February 2023 e-News

One way to think about Honesty is “being truthful in what you say and do.” Throughout our schools, students will be discussing emotion regulation, positive self-talk, and stress-management skills. We hope this month inspires discussions with your family about these skills and the importance of being honest. For additional information regarding CharacterStrong, including our middle school monthly traits, please visit our CharacterStrong & Social Emotional Learning website.

• February 1-28 - Black History Month - We will be honoring Black History Month through relevant teaching, learning, and activities in our schools. We encourage our school community to join us in honoring the accomplishments of black Americans past and present.

• February 1-28 - National Children's Dental Health Month

• February 1-28 - Career and Technical Education Month

• February 6-10 - National School Counseling Week
  

• February 12 - School Resource Officers' Day

• February 22 - School Bus Driver Appreciation Day

KINDERGARTEN REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN
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.

2023-2024 CALENDAR FEEDBACK

Deadline for Submitting Comments is Monday, February 6 at 4 p.m.
We are seeking your feedback regarding a proposed calendar for the 2023-2024 school year. After reviewing suggestions received, the Board will likely take action on approval of a calendar at its meeting on February 16, 2023. Click here to review the calendar and submit your suggestions.

SCHEDULED REMOTE LEARNING DAY

Friday, February 17

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 Tuesday, February 21. Students will not attend Zoom sessions and all students will be marked present, unless reported as absent by their parent or guardian.

GRADES 6-12 PROGRESS REPORTS DUE

Friday, February 17

As a reminder, parents can print a traditional report card from PowerSchool, simply click the "Report Cards" tab on the left after logging into the PowerSchool website (not available in the app). Report card grades for the second marking period were posted on January 30.

NO SCHOOL

Monday, February 20

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.

January 31 and February 1 - Fifth Grade, 4:30 p.m.

February 6 - Sixth Grade, 4 p.m.

February 7 and 8 - Fourth Grade, 4:30 p.m.

Hosted by Crossroads Middle School

The Academic Bowl, sponsored by the West Shore Foundation, is designed for students throughout the District in grades four through eight to showcase their general knowledge across a vast spectrum of topics. On Monday, January 30, competitions began with our middle schools. Congratulations to Crossroads' Eighth Grade Team and Allen's Seventh Grade Team on their wins! Click here to follow along with the competition brackets and results.

Presented by Crossroads Middle School

February 17 and 18 at 7 p.m.

February 19 at 2 p.m.

Tickets are $3 for students and $5 for adults.

Tickets may be purchased at the door.

General Admission Seating.

Presented by New Cumberland Middle School

Free Senior Citizen Matinee - February 22 at 4 p.m.

February 24, and 25 at 7 p.m.

February 26 at 2 p.m.

Tickets are $5 for students and $10 for adults.

Tickets may be purchased at the door.

General Admission Seating.

Presented by Red Land High School

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

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

Presented by Cedar Cliff High School

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

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.

You are also invited to "Be Out Guest" at a Character Breakfast

March 4 from 9-11 a.m.

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

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

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

School Board Meetings

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

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

• 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

Valentine’s Day came early for several West Shore professional staff members as Dr. Stoltz, Dr. Whye, and members of the West Shore Foundation surprised our Educator Innovation Grant winners. Fourteen grants totaling $20,917.33 were awarded in January and we can’t wait to see these creative projects come to life.

West Shore collected 4,620 stuffed animals to be thrown onto the ice during the Hershey Bears annual Teddy Bear Toss...beating last year's total by approximately 550 items!

Thank you students, families, staff, and community members for participating, and to the West Shore Education Association for organizing this #OneDistrict effort.

Congratulations to Red Land High School’s Varsity Wrestling Team on winning the Mid-Penn Keystone Championship! It’s the first time our Patriots have held this title since 1989!

In January, Mrs. Jamie Snyder transitioned from Red Land teacher to Red Land Assistant Principal!

Mrs. Snyder was a Special Education Teacher at Red Land for four years and we are excited to have her on our administrative team. Please join us in wishing her all the best in her new role.

The West Shore Foundation and Community Aid have asked us to remind our donors not to leave items outside our bins. Community Aid only accepts clothing, textiles, and shoes which are placed inside the bin. If your donation does not fit or the bin is full, find another bin or take your items to a Community Aid Donation Center

Please help us keep our bin program successful by adhering to the Community Aid's guidelines. Due to a variety of reasons, including dumping outside the bins, we now only have three bin locations (Allen Middle School, Fishing Creek Elementary, Hillside Elementary, and Red Mill Elementary).

• 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.

Immediate openings include:

• Substitute Teachers (through STS)
• Middle School English Language Arts Teacher
• Middle School Gifted/Eighth Grade Math or Science Teacher
• Middle and High School Special Education Teachers
• Technology Department Data Integration/Security Specialist
• Certified School Nurse
• Building Aides
• Special Education Paraprofessionals
• Food Service Team Members

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.