Monday, May 30, 2011

Summer Stuff

"The summer" is still a very busy time for York Public Schools. We have tennis courts getting re-surfaced at YHS, the gym floor being re-finished at YES, and Summer Learning Academies the week of June 13-17 and 20-24 at YMS. Don't forget our "free lunch program" from 11:30-12:30 for ANYONE between the ages of 2-18 the weeks of June 13-17, June 20-24, July 11-15, and July 18-22 at York High School.

Many of our staff members will take part in various trainings as well. The board of education will continue to work on its vision for facility enhancements at the high school. As you can see, we'll be busy. Have a great summer!

Go Dukes!

Monday, May 23, 2011

¡Buenos Días, Amigos!

This past week, YHS Spanish 3 students visited lower elementary grades at St. Joseph's and Emmanuel to teach students some Spanish. The project was aimed at provided Spanish 3 a "real life" application for their language skills.

YHS students, in groups of three to five, prepared a twenty minute lesson to introduce young learners to a few Spanish vocabulary words, such as greetings, colors, body parts, animals or classroom objects. The YHS students developed their own lesson plan to present the vocabulary in a way that would be both educational and entertaining for lower elementary. Some groups chose to incorporate storytelling, music and dance, while others included art, science or drama into their presentations.

For example, one group taught body parts and ended their lesson with the students doing the "Hokey-Pokey" in Spanish. Another group taught the names of animals through an imaginative trip to the zoo. Other groups taught the colors of the rainbow and included hands-on coloring activities. Spanish 3 students not only used their Spanish, but demonstrated a great deal of talent in teaching and working with young children.

Thanks to the teachers and students of St. Joe and Emmanuel for allowing us to visit your classrooms. ¡Muchas gracias!

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

"Focus on Driving" presented at YHS

School will soon be out and students will be enjoying the free days of summer. That will put many students behind the wheel of a car even more frequently than during the school year.

As YHS students learned on Tuesday afternoon: Driving is serious business. The Four Corners Health Department, in cooperation with York High School, provided students with a safety programmed aimed at heightening students' awareness of safe driving. Any distraction, such as changing a radio station, searching for something on the console or texting, can lead to disastrous results.

During the afternoon, students assembled in the YHS theater for a poignant video featuring real-life teens whose lives were changed forever by a moment of poor judgment. Following the video, the students listened to a message from York paramedic Kevin Stuhr, who has witnessed the tragic results and loss of life due to unwise driving. Students then proceeded to the east parking lot where several hands-on stations were set up to illustrate the importance of safe and focused driving.

"I felt the message and video were excellent," said high school principal Mitch Bartholomew, "and will result in our kids making wise decisions when they're behind the wheel. "

Friday, May 6, 2011

Cribbage at YHS

For YHS math teacher Angie Kroger, the game of cribbage has a special place in her heart. Cribbage reminds Mrs. Kroger of the good times she shared playing the game with her dad. Perhaps, those fond, early memories of fun and conversation while playing a game of numbers and counting is responsible for her love of math and learning.

What began as an informal conversation with some students about the game has blossomed into a popular new YHS club--Cribbage Club. Cribbage Club provides students a safe, social environment on campus over lunch that is also fun and educational. The game of cribbage, or crib, is a card game that involves grouping cards in combinations to gain points. Points are then tallied using a peg board.

Since the club meets over lunch, students normally bring a sack lunch, food to share or order pizza and they eat while they play. "It's easy to catch on to the game," said freshman Caleb Magner after his first visit to Cribbage Club. "It was fun. Besides that, we had pizza today. I'll definitely be back."

If you are interested in learning to play, just drop by Room 107 on a Wednesday over lunch. Everyone is welcome at Mrs. Kroger's Crib!