QE Parent Weekly Update
May 5, 2024
It's Teacher Appreciation Week!
Teacher Appreciation Week is a time to honor the invaluable contributions of educators who tirelessly guide and inspire students every day. Teachers are the shining stars in the constellation of our society, illuminating the path to knowledge and growth. They selflessly dedicate themselves to nurturing young minds, imparting not just academic lessons, but also invaluable life skills and wisdom. With their patience, passion, and dedication, teachers mold the future generation, instilling within them a love for learning and a belief in their own potential.
During this special week, let us express our heartfelt gratitude to these extraordinary individuals who light up our world with knowledge and empower the next generation to reach for the stars.
5th Special Next Year
I have been leading a committee of staff across the district over the past 8 months to identify how the district can begin building capacity, curriculum, and schedules to ensure we have a 5th special. This past Thursday night, the School Board approved the 3 new teachers for these courses and beginning in the Fall of 2024 we will add a 5th special to our elementary course offerings and it will be called "Design Thinking". This course will be grounded in computational thinking: Computational thinking (CT) is a problem-solving process that includes (but is not limited to) the following characteristics:
- Formulating problems in a way that enables us to use a computer and other tools to help solve them.
- Logically organizing and analyzing data
- Representing data through abstractions such as models and simulations
- Automating solutions through algorithmic thinking (a series of ordered steps)
- Identifying, analyzing, and implementing possible solutions with the goal of achieving the most efficient and effective combination of steps and resources
- Generalizing and transferring this problem solving process to a wide variety of problems
In this special, students will be using robots and computer science (coding) to solve real world problems. Our intent behind this course if to help our students become adept critical thinkers, capable of analyzing problems, breaking them down into manageable parts, and devising effective solutions. By arming our students with computational thinking skills, our students are empowered to become innovators and creators, driving positive change in their communities and beyond.
Staffing Changes Next Year
Last Thursday night, the School Board approved a preliminary budget, which in turn provided the district the opportunity to approve a volume of positions that did not show up on the agenda. There are several sweeping changes to QE for the 2024-2025 school year that I wanted to make you aware of so please see the list of changes below:
- Jeff Palen - The district is eliminating an interventionist position at each building to allow for 7 coaching positions at district office. With that in mind, Jeff will be serving as QE's math/reading interventionist moving forward. This is a change from his current role as math interventionist/coach.
- Karen Groller - Karen will continue as our Title 1 Reading Specialist (I only included this because the district had all Title I Reading Specialists reapply for their positions).
- Karin Stabilit - Karin will transition to district office as a K-12 Instructional Coach. Karin will be missed at QE but will have an opportunity to impact more students and staff district-wide as a result of her instructional and leadership experiences both in and out of the classroom. We wish her the best of luck and I look forward to seeing her shine in her new role!
- Jane Germani - Jane be transitioning to 1st grade at QE. Jane is currently serving in a reading/interventionist role at QE but with the district combining the math and reading interventionist roles into 1 position, we needed to shift her back into a classroom position. Jane is a rockstar and she will do an incredible job as she transitions back into the classroom.
- Ryan Wieand - Ryan will be transitioning to a design thinking special teacher next year (this is a new position created by the district). Ryan will be supporting QE in this role but we will also need to share him with another building.
- Christa Held - Christa will be transitioning to 3rd grade next year. Christa currently teaches 4th grade mathematics.
- Amanda Goldcamp - Amanda will be transitioning to Grade 4 Math next year. Amanda currently teaches 3rd grade.
- Laura Olchewsky - Laura will be transitioning to Grade 4 ELA next year. As a result of Ryan Wieand taking on the design thinking special position, Laura will now be able to have a permanent contract at QE. This is very exciting and a huge win for our QE family.
- Jenny Tyrpak - Jenny will be transitioning to the middle school to teach English. Jenny is currently teaching art at QE.
With all of these changes, we will need to post an opening for a Grade 4 Sci/SS position for the 2024-2025 school year so if you know of any current contracted teachers in the district, please spread the word.
Rising 5th and 6th Grade Student Math Acceleration Information
The district is moving toward a more consistent approach for identifying students who are eligible for Math 5 Plus and Math 6 Compacted/Algebra 1. Below are links to letters written by district office administration explaining the criteria and process for next school year. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to reach out.
Letter for 4th Grade Families (re: Math 5 Plus)
Letter for 5th Grade Families (re: Math 6 Compacted/Algebra 1)
Field Day Volunteers Needed
Our annual field day event will be taking place on Wednesday, May 29. We are in need of volunteers to support with stations for the entire day. If you are willing to support, please complete the Sign Up Genius found here.
Palisades Mental Health Fair
May is Mental Health Awareness Month and Palisades School District is offering a free Mental Health Resource Fair on Saturday, May 18 from 8:30 AM to Noon. Check out this flyer for more information.
Upcoming Important Dates
Monday, May 6 - Friday, May 10 - Teacher Appreciation Week
Monday, May 6 - 1st Grade Field Trip and 3rd Grade Walking Trip
Friday, May 10 - 4th and 5th Grade Field Trip
Monday, May 13 - Friday, May 17 - Fab Lab Visits QE
Wednesday, May 15 - Spring Concert
Wednesday, May 15 - PIE Meeting (6:30 PM - 8:00 PM)
Friday, May 17 - Carnival Night (5:00 PM - 8:00 PM)
Monday, May 20 - QE Spring Concert (6:30 PM - 8:00 PM)
Wednesday, May 22 - 5th Grade ELs Trip
Friday, May 24 - Kindergarten Field Trip and Final PRIDE Assembly of the Year
Monday, May 27 - No School
Wednesday, May 29 - 5th Graders Visit 6GC and Field Day
Thursday, May 30 - Elementary Instrumental Music Demonstration Assembly (Grades 3-5)
Friday, May 31 - Beach BBQ Day
Monday, June 3 - Quiver Farms Visits QE
Tuesday, June 4 - Unity in Nature Day
Wednesday, June 5 - Unity Across Cultures Day
Thursday, June 6 - Unity in the Community Day
Friday, June 7 - Kindergarten Promotion Ceremony (9:30-10:30 AM) - Family Invited; Awards Assembly for Grades 3-5 (1:45-2:45 PM) - Family Invited; 5th Grade Parade in QE (3:00-3:20 PM) - Families are not Invited
About Us
The children are our most cherished possessions. Please know that we will do everything in our power to make sure your child feels respected, safe, happy, and successful at Quakertown Elementary School. When we are working together; parents, teachers, staff, and students, we will come together to help each child reach their fullest learning potential.
Email: glesher@qcsd.org
Website: https://qes.qcsd.org/
Location: Quakertown Elementary School, South 7th Street, Quakertown, PA, USA
Phone: 215-529-2412
Facebook: facebook.com/NA
Twitter: @QEPride