#PortageProud Community Newsletter (July 2023)

Portage Proud

Portage Township Schools

Volume 1, Issue 1 | Summer 2023

Renovate to

INNOVATE Updated, renovated spaces in all PTS schools, coupled with hands-on experiences, are giving our students and staff a renewed love of learning and a fresh perspective on education.

Register at PTS for the 2023-2024 school year! Visit www.portage.k12.in.us/register

Renovate to

INNOVATE

Updated spaces, innovative teaching, and hands-on activities are building the next generation of leaders at PTS

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 Time is Now: Recreating through Renovation 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.

From Renovations to Innovations: Spaces for Learning Before construction crews could even begin their projects, the ways in which the renovations would impact students learning and achievement were

More exciting projects are in the works for PTS! Take a look

COMING UP NEXT... at our upcoming plans to continue renovating our facilities.

Installing energy-efficient lighting at PHS Expanding classroom technology Upgrading PHS tennis courts

Continuing our HVAC replacement project New flooring district-wide New indoor and outdoor intercom systems

Renovating the north and south cafeterias at PHS New classroom furniture Making repairs to the PHS Baseball and Softball facilities

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1 (1) Librarian Mrs. Chaja uses a document camera and Newline TV to read a book to a class of Kyle Elementary students. (2) Crochet Club students at Aylesworth Elementary work on their craft in the library after school. (3) Mrs. Kelley and Ms. Miles start students on a project in the L3 lab at PHS. (4) Students learn about erosion using rocks, water, and a water bottle in the L3 lab. (5) A student enjoys reading "Splat the Cat: Oopsie-Daisy" during library time. The tables in the new space feature a dry erase surface.

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.

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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.

"Wow! Is this for us?"

Our students' initial impressions of the renovated spaces were positive as they saw student-friendly furniture inside spaces developed with the signature Portage red,

LEFT: A student reads a book in one of the newly renovated school libraries. All elementary and middle school libraries received a makeover last summer and reorganized books into a "genre-based" system.

ABOVE: L3 lab teacher Mrs. Kelley weighs a plate of rice for a family during one of our L3 Family Nights this year.

During the event, our students and their families listened to a story about a snow plow, then built their own plow using selected materials. The family whose plow could scoop the most rice were the winners. The L3 Family Nights allowed family members to see what our elementary students did during their trips to the L3 lab.

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.

"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.

"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."

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.

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.

"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."

Smile!

It's time to register for the 2023-2024 school year!

www.portage.k12.in.us/register

Step 1

Complete your child's Online Registration in the Parent Portal by June 25. Visit pts.powerschool.com and log in to confirm your information and submit registration. New and incoming kindergarten students should use the New Student link on the Registration page of our website.

Step 2

Submit Proof of Residency, if applicable. This is required for students in grades K, 3, 6, 9, & 11. Either bring this to your child's school or email to registration@portage.k12.in.us.

Visit the Registration page on our website for a list of required documents for Proof of Residency.

Back-to-School Jump Start Day August 1 | Portage High School (Door G)

Need help with registration, lunch accounts, bus routes, or technology?

Have other general back-to-school questions? Stop by to receive one-onone assistance from our PTS staff. Visit our Facebook page for more info.

Step 3

Visit portage.k12.in.us/quicklinks to learn about transportation, meals, and communications.

Sign up for and download our most frequently used apps for our Portage families.

Scan to register now!

Use your phone's camera app to scan the QR code and access the registration page on our website

Questions? Email us at registration@portage.k12.in.us

Portage Township Schools 6240 U.S. Highway 6 Portage, IN 46368

www.portage.k12.in.us

Educating, Empowering, & Inspiring Excellence

219-762-6511

A space for all children to play

Collaboration makes the South Haven Inclusive Playground a reality 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.

LEFT: Portage Township School Board president Andy Maletta accepts the Inclusive Play National Demonstration Site Award from Sinclair and PlayCore.

ABOVE: South Haven Elementary students enjoy their new playground equipment this spring.

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.

See the Playground in Action!

Use your phone's camera app to scan the code to the left and watch a video of our South Haven students enjoying their new Inclusive Playground!

Semester 1 Calendar Dates August 16: First Day of School September 4: Labor Day (No School) October 17: End of Quarter 1 October 18: Conferences (No School) October 19: E-Learning Day October 20: Fall Break (No School)

November 7: Elections (E-Learning) November 22-24: Thanksgiving (No School) December 22: End of Semester 1 December 25-January 5: Winter Break (No School) January 8: Teacher Records (No School) January 9: Semester 2 Begins

For a complete list of the 2023-2024 calendar dates, visit our website at www.portage.k12.in.us/calendar

ON THE COVER Students and their family use a handmade shovel to scoop rice onto a scale during one of the L3 Family Nights hosted in the new Levenda Learning Lab at Portage High School this year.