Superintendent's Report

Diwali is India's biggest and most important holiday of the year. The festival gets its name from the row (avali) of clay lamps (deepa) that Indians light outside their homes to symbolize the inner light that protects from spiritual darkness. This festival is as important to Hindus as the Christmas holiday is to Christians.

We are thrilled to welcome students to UDHS as part of the German Exchange! Tomorrow morning I have the opportunity to have breakfast with the students! This summer our students will travel to Germany as part of the exchange! We are excited to have these traditions return to Upper Dublin.

Superintendent Goals - Each year the Board of School Directors and I must develop mutually agreeable goals for the school year. The goals included for approval this evening have been developed and reviewed with input and feedback from the Board of School Directors.

Music in Our Schools & Allied Arts Show - After several years of not having Music in Our Schools, we are excited to bring back this fantastic tradition! Although we did not have MIOS last year, we did hold the Allied Arts Show. This memorandum of understanding provides compensation for staff to plan these exciting events.

Hiring Authorization - Last month we asked the Board to give our Leadership Team the authority to hire personnel for budgeted personnel between meetings. When we hire new staff, there is often a lengthy period of time they must remain with their current employer. Being able to hire staff between meetings allows that hold period to begin sooner than having to wait for the next legislative meeting. We anticipate using this authorization to hire the new Thomas Fitzwater Elementary Principal.

Calendar Revision - The administration of the 2023 PSSAs conflicted with the dates established for spring parent/guardian-teacher conferences. These conferences will take place on April 20th and 21st instead of April 27th and 28th.

EASTERN Representative - This evening we are asking the Board to approve Dr. Levinowitz to serve as a representative to the Eastern Center for Arts and Technology for a three-year term.

Voting for PSBA Officers - This evening the Board is being asked to come to consensus on voting for PSBA positions. All of the candidates are running for office unopposed.

• President-Elect - Michael Gossert
  
• Vice President - Allison Mathis
  
• Central Zone Representative - Julie Preston
  
• Section C1 Advisor - Thomas Kerek
  
• Section E2 Advisor - Karen Beck Pooley
  
• Section E4 Advisor - Amy Goldman
  

Retirements

• Peter Alston - Peter has served as the proud Principal of Thomas Fitzwater Elementary for several years. We wish Peter well in his retirement!

• John McCurdy - John currently serves as one of our security guards at UDHS. His care for our students and staff has been commendable, and we wish him well as he begins his retirement this winter.

New to Our Nest

• Jason Geddes - We are excited to welcome Jason Geddes to Upper Dublin. Jason comes to the District from private industry and has over 20 years of experience in facilities and facilities management.

• Bridget Pustay - We are also excited to welcome Bridget to the UD nest! Bridget will serve as our next Director of Teaching and Learning following the resignation of Meredith Penner. Bridget comes to Upper Dublin from the Central Bucks School District.

• TFES Principal - We are currently searching for the new Thomas Fitzwater Elementary Principal. We hope to make an announcement in the coming weeks about who will serve in this important leadership role! In the meantime, we thank Kathy Smyth for serving as our interim principal.

Golf - The golf team won a share of the Liberty Division Championship this year.

Girls Tennis - Congrats to the doubles team of Bri Watlington and Ava Trauger who got a win in the first round of Districts last week. They lost to a talented doubles team from CB South in the 2nd Round.

Field Hockey - The Field Hockey team earned a berth into the District Playoffs. They will be at Bishop Shannahan at 7PM on Tuesday in the first round.

Football - Football earned a big 34-3 win over Souderton on Friday. This helped clinch a share of the Suburban One League Continental Championship. They will be home this Friday vs. Quakertown at 7PM. With a win they will win the league outright and earn the #1 seed in the upcoming District Playoffs.

Girls Soccer - The girls earned the #16 seed in the District Playoffs. They have a home game Tuesday at 7PM vs. West Chester Henderson.

Boys Soccer - The boys earned the #6 seed in the District Playoffs. They have a home game Tuesday at 5PM vs. North Penn.

Cross Country - Congratulations to the Girls team who won the SOL Liberty Division Liberty Division Championship last week at Lehigh. The team had 7 runners in the top 18. Mimi Pastore, Emily Kulak, and Lilly Pittakas all medaled with Top 10 finishes! Matt Castronuovo and Gus Platt finished 2nd and 3rd in the boys race. Gabe Jackson and Ryan O'Hara also contributed top 15 finishes. They will compete at districts this Friday.

Water Polo - Congratulations to both the girls and boys water polo teams. They both advanced to the State tournament. The boys will compete at Wilson this weekend, while the girls will be at North Penn the weekend of November 4th.

Email: syanni@udsd.org
Website: www.udsd.org
Location: 1580 Fort Washington Avenue, Maple Glen, PA, USA
Phone: (215) 643-8800
Facebook: facebook.com/UpperDublinSchoolDistrict
Twitter: @UpperDubSuper