatesas our District considers expanding our programming.continued on page 2
passion, and there is a genuine connection in the classroom.Basically, her students love her!”In addition to learning the basics of the Mandarin language, students will learn aboutthe Chinese culture.“We start with self-introductions and the student’s immediate surroundings, such asfamily, school, and daily life, and eventually extend to the bigger world,” said Pomposi.“This is different from the traditional Chinese language instructional approach used intextbooks. I choose an integrative approach that promotes teaching for understanding.Instead of teaching bits and pieces of language such as vocabulary and sentence structure,we focus on real-life communication tasks as our starting point.”Eventually Pomposi hopes students will be able to take more advanced levels ofMandarin, as well as take field trips to places like Chinatown in Philadelphia, andperhaps even overseas to China, Taiwan, or Singapore.Mandarin teacher Xia Pomposi is new to Souderton Area High School this year and will behelping to immerse her foreign language students in both the Chinese culture and language.Student Gardeners Plant Produce for Local Food BankStudents in the Indian Valley Middle School SAVE Club have beenworking hard on their garden, which will ultimately yield producefor local food banks. SAVE stands for Students Against Violating theEarth, and is an environmental club organized by 7th grade scienceteacher Suzanne Thomas. Students started plants indoors, thenweeded their garden and put soil down to get ready to transfer theplants from inside to outside. Science teacher Zack Hockman helpedin getting the garden plot rototilled. Students will water and weedthe garden as well as harvest the fruits and vegetables throughoutthe summer. Any produce harvested in the summer will go to foodbanks, and any still growing in the fall will be sent to the school’scafeteria. The club is also hoping to work with local parks to helpprepare their trails for walking.Pandemic Doesn’t StopIndian Crest from Giving BackIndian Crest Police Officer Diehl and School Counselors SamHorton and Brendan Stanton helped to gather donations.Souderton Area School District Page 2Indian Crest Middle School students continued to serve theircommunity during the 2020-21 school year. In addition tothe school’s annual Thanksgiving Food Drive and HolidayGiving Tree Collection, students found other ways tosupport their community, including the 100 Box Challengeand Toiletry, Towel, and Washcloth Collection. The 100 BoxChallenge provided families in need with pre-packaged, easyto serve meals. The Toiletry, Towel, and Washcloth Collectionsupported the National Giving Alliance and the Mitzvah Circle.Indian Crest Police Officer Diehl and School Counselors SamHorton and Brendan Stanton helped to gather donations.
Cultural Awareness Club Celebrates DiversitySouderton Area High School’s Cultural Awareness Club(CAC) offers students an opportunity to learn about differentcultures, work to create unity, and maintain a positive voicein the high school community. The club also serves as aforum for sharing and learning about student experiences inschool from the perspective of students of color. Discussionsare driven by club leaders and faculty advisors. The CACmet once a month this school year, and hosted three guestspeakers who were generously funded by Grandview Health.This year’s speakers were:Joseph MeadeJoseph Meade is Chief of Staff at LaSalle University andformer Deputy Secretary of Community Affairs for thePA Department of Community and Development. Meadeplayed basketball for West Chester University, and sharedhis academic and athletic journey with students. He spokeabout the importance of demonstrating genuine, authenticempathy through listening and valuing the experience ofSouderton Area School District Page 3others. He provided tangible strategies to combat socialinjustice and racism.Michael “Mike” JordanMichael “Mike” Jordan played basketball for the University ofPennsylvania. He shared his experiences playing professionalbasketball in Europe and shared how he responded toracism throughout his life. Jordan is an assistant coach at theUniversity of Drexel.Mike EvansMike Evans is founder of the non-profit Full Court Peace,which aims to unite disparate communities throughbasketball. Mike shared his unique experiences in NorthernIreland, the Dominican Republic, Cuba, and an Indianreservation in Wyoming. He shared the lessons he learnedfrom working with conflicting communities, and extendedthose lessons to our students, suggesting simple, effectiveways to unite people in our school community. Evans is aHarvard University graduate.
Tech Tools Give StudentsMore Voice in LearningTechnology has been an important tool in the classroomfor decades, but at Salford Hills Elementary School the2020-21 school year has brought it to the forefront in newand impactful ways. Beyond lesson plans and curriculumdevelopment, School Principal Dave Purnell says thattoday’s tools add student voices and allow students to takecharge of their own learning processes.“These devices make group projects and student groupspossible, even with social distancing in the classroom,”said third grade teacher Meredith Ehst. Beyond studenttablets, software like Google Slides make collaborationbetween students possible without needing them to beclustered around a table together. Students are also usingprograms like SeeSaw, Epic, Raz-Kids, First In Math, andIXL to practice a wide range of skills, share information,complete projects, and collaborate with fellow students.Programs the school is now regularly using, like IXL, letstudents practice and assess their own skills based ontheir individual skill levels. “Two of my students see IXLas a significant motivation,” said fifth grade teacher JeffSinkinson. “They can see how much they’ve grown andimproved based on their IXL skills.”Other software has driven competition betweenclassrooms, helps teachers to share student projectswith parents, and has improved and enhanced studentcomputational thinking and fluency.“Because the school district provided the resources foreach of our students to have a device, each student hasa platform,” elementary technology teacher Brad Wengersays.All of these enhancements have helped to compensate forthe pandemic disruptions. Now, moving forward, Purnellsays that classroom technology gives students creativeautonomy, choices, and more opportunities.“It’s amazing to see what 5- and 6-year-olds can reallydo,” said kindergarten teacher Lauren Hendricks. “Thistechnology really does help to bring some of their learningand thinking to a different level.”Souderton Area School District Page 4Souderton StudentsExcel at Science FairMiddle School Science Fair Club students at Indian ValleyMiddle School and at Souderton Area Online Academyhave taken a school year-long deep dive into scientificinquiry. Students began in September by choosing atestable question upon which to base their science fairexperiment for the year. They met once a week after schooland during their Focus block throughout the school dayto work on the project over the next several months.Some of the questions students took on included: Which sunscreen lasts the longest? Does the color of a bird feeder impact bird eating habits? Does exercise affect memory? What is the strongest duct tape? What is the effect of different flours in a cookie? What computer font is the most memorable? What ingredients make the fizziest bath bombs? How can we evaluate the effectiveness of face coveringtests?This year, 35 students competed in the Pennsylvania JuniorAcademy of the Sciences (PJAS) Fair and 20 competed inthe Montgomery County Science and Research Competition(MCSRC.) Both fairs were held virtually. At PJAS, 19 studentsreceived a first place award and moved on to the statecompetition. At MCSRC, nine students placed in the top threeout of the 13 categories judged; seven were in the top two spotsand moved on to the Delaware Valley Science Fair, where onestudent received a special award. Nine students also receivedspecial awards at MCSRC, winning a cash prize.
Unified Sports Comesto the Middle SchoolsHaving an opportunity to play on a team with both typical and specialstudents is a chance to form unique friendships and gain confidenceand leadership skills. This is what exemplifies Souderton Area SchoolDistrict’s Unified Sports Program, which has expanded this year fromthe high school to the District’s middle schools, with the introduction ofBocce. Unified Sports is a sub-program of Special Olympics.“Relationships between the students have developed both on and off thebocce court,” said Indian Valley Middle School Life Skills teacher EmilyMorris. “Athletes of every level can participate in and enjoy the sport.If an athlete requires adaptations, it is easy to do so. Bocce has specificrules and strategies involved, and the students have worked very hard tolearn them.”“This experience has been amazing for our students and the inclusionthat we are witnessing has been awesome,” said Indian Crest MiddleSchool teacher Laura Aquilante. “The students have developedfriendships with their teammates that will hopefully grow each year andtransition to the high school’s unified program.”Indian Valley has a total of about 22 students playing Unified Bocce,and Indian Crest has about 11 students. Valley is hosting a teacher vs.student bocce tournament, and Crest and Valley Unified Bocce Teamsare playing each other in a game in June.Souderton Area High School (SAHS) first introduced Unified Track andField in the 2015-16 school year, then added Unified Bocce in 2016-17.In 2017, SAHS became the first school in Pennsylvania to be recognizedby Special Olympics as a National Banner Unified Champion School.Top Photo: Indian Valley 8th graderBrandon Shaffer plays Bocce; Bottom Photo:Indian Crest Middle School students MarioGines-Carrasquillo played on the school’sUnified Bocce TeamThank You Giant Markets!Giant Markets donated nearly 35,000 to the Souderton AreaSchool District Food Service Department through their FeedingSchool Kids Program. Keith Wagner, store manager of theHarleysville Giant store, delivered the check in-person to theschool district on May 18. The funds will be used to help reducestudent meal debt and to provide curbside meals for studentsthroughout the community. Thank you to Giant for theirgenerosity!Denise Derstine, Administrative Assistant at SASD; Frank Gallagher, Superintendent of Schools for SASD; Lisa Gentile, InterimFood Service Manager at SASD; Souderton Giant Store Manager, Michael Downey; Hatfield Giant Store Manager, BrianCamerelli; Harleysville Giant Store Manager, Keith Wagner.Souderton Area School District Page 5
‘Play to Learn’ Expands a Teacher’s LegacyDuring the 2018-19 school year, Oak Ridge ElementarySchool first grade teachers Dina Palski and Alyssa Picardbegan discussing better ways for young students to achievelearning standards while adapting to their developmentalneeds. Now, as the Souderton community honors Palski’slegacy after she lost a courageous battle with cancer, a grantfrom the Indian Valley Education Foundation is ensuringher work continues to make a real difference for students.“It’s hard for 5- to 8-year-olds to sit still and focus all day,” saidMrs. Picard. “Recent research shows that play helps developparts of the brain that are important for ongoing learning,so we started imagining different ways for our students tolearn.”Enter the Play to Learn initiative.Using these techniques, kids learn to problem solve,communicate, and collaborate in ways that will benefit themin future years, particularly in their math abilities. Across thecountry, there has been a drop in math scores in 7th gradeassessments, and Play to Learn hopes to help improve thosetrends.Play to Learn incorporates play into math classes by usingtoys for number play. Rather than asking students ‘If thereare eight ducks in a pond and three fly away, how many areleft?’, Play to Learn gives toy ducks to student groups and letsSouderton Area School District Page 6them play out the possibilities. “It doesn’t just make thembetter at addition and subtraction,” Mrs. Picard said “It leadsto expansion. They start working out multiplication anddivision on their own, years before they will begin learningthose skills in the classroom.”Mrs. Palski and Mrs. Picard received a 13,000 grant fromthe Indian Valley Education Foundation to develop theprogram. In 2019, Mrs. Palski was diagnosed with cancerand went on medical leave, but she continued to work onthe initiative. The Souderton Area School District andcommunity mourned the death of Mrs. Palski in the fallof 2020, but her family asked that donations go to Play toLearn, and received another 2,000.A pod of first and second grade classrooms at Oak Ridge arerevamped as a common learning area and will be named inDina Palski’s honor.“The grant and donations are rejuvenating our vision,” Mrs.Picard says. “As we begin planning for the post-pandemicschool year, the opportunity for kids to play and learntogether in the classroom will be even more important, andwill have an even greater impact on their learning.”Photo Above: The work of late Oak Ridge teacher DinaPalski continues thanks to a donation from the Indian ValleyEducation Foundation. Mrs. Palski is greatly missed by ourschool community.
Photo Left:KindergartenersZachary O’Leary,Gabe Landis,Josiah KapustaPhoto Right:First graderViolet WilsonEMC Students Have Grit!As tough as the past pandemic school yearhas been, the staff at EMC Elementary Schoolhave found ways to highlight the incredibleperseverance and grit that students havelearned and developed. The entire month ofApril was devoted to this theme, and the schoolembraced the motto: “When given lemons, Imake lemonade!”“During this year masks needed to be worn,students sat behind shields, and many schoolactivities were canceled; EMC rose to theoccasion and worked hard through this uniquetime,” said EMC Reading Specialist Dr. BeverlyHanrahan who helped to organize the themedprograms.Teachers kicked off the first week of Aprilby presenting to their students videos thatdemonstrated perseverance and set goals forthemselves to work on during the month.Some of the student goals and action stepsincluded riding a bike, learning to tie theirshoes, becoming a “Star Reader,” and earningstickers in First In Math, one of the school’sonline math programs.The quality of ‘grit’ was also celebrated eachday during morning announcements. Teachersand staff members completed a “Grit Slip,”nominating students who demonstratedperseverance. Students were then entered ina drawing to win to be recognized. Each dayduring the final week of April, a mystery guestreader also read a story with the theme ofperseverance/grit to each classroom.Souderton Area School District Page 7The grand finale of the monthwas a “lemonade stand” whereeach student used their goal sheetas a ticket to receive lemonade,with drinks and cups generouslydonated by Costco. The entireschool wore yellow or a special gritshirt to celebrate. EMC staff hopestudents will carry this theme andthese qualities into their futures.
(Back row left to right) Kaidence Mitchell, Devin Thyberg, Analeise Picon, Sienna Saylor(Front row left to right) Teddy Sherman, Myla Rowan, Mia DeCesare,Chloe Jones, Miguel Josiah, Kevin Davis, Alex CohenSpreading SunshineThe West Broad Street Elementary School Spirit Committee hosted a “Caught Being Pawsitively Kind” initiative earlier thisschool year. Faculty and staff were given ‘Caught Being Kind’ slips to give to students when they saw positive behavior. Thosestudents’ names were written on “Pawsitive Paws” that were then displayed in the school’s main lobby showcase. At the end ofthe three week initiative, staff pulled random names out of a hat of those caught being kind and those students received an extralittle prize! The same initiative repeated in May with a “Spreading Sunshine” campaign.April Showers Event Provides aChilly Way for Students to RaiseFunds for Special OlympicsSouderton Area High School wouldn’t allow thepandemic to stop their annual fundraiser for the SpecialOlympics of Pennsylvania. The school converted theevent from its usual Polar Plunge to an April Showersevent in which students could run and dance undersprinklers. The event, held April 16 at the high school,included nearly 170 students and faculty from the highschool and both middle schools. Souderton Area OnlineAcademy families also participated virtually. Soudertonraised more than 14,000 for Special Olympics this yearand in total has raised more than 60,000 over the lastfew years to support the Unified Champion SchoolsProgram. Souderton would like to thank theSouderton, Harleysville, Telford, and TylersportVolunteer Fire Companies and their volunteers forcoming out to make this a memorable and successfulevent! Watch highlights from the event.Souderton Area School District Page 8
Growing Empathy at FranconiaEducators often say that empathy is one of the most important qualitieswe can foster in children. At Franconia Elementary School, AutismAwareness Month was celebrated throughout April with that in mind,as the school community worked to create understanding, awarenessand empathy for students with autism.Franconia teachers facilitated activities to help students learn toempathize with students who have autism. A retired teacher andher husband even got involved. Mrs. Brenda Krupp, who workedin Souderton for 30 years, and her husband Scott Krupp, a retiredlandscaper, provided students with a mini-gardening lesson that wovein Earth Day themes. Students learned how to plant, and discoveredhow to place worms to help flowers grow.“Like each of the flowers planted, each student is unique and beautiful,and together makes a beautiful garden!” said Franconia PrincipalDr. Laura Heineck.Photo at Right: Third grader Haley Brocker; Photo Below: Mr. Krupp,a retired landscaper, showed students how to plant flowers.Photo Above: Mrs. Krupp helped students toplant flowers. Pictured are kindergartener EthanDerstine and first grader Monroe Faulkner.Indian Valley Motivates Students to Do the Right ThingIndian Valley Middle School’s Positive Behavior Intervention Support (PBIS) Program kept students moving forward inpositive ways this school year. The school’s WINGS (Welcoming, Involved, Neighborly, Genuine, and Safe) Program isa proactive way to educate, recognize, and reinforce the behavior characteristics that are expected in Indian Valley. Anoverwhelming majority of students say the program helps motivate them to make positive choices. Each marking period, theschool hosts a celebration for students who have earned three or more WINGS tickets during the marking period. Eventsinclude things like movie showings. Students are also recognized for ‘WINGS Behavior’ in various other ways throughout theschool year. The matrix of expected behaviors are displayed around the school and in classrooms that exemplify each of theWINGS qualities and range from things like inviting another student to sit at their table during lunch, to arriving to class ontime and demonstrating a positive attitude toward peers and adults.Souderton Area School District Page 9
Mandarin teacher Xia Pomposi is new to Souderton Area High School this year and will be helping to immerse her foreign language students in both the Chinese culture and language. Souderton Area School District Page 2 passion, and there is a genuine connection in the classroom. Basically, her students love her!"
Mandarin Chinese . Mandarin. Mandarin Chinese, also known as Standard Chinese or Modern Standard Mandarin, is the sole official language of China and Taiwan, and one of the four official languages of Singapore. Although there are eight major Chinese dialects, Mandarin is native to approxim
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Chinese students in Mandarin language classes. Twenty overseas Chinese students learning Mandarin participated in this stage. In stage 2, 24 overseas Chinese students were taught 3 learning units in Mandarin in SL. Analysis of the results showed that learning Mandarin in an SL environment
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Mandarin Chinese 3. Nationalists in 1949, continued this policy, but they changed the name and coined the term . pu tong hua, or “common speech,” for “Mandarin.” This is the word for Mandarin used throughout mainland China. In Hong Kong, however, as in Taiwan and most overseas c
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