Wyalusing Area School District

Welcome to the next edition of RAM eNews, a product of the Wyalusing Area School District. This publication will be produced quarterly during the school year to keep community stakeholders engaged in our schools.

Hello and Happy Fall!

We have had a great start to the 2023-2024 school year. Students and teachers are excited to be back together for another year of growth in our classrooms.

As the leaves continue to fall and the seasons change from fall to winter, the District will also experience changes of its own as the search for the next Superintendent gets underway. The Board of Directors is working closely with Dr. Edward Albert, search consultant through PARSS, to recruit and hire as effectively and efficiently as possible.

Dr. Albert has asked the community, as well as staff, to provide input through various opportunities. There is currently a survey available on the District Website open until October 31st for staff and community stakeholders to provide information on topics for the board to take into consideration when selecting the next Superintendent. If you have not done so, please provide your input via the link provided here.

It's been a pleasure to serve the Wyalusing Area School District for the past 8 years. As the Board of Directors continue on the path for selection of the next Superintendent, I will continue to ensure success for the district.

Thank you for your continued support of our students and your children- together we will achieve greatness! Please accept my warmest wishes for a safe and happy Thanksgiving holiday.

Sincerely,

Dr. Jason Bottiglieri

Superintendent of Schools

Keeping our students safe is our top priority. In addition to our own safety measures, we comply with the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) School Safety Requirements, which includes various drills throughout the year.

Within the first 90 days of school, districts are required to hold an emergency drill. This year's drill will include the steps needed for an evacuation should the district experience a significant event. The drill helps students and staff become more familiar with proper procedures in all situations and is supported by the Pennsylvania State Police and Bradford County Emergency Management Services.

In the coming days, we will perform a safety drill on our campus and practice our lockdown procedures. When the evacuation drill begins, parents will be notified and our campus will temporarily be closed to all traffic and visitors. The drill is anticipated to last approximately one hour and students will resume their scheduled activities once the drill has concluded.

The safety drill is a good time to review your emergency plans with your child. Should the district need to conduct an early dismissal for any type of urgent matter, it is extremely important that your children know your procedures.

The district cannot manage last minute phone calls requesting bus changes or location changes especially during an emergency early dismissal. Students will arrive at their bus stop location and parents must make plans to ensure pick-up and proper supervision during an early dismissal.

While extreme emergencies that require this type of action are rare, it is very important to discuss and rehearse with your child the following items:

• Who may meet them at the bus stop? Share this information with the bus driver.
• How can they get into your home?
• Where can they go if no one is at home?
• How can they reach you if they have a concern?
• How to express a safety concern to the bus driver?

The Northern Tier is notoriously known for its variety of weather conditions, especially in the winter months. As the temperature continues to drop, please dress your child accordingly. If schools need to pivot to remote learning or close due to hazardous weather and road conditions, parents will be notified via our school messenger notification system. Weather related updates will also be posted on our District website, Facebook page, and will be shared on local news and radio stations.

Please be sure we have your most current contact information by informing Mrs. Katy Stoddard x3000 of any contact information changes.

Students will dismiss early on Thursday, November 9th, for Parent/Teacher conferences, Wednesday, November 22nd, for the Thanksgiving holiday and Thursday December 21st, for the Christmas holiday. Half-day dismissal times are as follows:

Elementary School: 11:45am

High School: 12:00pm

To see the full list of early dismissals for the 2023-2024 school year, please see the calendar on our district website.

In an effort to provide an at home learning device for students at Wyalusing Valley Elementary School who do not have a device in their home, the District has been able to offer devices on a first-come, first-served basis. These devices are to be used for remote learning when not physically attending school, including off-campus educational activities, virtual classes and homework. These devices are able to be offered through the Emergency Connectivity Fund.

70% of the available devices were issued the second week in October for those who completed and returned the device application. If your student (Kindergarten through Sixth Grade) is still in need of a device through this program, please reach out to Angela Miller at 570-746-1600 x 3001 for further information.

Wyalusing Area School District is actively participating in the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) Meal Program. This offering allows all students across the District to enjoy free breakfast and lunch.

Questions regarding cafeteria operations can be directed to Nancy Iseminger, nutrition@wyalusingrams.com or ext. 3015

Students are encouraged to bring a refillable water bottle with them to school so they can visit an available fill station and have a drink available when they may need it throughout the school day.

In 2020, water bottle fill stations were installed to replace water fountains at both the Elementary and High School buildings.

Safe2Say Something is a youth violence prevention program run by the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General. The program teaches youth and adults how to recognize warning signs and signals, especially within social media, from individuals who may be a threat to themselves or others and to “say something” BEFORE it is too late. With Safe2Say Something, it’s easy and confidential to report safety concerns to help prevent violence and tragedies.

Safe2Say Anonymous Tip Link

Homecoming was nothing short of a success this year. Festivities kicked off at both the Elementary and High School with Spirit Week. By Friday afternoon, High School students celebrated with carnival-themed activities such as face painting, games and various types of carnival food prior to a Homecoming pep rally.

The football team then brought home a 21-6 win over Wellsboro at the homecoming game on Friday night under the lights.

The 2023 Wyalusing Valley Homecoming Court featured: Kassandra Kerin, Clare Allen, Adeline Sutton, Trinity Kulick, Chloe Kelly, Michelle Romanik, Danielle Wilson, Kayden Johnson, Olivia Haley, Allie Liddick and Chloe Kunkle.

Seniors Casey God and Olivia Haley were named our 2023 Homecoming Football King and Queen.

View the pictures below for a recap of our homecoming festivities and memories made!

**Photos courtesy of WVHS Yearbook**

Staff and students enjoyed spirit week that took place during the week of October 23rd in preparation for the big Wyalusing v. Towanda rivalry game.

All of the spirit from the week seemed to work as the Rams pulled together to capture the Bronze Helmet back from Towanda in a 15-14 win!

Mental health plays a significant role in a student's ability to develop and thrive. At the request of many staff members, counselors, and coaches, Wyalusing Area School District has created a Seasonal Fitness Room Coach program. This is a unique opportunity to provide an additional method to combat stress, anxiety, and mental health for all students in grades 7-12.

The Fitness Room Coach ensures supervision and coaching to eligible students during assigned hours in the Taylor Family Fitness Center located at Wyalusing Valley High School.

See Mr. Romanowski for more information.

In partnership with Friendship House, the Wyalusing Area School District is pleased to continue services with a Community/School Based Behavioral Health (CSBBH) Program at the high school. CSBBH is a unique program embedded in the Wyalusing Area School District, Jr./Sr. High School with a multi-disciplinary team, providing therapeutic services to identified students in the school, and to the identified students and their families in their homes and the community.

CSBBH provides services that are based on social emotional and behaviorally informed clinical principles, including behavior management, clinical and crisis intervention, case management, and consultation/training to school staff and others involved in the children’s care. We are fortunate to continue to expand our mental health services to ensure the growing needs of our students and families are addressed.

Hayley Anaya, Danielle Wilson, and Ruth Weaver represented WVHS at the Bradford-Sullivan Outstanding Young Woman Program. The OYW Program annually recognizes well-rounded high school senior women and gives contestants the opportunity to compete for various scholarships.

A special congratulations to Danielle Wilson for winning the Patricia Parsons Spirit Award and winning third-runner up in the overall program!

We could not be more proud of these three ladies for all of their accomplishments and wish them nothing but success as they complete their senior year!

CLICK HERE to view all finalists and learn more about the Bradford-Sullivan OYW Program. Applications for next year's program will be available in April 2023.

**Photos courtesy of OYW Program**

Mora Fitzgerald of Wyalusing Troop 40939 is the recipient of the Girl Scout Silver Award. This award is the highest honor a Girl Scout Cadette can earn spending a minimum of 50 hours on a sustainable project that will make an impact on their community for years to come.

Mora raised money to buy and build a swingset and handicap swing to benefit the residents of her community at the New Albany Park.

Mora is currently in her 10th year as a Girl Scout, serving at the Senior Level and is a ninth grader at the Wyalusing Jr/Sr High School.

Mr. Sova and student Michael Phillips were featured on Pennsylvania Outdoor Life on Sunday, October 29th. Mr. Sova, one of the District's newest learning support teachers, is getting students excited about a Big Buck and outdoor photography contest. The contest is running from September 30th through December 9th for students in grades 7 through 12. Local hunting stores have offered to hang flyers and donate prizes to this year's competitors!

Mr. Sova encourages all students to get outdoors and enjoy the fresh air. If hunting, to do so ethically and responsibly, and lastly, to soak in all that nature has to offer.

If you missed the episode, you can watch it here!

On Wednesday, September 20th, representatives from thirteen Colleges and Universities and two military branches (U.S. Air Force and Army) were available to Wyalusing Valley High School students in eleventh and twelfth grade. Students in attendance engaged in conversation with their classmates and professionals about future opportunities and programs. Wyalusing Valley High School's Career Coach, Mrs. Shurtleff, was in attendance to gather materials for students who visit her in the new Career & Conference Center located at the High School.

Whether students choose to further their education, join a branch of the military, or join the workforce, Wyalusing aims to provide rigor and support for students to be successful.

Wyalusing Area School District is excited to share with the community, after a lengthy process, Chris Marter is officially Officer Marter of the Wyalusing Area School District Police Department. In September, the District received the Official Court Order authorizing Chris Marter as our police officer.

Officer Marter has since been carrying his service weapon, etc. and is now able to process full arrests, etc.

Eighth-grade STEM class students have been learning game design using resources available in the high school library. Students are learning to create and code using CoSpacesEDU, a web-based software, which is a mixed reality application that allows users to create and engage with interactive media content. The students were working to create a parkour game in which players of the game must navigate a 3D environment that includes an obstacle course with moving objects, animation. Students learn valuable and creative design skills, problem solving skills through coding and sequencing, and technical skills while creating a challenging course for their teachers and classmates to complete.

Mrs. Fischer has been working with the seventh-grade gifted students in the One Button Studio located in the Next Generation Learning Library. They debated to choose a topic, brain stormed important points, researched the importance of the topic, wrote and edited a script, learned how to use the One Button Studio, and recorded their video. The topic the students reported on was the importance of the Bradford County Library in our community.

Students in Mrs. Schloder and Mrs. Doney's Life Skills class took a trip off campus for a community-based learning opportunity. They visited the Hiawatha Paddlewheel Riverboat where students had the opportunity to learn how the boat and business operate and to participate in activities of daily living by trick or treating at local Wyalusing area businesses.

GOLF: We had another strong season in Varsity Golf this fall! We finished second in the NTL for the third straight season, near the top of the District IV AA standings again, and had many strong individual performances throughout the regular season and postseason. Seniors Nick Salsman, Kaeden Kusmierz, and Matt Spencer all had strong careers that helped to put the program back into relevance in NTL and District IV Golf.

SOCCER: Our Girls Soccer team made the District IV Playoffs for the 6th straight season after finishing the regular season with a 13-5 record. We opened up postseason play with a Quarterfinal win over Juniata Christian. We will play Meadowbrook Christian in the District Semifinal on Tuesday, 10/31 at Loyalsock at 6:00 PM. The bracket and all playoff information can be found at the following link: https://piaad4.net/sports/girls-soccer/post-season/.

FOOTBALL: Our Varsity Football team is experiencing a tremendous turnaround under first year head coach, Rich Rogers. We finished the regular season with a 6-4 record, our first winning season since 2010. We ended the regular season by recapturing the Bronze Helmet in a thrilling 15-14 win vs. Towanda. We qualified for the District IV Football playoffs and will play @ Mount Carmel on Saturday, 11/4 at 2:00 PM. The District IV Football brackets and schedule can be found at the following link: https://piaad4.net/sports/football/post-season/brackets/2023/

VOLLEYBALL: Coach Broschart worked hard in her first season as the Girls Volleyball coach. After graduating a lot of seniors from last year's team, our young team showed improvements throughout the fall season. They are looking forward to continuing their improvement into the offseason and future years.

CROSS COUNTRY: For our Cross Country program, it was another successful fall season. Our Girls team finished in second place in the league for the second straight year, while our boys finished with the fourth best record in their division. At the District IV Meet at Bloomsburg University, our Girls team finished 3rd, narrowly missing a return trip to states. Our Boys team finished 5th in the district. Trennan Tewksbury, Megan King, and Riley Porter all qualified for the PIAA state meet as individuals.

Stay up-to-date with all sports by following Wyalusing Rams Sports.

Congratulations to Olivia Haley, who scored her 100th career goal, during their October 10th game against Athens!

Dr. Bottiglieri continues to enjoy inviting students to his office for an informal lunch period. Students love going to his office for lunch and having a break from the school day.

Dr. Bottiglieri states, "I am always impressed by our students, it's an amazing opportunity to learn from them during these informal and fun interactions! It's always a good time."

Wyalusing Area School District is excited to announce the fifth year of the 21st CCLC Grant After School Program. Following the foundation of the last four years, we will continue to enrich the whole student. Each child will participate in homework and academic review, enrichment and recreation. The program is designed for students Kindergarten through 8th grade. We would like to invite your child to take advantage of this program. Here are some of the details:

Start Date: Rolling enrollment - spots are available now!

End Date: May 23, 2024

Time span: 2:45- 5:45 pm (Transportation will be provided)

Location: Wyalusing Valley Elementary School

Days: Monday - Thursday (except for scheduled or emergency closures)

Monthly: Family component night for programs in budgeting, cooking, fitness, etc.

Quarterly: Open House Event

Components:

• Service Learning

• STEAM/STEM

• Fitness/Wellness

• Nutrition/Health

• Art/Music/Drama

• College/Career Exploration

We are currently accepting applications. If you are interested in this opportunity for your child, please complete an Enrollment Form. Forms will be emailed to you upon request, or you may request to pick one up at the Elementary or High School Main Office. Please return completed forms to the Wyalusing Valley Elementary School, ATTENTION: Kathy Lutz or Wendy Keeney. You can email them directly to us at klutz@wyalusingrams.com or wkeeney@wyalusingrams.com We look forward to working with your family in this program. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me through email or my school ext. 1024.

Sincerely,

Kathy Lutz

Wendy Keeney

Stay up-to-date with all of the Wyalusing Area School District scheduled holidays and events by subscribing to our calendar! Visit https://www.wyalusingrams.com/events and select your preferred calendar option from the drop-down menu.

The mission of the Wyalusing Area Education Foundation (WAEF) is to provide additional funding and support to the Wyalusing Area School District to enrich, maintain, and expand innovative educational improvement. The tremendous support of the WAEF and community has helped to enhance learning experiences and make a positive impact in the lives of our students and faculty members.

Website: www.wyalusingrams.com
Phone: 570-746-1600
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Wyalusing-Area-School-District-950147475073863