Insight PA High School Newsletter

High School Students and Families,

As we head into Quarter 2, I want to take a moment to celebrate the progress our students have made through Quarter 1 and share some important updates with you.

First and foremost, I would like to express my gratitude for your continued support and involvement in our school community. Your engagement plays a vital role in our students’ success, and we appreciate everything you do.

Academically, we've seen great progress in various subjects, and it's evident that the collaborative efforts of our dedicated teachers, supportive learning coaches, and hardworking students have contributed to these achievements.

Please note the following exciting upcoming events taking place in the High School:

• HS Career Fair: Join us on Friday, November 15th for our annual High School Career Fair. More info is included below!
  
  

• Parent-Teacher Conferences: Scheduled for December 3rd. Emails will be sent through ParentSquare within the next couple of weeks with further information. This is a great opportunity to discuss your student's progress and set goals for the remainder of the year. We encourage all parents/guardians to attend!

If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to reach out. Wishing you a wonderful November filled with gratitude and learning!

Mrs. Megan Miller

High School Principal

memiller@insightpaschool.org

Please note the following important dates this month:

• Friday, 11/01 - Asynchronous Day (No live instruction!)
  
  
• Tuesday, 11/05 - Election Day (School Closed)
  
  
• Tuesday, 11/19 - Community Town Hall
  
  
• Wednesday, 11/27 - Asynchronous Half Day for Students & Staff
  
  
• Thursday, 11/28 - Monday, 12/02 - Thanksgiving Break (School Closed)

Congratulations to our October High School Students of the Week!

Nominated by Mrs. Smaniotto

“Nakya shows a strong commitment in American Literature, particularly in class discussions. She has a solid understanding of Puritan literature and how the Puritan values influenced the writings of that time. In class, she participates regularly and shares helpful insights. Nakya is a reliable classmate and a positive presence.”

Nominated by Mrs. Barone

"“Pharon is a joy to have in class! He attends all of his classes, keeps up on his school work, always participates and leads class discussions, and stays on camera. Pharon works extremely hard, always supports his classmates, and makes everyone feel welcome!”"

Nominated by Mrs. Smaniotto

"Xavier has demonstrated significant effort in our resource room, especially in class discussions. He collaborates well with his peers, showing a positive attitude and sense of humor throughout. He is also a supportive classmate, consistently seeking help when needed. Xavier deserves this recognition for his hard work and dedication!"

Nominated by Mrs. Leaidicker

“Jesse is an active participant in Resource Room. He is a positive role model, who is motivated to do well and finish off the year strong. Keep up the great work!”

Starting this year, all report cards will be delivered through ParentSquare. In order to view your student's report card, you must activate your ParentSquare account.

Please refer to the video below for directions on how to view your student's report card in ParentSquare. If you have not activated your ParentSquare account yet, please search your email inbox for the subject line, "Action Required: Activate Your ParentSquare Account for Insight PA". (If you need additional help activating your ParentSquare account, please watch this video.)

Report cards will be delivered through email starting on Friday, November 15th.

It's not too late to sign up for our first-ever overnight school trip to Washington, DC from Sunday, May 4 - Tuesday, May 6, 2025!

This trip is open to all Insight PA High School (9th - 12th grade) students and will include transportation to/from Washington, DC, overnight accommodations, most meals, and a variety of exciting attractions in our nation's capitol! Mrs. Kristin Seidel (Community Engagement Coordinator) and Mrs. Melissa White (HS History Teacher) will be joining the students on the trip, along with additional Insight PA staff (including a school nurse).

Visit the link below to learn more!

Our virtual Career Day will be held on Friday, November 15th. Students in grades 9 - 12 will be able to select from a variety of speakers and sessions to learn about many different careers, colleges, and opportunities available to them!

Sessions will take place from 9:45am - 2:45pm and will be held in Zoom. Students - make sure you attend HR this morning for attendance and to get the Zoom link for the Career Fair sessions!

Visit the link below to learn more about this year's sessions!

*All parents/guardians who join us for our Town Hall Meetings will be entered into a drawing for an item of your choice (up to $25) from our Insight PA School Store!

Our next Community Town Hall will take place on Tuesday, November 19th! Insight PA parents and guardians are invited to join us for an informative session, during which you will have the opportunity to ask questions and/or share your feedback with members of our Insight PA staff. This month's topics will include:

• Monitoring Your Student's Progress - Learn how to check your student's grades and follow their progress in their classes.
• Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) - learn more about all the different types of support we offer to our students, based on their individualized needs.
• State Testing - Learn more about what we're doing to make in-person state testing more accessible.

*A finalized agenda and Zoom meeting link will be shared in our next school wide newsletter!

November Community Town Hall

Date - Tuesday, November 19, 2024

Time - 6:30 PM - 7:30 PM

Location - Zoom

View a recording below, or on our YouTube channel!

The Pennsylvania College of Technology will offer the Advanced Manufacturing Pre-Apprenticeship (AMP) Program beginning in January 2025. This 4-month program is a career exploratory program that provides students with an understanding of the foundational technical training and career paths in the 21st-century manufacturing industry.

The program will run from January - May, 2025 and is FREE for students. Students will complete 27 online learning modules and attend three in-person lab days at the Penn College Campus (or another designated location). The program ends with an in-person Industry Day, where students who successfully complete the program can meet manufacturing employees and receive their Certified Manufacturing Associate certificate from the Society for Manufacturing Engineers.

Interested?

Information sessions will be held at 1:00pm on the following dates:

• Tuesday, November 5, 2024
• Wednesday, November 20, 2024
• Wednesday, November 20, 2024
• Wednesday, December 11, 2024

Zoom Link for Attendance - https://pct.zoom.us/j/96348308563

Questions?

Please reach out to Mr. Acri via ParentSquare if you have any questions. Please also let Mr. Acri know if you will be attending one of the information sessions and/or are interested in the program.

Our team of Strong Start Advisors has made recordings of their Orientation presentations from the beginning of the school year. These videos contain lots of helpful information for our families and we encourage you to review them and bookmark them.

Please use the links below to view these videos, or visit the Orientation page on our website.

• HS Orientation, Day 1
• HS Orientation, Day 2
• HS Orientation, Day 3

Please join us for the following parent/guardian education sessions during the month of November:

Navigating the Evaluation Report

Tuesday, November 12th from 12:30PM - 1:00PM

Presenter - TBD

Zoom Link - An email invite will be sent to Special Ed families.

Attendance Strategies and Barriers

Tuesday, November 19th from 12:00PM - 12:30PM

Presenter - Kelly Green, Student Attendance Specialist

Zoom Link - https://insightpaschool.zoom.us/j/4080572556

Military Family Appreciation Month

Tuesday, November 19th from 12:30PM - 1:00PM

Presenter - Courtney Wade, Student Resource Specialist

Zoom Link - https://insightpaschool.zoom.us/j/4080572556

Office of Vocational Rehabilitation (OVR) - For HS Only

Tuesday, November 26th from 12:30PM - 1:00PM

Presenters - Andrea McCourt, Early Reach Coordinator at Pittsburgh OVR

Zoom Link -https://us06web.zoom.us/j/89624067876

• Mindfulness (9th grade)
• Growth Mindset (10th grade)
• Mental Health & Wellbeing (11th grade)
• Power & Influence (12th grade).

Our HS students are assigned a counselor based on the first letters of their last name. Not sure who your counselor is? Check the list below!

• Dr. Klepfer (Last names A - Bi)
• Ms. Steiner (Last names Bl - Ce)
• Mrs. Lanzendorfer (Last names Cli - En)
• Mr. Blackstone (Last names Es - Haq)
• Ms. Cloud (Last names Har - Joh)
• Mrs. deTurck (Last names Jon - Lu)
• Ms. Babu (Last names Ly - Mun)
• Ms. Clark (Last names Mur - Ram)
• Mrs. Orbin (Last names Ran - Sap)
• Ms. Christ (Last names Sar - Tar)
• Ms. Benvenuti (Last names Tas - Wilk)
• Mrs. Tate (Last names Will - Z)