On November 30, Chagrin Falls Schools' fourth through eighth graders had the opportunity to meet John David Anderson, author of “Ms. Bixby's Last Day,” “Insert Coin to Continue,” “The Dungeoneers,” “Sidekicked,” “Minion,” “Granted” and “Posted.”
Author Visits Students at Chagrin Falls Schools
On November 30, Chagrin Falls Schools’ fourth through eighth graders had the opportunity to meet John David Anderson, author of “Ms. Bixby’s Last Day,” “Insert Coin to Continue,” “The Dungeoneers,” “Sidekicked,” “Minion,” “Granted” and “Posted.” The school’s book club had the opportunity to discuss “Posted” with Anderson in a small group setting.
The Power of the Pen and literary magazine staff participated in a writing workshop with the author. The day finished with an all-school assembly featuring Anderson.
In preparation for the author visit, seventh- and eighth-graders participated in a school-wide activity in which they spread kindness throughout the school by writing positive notes and hanging them on lockers throughout the building.
Teachers Attend NCTE Conference
Two Chagrin Falls Schools’ teachers attended the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) Conference in Houston, Texas Nov. 14-18. Marissa Ausperk and Karen Phillips joined thousands of other literacy educators from across the country to learn strong strategies and best practices for teaching literacy, language and composition. They learned new ideas for delivering instruction that engage students and address the most pressing needs within Chagrin Falls Schools.
Ausperk presented with other educators from Northeast Ohio in a session titled “Writing Ourselves: Bridging the Gap Between HS and College Writing.” The Writing Ourselves group met over a period of three years to work together in order develop ideas and tools to promote student readiness for college English classes. Ausperk presented on the use of digital writing portfolios within her classroom and how they promote a culture emphasizing the revision process and metacognition. She also taught other educators how to set up digital writing portfolios in their classrooms.
“It was an honor to present and learn from other educators across the country,” said Ausperk. “I am excited to get back into the classroom to implement the new strategies and ideologies learned.”
“Going to the NCTE National Conference and attending sessions presented by other professional English Language Arts educators reaffirms all the work we do here at Chagrin Falls Schools,” said Phillips. “The theme was ‘Raising Student Voice,’ and the conference was inspiring and enriching.”
The opportunity was funded by grants from the PTO and the Chagrin Falls Educational Foundation and supported by the principals at both Chagrin Falls Middle School and Chagrin Falls High Schools.
Local Business Kick Starts Donations to Construct Tiger Perk Coffee Shop
S&D Capital Financial Advisors in Chagrin Falls made a $500 donation to Chagrin Falls Schools at the Nov. 28 Board of Education meeting to support the construction of a coffee shop to support life skills training at Chagrin Falls High School.
“Giving back to the communities we serve is part of our firm culture and a value our clients appreciate,” said Frank Dobnikar, financial advisor, S&D Capital Financial Advisors.
Tiger Perk opened in January 2018 through a collaborative effort with Chagrin Falls High School and Tiger Prep, a parent support organization within the district that aims to support programming for students with learning differences. The program teaches students different vocational skills while serving coffee drinks to all adults fourth grade through twelfth grade.
Tiger Prep was responsible for the initial financial backing which allowed Tiger Perk to open. Now with the donation from S&D Capital Financial Advisors, the program can expand and the District can construct an actual coffee shop. The shop will be located adjacent to the high school commons. Construction will begin this summer.
“We are excited to provide more opportunities for pre-vocational job skills training as well as to develop an integrated work environment where students of all abilities come together to provide a service at our high school,” said Jennifer Bencko, school psychologist. “We are appreciative of this donation from S&D Capital Financial Advisors.”
Tiger Perk is supported by intervention specialists, occupational therapists, a speech/language therapist, paraprofessionals, teachers and the administration. It is currently operational Tuesdays and Thursdays and serves staff members at Chagrin Falls Intermediate School, Chagrin Falls Middle School and Chagrin Falls High School. Staff place their orders online by 9 a.m. and students make the drinks and deliver to them by 10 a.m. during the intervention/enrichment period.
Tiger Perk offers various drink options. In the future, the program is hopeful to serve bagels in the morning to both students and teachers. Many of the teachers throughout both the middle school and high school use Tiger Perk as their coffee option in the morning.
“All drinks are $1.50. We serve coffee, tea, hot chocolate, and iced tea,” said Bencko.
The new and expanded Tiger Perk will look to open in the fall of 2019.
“We are looking to raise additional funds to support construction costs as well as the purchase of equipment as the new Tiger Perk will have more offerings than our simple Keurig offerings currently,” said Bencko.
