FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 1, 2014
CONTACTS:
- Tobias Harkleroad, Principal, Saint Francis International School, 301-434-2344,
Saint Francis International School Students are First in Math
SILVER SPRING, MD – In their first year of participating in the national First in Math competition the K through 8 students at Saint Francis International School have excelled to earn the top spot in Maryland as well as reaching #24 in the entire United States.
First in Math is an online math enrichment program that students play throughout the school year both at school and at home. The First in Math platform allows students to have immediate feedback as they participate in fun math activities and games, this platform allows students to have what First in Math inventor Robert Sun calls “deep practice.”
First in Math came to Saint Francis International School in September of 2013 as part of the school’s ongoing efforts to strengthen students’ math skills. Franciscan Brother Gerald Hopeck, Co-Principal of Saint Francis International School, was the catalyst for bringing First in Math to the diverse Silver Spring school. Brother Gerald had experience using First in Math during a previous assignment working at a Catholic school in Philadelphia where First in Math use was seen as a direct influence on increased standardized test scores in mathematics.
Not only have students at Saint Francis International School come to enjoy using First in Math as a learning tool, but the school has used multiple incentives throughout the year to keep students excited about participating. All of the snow days this winter actually were a big part of Saint Francis International School’s success this year. On snow days Principal Toby Harkleroad would issue challenges by Facebook and phone blasts encouraging students and their parents to use the time at home to work on First in Math. SFIS saw its biggest gains in the rankings on those snow days; snow days became math days!
On Monday, May 5, at 8:30 am Saint Francis International School will present their students with a trophy representing their achievement as #1 in Maryland and #24 in the USA. Individually, 18 students who reached the Champion and the 8 that reached Grand Champion level in First in Math will receive medals to recognize their accomplishment. SFIS is particularly proud that they will honor a second grader as the student with highest score in the entire school!
~~~
Saint Francis International School
Saint Francis International School is a regional Catholic school of the Archdiocese of Washington founded in 2010 through the merger of St. Camillus and St. Mark Catholic Schools. Saint Francis serves nearly 480 students age 2 through 8th grade on their Silver Spring Campus. Saint Francis International School is made up of a highly diverse population where over 78% of students have at least one parent who was born abroad in one of 54 different countries from India to Nigeria to Trinidad to El Salvador. Families in the Saint Francis community come from a broad range of socio-economic backgrounds with over 52% of students qualifying to receive free or reduced cost meals. Saint Francis International School is sponsored and supported by the Catholic communities of St. Camillus and Our Lady of Vietnam in Silver Spring, St. Catherine Labouré in Wheaton, and St. Mark the Evangelist in Hyattsville. To learn more about the mission and history of Saint Francis International School visit .
First in Math
First in Math is an online mathematics learning tool created by Suntex International, Inc. of Philadelphia, PA.
# # #