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Indianapolis, IN  –  September 29, 2017- Allisonville Elementary has reason to celebrate this back to school season because students read more than 384,000 minutes last summer, earning them the title of “Best in State” for Indiana and 73rd in the world, in the 2017 Scholastic Summer Reading Challenge.  The school will be featured in the 2018 Scholastic Book of World Records and will receive a commemorative plaque and a celebration kit to commemorate the students’ summer reading achievements. This past summer, children in all 50 states, Washington, D.C., two U.S. territories and 14 countries read 138,399,392  minutes in the 2017 Scholastic Summer Reading Challenge.

The complete list of “Best in State” schools is available at www.scholastic.com/summer.

The Scholastic Summer Reading Challenge is designed to help kids turn the “summer slide”—the learning loss which can occur over the summer months—into a “summer leap” by discovering the power and joy of reading for fun. This year’s theme, “Happy Camper: Take a Reading Adventure,” came to life featuring beloved Scholastic characters, including custom Dog Man illustrations from Dav Pilkey, bestselling author and illustrator of the Captain Underpants and Dog Man series and the Scholastic Summer Reading Global Ambassador. The program offered kids the chance to log their reading minutes to earn digital prizes as they completed weekly reading challenges, gaining access to 18 reading activities including games, quizzes and videos based on popular children’s books. Parents and families also had access to free summer reading resources, including booklists across all age groups in both English and Spanish.

On September 29, Allisonville students were recognized by teachers and staff with an all-school celebration, culminating in an all-school aerial photo taken by drone photographer and North Central High School Math teacher David Robertson. Students dressed in red and formed a heart on the playground and exhibited their school pride by participating in math themed exercises that quantified their reading accomplishment. 

Allisonville Elementary, “Best in State!”

“We are so proud of each of our Allisonville students for contributing to this reading goal which resulted in being named “Best in State,” said Allisonville Principal Mike Pomerenke. “The enthusiasm of teachers, staff, and families to instill the value of reading as a life skill has been monumental in the accomplishment of this goal. We thank everyone who has been a part of this important journey.”

“Scholastic is immensely proud of the students who joined the 2017 Scholastic Summer Reading Challenge and read all summer long, taking their own reading adventures and logging more than 138 million minutes,” said Michael Haggen, Chief Academic Officer, Scholastic Education. “Thanks to the encouragement and support of their families, educators, public libraries and community organizations, these students have returned to school ready to learn and prepared for the current school year.”

2017 Scholastic Summer Reading Challenge highlights:

• Nearly 4,000 schools, libraries and community partners participated in this year’s Scholastic Summer Reading Challenge.
• Students from the U.S. and around the world read a whopping total of 138,399,392 minutes! That’s the fifth year in a row kids logged more than 100 million minutes.

For more information about Scholastic and the Scholastic Summer Reading Challenge, please visit mediaroom.scholastic.com/SummerReadingChallenge.

Watch a video here about the accomplishment of Allisonville Elementary School readers.

View more photos from celebration day!

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Washington Township Residents,

I invite you to explore and consider the many wonderful opportunities that exist to enrich your student’s learning over the summer months. As Superintendent, I am proud that so many of our teachers spend time and energy to provide summer learning opportunities beyond our classrooms, and as a parent I am thrilled that my own children are able to participate. As a member of this community I feel fortunate to have these many educational opportunities available.

As residents of Washington Township, please take advantage of the wonderful opportunities that you will find for your student at the link below, and know that this is one of the many ways that our schools strengthen our community. In many cases, the quality of life in Washington Township is directly related to the quality of schools.  It is the offering of programs like those found here that remind us why Washington Township Schools are indeed superior.

Thank you for your continued support of our amazing schools in Washington Township. We could not have superior schools, without the supportive community that you are.

Sincerely,

Dr. Nikki Woodson

Superintendent, MSD Washington Township

Explore Summer Programs here: https://www.msdwt.k12.in.us/category/summer-programs/

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Being evaluated by the International Baccalaureate Organization allows Washington Township to realize how well the district is meeting the standards and practices that IB has established as part of their quality assurance framework. There are seven standards and approximately one hundred practices regarding philosophy, organization, and curriculum that are implemented by IB schools all over the world.

The framework for the IB evaluation is built in such a way as to recognize each school’s strengths (commendations) and at the same time, explore areas for improvement (recommendations).

“The Washington Township elementary schools consistently received a good ratio of commendations to recommendations,” said Mr. Chad Hyatt, Washington Township Curriculum Coach. “One of the common commendations across the board was the commitment of the governing body of the school district to the implementation of the IB program. One of the common recommendations across all seven elementary schools was a recommendation that is seen frequently among ALL IB schools, and that is to improve the transdisciplinary aspect of the program. The PYP is committed to students learning about their world through the integration of subject areas, just like they naturally do in life.  With mandates from the state for segmented instruction in subjects like literacy and math this can often be a challenge especially for public schools to overcome. As a district, we are constantly exploring ways to keep this philosophy at the forefront of our efforts so that we meet our state standards, satisfy state requirements, and implement an IB program within a transdisciplinary focus,” concluded Hyatt.

The International Baccalaureate Organization does not run or operate schools, but instead they work with schools to offer quality international education. Washington Township elementary schools will not be evaluated again for five years. The three middle schools and North Central High School will begin their first evaluation process in the 2018-19 school year with an official visit from IB the following year.

For more information about the International Baccalaureate programs in Washington Township, visit http://www.msdwt.k12.in.us/academic-programs/

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Author Chris Stevenson

Allisonville Elementary school from 2-3pm on January 31^st to discuss his new book, The Drum of Destiny. Mr. Stevenson’s book, which recently won the 2016 Grateful American Book Prize, centers around a twelve-year-old boy finding and following his convictions to join the American patriots during the Revolutionary War, despite living among loyalists. Mr. Stevenson’s visit with students will focus on themes of the book such as the historical time period, the character’s development and why Mr. Stevenson himself chose to become an author.

Chris Stevenson is a native Hoosier, father of five, former cargo pilot and graduate of Indiana University’s law school. An ardent history buff and experienced writer, Mr. Stevenson seeks to bring history and its characters to life for elementary and middle school age students.

Parents or guardians of Allisonville students who are interested in purchasing Mr. Stevenson’s book preceding his visit may contact Media Specialist and visit organizer Pamela Weiger at pweiger@msdwt.k12.in.us for more information.

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 INDIANAPOLIS, IN (November 8, 2016) – Washington Township Community,

The Metropolitan School District of Washington Township extends our sincere appreciation to the entire community for approving the November 8, 2016 ballot referenda.  We also extend our appreciation for the extraordinary efforts of community members who volunteered their time to support and educate the community on the needs of our schools.

Passing these referenda makes a significant difference in the district’s ability to continue our rigorous educational programs, attract and retain outstanding teachers, enhance services and opportunities for ALL students, maintain our current buildings, expand our capacity to safely accommodate our growing number of students, offset decreasing and inadequate state revenues, and help maintain property values.

Washington Township enjoys a long tradition of superior schools in a supportive community, where our goal, every day is to develop lifelong learners and globally-minded citizens. We look forward to continuing in this tradition of excellence and we thank you, the Washington Township community, for your support of our schools.

We will begin developing plans for our facilities and staffing needs based on our Strategic Plan and the broad-based community input received as a part of our master facility planning process over the past eighteen months.  Information and updates will be available on our website, so the entire community may stay engaged and informed.

With Appreciation,

Mr. Bill Turner, President of the School Board & Dr. Nikki Woodson, Superintendent

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On November 8^th, 2016 Washington Township voters will go to the polls and shape the future of Washington Township Schools.  Two referendum questions will appear on the ballot. 

The first question will determine if the MSDWT is able to maintain our current staffing levels and address future staffing needs.  Currently, $4 million of staffing costs are supported by a referendum.  If passed, the November 8th Operating Referendum continues funding for current teachers and support staff, includes additional funding to staff an 8^th elementary school, and provides funds for additional student support.

The second ballot question will determine if the MSDWT is able to provide upgrades to every building in the district.  The funds generated by the November 8^th Construction Referendum would be used to provide items such as fire sprinklers, handicapped accessibility to classrooms, stages, gymnasiums and playgrounds, repair and replace roofs, replace heating and cooling systems, secure entrances to our school buildings, and upgrades to our high school’s performing arts department and auditorium. 

Referendum funds would also eliminate the need for trailer classrooms by adding an 8^th elementary school.  To review the exact questions as they will appear on the ballot, please review http://www.msdwt.k12.in.us/referenda/ .

We encourage everyone to learn the facts regarding school funding, our community-based planning process, and the two ballot questions.  You will find many helpful presentations and documents on our website: www.msdwt.k12.in.us.  Just click on our Planning for the Future link.

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Below is a summary of the changes and at this link is the 2016-17 District Calendar . The calendar has not changed since it was approved on December 9. This is simply a reminder.

 November 8, 2016 – No Students Report:
Students will not attend school on Election Day which is November 8, 2016. Students will be assigned “at home learning” activities for November 8th. The “at home learning” lessons will not replace the traditional school day (and will not count toward the required 180 instructional days) as the lessons will involve time commitments far less than the length of a regular school day. The prepared lessons will include online activities as well as activities for students without home internet connectivity.

 Four Early Student Release Days Added:
All students (except 10th grade), district-wide will be released early on the following four dates:
September 22, 2016
November 3, 2016
February 2, 2017
March 23, 2017
*NCHS 10th grade students will have full school days on these dates. This time will be designated for work on 10th grade IB Personal Projects.

Early Release Times:
High School 1:30
Elementary 2:15
Middle School 3:00

Please see the district calendar on the district and school web sites at 2016-17 District Calendar .

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