EAGLE EYE An E-Newsletter from School District May 28, 2019 DATES LAST DAY OF SCHOOL TO REMEMBER IS MONDAY, JUNE 3

Friday, May 31 The last day of school for South Park students will be Full Day of School Monday, June 3, 2019.

Commencement Friday, May 31 will be a full day of school. May 31 will 7 p.m. in the South Park be the last day of school for afternoon kindergarten High School Gymnasium students.

Monday, June 3 On Monday, June 3, high school students will be Last Day of School dismissed at 11 a.m., middle school students will be Early Dismissals dismissed at 11:30 a.m. and elementary center students High School: 11 a.m. will be dismissed at 12 noon. Morning kindergarten Middle School: 11:30 a.m. students will be dismissed at the normal time on Elementary Center: 12 noon Monday, June 3.

Thursday, June 13 Breakfast will be served on June 3. Lunch will not be served. Board of Directors Meeting 6:30 p.m. in the South Park TRACK AND FIELD STUDENT-ATHLETES High School Cafeteria WRAP UP SUCCESSFUL SEASON GRADUATION TO BE HELD ON FRIDAY Commencement for the South Park High School Class of 2019 will be held on Friday, May 31 at 7 p.m. in the South Park High The 2019 track and field season recently wrapped up with a number of South Park Eagles School gymnasium. Only guests participating in the WPIAL and PIAA championships. with tickets will be permitted entry into the gymnasium. Maddie Raymond and Maura Huwalt are WPIAL Champions after the WPIAL Track and Field Individual Championship. Maddie and Maura won a combined five gold medals. Each family will receive six Maddie won gold in the 100 meter dash and the 200 meter dash. Maura won gold in the tickets for admittance into shot put, discus and javelin. the gymnasium. Tickets will be distributed to students on Nicole Clydesdale, Samantha Denner, Jenna Fareri, Sophia Fareri, Gianna Girol, Ben Wednesday, May 29. Misplaced Hartman, Lauren Ippolito, Hunter Lindsay, Nora Ozimek, Alex Partee, Kirk Stewart, Maya tickets will not be replaced. Wertelet and Cassidy Zandier took home medals from the WPIAL Championship. Overflow seating will be in At the PIAA track and field championship last weekend, the Lady Eagles took second in the auditorium. Graduates will the state. Maura Huwalt won two silver medals and a bronze medal, Maddie Raymond process through the auditorium, won a silver medal and a bronze medal and Hunter Lindsay medaled. and the ceremony will be streamed live.

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TENNIS SEASON PROJECT LEAD THE WAY REPRESENTATIVES INCLUDES VISIT SOUTH PARK HIGH SCHOOL TRIP TO STATE CHAMPIONSHIP

South Park High School recently welcomed Terri Schulz, Shannon Esposito and Sally Irwin from the Project Lead The Way School Engagement Team. The team congratulated the The South Park boys’ tennis Project Lead The Way students and instructors on their second straight year of distinction team finished the season by as a Project Lead The Way Distinguished High School. placing third in the WPIAL 2-A team championship. The The students led the team through a tour of the applied engineering and technology Eagles advanced to the state education , talked about their four-level Project Lead The Way experience and championship tournament. showcased their authentic portfolio items.

Stone Ellis and Joey Toth SECOND GRADE STUDENTS advanced to the PIAA tennis championship in Hershey on FOLLOW EVEREST JOURNEY Friday, May 24. LADY EAGLES’ SOFTBALL SEASON CONTINUES

The Lady Eagles softball team For a little more than two weeks, Miss Dean’s second grade students followed the journey advanced to the WPIAL 3-A of a man on his way to Mt. Everest. semifinals. The Lady Eagles fell to Avonworth, but will play tonight Students received updates and pictures and learned about the culture of the area while in the third place game against following Lance Lewandowski’s route on a map in their classroom. Second grade students Ellwood City at Peters Township even had the chance to FaceTime with Lance despite the 10-hour time difference. Lance at 6 p.m. and his friends reached the Mt. Everest Base Camp on May 15.

Go Lady Eagles! Second grade students sent Lance and his friends encouraging notes and cards. Lance and his friends sent a picture of them holding those cards at his base camp.

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ART SHOW DISPLAYS EDUCATION YEAR’S WORTH OF CREATIVITY FOUNDATION DINNER TICKETS AVAILABLE NOW

The inaugural South Park Education Foundation Golf Outing & Dinner presented by PNC will be held at South Hills Country Club on Monday, July 22. The mission of the newly created foundation is to support and strengthen the South Park School District community by encouraging innovation, recognizing excellence and creating vital partnerships. The Foundation will fulfill its mission through grants to teachers and On Thursday, May 23, Ms. Bersamina hosted the fifth annual visual arts exhibition at South schools, student scholarships, Park Elementary Center. The theme of this year’s exhibition was “Art of the Earth.” Displays and strategic partnerships. included kindergarten water lilies, first grade clay impressions, second grade leaf prints, third grade clay fish and fourth grade watercolors. Dinner tickets are available for $50 each. The afternoon and FOURTH GRADERS evening festivities begin at 4 p.m., and dinner will be served SET UP MARKET DAY SHOPS at 5 p.m. Guests will also be able It was a shopping fiesta on Tuesday, May 21 when to purchase tickets for premium fourth grade students learned about raffle items. economics during market day. Students were given paper pesos to shop in the markets set up To support the foundation and in classrooms. Students “sold” handmade crafts, purchase your dinner ticket, toys and other items to their classmates during this please call (412) 655-3111, hands-on lesson. extension 1002. BASEBALL TEAM HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS INTRODUCE FRENCH QUALIFIES & GERMAN TO ELEMENTARY STUDENTS FOR WPIAL On Monday, May 20, French IV and German TOURNAMENT IV students taught French and German mini- The South Park High School lessons to first and second grade students at baseball team defeated Quaker South Park Elementary Center. Valley in the first round of the WPIAL playoffs and advanced to The lessons included shapes, colors, animals, the quarterfinals where they lost the alphabet, parts of the body and numbers. to Youth 3-1. Congratulations, Eagles, on a great season!

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FIRST GRADERS PRESCHOOL GRADUATION HELD EXCEED AT SOUTH PARK HIGH SCHOOL READING CHALLENGE

The students of the Eagle Ridge Child Development program celebrated their preschool graduation on Thursday, May 23. All year, the Eagle Ridge Child Development students have been learning so much with the help of Ms. Stull and their high school buddies. EIGHTH GRADE STUDENTS This spring, first grade students read a lot of books, nearly 5,000 VISIT WASHINGTON, D.C. of them! Since they surpassed elementary center principal Dr. Rob Furman’s reading challenge, he had to hold several snakes on Wednesday, May 15. Even Mrs. Lindsay held a snake to celebrate our young readers. GERMAN STUDENTS VISIT HISTORIC DEUTSCHTOWN

The eighth grade class recently returned from a four-day trip to our nation’s capital. It was a memorable, fun and educational trip to Washington, D.C. FRENCH STUDENTS EXPERIENCE FRENCH CUISINE AND ART Mrs. Schemm’s German IV class Mrs. Lilja’s French IV class recently visited Cafe Moulin recently visited Pittsburgh’s where they enjoyed authentic French crepes and North Side and the historic cafe au lait. They also visited the Carnegie Museum Deutschtown. The class enjoyed where they toured the French Impressionist and Post- lunch at Max’s Allegheny Tavern, Impressionist exhibits. a traditional German restaurant.

SouthParkSchools @SPSDInfo SouthParkSchoolDistrict sparksd.org BY THE NUMBERS A Look at the 2019-2020 South Park School District Budget First Issue in a Series South Park School District Faces Rising, Mandated Charter School Costs As South Park School District administrators prepare Based on the increased tuition rates that the a final 2019-2020 budget, the district, and South Park Commonwealth of Pennsylvania requires South Park taxpayers, face a significant increase in charter and cyber taxpayers to pay and expected new enrollments in charter charter school tuition. Charter schools receive funding and cyber charter schools, the South Park School District from the district of residence of each charter and cyber must budget approximately $916,000 for charter and charter school student. These charter and cyber charter cyber charter school tuition in the 2019-2020 school year. schools often market themselves as “tuition-free.” And That is approximately a $193,000 increase from the 2018- while the families who choose to send their children to 2019 final budget. This increase is equivalent to .25 mills. charter and cyber charter schools do not pay tuition, South The total cost for charter and cyber charter school tuition Park taxpayers are required to pay the tuition based on is equivalent to nearly 1.20 mills. formulas set by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Amounts Paid by South Park Taxpayers to Charter & Cyber Charter Schools As of May, approximately 50 students who reside in South Park attend charter and cyber charter schools. The South Park School District will pay approximately $865,000 for these students to attend charter and cyber charter schools in the 2018-2019 fiscal year. That is equivalent to 1.14 mills. One mill equals approximately $765,000.

Charter and cyber charter school tuition costs are expected to increase dramatically in the 2019-2020 fiscal year. The 2019-2020 tuition rate for a regular education student to attend a charter or cyber charter school is expected to be approximately $13,300 per student, pending the finalization of the district’s budget. That is an increase of more than 5% from the 2018-2019 school year. The 2019-2020 tuition rate for a special education student to attend a charter or cyber charter school is expected to be approximately $28,000 per student, pending the The $916,000 budgeted for charter and cyber charter finalization of the district’s budget. That is an increase of school tuition represents a 193% increase from the 2012- 25% from the 2018-2019 school year. As a comparison, 2013 school year. The South Park School District is the anticipated per-student expenditure for students required by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to pay attending South Park Schools is approximately $10,800 these rising costs. The district is unable to control this for the 2019-2020 school year. This figure is calculated by rapid increase. dividing budgeted instructional expenditures by projected enrollment. The South Park School District receives Two bills being discussed by lawmakers in Harrisburg approximately $4,440 per district student in education would help school districts control these costs and would, funding from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. in turn, help local taxpayers. The bills would require Tuition for a Regular Education parents who wish to send their children to a cyber school Charter School Student to pay their child’s tuition if their district of residence offers a full-time cyber education program. Taxpayers are encouraged to contact their state legislators and ask 2012-2013 $8,643 them to support these two bills. Representative Michael J. Puskaric’s office can be reached at (412) 382-2009. Representative Puskaric serves on the House Education 2019-2020 Committee. Representative Bill Kortz’s office can be (estimated) $13,327 reached at (412) 466-1940. State Senator Pam Iovino’s office can be reached at (412) 831-0250. EAGLE EYE E-NEWSLETTER PAGE 6

CHROMEBOOKS TO BE COLLECTED THIS WEEK All student Chromebooks and district-issued charging cords will be collected this week. Chromebook cases will not be collected; students will be responsible for keeping those cases over the summer. Chromebook collections will be conducted during the school day. South Park School District 2005 Eagle Ridge Drive All students will be required to complete a Chromebook Condition Form which will South Park, PA 15129 be provided to them by their homeroom teachers. On that form, students will indicate (412) 655-3111 whether their Chromebook needs to be repaired or does not include a charger. The first Strengthening minds. accidental repair claim for a student with a valid 2018-2019 protection plan is $0. The Powering futures. second accidental repair claim for a student with a valid 2018-2019 protection plan is $30. The third accidental repair claim for a student with a valid 2018-2019 protection plan is The South Park School District’s $30. If a repair needs to be made to a student’s Chromebook and that student does not mission is to provide an educational atmosphere where all students have a valid 2018-2019 protection plan, the family will be required to pay the full repair/ have opportunities to discover replacement cost for parts and devices prior to the Chromebook being re-issued to the their talents, develop their abilities student in the fall. Students will be invoiced for all fees or repair/replacement costs. and achieve the expectations embedded in our educational program to become responsible We plan to issue new Chromebooks in the fall to next year’s fifth and ninth grade and productive members of society. students. All other students will be re-issued their original Chromebook in the fall, pending the inspection and any needed repairs by our technology department staff. More BOARD OF DIRECTORS details about fall Chromebook distribution and 2019-2020 protection plans will be shared John Innocenti in early summer. President NATIONAL HONOR SOCIETY Frank Wentzel Vice President DONATES TO PROJECT LINUS South Park High School National Honor Society Mary Arrigo students recently spent an afternoon after school Treasurer making blankets as a service project for Project Linus. Project Linus is a nonprofit organization Lorraine Blackburn that collects blankets to distribute to various organizations that help children in need. More David E. Palmer than thirty hospitals and facilities in Pittsburgh collect and put to good use these comforting Wayne Perry blankets. The National Honor Society was able to donate 36 freshly-made blankets to Project Linus. Nicholas Rudolph SENIORS CREATE PIÑATAS DURING Patrick Sable LAST WEEK OF SPANISH CLASS Norman Solomon

In the last week of school for Spanish IV The South Park School District does not students, the students studied piñatas. discriminate on the basis of race, color, Students were able to study the history and national origin, age, sex, disability or any other legally protected classification culture of the piñata including how it began, in its education programs, activities or evolved and how it is used today. Not only employment practices. Announcement of this policy is in accordance with did they study the history and culture of state and federal laws including Title this festive item, but they made their own! IV of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title Students used paper mache to create an IX of the Educational Amendments of 1972, Sections 503 and 504 of the authentic piñata and then decorated it. Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Age Congratulations to all of the Spanish class Discrimination Act of 1975, the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 seniors on your graduation! and the Pennsylvania Human Relations Act.

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