First Grade has been studying fairy tales such as Hansel and Gretel and The Gingerbread Man. As a culminating activity, students engineering their own gingerbread houses. The students used various types of candy to decorate their houses. Here are a few images from the event:
On December 15th, MaST’s Upper School choir performed at Love Park in Philadelphia. MaST’s Upper School performed at Love Park last year as well. Here are a few images from the event:
7th grade students answer a few questions after completing introductory lessons on Robotics.
7th Grade Robotics Unit – Student Interviews from MaST Charter on Vimeo.
“Teaching – the profession that creates all other professions.” As important a job that teaching is, teachers often do not receive the praise and rewards that are due them. Wal-Mart is changing that!
According to the American Federation of Teachers, teachers spend about $500 a year out of their own pockets for classroom supplies, including snacks for students who may not have regular access to food. The Teacher Rewards program helps to offset these costs.
In 2012, Walmart and the Walmart Foundation gave more than $1 billion in cash and in-kind contributions around the world. This includes $1 billion in cash and in-kind gifts in the United States and $82.2 million in cash and in-kind gifts in international markets. In addition, Walmart, Sam’s Club and Logistics associates volunteered more than 2.2 million hours, generating $18 million to U.S. nonprofits.
This year, the Walmart located in Franklin Mills Shopping Center, along with the store manager and the community involvement coordinator, chose MaST Community Charter School as the recipient of these teacher rewards. 20 randomly selected teachers were awarded $50.00 gift cards to spend as they wish throughout the store. Those lucky recipients were:
Teresa Pendergast – 5th Grade
Sandra Brown – 3rd Grade
Alida Fitzpatrick – Special Education
Mary Flanagan – 8th Grade
Taralynn Doris – Kindergarten
Elise Behm – 4th Grade Special Education
Vanessa Owens – 2nd Grade
Rosemary Duffy – Special Education
Christina Harta – 1st Grade
Claudia Iuliano – 7th Grade
Lauren Saftlas – 8th Grade
Robert Hopkins – 5th Grade
Nicole DiNiglio – 7th Grade
Erin Myers – 6th Grade
Christine Ehrlich – K-8 Music
Tara Girnius – 7th Grade Special Education
Krysten Bovell – 4th Grade
Susan Mosher – K-6 Library/Media
Lena Mendes – K-8 art
Nicole Smith – 3rd Grade
Congratulations to all of the recipients! We are proud to have you at MaST!
Walmart states, “It’s our mission to create opportunities so people can live better. We consider it our responsibility to make a positive impact in the communities we serve. Whether it’s through the grants we provide to the thousands of organizations that share our mission or through the inspiring volunteer efforts of Walmart associates, we are passionate about helping people live better. One community at a time.”
On Monday, November 18th, first grade students participated in Community Helper Day. On Community Helper Day, students dress in the attire of a professional in the community. First grade students prepare for Community Helper Day for several weeks and study various occupations that contribute to communities. Students then choose an occupation and research the purpose of the job, the tools required, and the value of having those professions in the community.
Parents were invited to come and hear the students present their rehearsed descriptions of each job. Students represented a variety of professions including: dentists, construction workers, postal workers, nurses, teachers, musicians, artists, and almost every other job imaginable.
Check out some of the images from the event:
Students in Ms. Iuliano’s 8th Grade Technology Class are concluding their first unit on robotics. The 8th Grade students were the first to test out the new Lego EV3 Robotics Kits that debuted this August. With the EV3 Kits and their robotic sensors, the possibilities are truly endless and students are encourages to experiment and learn by doing. So far, students have learned to build, program, and test their robots. The programming software teaches students gradually and allows for individualized challenges once certain skills and tasks are mastered. The students have really enjoyed this unit and are excited about this hands-on approach to learning. 7th Grade students will be introduced to the EV3 kits as well throughout the year.
In order to promote career awareness and help our students understand the relationship between their personal qualities and skills, education and future careers; MaST has designed a program called Engineer of the Month for students in Kindergarten through 5th grades! Wednesday, October 9th kicked off the program with an assembly provided by Engineering for Kids, an organization that provides hands-on activities that promote creativity and innovation through engineering concepts. MaST will be partnering with Engineering for Kids to offer engineering-focused activities to the “Engineer of the Month” winners. Teachers will look for students that possess the following qualities and select one student each month to represent their class as the “Engineer of the Month.” Some of the qualities include: problem solving, creativity, cooperation, communication, curiosity, and excellence in Math and Science. The selected students’ names will be announced during the morning announcements, posted on the school website and will attend an engineering-focused activity with Engineering for Kids. Students will bring home letters to summarize what they did during their activity as well as some fun facts to help stimulate conversation at home. These activities will provide students with practical applications and hands-on experiences to take what they learn in the classroom and connect it to careers.
Check out coverage of our STREAM Camp at MaST.
The U.S. News & World Report profiles MaST Community Charter School. MaST has received the silver ranking for the year 2013. See our school overview report.
Earlier this spring, GreatPhillySchools.org, a nonprofit that advocates school reform, ranked more than 400 city schools based on academic performance, student attendance and safety. The project began examining data in 2011 and includes the most current official information on its website.
Across the city, some schools received low scores of 1, while others, such as MaST Community Charter School, scored at the top of the heap.
MaST, at 1800 E. Byberry Road, enrolls 1,250 students, and has another 5,646 youngsters on its waiting list. The daily attendance averages 95.4 percent. There are 1.9 serious disciplinary incidents per 100 students.
Philadelphia magazine last year named the school, which boasts a new library media center, the Top Charter School in the city. In 2007, it was named National Charter School of the Year by the U.S. Department of Education’s Center for Education Reform.
John Swoyer, CEO of MaST, believes his school scored so high on the GreatPhillySchools.org survey because of its focus on STREAM — science, technology, robotics, engineering, arts and math.
“We’re a community school that is making a difference for every child in K-12,” he said. “We accommodate all different levels of education.”