Wednesday Roundup 3.13.24
Spotlight Image: First graders have been studying the history of the Earth and recently read about fossils. Students in Ms. Abby Beecher's class at Silver Spring Elementary School got a special treat when Ms. Lauren Gilman stopped into the classroom to offer a presentation on her personal experiences as a fossil hunter. Students were able to hold real fossils and dig even deeper into their learning of paleontology. Photo courtesy Ms. Beecher.
Calendar Reminders
- March 18 - School Board Meeting
- March 21 - End MP 3 (Secondary)
- March 28-April 1 - NO SCHOOL
- April 10 - NO SCHOOL for students (staff inservice)
- April 10-14 - CVHS proudly presents Anything Goes (www.cvmusical.com)
* All events subject to change. Not an all-inclusive list.
News & Announcements
Learning, Networking, and Celebrating Literacy!
Last week, Cumberland Valley School District was honored to partner with Amplify Education and the Capital Area Intermediate Unit to host the Pennsylvania Reading Summit. The event brought together more than 250 educators representing more than 60 school districts across the Commonwealth for a day of learning, networking, and celebrating literacy.
The morning included a series of workshops and keynote sessions with two powerful presenters in the literacy field: Education writer and author Natalie Wexler and educator and literacy advocate Pam Kastner. In a breakout session, Dr. Robyn Euker and Dr. Greg Milbrand shared Cumberland Valley's transformative literacy story with all the educational leaders in attendance.
“Throughout the day, we explored strategies, shared invaluable insights, and ignited a passion for literacy that will continue to resonate far beyond these walls,” said Dr. Milbrand, Assistant Superintendent. “Participants were encouraged to carry forward the commitment to fostering literacy for all students across the Commonwealth.”
Following the morning workshops, educators departed for schools across CV, where they watched the Science of Reading in action, talked with our teachers, and interacted with students. “Our hope is that they were able to find value in seeing how systematic professional development and consistent core program adoption comes to life in our classrooms,” said Dr. Milbrand.
Special thanks to all of our teachers, support staff members, and principals for their flexibility, hospitality, and logistical support in opening up our classrooms to educators from across the Commonwealth. Additionally, we need to thank our students for their incredible perseverance with this rigorous approach and their family members for their support through the shift in instruction. Cumberland Valley School District continues to serve as a beacon and lighthouse for literacy development.
Learn more about CV's literacy program on our website: www.cvschools.org/CVliteracy.
Click the photo above to view a slideshow of photos from the event.
Meet the Junior Grand Champ
Mountain View Middle School 8th grader Sneha Arikeri recently earned the title of Junior Division Grand Champion during the Capital Area Science and Engineering Fair. She also took first place in the Environmental Science category and earned the ABC 27 Meteorology and Thermo Fisher Scientific Junior Innovative Challenge awards.
Sneha is joined by many other CV students who earned category and special awards. You may click here to view the full list of winners.
Girls Wrestling Makes Headlines
She's a State Champ! Congratulations to Cumberland Valley High School's Eliana White-Vega, who made history last weekend when she captured the first-ever girls wrestling PIAA State Championship title in the 124-pound class. She earned the title after performing a beautiful rendition of the National Anthem to a packed house to open the competition.
National Newsmakers! We recently welcomed Associated Press writer Marc Levy to CV, where he interviewed Cumberland Valley High School senior Jody Mikhail for his national story on the rise of girls' wrestling in schools across the country. Read more about Jody (who also happens to be our 2023 Homecoming Queen) and our girls' wrestling program, and view more photos, in Mr. Levy's article available here: https://apnews.com/article/wrestling-girls-high-school-c1e18531cf36831e158282ea08ca9775
Photo used with permission from Marc Levy, Associated Press.
Cumberland Valley High School Mini-THON held its annual overnight event last week and unveiled that they raised $313,291.24. The year-long, student-led event raises money for the Four Diamonds Fund and their fight against pediatric cancer. Thank you to everyone who supported CV Mini-THON and thank you to our students for your time, dedication, and talents in spearheading and organizing this event.
District Champs!
Congratulations to our Mock Trial Team, who recently captured the title of District Champs. We wish the team well as they continue on in their journey to States.
Leader in Excellence Award Winner
Andrew Thumma, CV's Database Administrator, was recently one of six school employees from across the country to receive a Leader in Excellence Award from Skyward (our Student Information System). Mr. Thumma, a member of our Technology Department, was nominated for this award by both a Skyward employee and a colleague in another district. As part of the nomination, it was said that "Andrew's knowledge of the database and report manager is extraordinary" and "his willingness to share his expertise with others is commendable."
Congratulations, Mr. Thumma.
Eagles Around the District
Top left: CVHS Biology teachers Michaela Gustafson and Roni Best participated in CV Mini-THON's spirit week, dressing as Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift.
Top center: The CV Color Guard will perform their show, Wild Hearts, at the WGI East Power Regional at Liberty High School in Bethlehem, PA this weekend.
Top right: Hampden Elementary School hosted a series of Spirit Days during Read Across America Week, including Dress Like a Favorite Book Character Day. Mr. Mario de La Barrera and a first grader in Ms. Nancy Krentz's class dressed as crayons from The Day the Crayons Quit.
Last week, students in our World Languages participated in poster contests, crepe making, a March Madness music competition, and more, all in celebration of National Foreign Language Week (March 3-9, 2024). (Pictured bottom left): Students in Herr Dustin Noll's AP German class created posters around the theme "Learning Languages Promotes Friendships." (Pictured bottom right): The highlight of the week was welcoming 74 students into the National World Language Honor Society. Pictured are students from our Science Olympiad team who were also inducted into the NWLHS.
Commitment to Excellence recipient:
Darla J. Romberger, High School, Agricultural Science Teacher
STARS
Elizabeth Bashore, CV9, School Counselor
Julie Breach, Silver Spring, 2nd Grade Teacher
Melissa Ferguson, High School, College & Scholarship Coordinator
Laura Funt, DO/DSF, Human Resources Manager
John Gallagher, Eagle View, Principal
Yolanda Hack, Winding Creek, Educational Assistant
Sharon Harbold, Monroe, Educational Assistant
Carl Jurcik, Sporting Hill, Explorations Teacher
Joan Ostrander, Hampden, Music Teacher
James Pryor, Shaull, 3rd Grade Teacher
David Rice, Mountain View, 6th Grade Math Teacher
Paige Tappert, Eagle View, Learning Support Teacher
Kirsten Tingley, Middlesex, Kindergarten Teacher
Wendy Tobin, Green Ridge, Educational Assistant
Portrait of an Eagle: Student Spotlight
Eagles across the district have embraced Portrait of an Eagle and are celebrated regularly by our staff for exemplifying the competencies. Check out a recent ceremony at Monroe Elementary School, where students were honored for being adaptable, confident, communicators, critical thinkers, problem solvers, responsible, and empathetic. These are just a few of the many students who are celebrated across the district. They are a Portrait of an Eagle.
Photos courtesy Emily Mazzamuto, Principal's Secretary, Monroe Elementary School.
(In case you're curious, it also happened to be Dress From Your Favorite Decade Day, too.)
School Board News
Upcoming School Board Meetings
Unless otherwise advertised, all meetings begin at 7 p.m. and will take place in the District Office Board Room (6746 Carlisle Pike, Mechanicsburg)
- Monday, March 18, 2024
- Monday, April 15, 2024
A full list of School Board and committee meeting dates is available by clicking here.
Quick Access
Board Agendas - Posted a minimum of 24 hours in advance of the meeting.
Committee Assignments - 2024 Board committee/advisory group assignments.
Meeting Minutes - Posted once approved by the Board of School Directors.
Watch Live - School Board meetings are live streamed to our website.
Additional Reminders
Reminder: Amendment to the 2023-2024 Instructional Calendar
Attention CV9 families only: At the Jan. 8, 2024, Board of School Directors meeting, the Board approved an amendment to the 2023-2024 school calendar, changing the scheduled spring Virtual Day for CV9 to April 23, 2024. The revision is because of a change in this year's primary election date, in which CV9 is used as a polling location. Please note that this 2023-24 amendment is for CV9 ONLY. The revised 2023-2024 calendar is also on our website.
If you haven't already, you are welcomed and encouraged to follow us on our official social media platforms - including our new Instagram page - for the latest celebrations, news, and updates.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CVschools
Instagram - NEW!: https://www.instagram.com/cumberlandvalleysd/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/CVSDnews
Reminder: Reaching CV by Telephone
Main number: 717-697-8261 (follow prompts to reach buildings/departments)
CV High School: 717-506-3555
CV9: 717-506-3372
CVVA: 717-697-8261
Eagle View Middle School: 717-506-3955
Mountain View Middle School: 717-697-1960
Green Ridge Elementary School: 717-766-4911
Hampden Elementary School: 717-737-4513
Middlesex Elementary School: 717-249-5586
Monroe Elementary School: 717-697-0028
Shaull Elementary School: 717-506-3415
Silver Spring Elementary School: 717-506-3755
Sporting Hill Elementary School: 717-761-5052
Winding Creek Elementary School: 717-620-2525
Additional Quick Access Links
Technology HelpDesk
- Staff and Students - Please go to https://helpdesk.cvschools.org to sign in and create a Technology helpdesk ticket.
- Parents/Guardians may click here to create a Technology helpdesk ticket, as needed.