Old Trail Intermediate Summer News

Welcome to 2026. A new year full of new possibilities. We are excited to jump right back in here at Old Trail and watch our students as they soar toward success.

December was a fast month but we had much to enjoy and celebrate. Our band, chorus, and orchestra held amazing concerts for both fifth and sixth grades at Red Land High School. Many thanks to Mr. Noss, Mrs. Graft, and Ms. Ketterer for their hard work. Our student council, with the support of Ms. Johnston, planned a holiday spirit week and a Battle ball tournament. Students donated canned goods to participate which was given to the New Hope Ministries Food Pantry. Our students collected 1046 pounds of food in this activity! (That is half a ton!). And our PTO held an evening fun night for students and another successful skating party.

January promises to be full of new and exciting activities as we spring into the new year. We will be starting it off with a visit from some of the animals from Zoo America and our Students of the Month from December will be taking a trip to the Harrisburg Hilton. Next week we will be kicking off our One School One Book project where the whole school will read the same book together. (But I cannot tell you the name of the book yet - it's a secret!). We hope your families will enjoy spending time reading and discussing this book together at home as we do so here at school. It will culminate in a Book Bash in February. Our Academic Bowl teams are preparing for their annual competition the end of January and out Math 24 students are working hard to see who will be selected to represent Old Trail in the district competition later this year. And our PTO has a Bowling night scheduled for January 21.

Our school is about to take part in a special, communitywide shared reading event. Every family will receive a copy of the same book and will be invited to read it together at home over the next few weeks. (I can't tell you the title yet - it's a secret.) We hope you can make the time so that your family can participate in this special activity. Reading aloud at home is valuable because it better prepares your child to be an effective reader, and it is also a fun, worthwhile family activity. With this program, we aim to build a Community of Readers at our school. Everyone – students, parents, teachers, even administrative staff – will all be following along together.

Along with the book, students will receive a suggested reading schedule, a comprehension question packet and registration form to attend a book bash celebration in February. Students may submit completed comprehension question pages by the listed date to be eligible to win fun raffle prizes during the month. I know that you’ll enjoy this special reading time with your children. “When a whole school reads a book, there's a lot to talk about.”

This school year we continue to offer a healthy breakfast and lunch to students during the school day, but returned to the previous system of charging for lunches and collecting household applications for households that wish to apply for free or reduced priced lunches. This year, lunch costs $3.40 for primary/intermediate schools. 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.

Applications for Free/Reduced Lunches were sent home on the first day of school. If you believe your family qualifies, we urge you to apply. You can apply at any time. They are also linked here.

Some of our students are spending the money in their account on multiple snacks each day, many of which they share with others. We encourage you to have a conversation with your student about the best way to use the money in their account if it is being used faster than what you would expect.

Is your student missing something? I bet I know where it is. Please have them check the lost and found, or feel free to come check yourself. It continues to expand and grow. We will be cleaning it out on January 19 and donating items that have been left here.

Mini-THON is happening here at Old Trail Intermediate! Students have been receiving information regarding our Mini-THON and participating events such as Delay Day and Staff Challenges as we ramp up to our Mini-THON event in Late February! You can register your student for our evening Mini-THON event at the link sent home in SeeSaw.

Each month teachers select a student from their class who has best demonstrated the Character Strong word of the month. January's focus is on PERSEVERANCE. Students will receive a certificate, be recognized at our monthly assembly, have their picture posted in the showcase, and have a special treat (our December students are taking a trip to the Harrisburg Hilton). We are so proud of our Old Trail students and their positive behavior choices.

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:

• Tuesday, January 6 - Zoo America Assembly

• Tuesday, January 13 -One School One Book Kick-Off Assembly

• Monday, January 19 - NO SCHOOL for all students

• Monday, January 26- Academic Bowl Competition Grade 6

• Tuesday, January 27- Academic Bowl Competition Grade 5

The Old Trail PTO is hard at work again this year supporting our students and teachers. Thank you also to all our families who participated in our family events and fundraisers. Our PTO meetings are held in the Old Trail Learning Commons (library) on the second 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 2025-2026 School year are:

• President - Rachel Nusinov
• Vice President - Nicki Wilson
• Treasurer - Kim Mongiello
• Recording Secretary - Jen Wolf
• Corresponding Secretary - Tara Scarcia

PTO Meeting - Wednesday, January 14

Meeting is held in the Old Trail Learning Commons (library) at 6:30 pm. We also have a Microsoft TEAMS option for those who cannot attend in person.

PTO Family Bowling - Wednesday, January 21 5:00 - 8:00 pm

The whole family can join us for a fun night of bowling at Trindle Bowl in Mechanicsburg.