IN Plum Summer 2014 | Page 42

Holiday Park Elementary School’s Fifth Annual Family Fun Math Night ON THE EVENING OF APRIL 9TH, STUDENTS AND THEIR PLUM BOROUGH S CH OOL NE WS lum Borough families gathered at Holiday Park Elementary School to enjoy our Fifth Annual Family Fun Math Night. Organized and run by Holiday Park staff, with assistance from the PTA, the Family Fun Math Night featured 15 different math stations for all ages. Visitors to the event participated in a variety of hands-on math activities. Younger visitors used iPads to practice addition and subtraction facts and to recognize quantities. Domino games challenged guests to apply their calculation skills in different ways. Students from the intermediate grades practiced measurement skills while calculating the surface area and volume of different boxes. Math knowledge of coordinate grids were utilized to solve a mystery, along with testing math skills within iPad games. Students of all ages listened as guest readers shared “Math in Literature” stories. SmartBoards were utilized for online math games including the “First in Math” website. All visitors were invited to enter their best estimates for the candy jar contest, and to vote for their favorite season on the “Favorite Season” graph. Parents had a chance to become familiar with components of the new EnVision Math series, currently The evening allowed our children and their parents to celebrate the Importance of math. Adlai Stevenson Moved to Pivik A YEAR HAS PASSED SINCE ADLAI TEACHERS AND students began packing boxes for their move to the former Pivik Elementary School Building. In that short time, the teachers and faculty transformed the building from a storage area into a bright and vibrant learning space. Many hours of cleaning and preparation were needed, but the final product was worth the effort. The school year has been a successful time of transition to our new home. From our first summer open house to our recent talent show, the students have been excited to be in the new environment. For many students, this was the first time riding a bus. For those entering Kindergarten, this was their first school. For all of our students, this was the first time we had several of our grade levels on the same floor, encouraging many cross-grade level activities. We also had our first ever Halloween Ball, held in our gymnasium. During the Ball, Mr. Shafer was crowned the “Mustache King” for raising the most money for Make-A-Wish. 40 Plum Our proximity to the new Pivik Elementary School has allowed some interaction among our students. For the first time, Adlai Stevenson and Pivik Elementary joined forces and formed a combined chorus. Lead by Mrs. Zegar, students practiced before the start of the school day and made their performance debut at our recent, “Festival of the Arts” . As the first year winds down, it seems like we have always been here. Although we have had some bumps in the road, this year has been a smooth one. Teachers, students, parents, and families are now familiar with the environment, the procedures, and the building. It is hard to believe, that next year at this time, we will be packing and moving to the new Holiday Park Elementary School and making more memories!