Old Trail Intermediate Summer News

Everything at Old Trail continues to go well this year. Students are hard at work in all their classes and our teachers have completed some interesting projects with the students. Several of our teachers are piloting student-safe AI tools such as Magic School and School AI. Students are enjoying interacting with these interfaces. Our beginner instrumental students have all secured their instruments and begun their lessons; hearing their progress is amazing. And rehearsals are underway for our school musical, Finding Nemo, which will be performed at Crossroads November 13-14.

The students have been doing an amazing job this year. Our PBIS store (or Canteen) is being held every two weeks. So many "Trailbucks" are being earned because our students are demonstrating pride in their school and responsible behaviors. We also held our October assembly with Forgotten Friend Reptile Sanctuary, and we highlighted the September Students of the Month. These students, along with those selected in October, will have a trip to Water Golf at City Island on October 29.

Our Old Trail students have worked very hard this month completing beginning of the year assessments in Reading, Language Arts, and Mathematics. This week they took the Firefly test in math and ELA, which is a predictor of future PSSA performance. This information will be used to plan for individual student growth.

We continue to have safety concerns at arrival and dismissal. In the morning, several students are being left off by parents before 7:55 am, which is our arrival time and when we have staff on duty to receive the students. In the afternoon, many of our families are parking on the bus loop side of campus for car pickup and walking across to pick up their child or expecting them to walk over to the car. This requires students to cross the van and bus traffic, which is dangerous. We ask that car pickup families do not drop off prior to 7:55 in the morning and to use the car pickup side in the afternoon and either park on that side or wait in line for your child. Thank you for your help!

Old Trail Intermediate School is proud to honor our nation’s veterans on Wednesday, November 11, 2026. We recognize that many veterans hold a special place in our students’ lives, and we would like to celebrate their service and sacrifice.

To show our appreciation, we invite veterans to join us for morning refreshments, a Veterans Walk of Honor, and a brief recognition ceremony.

If your child has a special veteran in their life who would like to participate, please complete the attached Google Form to let us know who will be joining us for the Walk of Honor.

RSVP Link

The West Shore School District welcomes and encourages volunteers in its schools, classrooms and as part of extracurricular activities. For the safety of District students and staff members, any adult wishing to volunteer is required to complete the Volunteer Application Process before being approved to do so. More detailed information can be found in the Guidelines for Volunteers Guide available for download below and in Board Policy 907: School Visitors.

This form is to gather information on parents/guardians who would like to volunteer at Old Trail Intermediate. We will use this to information to check clearances and communicate clearance needs.

Meal prices for the 2026-2027 school year have been approved (please see below).

Student Lunch

Elementary (Primary and Intermediate) Lunch - $3.45

Reduced Prices Lunch - $0.40

Free Breakfast

For the 2026-27 school year, ALL West Shore School District schools plan to serve one free breakfast to every student, regardless of their family's economic status. This means EVERY student in the West Shore School District will receive free breakfast. Any additional servings beyond one free breakfast per day will require payment.

Free/Reduced Lunch

If your family is not notified of direct certification prior to the start of the school year and your household is struggling financially, it will be necessary to complete a free/reduced price meal application to secure free/reduced price lunches. Please complete this form and return it to your child's school or WSSD Food Service Office, Administration Center, PO Box 803, New Cumberland, PA 17070. To qualify for assistance, students must have a signed and approved form on file.

Parents who believe their child who would qualify for may also apply through the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Access to Social Services (COMPASS). You may find links to those pages on Compass.

Depositing Money Into Student Accounts

Families have the option of adding funds to their child's account online through LINQ Connect or with cash or check. Checks should be made payable to “West Shore Cafeteria Fund” and sent to school in an envelope with the student’s name, ID number, and the amount of the deposit written on the front. If checks are returned for insufficient funds by the bank, the student's account will be debited for $37 (to cover fees paid by the District), in addition to the amount of the original payment.

Lunch Menus can be found at https://wssdk12pa.nutrislice.com/menu and are not printed and sent home.

A compact is an agreement that invites those involved to set common goals, provide direction, and enrich the quality of life. This compact is designed to merge our resources to create one learning family. Instruction in quality schools is central to quality education, but quality education cannot be fully realized without the involvement of the family. Through this home and school partnership, students will receive reading opportunities to achieve success. The following is our pledge to each other, and, most importantly, our children:

School will recognize the importance of:

• providing a safe, nurturing, educational climate.

• making students the center of the educational process.

• improving student attitude toward school with an emphasis on self-responsibility.

• encouraging innovation and make changes as guided by sound research.

• communicating and problem solving with parents concerning the progress of their children.

• providing students with the necessary tools to successfully communicate in all areas of learning.

• honoring requests by parents for information regarding teachers' qualifications, certification, or degree.

Parents/Guardians will recognize the importance of:

• providing an environment conducive for study.

• limiting television viewing and encourage reading activities.

• maintaining proper nutritional requirements for success in school.

• communicating and problem solve with their children's teachers.

• providing all types of reading opportunities and materials.

• stressing a positive attitude toward learning, including the building of a strong foundation of early learning skills.

Students will recognize the importance of:

• coming to school prepared to learn.

• always giving their best.

• reading daily for pleasure.

• keeping a positive attitude and communicate a need for help or assistance.

• following classroom and school rules in order to help promote a safe learning environment.

• turning off electronic devices at a designated time.

We will be managing the following social media accounts this year...

Instagram- OTPatriots

Facebook (managed by PTO)- Old Trail Intermediate School PTO

Please follow, like, and watch as we will post OTIS happenings throughout the year!

Below are some important upcoming dates:

• Friday, October 9 - Virtual Learning Day
• Monday, October 12 - NO SCHOOL
• Thursday, October 15 - PTO Skating Party at Fountainbleu
• Monday, October 19 -Staying Safe/Smart Online Assemblies
• Friday, October 23- Canteen
• Wednesday, October 28 - PTO Sub Sale Pick-up
• Friday, October 30 - NO SCHOOL - Parent/Teacher Conferences
• Wednesday, November 4 - PTO meeting at 6:30 pm
• Friday, November 6 - Canteen

The Old Trail PTO is a hard working group of parents who support our students and teachers. Our PTO meetings are held in the Old Trail Learning Commons (library) on the first Wednesday of each month at 6:30 pm. We also have a Microsoft TEAMS option for those who cannot attend in person. We hope you can join us and thank you for your support!

The PTO officers for the 2026-2027 School year are:

• President - Tara Scarcia
• Vice President - Jackie McDole
• Treasurer - Danielle Gross
• Recording Secretary - Christie Ruth
• Corresponding Secretary - Monica Bridges
• Member at Large - Jen Wolf

Thank you to all families who participated in the Coin War Fundraiser. The top team was Mrs. Smith and Mrs. Slayton's class and they win a "Dirty Soda Party". We raised an incredible $2,453.34, which will be put toward field trips and other student activities.