FALL NEWSLETTER 2014INSIDE THIS ISSUE

A Message from the Superintendent / Sign Up for Our E-Newsletter | p2WASD Receives Top Literacy Innovation Award | p3

2014-15 Budget Snapshot| p4WASDEF to Celebrate 10-Year Anniversary / Back-to-School Information| p5

‘Leave Your Legacy’ at WAHS / WAHS Construction Update | p6Meet Our New Principals / WASD 2013-14 Highlights | p7

District Directory / WAHS Class of 2014 | p8

Developing responsible citizens through excellence in education.

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

NEW SCHOOL YEAR BEGINS MONDAY, AUGUST 25!

WA

The value of a public school to its local community is usually measured by the quality of its academic and extracurricular programs. Academic achievement is

the number-one priority of the Williamsport Area School District, and we strive to provide outstanding experiences to students through athletics, the fine and performing arts, clubs, and

other opportunities that prepare students for their future.

Another essential function of public schools that is important for both the local communities they serve and the welfare of the United States is the emphasis on citizenship. Public schools on a daily basis

emphasize the importance of allegiance to country, service to our communities, and being a contributing member to society. It is this critical aspect of public education that is often ignored as

evidenced by the continued emphasis on high stakes testing and the promotion of educational options that focus on isolated learning environments that often ignore the broader needs of society.

The United States is based on a foundation of a diverse population working together for the benefit of humankind. As we think about the future of our community and our country, it is important that we

consider all of the educational pieces that are important to a child’s education.

The mission of the Williamsport Area School District is “developing responsible citizens through excellence in education.” Preparing students with both the academic skills and the dispositions to

serve our community and the nation are central to this mission.

Sincerely,

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

dadams@wasd.org

Dear Community,

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Sign up for our bi-weekly e-newsletter, FOR FREE, using your email address. This will be the perfect way to have news and updates from around the district delivered to your email inbox on a regular basis.

To sign up, you can do it one of three ways:

• Go www.wasd.org and register your email under the “Welcome” section along the left-hand side of the website.

• Text “WASD” to 22828 and follow the instructions (message and data rates may apply).

• On the WASD Education Foundation Facebook page, you can register by clicking on “Join My List” under the “More” tab above the timeline. You can visit this page by going to: www.facebook.com/WASDEducationFoundation.

STAY CONNECTED TO WASD.SIGN UP FOR OUR E-NEWSLETTER.

WA

WASD receives top $25,000 literacy innovation award

The district received a $25,000 first-place Early Impact and Innovation Award by the state

Department of Education and the Keystones to Opportunity (KtO) Grant on June 18.

The award was given during the Keystones to Opportunity Innovation Award Banquet during the statewide Pennsylvania Literacy Conference at Penn State University for the district’s use of competitive Keystones to Opportunity grant funds and its implementation of literacy improvement practices for students in pre-kindergarten to fifth grade.

The district was one of 24 school districts in the state recognized through the Innovation Award process, which was narrowed to eight finalists and then named one of four winners in the categories Early Childhood Collaboration Models; Local Comprehensive Literacy Plan; Break the Cycle: Families and School Partnering; and Early Impact.

“When you consider there are 500 school districts in the state, WASD’s recognition as a top innovator is a considerable honor and a demonstration of our teachers’, principals’, students’ and parents’ efforts to improve literacy practices and student achievement,” said Dr. Susan Bigger, federal programs director. “It was only accomplished with significant team effort, which is a privilege to be a member.”

The $25,000 award recognizes the district’s use of more than $1 million of competitive Keystones to Opportunity grant dollars. That funding came to WASD in two rounds: $569,904 in 2012; $490,688 awarded in 2013; and an expected $463,994 in 2014.

With the use of these funds, the KtO team, led by Bigger, has improved literacy outcomes by developing consistent instructional practices and data team processes built around several literacy assessments defined by KtO. The grant’s resources also have brought to the district a research-based core reading program, “Treasures,” which builds on the critical elements of literacy instruction (phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, reading comprehension and vocabulary) backed by the state Comprehensive Literacy Plan and National Reading Panel.

The district also created a systematic approach to literacy improvement.

“Each year, the central office conducts School Data Team meetings with every building made up of principals and teacher representatives, including instructional coaches to discuss the use of data, actual assessment results, support and intervention of at-risk and accelerated students, as well as goals of improvement,” Bigger said.

This annual process sets into motion a series of underlying actions at each building that involve and require the entire school community to look at and analyze data.

“Grade level teams meet periodically — at least once a week — to review screening data, plan instruction, make instructional adjustments and monitor student progress,” Bigger said, adding that information is collected and reviewed by the district’s KtO data liaison, Jackie Whiteman, a critical position funded through grant dollars, and instructional coaches that provide essential teacher support.

“In our second year of (the grant),” Bigger said, “we continue to see improvement in students’ building block skills in literacy and will determinedly pursue opportunities for our students that KtO has afforded the district.”

“When you consider there are 500 school districts in the state, WASD’s recognition as a top innovator is a considerable honor

and a demonstration of our teachers’, principals’, students’ and parents’ efforts to improve literacy practices and student

achievement.”

- SUSAN BIGGER, ED.DFEDERAL PROGRAMS DIRECTOR

LEARN MORE ABOUT KtO AND READ THE DISTRICT’S LITERACY PLANVisit Federal Programs online at www.wasd.org/Domain/24

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WASD Budget Summary for the 2014-15 School Year

Estimated RevenuesLocal Revenue Sources ................ 33,472,182State Revenue Sources ................ 40,927,249Federal Revenue Sources .............. 7,071,182Other Revenue Sources .................... 300,000Fund Balance Transfer .................... 289,541Total Revenues .............................. 82,060,154

Estimated ExpendituresInstruction ............................................. 46,045,893Support Services ................................. 24,030,100Non-Instructional Services .................... 1,170,876Other Financing Issues ....................... 10,813,285Total Expenditures ............................... 82,060,154

WASD Real Estate Tax:A .444-mill increase, or 3% tax increase, was appoved for the 2014-15 fiscal year. For a property assessed at $100,000, the increase will be $44.40.

With a projected enrollment of 5,088, cost per student for FY15 is $16,128.

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

56%

15%

29%

‘SUMMER SCHOOL’ Despite a temporary reprieve from the classroom, students across the district kept busy over the summer, as depicted in this sampling of photos. Clockwise from top left: Incoming WAHS freshmen and sophomore students are seen with Dr. Charles Starkey, an education professor at Bloomsburg University, after wrapping up a Math and Summer Experience Week in June at the university campus; about 110 students in fourth through sixth grade participated in this year’s Summer of Innovation Camp at WAMS in July; and others, like those at right, participated in the WASD Education Foundation’s annual golf tournament at White Deer Golf Course, which benefitted the Return to Glory Capital Campaign.

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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 if 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.

WAHS alumnus, Grammy winner to return to celebrate WASDEF

Critically acclaimed by The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal, Grammy-award winner and Williamsport Area High School alum Dashon Burton, from the Class of 2000, will return this fall to

celebrate the 10th anniversary of the WASD Education Foundation.

The celebration is set to begin at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 12, with a donor reception, followed by a special, fundraiser benefit concert at 7:30 p.m. at the Community Arts Center that will feature Burton and the WAHS orchestra and choir. Burton won a Grammy award last January as a member of the eight-person vocal ensemble Brad Wells and Roomful of Teeth for best chamber music/small ensemble performance.

“We’re excited to not only celebrate the foundation’s 10th anniversary but also showcase the exceptional talent of our students and one of Williamsport’s alumni with Dashon,” said Greg Hayes, director of the WASD Education Foundation.

The foundation was incorporated as a non-profit organization in 2004 when it was created by then-district Business Manager Charles Peterson and Superintendent Patricia Lowry. It was then that the district joined the movement in establishing an independent organization led by a volunteer board to help foster the growth and programs of the district by raising private funds.

Over the last decade, it has grown in its mission in supporting students and faculty across the district by “securing resources and enriching education” by having generated more than $1.6 million in assets, and allocating about $100,000 a year to projects, programs and scholarships. The foundation also launched its burgeoning sister organization, the WASD Alumni Association, in the spring of 2012.

Look for more details on the 10th anniversary celebration to appear soon. For more information on the foundation, visit www.wasd.org/foundation. For more on Burton, visit: http://www.colbertartists.com/ArtistBio.asp?ID=dashon-burton.

RENOVATION UPDATE Workers ran through an aggressive renovation schedule at WAHS through the summer months. Work continued inside and outside the building, as depicted in this array of photos. Clockwise from top left is the Magic Dome, which was fitted with air conditioning, new bleachers, partitions and new flooring; the new orchestra was completed, thanks to an anonymous $100,000 donation to the WASD Education Foundation that funded the majority of that project; exterior work on the loop, complete with new canopy designating the main entrance; and classrooms received some upgrades as well.

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‘Leave Your Legacy’ at Williamsport Area High SchoolThe WASD Education Foundation is offering alumni, district families and community members the opportunity to leave their legacy by purchasing a personalized brick, with proceeds benefitting the Return to Glory Capital Campaign.

The bricks will be laid as a walkway at the entrance to the high school stadium at the scheduled completion of the project in the fall of 2015.

“The idea behind the legacy bricks came about as a way to not only help with fundraising in the campaign but to also offer the opportunity for people to preserve a memory they may have of the district, or to pay tribute to a loved one or a specific class,” said Greg Hayes, executive director of the WASD Education Foundation.

Personalized bricks are available in two sizes, 4-by-8 inches and 8-by-8 inches, with prices beginning at $100. Bricks can be ordered online at www.bricksrus.com/order/wasdef/, or by contacting the foundation office at 570-327-5500 ext. 33495.

The Return to Glory campaign is a fundraising effort being carried out by a volunteer task force of community leaders with a goal of raising $3.5 million to restore and upgrade the

high school’s aging athletic and band facilities. The project will include the installation of an expanded all-weather turf field for football and soccer, a new track-and-field complex, and other infrastructure improvements to the stadium. To date, the campaign has secured commitments totaling $1.9 million.

For more information on the campaign, visit www.wasd.org/returntoglory.

The WASD Education Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and contributions are tax-deductible as allowable by law.

Photos shown here represent work in progress as of July 2014.

WASD 2013-14 Highlights

• About 5,088 students attended WASD’s eight schools last year, which included four primary schools, two intermediate schools, one middle school and one high school

• Williamsport Area High School was named one of the best high schools in Pennsylvania by U.S. News & World Report

• AP performance surpassed state and global averages, with 17 WAHS students named as AP Scholars

• The Class of 2014 rewrote all academic records as measured by the state Department of Education for their performance in math, reading and science assessments

• WASD was named as one of the Best Communities for Music Education by the NAMM Foundation for the 12th time in 13 years; and the high school also was named as one of 123 schools nationwide to have been named a GRAMMY Signature School semifinalist for 2014 by the GRAMMY Foundation

• 94 percent of the Career & Technical Education students passed the national industry exams, with 75 percent of them earning advanced status

• WAHS qualified for eight of 10 team sport district championship tournaments; senior Isaiah Washington earned first-team AAAA all-state basketball; senior Jaid Harsch broke the school record in the 100 M hurdles; and numerous student-athletes advanced in the individual district and state tournaments

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Introducing WASD’s reassigned, new building principalsMEET OUR NEW ELEMENTARY PRINCIPALS

MUMBAUER

FATHERLY

POOLE

PARDOE

WASD is pleased to welcome two pairs of principals to their new positions at both Williamsport Area High School and Williamsport Area Middle School.

Former middle school principals Mr. Brandon Pardoe and Mr. Richard Poole will now serve as head principal and principal, respectively, at the high school. At the middle school, Mr. Reggie Fatherly, former principal of the high school, and Lycoming Valley teacher Mr. Kevin Mumbauer will begin their posts as principal and assistant principal, respectively.

“I am truly appreciative and excited for the opportunity to lead the Williamsport Area High School as head principal,” said Pardoe, who also is a 1988 graduate of the building.

“Mr. (Michael) Reed established a culture of high instructional expectations ... and it is my

The district also extends its welcome to two new primary school principals, Mr. Jim Ellis and Mr. Ross Cooper, to the Williamsport Area School District administrative team.

Ellis will serve as principal of Stevens Primary School, and Cooper was hired as the assistant principal for both Stevens and Cochran primary schools.

Ellis comes to the district most recently from the Milton Area School District, where he was principal of Montandon and White Deer Elementary schools. Cooper joins the district most recently from East Penn

COOPER

ELLIS

School District in Macungie, Pa., near Allentown, where he served as a fourth-grade teacher at Willow Lane Elementary School.

my goal to continuously improve the school in every aspect for our students, staff and community,” he added. Likewise, Poole said he is excited to begin working on the hill again, where his career started in the district 13 years ago. “There is an amazing staff at WAHS, and the great part of living and working in Williamsport is that our high school offers something for every student who goes there,” he said. “I am excited to start working with the ninth-grade faculty to create an academy environment where we can focus on ensuring ninth graders get a great start to their high school years, both academically and socially.” At the middle school, both Fatherly and Mumbauer voiced their own excitement for leading WAMS.

Fatherly said he is excited to be back at the building he led for many years when it was Roosevelt Middle School, and, with 15 years of middle school experience, Mumbauer is excited for the new opportunity.

“Mr. Fatherly and I worked together for almost 10 years at Roosevelt prior to the reconfiguration, and much of the staff that we worked with at Roosevelt and Lycoming Valley are now back at WAMS,” Mumbauer said. “In addition to that, my familiarity with about half of the student population will allow us to build upon the vision and momentum that Mr. Pardoe and Mr. Poole worked so hard to build, making student achievement at WAMS a top priority.”

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WASD Board of School Directors

PRESIDENTMs. Lori Baer

VICE PRESIDENTMrs. Karen Confer

MEMBERSMr. Nicholas Grimes Dr. Jane PenmanDr. Robin Knauth Mr. David Stone, Jr.Mrs. Jerene Milliken Mr. Spencer Sweeting Mrs. Diane Turner

WASD Building Directory

J. Henry Cochran Primary School570-322-9731 | 1500 Cherry StreetMrs. Cindy T. Schuyler, PrincipalMr. Ross Cooper, Assistant Principal

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. Kirk Felix, PrincipalMr. Ross Cooper, Assistant Principal

Thaddeus Stevens Primary School570-322-7853 | 1150 Louisa StreetMr. Jim Ellis, 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. Reginald Fatherly, PrincipalMr. Kevin Mumbauer, Assistant Principal

Williamsport Area High School570-323-8411 | 2990 West Fourth StreetMr. Brandon Pardoe, Head PrincipalMr. William G. Emery, PrincipalMr. Jeffery T. Robbins, PrincipalMr. Richard Poole, 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 ProgramsMrs. Marisha Cruz, Director of Special EducationMr. Greg Hayes, Director of WASDEF/Public RelationsMr. Bryan McCaffery, Maintenance SupervisorMr. Richard McCusker, Director of TransportationMr. Jeffrey Richards, Business AdministratorMr. David C. Wright, Director of Student Services

Stay connected to the Williamsport Area School District with our website and social media! Visit www.wasd.org or ‘like’ us on Facebook for official district news and updates at www.facebook.com/WASDEducationFoundation, or follow us on Twitter @WASDSchools. To join our mailing list, see the inside front cover for details.

CLASS OF 2014: Congratulations to the 347 graduates of Williamsport Area High School! Commencement was held Thursday, June 5, at the high school stadium. Along with a number of recognitions, prizes, and awards distributed, Alanna Harding and Sabrina Emms were recognized as Valedictorian and Salutatorian, respectively. Also, students heard from peer speakers, Genevieve Beatty, Emms, and Class President Livia Nash. Good luck and best wishes to each and every one of our graduates! We are MILLIONAIRE Proud of you!

Last spring, the Williamsport Area School District Board of Education welcomed Mrs. Diane Turner as a new school board director.

Sept. 2, 16Oct. 7, 21

Nov. 4, 18Dec. 2

School Board Meeting Dates This Fall

All school board meetings begin at 6 p.m. at the District Service Center.