PRINCIPAL’S REPORT
January 18, 2006
from the offices of Ann Bisignani, High School Principal
and Aaron Skrbin, Assistant High School Principal
DUAL ENROLLMENT/PROJECT 720 CONFERENCE
On December 14 and 15, Mrs. Mary Quirk, High School Enrichment Coordinator, and Mr. Aaron Skrbin, High School Assistant Principal, along with Dr. Hippert and Dr. Ravita, attended a statewide summit at Penn State University on the topic of dual enrollment and Project 720. The conference was attended by over 300 individuals representing a broad sampling of school districts statewide. On December 14, presentations focused on dual enrollment programs: the state’s role in the grant process, structure, expectations, and the role of dual enrollment in the high school curriculum.
Dr. Hippert, Dr. Ravita and Mr. Skrbin remained for the second day of the conference which covered Project 720. Updates were given regarding the state’s expectations for the program and models of successful implementation of Project 720 funded initiatives. Also American Education Services presented information on educationplanner.org. The website offers valuable tools for students and parents to assist them in planning for life after high school. Among the services offered on the site are free interest inventories and career surveys, assistance in searching for schools, and offering advice on how to pay for post secondary education.
PRESCHOOL NEWS
Family and Consumer Sciences teachers from Fort Cherry High School visited our preschool to observe the class. They are considering starting a similar preschool program in their school and wanted to visit a model program! Also, 80 children registered with 5 on a waiting list on Monday, January 9 for the 2006-2007 school year! The Pittsburgh Zoo did a presentation on January 9 and 10 complete with a snake, cockroach and a bunny. A police officer from Allegheny County did a safety presentation to the children on January 11 and 12, and a Scholastic Reading program has been started as part of the reading literacy program. A special thank you to Mrs. Morally for her continued leadership in developing such a stellar program of early childhood education for the four-year-olds in the district.
WACA BAND STUDENTS SELECTED
Congratulations to the following students that were selected to represent South Fayette in the WACA (Western Allegheny County Area) Band:
Nick Brozack Carly Lapp
Rylan Collins Matt Merhaut
Justin DeFerio Dina Pucci
Alyssa DeYoung Joe Santiso
Derik Dolgos Garrett Vidak
Jonathon Fallert Amanda Walasik
Matt Gray Jason Wilcox
Allie Hughes Austin Witt
Jason Kennelly Adam Wolf
Emily Krobot Adam Zombek
PMEA HONORS BAND HOSTED BY SOUTH FAYETTE
Mr. Michael Mackey and participants in the instrumental program will be hosting music directors and over 140 area musicians as PMEA District Band comes to South Fayette on January 18. The group will practice on Thursday and Friday before performing in a concert which is open to the public on Friday evening. SF participants, selected by audition, include Alyssa DeYoung, Derik Dolgos, Allie Hughes, Emily Krobot, Garrett Vidak, and Jason Wilcox.
STUDENTS COMPETE IN SCHOLARSHIP ESSAY CONTEST
Mr. Jeff McGowan is pleased to announce that Sarah Brown and Caitlin Mours have submitted essays for the 7th Annual William S. Schweers Essay Contest, sponsored by the Academy of Trial Lawyers of Allegheny County, on the topic "Should the government fund stem cell research? Winners of the essay contest will be announced and prizes awarded on February 16, 2006. First place is $1000, second place is $500, and third place is $250. Wish Sarah and Caitlin good luck if you see them!
PUBLISHED POETS!
Mrs. Lisa Donovan recently gave us the good news that Julia Denison, Becky Martinelli, Ashley Mountain, and Keri Putulowski (all freshmen) have submitted poetry that has been accepted by Creative Communications to appear in its fall Young Poets Anthology. The girls’ work – “She is the Same” (Denison), “Fourth of July” (Martinelli), “War Goes On” (Mountain), and “He Came” (Putulowski) was selected from among many entries for publication. Congratulations to our stellar writers!
STUDENTS VISIT SUPERINTENDENTS’ CONSORTIUM
On November 10, 21, and December 1, juniors Megan Rooney and Jacob Seiner, sophomores Beth Darnley and Lauren Davis, along with Assistant Principal Aaron Skrbin attended school visitations at Wilkinsburg High School and Pine Richland High School and attended the Western Pennsylvania Superintendent’s Consortium at the Renaissance Hotel in Pittsburgh. Students from Bedford High School, Hyndman High School (Bedford Area SD), Pine-Richland High School, Quaker Valley High School and Wilkinsburg High School participated in the events as well. The purpose of the visitations was to expose students to a broader picture of high school life, interact with peers from other schools and develop and present ideas to the superintendents of what changes students would like to see in high school. During the visitations students were given the opportunity to interact with peers from other schools and observe classes. Students then were brought together as a group to discuss not only what they saw but also what they felt would be positive improvements in their home schools. On December 1, the students were given the opportunity to discuss their ideas with school superintendents from across western Pennsylvania. The sessions were facilitated by Dr. Joseph Werlenich of the University of Pittsburgh. The response to the endeavor by students and administrators was overwhelmingly positive. Future visits are planned for early 2006 with students coming to visit the South Fayette campus and continued partnership with the Superintendents’ Consortium.
ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL’S SURVIVAL DIALOGUE
On Thursday, December 8, High School Assistant Principal Aaron Skrbin and Middle School Assistant Principal Pete Abdulovic attended the 2nd annual Assistant Principal’s Survival Dialogue at Edgewood Country Club in Churchill, PA. The event was sponsored by the Tri-State Study Council at the University of Pittsburgh and was attended by several assistant principals from throughout Southwestern Pennsylvania. The event provided the participants with hands-on knowledge and practical examples of a variety of legal issues facing principals as well as an opportunity to share experiences and network with peers.
KUDOS TO . . .
· Tom Baker, Lauren Holmes, and Adam Levine, who were selected by audition to participate in PMEA District Chorus at Shaler High School from February 2-4. A special thanks to Mr. Kevin Maurer who prepared the students for this event.
· Mr. Felix Yerace, Student Government Sponsor, and Justin Scott, who coordinated a “competitive” toy drive with Chartiers Valley to collect new or gently used toys for needy children during the holiday season. South Fayette won handily, and the groups together collected over 500 toy items during their campaign. Bragging rights go to the Lions, but the real winners were the recipients of all of the wonderful gifts that could be found under trees throughout the region.
· Mr. Felix Yerace, who was recently elected to a three year term on the Board of Directors of the Pittsburgh Chapter of Citizens for Global Solutions. Citizens for Global Solutions, besides its advocacy work to try and find international solutions to global issues, is heavily involved in trying to increase the knowledge of International Affairs in students. The group was looking for a classroom teacher to assist them, and they are looking to Mr. Yerace to help them increase their outreach work and plan programs and curriculum that incorporates International Relations for area high schools. This would include Model UN programs, Lecture Series, and other curricular resources they make available to high school teachers. This is Mr. Yerace’s second appointment to a Board this year. In May, he was appointed to serve as the Pennsylvania Representative on the Board of Directors of the National Academic Games Tournament, where he used to compete and served as a question-writer. It is his goal to eventually start an Academic Games program here at SF. Congratulations to Mr. Yerace on his election to these positions and for the many, many ways he brings real-world experiences to our students every day!
HIGH SCHOOL HAPPENINGS
· The Bridgeville News has visited the high school several times in the past few weeks to do a feature story on the graduation project, the preschool program, and the “Gift of Sight” eyeglass collection effort undertaken by the Health Careers Club.
· On Friday, December 9, 40 Ski Club members traveled to Seven Springs for a great evening of skiing. The mountain had received well over a half a foot of natural snow and was blanketed quite well with “machine” snow. Forty students also made the trip to Seven Springs Resort on Wednesday, December 21, immediately after school. The half day enabled Mr. Sekelik, Ski Club Sponsor, and company to “get in” a half day AND night of skiing—about nine hours of fun!! A good time was had by all, and the group is looking forward to having another trip sometime in January.
· The Advanced Placement teachers hosted an “AP Parent Information Evening” on January 9. Mrs. Chris Lane, AP Coordinator, and Mrs. Bisignani gave parents an overview of the AP program, and then each teacher spoke briefly about their course. Parents then moved to the Commons, where each teacher had a table with course information, a syllabus, books and resources used in the course, and testing information. The evening was very well attended, and feedback from the evening was very positive. A special thank you to Mr. Jeff McGowan for coordinating the event and to all of the teachers in attendance: Mrs. Julie Martin, Mrs. Mary Quirk, Mr. Joe Silhanek, Mrs. Maureen Sirc, Mr. Jim Hausman, Dr. Stephanie Gutshall, Mr. McGowan, and Mrs. Lane.
· The guidance department hosted “Financial Aid Night” for parents on Tuesday, January 10. Representatives from PHEAA were on hand to present information to parents and answer questions. A special thanks to Mrs. Chris Lane and Mr. Rege Fechter, guidance counselors, for coordinating this event.
· Student Government recently made the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, listed as a donor for the Goodfellow's. To date, Student Government has donated $1000 this year to charity. They raised and donated $600 to the American Red Cross for Hurricane relief. They also donated $300 to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, along with the $100 that was sent to the Goodfellows. Student Government has already run a variety of programs for the Student Body, including Homecoming, the Sadie Hawkins Dance, and Halloween Dress up. Student Government also sold Santa Grams and coordinated the Holiday Toy Drive, as well as planned a Winter Sports Pep Rally. Upcoming projects for Student Government include a Valentine's Day Dance, High School Talent Show, and "Spring Fling" open-air concert in May. Student Government is also attempting to organize a lock-in for the High School. This is in addition to the advocacy work they do by meeting with the high school principals on a monthly basis and by having a suggestion box installed in the high school library.
· The DAT (Differential Aptitude Test) was administered to ninth grade students in December. The results, which are due back in February, will provide students with career possibilities that are correlated to their interests and aptitudes. Students will discuss the results of the test with their graduation project advisor and then write a reflection paper about their thoughts on the information provided by the test for their project portfolio.
· Members of the Senior Class presented their Oral Presentation and Exhibition to their review panels on December 13. Each and every senior completed their research paper on time and presented on the 13th!
MEETINGS AND CONFERENCES ATTENDED
Mr. Gatti – “The Right Start in Teaching Economics” Seminar
Mr. McGowan – MSP Teacher Leadership Academy Follow-Up Session
Mrs. Sahady – “Blendedschools.net” Training Seminar
Mrs. Caliguiri & Mrs. Perry – PA Business Education Association Annual Conference
Mrs. Kosik – National Council of Teachers of English Annual Conference
Mrs. Lane – “Building Resiliency” – PA School Counselors’ Association Seminar
Mr. Skrbin – Parkway Principals’ Monthly Meeting & Luncheon
Mrs. Bisignani, Mrs. Sirc & Mrs. Ullom – SHASDA Principals’ Network Monthly
Meeting & Breakfast. SHASDA math teachers also met in December.
Mrs. Bisignani – Football Banquet, Peter’s Place
Mrs. Bisignani – Advanced Principals’ Leadership Academy Meeting, Marriott City
Centre
JANUARY-FEBRUARY CALENDAR EVENTS
January
ü 20 – PMEA District Band Concert, 7:30 p.m., Theatre
ü 23 – Parent Advisory Council Breakfast Meeting, 7:00 a.m.
ü 24 – School Board Recognition, HS Conference Center, 7:00 p.m.
ü 26 – Second Nine Weeks Ends
ü 27 – Model UN Conference, Duquesne University
ü 30 – Clerical/Staff Development Day (No School for Students)
ü 31 – Project 720 Dinner Meeting, 6-8 p.m., HS Conference Center
February
ü 1 – SHASDA Principals’ Meeting
ü 2-4 – PMEA District Chorus, Shaler High School
ü 2 – Community Meeting, 7 p.m.
ü 6 – Two-hour Late Start for Professional Development
ü 6 – Report Cards Issued
ü 7 – Faculty Meeting, 2:05 p.m.
ü 9 – Student Government Luncheon with Principals
ü 13-15 – CTB/PSSA Writing Assessment
ü 13-14 – PAPSA Guidance Review Team Visit
ü 14 – New Teacher Meeting, 2:05 p.m.
ü 15 – Parkway Principals’ Meeting
ü 16 – Advanced Principals’ Academy Meeting
ü 20 – Presidents’ Day (No School)