FALL NEWSLETTER 2013 INSIDE THIS ISSUE

A Message from the Superintendent | p2Williamsport Area Middle School: Ready for Students | p3

A Look at the New District Landscape / Keystones to Opportunity| p4Alumni Association News / WAHS Renovation Update| p5

Alternate Lunches and Money Collection Procedures / Budget Snapshot | p6Examples of Excellence: Class of 2013 / Back-to-School FYI for Parents | p7District Directory /Safe Routes to School / 2012-13 District Fast Facts | p8

Developing responsible citizens through excellence in education.

w w w . w a s d . o r g

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Dear Community,

When I came to the Williamsport Area School District, the only thing that I knew about the Williamsport area was that it was the “Home of Little

League Baseball” and north of Penn State. During the past seven years, I have learned so much more about the people and culture of the region. I have found that the community is steeped in tradition, yet open to new ideas and economic growth. In addition, the people care about preserving the beautiful environment and promoting healthy living.

Maintaining a quality educational program and offering a wide range of programs and extracurricular opportunities, including the visual and performing arts, are priorities for everyone. Also, appreciating the diversity of cultures and people is embraced by school district personnel and community members alike.

I want to thank everyone who has given me their support and cooperation during my time in the school district. Williamsport has been a great place to live and work.

Best wishes are extended to the school district and the community as you move forward in the future. I’d like to leave you with what has been my mantra since I was a little girl. It is a Mother Goose nursery rhyme that goes like this:

Good better best,Never rest, Until good is better, andBetter is best.

It takes everyone in a community to maintain and improve the educational advantages for all of our youth. I hope that you accept the challenge to continually advocate for children and support public education to educate the citizens of the future. Together you can make a difference in a child’s life. Finally, regardless of where I am as I enter Life: Part II, I’ll always remain “Williamsport and Millionaire Proud!”

Sincerely,

Kathleen R. Kelley, Ph.D.

Welcome to the 2013-2014 school year!

This year is filled with exciting opportunities that include four schools focusing on primary education (Grades K-3), two schools that focus on intermediate

programming (Grades 4-6), a newly renovated middle school (Grades 7-8), and our high school (Grades 9-12) that is being renovated to meet the educational needs of a 21st

century community.

We express our deep appreciation to all of our staff who worked throughout the past school year and this summer to ensure that our schools are ready to provide the best experiences for our students.

There will be a community event this fall to dedicate the new Williamsport Area Middle School. We hope you will be able to join us for this event.

Our instructional staff is thrilled to be able to offer exceptional opportunities for students in academics, arts, career and technical education, and extracurricular activities. Partnerships with

businesses, health care facilities, colleges and non-profit organizations in the Williamsport Area are providing increased opportunities for our students through academic courses, before and after school

programs, mentoring, technical support, and internships.

All of us need to take pride in the fact that it is through community partnerships and working together that we can best serve the needs of our students and families. We are the Williamsport Community and

we are proud to be a part of it!

Sincerely,

Don C. Adams, Ph.D.Superintendent570-327-5500

dadams@wasd.org

Dear Community,

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A FAREWELL MESSAGEFROM FORMER SUPERINTENDENT DR. KATHLEEN KELLEY

About this PublicationThis newsletter was

produced by the WASD Public Relations Office and

printed by Grit Printing & Direct Mail, 80 Choate Circle

in Montoursville.

WA

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Three years ago, Theodore Roosevelt Junior High School — what was then affectionately referred to as the “Home

of the Rough Riders” — temporarily closed its doors under the promise of something new. As then-Principal Reginald Fatherly put it during a celebration that marked the building’s closure: “What we’re saying goodbye to is an old facility, and hello to hopeful opportunities in the future.”

Those opportunities and the delivery of that promise will begin to unfold this year, as the new, “greener,” state-of-the- art Williamsport Area Middle School (WAMS) opens its doors next week to approximately 840 seventh- and eighth-grade students, with Principal Brandon Pardoe and Assistant Principal Richard Poole at the helm. Both principals are moving to the building from their leadership roles at the former Curtin Middle School.

“We believe that WAMS will be a school that thecommunity will be proud of and will see the benefit of the future programming that will be developed to benefit our students as they prepare to enter the high school,” Pardoe said, who envisions creating a student-centered environment with a “true-team” approach from his staff. “I look forward to actively working with families to be involved in the education of their children.”

Bringing all the seventh- and eighth-grade students together in one building “creates increased opportunities for joint programming,”

according to Superintendent Dr. Don Adams.

The new classrooms are colorful with plenty of natural lighting. Science labs are spacious for classroom learning and facilitating inquiry hands-on lab experiments on a daily basis. The faculty will have access to data in core academic classrooms by using interactive whiteboard technology.

Additionally, students will write, create and produce daily announcements in the school’s WAMS-TV studio, the cafetorium offers an updated food service area for students that can be transformed into an auditorium for any school production or assembly on stage. Chorus, band and orchestra rooms are equipped with lesson rooms with instrument storage. Students also will be able to

receive strength and cardio training in the school’s fitness room.

“It is a functional building that was designed around the needs of adolescent-age students,” Pardoe said.

“Our goal is to create a school environment that is inviting, safe, inclusive and supportive to all our students,” the principal added. “It’s our responsibility to make sure our students experience a challenging, exploratory, integrative and relevant curriculum. Part of our purpose is to empower students by providing them with the knowledge and skills needed to take control of their lives.”

For more information on Williamsport Area Middle School, or to view more photos of the renovated building, visit www.wasd.org/wams.

Williamsport Area Middle School: Ready for StudentsSPECIAL FOCUS: New Beginnings at Williamsport Area School District

Accompanying photos were taken in July 2013.

The opening of the new middle school brings with it a shift in the district’s landscape that will take effect this school term. Over the last several years,

the district has worked to realign the grade configuration and prepare the buildings that will essentially open as “new” schools at the primary (grades K-3) and intermediate (grades 4-6) levels on Aug. 26.

In 2009, the Williamsport Area School Board unveiled its plan to restructure the district by presenting a menu of options to renovate, close and consolidate schools, all in response to the district’s declining enrollment trend over the last several decades.

In January 2010, the district made two crucial advances to set plans in motion by approving a new kindergarten-to-three, four-to-six, seven-and-eight, and nine-to-12 grade configuration. At that time, the board also made the decision to move its district headquarters to the former Roosevelt Middle School site — thus, setting the framework for what begins this year.

According to Superintendent Dr. Don Adams, the new configuration establishes an academically“focused-school” setting with the primary and intermediate school setup. It will work to bring together a larger group of students earlier on in their academic careers that will enable them to interact with a more diverse set of children as they ultimately move toward the middle and high school levels.

Academically, the new configuration will create a stronger emphasis on core programs such as the district’sEveryday Math curriculum and the district’s newest and more rigorous reading program, Treasures, that, together, will help improve the math and literacy skills of students in their most formative years. Federal Programs Director Dr. Susan Bigger believes that students who can read and write well, and have

strong computation skills is “everyone’s business.”

“Parents want this for their children, businesses want this for their employees and teachers want this for their students,” Bigger said. “On the surface it may seem hard, but we have work to do and higher achievement expectations to conquer. Going easy is not the answer. We must teach our students to work hard, persevere, persist — even when work is challenging.”

The district has been fortunate enough, through the resources of a statewide competitive Keystones to Opportunity grant, to bring in more than $1 million over the last two years to support significant literacy work already under way in the district.

“These qualities are significant and worthy life lessons that will serve them well in school and work,” Bigger added. “What I am most confident about is that our students have all the potential needed and, with the right tools, they will succeed.”

Primary Schools: Grades K-3• Cochran• Hepburn-Lycoming• Jackson• Stevens

Intermediate Schools: Grades 4-6• Curtin• Lycoming Valley

Middle School: Grades 7-8• Williamsport Area Middle School

High School: Grades 9-12 • Williamsport Area High School

* See the Building Directory on Page 8 that lists the phone numbers and principals of each school.

Keystones to Opportunity

Last year, the Williamsport Area School District received a Keystones to Opportunity (KtO) literacy grant from the state Department of EducationDivision of Federal Programs worth $569,904. That grant aimed to improve and accelerate the reading achievement of all students and implement its new, evidence-based Treasures reading program for students in kindergarten to fifth grade. The grant also brought with it an expansion of Response to Instruction and Intervention (RtII) strategies.

This summer, the district learned it will be able to continue the work that it has already begun, as it was approved by the state to receive an additional $490,688 for the 2013-14 school term. This will enable the district to further its work in implementing its comprehensive literacy plan for children in the pre-kindergarten to Grade 5 age bracket. These grants not only have and will serve our district’s children but also help sustain partnerships with Head Start and pre-kindergarten programs to improve and ease kindergarten transition in the district. It also will provide continued training for WASD staff in early-intervention services and data review protocols to match interventions and student needs.

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Primary and Intermediate Schools: The K-6 BreakdownSPECIAL FOCUS: New Beginnings at Williamsport Area School District

During the 2012-13 school term, the district’s Alumni Association took the initial steps to work at its mission, completing a successful first year with a

promising outlook as it continues to grow. The association, an offshoot of the WASD Education Foundation, began with an aggressive search during the 2011-12 school year for alumni willing to lead an organization responsible for reconnecting and engaging WAHS graduates.

It has been on the rise to become a pivotal element in the district and alumni community, led by a 13-member volunteer board of directors.

To date, it awarded its first Distinguished Alumni Award last October; hosted a New York City Bus Trip during the holiday season; and launched a Career Cafe program for alumni to return to the high school to speak to students about their careers. In addition, it held its first all-class gathering event last spring with the “Millionaire Mingle” at 33 East. That event produced a turn out of more than 130 alumni who came together, with attendees who streamed in from as early as the 1930s to 2010. (A photo from that event can be seen at left, in which members of the Class of 1958 pose for the camera.) It also held its first regional event at The Field House sports restaurant in Philadelphia.

With plans developing for the new year, the organization is seeking Distinguished Alumni Award nominations until Sept. 5, which will be

awarded for the second time during a short pre-game ceremony before the Homecoming game on Oct. 18. Additionally, it is accepting registrations until Sept. 20 for its second New York City Bus Trip scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 19.

For more information on the Alumni Association, please visit www.wasd.org/alumni, or contact the Alumni Office at (570) 327-5500 ext. 33495. For more detailed information on the events mentioned in this newsletter or on future activities, visit the association’s “Events” page online.

WASD Alumni Association Continues to Build, Engage

RENOVATIONS AT WAHS: A change in look is on the way for areas of Williamsport Area High School. Beginning early last spring, crews started renovation and construction work around campus to bring marked improvements to the building’s aging infrastructure and its ability to meet the growing demands of instructional technology. The work will create a more economically and academically efficient building that will best prepare students for new industry and global demands. Above, crews are shown at the site of a the demolished sky bridge outside the art suite.

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A NEW MAIN ENTRANCE: Located in the former science wing are the new administrative offices (shown above), now tied directly to the building’s main entrance. The school’s former main office has been transformed into science labs. The high school project, the first of its kind since it opened in 1972, stems from a district-wide renovation plan involving the newly renovated middle school, and is scheduled to be completed in late 2014. While a construction project in 2000 at the high school provided new Career and Technical Education shops, it did not include work on the existing building.

Photos presented here were taken in July 2013.

To create a more active approach in collecting unpaid debt to minimize losses, the WASD administration restructured its debt collection procedures as it pertains to its School Lunch and Breakfast Program Charged Meal Policy, effective for the 2013-14 school year.

Students Carrying Negative Balances:• High school students (grades nine to 12), carrying a negative balance will not be allowed to charge any additional meals or a la carte items.

• Middle school students (grades seven and eight) carrying a negative balance of $10 or more will not be allowed to charge any additional meals or a la carte items.

• Intermediate school students (grades four to six) carrying a negative balance of $10 or more will not be allowed to charge any additional meals. The cafeteria may provide a sandwich of its choice to the student if the student wants something to eat. Students receiving a sandwich will have the cost of the sandwich charged to their accounts.

• Primary school students (kindergarten to grade three) carrying a negative balance of $10 or more may be provided with an alternate reimbursable meal. Students receiving the

alternate meal will have the cost of the meal charged to their accounts.

Money Collection Procedures:• When a student’s account is down to less than $5, students will be given an envelope to take home and have parents

replenish the account. The envelope will be given on the line.

• At the primary and intermediate levels (kindergarten to grade six), when a student’s account has a negative balance, the cafeteria will produce a letter showing the negative balance. The letter will be placed in the homeroom teacher’s mailbox to be sent

home with the child.

• For students in kindergarten to grade 12, a phone call and e-mail message will be made via ParentLink every week to the home of the child having a negative balance.

• Any student having a negative balance of $50 or more will have his or her account turned over to a collection agency.

• Cafeteria debts are cumulative and carry over from year to year. At the end of a student’s senior year, a diploma will not be issued to him or her unless all debts are paid.

WASD Budget Summary for the 2013-14 School Year

Estimated RevenuesLocal Revenue Sources ................ 31,701,711State Revenue Sources ................ 38,853,468Federal Revenue Sources .............. 8,290,963Other Revenue Sources .................... 300,000Fund Balance Transfer .................... 1,780,844Total Revenues .............................. 80,926,986

Estimated ExpendituresInstruction ............................................. 45,722,438Support Services ................................. 22,438,983Non-Instructional Services .................... 1,097,916Other Financing Issues ....................... 11,667,649Total Expenditures ............................... 80,926,986

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WASD Real Estate Tax:A .347-mill increase, or 2.4% tax increase, was appoved for the 2013-14 fiscal year. For a property assessed at $100,000, the increase will be $34.70.

With a projected enrollment of 5,319, cost per student for FY14 is $15,215.

CLASSROOMINSTRUCTIONALEXPENSES

OTHER

CLASSROOM SUPPORT EXPENSES

Teachers and Assistants, Textbooks and Materials, Supplies

Student Services: Curriculum Development, Guidance, Health Services, Library, Technology, Transportation

Operational Leadership: Administration, Business Office, Human Resources, Maintenance, Utility Costs

2013-14 Meal Prices:Primary-Secondary Breakfast — FREEPrimary-Intermediate Lunch — $2.45

Secondary Lunch — $2.60Adult Breakfast — $2.45

Adult Lunch — $3.85

Alternate lunches and money collection procedures

56%

16%28%

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Emergency FormsStudents will bring home several forms for parents to complete on the first day of school. It is very important for parents to fill in all information and immediately return the forms to school. Current contact information, such as telephone numbers, are needed in order to contact parents in the event children become ill or there is some other emergency. Specific telephone numbers, addresses and email addresses will be requested on a ParentLink form and are critical for parents to receive emergency messages from the automated information system.

School Closings and DelaysGet school closings and delays sent to you via email or text messaging. Go to www.wnep.com and sign up under its “Weather” tab. School closing and delay announcements will also be available on the district website, ParentLink (via telephone, text and email notifications), local television and radio stations.

YMCA Latch-Key ProgramChildcare services provided by the YMCA are available before and after school in most elementary buildings. For more information, contact the YMCA at 570-323-7134.

Medical and Dental Examination RequirementsPA School Health Law mandates all children have a medical exam on original entry into school, sixth and ninth grades. Dental exams are also required on original entry into school, third and sixth grades. Medical and dental exam forms can be obtained on the district’s Health Services webpage or from the school nurse. Completed forms must be submitted to the school nurse.

WASD Weapon PolicyPennsylvania legislation and the Pennsylvania School Code require that specific actions be taken if a student brings a weapon to school, to a school-sponsored activity, or into any vehicle transporting students to or from a school or a school-sponsored activity. Possession or use of a weapon in these settings requires that the student(s) be suspended and then expelled unless the superintendent recommends to the board a modification of the expulsion requirement. Toy and look-alike weapons are considered weapons under these rules.

Examples of Excellence: Class of 2013• Daniel Ma and Olivia Kuzio represented the Class of 2013 as valedictorian and salutatorian, respectively.

• Many of the seniors will be attending colleges and universities such as the University of Toronto, University of Pennsylvania, MIT, RIT, Duquesne University, Penn College, Lycoming College, Lock Haven University, Bloomsburg University and Mansfield University. Additionally, some will serve in military branches, such as the Navy and the Air Force.

• Seniors re-wrote the academic record books for reading, math and writing skills as measured by the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE). Academic performance leapfrogged 140 schools throughout the state, hit a perfect 25/25 on the PDE School Report Card and demonstrated double-digit growth in every measurable area.

• Advanced Placement (AP) scores exceeded the global average, with 18 students earning AP Scholar Awards.

• 52 seniors graduated as members of the National Honor Society.

• Matthew Burg was selected andperformed across Europe this summer as a member of the National Youth Orchestra of the United States of America.

• The National Merit and National Achievement Scholarship programs recognized Daniel Ma and Elizabeth Rider, respectively, as scholarship recipients. The National Merit Scholarship Program also recognized Matthew Fox as a Semifinalist.

• Athletics: Alexis Bower was named Pennsylvania’s Gatorade Softball Player of the Year for 2013, 1st Team All-State Pitcher/Hitter for both junior and senior years; Brandon Fedoriw was a member of the record-setting 3200 M relay team and earned three varsity letters in cross country, basketball, and track and field; Olivia Kuzio was a first-team, undefeated PHAC All-Star in tennis; Devin Miller rushed for more than 1,000 yards in three consecutive seasons; Shaun Smith was first-team PHAC All-Star in soccer and swimming; Jahad Thomas selected First Team, All-State by the Associated Press in Class AAAA boys basketball in Pennsylvania and scored more than 1,200 career points for the Millionaire basketball team; Herb Stelly broke two long-standing track and field records, earned three varsity letters in cross country, basketball, and track and field, and won district titles in basketball and in two events in track and field; and Sarah Wirth earned eight varsity letters in her high school career in cross country and track and field.

• Daniel Ma was named as the 2013 Outstanding Student of the Year at the Williamsport/Lycoming Chamber of Commerce Education Celebration.

• Senior artists Maria Balestino and Madison Vermilya were recognized as Semifinalists in the national “The Dream @ 50 Art Contest,” a Martin Luther King, Jr.-inspired art competition, at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

WE ARE

MILLIONAIREPROUD!

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WASD Board of School Directors

PRESIDENTMs. Lori Baer

VICE PRESIDENTMr. Thomas A. Zimmerman

MEMBERSMrs. Brette Confair Ms. Karen ConferMrs. Jerene Milliken Dr. Jane PenmanMr. Jay Shultz Mr. David Stone, Jr.Mr. Dale Vollman

WASD Building Directory

J. Henry Cochran Primary SchoolMrs. Cindy T. Schuyler, Principal570-322-9731 | 1500 Cherry Street

Hepburn-Lycoming Primary School570-494-1112 | 355 Route 973 East Cogan StationDr. Robert L. Williams, Principal

Andrew Jackson Primary School570-323-1992 | 2500 Newberry StreetMr. John Killian, Principal

Thaddeus Stevens Primary School570-322-7853 | 1150 Louisa StreetMr. Kirk C. Felix, Principal

Andrew G. Curtin Intermediate School570-323-4785 | 85 Eldred StreetMr. David J. Michaels, PrincipalMr. William Rathjen, Assistant Principal

Lycoming Valley Intermediate School 570-494-1700 | 1825 Hays Lane Mr. Tim Fausnaught, Principal Mrs. Michele Kunkle, Assistant Principal

Williamsport Area Middle School570-323-6177| 2800 West Fourth StreetMr. Brandon S. Pardoe, PrincipalMr. Richard J. Poole, Assistant Principal

Williamsport Area High School570-323-8411 | 2990 West Fourth StreetMr. Michael Reed, Head PrincipalMr. William G. Emery, PrincipalMr. Jeffery T. Robbins, PrincipalMr. Reginald Fatherly, PrincipalMs. Leslie Whitehill, Dean of StudentsMr. Randy Zangara, Director of CTE

District Administrative Staff570-327-5500 | 2780 West Fourth StreetDr. Don C. Adams, SuperintendentDr. Susan Bigger, Director of Federal ProgramsMr. Jeffrey Richards, Business AdministratorMs. Debbra J. Savage, Esq., Human Resources DirectorMr. David C. Wright, Director of Student Services

Stay connected to the Williamsport Area School District with our website and Facebook! Visit www.wasd.org or ‘like’ us on Facebook for official district news and updates at www.facebook.com/WASDEducationFoundation!

WASD 2012-13 Fast Facts

• About 5,232 students attended WASD’s nine schools last year, which included six elementary schools, two middle schools and one high school.

• During the 2012-13 school year, 391 teachers, 53.2% of whom have a master’s degree or above, served WASD students, with an average of 14.14 years of teaching experience among them.

• The music and fine arts program once again received national attention with WASD earning a Top 100 Communities for Music Education designation by the NAMM Foundation.

• Athletically, the high school teams competed in four district championships, winning three, while breaking two long-standing school records in track and field.

• Students in the Career and Technical Education Program exceeded state and national standards on industry work exams.

•The WAHS Odyssey of the Mind team placed 1st at the Pennsylvania State Competition and placed 12th at the World Final Competition.

• The WASD Education Foundation funded nine innovative classroom projects and other initiatives across the district valued at more than $30,000 through private and Educational Improvement Tax Credit (EITC) dollars.

• Three WAHS students were recognized as either a semifinalist or named a scholar by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation.

SAFE ROUTES TO SCHOOL: Funded by a federal grant, city sidewalks were targeted this summer to create safer conditions for students traveling by foot or on bike to and from school. Over the summer, sidewalks were improved — some redone to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requirements — or re-paved. New signs were installed to warn drivers of upcoming higher pedestrian traffic, and newer, bolder crosswalks were painted so as to be seen by drivers from a further distance. Also part of the program will be the implementation of a new “walking school bus program,” where community volunteers will walk with and educate students on the safe ways to get to school.