The Tippecanoe Valley School Corporation has been awarded two grants to help with Project Lead The Way (PLTW) activities and robotics teams throughout its two elementary schools.

PLTW is a nonprofit organization that provides a transformative learning experience for K-12 students and teachers across the country. Specialized curriculum lets students resolve real-world challenges in computer science, engineering, and biomedical science fields.

“It changes their entire way of thinking. It’s all hands-on critical thinking, problem solving and collaboration from kindergarten all the way through fifth grade,” said instructor Mirannda Figert, who splits her time between Akron and Mentone elementary schools teaching PLTW curriculum.

The district has been awarded $1,095 from the Kosciusko REMC Operation RoundUp Fund to purchase three additional VEX Robotic kits. The kits are made up of modular robotic parts that allow students to design and create several different types of robots.

The additional kits will allow for a smaller kit-per-student ratio. Students have had to double up in their groups because there were only 11 kits for third through fifth grades. PLTW recommends a one-to-four ratio.

Every student at Akron and Mentone elementary schools will experience PLTW. Different grade levels learn and experience different things such as app coding, engineering and computer science modules, to simple and compound machines.

The district also received $250 from Zimmer-Biomet for the robotics team at Akron Elementary. The money will go towards any registration expenses for the team and to purchase a game field students can practice with before they go to tournaments.

The Tippecanoe Valley School Corporation was previously awarded grant money to fund PLTW curriculum across its two elementary schools for one year.

The Tippecanoe Valley School Corporation board of trustees honored at its December 12^th meeting three staff members for their hard work and dedication to the district.

Sheila Kindig, a computer lab instructor at Akron Elementary School, and Samantha Bradford, secretary at Akron Elementary School, are the recipients of the Tippecanoe Valley Pillar Award for Outstanding Support Staff.

Kindig is in her 20th year at Akron Elementary School. She started as a substitute teacher before being hired to work in the computer lab.

“The best part of my job is working with and getting to know every student at Akron. It’s fun to see them come in as kindergarten students and watch how much they grow, change, and learn as they move through the grades at Akron and on to TVMS,” said Kindig.

Bradford began working at Akron Elementary School in 1997 as an instructional assistant. Eight years ago, she became the school’s secretary and is currently in her 19th year at Akron. Her colleagues describe her as always helpful, fun to be around, and easy to laugh with.

The board also recognized Karla Hayden, a reading interventionist at Mentone Elementary School, as the recipient of the Tippecanoe Valley World Class Teacher Award.

“Karla Hayden exemplifies self-sacrifice, continually reads about current educational practice in her field, and is an instructional leader who cares deeply about the success of many components of Mentone Elementary.  Her collaborative spirit and concern for all Mentone students are evident in her actions on a daily basis,” said Mentone Elementary School Principal Randy Dahms.

Elementary school students throughout the Tippecanoe Valley School Corporation are gearing up for their annual holiday music programs.

Akron Elementary’s Christmas music program has been rescheduled for Thursday, December 15 at 7:00 p.m. in the school gymnasium. Doors will open at 6:30.

The Akron program will feature kindergarten, second grade, and fourth grade students singing songs and dancing several folk dances. The theme is “Sing Merrily, Sing for Joy!”

Students in first, third, and fifth grades at Mentone Elementary are also preparing for their annual Christmas music program. Doors will open at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, December 13 with the program beginning at 7:00 in the gym. Students should report to their classrooms for lineup.

Both music programs are open to the public. There is no charge to attend

In school, we often use the term goals with your children. How can we help our students beat the odds and achieve their goals at a higher rate than the 8% of Americans who will attain their resolutions in 2016? Consider these ideas you can also support at home:

• Make the goal specific. The target needs to be very clear for your child. Help him/her clearly articulate what it is they want to achieve. Instead of a goal to get better at reading, the goal could be to better understand what is being read.
• Set a short timeframe. Many goals fail because the timeframe is too long. Set small, specific timeframes (2-3 weeks) that can be more easily monitored.
• Make a plan. Help your child figure out actions they can take to reach their goal. How will you better understand what you are reading? Will you write a summary after a certain number of pages? Will you ask questions as you read?
• Adjust the goal. There is nothing wrong with your child adjusting his/her goals. Adjusting will be more successful than quitting.
• Celebrate. Celebrate the small successes like sticking to the goal’s steps. There is something about acknowledging progress, even small progress, that propels us to keep at it and work toward the next small step along the road of attaining a goal.