Currently viewing the tag: "Thurmont Primary School (TPS)"

Happy Birthday, Dr. Seuss!

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Theresa Dardanell

Fun hats were everywhere on the first day of Read Across America week at Thurmont Primary School (TPS).

Students celebrated the March 2 birthday of Dr. Seuss with a week of fun activities, focusing on a different Dr. Seuss book each day. Of course, the book on Monday was The Cat In The Hat. For the book, Green Eggs and Ham, on Tuesday, students wore green clothes.

Wacky Wednesday was the obvious book choice for the Wednesday book, and everyone had fun wearing their clothes inside out or backwards.

To go along with the book Fox in Socks on Thursday, crazy socks could be seen peeking out of shoes. Unfortunately, the activities for Friday were canceled when the Nor’easter forced schools to close.

Along with reading the books and wearing corresponding clothes, teachers provided fun activities, based on the books and the characters in the stories. In Mrs. Hamscher’s Kindergarten class, children wrote about their favorite and not-so-favorite foods when they talked about Green Eggs and Ham. On Crazy Hat Day, they wrote sentences to describe their hats.

Mrs. Hamscher said, “We love Dr. Seuss in Kindergarten!” Second grade students had a chance to vote for their favorite books and first grade students did a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) activity, using stacking cups to make a hat.

Read Across America week is an annual reading motivation program, sponsored by the National Education Association.  Principal Karen Locke said that because reading is the number one predictor of student’s success, children are encouraged to read every day, and parents are provided with tips to help their children with reading. Books are everywhere at TPS, not just in the library.

Along with the books available in the classrooms and in the library, the TPS Book Nook is filled with a variety of free books for students to borrow.

Carly Hahn, Brayden Rickerd, Shane Smith, Clark Lasher, and Madilynn Wachter, wearing their special hats on The Cat In The Hat Day.

Photo by Theresa Dardanell

Thurmont Primary Receives School-wide Title I Status

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Anita DiGregory
After two years of receiving targeted assistance via the Title I program, Thurmont Primary School (TPS) transitioned to a school-wide Title I status on July 1, 2016. Due to the hard work of the school staff, the Maryland State Department of Education approved the school-wide Title I status for the 2016-17 school year. Thurmont Primary had entered the Title I program in 2014 and was receiving targeted assistance in an effort to help raise student achievement. Having transitioned to the school-wide Title I program, the school is now able to receive additional supplemental support.

According to Jodi Vallaster, Title I coordinator with Frederick County Public Schools, “This program model affords all students in the school the opportunity to receive direct benefit from Title I resources.” These resources may include, but are not limited to, additional staffing, professional learning opportunities for teachers and staff, and instructional materials. In addition, families will be provided with added opportunities for involvement in the school. Vallaster added, “The Title I program is really a great opportunity for the school and the community. It provides additional support to the great work that is already going on at Thurmont Primary School.”

As a result of the newly acquired school-wide Title I status, TPS has been able to plan and implement some wonderful programs for students and families for the current school year. The school will be hosting a health fair night on October 13, 2016, a Maryland Science Center program on November 16, 2016, and a Math and Literacy Night on April 4, 2017. Additionally, all students this year are being offered a well-balanced breakfast in their classrooms. The students really seem to be enjoying this program, according to Student Support Specialist Kathy Firor. Firor added, “This is a wonderful program and a huge benefit to the children.”