Pittsburgh Public Schools News

WPXI, December 3, 2009

Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

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Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

What: Whale Done™ Celebration

Where: Pittsburgh Schaeffer K-8, Primary Campus, Cafeteria, 1235 Clairhaven Street, Pittsburgh PA 15205

When: Wednesday, December 23, 2009, 1:00 p.m.

Every Pittsburgh Schaeffer student is considered a shining star by Principal Cynthia Zurchin and the Pittsburgh Schaeffer staff, and now the community is teaming up with the school to celebrate student achievement. 

Community members will come together to celebrate the hard work and excellent behavior of Pittsburgh Schaeffer students under The Whale Done™ program. Community organizations and businesses such as the Kiwanis Club, Gove Group, Walgreen’s, Starbucks, Bethany Hospice and the Green Tree Times are supporting student success through donations of school materials and other gifts.

Pittsburgh Schaeffer adopted the Whale Done™ program 2-1/2 years ago and the school has seen a significant decrease in student suspensions since that time. The school’s program is based on the principles of positive reinforcement as described in the book, “Whale Done©,” written by bestselling author Ken Blanchard and co-authors Thad Lacinak and Chuck Thompkins.

Lacinak, Ocean Embassy partner and past corporate vice-president of animal behavior for SeaWorld and Busch Gardens, explains the premise for the Whale Done™ Approach: “You can’t get a 2,000 pound killer whale to jump 30 feet in the air by screaming at it!”

Here’s a different kind of recycling that benefits everyone! Students at Pittsburgh Phillips K-5 donated books that they had finished reading so that others could benefit from reading – and rereading them! After about 2,000 books were collected, teachers sorted them. (more…)

Join us as the Pittsburgh Youth Ballet Company and the Pittsburgh CAPA Symphony Orchestra perform The Nutcraker, rescheduled for Monday, December 21st at 7:00PM. Tickets: $10-20. Ticket Reservations: Please call (412) 539-0900 ext. 232. (more…)

Tribune-Review, Decmber 19, 2009

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Decmber 18, 2009