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Fall 2019
Spectrum Charter School Quarterly Newsletter
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Educating Students for Success
in a Changing World
I
pledge to be a self-advocate who believes in my potential;
to care for myself, my family, my community, and our environment.
I will show the quality of my character by being trustworthy,
respectful, and valuing the uniqueness of myself and others.
I will remember that where I fail, I learn.
I will be mindful and take each moment
as an opportunity to grow.
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Celebrating 20 Years of Education & Community Service
In 1999 Spectrum Charter School was approved as a non-profit 501(c) (3) organization - it was the First Autism Specific Charter School in the United States educating students ages 13-21 on the Spectrum.
On September 5, 2000 the first official day of school was held in a small rented building on Old William Penn Highway. Over the years the school has grown and expanded to its current location on Northern Pike.
Spectrum Charter School has received numerous awards, certifications and recognitions over the years from the SWPA Sustainable Small Business, Green Building Alliance of Pittsburgh, Green & Healthy Schools Academy, Eco Schools USA Green Flag Award, Healthy Schools PA, Live Well Allegheny School, Energy Star Certifications and Duquesne Light Community Energy Education Efficiency.
Spectrum has had 82 graduating students and has annually contributed approximately 1,455 hours in volunteer service to the community.
During this school year we invite all of you to join us as we celebrate our school - our students - and our future. More information to come on our 20th Anniversary events.
Michelle Johnson, CEO
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#PeaceOneDay
On September 20
th
Spectrum Charter School students and staff participated in
Peace One Day.
Peace One Day
is an international event that was organized and recognized by the United Nations beginning in 1999. Its goal is to ask for kindness towards others for one day with the hope of having a positive platform for creating peaceful behavior. Since 2016 it is estimated that nearly 2.2 billion people have participated in this global day of peace.
At Spectrum Charter School, students read peace poems aloud. They also wrote Poetry for Peace, created Postcards for Peace, and watched a TED talk about the founder of
Peace One Day
, Jeremy Gilley.
The actual event date was on Saturday, September 21
st
. Students were challenged to show kindness towards others on that date.
StoryboardThat
This school year, Ms. Lisa’s class has been using an interesting website called
StoryboardThat
. T
his website allows students to create digital storyboards, comic strips, and info-graphics.
For their first assignment, the students had some fun being creative and using their imagination to create their own “epic” comic strips.
The students will be using
StoryboardThat
during the remainder of the school year in their Greek Mythology class to create a timeline of events, and to also encourage creative writing, storytelling communication and computer skills.
One student said, “I liked how
StoryboardThat
gave us creative freedom and I’m looking forward to using it again all year.” Another student said, “It was a fun project!” Yes…learning can be fun!
StoryboardThat
brings visual learning to life.
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Students from Ms. Lisa’s class, pose in front of their class’s first
StoryBoardThat
project.
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Welcom
e to a new school year at Spectrum!We are excited to welcome new and returning families for another exciting school year. I am excited to be joining the team as the principal this year.
Prior to becoming a principal, I was an 8th grade ELA teacher and a 3rd grade teacher. I was born and raised north of Pittsburgh in Ellwood City. I left the area in 2008 and headed to Cleveland, Ohio where I worked as a teacher and principal. I returned to the Pittsburgh area in 2016 and continued my principal career in McKeesport, PA before accepting the position as principal at Spectrum.
This is my 9th year as a principal. I have a Bachelor's Degree in Elementary Education, a Master's Degree in Curriculum and Instruction, and a Doctorate in Educational Leadership and Management. I also have earned Principal Licensure in Pennsylvania.
I am excited to be a part of the Spectrum team and I am looking forward to working with staff, students, and families this year!
Sincerely,
Dr. Roberto, Principal
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Student
Spotlight
Mya is a student in Ms. Lisa’s class. She is engaged with seniors in our local community through her volunteer work at Community LIFE (Living Independence for the Elderly) day care center in McKeesport.
Mya helps with many activities during her volunteer time; such as therapy games, card games and ice cream socials. Mya is learning great skills through her volunteer time working with older adults. She hopes to hone practical job skills that will provide a window into the world of work. It also provides a wonderful opportunity for Mya to interact with others and serve their needs. Thank you Mya for doing a great job!
Box Tops for Education
Over the summer each of the Spectrum classrooms participated in a Box Tops for Education competition. Classrooms were asked to collect as many box tops as possible. Students asked family, friends and neighbors to help in the collection. In October the box tops were tallied and we collected approximately 491 box tops. The classroom that collected the most was Ms. Lori’s class with a total of 328!
To continue supporting our school this year, you no longer have to clip and save
the individual bar codes and send them to the school.
Please download the new easy to use and free mobile Box Top app that can be found at:
https://www.boxtops4education.com/ Select Spectrum Charter School.
This new state-of-the-art technology will automatically scan your store receipt - find other participating products - and save it to our school's online account.
We appreciate your support.
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Living Science
Our class had an amazing opportunity at the beginning of this school year! We got to raise several Monarch caterpillars from egg to butterfly! This was perfect since our first science unit was learning about Living Things!
The caterpillars resided in their cage in our classroom. As the tiny caterpillars hatched from their eggs, our class had the job each day to gather milkweed leaves for them to eat. We measured them every day and saw them get bigger and bigger! Eventually, all of them made their chrysalis. We waited for the day that they would emerge! Finally, some of the chrysalises started to get clear. We could see the adult Monarch butterfly inside. Twice, our class got to witness the amazing sight of the Monarchs emerging from their chrysalis!
Our class got to release several Monarch butterflies and watch them fly into the sky!
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BE GREEN. PROTECT THE EARTH.
SUPPORT SPECTRUM CHARTER SCHOOL.
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As part of Spectrum Charter School's 20th Anniversary we will be hosting several community focused events that reinforce our goals and lessons taught to our students. We are pleased to be hosting a FREE community small electronic recycling event that will be hosted by the Monroeville Public Library and the Monroeville Lions Club Farmer's Market. Complete information is listed on the flyer and at:
https://spectrumcsi.org/events/
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Community Resources & Announcements:
SpectroDolce Confectionery Opens in Monroeville
SpectroDolc
e means "array of sweets". It also represents a commitment to help adults on the autism spectrum gain work experience and find sustainable careers.
SpectroDolce
is a program of the Autism Employment Network, a Progress City LLC project. The new store is located at 3929 William Penn Highway.Their Grand Opening is scheduled for Friday November 1 at 2 pm.
New Online Support Group
Greater Pittsburgh Autism Community
is a new online community Facebook page in Western Pennsylvania dedicated to supporting families dealing with autism and related cognitive/developmental disorders.
Family members, educators, clinicians, service providers, and support organizations are all welcome. Please feel free to ask questions and share information with one another as we go on this journey together.
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