Superintendent's Corner

I hope that you were able to make the most of Spring break and that you found the time to relax and connect with family and friends. The next eleven weeks that will bring us to the close of the school year are busy with athletic events, concerts and celebrations among a myriad of activities.

And first and foremost, one of the most talked about topics recently is the upcoming celestial event on April 8th that is unique and rare if only because it will not re-occur until 2044. The countdown is on for this exciting event and we are excited to have the opportunity for it to be part of our learning experience. This astronomical event will begin after 2pm and continue for the next 2 hours and 27 minutes with the highest coverage of the sun at 3:23pm. In anticipation of the Solar Eclipse, we are sharing resources and information about the safety measures that need to be in place during the timeframe it will be visible to us. Solar Eclipse glasses have been purchased for students and staff so they may safely view the eclipse as the maximum coverage time frame which is happening during school hours and coincides with dismissal times for some of our schools. Please join me in reminding our students that even at maximum coverage (88% for our area) it is not safe to look at the partially eclipsed sun, even for a few seconds, as permanent retinal damage may occur. By sharing information about the harmful effects of directly viewing the sun and providing children with the precautionary tools to view the eclipse safely, we hope to ensure a unique learning experience that stimulates curiosity and leads to meaningful reflective discussions about natural phenomena such as the special Solar Eclipse on April 8. There are a number of activities and resources that are being shared with our students and staff such as the Pennsylvania Department of Education’s (PDE) guidance and activities and NASA Eclipse Explorer. Due to this event, some sports have been adjusted. For any additional questions, please follow up with your child(ren)’s principal or athletic coach.

Let me share with you a few recent highlights, as well as reminders of the upcoming meetings and events.

The second session of the three-part literacy-focused informational event for teachers, parents and guardians of students in grades K-5 and beyond, is scheduled on April 11th at WES. I encourage you to attend this session titled, “Adapting Reading Instruction to Accommodate Executive Functioning Needs” and you can register for this event here. The final session, “Literacy, Language, and Supporting Students’ Academic Growth,” is on May 9th. You can register for this event here.

The Facilities & Finance Committee met last night on April 3rd. You can view the agenda and the powerpoint here. The Policy Committee will meet on April 10th. The Educational Affairs Committee will meet on April 17th. All committee meetings are held at SHMS in room B226 at 7PM. The next scheduled School Board meeting will be held on April 16th.

Meetings are live-streamed and archived on WSSD YouTube Page. For more information and a link to the meeting schedules, please click here.