Greetings,

Now 50 days into school, it is easy to lose sight of the big picture amidst the school year’s daily grind. Recently, our school has received compliments from guests and onlookers that are just as meaningful as awards or accolades. One recent guest observed, “You can tell there’s a lot of pride here, and students seem happy and appreciative.” At the Special Olympics, numerous guests remarked on how well our students performed. Recently, an opposing principal and athletic director reached out to say how classy our football team conducted themselves while at their school. These small snippets of positive feedback are big indicators of what our school and our students are like.

We are in one of the longest-feeling stretches of the school year. We know that long periods of time or complex endeavors become manageable when broken into chunks with small targets that eventually lead to achieving our goals. If we start now, the following benchmarks are all roughly three weeks apart: Thanksgiving, Winter Break, Semester Exams, Groundhog Day, March, Spring, and Spring Break. Our implementation of Positive Behavior Intervention and Supports (PBIS) is taking an incremental approach. Each week, we will focus on recognizing a respective component of Panther POWER (Preparedness, Ownership, Welcoming, Excellence, and Reliability). We will also focus on improving one habit at a time. For example, starting Monday, in an effort to gradually be a phone-free school, students will not be permitted to wear headphones and earbuds from 7:30-2:30. We appreciate your support as we approach this as a student wellness issue. School isn’t easy. Being a teenager isn’t easy. We encourage you to reach out to teachers, case managers, counselors, or administrators for information or assistance of any kind.

Report cards go live in Sapphire Friday afternoon. We hope students are reaching their goals, and if not, please consider utilizing the supports during the WIN period, Flex period, and after school tutoring (see below). Next week, we will share information on how to sign up for Parent-Teacher Conferences. We hope to see you on November 25 and 26.

Take care,

Dr. Bianchi

• 11/5: Picture Retake Day
• 11/8: Winter Sports Enrollment Deadline
• 11/8: Legion Riders & Veteran's Day Ceremonies
• 11/11: Veteran's Day -- All Schools & Offices Closed
• 11/13: Special Education Family Engagement Night
• 11/14: HS Fall Production, 7 PM
• 11/15: HS & MS Winter Sports Begin
• 11/16: HS Fall Production, 7 PM
• 11/17: HS Fall Production, 2 PM
• 11/25: HS Parent Teacher Conferences
• 11/26: HS Parent Teacher Conferences
• 11/25-11/29: Schools Closed for Fall Break

Starting Monday, November 4, students will not be permitted to wear headphones and earbuds at any point during the school day. To those for whom this is a sensitive issue, counselors and administrator are reaching out to families. Eventually, our school be device-free, to be in line with the district’s approach. Thank you for your support in this area.

Morning traffic has increased lately with colder weather and more student drivers. As was instituted last year, please drop students off as far forward in the parking lot as possible, especially between 7:22-7:27. If there is congestion where the blue diamond is depicted, please turn right. Please do not allow students to exit vehicles around the corner at the 'no drop zone.' In the future, we may add crossing zones for students to get from the senior lot to the building, but that would come at a later time. We will also soon be adding another breakfast line to curb a backup that can cause tardiness, and we may close the breakfast line a few minutes before 7:30, both in an effort to make sure students are in their classes at 7:30.

For any senior who has yet to purchase a Cap and Gown, please reach out to Ms. Suzette by email at sdavis@epasd.org or come down to the main office to visit. She is happy to help in any way possible.

All Cap and Gowns must be purchased by Friday, November 22nd

Thank you

EPAHS character education committee run a spirit week for red ribbon. The goal of this spirit week was to increase awareness on how to be kind to mind and body. A special thank to our students and staff for organizing this event.

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 our students of the month from September! From left to right, Emma Hornbaker and Sydney Levering.

Way to go Panthers!!!

Tickets are on sale for EPAHS's Fall Production "Radium Girls!" Don't miss out on seeing this exciting production. Performances are 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. Click or scan below to purchase your tickets today! Thank you for supporting our students!

Until Friday, Oct. 25, you can order a Radium Girls t-shirt for $20 to support the cast & crew and advertise the show using this link! The shirts are a black soft-style printed with glow-in-the-dark vinyl! 25% of sales go back to the EPAHS Drama Club to fund the production. Orders will close on Friday, October 25 at 11:59pm.

Radium Girls tells the moving story of the young women who were unwittingly poisoned by the radium paint used commercially in the 1910's-1930's. The play highlights the human cost of commercial science, the dangers of pursuing health and wealth without thorough research, and the power of not only corporate entities and the US justice system, but also the human spirit.

Please consider purchasing one of these fun t-shirts in support of the show, and we look forward to seeing you in the audience (and wearing your shirt) Nov. 14, 16, or 17!

Hello CTC Families,

Upcoming Transportation Dates:

• 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/

NJROTC held a promotion and award ceremony to recognize all of the accomplishments that our NJROTC students have completed in their program.

Ecology students dissected owl pellets, identifying the prey that were consumed by the barn owls. Using this knowledge, they will construct a food web that represents the community.

Our Environment Club & AP Environmental Science classes had a beautiful day on the water. We learned how to canoe in our local watershed & identify micro & macroinvertebrates. Our students collected mayflies, stoneflies, riffle beetles, leeches, snails & lots of crayfish! The water chemistry & species count showed that our Conodoguinet Creek is in good shape & close to excellent with the exception of high nitrates. By the end of the trip, many learned the importance of communication to steer our canoes and how to read the water for shallow areas. We would like to thank the EP Education Foundation for their grant to make this field trip happen! We are also grateful to the Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF) for the experience and expertise.

Students were learning about Hispanic Heritage Month. It is a celebration that lasts a month from September 15th to October 15th and is held in honor of all the people from Hispanic countries who have contributed to the United States. I attach a photo with some hand flags that the students made in recognition of this celebration.

This morning Abigail Wadlinger and Elizabeth Wilson graduated from the Penn State Holy Spirit Health Care Careers Internship Program. This is a very competitive program and gives students structured learning in the classroom with opportunities to explore a variety of health care careers in a work-based environment. Students work with health care professionals at Holy Spirit Hospital and participate in department observations, seminars, one-to-one mentor interaction, and limited hands-on experiences. The students have the privilege of participating in 38 different rotations throughout the program and had a wonderful and authentic experience. Congratulations to Abigail and Elizabeth on this wonderful accomplishment!

Our High School students held their first Coffee Friday of the 2024-2025 school year this morning! Coffee Friday helps our students learn important skills while engaging with students and teachers throughout the high school. Thank you to teacher Alexis King for making this possible!

A huge PANTHER PROUD thank you to the hundreds of athletes, buddies, volunteers, & community members who came out in force on Wednesday to celebrate & support our Special Olympics! Please enjoy the media below, celebrating our event! We are so thankful to our Panther Community & already looking forward to 2025!

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:

• 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 celebrate two of our athletes for achieving their 100th points! Congratulations to senior Steel Bayer and junior Rian Hammaker for both reaching their 100th point scored in soccer! We are proud of your performances and leadership on and off the field!

Congratulations to Irys Kline as CBS21’s Scholar Athlete of the Week! We are panther proud! She will be featured on tonight’s football game broadcast.

Big kudos to the EP Marching Band for their 2nd place finish at the last regular season competition! And, they only missed 1st by .3 points! The show is something special and the hard work they have put in shows. We are panther proud of them!!!

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/