Construction trucks and trailers took residence in our school parking lots for months while crews hauled in bookshelves, ran new electrical work, and even poured concrete The result of this work was a new main entrance at Portage High School, renovated libraries at all eight elementary schools and both middle schools, and a repurposed large group instruction room at PHS
The transformative nature of these projects goes beyond the physical upgrades It is the significant impact on student learning and success that has made the largest impact
The disbursement of ESSER funds and strategic planning for bonds provided PTS with dollars to enhance facilities district-wide In planning for these funds, the goal was clear: Prioritize projects that impact student learning. With an aging second pool at PHS, libraries across the district in need of structural and technological updates, and the need for a more secure centralized office at the high school, our team prioritized dollars to renovate and update these areas
The PHS office construction project would utilize space in the field house to form administrator offices and one centralized main entrance for the entire high school New check-in procedures coupled with a secure waiting
area for visitors would further support student and staff safety efforts Meanwhile, the libraries would receive a face lift to include new shelving, seating, and technology The ultimate focus on literacy wouldn't change; instead, students would be able to enjoy reading in an updated and more flexible space
The largest and perhaps most challenging renovation would be in the space formerly used as the PHS west pool The large-scale renovations completed on the east pool just one year prior allowed the high school to function with one pool This provided the opportunity to use the west pool space for something different After visits to other school districts had opened the possibility of reimagining the space for large group instruction, it was decided that the pool would be partially filled in to create a tiered instruction room The space would be completed with flexible seating and updated technology.
With ideas and concepts developed for these renovations, the initial goal of supporting student learning came into focus
Before construction crews could even begin their projects, the ways in which the renovations would impact students learning and achievement were COMING UP NEXT... COMING UP NEXT...
(1)LibrarianMrs Chajausesadocument cameraandNewlineTVtoreadabookto aclassofKyleElementarystudents (2) CrochetClubstudentsatAylesworth Elementaryworkontheircraftinthe libraryafterschool (3)Mrs Kelleyand Ms Milesstartstudentsonaprojectinthe L3labatPHS (4)Studentslearnabout erosionusingrocks,water,andawater bottleintheL3lab (5)Astudentenjoys reading"SplattheCat:Oopsie-Daisy" duringlibrarytime.Thetablesinthenew spacefeatureadryerasesurface
determined We would need to address exactly how each of the spaces would be used by our PTS staff, students, families, and community
The benefits of creating one central office at the high school was clear Families now have one clear place to conduct business at the high school, and the three buildings on the high school's campus are unified The new office space features a central space for office staff, offices for principals, a conference space, and a waiting area The two doorways leading into the main entrance are both secure to further enhance school safety and security. The high school's TRIBE program now occupies the previous West main office, which provides the class with both large-group and small-group instructional spaces The high school's guidance department moved into the previous East main office space, creating a secure entrance for families to meet with a counselor
In addition to receiving updates, the school libraries also reorganized to best reflect the way students look for books In partnership with the Porter County Public Library, our libraries are now organized according to genre Students can easily find books that pique their interest because books they like are in the same spot
The new large instruction space at the high school presented a number of possibilities. Past experiences with bringing our elementary students to the high school had been successful, with high school students enjoying seeing the younger students and the elementary students enjoying visiting their future school There was also a desire to expand our Project Lead the Way curriculum, which was already implemented in grades 612, into the elementary grade levels The decision was made to turn the West pool into a learning lab where elementary students take intra-district field trips to participate in STEM activities through the elementary PLTW curriculum. Upon the lab's completion in the fall of 2022, the new space was dedicated to former PTS educator, principal, and assistant superintendent Mr Terry Levenda The space is now known at the Levenda Learning Lab, or the L3 In addition to serving elementary students every day, the L3 has also been home to several events to include our L3 Family Nights, school safety presentations, and Fine Arts showcases
Our students' initial impressions of the renovated spaces were positive as they saw student-friendly furniture inside spaces developed with the signature Portage red,
"Wow! Is this for us?"
white, and wood and black accents as well as updated and interactive technology. They are also enjoying using the spaces, including the new genre system in the libraries
Jones Elementary librarian Mrs Davis said her students are benefitting from the new genre system
"It helps them find books that they are interested in more quickly, so that they have more time to read when they are done checking out before their class lines up to leave," she said
Central Elementary librarian Mrs Lovall has seen more students willing and able to check out books
"For kids who aren't readers, they used to have to put a significant amount of effort into finding a book," she said "Now they can just go to a section of interest and grab what they would like "
Similar to the libraries, engagement is high in the new L3 Lab, where lab teacher Mrs Kelley says students are learning communication and collaboration skills through engaging lessons
LEFT:Astudentreadsabookinoneofthenewly renovatedschoollibraries Allelementaryandmiddle schoollibrariesreceivedamakeoverlastsummerand reorganizedbooksintoa"genre-based"system
ABOVE:L3labteacherMrs Kelleyweighsaplateofricefor afamilyduringoneofourL3FamilyNightsthisyear Duringtheevent,ourstudentsandtheirfamilieslistened toastoryaboutasnowplow,thenbuilttheirownplow usingselectedmaterials Thefamilywhoseplowcould scoopthemostricewerethewinners.TheL3Family Nightsallowedfamilymemberstoseewhatour elementarystudentsdidduringtheirtripstotheL3lab
"The cooperative learning among students and between teachers and their students that I got to observe and be involved in was the most exciting part of working in the lab," she said "I loved seeing the connections, the engagement of students at all learning levels, the 'ah-ha' moments, and the general excitement that being involved with STEM brings "
Mrs Kelley describes the content of her lessons as "highly engaging and rigorous," which often makes for some challenging activities The structure of the L3 lab facilitates both large-group instruction and small-group work for labs. Just a few lab examples from this year include testing the science behind paper airplanes, using rocks and water bottles to learn about the erosion process, and coding a short story
L3 lab assistant Ms Miles said she was inspired by watching the students participate in new ways of learning and the in-depth questions they would ask
"The students' faces positively impacted me this year, " she said "Every time they were able to figure out a solution to a problem by themselves, their faces lit up with joy "
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Portage Township Schools
6240US Highway6
Portage,IN46368
South Haven Elementary students would often enjoy their school playground both during recess and after school, but one group of children was upset that one of their friends could not enjoy the equipment due to his use of a wheelchair One mom, Megan Mercaldo, shared her child's concerns with the school's PTO, and they brought the idea of an inclusive playground to the school and district
This fall, that idea became a reality
Following a dedication ceremony this past November, the South Haven Elementary Inclusive Playground opened for our students and the community Featuring handicap accessible equipment and sensory activities, the playground is a space that can be enjoyed by all
The fundraising efforts for the playground began with the South Haven PTO, who jumpstarted the project with a $40,000 donation
The remainder of the funding was provided by PTS and the Portage Township Trustee's Office
The South Haven PTO, PTS, and the Trustee's Office received honors for the project through Sinclair Recreation and PlayCore, recognizing the playground as an Inclusive Play National Demonstration Site
August16: FirstDayofSchool
September4: LaborDay(NoSchool)
October17: EndofQuarter1
October18: Conferences(NoSchool)
October19: E-LearningDay
October20: FallBreak(NoSchool)
November7: Elections(E-Learning)
LEFT:PortageTownshipSchoolBoard presidentAndyMalettaacceptsthe InclusivePlayNationalDemonstrationSite AwardfromSinclairandPlayCore
ABOVE:SouthHavenElementarystudents enjoytheirnewplaygroundequipment thisspring
November22-24: Thanksgiving(NoSchool)
December22: EndofSemester1
December25-January5: WinterBreak(NoSchool)
January8: TeacherRecords(NoSchool)
January9: Semester2Begins
For a complete list of the 2023-2024 calendar dates, visit our website at www.portage.k12.in.us/calendar
ONTHECOVER Studentsandtheir familyuseahandmadeshovelto scoopriceontoa scaleduringoneof theL3FamilyNights hostedinthenew LevendaLearning LabatPortageHigh Schoolthisyear