Upper Adams School District

161 N. Main Street

Biglerville, PA 17307

(717) 677-7191

FAX (717) 677-9807

Upper Adams School District's Mission and Vision is:

All Students College and Career Ready.

Hello Upper Adams School District Family Members!

I hope this communication finds you and your family safe and healthy in 2022!

The winter season is upon us, and colder weather events can potentially delay or cancel school.

Upper Adams School District (UASD) has many options that allow our teachers to provide instruction to our students either in-person or remotely, with minimal disruption to our board-approved District Academic Calendar.

I wanted to share information with you about these options, and also why we may choose between them as weather-related emergencies occur throughout a school year.

Traditional Snow Day (Built-In Weather Emergency/Snow Days)

Our 2021-2022 Board-approved District Academic Calendar includes four (4) built-in snow/weather make-up days that can be used if we need to close our schools or district due to snow or other weather emergency conditions.

• These are traditional “snow days,” and no remote or virtual instruction, or academic activities, are provided for students to complete at home.
• If these days are used, we are required to make them up to ensure our students receive the state-mandated number or instructional hours.
• Our make-up days are already scheduled in our board-approved District Academic Calendar and will include in-person instruction for students.
• If we have more than four (4) of these weather emergency/snow days, we would need to add make-up days to the end of our academic calendar equal to the number of days missed. We are required to provide our students with a state-mandated number of instructional hours each academic year.

Flexible Instructional Day (FID) (State and Board Approved):

In 2020, the PA Department of Education and the UASD School Board approved the use of Flexible Instruction Days (FIDs) for UASD. This means that when situations like winter weather or a building emergency require a district to close, instruction can be provided to students at home rather than in the classroom. The state will count this as a full day of school and we will not have to make it up during the school year. UASD has been approved to use FIDs if needed through the end of the 2022-2023 school year.

• FIDs require at-home instruction/academic activities to be provided for students, and pre-planning allows UASD faculty, students and families time to prepare for at-home learning to occur.
• Pre-planning activities include ensuring our students have access to the resources and materials needed to complete their assignments while at home.
• Preparation for a FID is critical to its success, and UASD has determined that FIDs will not be used unless the school community can plan in advance – between 24 and 48 hours – for the anticipated closure.
• UASD has used one (1) FID this school year, on February 4, 2022. That means UASD has the option to use four (4) days throughout the remainder of this school year.

How Do We Determine Which Type of Day To Use

When weather forecasts or conditions require UASD to close our schools to in-person instruction, we will generally follow this guidance to determine what kind of day we will use:

• Traditional Snow Day: If the weather emergency/conditions occur without an opportunity to prepare for at-home instruction, we will use a Traditional Snow Day. No instruction will be provided. The make-up days are built into the board-approved District Academic Calendar, and in-person instruction is provided on the scheduled calendar make-up days. Sometimes we may want students to experience and enjoy a traditional snow day.

• Flexible Instruction Day: If we have adequate time to prepare for a Flexible Instructional Day (24-48 hours warning of a possible weather emergency), we will use a FID. Our schools will be closed to in-person instruction, but our students will have academic activities to complete at home that day. The day will not need to be made up, and the District Academic Calendar will not change.

How Will UASD Notify Families & Staff

UASD uses a variety of methods, including automated phone notifications, to ensure our families, students and staff are informed of any changes to our school operations or schedule due to weather conditions.

We also will post the information on the following sites:

• UASD Website

https://www.upperadams.org/

• UASD Facebook Page

https://www.facebook.com/Upper-Adams-School-District-133377216674447/

• UASD Twitter Page

https://www.twitter.com/UpperAdamsSD

Please know that each weather-related emergency situation is treated as an independent event. Student and staff safety is our highest priority, and our school closure decisions are made with that in mind.

Thank you for your continued support of UASD.

Sincerely,

Wesley T. Doll

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.

Upper Adams School District will hold Kindergarten Registration for the 2022-2023 school year on March 17 and 18, 2022. If you have a child who will be age 5 before September 1, 2022, please contact the Biglerville Elementary School Office to schedule an appointment for Kindergarten Registration. You may call Biglerville Elementary at 717-677-5200 from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Monday through Friday or email Crissy Ritchey at c.ritchey@upperadams.org. Please visit the UASD website for more information.

Hello and Greetings from the Technology Department at Upper Adams. Here are some facts you might find interesting about Technology available in the District.

Laptops: Every Student in Grades 4th through 12th has a laptop computer assigned to them and every Faculty, Staff and Administrator have laptops also. Over 1,700 laptops in the district.

iPads: Every Student in Grades Kindergarten through 3rd Grade has access to an iPad. Throughout the district there are almost 800 iPads.

AppleTV’s: There are 110 AppleTV’s throughout the District. These are great tools for allowing students to wirelessly connect and share their work with their class on a projector unit!

Wireless Access is available in every classroom and most common areas (Café, Auditorium..) throughout the district. Wireless access was first rolled out on the HS/MS Campus beginning in 2008 and in approximately 2012 was expanded to every building in the district.

Home Internet Access

Internet Access at home can be a challenge. Upper Adams is blessed with gorgeous scenery but with our rural landscape there are few high-speed internet options. If you haven’t already tried, you might contact the following asking about high-speed Internet options:

Comcast - 1-800-Xfinity

CenturyLink - Existing Customers - 800-244-1111

New Service Customers - 877-862-9343

Starlink Internet Access (limited availability) for more information go to their website at https://www.starlink.com/

The Apple City FFA members worked with Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) and Knouse Foods as part of "The Future is Forested" program as they helped to plant more than 800 trees on properties owned by Knouse Foods across Adams County. The group is planting riparian buffers for the improvement of the Cheasapeake Bay in coordination with the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). The efforts of this project are to help keep streams cool and bountiful for organisms and to help keep streams free of pollutants. DCNR hopes to build these creek buffers as they did here in Adams County across Pennsylvania in hopes of utilizing 95,000 acres of land to do so.

Photo credit: Kelsey Mummert, DCNR

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.

A message from Chartwells Regarding National Supply Chain Issues

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.

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

One of the responsibilities of the Upper Adams School District Curriculum Department is the management of various Federal & State Grants. The Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) Fund was created by Congress in March, 2020 as part of the

Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. The ESSER Fund consists of federal dollars allocated to help state education departments and school districts throughout the country combat the impacts the COVID-19 pandemic has had on students and K-12 education as a whole.

Over $189 billion were appropriated to the ESSER Fund under the three (3) COVID-19

relief/stimulus packages passed by Congress: the CARES Act (ESSER I), the Coronavirus

Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations (CRRSA) Act (ESSER II), and the American

Rescue Plan (ARP) Act (ESSER III). In addition, Pennsylvania school districts were eligible to

receive an additional allocation of the ARP ESSER 7% set-aside for learning loss,

summer enrichment, and after school programs (as defined by the ARP Act and Act 24 of 2021).

At the Upper Adams School District, several student learning, instructional, and curriculum

needs are being addressed as a result of these Grants. The Elementary (K-6) Math in Focus

Program and the English Language Arts (ELA) Resources are able to be renewed and updated

for all teachers and students. Support for before and after school programs and summer learning

opportunities are being identified. Teachers and students across K-12 are being provided access to

digital resources and online tools to provide enrichment and remediation services to students.

Professional development opportunities are identified and support our teachers in various content

areas. Likewise, the Apple Professional Development Support continues to be a welcomed and

thriving component of the technology integration skills our teachers and students are acquiring

more of each day.

The Grants also provide support for new hardware to support our curriculum initiatives. This

includes new laptops for our high school students, maintenance and support for the iPads at the

elementary level, and continued provisions for the student and teacher laptops at the Intermediate

& Middle School level. Without the student devices, our curriculum options, resources, and

supplemental programs would not be as robust for our students as they are today.

The Curriculum Department is very appreciative and thankful for the support these Grants have

provided us during this challenging time. As members of the Upper Adams School District

Community, we hope you share the enthusiasm with us for the sustainability of all of these

resources. Working together, we will support our teachers with the instructional tools and

professional development they need to help our students reach their potential and meet success

inside and outside of the classroom. Thank you for your continued support of our curricular

initiatives.

Substitutes Needed!

Did you know that you can be a substitute teacher if you have a Bachelor's degree?

Do you enjoy working with children, and want to be able to choose the days you want to work?

Would you like to be a substitute instructional assistant, a substitute nurse, or substitute secretary?

To learn more about all substitute positions (support staff and teacher) that are available at Upper Adams, click the following link or share the link with someone you know that may be interested: https://www.upperadams.org/Page/2144 . To apply directly for:

• Teacher Substitute positions: Click here to go to the Educational Staffing Services (ESS) applicant portal.
• Long-term Substitute position openings: There are several long-term substitute teacher openings for 2021-2022. Click here (if considered for a position, you will be required to submit a full application to Educational Staffing Services (ESS)).
• Paraprofessional Support Substitute positions (nurse, instructional assistant, secretary): Click here to go to the Educational Staffing Services (ESS) applicant portal.

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!

ESS

ESL Instructional Assistant

Instructional Aides

Personal Care Assistants

Substitute ESL Instructional Assistant

Substitute Instructional Aides

Substitute Personal Care Assistants

Professional Substitutes

Website: https://jobs.willsubplus.com/jobs?countyIds=108&selectedJobPostingId=944

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