Blogger's Note:The following was provided by the Pottsgrove School District.
The Pottsgrove School District is pleased to announce that Lisa Jones, Principal at Ringing Rocks Elementary School, recently completed her Doctorate Program at Immaculata University.
On Nov. 7, Dr. Jones successfully defended her Dissertation entitled Teachers’ and Administrators’ Perceptions Regarding the Impact of Fostering and Developing Teacher Leadership.
Dr. Lisa Jones originally started as a teacher at Pottsgrove Middle School.
After leaving to work as the Assistant Principal at Owen J. Roberts Middle School, she rejoined Pottsgrove in 2013 as the Principal at Ringing Rocks Elementary School.
Blogger's Note:The following was provided by Ringing Rocks Elementary School.
Before they headed home to wait for Santa in their cozy PJs, students (and now a
few teachers) at Ringing Rocks Elementary School came to school in their PJs for a good cause.
As a holiday service project, Ringing Rocks hosted a Pajama Day in support of Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.
Students and staff raised over $800 in donations to further the research and care that leads to life-saving treatment for children at CHOP.
Lisa Rabbitt, associate director of school and youth programs at CHOP, told the school "you that by supporting Pajama Day you are helping the kids at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia! Each day at CHOP physicians are providing lifesaving care and cures for children with rare and complex diseases, scientist are making discoveries that lead to new cures and treatments and none of it would be possible without the support from people like you."
"So from everyone here at CHOP, THANK YOU for saying YAY to Pajama Day," Rabbit wrote.
This kindergarten and pre-K sculpture was created with children and, in the case of pre-K, parents each making a scale to be put on the fish.
So I'll be the first one to tell you I don't know much about art (algebra either).
Ringing Rocks Elementary art teacher Joy van Ruler.
This is a source of constant dismay for my wife Karen who, in addition to being
way smarter than I am, majored in art history in college.
But I do know what I like and what I don't like. I like Chinese and Japanese landscape paintings (because the people are to scale and so small), and I don't much care for Jackson Pollock, this despite growing up with one of his prints in our living room.
Luckily, you don't have to depend on me to guide you through the elaborate and colorful art show staged last week at Ringing Rocks Elementary School.
Ringing Rocks students created these mandalas.
That's Joy van Ruler's job.
She explained that each year, the students not only learn some of the basics of art, but also the culture that goes creates it -- one continent at a time.
This year, it's Asia's turn.
So as parents and children swelled the halls of the school, festooned with art of seemingly endless variety, van Ruler explained that there was a method to it all.
Paper lanterns on display.
By leaving out Antarctica -- whose art remains, to date, undiscovered, or at least under appreciated -- children from kindergarten through fifth grade in Pottsgrove get exposure to each continent's art.
This year students created Chinese dragon masks, paper lanterns and painted
Indian elephant festival art and mandalas.
Here she is to explain better than I can.
Of course art has some common elements no matter what continent inspired it.
Student-made Chinese landscapes.
For example, landscape painting occurs in most cultures.
So the display at Ringing Rocks included a panel explaining landscapes using on of Andrew Wyeth's more famous examples.
This was then contrasting it with the Chinese and Japanese landscape painting style.
Students then made their own.
The students also created their own Autumn landscapes that did not have to be Chinese in style.
Other basic elements of art explored in the Ringing Rocks display include shapes, as demonstrated through an exploration of Georgia O'Keefe paintings.
vanRuler used George O'Keefe to teach shapes.
And what art curriculum is worth its sale without a look at the human body, and how to draw it.
For the youngest students, that meant their hands, and, as everyone knows, the best way to draw your hand is to trace it.
The evening's events also included some music and dancing, enjoyed as much by students as by parents.
But alas, the news and another municipal meeting called me away and I could not stay for more than 40 minutes.
But I left more re-assured that the next generation of leaders may be even better-equipped than mine to appreciate the importance and universality of artistic expressions.
As is often the case these days with the Pottsgrove School Board, the most newsworthy item at their meeting was the very last.
John Rossi
It was the rumored resignation of board member John Rossi, who has been on the board since May of 2014.
I contacted Rossi Monday to see if he wanted to confirm the resignation and get into his reasons a bit, but he demurred and said I would find out when everyone else did.
That was about 10:10 p.m. Tuesday night.
Consequently, this post may feel a bit rushed.
Here is video of his comments regarding his resignation:
Other topics of interest under discussion included board member Al Leach's sudden realization that there is sometimes controversy surrounding artificial turf fields and his request to look into changing the under layer for increased safety.
That work begins next week and the rest of the board decided they feel comfortable with the plans as they are.
The administration also revealed some change orders for the high school project, including more money for the artificial turf field and Finance Director Dave Nester said cost-overruns are now higher than anticipated and the board may not have borrowed enough money last fall to cover all the costs.
The administration also asked for an additional $42,000 for new office furniture in the district office and guidance suite. The board balked and the issue remains unresolved.
You can find specifics of the discussion amid the Tweets below and, most likely, in future Mercury stories.
Hand-outs about teaching math provided to the school board and the public by Superintendent Shellie Feola.
In many ways, Tuesday's Pottsgrove School Board meeting was all about math.
Ringing Rocks Principal Lisa Jones talked about Family Literacy and Math Nights.
Daniel Vorhis, director of education and assessment, gave a VERY thorough explanation of the many paths open to students in the district's math curriculum.
And then there was a review of the audit of the district's 2013-2014 fiscal year.
Heady stuff.
Here are the Tweets from the meeting, issued from my phone instead of the iPad because it was the only device that could get a signal, albeit a weak one.
Second graders at Ringing Rocks Elementary School lead an anti-bullying chant, urging children (and Pottsgrove School Board members) to be "bucket fillers."
(Remember to click the blue "read next page" bar at the bottom of the Storify to read more.)
The Pottstown Regional Public Library's Youth Department brought the hip hop dance troupe IlStyle and Peace to Ringing Rocks Elementary School's Summer Playground last week.
About 200 children in the Summer Playground program at Ringing Rocks Elementary School had a visit Thursday from IlStyle and Peace, courtesy of the Pottstown Regional Public Library's Youth
The youth department travels our patron area bringing literacy and enlightening experiences to youth of all ages.
"We want our young patrons to experience what is available to them through the library. More than books,
the library provides an arena and tools for children to explore their world and prepare for a successful future. Visiting the summer playground brings an experience that links reading, fun, and education," said Leslie Stillings, the library's youth director
The hip hop dance group "IlStyle and Peace" brought a message that all dreams are possible for everyone -- which echoes one of the purposes of public libraries; free and equal access to materials and experiences that aids the citizen in their chosen pursuits.
"It was so sweet – the children loved it so much that they approached the dancers with crayons asking for their autographs!" Stillings said of the performance.
The program will be at Pottsgrove Summer Playground at 10:30 for the next two weeks as well.
On Thursday July 25, it will present a program named: “Silly Joe Sings!”
And on Thursday Aug. 1, “The Academy of Natural Sciences” will present: "Animals with Bad Reputations."
