Trending
It's that time of year again! Time to come back to reality. School buses are being readied, teachers are preparing lessons and the finishing touches are being put on classrooms and buildings. The 2023-24 school year is about to start.
The fall sports season has already begun and high school bands have been tuning up their instruments at band camps across the county as the day approaches and the doors open on a new school year.
For some students, the return to classes starts as early as next week, while a few districts have delayed opening until after the Labor Day holiday.
Some finishing touches are being put on a newly renovated building at the Williamsport Area School District's Lycoming Valley Intermediate School, where construction has been going on throughout the summer.
"Our buildings will be ready and functional for our students and faculty when they return to school," said Dr. Timothy S. Bowers, superintendent.
"Some of our construction projects won't be completely finished, as they're ongoing, specifically at LVIS. This will have no bearing on our educational plan, as construction work is separated from the daily operation of the building," Bowers said.
In addition to the Lycoming Valley renovation project, the district has been replacing windows at both Cochran Primary and Curtin Intermediate schools, which will continue next summer, as well as installing new flooring in buildings across the district.
A new school year often brings with new programs of study and this year several districts are moving to a new curriculum in core areas.
At the Pre-K through grade 8 level students in the East Lycoming School District will see a rollout of a new core program in Reading/Language Arts. Core Knowledge Language Arts (CKLA) is aligned with the science of reading and is "grounded in rich content knowledge," according to Superintendent Dr. Mark Stamm.
Stamm noted that Cori Cotner – who is the director of curriculum – principals and teachers have been preparing for the transition all summer.
East Lycoming is also revamping the seventh-grade transition program in order to make it a more positive experience for students moving from the district's three elementary schools to one seventh grade.
For Montoursville, it's a new mathematics curriculum that's being implemented. iReady Mathematics, which was piloted last year will be used for grades K-6. Students in fifth and seventh grade will be piloting a science curriculum to align with the new STEELS (Science, Technology, & Engineering and Environmental Literacy & Sustainability) standards.
Students in grades K-3 and seventh and eighth grade in the Williamsport Area School District will have a new math curriculum, Reveal Math. In addition, the elementary reading curriculum, Wonders for grades 4-6 has been upgraded to the 2023 edition.
At Jersey Shore Area School District, the school board recently approved a three-year comprehensive plan which will focus their efforts, according to Superintendent Dr. Brian Ulmer.
"The plan will drive us toward college and career readiness, increasing performance and basic needs of our students, including safety and security," Ulmer said.
In an effort to promote the importance and benefits of attending school every day, Williamsport is resurrecting their "Be Present" attendance campaign to the theme of "Showing Up Together."
They're also continuing to expand their mental health and suicide prevention efforts with the adoption of the Hope Squad, a peer-to-peer suicide program that will be in place at the middle and high schools. The program aims to reduce youth suicide through education, training and peer intervention, according to Bowers.
Although all the districts contacted indicated that teaching positions have been filled for the upcoming school year, it has been a challenge to fill paraprofessional and support staff positions.
"Support staffing remains one of the most challenging areas to fill. Positions like food service, building staff and even LPN's are difficult to place," said Stamm.
Montoursville also struggled to find part-time paraprofessionals, according to Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Communication Daniel Taormina, who indicated that they still have openings in those categories.
"We have been very fortunate that we have been able to fill our teaching and counseling positions with some very high quality candidates," Taormina added.
Ulmer stated that at Jersey Shore, positions have been filled.
"While the applicant pool was definitely smaller, we were able to find quality staff in all positions," Ulmer said.
Williamsport, the largest district in the area, has been "fortunate enough to fill the majority of our open teaching positions as we go into the new school year," Bowers said.
"Like every district across the state and nation, we're experiencing the same hiring challenges with the teacher shortage. Also like every district out there, we're working on ways to be more strategic in our recruitment efforts as well as investigating ways to attract highly qualified individuals to WASD," he said.
There will be new people in leadership at various area schools. Some are administrators that have moved into a new position while others are newly hired.
At the Jersey Shore Area School District, Ulmer said new "administrative faces" include: Justin Armbruster, High School Principal; Dr. Tara Battaglie, Middle School Assistant Principal; David Bittner, CTE Director; and Jodi Woleslagle, Director of Pupil Services.
Loyalsock Township School District also announced changes in administrative positions recently. They are: Ashley Sekel, transferred from Middle School Principal to High School Principal; Rachelle Ackerman, transferred from Middle School Dean of Students to Middle School Principal; Marc Walter, transferred from Elementary School PreK-2 Principal to Elementary School Principal Grades PreK-5; Bradley Grey, High School Dean of Students; Dayne Waller, Middle School Assistant Principal; and Elizabeth Myers, Elementary School Assistant Principal.
New principals in the Williamsport Area School District include: John Fetterman, head principal at Jackson Primary School who is replacing Erin Brouse, who is now the academic recovery coordinator; Dr. Denise Clark, former assistant principal at Hepburn-Lycoming Primary is now the assistant principal at Jackson; Kim Williamson will be a new grade-level principal at the high school, replacing Kristin Takach, who is now the secondary curriculum and unified arts supervisor.
So, that's some of the new things that students will experience as they walk through the doors of their schools this school year, but how can parents prepare their students for what's ahead? The superintendents offered their thoughts on that subject.
"Parents should be sure that their child is well-fed, well-rested and follow an established routine, while being familiar with building bell schedules. To help their child's academic and school success, review building handbooks, monitor their Parent Portal and Schoology accounts to keep up-to-date with their academics, establish communication with their child's teacher, and make sure emergency contact information is current and accurate," Bower said.
"As students prepare for school the best thing that their loved ones can do is to make sure that they are ready for the daily routine of school," Ulmer said.
"There are a lot of steps all of us can do to enrich the lives of students, but speaking as a parent, I think the biggest impact we have is by loving our children and keep them focused on learning in whatever way excites them," Stamm said.
"Take advantage of every opportunity given to you and as always, 'Go Warriors,'" Taormina said.
"We look forward to seeing all your smiling faces and we hope everyone has a great 2023-24 school year! We encourage everyone to get involved by joining our various athletic and extracurricular teams," said Dr. Craig Skaluba, superintendent in the Muncy School District.
Skaluba also urged parents to reach out to the district if they have any questions by emailing or calling the district office, the junior/senior high school or Ward L. Myers Elementary.
He also wanted to highlight that the district has the following events leading up to the opening of school on Sept. 5: Blue/White Night, 7 p.m., Aug. 24, Schuyler Stadium; 7th Grade / New Student Orientation, 6 p.m., Aug. 29, High School Auditorium; High School Open House, 7 to 8 p.m., Aug. 29, Muncy Jr./Sr. High School; Elementary Open House, 6 to 7 p.m., Aug. 30, Ward L. Myers Elementary.