ELEMENTARY HIGHLIGHTS
Kerr Elementary Construction Continues
The Kerr Elementary School construction remains on
schedule and on budget. Current work includes interior
framing, as well as mechanical and electrical installations. The
roof deck has also been constructed on the entire building,
and underground utilities have been completed. The concrete
floor deck has also been poured.
Computer Science Curriculum Advances
Elementary students
in Fox Chapel Area
schools begin computer
programming in
kindergarten. At
first, the students use
hands-on manipulatives
to understand the
various aspects of
programming. They
then move to Scratch,
where they program
their own interactive
stories, games, and
animations. As they
progress, grade by
grade, they start to
see just how powerful
computer science can
be.
Fifth-grade students
at all Fox Chapel
Area schools have
transferred from
programming in
Scratch to using Ardublock – another graphical programming
language. This programming language provides students the
freedom to program Hummingbird Robots and display them
untethered from their computers. The project is a collaboration
between the art and computer science departments, ensuring that
design, aesthetics, engineering, and computer science skills are
connected in a cohesive and engaging project.
Expansion of World Language Exposure
in Elementary Schools
Beginning in the 2019-2020 school year, the Fox Chapel
Area School District will expand its elementary world
language program. Elementary students in kindergarten
through fifth grade currently have Spanish lessons, but
next year, they will have increased exposure to other
world languages. The main goals of the program will be
to introduce students to world language learning early,
build an awareness and understanding of other cultures,
develop an appreciation for learning another language,
and increase student motivation for future language
study.
The program will include an emphasis on developing
cross-cultural competencies in the youngest students,
and the district will also be hiring an additional world
language teacher so there will be two at the elementary
level.
According to Ashley Constantine, Ed.D., the district’s
executive director of elementary education and
instruction, there are very few districts who offer this
kind of exposure to world languages at such a young age.
“This program will give our students the opportunity
to explore various languages and the cultures of people
who speak them,” Dr. Constantine said. “This expansion
will give our students an academic advantage and create a
very unique learning opportunity.”
O’Hara Elementary art teacher Jennifer Armenis likes that the
projects fuse art and technology, and encourage cross-curricular
connections. “Students are eagerly engaging in a lesson that
produces artistic and engineering independence that challenges
them to think about how art changes throughout time and culture,”
she said.
According to Kerr Elementary computer science teacher Stan
Strzempek, the students’ projects are showcased in the school’s
annual art show, and they are always proud of their creations. “The
robots also created a buzz with the younger students, who got a
glimpse of what they’ll create in the future.”
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FOX CHAPEL AREA
Hartwood Elementary third-graders studied a Spanish restaurant
menu.