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haveyouheard news from the ephrata area school district volume no 4 · summer 2010 in this issue a message from the superintendent 2 new programs and initiatives launched 2 school board approves 2010-2011 budget 3 ehs students attend state ffa convention 3 foundation focus 4 district retirees recognized 5 school spotlights 5-6 2010-2011 school board meeting calendar 7 all-weather turf and lights being planned 7 transition camp for 5th grade students 8 2010-2011 district calendar 8 280 graduate in ephrata class of 2010 a vibrant sea of purple caps and gowns covered war memorial field on june 8 for the 115th ephrata high school graduation ceremony the 280 members of the class of 2010 have experienced constant change they have seen the transition from chalkboards to interactive computer screens they have seen an explosion of technology and they have experienced an airconditioned ephrata high school they are prepared to enter the world to create their own change all the experiences we ve had here at ephrata high school have molded us into the young men and women that we are today ready to face all that life sends our way said lauren dixon class president the class of 2010 can and will someday make a mark on the world who knows your ­ photos by jeremy bischoff ephrata picture may be in the lobby next to high school yearbook advisor class of 2010 motto mr hibshman speaker brian lynch told fellow graduates valedictorian morgan porter encouraged her classmates to face their fears deal with them and strive to achieve their ambitions speaker phil hess reminded his classmates the rest of our lives are before us an untapped source of new challenges and trials i plead to you as we go out remember your past your past is what makes you who you are forgetting it would be to forget yourself members of the class of 2010 received over $1.3 million in scholarships and awards including nearly $1.2 million in j harry hibshman and william f brossman family charitable trust scholarships together we have experienced life separately we will pursue our dreams and forever our memories will remain vision statement achieving success one student at a time please join the district administration school board and staff in recognizing and congratulating the ephrata high school and washington educational center graduates of the class of 2010 mission statement in order to accomplish our vision it is the mission of the ephrata area school district to provide all students a secure learning environment and exemplary academic programs that inspire all students to reach their full potential washington educational center graduates 18 ephrata area students in may ceremony eighteen students from the ephrata area school district received diplomas from the washington educational center wec during the may graduation ceremony wec offers students a second chance at academic success the diplomas are equivalent to a traditional high school diploma a total of 33 district students earned diplomas from wec during the 2009-2010 school year over 825 students have received wec diplomas since the alternative education program began in october 1999 wec currently enrolls students from the ephrata area cocalico eastern lancaster county and pequea valley school districts going back to school really changed my life i have done a complete u-turn i couldn t have done it without the help of the wec staff and especially without the support of my wonderful parents and my amazing boyfriend said megan lane the graduation speaker.

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www.easdpa.org a message from superintendent dr gerald rosati dear parents guardians and community members as i shook the hands of the ephrata area school district graduates who were about to receive their diplomas i felt great pride they have achieved so many things and have bright futures ahead they have taken the support and education offered to them and are using these gifts to pursue their dreams thank you to all who supported the class of 2010 i would also like to thank the staff school board and district administration who continue to maintain a student-centered focus and a commitment to the vision of achieving success one student at a time as the district continues to strive to prepare students for their future several new initiatives interventions and courses will be put in place for the 2010-2011 school year the key focus will continue to be on actively engaging students adapting instruction to meet each student s needs and expanding technology to strengthen student achievement please take a few minutes to read the adjacent article for more information ongoing staff trainings are also a key element in helping staff facilitate academic success throughout the summer and the 2010-2011 school year the district will offer unique and varied trainings for staff as they continue to strengthen their skills and learn about proven instructional techniques several workshops focus on integrating technology including moodle basics and advanced activboard others strive to incorporate writing across the curriculum and guide staff to create multiple instructional paths to meet the needs of students with different abilities interests and learning styles the school board district administration and staff make it a top priority to provide quality programs maintain fiscal responsibility and be good stewards of the tax dollars we receive thank you to our school board and administration for supporting students and continuing to strengthen the educational programs of the district we continue to review all avenues of the organization to maximize output and reduce costs thank you for your support and for entrusting us to help prepare your children for the future we are dedicated to achieving success one student at a time gerald b rosati edd superintendent new initiatives interventions courses for 2010-2011 school year the district administration and staff continue to strive to actively engage students adapt instruction to meet each student s needs and expand technology to strengthen student achievement several new initiatives interventions and courses will be implemented in 20102011 to help meet these goals kindergarten through 4th grade · fast forword a reading program will be implemented to develop and strengthen the skills essential for reading success including memory attention and sequencing the program utilizes technology to engage students and track their progress fast forword reading interventions will support the current kindergarten through 4th grade curriculum not replace it · two programs will be used to expand student vocabulary and comprehension text talk for students in kindergarten through 2nd grade engages teachers and students in vocabulary instruction tied closely to comprehension the program was developed by leading vocabulary researchers and has been proven effective in scientific research elements of reading vocabulary for 3rd and 4th grade students builds understanding and knowledge of vocabulary which are fundamental to improving comprehension grades 5 through 12 · response to intervention and instruction rtii has been successfully used district-wide at the elementary grades for several years and will be expanded into the secondary grades rtii is a framework of effective instruction and interventions divided into three tiers to meet each student s needs the three tiers are designed to help students succeed by using research-based strategies diagnose learning difficulties devise an academic treatment plan and put the student on the path to academic success the process is highly dependent on data collection and monitoring student progress decisions about students and their interventions are made through a team process that includes a team of teachers and the school psychologist guidance counselor and principal · high school students have requested several new courses which have been added to the schedule for 2010-2011 global perspectives introduction to statistics 3-d computer animation advanced placement biology accounting iv and several others are connected to technology virtually every minute of their day outside of school with cell phones ipods laptops social networking technology in the classroom provides interactive learning opportunities to help students achieve academic success throughout the coming school year additional activboards activslates and activexpression clickers will be activated districtwide several new personal computers for student use will be installed district-wide to replace outdated and failing computers and many existing personal computers used by students and staff will have new software installed at a much lower price than replacing the computers the upgrades will allow the computers to support newer computer applications the district enhancement of technology will further engage our 21st century learners activboards ­ an activboard is a large interactive whiteboard that combines the benefits of a computer a vcr a flipchart a powerpoint and a dvd player all in one it can also be used to incorporate lessons from the internet and special events from television into a teacher s lesson plan imagine the instructional potential of showing a dvd of an active volcano pausing the video switching to a website showing a history of volcanic activity and then switching back to the dvd activslates ­ an activslate is a handheld tablet that allows a student to control the cursor on the classroom activboard screen students can perform the same functions remotely that they can perform while standing at the interactive whiteboard the activslate is passed from one student to another which helps involve many students in each lesson in addition we will continue to expand the use of technology at all grade levels to engage today s learners many of them activexpression clickers ­ activexpression clickers are handheld devices that allow students to answer questions about presentations each student can anonymously answer questions posted on the activboard by the teacher the game show-style activity engages students and provides the teacher immediate feedback on how much of the lesson the students have mastered and can help the teacher determine the topics where additional instruction is needed ­ continued on page 5

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achieving success one student at a time ephrata high school students attend 2010 state ffa convention several ephrata high school students from the cloister ffa chapter recently attended the 81st annual ffa convention and activities week at pennsylvania state university in university park pa the students competed in career development events cde attended the general sessions of the convention heard inspirational messages from guest speakers and were able to interact with over 1,000 ffa members from across the state during the convention billy saylor a 2008 ephrata high school graduate was recognized and thanked for his service as the 2009-2010 pennsylvania ffa chaplain several cloister ffa students earned awards during the convention erin beever received a silver medal for placing 16th of 107 competitors in the horse evaluation cde amanda bowers received a silver medal for placing 11th of 50 competitors in the small animal veterinarian skills cde kayla buckwalter and kirsten kauffman won bronze medals in the small animal veterinarian skills cde for placing 13th and 17th respectively pat rehm and trent lehman won bronze medals for placing 19th and 26th respectively of 80 competitors in the wildlife cde the team of terri kauffman patty gates photo by carol stark cloister ffa volunteer emily good and erica fox finished in 4th place in the nursery landscape cde individually terri placed 14th patty placed 18th emily placed 20th and erica placed 21st of 31 competitors i am pleased with the work the students put into preparing for their cdes i would like to thank dr scott adams rebecca fernback bert myers and carol stark for helping to prepare the students said sarah quigg cloister ffa advisor in addition megan ackley placed 2nd and taylor bauder placed 4th in the tag essay contest to promote agricultural education as a career option entrants had to teach a class for agricultural students at their high school and respond in an essay to the question why teach ag what i learned as an ag teacher for a day megan received a $75 national ffa gift card free registration for the 2011 ffa aces conference in harrisburg a t-shirt and lanyard taylor received a $25 national ffa gift card a t-shirt and lanyard school board approves 2010-2011 budget the ephrata area board of school directors approved an expenditures budget of $55,702,889 for the 2010-2011 school year the 2010-2011 budget calls for a 2.6 percent school property tax increase we appreciate the many emails and phone calls we have received from residents regarding the budget said president tim stayer we are faced with the rising costs of operating a school system with no relief from federal or state government in sight there is no easy solution we have the moral obligation to educate our children it would be irresponsible for us to not adequately cover the costs of educating our children to do so requires the small increase we have approved for a homeowner with a property assessed at $130,000 the tax increase will be $65 through the taxpayer relief act commonly referred to as act 1 gaming revenue has been distributed to pennsylvania school districts to lower property taxes those eligible for the act 1 tax reduction will have approximately $130 deducted from their 2010-2011 school property tax bill regardless of the assessed value of their property to be eligible a lancaster county property owner had to submit an application for a homestead farmstead exclusion to the lancaster county assessment office before march 1 2010 applications will be accepted by the lancaster county assessment office again in december 2010 eligibility is not determined by the school district we need our legislators to act and make a change in the way public education is funded ­ there needs to be a more equitable method rather than property taxes stayer added 2010-2011 expenditures debt service 13.1 transportation 4.0 operations/maintenance 12.0 other 1.9 instructional 52.7 2010-2011 revenue other local 10 real estate 60 state 29 administration 6.4 instructional support 9.7 federal 1 3

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achieving success one student at a time foundation focus news from the ephrata area education foundation the ephrata area education foundation is a non-profit organization that supports and strengthens the educational offerings of the ephrata area school district tax-deductible donations are a great way for graduates community members and businesses to support area students donations provide funding for classroom venture grants activities at the outdoor learning pavilion at the district farm and other educational programs please visit the foundation website at www.ephrataeducation.org for more information about the foundation and projects the organization supports or contact stephanie gingrich at 717 721-1589 or s_gingrich@easdpa.org thank you to the following alumni businesses organizations and individuals for their donations to the ephrata area education foundation during the 2009-2010 school year other donors have requested to remain anonymous alleghany supply maintenance co inc d&e communications inc now windstream communications ephrata national bank dave and tam fassnacht dr robin and mr chad felty foreman architects engineers and construction managers dr and mrs william c funk gooding group foundation graystone bank holly husin green aaron l groff jr general retired tom hobbins dean and amy hoover jean hornberger june f ibach ms lorraine y johnson kegel kelin almy grimm llp mabert mellinger tom and dawn rapchinski raymond e groff inc richard l sensenig co gerald b rosati royer pharmacy mrs kimberly schlemmer sharp shopper grocery outlet stradling funeral homes inc akron-ephrata merv witmer congratulations to the following 2010-2011 venture grant winners funded by the ephrata area education foundation grant name where am i using gps to determine location organizing photos with photo mechanic grant value $1,000 $1,000 applicants lisa brimhall ephrata high school jeremy bischoff joel bischoff and landon hunter ephrata high school jami loercher fulton elementary school incorporating kinesthetic learning and sensory integration into the primary kindergarten through grade 2 learning support classroom speedwell forge watersheds and buffer zones education say cheese intermediate school digital camera lab $975 $860 $720 charles ohline ephrata middle school todd ream ephrata intermediate school tough times affect everyone over 1.35 million children in the united states are likely to experience homelessness in a given year according to the national law center on homelessness and poverty homelessness high mobility and extreme poverty place children at even greater risk for educational challenges if your family lives in any of the following situations your children have certain rights or protections under the mckinney-vento homeless education assistance act · doubled up with friends or relatives because you cannot find or afford housing due to economic hardship or a similar reason · in a shelter motel vehicle or campground · on the street 4 · in an abandoned building trailer or other inadequate accommodations your children have the right to go to school no matter where you live or how long you have lived there they may continue in the school they attended before you became homeless if that is feasible or they may attend school in the district in which you are temporarily staying if that is your choice your children also have other rights that can be explained to you by contacting the ephrata area school district homeless liaison mrs kimberly schlemmer at 717 721-1513 you may also contact the national center for homeless education toll-free at 800 308-2145 for more information.

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achieving success one student at a time district staff retirements the ephrata area school district staff and administration would like to sincerely thank this year s retirees for their years of commitment combined our 12 retirees have served the district for 282 years the impact they have had on students and the examples they have set for their colleagues has been greatly appreciated they have demonstrated dedication and true service to students in our community said dr gerald rosati superintendent we wish them great happiness in their retirement retiree jane bacon years of service 18 positions held with the district 5th grade at clay elementary school and ephrata intermediate school 8th grade teacher literacy coach and 6th and 7th grade reading specialist at ephrata middle school department chair kindergarten at highland elementary school pre-first at lincoln and highland 1st and 2nd grade at clay summer pre-k at fulton custodian at akron elementary school learning support english language learners gifted and reading at ephrata middle school learning support at ephrata high school family and consumer science at ephrata high school department chair kindergarten at clay and highland elementary schools 2nd and 4th grade at bergstrasse 2nd grade at akron 3rd and 4th grade at lincoln 4th grade at highland health tech at akron clay and highland elementary schools secretary at ephrata high school clay fulton highland washington elementary schools district-wide elementary math coach math at ephrata middle school food service at ephrata high school family and consumer science at ephrata middle school mildred carlson kenneth dornes elaine fulmer susan hess patricia hetrick jill hilt shober berkes jacqueline hoober rn deborah moyer ellen reed holsopple connie snyder carol weigelt 36 10 34 18 35 32 6 40 22 24 7 new initiatives interventions courses for 2010-2011 school year ­ continued from page 2 the district has also increased internet connection speeds to give students additional access to educational resources such as the state university system and intermediate unit resources the increased connection speeds will also expand the opportunity for students and staff to attend video-conferencing classes and workshops simultaneously for example ephrata high school students can be studying mandarin chinese through a video-conferencing partnership with hempfield school district while staff are participating in a videoconference reading workshop from an intermediate unit in pittsburgh video-conferencing opens up many unique learning opportunities for students and reduces travel expenses for staff in the fall the district will open a cyber-charter school ephrata virtual academy will give students the opportunity to work at their own pace on computers in their home live instructional support is also available online from certified teachers by enrolling students residing within the district into our own cyber-charter school the district will no longer make payments to other cyber-charter programs for those students the savings in tuition payments are anticipated to exceed the start-up costs for the program the district hopes to enroll at least 15 students in the program in 2010-2011 and expand the program in future years additional savings will occur in future years as more students enroll establishing the ephrata virtual academy helps the district meet the needs of cyber students and reduce the burden on local taxpayers by reducing the amount of tuition currently being paid to cyber-charter schools throughout the year the district will also continue to utilize technology to increase paperless communications with parents guardians such as classroom and building newsletters invitations to special meetings and forms used to update contact information by reducing the number of papers being sent home with students the district will save thousands of dollars summers-steffy coordinator of student support services the ephrata area school board recently approved the hiring of susan summers-steffy as the coordinator of student support services she is replacing the previous coordinator who took a position with another district ms summers-steffy joined the district staff in 1995 as an alternative education instructor she has also served as a special education teacher at ephrata high school department chair content specialist and assistant coordinator of student support services in addition she was the junior varsity softball coach for five seasons she earned a bachelor of science degree in education with a concentration in history and a master degree in special education from millersville university she earned her leadership certifications from penn state university 5 2010-2011 breakfast and lunch prices breakfast and lunch prices will not increase for the 2010-2011 school year breakfast grades 1-4 95 grades 5-12 $1.25 reduced cost 40 milk 50 lunch type a ­ grades 1-4 $1.95 type a ­ grades 5-12 $2.25 enhanced type a ­ grades 9-12 $2.60 reduced cost 40 milk 50

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www.easdpa.org in our schools akron families celebrate turn off the tv week as part of turn off the tv week the akron elementary school pto sponsored several family events to encourage students and their parents to have a healthier life without television or electronics students and their parents guardians were encouraged to play ping-pong and swimming at the ephrata rec center visit the ephrata public library for the district art show play board games read and plant flowers students parents and faculty members did the limbo the chicken dance and the electric slide at a dance to wrap up the week of activities intermediate students publish their work ephrata intermediate school 5th and 6th grade students wrote edited and illustrated stories to create their own books as part of their language arts class the genres include fiction biographies poetry autobiographies and science fiction the stories and illustrations were sent to a publisher to be bound into books in early june the students received their books and were able to share them with classmates four hundred eighty-three books were published at no cost to the school or students parents/guardians were also given the opportunity to purchase additional copies clay students learn about watersheds and run-off clay elementary school 3rd grade students studied watersheds and run-off by participating in hands-on activities while exploring a section of middle creek stream the trip was funded by a grant from the pennsylvania conservation districts association students learned about watersheds and how they help the chesapeake bay they conducted experiments and learned about the effects of run-off and how residents can help reduce run-off the grant supported the 3rd grade water unit and encompassed the pennsylvania science and ecology standards middle school newspaper club helps keep students informed it is a newspaper by students and for students mountain times pages are filled with stories that focus on news sporting events and topics of interest to ephrata middle school 7th and 8th grade students each staff member researches and writes one or two stories per issue the staff uses microsoft publisher to layout the publication i like writing and joined the staff to be able to write for others said shirley young a staff writer the newspaper is available in each classroom the school office and on the building website a trip to the grocery store is lesson for fulton students fulton 1st grade students visited sharp shopper in ephrata to practice money and nutrition skills they studied they worked with parent helpers to plan a healthy breakfast lunch or dinner at sharp shopper students read a grocery list pushed a shopping cart worked with a calculator and compared labels and prices to make their selections the classes donated the food to ephrata area social services the lesson reinforced the concepts of money nutrition and the importance of giving back to those in need high school students search for hidden treasures in ephrata ephrata high school world geography students went geocaching to search for caches hidden in ephrata by other geocaching enthusiasts geocaching is a high-tech treasure hunting adventure using hand-held global positioning system gps devices the work reinforced lessons about latitude longitude critical thinking skills teamwork and programming the gps unit geocaching also combines a love of the outdoors with technology 6

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achieving success one student at a time 2010-2011 school board meeting calendar highland opens café to encourage students to excel highland elementary school students enjoy eating lunch at a new seating area on the stage in the cafeteria students earn a seat in highland café based on their good behavior or as a reward parents and guardians are also encouraged to have lunch in the café with their children all meetings begin at 7:00 p.m unless noted otherwise and are open to the public all meetings are held in the district office board room unless noted otherwise committee and regular board meeting agendas are posted in advance on the district website ephrata area school district 2010-2011 school board meetings committee meetings non-voting meeting september 13 2010 october 4 2010 november 1 2010 december 6 2010 6:30 p.m union authority 7:00 p.m board reorganization 7:30 p.m board committees january 10 2011 february 7 2011 march 7 2011 april 4 2011 may 2 2011 june 6 2011 work sessions non-voting meeting regular board meetings voting meeting august 23 2010 september 27 2010 october 11 2010 october 18 2010 akron elementary school november 15 2010 ephrata hs in the do board room december 20 2010 fulton elementary school january 17 2011 january 24 2011 clay elementary school february 28 2011 ephrata middle school march 21 2011 highland elementary school april 11 2011 april 18 2011 ephrata intermediate school may 16 2011 june 20 2011 adopted by boe 06/21/2010 committees budget and finance building and property curriculum/personnel planning and public affairs and policy subject to change by board of education turf field will benefit students and community athletes athletic fields are in high demand throughout the community but overuse can lead to poor playing conditions and safety issues in may the school board approved the installation of all-weather turf and lights at the field along hammon avenue at ephrata middle school work on site preparation and installation is anticipated to begin in november after the 2010 field hockey season the targeted completion date is spring 2011 the field will be used for field hockey soccer and lacrosse the project will be paid with funds remaining from previous construction and renovation projects and from dollars designated by past and current school boards for capital reserve projects in the district funding will not come from the annual district budget the school board and district administration will encourage athletic booster clubs to help fund some of the additional needs for the complex the school board and district administration are committed to continuing to upgrade facilities they believe an all-weather turf field is a long-term investment that benefits students and the community and will be a centerpiece for area athletics children in community sports organizations will also benefit from the project when their teams have the opportunity to play on the field the field could be used in conditions when grass fields may be unplayable due to the weather and could be used during daylight and evening hours turf would also not need time to rest as grass does especially during hot dry weather all-weather turf has financial benefits as well turf would require only minor maintenance and grooming which would lead to field maintenance savings grass fields require mowing over-seeding aeration fertilization painting and repairs throughout the year an all-weather turf field is estimated to last approximately 10 to 12 years with proper maintenance the school board and district administration believe the installation of all-weather turf and lights demonstrates progressive growth and will greatly enhance the district athletic program and playing facilities they believe the installation of turf and lights will give students sports teams and the community an increased sense of pride in the school district and its athletic program ­ graphic design by brent l schrock ela sport 7

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www.easdpa.org nonprofit org us postage paid ephrata pa permit no 138 a publication of the ephrata area school district 803 oak boulevard ephrata pa 17522 717 721-1400 www.easdpa.org ephrata area board of school directors · mr timothy stayer president · mr robert miller vice president · mrs judy beiler · mr marty harmes · mrs kay kurtz · mr glenn martin · mrs jenny miller · mr neal reichard · mrs allyson snyder · mrs jean hornberger treasurer · mrs clare lefevre secretary · miss anna martin student representative non-voting member ecrwss postal customer 2010 2011 student calendar august 30 first day of school grades 1 ­ 12 august 31 first day of school kindergarten september 3 6 no school september 23 no school november 24 29 no school december 24 31 no school january 14 18 no school february 21 no school march 4 half-day lunch served april 20 21 weather make-up days if needed april 22 25 no school may 27 weather make-up day if needed may 30 no school june 8 .last day half-day no breakfast or lunch june 8 .graduation june 9 14 weather make-up days if needed ephrata intermediate school transition camp for incoming 5th grade students monday august 23rd ­ 9 a.m until noon are you wondering where is the gym how do i open a locker who is in my class join us for the answers to these questions and more during transition camp students will meet new classmates and teachers tour the building and practice opening a locker the morning will conclude with lunch provided by the intermediate school parents need to provide transportation to and from transition day camp you can register your incoming 5th grade student by calling 717 721-1405 or by mailing a completed registration form to eis transition camp 957 hammon ave ephrata pa 17522 forms are available in the 5th grade orientation area of the intermediate school website at www.easdpa.org/eis haveyouheard is published by the ephrata area school district 803 oak boulevard ephrata pa 17552 8

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