Western Wayne Middle School Hosts Minute to Win It

The Western Wayne Middle School hosted a Minute to Win It event for their students in grades 6, 7, and 8 on Friday, February 14, as a part of the district’s PBIS initiative. Our PBIS initiative is successfully creating a positive school environment in which students are demonstrating their Wildcat PRIDE daily. Pictured, from left, are seventh grade students Lilli Maros and Aliya Fiorella, who served as special helpers during the Western Wayne PBIS event.  Both girls said they really enjoyed helping out at the event and felt good to have a special role in the activities.  The students look forward to other special events such as these.

Pictured from left, playing the Minute to Win IT game Stack Attack are: Austin Barger, Jake Moyer, Sean Owens, Lareina Tirado, Katherine Roedel, and Loucynthia Allen.

Pictured playing the Mintue to Win It Game Junk in the Trunk, from left, are:  Lorenzo Leggio, Jayden Kellachow, and Karl Strasburger.

1st Day of Practice is March 2

Sports available to 7th & 8th grades are Baseball, Softball, and Track. Boys Volleyball and Tennis are for High School only.

Students Earn Western Wayne School Police Exemplary Citizenship Awards

From left: Jennifer Bradley, middle school principal; Nicholas Fisichella, Antonio Fisichella, and Officer Robert Robbins, school resource office.

Western Wayne students Antonio Mwaura Fisichella,  Nicholas Gathama Fisichella, and Paityn Lynn Duprey received individual Western Wayne School Police Exemplary Citizenship Awards at the January, 2020, Western Wayne School Board meeting.

          The Western Wayne School District Police Department takes pleasure in presenting these awards to students who have done an outstanding job helping others.  School resource Officer Robert Robbins explained that the award was first created in May of 2019 after a high school student did an exemplary job helping a classmate during a medical emergency.

          “We wanted to create a way to honor Western Wayne students who go above and beyond upholding the Western Wayne principals of respect, integrity, dedication, and extra ordinariness,” Robbins explained.

          In May of 2019, Western Wayne high school student Giavanna Dawn Amy Rastello helped a fellow classmate in the hallway suffering a medical emergency.  She summoned help and stayed with the student until help arrived.

          Giavanna received the first Western Wayne School Police Exemplary Citizenship Award for her caring, compassion, and quick thinking.

          Robbins explained that the Exemplary Citizenship Award is not given out on a monthly basis but only when a student does something deserving of this type of award.

          “This is just another way that the police department can give back,” Robbins explained.  “We are so grateful to be here and recognize the students.”

          At the January 2020 Western Wayne School Board meeting, Western Wayne middle school students Antonio Mwaura Fisichella and Nicholas Gathama Fisichella received Western Wayne School Police Exemplary Citizenship Awards for their actions on Tuesday, December 24, 2019, when they were witness to a car fire outside of their home on the Mount Cobb Highway.

          As the fire crew from Hamlin Fire and Rescue was clearing the scene, the boys summoned Hamlin Deputy Chief Gene Koch and presented him with a donation from their own savings.  The students received the Citizenship Award for their selflessness and generosity that reflect a great credit upon themselves, their family, the Western Wayne Middle School, and the entire Western Wayne School District.

          In addition, at the January, 2020, board meeting, Evergreen Elementary student Paityn Lynn Duprey received the Western Wayne School Police Exemplary Citizenship Award for her service to the community for the past four years.  Paityn has held an annual Black Friday Bake Sale, with baked good she prepared, to raise money to be used to purchase toys that she donated to local toy drives for less fortunate children in the local community.

          Paityn’s actions exemplify Western Wayne PRIDE.  Most notably: respect, in caring for her community; integrity, in her strong moral principle; dedication, in continually striving to serve and improve quality of life for others; and extraordinary; in her going above and beyond by putting others first.

          All Western Wayne administration, staff, and the entire school community are proud of these extraordinary students and hope that all of their selfless actions inspire others to act in the same way.

         

Strengthening Families Program returning to Middle School

The Strengthening Families Program is returning to Western Wayne Middle School February 27, 2020. This amazing seven session program is offered to students of fifth and sixth grade and their families. It is designed to help families successfully handle stress, peer pressure and risky teenage behaviors. A supper is provided prior to each meeting, and babysitting is offered for younger siblings. Now is the perfect time to learn more about Strengthening Families and to register for the program. Contact Mrs. Bradley Middle School Principal, Mr. Pidgeon EverGreen Principal or Mrs. Miller Robert D. Wilson Principal.

Western Wayne Middle School Students Make Holiday Breakfast

Middle School students in Mrs. Dawn Krautter’s family & consumer science classes prepared foods for their teachers to enjoy for a holiday breakfast held the day before winter break. The students enjoyed prepared the dishes just as much as the faculty enjoyed having them. The breakfast was part of the school’s district wide PBIS initiative which has the main purpose of creating a proactive positive environment for everyone in the school community. PBIS is an ongoing effort of the Western Wayne School District to guide students in behaving and interacting with others in such a way as to promote an effective learning environment.

Curriculum Night

8th Grade students and parents should attend Western Wayne High School’s Curriculum Night to hear about the different departments, courses, credit values and graduation requirements.

When January 15, 2020
6pm – 7:30pm
Where Western Wayne High School
Veterans Memorial Auditorium  

Western Wayne School Resource Officer Makes a Difference

“A House is Not a Home” is a 1964 ballad made famous by Dionne Warwick in which she sings about how the most important part of a house is filling it with the people you care most for.  This year, throughout the Western Wayne School District, faculty, staff, administration, and students are embracing the PBIS initiative which has the main purpose of creating a proactive positive environment for everyone in the school community.

PBIS is an ongoing effort of the Western Wayne School District to guide students in behaving and interacting with others in such a way as to promote an effective learning environment.  A big part of creating a place where students can thrive is to have adult leaders that make the students believe school is like home in the respect that they can feel safe and cared for there. 

School resource Officer Robert Robbins’ continued efforts at Western Wayne are one of the reasons why students feel so at home especially at the Middle and High schools.

          Robbins has served in his position at Western Wayne since 2013.  He takes extra time out of his day to get to know the students and let them know he is there for them.  As a part of PBIS, students in the Middle School have been rewarded with being able to have lunch with Robbins.  Many of them have enjoyed this perk.

          “He listens to us,” eighth grader Ireland Swingle said.  “It’s fun when I get to beat him at Uno.  Spending time with him is something new, so it’s really fun.”

          Robbins explained that he thinks playing cards with the students at lunch helps to break the ice.

          “It’s actually great to sit with them,” Robbins said.  “They open up, and you get to hear about what they like to do.  They get to see a different side of me, and I get to see a different side of them.”

          “He’s like a sports announcer when we play,” eighth grader Austin Barger said.  “He’s really funny and really nice.  He even gave me an Uno deck one time and I really liked that.”

          Robbins explained how this year for the holiday season he sat with students at lunch and helped them color pictures to hang on the wall in the cafeteria. 

          “The students are encouraged to take them home with them,” Robbins explained.  “However, any pictures that were left behind before the holiday, I took home and displayed at my house as a table cloth.  They really mean something to me because they represent the quality time I get to spend with the students.”

          Robbins discussed why he feels it is so important to spend meaningful time with them.
          “You don’t often know what kind of or if any attention they are getting at home.  I make myself available and I see a lot of positives come from that.  The students don’t want to let any of the faculty down by misbehaving,” Robbins said.

          Working with students to help guide them has been a part of Robbin’s job that he truly enjoys at Western Wayne.  This type of work is a change from experiences he has had in work up to this point.

Robbins has a long career path that precedes his time at the district.  Officer Robbins served in the United States Army in the 101st Airborne Division as a Light Wheel Vehicle Mechanic at Fort Campbell Kentucky for two years.  He earned the Army Achievement Medal, Good Conduct Medal, and the Air Assault Badge. 

Upon the conclusion of his active service, Officer Robbins joined the Pennsylvania National Guard and served in Alpha Co, 1st Battalion of the 109th Infantry Regiment.  In this unit, he served as a Squad Leader, Vehicle Commander, was promoted to Sergeant and was awarded the General S. J. Stewart Medal for service and NCO Academy Graduate Ribbon.

In 1991, Officer Robbins joined the Pennsylvania Air National Guard and served with the Security Police Flight at Willow Grove Naval Air Station.  He was responsible for base security, Flight Operations Security, and the protection of aircraft and missile weapons sites.  He earned the Rank of Staff Sergeant.  He attended the Security Police Academy at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas in which he earned the title of Honor Graduate and was awarded the Pennsylvania Commendation Medal.  Officer Robbins received an Honorable Discharge from all three branches he served in.

Officer Robbins is a retired Pennsylvania State Trooper, who served for 23 years and spent his entire career in the Patrol Unit.  He was promoted to Corporal in 1999 and was responsible for nearly every facet of daily operations in a State Police Troop.  He was stationed all over the State from Bucks County to Wayne County.

Now Robbins, especially through this year’s PBIS initiative, works to provide many positive experiences for the students of Western Wayne.  For example, the day before the holiday break Robbins served as D.J. for all of the lunches in the Middle School and got to interact with students.  He, also, did this at the end of the first quarter as another PBIS reward for students and it went over so well that administration wanted him to do it for the holidays. 

Robbins surely serves as an example of the purpose of PBIS through all of his interactions with students throughout the district. Through his service to students he is also duly rewarded.  

          “Western Wayne has saved me in a sense,” Robbins explained.  “I now get to see a lot of positive things that I didn’t always see in my career before this. I think this is what God has called me to do.  I get to spend time with the kids and let them know they are safe here, cared for here, loved here, and can get help here.”

Western Wayne Middle School Hosts Turkey Trot

Pictured are the winners of the Turkey Trot held at Western Wayne on November 26. Kneeling left to right: Khloe Mistishin 6th grade 2nd place; Mia Gifford 6th grade 1st place; and Peter Race 6th grade 1st place. Absent from picture is Tristan Vivona 6th grade 2nd place.
Second row left to right: Alexis Basile 7th grade 2nd place; Tim Roberts 7th grade 1st place; Turkey (Ezra Tetreault, senior); Vincent Tomasetti 8th grade 1st place; and Lexi DeSiato 8th grade 2nd place.
Third row left to right: Aliya Fiorella 7th grade 1st place; Hayden Romanaskas 7th grade 2nd place; Frankie Leyshon 8th grade 2nd place; and Emily Romanowski 8th grade 1st place.

Western Wayne Middle School held a Turkey Trot for students on the morning of November 26 as a part of their PBIS initiative which involves successfully creating a proactive positive school environment in which students are demonstrating their Wildcat PRIDE daily.
PBIS is an ongoing effort of the Western Wayne School District to guide students in behaving and interacting with others in such a way as to promote an effective learning community.
The Western Wayne Cross Country Team hosted the 130 students who completed the course. Middle School students paid Cat Cash to attend the Turkey Trot. Students earn Cat Cash in the areas of being prepared, respectful, having integrity, being dedicated, and being extraordinary in school.
Students earning Cat Cash and being able to participate in activities like the Turkey Trot is a part of PBIS at Western Wayne.
Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) is an evidence-based three-tiered framework for improving and integrating all of the data, systems, and practices affecting student outcomes every day. It is a way to support everyone to create the kinds of schools where all students are successful.
PBIS is a commitment to addressing student behavior through systems change. When it is implemented well, students achieve improved social and academic outcomes, schools experience reduced exclusionary discipline practices, and school personnel feel more effective.
The Middle School students who participated in the Turkey Trot did many fun activities including: a wellness talk, warm-up, one mile run, raffles, music, refreshments, and cool down.
All of the students who attend had a great time at the event. Eighth grader Frankie Leyshon came in second place for the eighth grade boys. Frankie plays football, basketball, and baseball for Western Wayne.
“I really liked how organized the run was,” Frankie said. “I wasn’t out of breath because of the work I do in all of my other sports. It was fun to get to run with kids who do different sports than me like members of the wrestling team.”
Sixth graders Mia Gifford and Khloe Mistishin also really liked the event because they got to spend time outside of the classroom together with each other. The girls explained how they have been best friends for a long time and do not have many classes together during the school day. Therefore, they were excited to spend the Turkey Trot together.
“I was excited to get to spend time with Mia,” Khloe said. “I also really like the PBIS events because they give us a break from school work but we get to learn in a different way. I learned how to pace myself when running.”
Classmate Peter Race, sixth grade, agreed.
“I thought the Turkey Trot was great because it helps kids who want to be athletic do what they like,” Peter explained. “It was also really excited about the first prize.”
Peter, who won first place for the sixth grade boys, explained that all of the first place winners got a frozen turkey.
Mia won first place for the sixth grade girls and felt the same as Peter.
“My mom was shocked when I brought home the turkey,” Mia said. “We are looking forward to having it at Christmas time.”
Khloe who came in second place explained that one of her other favorite parts of the Turkey Trot was getting to interact with the members of the high school cross country team who hosted the event.
“It was really fun when all of the middle school students stood on the football field and danced to songs like the chicken dance and the cupid shuffle,” Khloe explained. “We got to follow along with the Cross Country team as they did the dances in front of us.”
Khloe also mentioned how the turkey did the dances. High school senior Ezra Tetreault dressed up in a turkey costume for the event and entertained the kids and took pictures with them.
The students all had a lot of fun at the event and look forward to other PBIS activities such as this where they can show their Wildcat Pride as the school year continues.

Winners of the Turkey Trot 2019

Winners of the
Turkey Trot 2019
GirlsBoys
6th Grade
#1 Mia Gifford Peter Race
#2 Khloe Mistishin Tristen Vivona
7th Grade
Aliya FiorellaTim Roberts
Alexis BasileHayden Romanaskas
8th Grade
Emily RomanowskiVincent Tomassoni
Lexi DeSiatoFrankie Leyshon