School Board Notes

Retirement

Best wishes to Carl “Butch” Langheim on his retirement after serving the Methacton School District for 20 Years. Butch mostly recently served as the head custodian at Methacton High School – his alma mater – and has worked in various custodial roles over the years across the district. Butch is beloved by many for his exceptional character, integrity and strong work ethic. We are grateful for his service to our students, staff, and the Methacton community. We wish Butch well as he begins this new chapter of his life.

District Appointments

Dr. Jason Sorgini has been appointed to the position of Director of Human Resources, effective February 1, 2021. Dr. Sorgini -- a Methacton graduate -- serves as Principal at Methacton High School. Prior to his tenure at the High School, he served the students and families of our district as Principal of Eagleville Elementary School and Worcester Elementary School.

Mrs. Melissa Gorla is joining the Office of Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment as Supervisor of Secondary Education. Mrs. Gorla currently serves as Principal of Skyview Upper Elementary School – a role she has held since the opening of Skyview in 2009. She previously served the district as principal of the former Audubon Elementary School.

We are thrilled to have Dr. Sorgini and Mrs. Gorla join the Central Administration team and continue the serve the mission of the Methacton School District.

Board Director Recognition Month

Amanda Kelly, Coordinator of School and Community Information, delivered a presentation during the January 26 regular meeting to recognize the Board of School Directors. January is designated as “School Director Recognition Month”. It’s a time for school districts and their school community to salute the critical efforts of nine hardworking individuals who volunteer many hours outside of their lives with their families and careers to lead our schools. Each School Director was presented with a keepsake coffee mug and certificate of appreciation for their service to Methacton School District.

K-6 Blended Learning

A K-6 instructional delivery model was approved by the Board of School Directors in 9-0 vote that provides a choice between attending 5 days per week online or attending a blended model of 4 days in person with a virtual Friday. Following much discussion on the matter at the work session on January 19, the administration revised the plan that is now approved to begin implementation starting February 8, 2021. The administration will begin looking at alterative options for student in grades 7-12 over the next several weeks for potential consideration by the Board of School Directors at a future meeting.

Assurance Testing

In additional mitigation efforts, the Methacton School District -- led by school nurses Annette Cramer (Eagleville Elementary) and Cheryl Peiffer (High School) -- have been working with the Montgomery County Department of Public Health to implement assurance testing for staff in Methacton Schools. Assurance testing is serving staff in school districts across the 5-county southeastern Pennsylvania region and takes a dual-pronged approach in detecting high COVID-19 viral load in school district populations by testing: 1) newly symptomatic students and staff during the school day; and 2) asymptomatic staff in a routine sentinel surveillance program. Funded in partnership with CHOP Policy Lab, the Abbott BinaxNow COVID-19 Ag Card rapid test kits will be used in a school-based COVID testing program. Methacton School District nursing staff have been attending training on the administration of the test and are targeting early February to have the program up and running with access expansion following the initial implementation period.

Arrowhead Construction

On a monthly basis, we will be providing updates on the construction project for the new Arrowhead Elementary School on the district’s website: www.methacton.org/ArrowheadConstruction

All other items listed in the January 26, 2021 agenda were approved.

Methacton’s Award of Excellence honorees for January 2021 represent Methacton High School. They are: Matthew Ryan, English Teacher; Tracy Murray, Special Education Teacher; Steve Martin, Custodian; AJ Maida, US Government Teacher; Charlene Prutzer, Instructional Aide; and Karen O’Neil, Secretary to the 9th/10th House Principal and Activities Director.

All of these outstanding staff members provide support for students, staff, and our community. They are valuable team members and we are pleased to share with everyone how much we appreciate their commitment to the students of the Methacton School District.

The Methacton School District's Board of School Directors meets each month. School board work session meetings are generally held on the third Tuesday of the month, followed by the regular meeting on the fourth Tuesday (except during the month of December). Regular Board and work session meetings typically take place in the MHS LGI, and all residents are invited to attend. Committee meetings may take place in the Board Room at the Farina Center, or the MHS LGI. During the COVID-19 pandemic, meetings will be held virtually. Meeting agendas are posted to agenda manager, and start times and locations are posted on the District's website. Please confirm meeting time and location before attending. Download the meeting calendar here. Watch the meeting video online.

Email: information@methacton.org
Website: www.methacton.org
Phone: 610-489-5000