Southern Tioga Times
September 2020
Hello and welcome back!
Thank you to our parents and students for their positivity, understanding, and resiliency in the weeks leading up to the reopening of schools and thank you to our Board of Directors, faculty, and staff for working tirelessly to prepare our schools for our students’ return. This year presented several unique challenges; however, we are dedicated to working through these challenges and providing the best possible educational experiences for our learners.
While the first week of the school year may have looked unlike any that we’ve previously experienced, our sense of excitement and anticipation was the same as it always has been. After nearly six long months, our faculty and staff were eager to engage our students both face-to-face and remotely.
This month, I would like to focus on our guiding principle of being ‘learner driven.’ Our routines may be different, but we remain consistent in our commitment to providing learning experiences that support our students’ diverse needs. A learner-driven environment is designed to allow students to have an active role in their own education. It provides the opportunity for students to grow and excel at their own pace surrounded by positive, supportive teachers and peers.
Our students have adapted well to wearing face masks, increased sanitizing, etc., and as always, health and safety will remain a priority. We will continue to update our health and safety plan and best practices with the guidance and recommendations from Governor Wolf, the CDC, and Pennsylvania Department of Education. Please be sure to check our reopening resources page, district website, and Facebook page for up to date information, and I encourage parents to remain in touch with administrators and teachers throughout the school year.
I'm confident you will join me in making the 2020-21 school year the best it can be for our learner-driven community and appreciate your commitment to STSD.
Stay safe,
Sam Rotella
My name is Bill David, Principal of North-Penn Mansfield High School, and I would like to extend a warm “welcome back” to our faculty, staff, students, and families. It has been great seeing our students and reconnecting with families. Our students have shown amazing strength and perseverance and I believe this is going to be one of our best years, yet!
One of the things I admire most about the Southern Tioga School District is our Learner-Driven Community. Being Learner Driven means our goal is to recognize that our learners have individual interests, and use those interests to help create a more relevant learning experience for our learners. The teachers, staff, and students collectively make our school such a vibrant and optimistic place to be. Our relationships help to define our learning environment and student success is at the forefront of everything we do.
Building collaborative and problem-solving skills, increasing confidence, and providing relevant instruction are just some of the many ways we help our students develop to their fullest potential, both personally and academically.
This year, I challenge our learning community to focus on all of the positives that we can take from this experience. Although the environment may be a bit unfamiliar, our students are building resilience and demonstrating agility. We want to continue to offer students choice in their learning and choice in how they demonstrate what they have learned.
I look forward to the challenges and rewards of this academic year and encourage parents to contact me if there is anything further I can do to support your child’s learning needs.
Respectfully,
Mr. David
Contact us!
Website: https://www.southerntioga.org/
Location: 310 Morris Street, Blossburg, PA, USA
Phone: (570) 638-2183
Facebook: facebook.com/SouthernTioga
Twitter: @SouthernTiogaSD