The District has a model of what is expected of students, parents, teachers, and administration for the new school year.  It covers many aspects of school life, from the expectation to succeed (on the part of everyone) to partnerships, cooperation, contributions, and communication.  To view a larger version of the model, click on the image below.

Every Wednesday evening from September 15th through November 2nd, Coach Jim Rocco and his staff will host a fall basketball skill camp. The camp, open to all boys and girls in Grades 3 through 8, will be held at Penn Hebron Elementary School from 6:00 to 7:15 pm. The camp will focus on ball handling, passing, and shooting and include competitive games and a great deal of energy. In addition to enthusiastic instruction, players will receive a Nike t-shirt and awards. The camp fee is $40 and all proceeds benefit the Penn Hills Basketball Club and boys' basketball program. To register, please complete the fall camp registration form and bring payment (check or cash) to camp.  Please make all checks payable to the Penn Hills Basketball Club.

The Penn Hills School District has signed on with SchoolMessenger, a company that provides notification services for parental outreach, emergency broadcasts, and student attendance communications for K-12 education. Parents can now receive phone calls, text alerts, and emails about a range of important issues affecting their students' safety and academic performance. Parents will also be able to provide additional contact information via SchoolMessenger's Contact Manager. Information will be provided regarding the use of Contact Manager.

 
SchoolMessenger will be used to complement the District's existing emergency preparedness procedures and inform parents of upcoming school events.   This system will not replace current modes of school communication. Principals will still be accessible for visits and the District will still send home paper-based information. Acquisition of the SchoolMessenger system is intended to reinforce the District's commitment to remain personally connected to parents.  For more information on this system, visit www.schoolmessenger.com.

On August 24th, parents and staff joined together for a welcome back celebration at Linton Middle School.  This year's event was special as it introduced fifth graders to the Linton community. The evening included a tailgate party with the Turners Tea Bird and free iced tea.  There was also popcorn, hot dogs, and sno cones, as well as games, Linton zipper pull beads craft, and an Oreo stacking contest (with two winners receiving book fair gift certificates).  Linton administration presented information on the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program and a PTA open meeting was held.  All events were free and sponsored by the Linton PTA in cooperation with the administration of Linton Middle School.  From the looks of all of the blue lips courtesy of an abundance of sno cones, an enjoyable time was had by all.  More photos of the event can be found here.

The 2009-2010 H1N1 influenza pandemic is officially over as reported by the World Health Organization.  Dr. Bruce Dixon, Director of the Allegheny County Health Department, also expects a very traditional influenza season for 2010-2011.
 
There are no plans for any special clinics (pod clinics) to be held in the schools at this time.  The Allegheny County Health Department plans to open its seasonal influenza vaccination clinic at 3441 Forbes Avenue in Oakland on Monday, October 18, 2010. 
 
Influenza vaccinations are now recommended for all persons aged 6 months and older.  The 2010-2011 trivalent seasonal vaccine virus strains include A/California (H1N1)-like, the same strain as was used for the 2009 H1N1 vaccine. It also includes A/Perth/(H3N2)-like and B/Brisbane-like antigens.  There will be only one vaccine this season, and it does include the H1N1 virus strain.

In 2006, the Penn Hills School District received its first 21st Century Community Learning Center Grant written by Stefanie Raspotnik through the office of Professional Development and Funding. The 21st Century Learning Center at Penn Hills is a partnership between the Pennsylvania Department of Education, Communities in Schools (CIS), and District. The grant served students in the District at four locations (Penn Hebron Elementary Academy, Lincoln Park Community Center, and Linton Middle School; Forbes Elementary School was added in 2007-2008 for the last year of funding).
 
Research indicates that when children are connected to caring adults, they are more likely to succeed. CIS is the partner that has coordinated the 21st Century Center since its inception back in 2006. CIS was selected because its mission is to connect needed community resources with schools to help students learn, stay in school, and prepare for life. It is a researched-based model with core beliefs that all young people need and deserve a:
 
* One-on-one relationship with a caring adult
* Safe place to learn and grow
* Healthy start and healthy future
* Marketable skill to have upon graduation
* Chance to give back to peers and community.
 
Tychelle Law enrolled in the 21st Century Learning Center in 2006 while at Linton and during a time when she simply wanted to try out the program. She continued to attend the program on a daily basis for three years. During this time, Tychelle developed a one-on-one caring adult relationship with one of her teachers, Mr. Michael Koytk, who has taught at the 21st Century Learning Center since 2006. Known as Mr. Mike to students in the program, he reached out to Tychelle and served as a teacher and a mentor.  Tychelle is just one of the program's success stories.
 
Tychelle remains an honor student in the District and is currently in 11th grade at the Senior High School. She volunteered at Penn Hebron's 21st Century Program during the 2009-2010 school year because she wanted to help other students improve their academic achievement and develop their leadership skills in both the school and community. She consistently volunteered her time for one year to help students at Penn Hebron achieve their academic goals. The 2009-2010 results show that 57.5 percent of the students enrolled in the 21st Century Learning Center at Penn Hebron improved their academic achievement and 34 percent improved their school attendance over the previous year.
 
The 21st Century Learning Center Program has consistently reached out to students in the District who want to give back to their peers and community. Tychelle's success seems to be a norm for many of the high school students who have been involved in the program either through volunteering or working.  In fact, during the summer of 2010, Tychelle was hired to work in Linton's newly funded "Magic in the Middle" 21st Century Learning Center Program, the building where she first began her involvement with the program.  "Magic in the Middle," which was started through a newly obtained $840,000 grant, will begin on October 11th.