Upper Adams School District

161 N. Main Street

Biglerville, PA 17307

(717) 677-7191

FAX (717) 677-9807

District website: www.upperadams.org

Upper Adams School District's Mission and Vision is:

All Students College and Career Ready.

This newsletter marks the closing days of the 2021-2022 school year. The excitement of graduation and summer vacation is definitely on the minds of our students as I talk with our students during visits to our schools and classrooms. This is an important time of the year to pause and reflect on how much each student has grown throughout the school year. Many Upper Adams School District (UASD) family members assisted students to address student learning loss resulting from COVID. While COVID created challenges over the past two years, we continue to work hard to address the impact of COVID on many fronts in our school community.

Additionally, this is a great time to celebrate the success each student has made throughout this school year. I am continually reminded of the successes each student and educator made over the past year as I attend the celebrations recently silenced during COVID. The return to in-person events includes celebrations in the areas of academics, music, art, and athletics. Congratulations everyone.

In this newsletter you will find information regarding the Upper Adams School District. We hope this information will help with your planning for the 2022-2023 school year. Have a safe, relaxing and enjoyable summer!

Best wishes to the Class of 2022! Make us Canner Proud! GO CANNERS!

Sincerely,

Wesley T. Doll, Ed.D.

Superintendent

The public can view the meetings of the Board of Directors via YouTube. The YouTube link can be found on the district website at www.upperadams.org at the bottom right of the homepage under the Quick Link Section.

If you have questions about the meetings or if you would like to be placed on a future agenda to speak to the board during public comment, please contact the following email address: Questions4Board@upperadams.org by 4:00 p.m. on the Monday prior to a board meeting.

Notice of Upper Adams School District Intent to Adopt Proposed Final Budget

The Board of Directors of the Upper Adams School District intends to adopt a proposed
final budget at its public meeting beginning at 7:00 p.m. on May 17, 2022 held in the
Upper Adams School District boardroom.

A copy of the proposed final budget is a work-in-progress and it is available for public
inspection located on the Upper Adams website at www.upperadams.org or by visiting
the District Administration Office

The proposed final budget may be amended as more information becomes available
from the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE).

In accordance with Act 1 of 2006, notice is hereby given that the Board of Directors of
Upper Adams School District that the final proposed budget will be on display and can
be found at www.upperadams.org, for public comment.

Please contact Shelley Hobbs, Business Administrator at s.hobbs@upperadams.org if
you have questions.

Final budget adoption is scheduled for Tuesday, June 21, 2022 at 7:00 p.m.

The Upper Adams School District celebrated Staff Appreciation during the first week in May by sharing a "scoop" of ice cream with the faculty and staff.

Dr. Doll shared the following message with the staff:

"This past school year was anything but plain vanilla. Some may compare the 2021-2022 school year to a rocky road and it wasn’t anything like eating cotton candy. We may have found ourselves eating more chocolate and cookie dough this year to manage the craziness. Although some days are sticky to get through like butterscotch or peanut butter other days are just plain nutty like pistachio and butter pecan. By the end of some days, we all may feel like a twist or banana swirl and some days we may feel like we are carrying our lucky charm.

Regardless of how you may have felt at times this year, I want to thank you for your continued dedication to the Upper Adams School District and the students we serve together. Keep up the great work!"

We extend a heartfelt thank you to Half Pint Creamery for their kind donation of the delicious ice cream and waffle cone pieces that were served to our staff.

The district extends its congratulations to Aubrey Woltz for being chosen as the Safe Driving Billboard Design Competition winner. Her billboard will be located along Route 15 near Heidlersburg.

Parent Reminders from Transportation

If changes need to be made to your student’s bus stop, it is important that you contact the Transportation Department at 717-677-7191 ext. 2711 or email Kim.Smith@upperadams.org.

Students need to be at the bus stop 5-10 minutes earlier than their regularly scheduled pick-up time.

For the past two school years, Upper Adams School District has been able to offer free breakfast and lunch for our students district-wide under the guidance of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Meal waivers are anticipated to expire on June 30, 2022.

The District would like to notify parents/guardians that free meal options may not be available for the 2022-2023, unless qualifications are met under the Free/Reduced meal application process. The 2022/2023 Free/Reduced Meal applications will not be available until after July 1, 2022.

If this guidance or waiver is changed or extended, the District will provide additional communication and want to prepare parents/guardians that payment may be expected for school lunches during the 2022/2023 academic year.

The following information is due to the district Nurses' Offices at the beginning of the school year.

Dental Exams for Kindergarten, 3rd Grade and 7th Grade Students

Physicals for Kindergarten, 6th Grade and 11th Grade Students

Immunization updates are needed for students entering Kindergarten, 7th Grade and 12th Grade. They include the following:

7th Grade - Tdap and Meningitis is required by the first day of school

12th Grade - Second dose of Meningitis is required by the fifth day of school

If you are in need of Dental Exam or Physical Exam paperwork or have questions regarding the required information including immunizations, please contact the School Nurse in your student's building.

Sally Jones, School Nurse, Biglerville High School & Upper Adams Middle School

s.jones@upperadams.org

Jenna Glass, School Nurse, Upper Adams Intermediate School

j.glass@upperadams.org

Heather Then, School Nurse, Biglerville Elementary School

h.then@upperadams.org

Spring Into State Assessments ≅ ‘Tis The Season

In the State of Pennsylvania, each spring begins assessment season for school districts. The Upper Adams School District uses assessments to monitor student mastery of and growth in achievement of curriculum standards. Assessments are used for much more than calculating a proficiency level, so it is important for both parents and students to understand the state assessments given and what the results mean. Equally important is that parents and students celebrate areas of accomplishment and recognize the need to continue to grow in other areas. While the Upper Adams School District administers a variety of state assessments, the two that impact the greatest number of students are the Pennsylvania State System of Assessment (PSSA’s) & the Keystone Exams.

The PSSA is a state academic assessment designed to measure student mastery of the PA Core Standards in English Language Arts (ELA), Mathematics, and Science. All students in grades 3 - 8 are required to be assessed in these content areas by both the federal Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) and Chapter 4 of the Pennsylvania State Education Code. Students in Grades 3 - 8 participate in the PSSA English Language Arts and Mathematics assessments annually. Students in Grades 4 and 8 also participate in the PSSA Science assessment. The PSSA tests are administered in April and early May of each school year. The English Language Arts Assessment has three (3) sections, approximately one (1) hour each, the Mathematics Assessment has two (2) sections, approximately one (1) hour each, and the Science Assessment has two (2) sections, approximately one (1) hour each. Students are awarded points for correct answers. Open-ended questions that require students to write an extended response are scored against a rubric by teams of assessors. The total number of points earned by a student is converted to a scaled score and a proficiency level. There are four proficiency levels: Below Basic, Basic, Proficient, and Advanced. Students at the Proficient and Advanced levels are considered to have mastered the standards for that grade level and subject. Printed student reports are available from the state during the Fall months of the next school year and are made available to parents.

The Keystone Exams are state end of course assessments designed to measure student mastery of state standards in Literature, Algebra I, and Biology. Assessment of all students in mathematics, reading, and science at least once at the high school level is required by both the Federal Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) and Chapter 4 of the Pennsylvania State Education Code. Because the Keystone Exams are end of course exams, they are administered at the end of a particular course rather than in an identified grade. The Keystone Exams have Winter & Spring assessment windows. The Upper Adams School District determines the exact testing days for each subject within the window. All Keystone Exams consist of two (2) sessions, or modules. Each module requires about one (1) hour of testing time. Students are awarded points for correct answers. The open-ended questions that require students to write an extended response are scored against a rubric by teams of assessors. The total number of points earned by a student is converted to scaled score and a proficiency level. The four proficiency levels are Below Basic, Basic, Proficient, and Advanced. Students at the Proficient or Advanced levels are considered to have mastered the standards for that course. Printed student reports are made available by the state about two (2) months after testing and are sent home to parents.

New Substitute Provider

The Upper Adams School District is pleased to announce a new partnership with Kelly Education Services for the hiring of all substitutes for the 2022-2023 school year. Hiring events will be held on May 3, 4, 11, and 12 from 3:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. at the Biglerville High School/Upper Adams Middle School Cafeteria. For more information and who to contact, please visit the district substitute information page at https://www.upperadams.org/Page/2144

Contractor Employment Opportunities and Contact Information

Aramark

Custodial

Substitute Custodial

https://www.aramark.com/careers

Positions are available now!

Chartwells

Food Service Worker

Substitute Food Service Worker

www.compassgroupcareers.com

or Mike at 717-677-7191 x2510

Positions available now!

Jacoby Transportation*

Bus drivers

Van drivers

Substitute bus drivers

Substitute van drivers

Website: https://www.jacobytransportation.com/careers/

Rolling Hills Transit/Folium Inc.

Van drivers

Substitute van drivers

Website: https://foliuminc.com/current-opportunities

Weaver Transportation*

Bus drivers

Substitute bus drivers

Contact: weaversbusservice@gmail.com or Matt at 717-968-2340

*Paid training maybe available

There are a number of organizations who have summer offerings available to the students at the Upper Adams School District. Visit our district website and view the Community Public Events Page for all the latest information.