Written by Linda Williams, Title I Reading and Assessment Coordinator
Portage Township students will soon be heading back to class for another year of learning. The first full day of classes for all students in kindergarten through grade 12 will be August 21. Students in grades six and nine will attend orientation sessions on August 20. Please contact your child’s building should you desire further information.
We would like to take this opportunity to highlight a few programs that are either new or expanding this year within our school district. Several of these are done in conjunction with community organizations.
For our families with younger students, PTS is pleased to partner with Parents As Teachers to offer a new preschool program in all eight elementary buildings. Ready, Set, Kindergarten classes will meet one day per week in their neighborhood elementary school.
RSK provides children with a group setting to learn and practice skills they need to be ready for school. The program initially began during the 2012-2013 school year at Saylor Elementary, serving 34 students, and we are excited about the opportunity to prepare even more students this year. For more information, call Parents As Teachers at 219.395.8412.
Another program that will be expanding this year is the Mighty Acorns initiative. This unique hands-on ecology curriculum began two years ago, reaching fourth-grade students in four elementary schools.
The program expanded last year to include fifth-grade students in those buildings, and this year we will be able to offer the program in all eight elementary buildings.
Thanks to a partnership between the Shirley-Heinze Land Trust, Dunes Learning Center, The Field Museum, and ArcelorMittal, students take study trips to Imagination Glen. In this “outdoor laboratory,” students develop a relationship with natural environments and actively participate in restoration and stewardship activities.
The district will be establishing a new component of the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics curriculum in both middle schools.
Project Lead The Way is a hands-on project-based pre-engineering curriculum that enables students to apply math and science concepts to simulated real-world engineering problems. Initially, PLTW will be comprised of two components; Design and Modeling, a computer-aided design course; and Automation and Robotics, enabling students to apply design skills to automate various actions to be performed by a robot. Middle school students will receive a semester long experience with PLTW in both seventh and eight grade.
Portage High will be establishing a Microsoft IT Academy Program, which will provide students with the 21st century technology skills necessary to be competitive in today’s rapidly evolving workplace. Students in the program will use the company’s online curriculum to study Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access and Outlook. Students who successfully complete tests in all five areas can become a certified Microsoft Office specialist, which can lead to more opportunities following high school.
Portage Township elementary schools, along with other schools in Lake and Porter County, will also be partnering with the Council of Carpenters in the Kids Caring for their Community project.
Each school chooses one community service project per session involving the entire school. Projects could include organizing a coat drive, making first aid kits for shelters, random acts of kindness, etc. Participating schools will be entered into a drawing, with two Porter County and two Lake County schools winning $750 each. Schools that participate in all four sessions will have the chance to earn an additional $1,000 for their school.
Portage Township Schools is looking forward to another year of providing our students with a quality education, and appreciates the continuing community support.