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WSIU, North Side in Herrin to Host PBS Kids Event

2013, Feline Features LLC

For Immediate Release

Thursday, January 23, 2014

Contacts: Cassie Burgess, Principal, North Side Primary Center – Herrin, Ill., (618) 942-5418; Beth Spezia, Outreach Coordinator, WSIU Public Broadcasting, (618) 453-5595, beth.spezia@wsiu.org

WSIU, Local School to Launch PEG + CAT 100 Days of School

Event to be held Thursday, January 30 at North Side Primary in Herrin

Carbondale, Ill. – To celebrate this year’s 100th Day of School, North Side Primary Center in Herrin has partnered with WSIU Public Broadcasting, the public media arm of Southern Illinois University Carbondale, to help Herrin teachers and families build kids’ math skills at a PEG + CAT 100 Days of School Event on Thursday, January 30 from 5:30-7:30pm at North Side Primary, 601 North 17th Street in Herrin, Illinois. WSIU will provide educators and parents with educational resources from PEG + CAT, the newest preschool series from PBS KIDS.

North Side Primary, the school’s Parent-Teacher Organization, and community volunteers will organize PEG + CAT activities, including videos, mobile apps, stick puppets, and flip books. The school also will host math and measurement games, a book walk, songs, snacks, and prizes. Families are encouraged to bring their own devices to experiment with the mobile learning activities.

WSIU also will install new mobile learning resources in the school’s media lab, including Kindle Fire devices to access PEG + CAT resources, along with games, activities, and PEG + CAT counting-themed rugs. Multimedia content from PEG + CAT includes video clips, digital and hands-on games and activities, and tools to connect home and school that will engage parents and educators and extend learning both inside and outside the classroom. These resources are available at pbskids.org/learn.

Grounded in a rich math curriculum, PEG + CAT offers a variety of content themed around the number 100. Through their PEG + CAT-themed 100th Day of School effort, North Side Primary is providing educational resources to help build Herrin kids’ math skills. This emphasis is especially important given that the U.S.’s ranking of 26th among 34 countries in children’s math achievement (National Assessment of Education Progress Report 2012) has prompted national concern.

“Research shows that it’s vital that we start building children’s math skills from a young age to help them succeed in school and in life,” said Cassie Burgess, Principal of North Side Primary Center. “Through our 100th Day of School effort in partnership with our local public broadcasting station WSIU, we are helping educators and families support early math learning for the kids in Herrin.”

PEG + CAT follows the adorable, spirited Peg and her sidekick, Cat, as they embark on adventures and learn foundational math concepts and skills. Created by Billy Aronson (RentPostcards from Buster) and Jennifer Oxley (Little BillThe Wonder Pets!) and produced by The Fred Rogers Company, PEG + CAT brings young viewers a new way to experience math through Peg and Cat’s relatable, and often hilarious, adventures. Each episode features original songs and fascinating stories in which the animated duo encounter a problem that requires them to use math and problem-solving skills in order to move forward. The series airs weekdays on WSIU-TV at 8am and 2pm and weekends at 7am.

PEG + CAT is funded in part by the U.S. Department of Education through the Ready To Learn Initiative, a program that supports the development of innovative educational television and digital media targeted at preschool and early elementary school children and their families, and by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB)

About WSIU Public Broadcasting

WSIU Public Broadcasting is licensed to the Board of Trustees of Southern Illinois University and is an integral part of the College of Mass Communication & Media Arts on the Carbondale campus. The WSIU stations reach more than three million people across five states and beyond through three digital public television channels, three public radio stations, a radio information service, a website, and an education and community outreach department.

WSIU's mission is to improve the quality of life of the people they serve. The WSIU stations partner with other community organizations to promote positive change and to support the academic and public service missions of Southern Illinois University Carbondale. Learn more and get the latest station news online at wsiu.org and on WSIU's Facebook and Twitter pages.

WSIU's programs and services are partially funded by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency.

About North Side Primary Center

North Side Primary Center (NSPC) in Herrin, Illinois consists of eight kindergarten classes and eight first grade classrooms with highly qualified experienced faculty. Supporting staff members include reading specialists, social worker/counselor, nurse, speech therapists, and interventionists/classroom assistants. NSPC’s faculty has expertise in instruction and planning that meet state-mandated Core Curriculum Standards. The school’s teachers are diligent about intertwining the mandated criteria into the curriculum in order to support students’ achievement.

NSPC also houses the state Pre-K program, which serves students from 3-5 years of age and follows Illinois Early Learning Standards. The Pre-K program has three classrooms each, with both a morning and afternoon session, and offers early childhood classes for special needs students who are enrolled.

For more information about North Side Primary Center, please visit www.herrinnorth.org or call (618) 942-5418. For information about the NSPC’s Pre-K program, please call (618) 997-0137.

About The Fred Rogers Company
The company was founded by Fred Rogers in 1971 as the nonprofit producer of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood for PBS. In the years that followed, it not only created hundreds of episodes of this much-loved program, but also extended Fred’s values and approach to other efforts in promoting children’s social, emotional and behavioral health and supporting parents, caregivers, teachers and other professionals in their work with children. The Fred Rogers Company continues to build on Fred’s legacy in innovative ways through a wide variety of media, and engaging new generations of children and families with his timeless wisdom. For more information, visit us at www.fredrogers.org.

The contents of this release were developed under a grant from the Department of Education. However, those contents do not necessarily represent the policy of the Department of Education, and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government. [PR/Award No. U295A100025, CFDA No. 84.295A]

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