DONALDSON CELEBRATES READ ACROSS AMERICA

The Donaldson Daily

Staff Writers:

Mia Foster

Emily Saggio

Eva Lutz

Francis Wichryk

Kate Miller

Reese Bielecki

Nathan Gunderson

Tyler Morris

Editor-in-Chief:

Mrs. Nolan

Contributing Editor:

Mrs. Koraido

Freelance Writers:

Erica Prologo

Joseph Pustover

Rachel Mamula

Olivia Norris

Sierra Mangan

Amelia Wheatley

Connor Guira

Ella Chandler

Summer Miller

Kali Burke

Samantha Goldstrohm

Julia Prologo

In this issue:

Volume 2, Issue 1 June 2015

Donaldson Discovers 2

Math 24 Challenge 3

Fun in the Sun 6

Fund Raisers 3

Variety Show 2

Carnegie Science 6

Battle of the Books 4

Field Trips 5

DONALDSON

ELEMENTARY A NATIONAL

BLUE RIBBON

SCHOOL

Mr. Sean Aiken read If I Ran the Zoo

by Dr. Seuss to Mrs. King’s class.

Ms. Kim Basinger read I Am Not

Going to Get Up Today by Dr.

Seuss to students in second grade.

ART FAIR A HUGE SUCCESS By: Rachel Mamula

Pictured below:Rachel Mamula, Ava

Pustover, Emily Saggio, Morgan and

Madison Pichi.

Pictured below: Left: Kylie Holt. Right: Mrs. Rukas and

Gabby Holtz.

Pictured left: Christopher Morri-

son and Madison Hill. Right:

Greyden and Henry Niederriter.

Pictured right: (Left to

right): Cy and Ellie Carothers, Joslyn Graham, and Joi

Wichryk.

This year’s theme of the Donaldson

Art Fair was Blue Ribbon Masterpiece

in honor of Donaldson’s Blue Rib-

bon Award, and it was a huge suc-

cess. The Art Fair was originally

scheduled for Wednesday March 4th;

however, due to poor weather pre-

dictions was rescheduled for Tues-

day March 10th. It was held from

6:00 to 8:00 PM in the Donaldson

Cafeteria and welcomed Donaldson

students, staff, friends, and family.

Some of the proceeds ($552.23)

from the Art Fair went to benefit

Anya Lamar, 4th grade student, for

ongoing costs associated with her

treatments. A special thank you to

the Donaldson PTA for sponsoring

the fair. Some of the crafts included:

scratch art tulips, cupcake banks, heart wreaths, crowns, Egyptian stickers,

underwater seascapes, beaded brace-

lets, Day of the Dead Skeleton stick

puppets, and sand art. “Mollie the

Painter” was available for face painting

at no cost. Displayed throughout the

halls were students art work.1st grade

had an amazing display of flowers,

2nd grade had Jim Dine inspired

hearts, 3rd grade made aerial snow-

men, 4th grade made profile snow-

man paintings, and fifth grade made

c an v a s p a i n t i n g s en t i t l e d

“Pittsburgh Starry Night.” There

was also an art basket raffled off

worth almost $100.00. Tickets

were available to purchase: 1 for

$1.00, 10 for $5.00 or an arm’s

length for $10.00. The winner of

the art basket was Turner Lutz.

At the same time, a book fair was

held in the gym, and pizza and re-

freshments were available for pur-

chase. A special thank you to Mrs.

March and Mrs. Counihan for or-

ganizing this annual event which

also included the Kona Ice Truck!

Suessville Week 2015, aka ‘Read Across

America Week’, is a huge event across

the country to promote reading for

kids and teens. According to Mr.

Aiken, assistant superintendent,”

West Allegheny School District

planned a number of events to cele-

brate, encourage, and support read-

ing throughout our District.” We

would like to thank Mariann Bertoc-

chi and Christina Pratt for organizing

all the events of ‘Read Across America’

throughout the district and commu-

nity. During Suessville week, daily

events occurred from Monday March

2nd – Saturday March 7th. Activities

were held at the WA Elementary

Schools and the Robinson Mall Rotun-

da. Activities at Robinson Mall included

creating art projects, The Lorax, Oh,

the Thinks you can Think, Scrambled

Eggs Supper, and many more including a

treat. The events at Donaldson includ-

ed hat day, red and white day, and slip-

per day. We also ate green eggs and

ham for lunch. Everyone got involved

in the activities and had a great time.

This year, we welcomed two new assistant superintendents, Mr. Aiken and

Ms. Basinger to WA. These individuals have many job responsibilities. We

had the opportunity to have a face to face interview with Mr. Aiken, and a

questionnaire was sent to Ms. Basinger. Mr. Aiken is one of three assistant

superintendents at WA. His job responsibilities include hiring teachers, de-

veloping a safety plan, technology, athletics, building maintenance and securi-

ty, as well as the safety of all the students and staff. Mr. Aiken began as a

teacher, then became a principal, and now is an assistant superintendent. He

likes the fact that we all work together, grow together, and learn together.

Mr. Aiken came from a large family, which helped him learn to get along with

other people. Since he is a middle child, he became the peace maker. Origi-

nally from Pittsburgh, he moved to Virginia for 10 years, before finally moving

back to Pittsburgh, where he now has a golden retriever named Lexi.

WA WELCOMES NEW ASSISTANTS By: Amelia Wheatley and Ella Chandler

Cont. pg 4

MANY ACTIVITIES OFFERED AT DONANLDSON DISCOVERS By: Julia Prologo and Sierra Mangan

Pictured left to right: Kylie Thompson, Emma Yanek, Annie

Constantine, Katlyn Roberts, Navella Hildreth, and Kendal

Ballis.

Critters, Dreaming of Summer, Habi-

tat Happening, Lego Minecraft with

Snapology, Fun with Pottery, Fun with

Feathers, Creative Cooking, Go

Green: Engineering Recycled Racers,

Military Footlocker, Animal Adven-

tures, Physical Fitness, The Great

Outdoors, and Creative Technology.

Donaldson students appreciate all of

the time and effort that it takes to

provide this exciting educational op-

portunity and we would like to thank

the PTA, teachers, and parent volun-

teers who all helped to make this

program a success.

Hopefully, we can look

forward to many more

years of activities at

Donaldson Discovers.

Right; Pictured left to

right: Tori Zanella, Makayla Wright, Aubrey Kubiak, and

Riley Kennedy.

On Thursdays after school in February and March,

Donaldson, and Wilson at Donaldson students had

another four weeks of fun at Donaldson Discovers.

Donaldson Discovers- a PTA sponsored program,

invited presenters from all over the area to provide

additional educational experiences for Donaldson

students. Some of the presenters were from the

Pittsburgh Zoo, the Community Library, the Carne-

gie Museum of Pittsburgh, Snapology, and the Pitts-

burgh Aviary. Several Donaldson teachers were also

presenters and included Mrs. Vestal, Mrs. Taranto,

Mr. DeChico, and Mr. DeMario. There were 15

options to choose from this year including: Super

Physical Fitness Activities including hockey and swimming were also a part of the Donaldson Discovers line-up.

Above: Conrad, the penguin, from the

Pittsburgh Aviary captivates students.

Above: Pictured left to right: John Wineland along with

three ‘Wilson at Donaldson’ students.

PTA SPONSORS VARIETY SHOW IN H.S. AUDITORIUM AND ART CONTEST By: Olivia Norris and Summer Miller

This year, Donaldson students were

eligible to participate in the Donaldson

PTA Variety Show Art Contest. En-

tries for the contest were due on or

before Wednesday, January 7, 2015.

Winning art work was featured on the

Donaldson Variety Show T-shirt or

the program. Winners of the art con-

test received a T-shirt, small prize, and

were recognized at the Variety Show,

which was held on Friday, February 6,

2015. The winners of the contest

were Olivia Norris and Emily Sag-

gio. Olivia’s artwork was recognized

on the front of the program and Emi-

ly’s artwork was recognized on the

front of the T-shirt. Congratulations

to Olivia, Emily, and to all of the stu-

dents who participated in the contest.

On February 6, 2015, teachers and students of

Donaldson participated in the annual Variety Show

sponsored by Donaldson PTA. Many came to

watch the program which was held in the high

school auditorium. Before the actual show began,

there was a slide presentation that highlighted

participating 5th grade students which depicted a “Then and Now” photo.

There were 7 emcees and 29 acts altogether. All students participated in

the Grande Finale dance number. Fifth graders also received a picture

with their parents and a bouquet of flowers. Thank you to all the stu-

dents who participated in the Variety Show and the Donaldson PTA for

making it a wonderful annual event!

DONALDSON MAKES MUSIC

By: Rachel Mamula, Olivia Norris, Summer Miller, Julia Prologo, and Sierra Mangan

DONALDSON STUDENTS TAKE PSSA By: Kate Miller and Reese Bielecki

At Donaldson Elementary School, grades 3rd – 5th took the PSSA’s.

This year, all PSSA’s were based on the Common Core Standards,

unlike last year when they were based of the PA state standards.

Students tested in the morning and were provided with breakfast

before the test began. The 4th and 5th grade students traded lunch

times with the first and some second graders so that there would

be more time in the testing window. The ELA (English and Language

Arts) Session began on April 14th and concluded on April 17th. The

Math Session began on the 20th of April and concluded on the 22nd.

Fourth grade students were also required to take a Science Session.

The Science Session began on the 28th and concluded on the 29th.

Students who were absent on the test days were able to make up

any test section up until the 8th of May. Results for the PSSA’s

should be available sometime in June.

4th grader, Gia

Hart recites the “Pledge of Alle-giance’ during the

Grande Finale per-formance of ‘America the Beauti-

ful’.

Continued pg. 6

On Thursday May 7, 2015 Donaldson Elementary School pre-

formed a musical program entitled “Donaldson Makes Mu-

sic” which was comprised of students in grades 1-4. Parents

and family also attended the 2:00 PM performance which took

place in the Donaldson Gym. The program was organized by

music teachers Mr.Groba, Mrs.Sharlow, Mrs. Mahramas, and

Mr. Hoffman. Students in 1st grade used rhythm sticks and

tambourines to play “Goin’ Over the Sea” and “Yankee Doodle”.

They also danced the Yankee Doodle Folk Dance. 2nd grade

danced and played music to “Hungarian Dance No.5.” They

also performed an illustration of musical form to “Star Wars.”

Following Star Wars, students sang “You’re a Grand Old Flag.”

The 2nd graders used parachutes and flags as props. Third

grade was also a part of “Donaldson Makes Music”.

DONALDSON 4TH GRADERS PARTICIPATE IN MATH 24 By: Katherine Miller and Reese Bielec-

MANY DONALDSON SUPPORTERS

ATTEND TEACHER’S CUP ON FRIDAY THE 13TH

By: Tyler Moss

FUNDRAISERS AT DONALDSON By: Nathan Gunderson

Donaldson School has had many fund raisers this year to raise money for our school and for charity. See the

chart below for some of the details.

24®

Pictured left: Students

representing Dona ldson at the District T o u r n a -ment. Left to r i g h t :

Brayden Lambert DeLaney Evers, Reese-Bielecki, Makynlee Martin, Kate Miller,

and Ella Sekelik.

On Friday March 13th at 7:00

PM, the infamous Teachers

Cup was held in the High

School Gymnasium. The

Teachers Cup was a unique

and fun competition in which

teachers volunteered to com-

pete across the district against

each other. This year some of

the events were dodge ball,

funny goggle basketball, musi-

cal plates and ‘Hungry, Hun-

gry Hippos’ just to name a

few. Many students came to

watch and cheer on their

school and teachers. Admis-

sion for the event was $5. In

addition to the event, various

prizes were

raffled off including bikes and

baskets filled with candy and

toys. Congratulations to the

Middle School who won the

competition and to Wilson

School who won the spirit

award. Thanks to all the teach-

ers who participated. The mon-

ey raised supports teacher pro-

gramming, student scholarships

and community projects

throughout the West Allegheny

school district. A special thank

you to Sgt. John C. Bates for

coordinating this event.

This year, 4th grade students

had the opportunity to partici-

pate in the annual Math 24

Challenge, organized by the

elementary Horizon teachers–

Mr. Dowd, Mr. Hamm and

Mrs. Koraido. Approximately

30 Donaldson students prac-

ticed by attending 4 sessions

in October, and 3 sessions in

March. These sessions deter-

mined the students who

would represent Donaldson

at the Math 24 District Tour-

nament. Thestudents who repre-

sented Donaldson at the district

tournament this year were Ella

Sekelik, Kate Miller, Reese Bielecki,

and Brayden Lambert. The runner-

ups were Makynlee Martin and

Delaney Evers. The district tourna-

ment was held on March 25th in the

Donaldson Cafeteria where all three

elementary schools competed at the

district level. Brayden Lambert won

the gold medal. Ella Sekelik won the

silver medal. Kate Miller won bronze

and Ethan DeBoth, from McKee, took

4th place. These top 4 students partic-

ipated in the regional Math 24 Chal-

lenge Regional Tournament on Thurs-

day, May 29th, which was held at The

Allegheny Intermediate Unit. Brayden

Lambert brought home a silver medal

from this event. It was a great expe-

rience for everyone. Pictured below left to right: Gold Med-alist Brayden Lambert, 4th place winner Ethan DeBoth from McKee,

Bronze Medalist Kate Miller, and

Silver Medalist Ella Sekelik.

FUND RAISER SPONSOR BENEFIT TOTAL

RAISED

Pasta for Pennies Dr. Deirker/Mrs. Tracy Cancer Research $2,243.75

Box Tops P.T.A. Playground Equipment $1,148.26

Denim Day Mrs. Bauer Cancer Society $260

Student Council Mrs. Mangan K9 fund, Library, Act of

Kindness

$2,241

Kona Ice P.T.A PTA $190

Dine and Donate: Kings P.T.A. PTA $83.23

Dine and Donate: B.W.W. P.T.A. PTA $264.04

Dine and Donate: Max & Erma’s P.T.A. PTA $82.44

Mall Coupon Book P.T.A. PTA $410

Dine and Donate: Chipotle P.T.A. PTA $361.03

Market Day P.T.A. P.T.A. $2,119.85

Sarris Candy P.T.A. P.T.A. $6,969.23

5 Below P.T.A. P.T.A. $54

Mrs. Schultz

also raised funds with this wacky ‘do’ to support

our library. (hair by Mrs. J. Ham-ilton and Mrs.

A. Halkias)

STUDENTS PURPLE UP FOR

MILITARY KIDS

By: Kali Burke, Erica Prologo, and Samantha Goldstrom

Across the country, April is the “Month of the Military

Child”, celebrated by Purple Up Day. This year marked the

5th annual Purple Up Day. So on Wednesday, April 15,

2015, Donaldson students and staff wore purple to sup-

port military families. The color purple symbolizes all

branches of the military, as it is the combination of Army

green, Marine red, Coast Guard navy, and Air Force blue.

Purple Up is a visible way to thank youth whose parent or

parents serve in one of the United States Armed Forces.

Purple Up is a great cause, and many students wore purple

to show support for these well deserved, military kids,

On May 15, 2015,

the students at

Donaldson Elemen-

tary School partici-

pated in Track and

Field Day, spon-

sored by Mrs. Ta-

ranto, and included

support from many

staff and parent

volunteers. Track

and Field is a day

where students

spend their day

competing in events much like the

Olympics. The opening ceremony

was held in the gym and all class-

rooms made banners and chose a

team name. The students prepared

for this competition in P.E. by running

relays and sprints. Each student also

had a choice in which events they

wanted to compete. The events were

the 400 meter, 100 meter, the 50

meter, long jump, softball throw,

football throw, and obstacle course.

There was also a half mile, an event

for the fastest boy and girl in each

class. The classes with the most over-

all points were as follows: 3rd grade -

Mrs. Sekelik’s class, 4th grade - Mrs.

Ordich’s class, and 5th grade - Mrs.

Mangan’s class. Each winning class

received a trophy for having the most

points in the grade level. Each student

received a ribbon for placing in each

event. The events concluded with a

Tug a War competition with the fol-

lowing winning classes, Mrs. Sekelik,

Mrs. Ordich and Mrs. Stout. This

Track and Field Day is the last one for

Mrs. Taranto at Donaldson School.

Mrs. Taranto has taught at Donaldson

since it opened, but she is transfer-

ring to the High School. According to

Mrs. Taranto, her favorite part of

Track and Field Day was, ”Watching

the kids get excited and proud of

themselves when they win awards.”

Mrs. Taranto is going to miss, “The

kids and the friendships she has made

LAST TRACK AND

FIELD FOR PE

TEACHER By: Emily Saggio

Mrs. Taranto

emcees her last

Track & Field Day.

Cont. pg 4

‘RED OUT’ DAY AT

DONALDSON

By: Eva Lutz and Mia Foster

6TH ANNUAL ‘BATTLE OF THE BOOKS’ By: Emily Saggio

Students showing off ‘ducky’ lanyards!

First graders are even connected!

I-phones, I-pads, I-pods; Oh my!

Pictured with Mrs. Schultz from left to right: are

Booktrotters Erica Prologo, Sierra Mangan,

Ava Pustover, Morgan Pichi, and Emily Saggio.

On Thursday March 19th, 2015, the fourth and

fifth grade students participated in the 6th annu-

al Battle of the Books sponsored by W.A. Ele-

mentary librarians Mrs. Schultz, Mrs. Medwick,

and Mrs. Denniston. The students began prepa-

ration in November of 2014 by reading from a

list of 10 books. Each team was comprised of 3

-5 students, and had an adult team manager to

quiz them on the books and to hold team

meetings. The books included many different

genres including mysteries, sports, fiction, and

so much more! The students were also al-

lowed to take AR tests on the books they

read. At the competition, the team members

were seated as a group. The announcer read

each question twice. The team had 30 seconds

to confirm the answer and for the team captain

to write the response. The team’s goal was to

get as many points as possible by writing down

the correct responses at the end of the ques-

tions. Scores were counted, and the team with

the highest score of 241 out of 245 won the

battle. The winning team this year was the

Donaldson Booktrotters with Emily Saggio,

Erica Prolgo, Sierra Mangan, Morgan Pichi,

and Ava Pustover as team members. Their

team leader was Tracy Pustover and Lisa

McAlorum. The Battle of the Books is a

great way for students to read, see what

type of book interests them, and learn how

to work as a team!

job is to understand what educators need in

order to be successful, and to provide opportuni-

ties for all educators to continuously learn and

grow. One way we are approaching that is by

working with people in various roles throughout

the district to design systems of evaluation that

are meaningful and growth-oriented. I am also

working to make sure that educators have ac-

cess to the training and resources that they need

to be at their best.

A/E: Have you always been into education? Ms. Basinger: I have wanted to be an educa-

tor since I was a little girl. My grandmother was

an elementary school teacher and my cousins

and I used to play school in her basement all of

the time. I was fortunate to go to great schools

and have great teachers when I was growing up,

and I want to make sure that other children have

those same opportunities and positive experienc-

es with school like I did. A/E: What do you like best about the West

Allegheny School District? Ms. Basinger: There is so much to love about West A! First, everyone has been so warm and

welcoming. Administrators, teachers, students

and families have made me feel at home here

from the very beginning. I also love that there is

such strong school and community pride, and

that the district truly strives for greatness in all

things that they do. A/E: Did you come from a large or small

family, and how did they help you? Ms. Basinger: My immediate family is fairly

small (mom, dad, and older brother); however, I

have a lot of cousins that I grew up very close

with as well. My family has always been there to

support me and encourage me to go after my

dreams. Education was always a priority in my family. Although I was always interested in

sports and other activities, my parents made my

brother and I put academics first. Looking back I

am very grateful for that because my academic

success and commitment to life-long learning

have opened many doors for me over the years.

A/E: What city are you originally from? Ms. Basinger: I was born in Pittsburgh

(Greentree to be specific). I went to Keystone

Oaks School District from Kindergarten through

12th Grade. I went to college at the Universi-

ty of Maryland (very close to Washington,

D.C.) and lived there for about 10 years after

college, but I moved back to Pittsburgh in

2010 to be closer to my family. A/E: Do you have any pets, and if so what

are their names?

Ms. Basinger: I have one dog. Her name is

Zoey. I actually got her from one of my students

12 years ago. Her dog had puppies and she

asked me if I would come visit them and think

about keeping one. I told her I would come and

see them, but that I wasn’t going to take one

home. However, Zoey (the littlest puppy in the

litter) crawled up on my lap and the rest is histo-

ry (I had to keep her). She’s getting old now, but

she still acts like a puppyJ

In early March, Kristin Gergos, a volunteer for

the American Heart Association, presented 3

short video clips to the students at lunch time.

These videos launched the AHA fundraiser by

having a BYOD (Bring Your Own Electronic

Device) at lunch time on March 18, 2015, aka

Red Out Day. Each student who donated could

participate. Donations were accepted on the

morning of the 18th in all three elementary

schools. Each student who donated received a

duck keychain on a lanyard. The total amount

collected for the AHA was $2,670.82. The class

that donated the most was Mrs. Barr’s class,

and was awarded an extra P.E. class.

Cont. Track and Field with the other staff members.” Mrs. Taranto is also excited, but nervous to move on to the High

School. This year’s Track and Field Day was a great way to get exercise, hang out with friends, and

say goodbye to Mrs. Taranto. Pictured below: Classroom Teams and Banners

Cont. Assistants A/E: What is your title, and what are your job

responsibilities?

Ms. Bassinger: I am the Assistant to the Superin-

tendent for Professional Learning and Educator Effec-

tiveness. That is a very long title, but in short, I am

responsible for making sure we have an effective teacher in every classroom, every day. A big part of my

FUN IN THE SUN

By: Kate Miller and Reese Bielecki

This year on the 29th of May, the annual

Fun in the Sun took place. 1st and 2nd

grades participated in this event. Mrs.

Taranto sponsored Fun in the Sun and

many parent volunteers and other teach-

ers also helped. A few events were the

sponge relay, face painting and tattoos.

There were also some games they could

play such as sorry, hungry hippos, and

color collectors. This annual event took

place in the grassy area behind the li-

brary and inside the school.

RETIRED SECRETARY

HONORED By: Mrs. Koraido

Pictured left: Mrs. Virginia Zang, 2015 Friend of Education recipient.

On May 7th, approximately

twenty- five friends, family, staff,

support staff, administrators, and

school board members of West

Alle gheny gathered at Hickory

Heights Country Club to hon-

or former Donaldson secre-

tary, Virginia Zang, the 2015

NEA- PSEA Western Region

Friend of Education recipient.

Continued pg. 6

SPRING IS SEASON FOR EDUCATIONAL

FIELD TRIPS By: Reese Bielecki and Kate Miller

DONALDSON GIRLS PATIPATE IN

NATIONAL PROGRAM By: Sierra Mangan and Julia Prologo

For the third year in a row, the 3rd, 4th, & 5th grade girls at Donaldson

School participated in the national Girls on the Run program. GOTR

began with 13 girls in Charlotte, North Carolina by founder Molly

Barker in 1996. According to the GOTR website, “They envision a

world where every girl knows and activates her limitless potential

and is free to boldly pursue her dreams. They believe that every girl

can embrace who she is, can define who she wants to be, can rise to

any challenge, can change the world. CAN.” This year GOTR began

on February 24th, met two days a week, and trained for a 5K race,

which was held on Sunday, May 17th at Hartwood Acres. Snacks,

water bottles, and T-shirts were provided for all participating girls.

The coaches for this program were Mrs. Sunseri, (5th grade), and

Miss Tissue, (leaning support). During the classes, the girls learned

about being kind to each other and how to stay fit. 5th grader, Ava

Pustover came in first place overall at the Hartwood Acres race.

Front row (left to right): Danielle Slovick, Suzy Wilson, Katelyn Vestal,

Rylie Kennedy, Ava Hamilton, Amara Mangan, Katie Meehan. Second

row: Libby Hitchings, Kate Miller, Kristina Fatigati, Cori Wineland,

Averi Zdinak, Addison Elliott. Third Row: Coach Sunseri, Coach Tis-

sue, Erica Prolongo, Ella Sekelik, Delaney Evers, Kayla Howard, Me-

gan Russo, Kiley Buglak, Julianne Brindle, Macie Wingert, Coach

Greathouse. Fourth row: Kali Burke, Morgan Pichi, Macckenzie Evers, Ava Pustover, Madison Pichi, Sami Goldstrohm, Caroline

Bachowiski, Kyley Thompson, and Coach Brindle.

Pictured left to right. Back row: Mrs. Schultz, Connor Frank, Makyn-

lee Martin, Olivia Hellman, Madison Hill, Mrs. Tracy. 2nd row standing: Brayden Lambert, Aidan Boyce, Caleb Gnoth, Max Psaros, Cameron Connor, Brendan Burke, Julianne Brindle.

Kneeling: Clifford Brindle, Caden Gnoth, Brandon Boyce, Luke Hellman, Julia LaGrosse, Wil Gubba. Sitting: Joseph LaGrosse,

Nathan Athanas, Ryan McMullen, Logan Lambert, Nathan Steele.

FIRST YEAR FOR ‘KIDS OF STEEL’ By: Francis Wichryk

4TH AND 5TH GRADERS DISTRICT WIDE

PRESENT CONCERT By: Amelia Wheatley and Ella Chandler

Grade Sponsor Field Trip

5th 5th Grade Teachers Monkey Kingdom movie

5th Music Department (Peter Pan) Play

5th PTA Heinz Field

5th DARE Bowling

4th PTA Kids Open Penguin Practice

4th PTA PNC Park

3rd PTA Raccoon State Park

2nd PTA Pittsburgh Aviary

1st PTA Children’s Museum

Kindergarten PTA Phipps Garden

Horizons Horizons Outdoor Classroom

Horizons Horizons Carnegie Science Center

Horizons Horizons Kennywood Physics Day

This year, Donaldson students attended many educational field trips. The

table below shows some of the field trips for the 2014-2015 school year.

TAKE YOUR CHILD TO WORK By: Tyler Moss

On April 29th, Donaldson, Wilson, and McKee fourth and fifth graders performed

an amazing spring concert which was presented at the high school auditorium. The

fourth grade performed at 6:30 p.m. and the fifth graders performed at 8:00 p.m.

This year, the fifth grade band selections were “Stepping Out”, “Star Wars”, “Armed

Forces March”, and “Light Em Up”. “Light Em Up” seemed to be the favorite among

the students. The fourth grade band selections were “Ode to Joy”, “This Old Man”,

“Rio Bravo”, and “Let’s Go Band”! In addition to the band, there was also a fifth

grade chorus performance. Their selections included “Sing a Song of Peace”, “Dansi

Na Kuimba”, “Old Dan Tucker”, and “J’entends le Moulin”. Mr. Hoffman and Mr.

Humbert conducted the 5th and 4th grade bands, while Mrs. Sharlow, Mrs. Jack,

and Mrs. Mahramas prepared chorus students at the elementary centers which

included “J’entends le Moulin”, “Sing a Song of Peace,” “Dansi Na Kuimba”,

and “Ole Dan Tucker”. Overall, the concert was a huge success.

WALK-A-THON AT DOALDSON

By: Erica Prologo, Samatha Goldstrom, and Kali Burke

April 23rd was the 22nd annual “Take Your

Child to Work Day”. The theme for this

year was #MPOWR Knowledge + Choices

= Strength. “Take your Child to Work

Day” is an annual event. On this special

day, students were permitted to skip

school to go to their mom or dad’s place

of employment to learn about their job.

According to the official website, “The

program supports career development

by helping students connect school,

the world of work, and their own

future.” The recommended age of participants is between 8 and

18. “Take Your Child to Work Day” is always scheduled for the

4th Thursday of April which helps schools and work places plan

ahead. This year approximately 130 Donaldson students partici-

pated in the program.

Mrs. Schultz takes her children Annaliese

and Liesl to work.

In January of 2015, Donaldson students were invited to participate in the

Kids of Steel (KOS) program, which according to the KOS official website

involves teaching exercise and nutrition. Every Wednesday from 7:45-8:25

AM, January through March, students attended open gym practices. There

were over 120 schools participating in KOS and approximately 6,000 stu-

dents. At the end of the program students were given the choice between

two races, which were both held on May 2nd. The first race was the Toyota

of Pittsburgh Kids One Mile Marathon. The second race was a 5k run for

more advanced runners and sponsored by UPMC Health Plan/ Sports Medi-

cine Pittsburgh. Students weren’t required to participate in the KOS pro-

gram, but they all enjoyed participating in the event.

Donaldson’s new sign. Stop by and check it out!

On Friday May 22, 2015, students, family members, and

teachers were invited to walk for physical fitness and

support the PTA. Donations were accepted on the day of

the Walk-A-Thon, and after walking, each student was

provided with a healthy snack. The PTA gave out awards

with first grader, Nathan Athanas, receiving an award for

the largest overall school donation. Students from each

grade level who made the largest donation were also

awarded a prize. Those students included: Dylan

Stearns-K, Nathan Athanas-1st, Acacia Vergenes-2nd,

Suzy Wilson -3rd, Anya Lamar-4th, and Luke Campbell-

5th. The classroom that collectively had the largest dona-

tion was Mrs. Mackey’s class, and they will get an addi-

tional healthy snack The total amount collected was $

3,705.75. The 5th annual Walk-A-Thon was a great way

to help the PTA and get some exercise at the same time!

CARNEGIE SCIENCE CENTER PRESENTS By: Kali Burke, Erica Prologo,

and Samantha Golstrohm

Nakayla Roberts and Christo-

pher Morrison volunteer for this ‘TP’ experiment with Dr. Phil. It

just blew us and the ‘TP’ away!

Lauren Nikotra and Sarah Miller got

ready for the Track and Field tug-o-war with these inter-locking phone books.

Joshua Cain helps

Dr. Phil with this balloon vacuum exper-iment. No shortage of

‘hot air’ in there!

On Friday March 20, 2015, pre-

senter Dr. Phil from the Carnegie

Science Center came to Don-

aldson to present the Wild by De-

sign program sponsored by Shop

N’ Save and Donaldson PTA. At

the assembly, Dr. Phil taught kids

about science and performed ex-

periments which included a bal-

loon vacuum experiment, a nitro-

gen trashcan experiment, and a

toilet paper aerodynamics experi-

ment. Throughout the assembly,

video presentations complement-

ed Dr. Phil’s program with other

scientists who added explanations

and demonstrations to support

his experiments. From the audi-

ence, students volunteered to

help in the experiments and an-

swered questions. Students loved

the fun and exciting performance.

‘Music’ Cont. They used their recorders, rhythm sticks, and Orff

instruments. Third grade`s musical selections were

“Hot Cross Buns”, “BA Marching Monster”, and

“Sarasponda”. “Sarasponda” is a rhythm stick activity

with a partner. 4th grade preformed “Ode to Joy” and

“Lightly Row”, a recorder duet. For their final number, students sang “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” and played

recorders and boom wackers. Finally at the end of

the performance, every student in grades 1-4 pre-

formed the patriotic number, “America the Beautiful”.

It was a well attended and wonderful performance.

DONALDSON ENJOYS CLO PERFORMANCE By: Emily Saggio

GALILEO Donaldson students sing Grande Finale - ‘America the Beautiful’

by Katherine Lee Bates.

On May 5th, the Pittsburgh Civic

Light Opera (C.L.O) presented a

musical entitled “The Next Gali-

leo,” which was written by Joseph

Domencic. Kindergarten through

5th grade watched this exciting and

educational performance. Don-

aldson P.T.A. sponsored this event

that was a partnership with the

Heinz History Center, the Smith-

sonian Institution, and the William

Randolph Hearst Foundation. The

star of the play was a girl named

Gabriella who loved astronomy,

but was afraid to speak out and ask

questions. Her teacher gave her an

old science book that transported

her magically back in time to Italy,

1609. She became Galileo’s assis-

tant and helped him persevere

through the process of building a

telescope. In the end, Gabriella

learned that you have to be out-

spoken and confident to achieve

your goal. The performance also

taught kids to chase after your

dreams, even if others are against

Actors from the Civic Light Opera presented “The

Next Galileo”, a musical that magically transformed the

characters back in time.

you. The C.L.O. performance was a great play,

and it taught students to never give up.

WAX MUSEUM

By: Eva Lutz (Laura Ingalls Wilder) and Mia Foster (Mia Hamm)

S y d n e y C r o s b y

(Brenden Burke) and

J a c k i e K e n n e d y

(Katelyn Vestal)

welcome visitors to the

3rd Grade Wax Muse-

um sponsored by Mrs.

Augustin, 3rd grade

teacher.

Thomas Jefferson

1743-1826

(Eli Scheider)

Leonardo Divinci

1452-1519

(Dane Partozoti)

Harriet Tubman

1822-1913

(Rylie Kennedy)

Thomas Edison

1847-1931

(Jonah Durnell)

George Patton 1885-194

(Brayden Withrow)

Mother Theresa

1910-1997

(Brooke Goode)

Friend of Ed. Cont. Mrs. Zang was nominated and voted

‘Friend of Education’ by the faculty of the

West Allegheny Education Association for

her tireless work and contribution that

she has made to the West Allegheny

School District over many, many years. A

poem about Mrs. Zang was read by Mrs.

Schultz, Donaldson librarian, who also

presented Mrs. Zang with the award.

Mrs. Zang’s devotion to her job and the

students of both McKee and Donaldson

over the years demonstrates her remark-

able character. Congratulations and thank

you to Mrs. Zang for an honor that is well

deserved.

Our Friend of Education - Virginia

We honor you today,

For you mean so much to us in every way. Our mom at work

Who kept us all from going berserk!

Always a smiling face

Filled with amazing grace. Surrounded by supplies

And willing to hear our moans and cries.

You loved your kids from young to old

And always had a hand we could hold. A shoulder to cry on, a friend in deed.

Willing to help whenever there was a need.

You shared with us our laughter and our tears

Our hopes and our fears

an exhibition of wax dummies,

typically representing famous

people and fictional characters:

wax museum

Plural noun wax museums

Powered by Oxford Dictionaries · © Oxford

Serving lunch, ordering supplies, painting Miss Piggy on the walls,

Your touch has been felt in all of our halls.

Your ties to the community are too innumerable to measure,

Knowing you has brought us a great deal of pleasure. You help to keep us all from over stressing

We count you as a blessing.

We love you Virginia, you can see it on every face With more of you in the world it would be a better place.