Superintendent's Corner
December 7th, 2023
Dear WSSD Community,
Time is precious and as we transition from how quickly Thanksgiving arrived to how we continue towards a brand new year, I cannot help but be humbled and impressed during this thankful and giving time. WSSD continues to demonstrate the willingness to give and shows us that what we do goes into what being a good neighbor, friend, and community member are all about. I have seen many of our students, staff, and community donate clothes, food, and time. I am witnessing collections for our anticipated Martin Luther King Day of Service and collections towards other local projects. All of us have lived experiences towards items that are bigger than just around our community. These are opportunities to obtain personal knowledge about the world gained through direct, first-hand involvement in everyday activities. I want to thank families, friends, and loved ones for all you give to our school community.
This week we held the reorganization meeting of the School Board of Directors and we welcomed two new members to our School Board. Mrs. Michelle Williams, a proud parent of three children at SHHS, SHMS, and SRS. Mr. Robert Miller, a proud parent of two students at SHMS and NPE. I look forward to working with both of them on their individual and collective expertise as we set our focus on our strategic initiatives. I encourage you to visit our website to read their biographies. I would be remiss not to extend my gratitude to Ms. Wendy Voet and Mr. Larry Kutys for their long standing service and contribution to the WSSD School Board.
Let me share with you a few highlights from the week, as well as reminders of the upcoming meetings and events.
Winter Concerts
Our music departments are hard at work preparing for winter concerts that our families and community can enjoy. December 2nd, Silvertones sung carols at Home for the Holidays in Swarthmore. Next week on December 13th, NPE and WES will be hosting their winter concerts during the day for their classmates and in the evening starting at 7pm, families and friends are welcome to attend the performance. The winter concert for SRS that was scheduled for December 14th has been rescheduled for January 25th. On December 19th, there will be a SHHS Chorus and Orchestra Concert. I encourage you to attend and support our talented students. These performances are a must see and must experience.
SHMS Fine and Applied Arts Nights
Each year I tell myself our music programs cannot get any better. I continue to be amazed with a joyful grin from ear to ear as Ms. Williams, Mr. McLaughlin, Ms. El Sheakh, and Mr. Shankweiler and all of our students put together all the hours and long work on stage and off stage of their performances. SHMS Fine & Applied Arts event was held on December 6th featuring the 8th Grade Band, 8th Grade Chorus and the 7th/8th Grade Orchestra. There are two additional Fine & Applied Arts nights taking place tonight, December 7th which will feature the 7th Grade Band, 7th Grade Chorus & Cantabile. The last performance will be on December 12th featuring the 6th Grade Band, 6th Grade Orchestra & 6th Grade Chorus.
DCIU Adaptive Art Showcase
Thank you to our wonderful art teachers and staff for encouraging and supporting our student artists. Congratulations to all student artists across Delaware County for the variety of artwork on display. This showcase is to highlight students aged K-21 with one or more of the following diagnoses: Autism, Deaf-Blindness, Deafness, Hearing Impairment, Intellectual Disability, Multiple Disabilities, Orthopedic Impairment, Other Health Impairment, Traumatic Brain Injury, Visual Impairment or Developmental Delay.
DCIU Hearing Support team at Swarthmore Rutledge School
As I mentioned in the beginning that this time is filled with giving gifts and gratitude, The DCIU Hearing Support team at Swarthmore Rutledge School recently gifted several teachers with books. A donation was provided from the SRS Home and School Association. The variety of these books showcase stories and characters who are navigating the world with hearing loss, fostering awareness and inclusion in the school community.
Hour of Code
Mr. Andy Benzing, Director of S.T.E.M. Education, arranged for our elementary students to participate in Hour of Code, a global initiative that provides coding opportunities for students. Strath Haven High School student volunteers collaborated with Mr. Benzing to implement coding lessons for students to introduce and expand access to computer science education in classrooms. Thank you to over 60 Strath Haven students and the parent/guardian volunteers at our elementary schools that have volunteered their time to lead coding sessions.
School Board & Committee Meetings
The next Board Meeting is scheduled for December 18th at 7pm in SHMS. The Educational Affairs Committee will meet on December 20th at 7pm in B226 at SHMS. The Facilities & Finance Committee met on December 6th. The Policy Committee is scheduled for December 13th at 7pm in B226 at SHMS.
Meetings are live-streamed and archived on WSSD YouTube Page. For more information and a link to the meeting schedules, please click here.
Connect With WSSD
Email: helpdesk@wssd.org
Website: wssd.org
Location: 200 S Providence Rd, Wallingford, PA 19086, USA
Phone: 610-892-3470
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WallingfordSwarthmoreSchools/
Twitter: @WSSchools