DTSD DIGEST

Derry Township School District - January 2024

Happy New Year!

As we welcome the new year, we extend our heartfelt wishes for a 2024 filled with joy, growth, and success. The start of a new year is a time of renewal and hope, and we are excited to embark on this journey together with our wonderful students and their families. We are grateful for the continued support and involvement of our community, which makes our school district thrive. This year, we look forward to more learning adventures, achievements, and the shared experiences that make our school community so special.

We have made changes to our district-wide newsletter that allow for more frequent and accessible updates. These newsletters will arrive in your e-mail inbox and are available to be translated into various languages.

Celebration & Recognition Days ✨

January - School Board Appreciation Month

Calendar Reminders 📆

January 11 - PBIS Community Fun Night, Hershey Elementary

January 11 - End of Marking Period 2 (Secondary)

January 12 - No School (Teacher Workday)

January 15 - Martin Luther King Day, No School

January 16 - 2 Hour Late Start

January 31 - Kindergarten Registration Informational Zoom

District Wide Calendar

PBIS Community Fun Night

We are happy to invite you to our second Community Fun Night will be held here on Thursday, January 11, 2024 from 6-7:30 at Hershey Elementary School. Join us for games, snacks, crafts, PBIS information and more! Click here to RSVP.

Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) is an approach to supporting students to be successful in schools. PBIS was developed from research in the fields of behavior theory and effective instruction. PBIS supports all students through intervention ranging from a school-wide system to a system for developing individualized plans for specific students. School-wide PBIS focuses on the development and implementation of proactive procedures and practices to prevent problem behavior for all students and improve school climate.

Hershey Highlight 💙🧡

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Winter Concerts

Congratulations to our bands, orchestras and choirs at Hershey High School, Hershey Middle School and Hershey Elementary School for their outstanding winter concert performances.

Stay tuned for information about the upcoming spring performances.

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Welcoming our School Board Members

We want to extend a warm welcome to our new board members who were sworn in December 4, 2023. We thank you for your commitment and service to our DTSD school community.

During the month of January, we recognize School Board Appreciation Month. Thank you to all nine of our School Board Members for their dedication to Derry Township School District, our students and our staff.

Follow us on social media for more Hershey Highlights and district news!

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Important Information 📣

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Kindergarten Registration Preparation

Derry Township School District is underway with the planning for our incoming Kindergarteners for the 2024-2025 school year! A child is eligible for admission to kindergarten if s/he has attained the age of five (5) years before the first day of September. Admission of student enrollment to kindergarten will be limited to the first ten (10) school days of school. Kindergarten enrollment beyond this date is limited to students who were previously registered in an accredited program elsewhere and whom meet the minimum age requirement of being (5) years before the first day of September.We encourage families to review the kindergarten registration information below in order to prepare for when registration opens.

Sign up for our mailing list to stay informed on upcoming mailings and events for our 2024-2025 Kindergarten class! The first event will be our Parent Information Night which will be Wednesday, January 31at 6:00 PM on Zoom.

Kindergarten Mailing List Sign Up

Parent Information Night Webinar Registration (Jan 31, 2024)

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Winter Weather Schedule Information

With winter weather beginning to appear in the forecast, it is important families have a plan in place for the possibility of a switch to remote learning, a delay in the start time for classes, or the need to dismiss students early.

For information about the schedules, procedures, and communication process should the weather require a change to our regular schedule, please visit www.hershey.k12.pa.us/weather

Elementary School Building Project Update 🏫

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Visioning Exercise

Select students and staff participated in a visioning exercise that allowed for district administration and architects to gain a better understanding of what students and staff valued in a school and what they didn't want to see in their new school.

School Board Workshop

On December 18th, School Board members participated in a workshop led by Anthony Colestock, our Lead Architect from Crabtree, Rorhbaugh and Associates. They discussed programming and visionings, building tours and as well as upcoming building tours. Concerns and strategies for phased construction were discussed. Programming next steps were also outlined.

The workshop was a comprehensive effort to ensure new board members are well versed in the facilities planning project.

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What's Next?

District staff along with Crabtree, Rorhbaugh & Associates Architecture Firm continue to discuss educational and conceptual programming. CRA's next board presentation will be during our General Services Committee meeting on January 22, 2024.