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Apr 22

Superintendent's Welcome

Dear TASD Staff, Parents, and Community,

Welcome back to the 2018-2019 school year. As a district, we have again been awarded a Pre-K Counts grant and will be able to offer full day K4 for the upcoming school year. We are excited about the continuation of this program and look forward to serving our youngest students in an all-day program! We will again be having a staggered start for our K4 and K5 students. Open house this year will be September 20th, (JAM 5:00-6:00 PM, TAES 6:00-7:00 PM) please be sure to mark your calendars.

The Towanda Area School District welcomes volunteer participation in our schools, and we provide a myriad of opportunities to actively participate in our educational program. If you would like more information regarding the process to volunteer, please refer to our website for more information. The role that families play in the educational process affects the education, welfare, and values of their children. The Towanda Area School District believes that working together with families is essential for the well-being of children. To learn more about how to get involved in your child’s education contact the Parent Teacher Organization (PTO).

Reminder that the YMCA offers childcare to families before and after school. The program is located at J. Andrew Morrow and serves school aged childcare for elementary students.

Last year we made some changes to the district attendance policy 204. These changes were made to remain compliant with PA School Code. There is a growing body of research demonstrating that chronic absence from school, typically defined as missing 10 percent of school days for any reason, is a primary cause of low academic achievement as well as a powerful predictor of which students will eventually drop out of school. Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) believes chronic absenteeism is a national problem that seriously undermines our collective efforts to improve education and life outcomes among youth.

To address and support communities in eliminating barriers to students’ daily attendance and meaningful engagement in school they have released the Community Toolkit to Address and Eliminate Chronic Absenteeism. Together, we can dramatically improve the academic life and outcome of students who have been disengaged from a daily, supportive school experience, and we need parents, community, and business support.

A student acquiring (3) three or more unexcused absences will be classified as truant.
In addition, accumulation of (6) six or more unexcused absences will be classified habitually truant.
The critical age of student attendance is (15) fifteen-years-old. The district is required to refer habitually truant cases to County Youth Services (CYS) after school and referral to the district magistrate.

PA School Code has been amended in March 2017 with changes to the school immunizations. Changes may be found at the Division of Immunizations on the PDE website. School vaccination requirements for attendance in PA schools is for ALL children. Please make sure you have checked with your healthcare provider and are prepared for the school vaccination requirements. Should you have questions or concerns regarding immunizations please contact Ms. Jacqueline Vanderpool RN (Policy 203). In compliance with School Code, the Board requires participation in health examinations and screenings (Policy 209).

We welcome back Mrs. Rebecca Stanfield, High School Principal; Mr. Bryan Bechdel, Assistant Principal; Mrs. Susan Higley, Elementary Principal; Mrs. Karen Beirne-Getz, Primary Principal; Mrs. Dawn Hart, Director of Special Education. New to the administrative staff is the Principal of Academic Affairs, Mr. Joel Spinney. Reminder to parents that we are an Elementary Title 1 Schoolwide program and you can learn more about this on our district website.

Our new faculty member for the 2018-2019 school year include:

Jordan Clark, 2nd Grade

The Towanda Area School District does not support unlawful harassment and strives to provide a safe, positive learning climate for all (Policy 248). The Board believes in equal opportunity, nondiscrimination for all students to achieve their maximum potential through the programs offered at the Towanda Area School District. (Policy 103). Students with disabilities are afforded equal opportunity, nondiscrimination to reach their full potential and would ask that parents who believe they have been subject to discrimination or harassment to promptly report incidents to their building principals (Policy 103.1).

The district also believes that parents or guardians should have an opportunity to review instructional materials regarding curriculum, standards, instructional materials, as well as assessment techniques and strives to continue to make this a transparent process (Policy 105.1).

We look forward to serving the Towanda Area School District students and parents in the 2018-2019 school year,

Sincerely,

Mr. Dennis Peachey

Superintendent

Annual notice of policies:

Policy 113 Special Education
Policy 114 Gifted Education
Policy 123 Interscholastic Athletics
Policy 123.1 Concussion Management
Policy 123.2 Sudden Cardiac Arrest
Policy 138 English As A Second Language / Bilingual Education Program
Policy 142 Migrant Students
Policy 143 Standards For Persistently Dangerous Schools
Policy 144 Standards for Victims of Violent Crimes
Policy 146 Student Services
Policy 200 Enrollment of Students
Policy 210 Medications
Policy 216 Student Records
Policy 218 Student Discipline
Policy 218.1 Weapons
Policy 222 Tobacco Student
Policy 226 Searches
Policy 235 Student Rights and Responsibilities
Policy 237 Electronic Devices
Policy 246 School Wellness
Policy 247 Hazing
Policy 248 Unlawful Harassment Students
Policy 249 Bullying / Cyberbullying
Policy 250 Student Recruitment
Policy 312 Performance Assessment of Superintendent
Policy 604 Budget Adoption
Policy 619 District Audit
Policy 621 Local Taxpayer Bill of Rights
Policy 705 Safety
Policy 707 Use of School Facilities
Policy 716 Integrated Pest Management
Policy 806 Child Abuse
Policy 808 Food Services
Policy 810 Transportation
Policy 823 Naloxone
Policy 824 Maintaining Professional Adult / Student Boundaries
Policy 904 Pubic Attendance At School Events
Policy 906 Public Complaints
Policy 918 Title 1 Parental Involvement

J. Andrew Morrow Student Attend Sock Hop

The first grade students from J. Andrew Morrow in the Towanda Area School District recently enjoyed a day full of hands on learning at their annual Sock Hop. The students, faculty, and staff dressed in their best 50’s attire for the event. Students were engaged in activities inspired by the 50’s which included: bowling, limbo, hula hoops, jump ropes, Bingo, dice addition, car racing, and sight word hopscotch. This was a great opportunity for the students to incorporate academics with social skills such as cooperation and compassion while following our school’s expectations of the three R’s (Respect Yourself, Respect Others, and Respect Property). The students also learned a 50’s dance and attended the “Soda Shop” where they all got a root beer float and snack sponsored by the school’s PTO. We also want to thank the Towanda Fire Department for allowing us to use their facility for this experience.

PSSA and Keystone Testing Tips

With the PSSAs and Keystones coming up soon, (see dates below) we wanted to share some test-taking tips for our families on how students can do their best and limit stress. It is important for your child to stay relaxed on the test day. Show your child that you are already proud of his/her work as a student. Tell them how smart you know he/she is. This will help build your child’s confidence.

PSSA Tips for Parents

PSSAs are scheduled for students in grades 3-8 during the month of April. As these tests approach, we want to share some test-taking tips for our families.

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