May and June 2024 e-News

Get ready for some fun as we focus on Creativity this month! One way to think about Creativity is “using your imagination to create something new or solve a problem.” Opportunities to be Creative are all around us and we look forward to exploring those this month. For additional information regarding CharacterStrong, including our middle school monthly traits, please visit our CharacterStrong & Social Emotional Learning website.

• May 1-31- Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month, Jewish American Heritage Month, Mental Health Awareness Month, Military Appreciation Month, Better Hearing and Speech Month, Foster Care Month, and Physical Fitness & Sports Month

• May 1 - School Principal’s Day and Substitute Appreciation Day
• May 1-7 - Physical Education & Sports Week
• May 3 - School Lunch Hero Day
• May 6-10 - Teacher Appreciation Week (we celebrate all staff this week!)
• May 8 - School Nurse Day and Receptionist’s Day
• May 10 - School Communicators Appreciation Day
• May 12 - Mother's Day
• May 18 - Speech Language Pathologist Day
• May 27 - Memorial Day
  
  
• June 1-30 - Caribbean American Heritage Month, Pride Month (LGBTQIAA+), and Internet Safety Month
• June 14 - Flag Day
• June 16 - Father's Day
• June 19 - Juneteenth

Scheduled Remote Learning Day

Teachers will provide asynchronous work for students equal to a half day of instruction. Student work may be completed that day or anytime over the weekend and submitted the next day school is in session. Students will NOT attend Zoom sessions and all students will be marked present unless reported as absent. In the event of an absence, families should follow regular procedures for absence notification and the standard make-up procedures will apply.

No School

District offices will also be closed on Monday, May 27.

Cumberland Perry Area Career & Technical Center's Last Day

Fairview Elementary ONLY Last Day for Students

For Fairview Elementary students ONLY, the last day of school will be Thursday, June 6. This will be a full day of classes. By moving the last day for FV students, we are providing additional time for staff and the construction crews to prepare the property for the huge undertaking of removing the building.

Early Dismissal/Last Day for Students

Middle and High School students will be dismissed at 11 a.m.

Elementary students will be dismissed at noon.

Afternoon kindergarten and KAP will not be held on the last day.

Lunch will not be served.

End of the Year Grades Available in PowerSchool

Report card information for grades K-12 will be available no later than June 21, in PowerSchool. To view and print grades in the traditional report card style, please click the "Report Cards" tab on the left after logging into the PowerSchool website (not available in the app).

Wednesday, May 1, 7 p.m.

Hosted by West Shore Theatre

Join us to see 20 different performances by Cedar Cliff students! Admission is free.

Friday, May 3, 7 p.m.

Red Land Auditorium

Red Land’s Annual Benefit Talent Show is back and this year proceeds will benefit ALS United Mid-Atlantic in honor of Coach Rob Gildea. Please plan to join us to see 15 student acts take the Red Land stage. Tickets are $7 in advance and $10 if purchased at the door.

Tuesday, May 7

Title III DAC Meeting, 4:30 p.m.

English Language Department Picnic, 5-7 p.m.

Hosted by Roof Park

Friday, May 17, 6-8 p.m.

Hosted by Roof Park, 599 Lewisberry Road, New Cumberland

Sponsored and Organized by the Fairview Elementary PTO

The community is invited to join students and staff at Roof Park as we prepare to say goodbye to Fairview Elementary. Due to limited parking on the Fairview campus, there will be a shuttle from the park to Fairview for anyone interested in visiting the school. Other activities planned include food trucks, live music, balloon art, face painting, yard pong, inflatables, and more. Prints of Fairview Elementary can be purchased for $25 at the event with proceeds benefiting the Fairview Elementary PTO. Please email fairviewptowssd@gmail.com if you are interested but unable to attend the event to make your purchase in person.

Tuesday, June 18, 5:15 p.m.

Cedar Cliff High School Cafeteria

Formal invitations will be sent in May to our retirees and honored guests.

Cedar Cliff High School - Friday, May 10, 9 a.m.

Red Land High School - Friday, May 10, 11:30 a.m.

Cedar Cliff High School - Saturday, May 11, 6-10 p.m., Penn Harris Hotel

Red Land High School - Saturday, May 18, 6-10 p.m., Sheraton Harrisburg Hershey Hotel

Thanks to community donations each high school has free gowns and formal attire available for students. Please contact your child's school for details about their prom boutiques.

Red Land High School - Monday, May 13, Festival from 5-8 p.m., Free Concert at 7 p.m.

Cedar Cliff High School - Monday, May 20, Festival from 6-9 p.m., Free Concert at 7 p.m.

Tuesday, May 21

Details will be shared by CPACTC with families of seniors.

Friday, June 7, Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex

Cedar Cliff High School, 3 p.m.

Red Land High School, 6:30 p.m.

Parking is free and all are welcome to join us. We will also broadcast both ceremonies live. Details about the live stream, including links and system requirements, will be available on our website closer to graduation.

We are offering online summer remediation and acceleration courses at NO COST to students or their families again this year. Credit Acceleration courses will run from June 3 - July 31 and Credit Recovery course from June 19 - July 31. Interested students must complete all requested information on the online application to register. Click here for more details about this year's offerings.

Monday, June 10, through Friday, August 9, all District schools and the Administration Center will be open Monday through Thursday and closed on Fridays. In addition, District offices and meal location sites will be closed July 4 in honor of Independence Day. Due to summer trainings and staff vacation time, hours at the individual schools will vary each day. Please contact the building prior to your visit to confirm someone will be available to assist you.

We are once again offering a free summer meals! From June 17 through August 15, all kids up to age 18 can receive free breakfast and lunch regardless of their family’s economic status or school district of residence.

Locations: Hillside and Washington Heights Elementary Schools

Days: Monday through Thursday (closed Fridays)

Times: Breakfast from 8 a.m. - 8:45 a.m. and Lunch from 11 a.m. - noon

Available on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from July 9 through August 1 from 8:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. for students in our Special Education program. Additional details and registration information will be sent to eligible families.

All meetings are held at the Administration Center and are open to the public. For those unable to join us in person, Board Meetings and Board Committee Meetings are also livestreamed.

SCHOOL BOARD MEETINGS

Thursday, May 9, 6:30 p.m. - adoption of proposed budget

Thursday, May 16, 6:30 p.m.

Thursday, June 13, 6:30 p.m. - adoption of final budget

Thursday, June 20, 6:30 p.m.

COMMITTEE MEETINGS

Facilities - Wednesday, May 8, 4:30 p.m.

Finance - Thursday, May 9, 4:30 p.m.

Policy - Thursday, May 16, 4:30 p.m.

Finance - Thursday, June 13, 4:30 p.m.

Curriculum - Wednesday, June 19, 4:30 p.m.

Policy - Thursday, June 20, 4:30 p.m.

Related Links

• In Person and Electronic Public Comment Guidelines - last updated in February
• Watch Board Meetings & Committee Meetings Online - Meetings are streamed live and archived for viewing following the meeting
• Board Agendas - published 24 hours before the meeting
  
• Board Minutes - posted after Board approval
• 2024-2025 Budget Development - presentations made to the Board during the budget development process

Shout out to our Employees of the Third Quarter…Jennifer Smith, Secretary to Assistant Principals at Red Land High School and Melissa Wabrick, School Counselor at New Cumberland Middle School. Through their actions and dedication, these West Shore employees have supported the District’s pledge to inspire, engage, and empower students. Thank you Jennifer and Melissa!

We are excited to share that THREE West Shore seniors have successfully auditioned to perform in the annual PMEA All-State Festival this week. Congratulations to Elijah Palmer, All-State Chorus; Joel Wickert, All-State Jazz; and Ian McCurdy, All-State Wind Ensemble.

Red Mill Elementary’s annual PSSA Assembly and video reveal took place on April 22 and abc27 News covered the event. We love that staff at Red Mill and across the district are finding fun ways to encourage students while decreasing their anxiety around state testing. To view abc 27's story, click here.

The U.S. News and World Report released its 2024 Best High Schools report and for the second year in a row Red Land High School made the list! Red Land ranked #12 in York County metro high schools, #281 in the state and in the top 40% of high schools in the country. Congratulations, Patriots! More details about the report can be found at https://bit.ly/WestShoreRedLandRanking

Cedar Cliff High School's Academic WorldQuest team and their advisor, Angela Kamps, represented the state of Pennsylvania and The World Affairs Council of Harrisburg at the National Academic WorldQuest competition in Washington D.C. Students tested their knowledge of world affairs against the top teams in the nation and brought home an impressive 16th place! Congratulations to (L to R) Mrs. Kamps, Jackson Kane, Caleb Masshardt (captain), Rory Gannon, and Rayna Johnson.

Caleb Masshardt, a Senior at Cedar Cliff High School, has been chosen as a 2024 National Merit Scholarship Winner! Caleb is one of only 2,500 distinguished high school seniors across the nation selected for this prestigious honor. Upon graduation, Caleb will be attending Harvard University where we know he will continue to make us #WestShoreProud! Congratulations, Caleb!

At its meeting on February 15, the Board approved an academic calendar for the 2024-2025 school year with a start date for students of Tuesday, September 3, 2024 and an end date of Friday, June 6, 2025. To download the complete calendar, please click here.

Kindergarten registration has begun for the 2024-2025 school year. If you have a child who will be joining us in August 2024 for kindergarten, please visit the District’s registration page for directions on how to complete the enrollment process.

We do not have a deadline for registering for kindergarten; however, by enrolling early, parents help us with staffing and class sizes to ensure a smooth start to the school year. Additionally, once registered we will have your contact information to invite your family to our Camp Kindergarten event where parents and children get to meet staff members, tour their elementary school, and enjoy a day with future classmates.

Pennsylvania has launched a new program to provide food assistance to children and families during the summer...SUN Bucks. This is federal child nutrition program is aimed at keeping kids fed during the summer months. Eligible children will receive an EBT card that can be used to purchase groceries. The benefit amount for summer of 2024 is $40 per summer month per child ($120 total). Payments will be made by September 30, 2024. Qualifying families who already receive SNAP benefits will see the benefit added to their SNAP card. The application for SUN Bucks will likely not be available until later this summer. Parents who want to ensure their child is signed up should consider applying for a benefit that automatically enrolls their child into SUN Bucks such as SNAP or Free and Reduced Price Meals.

Masks created by West Shore students will be among the 1,000+ masks featured in this exhibit taking place at the Susquehanna Art Museum through May 19. For more details, download the flier below.

• Annual Notices - Numerous federal laws require school districts to provide students, parents, and/or the public with notices.
  

• Care Solace - Care Solace assists individuals find mental health care providers and substance use treatment centers. Their services may be accessed by students, staff and their families at no cost to you, 24 hours per day, 7 days per week, 365 days per year, and in 200+ languages. To utilize Care Solace, call 1-888-515-0595 or visit www.caresolace.com/westshore.

• Employment Opportunities - We have a variety of open positions perfect for parents, grandparents, and other caregivers interested in working a schedule similar to our students.
• Transportation Exception Request - May be used to request a bus stop different from the assigned stop associated with the child’s residence provided the alternative stop is in the same school attendance area as the child’s school.
  
• Free and Reduced Price Meal Application Information - Families who may qualify are encouraged to apply for free or low cost meals this school year.
  
• Electronic Absence Submission - If your child will not be in school for the day due to illness or doctor/dentist appointment, you can submit their absence electronically through PowerSchool.
  
• Volunteer Clearance Policy & Procedures - Adults wishing to volunteer in our schools are required to complete the Volunteer Application Process before being approved to do so.
• Technology Help Center - Contains videos, resources, FAQs, and guides on using Seesaw, Schoology, PowerSchool, iPads, Chromebooks, and more.
  

• Damage, Loss, Theft of District Technology Devices and Chargers - Information related to device expectations and repair costs.