MARCH 2024 EDITION 

Keeping Up with Colonial

This month's segment was shot, written, and produced by Penn Media students. Click the arrow to view- the kids did a great job! 

Dates to Remember


March 29 - Good Friday- SCHOOLS & OFFICES CLOSED
April 1-5 - SPRING BREAK SCHOOLS CLOSED
April 9- Board of Education Meeting- 7 PM  at Innovation Center or live stream at www.colonialschooldistrict.org
April 19- Staff Development- NO SCHOOL
April 26 & 27- Art Show- William Penn -FREE & OPEN TO THE PUBLIC Friday 5-7 PM, Saturday 10 AM-Noon

Calling all Juniors & Seniors!

The application period is open for the Governor’s Summer Fellowship Program. The Governor’s Summer Fellowship Program provides paid camp counselor opportunities for Delaware high school seniors and juniors. Along with real-world experience, fellows will receive paid work opportunities at community-based summer camps in each county and the ability to network with state leaders and elected officials. Applications for the Governor’s Summer Fellowship Program will be accepted on a rolling basis. Prospective fellows must be committed to working for the duration of the program which runs from June 17, 2024, until August 11, 2024. Students interested can apply today at de.gov/summerfellow.
 

WE Give Back!

Eisenberg concluded its food drive for the Rose Hill Community Center by collecting 612 items for their pantry. Big E student leaders helped sort the donations at the center's food pantry, helped transfer donated clothes, and socialized with the senior citizens by playing BINGO for prizes! They had a great time being leaders and making an impact! Kudos to all who supported the food drive.

Pantry Donation at Pleasantville

The food pantry at Pleasantville Elementary was restocked thanks to a generous donation of non-perishable goods by Jack and Jill of America, Associates. WE appreciate our community partners!

What Time is It?

Can you tell students and staff loved Time Warp Day at Wilbur? The Wildcats always go wild on Spirit Days!

Math & Reading Night = Fun at WMES 

What a great night at Wilmington Manor Elementary School with their farm-themed math and reading night! It was a fun hands-on learning experience with delicious treats donated by local businesses like Grottos Pizza, Texas Roadhouse, and Woodside Farm Creamery, YUM!

Special Guests at the Berg

Eisenberg students got a real treat when DE Secretary of Education, Mark Holodick, and Governor John Carney came to read to them. Governor Carney let the 1st graders help him read a popular story aloud which made the visit even more special. It was an Insect Fashion Show that got 2nd-grade students excited. The kids researched their favorite bugs and told all about them in an assembly. For Superintendent Dr. Jeffrey Menzer show time meant it was selfie time!

He's a Proud Colonial & McCullough Mustang!

Congratulations to Kahlil Fitzpatrick, School Counselor at McCullough Middle School, for being named the 2024-2025 Colonial School District Behavioral Health Professional of the Year! A 1994 graduate of William Penn High School, Fitzpatrick says “My relationships with students are the most important relationship for me as a school counselor. It is through those relationships that I can determine my success and failure as a school counselor. Regardless of what's going on in my day, I always remember that the student comes first.”
A lifelong Colonial, Kahlil is committed to the district and the community. “I would tell you that I love my job, but I don't have one (a job). I have a purpose and I absolutely love my purpose. I am a School Counselor.”
Kahlil Fitzpatrick is a major reason for the success of Colonial kids and makes us who we are!

Teachers of the Year

Say congrats to the 2024 Building Teachers of the Year! One educator from the list  below will be named Colonial's District Teacher of the Year in the coming weeks:
  • Kerry Zeager- Carrie Downie
  • Laura McCarter- Castle Hills
  • Maggie McNulty- Eisenberg
  • Katie Barrett- New Castle
  • Kelsey McGrath- Pleasantville
  • Marlowe Woodfin- Southern
  • Audrey Lao- Wilbur
  • Charlene Jackson- Wilmington Manor
  • Jessica Kibblehouse- CEEP
  • Brandon Hughes- Leach
  • Natalia Tovar- George Read
  • Kristina Hubbard- McCullough
  • Shelby Borst- William Penn 
  • Lozetta Hayden- Gunning Bedford

On the Beat Again!

Gunning Bedford's Tiana Sirmans was busy interviewing celebrities at the 55th Annual NAACP Image Awards Dinner and Fashion Show in Los Angeles, California. This kid reporter has been at it since she was a student at Pleasantville Elementary School. Tiana was among the NAACP Youth & College  Correspondents at the event and says, "It gives me a sense of pride to be the youngest journalist covering it and to see people who look like me doing such amazing things!" WE are proud of this rising star!

WE Grow the Best!

Say congrats to Katie Hawkins, WPHS Agriculture Teacher for winning the 2024 NAAE Outstanding Agricultural Education Teacher Award! The award recognizes leadership in civic, community, agriculture/agribusiness, and professional activities. Outstanding agricultural educators are innovators and catalysts for student success in agricultural education.

Hawkins also won Mentor Teacher of the Year for helping to foster the next generation of Agriculture educators in Delaware!

Surfs Up with School Breakfast!

National School Breakfast Week was a big success in Colonial's Cafeterias. It's more than just a celebration- it's a way to highlight the importance of starting the day off right by eating a nutritious breakfast. WE encourage students to eat breakfast and lunch in our cafeterias every day at NO COST!

WE Connect Conference

Every educator in the district came to William Penn for a Professional Development Day called WE Connect. The conference gave teachers a chance to attend instructional workshops while catching up with colleagues from different schools and divisions. Curriculum and Instruction Director Sherrie Clark called the conference amazing adding, "This was the first time in a really long time that WE have been together. While there is always room to grow, there is also so much to celebrate!"

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