Insight PA Middle School Newsletter

Dear Insight PA Bulldogs,

Thank you to everyone as we kicked off another great year here at the Middle School. With many new and exciting features incorporated into our daily routines, we appreciate your patience as we set our students up for a successful year.

As we head into our second month already, we have seen so many wonderful things happening in our classrooms! Each room we ‘walk’ into, we hear student conversations and questions that are impressive. Please continue to encourage your students to participate in all classes in a way they feel most comfortable: using chat, coming on the microphone, and being on camera.

Please reach out any time you have questions or concerns.

Your Leadership Team,

Allison Parry, Principal (alparry@insightpaschool.org)
Allison Dracha, Assistant Principal (aldracha@insightpaschool.org)

Kelly Watts, Assistant Principal (kewatts@insightpaschool.org)

We are thrilled to introduce our newest member of the MS Leadership Team - our new Assistant Principal, Mrs. Allison Dracha!

Mrs. Dracha has been a part of our Insight PA community since October of 2021, previously serving as one of our MS Instructional Coaches. She has over 20 years of experience in online education and is a passionate educator who seeks out new ideas and strategies to benefit both our students and staff. Mrs. Dracha enjoys meeting students and families at our community engagements events throughout the school year - if you live in the Reading/Berks area, you may get a chance to meet her in person!

Please note the following important dates this month:

Thursday, October 3rd - Asynchronous Day (No Live Instruction)

Fall Break (October 11 - 14)

Insight PA will be CLOSED on Friday, October 11th and Monday, October 14th for Fall Break.

End of Quarter 1

Quarter 1 will end on Thursday, October 31st. All assignments for Quarter 1 are due by midnight this evening!

Congratulations to our first Middle School Student of the Week for the 2024-2025 school year!

Nominated by Mrs. Stuenzi

“Kylie-Marie jumped right into participating and engaging with our math content this school year. With a contagious smile, Kylie-Marie is a hard worker and has proven to be a friend to all!"

At Insight PA, we are deeply committed to providing our students with a safe learning environment where they feel supported, included, accepted, and valued. Throughout the month, our team of school counselors will be sharing information and resources with our students in their Counselor Connection sessions.

We invite you to join us in wearing orange on Wednesday, October 16th in honor of Unity Day. We wear orange to visibly show that we believe no child should ever experience bullying.

We invite all students to create a poster that shows what YOU can do to prevent bullying and to promote kindness and respect. Posters can be completed physically (on paper) or digitally. They may include student first names, last initials, and grade levels. Please to NOT include full last names, student ID numbers, addresses, or any other identifying information on your posters!

One winning poster will be selected in each of the following groups:

• Kindergarten - 2nd Grade
• 3rd - 5th Grade
• 6th - 8th Grade
• 9th - 12th Grade

Winners will receive an item of their choice (up to $35) from our Insight PA School Store. Click the link below to submit your poster by 4:00pm on Thursday, October 24th!

On Friday, October 25th, our Health and PE Teachers Ms. McCormick and Mr. Shea will be hosting three anti-bullying assemblies for our MS students. Students will see these assemblies on their calendars in Schoology.

• 6th Grade Assembly - 1:15 - 1:45
• 7th Grade Assembly - 2:00 - 2:45
• 8th Grade Assembly - 3:00 - 3:45

In our continued efforts to reach more of our families and provide you with a voice in our school community, we will be offering a series of monthly Community Town Halls this year. These events are open to all Insight PA parents, guardians, and students.

October Community Town Hall

Date - Tuesday, October 22, 2024

Time - 6:30pm - 7:30pm

Location - Zoom

This month's topics will include:

• Board of Trustees introduction
• School goals for 2024-2025
• Stride/K12 updates
• Online platform reminders & tips (Schoology, Class, ParentSquare, etc.)
• And more!

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

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

Attendance Strategies and Barriers

Tuesday, October 1st from 12:00PM - 12:30PM

Presenter - Kayann Chisholm-McLeish, Student Attendance Specialist

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

Self Care and Stress Management for Parents

Tuesday, October 1st from 12:30PM - 1:00PM

Presenter - Crystal McClure, Student Resource Specialist

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

Special Education 101

Tuesday, October 8th from 12:30PM - 1:00PM

Presenters - Special Education Supervisors

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

Class & ParentSquare

Tuesday, October 15th from 12:00PM - 12:30PM

Presenters - Shirena Outlaw & Brittani Ferris, LEAP Specialists

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

Bullying Prevention

Tuesday, October 15th from 12:30PM - 1:00PM

Presenter - Brett Witmer, Student Resource Specialist

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

Minus the food fights, Friendship Cafe has all the makings of a school cafeteria - bring your lunch, meet a new friend, and share about your interests and hobbies. It's the perfect place to hang and relax during lunchtime. If you are interested in signing up, your middle school counselors will be sharing a link during Counselor Connection this month, and the cafe will open in late October. We can't wait to see you there!

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

• Ms. McGourney (Last names A - E)
• Mrs. Snyder (Last names F - L)
• Ms. Foster (Last names M - R)
• Mrs. Schleifer (Last names S - Z)