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2/23/16
7:00 p.m. College to Career Night for grades 9 - 12 at DHS East.  Click here for info.
 
2/29/16 - Kindergarten Registration begins
 
3/1/16 - Honors Concert Band at DHS West
  
3/2/16 - Read Across America celebrating the books of Dr. Seuss

3/3/16 - 6:30 p.m. Committee of the Whole Board meeting

3/11/16 - "Let's Dance!"  Footloose at Lionville Middle School.  March 11-13, 2016.  Click here for ticket information.
Congratulations! 

 
West student Alex Fanelli received the 7th Congressional District's Creativity and Originality award for the web browsing app "Amber"!

DASD Combined Debate teams placed 2nd and 4th in the Liberty Bell Classic Speech and Debate Tournament.   Individual winners were:
1st Place in oral interpretation - Luv Iyer, STEM 
2nd Place in duo interpretation -  Chloe Fisher and Marissa Tomeo of DHS East
 
1st and 2nd Place in the Region 5 Technology Student Association Conference in Structural Design and Engineering went to Annelise Wanner and Maryam Qurashi, STEM
Comin in 2nd place in Promotional Graphics was Hanna Yang. 
 
DHS West senior Anne Spatola has been named a delegate to the Congress of Future Medical Leaders in Lowell this summer.

Congrats to the students of LMS on the Future Cities Engineering Team.  They placed sixth in the nation.

 

DHS East swimmers broke 3 pool records.   Congrats to Heather MacCausland, Caroline Maki, Tara Collier, and Chase Umberger

 
The Downingtown West Cheerleaders won the ChesMont Cheer competition and were runner up in the State Competition.
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FROM SUPERINTENDENT MUSSOLINE 
 
On Thursday, Blended Learning Coordinator Kristie Burk and I visited Harvard University.   We were the guests of Professor John Kim.  When Dr. Kim first learned about the district's blended learning option, he expressed his wish to write a case study on this program.  Harvard Business School periodically publishes case studies that are used globally by colleges and universities that are looking for innovative educational programs to introduce to their own students.
 
Dr. Kim and his team of graduate students visited the district in November of 2015. They interviewed Kristie Burk and me, two board members, DAEA president Craig Krusen, several blended and non-blended district teachers, as well as students currently enrolled in the blended program and their parents. The district provided the Harvard team with a great deal of information including demographics and student test scores from the programs first year (2014-2015).
 
On Thursday, Kristie and I were present as Dr. Kim discussed the completed case study with his MBA students at the prestigious Harvard Business School in Cambridge, MA.  His graduate class had previously been assigned the case study to read and evaluate.  The class spent the first part of the day looking at the district's blended learning plan from a business perspective and offered suggestions on where to take the program in the future.   One Harvard student from Vietnam expressed great interest in the program and hopes to replicate it in his country when he returns next year.  
 
At the conclusion of the day we were interviewed on camera in Harvard's awe-inspiring Media Center so that future students can review and learn from our program.   Needless to say, we are very proud of this recognition this program received from one of the world's premiere universities.  

National Merit Names Finalists

The National Merit Scholarship Program has awarded finalist standing to National Merit Semifinalists who have met specific scholastic criteria.  This is the top honor in this national competition.   Of these finalists, some will be offered National Merit scholarships, corporate sponsored scholarships or college sponsored scholarships.   The following DASD students earned this prestigious designation. 

STEM Academy - Christopher Bjornstad, Luv Iyer, Laruen Judkins, Ray Schoonmaker, Nihaar Narayan, Ryan Kannanaikal, Pranav Ranganathan.  

DHS East - Cathy An, Evan P. Diewald, Alex W. Weck and Nicholas T. Wu 

DCEF Art Gala on April 6, 2016

Save the Date for the Downingtown Community Education Foundation's First Annual Art Gala.  This big event will take place on April 6, 2016.   Dane Décor, located in the Downingtown Borough, has graciously offered to host this exciting event.   Over 35 pieces of beautiful student artwork has been donated by the students and will be on display and offered at auction.  Proceeds will benefit our art program and help fund foundation projects.   Click here for more information. .
NEWS AND INFORMATION

             

Headline News
Featured Stories
Using Google for Connectivity
Uwchlan Hills launched a brand new way to send announcements.  They send a Google link to each classroom.  Teachers click on it and use their Smart Board for viewing the show.  Click here to view their news.
 
MASCOT MADNESS CONGRATULATIONS
For the third year in a row, Shamona Creek has earned the title of the most active school in the district.   Coming in second was the Marsh Creek Narwhals.   The STEM Wolves rounded out the top three.  All three schools will receive funds to benefit their wellness program.     

Studying China
Springton Manor students have been learning about China. All subject areas were integrated to enhance the learning of the curriculum content. Students createed large 3D maps,  Many books were read and discussed. Each child shared in writing some interesting facts about China, pandas and the exciting celebration of the Chinese New Year.
Homework Hangout
Students at the STEM Academy were treated to a second homework hangout event this week. Homework hangouts combine the fun of our movie nights, with some extra help from our teaching staff. Students are invited to stay after school and to work on their homework in the Knowledge Commons.   

Sustainability Conference Attended
Nine DHS West AP Environmental Science/ Ecology Club members; Julia Schultz, Caroline Lassen, Alexis Bocelli, Ryan Osaghae, Courtney Draper, Julia Jones, Josh Withka, Sierra Eades, and Courtney Diec; attended the second annual College and High School Campus Sustainability Conference held on February 13, 2016 at Franklin & Marshall College, Lancaster, PA. The college hosted 22 different colleges and four high schools for a full day of workshops and keynote speakers. Due to the interest at DHS West in this area, the school was approached to host next year's sustainability conference. 





Contact information

Downingtown Area School District | 126 Wallace Ave. | Downingtown | PA | 19335