Art as a Catalyst for Storytelling, Drama, and Writing

3rd grade students at Heritage experienced the Westmoreland Museum of American Art in an incredible and unique way.  Through a direct partnership with Writers of Westmoreland, Joan McGarry, the Director of Education at the newly renovated Westmoreland Museum of American Art awarded Heritage a grant for the second year in a row.  This grant afforded all 3rd grade students at Heritage the opportunity to visit the museum and interact with the art in extraordinary ways.  The museum docents, art and writing curriculum, museum access, and transportation was awarded to these students at no cost to the district.

Students engaged in “Miner Inquiry” in which they dramatized characters in a portrait, analyzed portrait subjects utilizing vocabulary strategies and portrait clues, explored landscape paintings with their five senses, and strategized which thematic music played for them represented varied artwork in the Color and Geometry gallery.

“I like the way this artist thinks…,” offered one student while trying to interpret a sculpture’s purpose and presence in the gallery!  Opportunities such as this that foster creativity, discussion, inquiry, culture, and perspective are a treasure. We are thrilled to be able to engage students in experiences that promote authentic life-long learning habits.

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PPG Place Gingerbread House Display and Competition

On November 12th and 13th the 4th Grade at Heritage Elementary participated in a Gingerbread House Workshop. The gingerbread houses were created and delivered to be displayed as part of the 13th annual PPG Place Gingerbread House Display and Competition.
Our students worked in groups to create their houses using many of the STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, Math) components to engineer their houses. The students also had the opportunity to let their creativity shine as they designed and decorated their homes.

Mad Science after-school program

Mad Science after school is well underway here at school.
Students at Heritage engross themselves in entomology (the study of insects) and search for clues to help crack a case. They have the chance to inspect fluorescing minerals and see how simple machines lighten your load. They will also discover why science is the real star of the big screen and move out of the way of motorized toys. Finally, they will stage a statically charged indoor storm and go on a nutrient hunt.

State Representative Eli Evankovich visited our Kindergarten!

On Friday Representative Evankovich took time out of his busy schedule to read Mrs. Wishy Washy’s Farm to our kindergarten students in Mrs. Mitchell's classroom.

Representative Eli Evankovich is a third-term Republican member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives serving the people of the 54th Legislative District, which includes parts of Westmoreland and Allegheny counties.

What's cuddly and cute and can sniff out a good reader from a mile away? A Heritage B.A.R.K dog!

B.A.R.K, Bettering All Readers with K-9's made its second appearance in our K-3 Tile I Reading Support Room today! Ready readers shared a day of fluency and fun with these well-mannered and eager to listen and learn K-9 friends.  Student readers entertained the dutiful dogs with a variety of reading activities including: a short and long vowel game, sentence syntax practice, an onset and rime match up, and of course ...story time!

Our next B.A.R.K. visit is scheduled for December.  Readers are already looking forward to practicing their reading skills with their new furry friends.

Literature Circles in 5th grade

Students in Mrs. Sberna’s fifth grade class are reading novels and working in literature circles to grow in their comprehension skills.  Students read independently at times, and they share in focused discussions with their peers at other times.

It’s not easy Being Green... Camo Day Celebrates 26 Years!

Mrs. Melucci and Mr. Bielewicz’s students celebrated the 26^th Annual Camo Day. Students gathered organic materials to use to design and construct an anatomically sound insect that would be able to evade predators in the outside world.

Three students were crowned the Camo Day Grand Champions for 2015. Their insects were not detected by the students. Their insects were deemed to be the most anatomically sound entries that were able to blend into the natural environment.

The Camo Day common assessment is part of the Insect Unit which was awarded the National Science Foundation Presidential Award for Excellence in Math and Science. 

5th grade and kindergarten team up!

During Red-Ribbon week festivities, 5th grade students from Mrs. Sberna's class joined students from Mrs. Kerzmann's Kindergarten class to "buddy-read" during Heritage's "Team-Up" day.  5th graders served as model readers with their Kindergarten buddies while reading decodable books.  Since Kindergarten students began learning about short vowels and word families, it was a great opportunity for 5th grade to act as "coaches" during this literacy activity.  Kindergarten students felt excited and motivated, and 5th graders felt purposeful and responsible as they took ownership in guiding their Kindergarten buddies through a read-aloud.  Mrs. Sberna and Mrs. Kerzman look forward to more partner-reading activities throughout the school year!