Superintendent's Report

The Indiana County Chamber of Commerce is proud to announce a brand-new initiative to recognize in a very big way the excellent work being done by Indiana County teachers and students. The initiative, in partnership with the Colonial Family of Dealerships, will highlight various students and teachers from each of the seven county public school districts as well as Indiana County Technology Center (ICTC) throughout the school year, and the program will culminate with the Indiana County Excellence in Education Awards program in the spring. One student and one teacher will be selected at this banquet, with each being awarded a brand-new automobile donated by Colonial. Charles “C.J.” Spadafora, owner of Colonial Motor Mart and Colonial Toyota, stated that he had been looking for a way to give back that would help to shape the future members of the community.

“Our company wants to give back to the community and felt as if the next generation and the teachers who are educating them do not get a lot of recognition,” Spadafora explained. “This is our way of saying thank you for allowing our family to be here for over 75 years, and we hope that we will be here for at least 75 more.”

Stay tuned for more information and thank you to the Spadafora family for their kindness and generosity.

During the pandemic, Congress authorized the federal Department of Agriculture to grant waivers which allowed all K-12 students, rather than only those eligible for free and reduced-price meals, to get free school breakfast and lunch no matter their family’s income from March 2020 through the 2021-22 school year.

Those waivers are set to expire on June 30. Beginning with the 2022-2023 school year, families must qualify for free and reduced meals based on income guidelines and MUST submit an application.

Families who meet the income eligibility criteria may apply online at www.schoolcafe.com or by obtaining a paper application at their child’s school so they will be eligible for meals in the 2022-2023 school year. Families are encouraged to submit applications even now, as that application would carry over until September 30, 2022 and give you a grace period. Note: You will have to reapply after July 1 to be eligible after September 30. If you have any questions, please contact Holly Hartman at hhartman@iasd.cc or by calling 724-463-8713 at extension 3101.

Placing in all THREE photographic categories of SPORTS, NEWS, and FEATURE, the following IHS Digital Media Production students were awarded for their photographic compositions in the 2022 Indiana Gazette NIE (Newspapers In Education) Student Supplement. Winners had their photographs published in the Gazette's 2022 NIE Student Supplement on March 31, 2022.

Congratulations to the IHS Digital Media Production I, II, & III students and Mr. Erik Puskar - IHS Digital Media Productions Teacher & Coordinator

IHS DIGITAL MEDIA PRODUCTION

NIE PHOTO CONTEST WINNERS 2022

CAROLINE ALBERT – 1st PLACE FEATURE PHOTO

MAKENZIE WELLS – 2nd PLACE SPORTS PHOTO

ANGELO (AJ) LAMANTIA – 3rd PLACE SPORTS PHOTO

MARGARET LOWERY – 3rd PLACE NEWS PHOTO

On April 7, the East Pike/Horace Mann PTA held a Family STEM night, and it was a huge success! According to Kammi Cooper, the EPHM PTA STEM committee chair, even more impressive than the participation by students and families was the level of collaboration from all around the Indiana Area School District.

“We had four great teachers help us plan and carry out the events of the evening: Lindsey Uptegraph, David Sheeran, Geri Nath and Natalie Deck. We also had thirteen members from the Indiana High School Science Club and a handful of IUP Math department students come and be our station volunteers to facilitate playing the games with our families.”

Among the highlights of the evening was the high school students providing a live demonstration of how to make elephant toothpaste in front of the school.

The East Pike/Horace Mann PTA is grateful to all the families who participated and would like to send a heartfelt thank you to all the volunteers!

Take Your Child to Work Day is scheduled for Thursday, April 28. Students whose parents wish for them to participate in this activity will be marked with an excused absence, provided appropriate documentation is submitted as is the case with all excused absences. We ask that the request be made a few days before the absence so students will have time to get a pre-approval form signed by their teachers. However, it is important to note that April 28 is also a scheduled PSSA testing day, and students who miss will have to make up the test the following day. If you have any questions, please contact your child’s school.

Website: www.iasd.cc
Location: 501 East Pike Road, Indiana, PA, USA
Phone: (724) 463-8713
Facebook: facebook.com/IndianaAreaSchoolDistrict
Twitter: @IndianaAreaSD