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Upcoming Events
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03/02: Seuss Events
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03/02-06: Linton Scholastic Book Fair
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03/03: School Board Meeting
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03/04: NHS Induction
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03/05: Elementary Basketball Championships
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03/07: Odyssey of the Mind SW PA Regional Tournament
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03/11: Sr. High Band & Orchestra Concert
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03/12: Linton Arts Festival
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03/13: Professional Day, No Students
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03/14: PTA Craft Show
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03/16-27: PSSA Math & Reading Assessments
To view additional events, click here. |
Daylight Savings Time Begins
March 8th |
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Reminder: Drill Meet Scheduled
The 1st Annual Penn Hills NJROTC Big Red Invitational Drill Meet will be held on Saturday, February 28th, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Linton Middle School. The event will kick off with an all-you-can-eat pancake/sausage breakfast from 7 to 10 a.m. Cost for the breakfast is $5 per person.
Breakfast will be followed by the Commander's Call, Personal Inspections, Armed IDR, 1st Year IDR, 1st Year Color Guard, Unarmed IDR, Armed Exhibition, Advanced Color Guard, Unarmed Exhibition, Knockout Drill, and Awards Ceremony.
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Save the Date May 8th
PHAME Gala!
 PHAME Semi-Formal Event PRESENTING PHAME
Churchill Valley Country Club
7 to 10 p.m.
If you would like to receive an invitation to the Gala, please contact PHAME at 412-793-7000, x515 or PHAME@phsd.k12.us.pa |
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Audio on Buses
Please be advised that on February 3rd, the Penn Hills School Board approved the use of audio recordings on Penn Hills School District transportation routes. This initiative has been implemented in cooperation with the Allegheny County District Attorney's Office. These recordings began on Tuesday, February 24th.
Electronic audio and video recordings may be viewed to investigate incidents reported by a bus driver, administrator, supervisor, student, or other person. These recordings may also be viewed at random by the Director of Transportation or designee. Viewing these recordings is limited to individuals having a legitimate educational or administrative purpose. Any audio or video recording may be erased or reused after 48 hours unless it is needed for an educational or administrative purpose.
This policy was passed in an effort to improve the safety and security of the District's students while riding student transportation. Signs have been posted on all buses indicating that audio and visual surveillance is taking place.
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Winter Sports Roundup
Several winter sports teams took their seasons to the limit this year.
Both the boys' and girls' basketball teams made it into the WPIAL playoffs, with the boys eliminated in the first round and the girls moving on but losing in the second round.
In swimming/diving, Junior Calvin Lutz qualified for the WPIALs in every event.
Although no one advanced to the WPIALs for wrestling, the team did compete in its section championships.
Senior Kelly Monteleone won the triple jump at the state indoor track and field championships. She is the first female to win an indoor title in the history of the school.
Both boys' and girls' bowling teams recently captured section titles in the Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Bowling League (WPIBL). The boys' team came in third in the WPIBL playoffs and will bowl in the Western Regional High School Bowling Championships, as will the second-place girls' team. In addition, eight bowlers will compete for Western Regional Singles Bowling Titles.
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Upcoming Municipal Meetings
- 03/02 & 16: Council, 7:30 p.m.
- 03/09: Recreation Advisory Board, 7:00 p.m.
- 03/12: Traffic Safety Committee, 7:30 p.m.
- 03/18: Library Board, 7:00 p.m.
- 03/25: Zoning Hearing Board, 7:00 p.m.
- 03/26: Planning Commission, 7:00 p.m.
Meetings subject to change. For additional info on meeting dates and times, call 412-798-2103. |
Crime Prevention E-Mail Access
The Penn Hills Police Department wants to provide the public with current information regarding criminal activity in Penn Hills. Anyone interested in receiving this information should send his/her e-mail address and home address to Crimeprevention@PennHills.org. The public is also encouraged to forward any information they may have regarding criminal or suspicious activity in their neighborhoods. By working together, we can create a safe and prosperous community in which to raise a family and conduct business. |
Newsletter created by:
Teresita K. Kolenchak
Public Relations/Web Design Coordinator Penn Hills School District
Previous editions of Penn Hills Pride are always available here. | |
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Plans Move Forward on New High School
At a special public voting meeting on February 17th, the Penn Hills School Board authorized an agreement for design of a new senior high school. The planned building will be located on the current Roberts Administration building site. The resolution approved by the Board also includes preparation of all necessary PlanCon documents for the new building to be submitted to the Pennsylvania Department of Education.
Planned footage for the new building is 239,400, which is approximately 20,000 square feet larger than the current senior high school. Planned programming elements of the new building can be seen here.
Approval of the new senior high school is the first step in the District's long-term reconfiguration plan. Estimated cost of the new facility has not been determined but will be less than the $72 million discussed at a previous meeting. The earliest that the high school project would be completed is 2011-2012. |
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PTA Volleyball Night
The Penn Hills PTA Scholarship Committee will be holding its Districtwide volleyball tournament on Friday, February 27th, in the Senior High School gymnasium. Doors open at 6:00 p.m. and games begin at 6:30 p.m.
Admission is $2.00 for adults and $1.00 for students. Food and refreshments will be sold and a Chinese Auction held. All proceeds from the event benefit the PTA Council Scholarship Fund.
Last year's winning team was from Linton Middle School. This year, Central Administration is fielding a team that includes our superintendent and members of the School Board. It is sure to be a night not to be missed!
Scholarships will be awarded to students at the annual Scholarship Awards Night on April 28th. |
 Cadet Receives Meritorious Achievement Award
On Thursday, February 19th, Penn Hills NJROTC Cadet Dat Hoang received the Meritorious Achievement Award, the highest award in NJROTC, for saving his sister and uncle from their burning home in January 2008. State Senators Bob Robbins and Jay Costa were in attendance at the ceremony held in the Senior High School Auditorium. Senator Robbins, who presented Dat with the award, is a West Point graduate, Vietnam Veteran, and former high school teacher and wrestling coach. The NJROTC Battalion formed up in the Senior High School auditorium for the ceremony, which included a sword arch, colors presentation, national anthem, and award ceremony followed by comments from the senators.
To view the full text of NJROTC Commander Robert Morabito's recommendation, click here. | |
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Student Attends Disney Dreamers Academy
 Linton Middle School 9th Grader TeQuila Cole was recently chosen to take part in the 2nd Annual Disney Dreamers Academy with radio personality Steve Harvey. TeQuila was part of a group of 100 students from across the United States who participated in the program, which took place at Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida.
TeQuila's acceptance was announced with a presentation in front of her classmates, her mother, and sister by 9th Grade Associate Principal Patrick Gavin, Interim Principal Robert Patterson, and Superintendent Joseph W. Carroll, Jr. TeQuila was given a certificate, cake, and balloons, and the event was taped to be shared with the rest of the school during morning announcements.
Mr. Gavin said TeQuila is an "all-round good student" who does exceptionally well, both academically and as a person. She is a great student who is a joy to be around, he added. One reason the presentation was made in front of her classmates, he explained, was so that she could offer an example to which her fellow students could aspire.
TeQuila submitted an essay and application for the program, which was reviewed by a distinguished panel of judges. Over 4,000 students were nominated by parents, teachers, school administrators, church groups, and themselves.
This innovative career inspiration program includes interactive workshops, motivational talks, hands-on creative experiences, and fun. The program's goal is to expose teens in Grades 9-12 to creative and nontraditional career opportunities in areas ranging from culinary arts to animation/set design/show production to sports, inspiring them to exceed the boundaries of their dreams and imaginations. |
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Featured Student - Leon Sloan
Leon is a junior in the Life Skills Support Program at the Senior High School. An extremely fun-loving student, he has an infectious smile that can brighten the day of anyone he comes in contact with, according to Teacher Ryan Hoover. Leon loves basketball, specifically Michael Jordan (he has almost every pair of Jordan's shoes made). He loves to shoot hoops at home and in gym class and is rather good at it.
This love of basketball instantly attached him to Boys' Basketball Coach Jim Rocco and the players on the team. Coach Rocco calls him "a tremendous bright spot in my day." Leon goes out of his way to talk to members of the team and the coaches and they in turn have done the same with him. Leon gets autographs from the players and, in return, he draws them pictures to hang on their lockers for good luck. When Leon was presented with a team jersey at the alumni/staff game before the holiday break, it meant the world to him, Mr. Hoover said. Leon wore the jersey every Friday for game days.
Leon is one of the Senior High's more popular students who also has made friends with staff and students outside the basketball realm. But, he is already gearing up for next season! |
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6th Graders in Showcase at State Conference
On February 10th, four 6th graders from Linton Middle School participated in the Pennsylvania Educational Technology Expo and Conference (PETE & C) in Hershey.
The project our students completed focused on using the Internet to conduct independent research on some aspect of Ancient Egypt. The students accumulated pictures from their research, wrote a script, and then used Microsoft Photo Story to build their slideshow presentation. The project gave the students the opportunity to learn how to work on a differentiated learning project, collaborate with their social studies teacher and media specialist, use a variety of data bases to perform independent research, collect and select information most beneficial to good learning, use a program that allowed creativity in developing an interesting and informational presentation, and select music and write a script appropriate for an audience of their peers.
Linton was the only school chosen for the Student Showcase from Allegheny County and received rave reviews from those responsible for the conference.
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Forbes Reading Parade
Forbes Elementary School held a reading contest this past fall called Fired Up With Reading. From the beginning of October through the middle of December, students were encouraged to read. Every time they read a book and filled out a slip, their name was printed on a dragon scale and attached to the dragon outside the library. That dragon grew and grew as students read a total of 5,716 books!
The two top readers from each room participated in a parade on February 11th. The room which read the most books in each grade was given a popcorn party. The top readers from each room were also allowed to select a book for their very own.
- Top Reader of the Entire School: Cami Robinson (1,023 books)
- Top Classroom of the Entire School: Room 202
- Popcorn Party Winners: Rooms 103, 202, 208, 303, & 307
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 Spontaneous Fun Day Linton Middle School again played host to the annual Odyssey of the Mind Spontaneous Fun Day on Saturday, February 21st, with over 600 students coming together to solve problems on the fly. Students came to the District from as far away as Erie and Meadville to solve spontaneous problems, working on their analytical and collaborative skills in preparation for the Odyssey of the Mind regional tournament in March. Penn Hills had three winning teams at the event.
First Place, Division III: Patrick MacIntyre, Katie Rogers, Grant Van Horn, Julia Winnier, Annie Gula, Andrew Gula, and Peter Gula
Second Place, Division III: Andrew Christman, Christian Donnelly, Ryan Donnelly, Loyal Jasper, Robert Fello, and Mario Janakis
Third Place, Division II: DaeMon Palmer, Anna Marie Kun, Kelsey Doherty, Erica Brent, Brianna Barbarino, and Christine Verzinskie |
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Student Named Merit® Finalist
 Senior Gabriel Torres has been named a finalist in the National Merit® Scholarship Program by the CollegeBoard. Last fall, approximately 16,000 semi-finalists were chosen from across the country for the National Merit® Program. Of these students, approximately 15,000 attained finalist standing and will continue to compete for some 8,200 Merit® Scholarship awards (worth $34 million) that will be offered this spring. Approximately one-half of these students will be selected as Merit® Scholarship winners, earning the title of Merit® Scholar. Winners of Merit Scholarship® awards (Merit Scholar® designees) are chosen from the finalist group based on their abilities, skills, and accomplishments. They are evaluated based on a variety of factors, including academic record, school's curricula and grading system, two sets of test scores, school official's written recommendation, information about the student's activities and leadership, and finalist's own essay. Approximately 1.5 million juniors entered the 2009 National Merit® Program by taking the Preliminary SAT/National Merit® Scholarship Qualifying Test. Of these, 50,000 are recognized by the program. These include the highest scoring entrants in each state. This past fall, Gabriel was also designated as a National Hispanic Recognition Program Scholar by the CollegeBoard. The progam recognizes nearly 5,000 of the highest-scoring students out of over 200,000 juniors from across the country as Scholars. Students qualify for this award based on Preliminary SAT/National Merit® Scholarship Qualifying Test scores, QPA, and ethnic background. "Gabriel is an extraordinary student. We are proud to have him represent the Penn Hills School District at the national level," Penn Hills Superintendent Dr. Joseph Carroll said, adding, "We wish him well as he moves on to the next stage in the process." | |
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Senior High Principal Darcie Gatti
 In late January, the Senior High School welcomed Darcie Gatti as the new principal. She comes to the District with a Master of Education and K-12 principal certification from California University of Pennsylvania and a Bachelor of Arts in Education with certification in Grades 7-12 in Biology Education.
Her experience includes serving as an elementary principal and junior/senior high school assistant principal in the Mt. Pleasant Area School District, assistant principal and biology teacher at Career Connections Charter High School in Pittsburgh, principal intern in the Mount Lebanon School District, and science teacher at Wesley Highland Institute. During her various tenures, she has focused on the areas of curriculum, discipline, teacher evaluations, and using PSSA and other standardized test data to drive instruction.
Ms. Gatti was interested in Penn Hills because of its location and her desire to serve as a high school principal. She sees her biggest challenge as not only improving her students' performance on the PSSAs but surpassing the AYP expectations of the state. This, along with helping to provide a quality education for the students of the Penn Hills School District, is also her goal.
While Ms. Gatti has had to face some challenges since her arrival, which she said she enjoys, she acknowledges the welcome she has received from the community. "The students, staff, and families have been wonderful to me," she said, "and I appreciate all of the support." |
Helping Children Prepare for the PSSAs
Before long, it will be time for students to take Pennsylvania State System of School Assessment (PSSA) tests. These tests measure your child's progress towards becoming proficient along with all the students in their school and the District. Parents play an important role in getting students ready for these tests and the following are some suggestions on how you can help your child prepare:
- Make sure your child is in attendance on testing days
- Make sure your child gets a good night's sleep the night before the test
- Make sure that your child eats a healthy breakfast the day of the test
- Make sure your child wears comfortable clothes
- Let your child know that he/she should take the test seriously and do his/her best
- Talk to your child about what to do while taking the test, including:
- Paying attention to directions
- Asking questions about directions if they are not clear
- Reading each question carefully
- Eliminating wrong answer questions right away, then concentrating on the remaining choices
- Checking answers.
Please mark your calendars so that you know when your children will take the PSSA test. The testing window set by The Pennsylvania Department of Education for Reading and Math PSSAs is March 16-27, 2009. |
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Penn Hills Recycling Information
The following items are recycled in Penn Hills:
- Newspapers - Colored, Black & White, & All Inserts
- Phone Books
- Catalogs/Magazines
- Glossy Paper
- Corrugated Cardboard - No Pizza Boxes
- Chipboard - Cereal and Cracker Boxes
- Clear, Brown, and Green Glass
- Aerosol Cans (Empty)
- Steel, Aluminum, and Bi-Metallic Cans
- Plastics Bottles & Containers (#1 thru #5)
- Household Paper - Junk Mail, Letters, Envelopes, Wrapping Paper, or Any Paper That Tears (No Paper Napkins, Paper Towels, or Soiled Paper).
Instructions
Place all cans, plastic, and glass in your red recycle container(s). Place all paper products together inside the can on top of the recyclables or in a bag or bundled on top of the red can or in your extra red container. All boxes must be broken down so that they are flat and no more than 3 feet in length or width. If you are unable to place all materials inside the red container, bag/bundle them and tie and place alongside or on top of your red container. Please ensure that the weight of one red recycling container does not exceed 50 pounds. If you need a new can or if you have any questions on the recycling program, please visit www.pennhills.org or contact the Penn Hills Department of Public Works at 412-798-2151. |
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Coming in March, National Honor Society Inductees, a roundup of the elementary basketball season, the school calendar for 2009-2010, and the revamped District website. Also, the upcoming Linton Spring Musical "Alice in Wonderland" and Senior High School Musical "Oklahoma!" will be profiled. All this and more in the next edition of Penn Hills Pride. | |
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