Author: WPSD
2017 Auction & Gala – October 6th @ the Edgewood Country Club.
Friday, October 6th
5:30 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.
The Edgewood County Club
100 Churchill Road, Pittsburgh, PA 15235
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Proceeds from the 2017 Auction & Gala directly support the expansion of the Children’s Center at the Western Pennsylvania School for the Deaf. Serving our youngest students, the Children’s Center prepares children from ages 3 – 6 for a lifetime of learning and future success in school. Please choose your level of support from the options below. We look forward to seeing you at the 2017 Auction & Gala in October and deeply appreciate your support of the Children’s Center along with its students and families.
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Gold Sponsor – $3,000.00
10 tickets
Name and logo on the WPSD’s website
Name and logo on print materials at the event
Weekly promotion on WPSD’s social media outlets 3 weeks prior to the event and for one week after the event
Full page, color ad in the program
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Silver Sponsor – $2,000.00
6 tickets
Name and logo on WPSD’s website
Name and logo on print materials at the event
Weekly promotion on WPSD’s social media outlets 2 weeks prior to the event and for 1 week after the event
Half page, color ad in program
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Bronze Sponsor – $1,000.00
4 tickets
Name and logo on WPSD’s website
Name and logo on print materials at the event
Weekly promotion on WPSD’s social media outlets 1 week prior to the event and for 1 week after the event
Quarter page, color ad in program
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Program Sponsor – $250.00
Quarter page, B & W ad in program
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Individual Tickets – $100.00
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I want to support the expansion of the Children’s Center with a donation!
The digital edition of 2017 spring issue of The Western Pennsylvanian and BearTracks are now available!
The spring 2017 edition of The Western Pennsylvanian and BearTracks are in circulation. Have you had a chance to enjoy the recent news 
about events and happenings at WPSD and The Scranton School?
The WPAN features articles Read Across America, the BotsIQ competition, Family Literacy Workshop, Chess Team, Pi Day, Valentine’s Day and St. Patrick’s Day.
In BearTracks, readers will 
find articles about Dr. Seuss’ Birthday, 100th Day of School, an Evening at the Scranton School and much, much more. Click on the cover each magazine to discover the excitement that is taking place at our schools.
Enjoy the digital editions of each magazine and share a copy with your friends and family.
Fingerspelling with your toddler!
Research indicates that using fingerspelling with Deaf and Hard of Hearing children at an early age can support their reading and writing development. Fingerspelling is an important aspect of American Sign Language (ASL) and is highly recommended for expanding vocabulary development. Much like hearing children imitate speech, develop babbling and then eventually the spoken word, Deaf and Hard of Hearing children imitate signs and fingerspelling, develop “babbling” (an approximation) and then eventually the signed or fingerspelled word. Children should be encouraged to start fingerspelling at an early age. Both Deaf and hearing parents should continue to fingerspell words to their children until they grasp the words. It is very important for children to feel comfortable using different handshapes so they can develop the ability to fingerspell. With practice, young children can become fluent in fingerspelling. Research has shown that the more Deaf and Hard of Hearing children who use ASL are exposed to fingerspelling, the more likely they are to later develop fluency in reading and writing. Don’t be afraid to use fingerspelling with your young Deaf and Hard of Hearing children… Fingerspell, fingerspell, fingerspell!
Read more at http://vl2.gallaudet.edu/research/research-briefs/english/importance-fingerspelling-reading/
– article authored by Ms. Christie Homell, ASL Teacher, at WPSD
Making Spaces at WPSD. Join this exciting new initiative for our students!
The Western Pennsylvania School for the Deaf is excited to announced that the School is joining an exciting new initiative – Making Space: Expanding Maker Education Across the Nation, which is a collaboration between Google, Maker Ed, and Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh. This creative program aims to develop a national strategy to integrate “learning through making” into schools across America.
Making Spaces employs an innovative model by providing schools with maker education expertise from a nearby museum, library, school district or community organization, known as a “hub.” Ten hubs have been established across the country, one being the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh.
The Children’s Museum will collaborate with 10 schools in the Western Pennsylvania region to help each school launch their own maker space, as well as to provide guidance to schools as they tailor their approach to implementing maker education for their students.
WPSD is excited to announce that it has been selected as one of the local schools to partner with the Children’s Museum. As a part of this initiative, a new maker space will be established in the School’s beautiful Learning Center, which presently serves as an area of study and research for students. It will provide a dedicated area that facilitates building knowledge through a variety of materials and activities.
The librarian and teachers will guide the students in critical thinking, problem solving, and collaboration with regard to six different areas: science, technology, reading, engineering, art, and mathematics (“STREAM”). The vision is to challenge students to learn “outside of the book,” encouraging them to explore, experiment, and create.
As the only school for Deaf and Hard of Hearing children among the schools in the project, WPSD is proud to offer this innovative learning opportunity for our students and demonstrate its leadership in Deaf education in the region and the Commonwealth. The project will launch at the start of the new school year in the fall of 2017 and efforts are well underway to train staff and prepare the Learning Center for this exciting new venture.
Parents, families and friends of WPSD can play an important role is this new project by supporting the creation and operation of our new “making spaces” project. Donations of any amount can be directed toward this initiative by visiting Making Spaces at WPSD. Together we can build a better future for our students. Thank you for your support for our students and the School!
Citizen’s Police Academy Offered by the Edgewood Police Department – April 5th through May 31st.
The Edgewood Police Department is offering its Annual Citizens Police Academy. The program is designed to give the average citizen a better understanding of the criminal justice system, in particular, the role police officers play in the community.
The Academy will begin Wednesday, April 5, 2017 and run consecutively every Wednesday through May 31, 2017. Classes will be held from 6pm-9pm in the Children’s Center located a the Western Pennsylvania School for the Deaf at 300 East Swissvale Ave, Edgewood PA 15218.
Applications can be picked up beginning February 3 through March 20 at the Edgewood Borough Municipal Building at 2 Race Street, Edgewood PA 15218. Please return the completed application no later than April 1, 2017. The application will include additional follow up instruction. All participants will be contacted via phone or email with additional information once selected. Please join us for a unique behind-the-scenes experience into the world of law enforcement.
Potential students must be 18 years of age or older, and have never been convicted of a felony in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania or elsewhere.
All questions should be referred to the Program Coordinator – Officer Fred Livingston at 412-242-9994.
Season’s Greetings from the Western Pennsylvania School for the Deaf.
From our family to yours, the students and staff at the Western Pennsylvania School for the Deaf wish you a happy holiday season and every blessing in the new year. We invite you to watch our holiday commercial airing on television throughouth the holiday season.
May we remember all of the gifts given to us throughout the year.
NDIAA Announces WPSD as WPSD’s Volleyball and Soccer teams as National Champions!
NDIAA is thrilled to announce the results of our 10th annual Fall Sports Selections: National Champions, Player of the Year and Coach of the Year below.
The committee spent many hours on the selection process on each sport. The time invested was well worth it, for our excellent Deaf schools and fine athletes deserve to be recognized for their hard work, dedication, and achievements.
Final Volleyball selections
National Champions:
Division I: Texas
Division II: WPSD
POY:
Division I: Karita Lewis, Maryland
Division II: Kayla Mitchell, Minnesota
COY:
Division I: RJ Kauffman, Texas
Division II: Christie Homell, Western Pennsylvania
Final Soccer selections
National Champions:
WPSD
CO-POY:
Raymond Mukhailov, Lexington
Ahmed, Mahmoud, Rochester
COY:
Mary Cook, Rochester
Final Football selections
8-man
National Champions – Louisiana
POY – Raul Melgar, Kansas
COY – Susan Gremillion, Louisiana
11-man
National Champions – Maryland
POY – Jax Pedersen, Fremont
COY – Warren Keller, Fremont
The committee would like to thank the Athletic Directors and coaches for their utmost commitment to their athletes’ development, character and talent. The responses to the nomination forms this year has been overwhelming. We also have to recognize everyone as a winner on and off the field.
Congratulations on the accomplishments!
NDIAA Committee,
Len Gonzales, Chairperson, Fremont
Matthew Eby, Wisconsin
Andy Bonheyo, Maryland
Mary Cook, Rochester
Chris Hamilton, Texas
Billy Lange, Kentucky
Holly Reichle, Mississippi
Western Pennsylvania School for the Deaf to Host Homecoming Weekend.
This coming weekend will be busy and exciting at the Western Pennsylvania School for the Deaf (WPSD) as the School celebrates its 18th Annual Homecoming.
At 11:00 a.m. on Friday, an all-school pep rally will be held in the large gym on campus. The 2016 Homecoming King and Queen will be crowned and the boys’ and girls’ basketball teams and cheerleading squad will be introduced to the student body.
Later that afternoon, beginning at 3:00 p.m. and lasting into the evening, and all day Saturday, the School’s Homecoming Basketball Classic will take place. The boys’ and girls’ varsity basketball teams from three other schools for the Deaf will participate in this exciting competition. Kentucky School for the Deaf, Delaware School for the Deaf and Ohio School for the Deaf will travel to WPSD to challenge and socialize with one another.
“We are thrilled to host the Homecoming Classic this weekend,” said WPSD CEO Dr. Steve Farmer. “This event serves as an opportunity to allow our students to enjoy healthy competition, develop teamwork, and create new friendships with students from other Deaf schools across the nation.”
We hope you will consider covering part or all of this special weekend for our students. For more information about this exciting 2-day event, or to arrange a photo opportunity and/or interviews, please contact Ms. Sarah Bartlebaugh at 412.244.4207 or sbartlebaugh@wpsd.org.
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Western Pennsylvania School for the Deaf is a non-profit school with a tradition of academic excellence. WPSD provides tuition-free educational and extracurricular services to children from preschool through Grade 12. The Programs of WPSD serve over 300 students and is the largest comprehensive center for the education of deaf and hard-of-hearing children in the state.
In this season of giving, would you consider making a year-end gift to the Western Pennsylvania School for the Deaf today?
The Western Pennsylvania School for the Deaf is making a difference in the lives of deaf and hard of hearing students throughout Pennsylvania. Technology plays a critical role in the present and future success of WPSD’s students. The latest technology is integrated throughout the school day and in every part of the campus, providing knowledge and 
experience that prepares each student for future challenges in college and the workforce.
Students in the Children’s Center use a bank of iPads loaded with educational apps which support and develop their language, math, and reading skills. In the elementary and middle schools, students have access to robust computer labs, exposing them to advanced desktop publishing, graphic arts, multimedia development and video editing.
In WPSD’s recently launched 3-D printing lab, students are introduced to digital fabrication through a variety of high-level design programs. Students in the high school take learning into their own hands as they work with design, modeling, scanning, laser cutting, and 3-D printing. This truly keeps WPSD on the 
cutting edge of technology and future workforce opportunities.
As 2016 comes to a close, we need your help to ensure that our students and graduates continue to be leaders in the technology field. Would you consider a year-end gift to support our students? Your gift today is an investment in our students’ tomorrows. A one-time gift or a recurring monthly gift can be made by clicking on the “Donate Today” button below.
No gift is too small and every gift makes a difference. Another important way you can support WPSD is by sharing this appeal through email or social media. Would you consider sharing WPSD’s story to grow our circle of friends this holiday season? 
Thank you for your kindness, generosity, and support of our students and our School. Best wishes for a holiday season filled with peace and joy.