Media Advisory
Local Children’s Math Camp, August 17-August 21, 2015
North Side Primary Center, Herrin, Illinois
Contacts:
Beth Spezia, WSIU Outreach Coordinator, (618) 453-5595, beth.spezia@wsiu.org
Matt Viernow, Principal, North Side Primary - Herrin, Ill., (618) 942-5418
Teresa Whitecotton, Assistant Principal, North Side Primary - Herrin, Ill., (618) 942-5418
WSIU, North Side Primary to Host Math Camp for Kids
“Be the Agent” Odd Squad Camp Set for August 17-August 21
Carbondale, Ill. – Something odd is coming to North Side Primary Center in Herrin, Illinois, just in time for the new school year!
WSIU Public Broadcasting, a service of Southern Illinois University Carbondale, has partnered with the school to conduct “Be the Agent”, a week-long math camp based on educational curriculum from the PBS KIDS program Odd Squad. According to the Annie E. Casey Foundation, three out of five U.S. 4th graders are not performing at grade level in math, a skillset that has shown to be a strong predictor of students’ overall success. Odd Squad was launched by PBS KIDS in 2014 to address this educational need.
Reporters, camera crews, and photographers are invited to interview the program facilitators and meet the children on Friday, August 14 before the program officially begins to report pre-camp news coverage. Media personnel should enter through the main entrance to the school and report to the front office. To schedule specific times for interviews, contact Beth Spezia at (618) 453-5595 or beth.spezia@wsiu.org.
Media representatives are also invited to cover activities during the camp, which will be held from August 17 through August 21from 12:40pm to 2:40pm atNorth Side Primary Center, 601 North 17th Street in Herrin, Illinois. Media are also encouraged to visit the school again on the last day of the camp – Friday, August 21 between 12:40pm and 2:40pm – to visit with students and their parents, have refreshments, and observe results of the week-long program.
“Be the Agent” will support early math skills for 20 children in kindergarten and first grade through structured group activities, interactive content, games, and crafts facilitated by WSIU outreach staff members Sara Blackstad and Dennis Foster. Math concepts will include addition, subtraction, sorting and classifying, patterning, and shapes.
Campers will have the opportunity to step into the shoes of Odd Squad agents and to solve a series of odd cases that extend action from the broadcast series directly into classrooms. These real-world activities will enable young “agents” to meaningfully apply specific math skills modeled in the show as they restore order to chaos and put things right again.
Interview opportunities include:
Sara Blackstad, WSIU Outreach Assistant
Dennis Foster, WSIU Outreach Student
Beth Spezia, WSIU Outreach Coordinator
Matt Viernow, Principal, North Side Primary
Teresa Whitecotton, Assistant Principal, North Side Primary
Camp participants
To schedule interviews, contact Beth Spezia at (618) 453-5595 or beth.spezia@wsiu.org.
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 more than 500 children in kindergarten and 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, please visit www.herrinnorth.org or call (618) 942-5418. For information about the NSPC's Pre-K program, please call (618) 997-0137.
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