Each September, we experience a renewed energy that only the beginning of a new school year can bring. That energy will be on full display next week at our homecoming events.

With only four weeks left in the first marking period, we can take initial stock on our goals. We encourage our students to set process and results-oriented goals. On Friday, our first marking period interim reports were posted in Sapphire. Pease talk with your student about how they can utilize our new W.I.N. period for teacher support. Students who are connected to a school activity tend to do better academically. This week, our Character Education committee hosted its annual Club and Activity Fair, which you can read about below.

One of our school’s initiatives this year is to establish a schoolwide positive behavior, intervention, and support system (PBIS). You can read about PBIS below in the assistant principals’ component of the monthly newsletter. Each month, Mr. Jahoda and Mr. Peck will provide updates from an assistant principal’s perspective. Our counselors – Mrs. Miller, Mrs. Zeller, and Mr. Bohlen – will do the same. Our counselors and assistant principals serve in many roles and are great resources for our students.

A second school initiative includes curbing the use of cell phones. We appreciate students’ and parents’ cooperation on this important effort as we learn about the harms of cell phone usage on our students. In conjunction with this effort, we aim to have students socialize more and increase their physical activity by opening the auxiliary gym at lunches to play ping pong, yard games, and basketball. We will look for other ways to promote social and physical activities throughout the year. These are small but meaningful symbols of how we want to promote overall health and wellbeing for our students.

We always welcome your communication and encourage you to reach out to teachers, counselors, case managers, and administrators with specific questions. In next month's newsletter, there will be information regarding meeting for coffee with the high school administration to talk about our school.

Sincerely,

Dr. Bianchi

On Friday 9/27/24, interim grade reports were posted to Sapphire. This new piece of communication is intended to portray students' progress and generate conversation among teachers, students, and families headed into the final few weeks of the marking period. Interims will look like abridged versions of report cards.

EPAHS held a club fair this week hosted by our students who participate in these clubs as well as our character education committee students. The goal of this fair is to increase awareness of the opportunities that our school has to offer. Each grade level visited the club fair during their WIN period one day this past week. Involvement in school-based activities leads to success and this high energy fair was a great way to foster interest in our school clubs and activities. A special thank to our students and staff for organizing this event.

Our school district’s 6 core values include: Growth Mindset, Perseverance, Collaboration, Mindfulness, Integrity, and Caring. The primary vehicle for developing these characteristics comes in our Character Education period, which in years past, occurred on Thursdays between period 4 and Advisory (WIN). Students also participate in Career Education “Naviance” lessons once per month, which are created by our counseling staff. To emphasize their importance, this period will now be first thing Friday morning, separate from Advisory (WIN) and to provide a positive start to the last day of the week. This approach was popular when we tried it last year. This character-building period supports our district’s mission to “Know each student's name, face, and personal story in order to deliver meaningful educational experiences.”

Please speak to your students about our new Panther POWER expectations! Each letter in POWER stands for an expectation that we are all striving for each day as an entire school community. Students have been leaning about POWER expectations throughout each main area of the school building. We have a wonderful team of staff members that help run our PBIS program. We are going to start a student team in the near future to help us all work together as a team to make to our HS and even more amazing place to be!

We will continue to work as an entire school community to work on displaying the Panther POWER expectations this school year! Please remind your students about this expectation so that we can work together to become a POWER school!

Congratulations to the 2024 EPAHS Homecoming Court!

Karem Megahed & Sydney Levering

Lucas Martz & Sofia Morrill

Mohamed Fayed & Naomi Candelario-Gonzalez

Niko Thalassinos & Emma Hornbaker

Logan Buzzard & Hayley Bordner

Logan Newman & Lauren Wentle

Ali Alami & Lily Estright

We are looking forward to celebrating Homecoming next week!

“Radium Girls” is a true drama that follows the ladies of U.S. Radium Corporation, whose lives were tragically affected by the use of a newly discovered element, radium, which caused serious medical issues. The “Girls” face corporate management that first denies there is a problem, then attempts to cover up scientific research in the name of corporate profit.

“Radium Girls” will be performed on November 14 and 16 at 7pm, and November 17 at 2pm, at the High School theater. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for students with a student ID.

Please email Mr. Durika, the director and advisor for Drama Club, at jdurika@epasd.org with questions.

Congratulations to the students who will appear in D.W. Gregory's "Radium Girls" this November!

Marley Parthemore

Mason Kasprzak

Sylvia Mizak

Gabby Wood

Chase Stocklin

Ryleigh Koretzky

Nyx Lewis

Foster Lemley

Ella Lipschutz

Abby Muthersbaugh

Layah Simmons

Sage Ragin

Aurora Farley-Freeman

Jasmine Luke

Cassidy Knoblauch

Evelyn Grimwood

J.J. Miller

Abby Potteiger

Mason Kasprzak (left), Marley Parthemore, and Sage Ragin rehearse a scene from "Radium Girls." The fall play, produced by the High School Drama Club, will be performed on November 14 and 16 at 7pm, and November 17 at 2pm. Tickets will go on sale at the end of October.

Speaking of behavior and development research, the verdict is in after almost a generation’s worth of smart technology use. The misuse of cellular technology, electronic devices in general, and social media have proven worrisome and even dangerous. In the very least, they serve as a distraction tool and management challenge. At worst, they are a place where harmful messages are shared or captured. They disrupt the environment and typically yield more of an overall cost than benefit.

Our school board has adopted new policy pertaining to electronic devices. You may have noticed over the summer that numerous schools, districts, and entire states are banning students’ possession of cell phones. At EPAHS, we will take the first step in a multi-year shift toward prohibition during the school day, meaning this year greater enforcement during class, elimination of headphones/ear buds, and greater enforcement against recording images or video. We will work cooperatively with students and families. We will ensure communication and preparedness for emergency events, but devices have altered school environments to a tipping point where something has to change. More details will be shared with students regarding when, where, why, and how devices can/cannot be used.

• 10/1: Financial Aid Night, 6 PM
• 10/4: Homecoming Game
• 10/5: Homecoming Dance, 7 PM - 9 PM
• 10/9: PSAT/NMSQT 11th Grade Testing
• 10/14: Inservice Day (Act 80), No School for Students
• 10/22: National Honor Society Ceremony
• 10/25: End of the First Marking Period (HS & MS)
• 10/25: Student Early Dismissal, 12:20 PM

We are experiencing increased traffic on campus between 7:20 and 7:30 am. If you are dropping off, please pull to the furthest point possible in your lane before dropping students off in order to alleviate a backlog. This map depicts the current drop-off route. We are considering other options and will post them in our monthly newsletter Friday. From 7:00-7:20, traffic remains relatively light.

Hello CTC Families,

Upcoming Transportation Dates:

• 10/23: CTC Closed for Student Tours - Students go home at 11:45 AM
  
• 10/24: CTC Closed for Student Tours - Students go home at 11:45 AM
• 11/11: EPAHS Closed - CTC Students will need a ride to the HS to catch the CTC bus at 11:45 AM and to be picked up at EPAHS at the end of the day at 3:15 PM
• 11/25: EPAHS Closed - CTC Students will need a ride to the HS to catch the CTC bus at 11:45 AM and to be picked up at EPAHS at the end of the day at 3:15 PM
• 11/26: EPAHS Closed - CTC Students will need a ride to the HS to catch the CTC bus at 11:45 AM and to be picked up at EPAHS at the end of the day at 3:15 PM
• 12/2: CTC Closed - Students go home at 11:45 AM

Please see the CTC school calendar for 24-25 school year.

See this link for more information on CTC scheduling:

https://www.cpatech.org/

We play charades in Algebra II class. The students had to use their knowledge of parent functions and geometric transformations to guess the correct equation.

Students in Mr. Durika's AP Economics class work in building zoos to demonstrate the economic concepts of scarcity, opportunity cost, marginal analysis, and social vs. individual benefits of economic decisions.

FCS class was working on presentations of a brand with a logo and jingle. The students finished a unit on advertisement giving great presentations.

Congratulations to EPAHS junior Noelle Bieber on passing her US Figure Skating Senior Moves in the Field Test, which makes her a Gold Level Figure Skater!

This level is the top tier skating test, and US Figure Skating estimates that only about 3% of figure skaters reach this prestigious level. Noelle has been skating for nearly 10 years, and has been working through the levels of these tests for the past 7 years. Noelle looks forward to continuing to compete in the spring with her Gold status, and is even considering coaching following high school.

Congratulations to Noelle on this incredible accomplishment! We are Panther Proud!

The first YBEC adventure trip from the High School was a massive success! This select group of students showed bravery in less than-favorable weather conditions. With an air temperature of 65 degrees and a water temperature of around 70, we all got into our wetsuits and outside our comfort zones. We had 100% participation as all students got onto a board and most stood up to get the hand of paddle boarding. We also explored a 350 million-year-old rock outcropping called Hammond Rock. We left the area better than we found it as trash was collected and disposed of. We were treated to a cookout provided by the staff of YBEC. Many students showed their heartfelt appreciation for a warm burger and hot dog on a cold day. These students showed all aspects of Panther POWER!

Senior Class President Foster Lemley presented the first student representative report of the school year at the school board meeting on September 5th. Foster provided an in-depth look at many events and activities that have happened since the school year started, as well as previewing upcoming activities for students. We look forward to welcoming our student leadership throughout the district to our upcoming meetings!

Hello students! My name is Mrs. Sanders and I am your high school's LMLC librarian. I wanted to inform everyone about the resources we have available to you both physically and digitally. Attached you will find two flyers, one highlighting our most valuable resources and another one highlighting one specific digital resource called PowerLibrary. Throughout the year, I will be sharing an informational online flyer spotlighting certain digital resources for both students and staff to discover and hopefully inquire the LMLC how to utilize.

The LMLC does have a new website, developed last year, housing all your research needs. Digital resources that will be highlighted can be found through the LMLC Resources webpage. My hope is for everyone to check out the website and see the vast array of both physical and online opportunities the LMLC provides. You can find the LMLC website through Clever (see the attached picture to locate).

At the LMLC, both the wonderful Mrs. Boston and myself live by our mission: "EMBRACE CURIOSITY – READ BOOKS – BE HAPPY!". We strive to provide a space that helps students embrace curiosity, want to read more books thus learn new information, and just overall feel happy meaning less stressed. We hope you come down to visit us because we are a really cool place to use. We even have a free coffee/hot chocolate bar (must bring your own drink cup though). If you have any questions or just want to visit, please come visit us sooner rather than later :-).

GO EP PANTHERS!!!

Mrs. Sanders

Info.Tech.for Bus.Ed.

EPAHS Librarian

East Pennsboro Area School District

Coffee with a Counselor is a new initiative offered by the school counselors to assist students in small groups regarding various topics such as the college application process, NCAA eligibility, work force, and more. Seniors will be able to sign up in the School Counseling for the Class of 2025 Google Classroom.

October 9th - PSAT/NMSQT exam for all juniors

On Wednesday, September 25th, East Pennsboro's class of 2027 sat for the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB). The ASVAB is given to all 10th graders because the results from anyone in 10th grade are not valid for recruitment/enlistment purposes. The ASVAB is also a very robust career tool that is used for prediction of academic and occupational success in several industries. Lastly the ASVAB fulfils an alternative graduation requirement. Like the PSAT and SAT, the score from the ASVAB can provide evidence of post-secondary readiness to the PA Department of Education.

If you have any questions, please contact your students school counselor:

Last names A-F (and CTC) -Mrs. Hillary Miller hmiller@epasd.org

Last names G-O -Mrs. Christina Zeller czeller@epasd.org

Last names P-Z -Mr. Mark Bohlen mbohlen@epasd.org"

Starting in October, Mr. Bohlen will be holding NCAA Workshops for the sophomore, junior, and senior athletes considering playing college sports. These workshops are for students only and will be covering NCAA requirements; current earned NCAA credits; and creating academic plans to meet NCAA requirements. Sessions are currently limited to 5 students. More can be added if demand exceeds availability.

Workshops will be held on:

• October 4th, 16th, 23rd, and 30th

• November 6th, 13th, and 20th

• December 4th and 11th

Encourage your students to sign up today! Freshman sessions will be held after winter break during course selection.

Students can sign up using the form linked in the school counseling Google Classroom and below:

https://forms.gle/EUZYWxou27uFaY1B7

Dave Payne, a school counselor from Cumberland Perry Area Career & Technical Center (CPACTC), visited the high school on Tuesday, October 8th to share information about their programs to our 9th grade students.

A representative from Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency (PHEAA), visited East Pennsboro Area High School on Tuesday, October 1st for our Financial Aid Night to present information to students and families.

If you couldn't make it, click the link to her presentation below:

For Attendance in 12th Grade: 1 dose of MCV (Meningococcal) on the first day of 12th grade. If one dose was given at 16 years of age or older, that shall count as the twelfth-grade dose. The student will be excluded on August 30th without evidence of vaccination.

Letters have been sent out if your student is missing their twelfth-grade dose. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact me at 717-287-8764 or bhawk@epasd.org.

Illnesses: If you are sick, stay home. You may be sent home if you show signs of a sore throat, headache, stomachache, or cough.

Medication Policy: If you need medications during the day, you will need to provide a doctor’s note stating that you need the medication during school hours. The medications should be brought In by an adult/guardian in the pharmacy-labeled container. Empty containers may be sent home with the students, but the refills will need to be brought in by the parent/guardian.

Parents/Guardians - Please remember you have the option to submit absence notes, doctor, tardy, early dismissal, and educational trip forms to our high school attendance mailbox at ephsattendance@epasd.org

EPAHS accepts attendance notifications (excuse cards, absence notes, etc.) via email. Parents can email ephsattendance@epasd.org as a means of reporting your child’s absence. Paper notes will still be accepted as well. A reminder that all excuse notifications are required to be submitted within three school days of your child’s absences.

Excused Absences:

When a child is enrolled in the district’s educational program, the student is subject to the

Pennsylvania State Attendance Laws. The Board considers the following conditions to constitute an excused absence from school:

1. Illness

2. Quarantine

3. Student required court attendance

4. Prearranged doctor and dentist appointment for the time of appointment and appropriate travel time only

5. Authorized school activities

6. Pre-approved educational tours and trips, not school-sponsored

7. Other urgent reasons, including funerals, that apply to the child and approved by the building administrator

Parents/guardians are expected to telephone the school when students are absent for any reason. In addition, a written excuse from a parent/guardian is required for each absence.

Unexcused Absences:

An unexcused absence shall be defined as:

• Absence from school with parent/guardian consent for reasons other than those considered

excusable.

• Leaving school during school hours without permission from the administrator.

• Absence from school without knowledge/permission of parent/guardian (truancy).

• Absence from school without knowledge/permission of school authorities.

• Absences from school without written parental excuse submitted within 3 school days of the absence.

Please refer to the Student Handbook to review more specific information about our attendance policies. Contact our school office if you have any questions about our attendance policies or procedures.

Automated Absence Alert:

The Automated Absence Alert system was implemented to inform parents when their students are absent from school. If/when your student is absent or does not report to their classroom they are recorded as absent. When the daily attendance is submitted electronically, an automated message will be sent to a phone identified by the parent/guardian. This call will normally occur by approximately 10:00 am. Should you have questions or concerns you may contact the attendance secretary by calling: East Pennsboro Area High School (EPAHS), at (717) 732-0723.

We are Panther Proud to announce that East Pennsboro Area High School's Golf Team won the League Championship on Thursday, September 19th! This is the first Championship win for our Golf Team in over 30 years. After a season filled with hard work, dedication, and outstanding teamwork, our players have shown remarkable skill and sportsmanship on the course. Our coaches would like to give a special shoutout to our talented athletes for their unwavering commitment and perseverance -- your efforts have truly paid off! Congratulations to our Golf Team -- we look forward to following you into the post season!

East Pennsboro Area High School Marching Band Claims First Place Victory!

We're thrilled to announce that the East Pennsboro Area High School marching band has achieved a remarkable first-place finish at our inaugural competition at Big Springs this weekend! With a score of 72.55, our talented musicians not only secured the top spot in our category but also outperformed every band of similar size in almost every category being judged.

This outstanding accomplishment is a testament to the dedication, hard work, and exceptional skill of our band members and their dedicated instructors. We're incredibly proud of their achievement and look forward to cheering them on as they continue their competitive season.

Join us in celebrating this momentous victory!

At the school board meeting on Thursday, September 5th, we recognized our student athletic leadership for fall sports. We are Panther Proud of our students who continue to act as role models both on and off the field. Congratulations to:

Cheerleading

Cherish Dwyer & Ella Sullivan

Cross Country

Aaron Strite & Raven Smith

Field Hockey

Emma Hornbaker & Gracie Hivner

Football

Logan Newman & JJ Gossard

Golf

Mason Smith & Brody Rafferty

Boys Soccer

Steel Bayer & Jacob Moore

Girls Soccer

Lily Estright & Macie Hammaker

Girls Tennis

Danica Martin & Morgan Stellfox

Thank you to all of our Panther students, staff, families, and community for your support and enthusiasm during our Fall Sports Kick-Off Parade & Bonfire!

We are Panther Proud!

Open 24 hours for all of your EP Spirit needs!

Please create a Sapphire Parent Portal account. There are several benefits to creating a parent portal account:

• You can access your child's report cards when they are published
• You can keep track of your child's attendance
• You will be able to receive important notifications about your child

To create a parent portal account:

• Go to our website www.epasd.org
• Hover over the "Students" tab
• Click "Sapphire Community Web Portal"
• Click "Create a Web Portal Account"
• Follow the remaining on-screen instructions to enter your information.

If you have any questions, please contact Ms. Suzette at sdavis@epasd.org. She would be happy to help!

There are two lunch sessions at EPAHS. Students can deposit lunch money into their accounts by putting it in an envelope in the main office or online with School Bucks. Our district partners with Chartwell’s K-12. Please visit our district’s food service page for more information, including information on free and reduced price meals.

Click the link for a parent-friendly guide to navigating your student's Google Classroom.

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1GSel8xwNYfbQhodBdogt9RC_TZpolTXb2TlZLQKwb_0/edit?usp=sharing

Did you know that in addition to accessing your student’s lunch account, you can also pay fees through MySchoolBucks?

If you have a newly enrolled student in grades 6-12, an invoice will be created for the initial device insurance fee. Please check your student’s account on MySchoolBucks.com. Please select School Store, then School Invoices to view all device invoices.

If your student has needed their device repaired, the insurance fee will cover the cost to repair the device. A new insurance fee will be applied to cover the cost of future incidents. Full details and payment information are available in our District’s 1:1 Device Guide. (epasd.org - parents & guardians - EPASD 1:1 Device Information - EPASD 1:1 Device Guide) To check your student’s account, please go to MySchoolBucks.com, select School Store, and then School Invoices to view all device invoices.

Payments can be mailed to the Administration Center: EPASD — Business Office, 890 Panther Parkway, Enola PA 17025. Please include the student number on the check.

The Cumberland County Library System is offering virtual tutoring sessions. Click the link for more information.

www.cumberlandcountylibraries.org/tutor

CHIP covers uninsured children and teens up to age 19 regardless of income.

CHIP covers uninsured children and teens up to age 19 – and no family earns too much to qualify. With nearly 128,000 uninsured children in Pennsylvania, this is great news for families!

CHIP provides quality, comprehensive health insurance for routine doctor’s visits, prescriptions, dental, eye care, eyeglasses, mental health, and much more. CHIP covers uninsured kids who are not eligible for Medical Assistance. For many families, CHIP is free – for others, it is low cost.

Many more resources can be found on the CHIP website at www.CHIPcoversPAkids.com, under CHIP Resources.

Email: tbianchi@epasd.org
Website: https://www.epasd.org/east-pennsboro-area-high-school/
Location: 425 West Shady Lane, Enola, PA, USA
Phone: 717-732-0723
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EastPennsboroAreaHigh/