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mountaineer monthly fo rstaffoftheephrataareaschooldistrictw elcome b ack dear faculty and staff i hope you had a relaxing summer with plenty of opportunities to share time with friends and family thank you to the summer staff members who worked very hard to prepare the buildings and grounds for the 20102011 school year several new initiatives and interventions have been implemented for the 20102011 school year you can read about these new programs and initiatives on page 3 thank you for all you do to help students achieve sincerely august 2010 upcoming events september 16 at 6:30 p.m bullying prevention workshop at ephrata middle school september 17 at 4:30 p.m community tailgate party at war memorial parking lot september 23 no school staff development inside this issue staff anniversaries celebrate 2 3 gerald b rosati superintendent school board summary 47 facility improvements 8 d istrict w elcomes n ew s taff new teachers joining the district staff include front row left to right brittany theisen fulton learning support jamie avery clay grade 3 lauren beaner highland grade 1 april eberly intermediate school grade 6 ashley macadams ms learning support back row left to right victoria socie ms family and consumer science sheri klahr high school learning support tanya goss intermediate school grade 5 joshua miller hs/ms spanish valerie alexander highland kindergarten tanya weaver is/ms learning support lisa hall hs family and consumer science the district also welcomes michael bezler ehs credit recovery joy cummings ehs secretary to the athletic director jennifer gerhart eis inclusion aide carol nolt akron health technician and kevin rupp ems inclusion aide

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page 2 mountaineer monthly a ugust 2010 s taff a nniversaries thank you and congratulations to the following staff members who celebrated anniversaries in august of 1 5 10 15 20 years or beyond since joining the staff of the ephrata area school district there were no milestone anniversaries in july 30 years diane penchansky clay guidance 5 years ammon allwein hs custodian daniel brice highland custodian ingrid brubacher fulton playground aide dorene byler fulton music barbara callihan fulton café monitor joshua clair hs physical education ronda hehnly clay café monitor marion lesagonicz hs science cecelia mayemccabe akron café monitor debbie nelms ms language arts lauren rand ms science st 1 year nathan eakin clay 1st grade matthew edmiston ms science crystal landis hs inclusion aide kelly lindberg ms cafeteria heather mohr grade 58 gifted facilitator meredith bavaria wec psychologist beth needelman highland 3rd grade jessie reider hs physical education/health kimberly ruoff is learning support nicole thomas hs inclusion aide 20 years lyn balthaser hs esl nancy henry ms/is media center lori long highland 2 grade cherl myers ms business ed suzanne rehm clay 3rd grade patrick ross hs science steven sweigart ms phys ed jayne westley hs math nd 15 years julie bachman fulton 1 grade michael delpiano hs science christina hagen fulton reading sheri horner elementary math maria reagle ms language arts emily rossman akron 4th grade christina schroeder ms math amy zimmerman fulton inclusion aide dana zimmerman do acct secretary g{tÇ lÉâ4 lunch type a ­ grades 14 $1.95 type a ­ grades 512 $2.25 enhanced type a gr 912 $2.60 reduced cost 40 milk 50 adult lunch $3.25 3.60 10 years vanessa binkley do receptionist amy boyle ms science randall brossman hs custodian deb dehaven ms learning support aide michael garrison ms physical education diane herber ms math alane mowbray ms guidance mary reimold elementary technology amber wiley highland 4th grade 20102011 meal prices unchanged from 20092010 breakfast 95 $1.25 30 50 $2.25 grades 14 grades 512 reduced cost milk adult breakfast n ews to s hare if you have news to share in the staff bulletin please contact your building staff bulletin representative iu 13 a rticle an article written by dr enrica gerhart akron principal is featured on the front page of the current issue of the iu13 rtii newsletter the article showcases special initiatives put in place by akron staff to help students succeed including a special physical education program for 3rd and 4th graders liz heppard akron janice fitch clay gary oberly fulton kevin deemer highland kathy miller is 6th grade jim craig ms cheryl fritz hs stephanie gingrich wec do our goal is to include items from every building every month!

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volume 2010 issue 1 page 3 n ew i nitiatives i nterventions and c ourses 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 have been implemented to help meet these goals kindergarten through 4th grade fast forword a reading program has been 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 not replace the current k4 curriculum two programs will be used to expand student vocabulary and comprehension text talk for students in k2 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 both understanding and knowledge of vocabulary whichare fundamental to improving comprehension grades 5 through 12 response to intervention and instruction rtii has been successfully used districtwide at the elementary grades for several years and have been 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 researchbased strategies diagnose learning difficulties devise an academic treatment plan and put the student on the path to academic success which have been added to the schedule for 20102011 introduction to statistics 3d computer animation advanced placement biology accounting iv and several others in addition we will continue to expand the use of technology at all grade levels to engage today s learners many of them 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 put into service several new personal computers for student use have been installed districtwide to replace outdated and failing computers and many existing personal computers used by students and staff had new software installed at a much lower price than continued on pg 9 high school students have requested several new courses c elebrate congratulations to meredith and anthony meredith moylan wec psychologist and anthony bavaria were married on saturday may 29 in carlisle anthony is employed by big springs school district as a psychologist they honeymooned over the summer in new york city they met at millersville university while studying psychology mission statement congratulations to erin and tyler erin sparmblack hs language arts and tyler trettin were married on friday july 16 at first united methodist church in ephrata their reception was at foxchase golf course and they honeymooned in las vegas 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.

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page 4 mountaineer monthly a ugust 2010 b oard m eeting s ummary the school board met on august 23 2010 the complete minutes will be posted on the district website after they are approved at the september board meeting opening the 2010 boys soccer program is remarkably diverse the players represent 13 countries and speak 10 languages their motto for the 2010 season is one world one passion team captains brooks carr ben vavreck jair saenz nate latshaw and coach rob deininger presented the school board and administration with tshirts that feature the motto and a special logo school board president tim stayer center with coach deininger and the varsity soccer captains a ugust 23 s chool b oard c ommittee a ction budget finance committee approved treasurer s report for june 1 through july 31 2010 typical monthly activity real estate tax exoneration 20102011 pupil transportation nonpublic transportation approved bus routes and stops worley and obetz contract ratification student assistance program cobys family life education course or workshop building property committee approved agreement with community action program head start for monthly rent and utility fees change order ratification information items update of completion of district projects and bid opening of the sale of mahogany boards personnel committee approved resignations krista davis ms reading effective july 26 2010 jo carole dodson hs musical choreographer effective august 17 2010 terri sensenig ms inclusion aide eff aug 2 2010 john shetromph head girls soccer coach effective august 4 2010 erin trettin ms musical director costume design set design/paint makeup design properties and ticket sales effective august 19 2010 continued on page 5 curriculum committee approved high school girls volleyball trip to state college pa for approx 12 players for a tournament october 1 and 2 2010 high school cloister ffa trip to indianapolis in for approx 18 students for the national ffa convention october 1823 2010 policy committee no action items upcoming school board meetings in the district office board room at 7:00 p.m planning public affairs committee no action items monday september 13 ommittee meetings c monday september 27 regular board meeting

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volume 2010 issue 1 page 5 a ugust 23 s chool b oard c ommittee a ction continued personnel committee continued from page 4 transfers lori warfel from ms/hs spanish to hs spanish lori administration matthew ammons from is learning support to assistant to the coordinator of student support services effective august 16 2010 professional effective august 25 nathan eakin from tpe grade 1 clay to tpc grade 1 clay and to be granted a temporary professional contract nate is replacing jill hilt who retired jenna ginder from ms learning support to hs learning support jenna transferred to mike davidson s position sheri horner from clay grade 3 to elementary math coach through the 20102011 school year sheri is replacing ellen reed who retired gina jarvis from is literacy coach to ms reading gina is replacing krista davis who resigned ashley macadams from tpe fulton learning support to tpc ms learning support and to be granted a temporary professional contract ashley is replacing jenna ginder who transferred to another position roberta may from clay/highland literacy coach to is literacy coach roberta is replacing gina jarvis who transferred to another position diane robinson from is grade 5 learning support to is grade 6 learning support diane is replacing matt ammons who transferred to another position kimberly ruoff from is/ms learning support to is grade 5 learning support kimberly is replacing diane robinson who transferred to another position is replacing dan mahlandt who transferred to another position appointments professional effective august 25 unless noted otherwise valerie alexander tpe highland kindergarten through the 20102011 school year valerie is replacing millie carlson who retired jamie avery lts clay grade 3 through the 2010 2011 school year jamie is replacing sheri horner who transferred to another position lauren beaner lts highland grade 1 through the 20102011 school year lauren is replacing cheryl etkin who is on leave michael bezler parttime hs credit recovery effective august 30 2010 through the 20102011 school year mike is replacing anthony rossi april eberly lts is grade 6 through the 20102011 school year april is replacing jennifer maryniak who is on leave tanya goss tpe is grade 5 through the 20102011 school year tanya is replacing jane bacon who retired lisa hall tpe hs family and consumer science through the 20102011 school year lisa is replacing patricia hetrick who retired continued on page 6 v acancies professional home and school visitor parttime 20102011 long term sub extracurricular assistant swimming boys lacrosse girls lacrosse girls soccer high school quiz bowl middle school musical director

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page 6 mountaineer monthly a ugust 23 s chool b oard c ommittee a ction continued semester appointments continued marion piersolmiller mentor for april eberly professional suzi rehm orientation mentor for jamie avery effective august 25 peggy schlegel orientation mentor for sheri klahr joshua miller lts ms/hs spanish through the 2010 michelle ullrich orientation mentor for victoria 2011 school year joshua is replacing lori warfel who socie transferred to another position lori warfel mentor for joshua miller victoria socie tpc ms family and consumer science and to be granted a temporary professional contract support staff salary increases up to 3.8 percent effective july 1 2010 and administrative salaries in victoria is replacing carol weigelt who retired accordance with previously approved contracts and brittany theisen tpe fulton learning support the compensation plan for administrators through the 20102011 school year brittany is 20102011 department supervisors replacing kim ruoff who transferred to another business/fcs elaine gaston position guidance steve habowski tanya weaver lts is/ms learning support through health/pe deb sharp the 20102011 school year tanya is replacing kim ruoff who transferred to another position health services sharon schaeffer language arts jennifer eshleman support effective august 30 unless noted otherwise learning support jenna ginder joy cummings pt hs secretary to the athletic mathematics deb mckonly director effective august 24 2010 joy is replacing media center candy blessing wendi blessing who resigned music jim kimmel jennifer gerhart pt is inclusion aide is replacing science/ag josh haupt patricia spangler who resigned social studies larry hagen carol nolt akron health technician is replacing tech ed/art rod myers jackie hoober who retired world languages bonnie strohl kevin rupp pt ms inclusion aide this position is needed for a student returning from iu placement 20102011 elementary subject chairpersons mentors guidance beth lyons effective august 25 unless noted otherwise language arts crystal loose debbie bender mentor for tanya goss math sheri horner stacy burkey mentor for lisa hall science adrian shelley brian chickerino orientation mentor for tanya social studies julie straub weaver special education debra bernhard jennifer heistand mentor for ashley macadams 20102011 aides through the conclusion of the first semester 2010 summer technology employee kelly homan change from mentor for ashley 20102011 substitutes macadams to mentor for brittany theisen nancy murphy orientation mentor for valerie continued on page 7 alexander through the conclusion of the first personnel committee continued from page 5

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volume 2010 issue 1 page 7 a ugust 23 s chool b oard c ommittee a ction continued 20102011 support staff substitutes secretaries monica groome shirley lapi melissa aides joy albright denise andrews michelle bock lapp nancy patton and michelle reiff custodial mary chabot ralph dissinger trudy fritz melvin hilbert james izydorcyzk john ringler and milton santos food service marian groff patsy miller peg nolt anna mae reinhold polly specht and wilma weaver health techs christine emmerling sharon fasnacht patricia fassnacht kimberly gockley jackie hoober and lisa hubbard lynn brubaker dawn eberly monica groome andrea hartman kristy honeybone jennifer horne melissa lapp karen leonhard paula martin margaret may anna page dorothy rauch michelle reiff kevin rupp linda synden brenda wolf rebecca yoon and mary zimmerman 20102011 bus van drivers 20102011 extracurricular coaches advisors 2010 fall sports volunteers recognition of club sports 20102011 extra duty positions and pay rate a ugust 2010 superintendent and b oard r eports report of the superintendent thank you to the administration and staff for successful newteacher induction trainings thank you to the summer staff for working hard to get the buildings and grounds ready for the new school year august 2527 were districtwide inservice days the replacement of the high school auditorium seats has been completed as part of an ongoing effort to provide quality and safe facilities an allweather turf update was provided plans are being reviewed by ephrata borough council report of the lancaster county career and technology center representative mrs jenny miller discussion was held about ways to generate revenue and collect donations report of the lancasterlebanon intermediate unit 13 representative mr neal reichard iu13 added two goals to their mission fund development and marketing cyber services to connect schools and individual classes to each other report of the pennsylvania school boards association region 9 representative mr glenn martin governor rendell is looking for ways to close the gap in federal funding especially education funding irrc is looking at new regulations for bus drivers a draft of the legislative conference platform is being finalized the conference will be at hershey lodge october 1315 2010 old business none new business the municipality group of which the district is a member will be hosting an educational program for the elected officials of ephrata and clay townships ephrata and akron boroughs and the easd school board in october presenters will discuss municipal cooperation and cooperative planning vision statement achieving success one student at a time.

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page 8 mountaineer monthly s ummer f acility i mprovement p rojects several facility improvement projects were recently completed the highland parking lot and portions of the high school parking lot were repaved the high school gymnasium bleachers and auditorium seats were replaced and several middle school science labs are being renovated with the replacement of desks cabinets and fixtures the high school auditorium seats and gymnasium bleachers were original to the building which opened in 1961 approximately 990 auditorium seats were replaced with cushioned movietheaterstyle seats new high school gymnasium bleachers replaced the original mahogany bleachers and are safer for guests with physical handicaps high school auditorium seat replacement high school gymnasium bleacher replacement during before during after middle school science lab renovations new desks the installation of new cabinets will be completed in early september after s ummer 2010 b and c amp a ttracts y oung m usicians the 2010 youth band camp was held in june many district employees contributed to its success the 23rd annual camp involved numerous elementary and intermediate school instrumental music students after four days of rehearsal the band performed a concert and had a group outing at hershey park assisting with instruction were dan clark is 5th grade adam zeni clay 4th grade and kierstin levan student teacher many other district employees helped as chaperones and melissa wenger in other duties substitute teacher they included and diane winger andrea campbell highland aide clay aide lynn many parents brubaker fulton assisted a s aide nathan chaperones over the eakin clay 1st years numerous grade marilyn other employees molchany fulton jim kimmel directs the youth have also helped 1st grade beth band camp members with this program needelman the youth band camp was under highland 3rd grade bob the direction of james kimmel needelman highland 4th grade elementary band director and music tina tristaino highland aide department supervisor.

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volume 2010 issue 1 page 9 i nitiatives continued from pg 3 replacing the computers the upgrades will allow the computers to supportnewercomputer applications the enhancement of technology will further engage our 21st century learners the district has 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 expand the opportunity for students and staff to attend videoconferencing classes and workshops simultaneously for example ephrata high school students can study mandarin chinese through a video conferencing partnership with hempfield school district while staff participate in a videoconference reading workshop from an intermediate unit in pittsburgh videoconferencing opens up many unique learning opportunities for students and reduces travel expenses for staff the district opened a cybercharter school ephrata virtual academy will give students the opportunity to work at their own pace on computers in their home live instructional support is available online from certified teachers by enrolling students residing within the district into our own cybercharter 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 startup costs for the program the district hopes to enroll at least 15 students in the program in 20102011 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 cybercharter schools throughout the year the district will continue to utilize technology to increase paperless communications with parents/guardians such as classroom and building newsletters and invitations to special meetings by reducing the number of papers being sent home with students the district will save thousands of dollars i ntermediate t ransition c amp over 220 students participated in the 3rd annual ephrata intermediate school transition camp the program is designed to help incoming 5th grade students become familiar with the school and to meet new classmates incoming 6th grade students new to the district were also invited to attend our hope is that transition camp helped to lower any anxiety that new students might have about moving to the intermediate school this event has grown over the years and we have received very positive transition camp activities included a lockeropening training a tour of the building a scavenger hunt that required the students to find the cafeteria media center nurse s office and other areas in the building and several teambuilding activities the morning activities wrapped up with a lunch provided by the ephrata intermediate school students find the nurse s office during a scavenger hunt feedback about the morning said stacie bardell intermediate school principal www.easdpa.org

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o ther n ews united way day of caring saturday september 11 2010 8:30 until 11:30 a.m volunteers will work to accomplish projects in the community such as painting and tree planting the event wraps up with a thank you picnic at mccaskey east high school on saturday september 11 at 11:30 a.m please call the volunteer center at 717 2993743 if you are interested in participating chamber membership benefits the district is a member of the lancaster chamber of commerce and industry and the ephrata area chamber of commerce chamber benefits are extended to all district employees for more information about the chambers their publications and upcoming events please visit www.lancasterchamber.com and www.ephrataarea.org respectively you can also sign up to receive the weekly newsletters of both organizations s cience f actory o ffers f ree a dmission thanks to a grant from two anonymous donors 6th grade classes in lancaster county will be given free admission to the lancaster science factory during the 20102011 school year the recommended time for field trips is two hours but classes may stay as long as they like the grant will pay the admission fee of any local 6th grade class that enrolls in the science factory 6th grade field trip program teachers and chaperones are admitted free the grant does not cover transportation costs for more information contact the science factory education programs department at 717 5096387 or education @tlsf.org the science factory 454 new holland ave houses more than 50 exhibits that align with state academic standards and explore concepts in physical science technology engineering and math penndot is launching a new monthly initiative to distribute traffic safety tips the august tip addresses school bus safety it s that time when school buses are everywhere if a school bus has its lights flashing and stop arm extended you must stop the only exception is if you are on the opposite side of a highway divided by a concrete barrier or grassy median if you are following or traveling alongside a school bus the law also requires you to stop at least 10 feet away learn more about the school bus stopping law and penalties for violations at www.drivesafepa.org lighten up lancaster was your summer filled with family barbecues and trips to the local ice cream shop did your backtoschool clothes shrink lancaster on the move is a free online program spearheaded by lighten up lancaster county that will help motivate you to get and stay active visit www.lancasteronthemove.com to receive information about area locations for physical activity you can also use the website to track your physical activity www.easdpa.org

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