HBGSD Superintendent's Briefing
March 2024
Reconfiguring HBGSD to Support Student Success!
Dear Harrisburg School District Families, Staff, and Community Members,
As you know, we are reconfiguring our elementary and middle school attendance boundaries beginning in the coming school year. This is truly a plan to boost student achievement and make the best possible use of our educational spaces.
The reconfiguration brings many benefits to our students and ultimately, to the entire school community, including:
- Increasing and improving our educational programming for our middle school students as we create Career Pathway Programs (which will also carry over to high school) – something that is much easier for us to do as we consolidate our resources into two brick and mortar middle schools
- Providing us with the space to balance our enrollment, and create true neighborhood schools
- Updating our buildings to provide spaces that are truly designed for education (and moving out of spaces that were built as offices or ones that are in need of expensive renovations)
- Providing safer passages to and from school for all elementary and middle school students
- Allowing us to expand after-school programming and early learning classrooms
The first piece of the reconfiguration plan took place during the 2022-23 school year, when we moved our fifth graders from our middle schools and back to our elementary schools (with the exception of Marshall Math and Science Academy which still maintains fifth grade.) This change allowed us to provide stronger supports for our fifth grade students to improve their academic achievement. In order to make room for fifth graders in our elementaries, we also planned to re-open Steele Elementary School. Steele, which had been closed in 2011, is undergoing a complete renovation and will open its doors for the 2024-25 school year.
Our plan calls for a very gradual transition of students from Rowland Academy to Camp Curtin Academy, which is also receiving some exciting new renovations to provide state of the art learning opportunities, including a brand-new media center and updated science labs. I am completely confident that we will successfully bring Rowland and Camp Curtin students together over the next few years in a learning space where our students and families will thrive.
In the coming school year, many of our elementary students and some of our middle school students will transition to different schools. The full reconfiguration plan will take up to three years to go into effect, and we will make adjustments along the way as needed. As part of the plan, some of our buildings will close, some will be repurposed, and some are receiving some exciting renovations.
Families will be notified in April about their school designation(s) and attendance boundaries for 2024-25, and we will schedule tours and open houses for students transitioning to new schools. Please stay tuned for more information and be sure to visit our Reconfiguration webpage coming soon!
Thank you for your support of our schools and our students.
Sincerely,
Mr. Eric Turman, Superintendent
PA Auditor General Visits John Harris Campus
John Harris Campus and Ms. Smith's class have formed an innovative educational partnership with the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Leadership Development Institute (MLK-LDI) and the Pennsylvania Department of the Auditor General. The partnership is designed to enlighten and educate high school students about budgeting, banking, borrowing, saving, investing, and the importance of maintaining a healthy credit score. During a recent class, students received a special visit from PA Auditor General Tim DeFoor!
Thank You for Making Reading a Priority!
Congrats to Our Reading Challenge Winner!
HBGSD and Cougar Academy extend congratulations to our 2024 Reading Challenge winner! Aria, a 5th grade student in Ms. Zellers' class at Cougar Academy, has read more than 100 books since February. The reading challenge helps to support literacy goals, academic achievement, and the growth of our youngest learners. Kudos to Aria and all of our students and schools that are participating in the Reading Challenge thru the end of March.
New Educational Gaming App Coming to HBGSD!
We're excited to introduce Rallee -- a NEW augmented reality mobile app that gamifies motor skill and mental health development in a fun and engaging way for elementary and middle school students. In partnership with Athlon, Rallee’s parent company, HBGSD administrators, principals, teachers, and students at Foose School and Marshall Math Science Academy, have successfully piloted the mobile app as a tech-powered brain break to maximize learning, personalize social emotional wellness, reduce disruptive classroom behavior, and support the district's 45-Day Plan to prepare for State Assessment Testing. Stay tuned for virtual assemblies, demos, and more information for K-8 schools!
March is Music in Our Schools Month!
We are proud to celebrate music as an essential part of the educational experience for our students. Ben Franklin music teacher, Ms. Davis and her student, performed at the Scottish Rite Cathedral. Camp Curtin Academy music teacher, Ms. Tolley and her students, studied musicians such as Harrisburg's Jeffery Gaines, who has toured with Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Stevie Nicks, and others.
HHS Student Receives Multiple College Offers
Congratulations to Kevin Brown for his top three finish at the PIAA District 3 3A Wrestling Championships and college offers from Florida State, Wisconsin, Penn State, Pitt, Syracuse, West Virginia, Boston College, Iowa State, Rutgers, Kent State, Temple, and UNLV.
The Harrisburg School District Alumni Committee is proud to present the newly created Harrisburg City School District Athletic Hall of Fame! On April 27th at 9:00 am, the Hall of Fame Committee will host their Inaugural Induction Ceremony at the Hilton Hotel to honor 70 distinguished male and female inductees who attended William Penn, John Harris, and Harrisburg High School from1959 to the present. These athletes have left an indelible mark on our district, city, and sports history. Their achievements serve as a source of pride and inspiration for us today and generations to come. For tickets and information, please contact Ms. Ellen Brown at 717-574-8500 or ecbrown@public-facilities.com.
