March 2023 e-News

One way to think about Cooperation is “working together to reach shared goals.” Throughout our schools, students will be discussing kindness, friendship, and tools they can use when working with a friend or someone new. We hope this month inspires discussions with your family about cooperation and how you work together at home. For additional information regarding CharacterStrong, including our middle school monthly traits, please visit our CharacterStrong & Social Emotional Learning website.

• March 1-31 - Women’s History Month, Irish American Heritage Month, Music In Our Schools Month, Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month, Nutrition Month, Social Work Month, and Youth Art Month

• March 1-4 - Foreign Language Week

• March 2 - NEA’s Read Across America Day

• March 3 - Employee Appreciation Day
• March 3 - Maintenance Worker Appreciation Day

• March 5-11 - School Social Worker Week
• March 6-10 - School Breakfast Week
• March 21 - World Down Syndrome Day
  
  

Each year, we participate in Youth Art Month, a nationally recognized celebration of the contributions of young people to the arts. The theme for the 2022-2023 school year is “Your Art, Your Voice” and the District has embraced that theme by working in conjunction with Lamar Advertising and the District’s Partners in Education, to display 18 billboards showcasing student art throughout West Shore and our neighboring communities. Click here to see this year's featured artists.

SPRING PIAA SPORTS BEGIN

Monday, March 6

WEST SHORE HONORS BAND FESTIVAL

Wednesday, March 8

Hosted by Red Land High School

Festival will take place throughout the day with a free concert at 4 p.m.

SAT TESTING

Saturday, March 11 at Red Land High School

The registration deadline for this testing date has passed. To view other available testing sites and dates, please refer to the CollegeBoard's website.

DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME BEGINS

Sunday, March 12

SCHEDULED REMOTE LEARNING DAY

Thursday, March 16

Teachers will provide asynchronous work for students equal to a half day of instruction. Student work may be completed on the Remote Learning Day or anytime over the weekend and submitted at the start of school on Monday, March 20. Students will not attend Zoom sessions and all students will be marked present, unless reported as absent by their parent or guardian.

NO SCHOOL

Friday, March 17

We do not need to use this day as a make-up since we have been utilizing weather-related remote learning days. Students will not have school.

SECOND TRIMESTER GRADES AVAILABLE FOR GRADES K-5

Monday, March 20
Report card information for grades K-5 will be available no later than March 20, 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). Parents, if you need to set up a PowerSchool account, please contact your child's school.

WEST SHORE HONORS ORCHESTRA FESTIVAL

Tuesday, March 21

Hosted by Red Land High School

Festival will take place throughout the day with a free concert at 7 p.m.

BUS EVACUATION DRILLS
Thursday, March 23

FIRST DAY OF FOURTH MARKING PERIOD FOR GRADES 6-12
Monday, March 27

Students will begin their fourth marking period courses on Monday, March 27.

WEST SHORE SPECIAL OLYMPICS

RESCHEDULED FOR: Friday, April 28

West Shore Stadium

This is always such an awesome day! We look forward to cheering on our Special Olympic athletes alongside their families. More details will be shared with families prior to the event.

Presented by Red Land High School

March 1 at 2:30 p.m. - Free Senior Citizen Matinee

March 2, 3, and 4 at 7 p.m.

March 5 at 2 p.m.

Tickets are $10 for students, $15 for adults, and $15 for all tickets purchased at the door. Click here to purchase your ticket online.

Presented by Allen Middle School

March 10, 7 p.m.

March 11, 1 p.m. and 7 p.m.

Tickets may be purchased at the door for $7

General Admission Seating

Presented by Cedar Cliff High School

March 15 at 4 p.m. - Free Senior Citizen Matinee

March 16, 17, and 18 at 7 p.m.

March 19 at 2 p.m.

Tickets are $10 for students, $15 for adults, and $15 for all tickets purchased at the door. Click here to purchase your ticket online.

Disney's Beauty and the Beast Character Breakfast

March 4 from 9-11 a.m.

Cedar Cliff High School

Admission $10. Children under 3 years old are free. Click here to purchase your ticket for the Character Breakfast.

School Board and Board Committee Meetings are held at the Administration Center and are open to the public.

Committee Meetings

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

Curriculum - Wednesday, March 15, 4:30 p.m.

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

School Board Meetings

Thursday, March 9, 6:30 p.m.

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

Related Links

• In Person and Electronic Public Comment Guidelines
• Watch Board Meetings Online - Board meetings are streamed live and archived for viewing after the meeting.
• Board Agendas - published 24 hours before the meeting
  
• Board Minutes - posted after Board approval

Congratulations to our Employees of the Second Quarter…Amanda Klien & Brandon Phelps, Fourth Grade Teachers at Highland Elementary, and David Erney, Custodian at Red Land High School. Through their actions and dedication, these West Shore employees have supported the District’s pledge to inspire, engage, and empower students. Thank you Amanda, Brandon, and David!

Recently, West Shore was represented by four Red Land students at the PMEA District 7 Orchestra Festival. Congratulations to Olivia Magaro, Owen Swintosky, Alyssa Lingenfelter, and Cheyenne Berninger. Cheyenne was also selected to perform with the Central Region Orchestra.

Our high schools were also well represented at PMEA District 7 Upper Band and Jazz Band Festivals. Congratulations to District Band members Tyler Kerstetter, Owen Swintosky, Adam Lewis, Olivia Magaro, Drew Scheib, Dylan Beaman, Noah Musselman, Sam Leeds, Gavin Harris, Ian McCurdy, and Zachary Schussler. And, to District Jazz Band members Joel Wickert, Peter Lewis, and Ian McCurdy. Joel also made All-State Band, and Quinn Starrett made All-State Jazz Vocal Ensemble.

Only a handful of students qualify for these types of honors!

Recently at the PA Educational Technology Expo & Conference (PETE&C), Matt Wagoner, Dan Snelbaker, and Ian Winn, DaVinci Program Teachers at Red Land High School, received the Dr. Laura Hummel Technology Innovator Award. This award gives them bragging rights as the PETE&C 2023 Innovator of the Year!

Also at PETE&C, West Shore had 2 groups named statewide finalists in the PA Invention Convention competition! Congratulations to Zachary Maniskas and James Pae from Red Mill Elementary and Alexis Westhafer from Newberry Elementary and their teacher Mrs. Kristin Stahl.

The 2023 South Central Pennsylvania Scholastic Art and Writing Awards were announced recently and, once again, our students brought home multiple awards!

• Silver Key Winners: Ryan Beck, Kate Hildebrand, Charlie Hoke, Jackson Kane, Dzejla Kunovac, and Aiden Lee.
• Honorable Mention Winners: Emma Beatty, Madeline Graf, Rebecca Laughlin, Tristan Metherell, Jenna Sadowski, Valerie Weigner, and Andrew Wickenheiser (2).
  

After defeating Altoona on February 16, the Cedar Cliff High School's Girls Basketball team took home their second consecutive Mid-Penn Championship title. Then, on February 27, the team defeated Central Dauphin in the District 3 Class 6A girls basketball semifinal.

The Lady Colts now move on to the District Class 6A championship game, scheduled Thursday, March 2 at 6 p.m. at the Giant Center, against Central York. If they win, they will bring home the school's first ever District 3 Championship! Click here for tickets.

Student athletes in all our winter sports have given us reasons to be #WestShoreProud. For the latest news on local, district, regional, and state competitions, be sure to visit Cedar Cliff Athletics and Red Land Athletics on twitter and instagram.

• Cedar Cliff Colts
  Twitter @CedarCliff_AD
  Instagram @CedarCliff_AD
  
  
• Red Land Patriots
  Twitter @RedLand_AD
  Instagram @RedLand_Athletics

Many students struggle to find something to wear to prom that fits their budget, so Cedar Cliff and Red Land are collecting items which will then be offered to students at no cost during Prom Boutiques at each high school.

If you have a pre-loved party dress, prom gown, bridesmaid dress, suit, or formal accessories hanging in your closet that you would be willing to donate, please drop your items off during school hours at Cedar Cliff or Red Land's main office. The deadline for donations is Monday, March 20 so items will be available for the first day of the Prom Boutiques on March 29.

At its meeting on February 16, the Board approved an academic calendar for the 2023-2024 school year with a start date for students of August 28, 2023 and an end date of June 7, 2024. To download the complete calendar, please click here.

Approximately 280 individuals participated in the 2023-2024 calendar development process this year with 70% of respondents liking the calendar draft. Thank you to each of you who submitted feedback and participated in the calendar development process.

• Kindergarten Registration for August 2023 - The District is currently accepting kindergarten registrations for the 2023-2024 school year. If you have a child who will be five years old before October 1, please check our registration page for directions on how to complete their enrollment process online.

• 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.

• Primary (K-2) Math Parent Academy - Games and activities to help your child at home with their math development.

• Care Solace and Other Resources for Mental Health and Well-Being

West Shore is a great place to work with wonderful benefits including tuition reimbursement.

Openings include:

• Assistant Superintendent
• High School Earth and Space Science Teacher
  
• Middle School English Language Arts Teacher
• Middle School Health and Physical Education Teacher
  
• Middle School Literacy Specialist
  
• Middle School Science Teacher
  
• Technology Department Data Integration/Security Specialist
  
• Certified School Nurse
• Middle School Building Secretary
• Building Aides
• Special Education Paraprofessionals
• Food Service Team Members
• Substitute Teachers (through STS)

About our Tuition Reimbursement:

• Employees can request reimbursement for up to 12 credits each school year.
• Current PA State System of Higher Education rate is $319 per credit for undergraduate courses and $516 per credit for graduate courses.
• Many colleges offer deferment programs to assist in financing your tuition. Payment may often be made at the conclusion of the course after you have received reimbursement from the District.

Our application process is simple and can be done entirely online. For additional information, check out our employment page.