Portfolio Breakfast

Wraps Up Learning Process

By Laurie Borst

On the morning of June 21, Newtown Middle School cafeteria was filled with parents and students from Cluster 7 Purple to share portfolios the students had assembled. The portfolio is a collection of work that each student feels is representative of the progress he or she made during the school year. Student Megan Preis explained, “It’s a mixture of what we’ve been doing all year.”

Valerie Leone, science teacher for Cluster 7 Purple, opened the proceedings. “I want to thank our outstanding parent volunteers for all their support,” she said. “The portfolio is not always the best work, but things the students are proud of. It shows the areas where they truly improved and progressed. The portfolios will follow the students to eighth grade.”

Cluster member Jacob Eventoff performed the song, “One Song Glory,” from Rent. “I chose the song because it expressed the end-of-year feelings I had and wanted to share,” Jacob said.

Math teacher Elizabeth Stevens said, “The presentations of portfolios to the parents is something all of the clusters will do.”

Kathy McGivern, language arts teacher, and Shari Oliver, social studies teacher, round out the team that teaches Cluster 7 Purple.