McKnight Elementary School 500 Cumberland Road Pittsburgh, PA 15237

August 2015

Dear Families & Students,

Welcome to McKnight Elementary for the 2015­16 school year! It has been a very busy summer and we are pleased to announce the following additions/changes to our staff:

Robin Napper – Mrs. Napper will be our contracted 4F teacher. She taught last year ​ at Franklin Elementary and in the Moniteau previously. Mrs. Napper received her B.S. in Elementary Education from Duquesne University and is completing her M.S. in Special Education at Edinboro University.

Gannon Holleran – Mr. Holleran will be our 4C teacher this year while Mrs. Geisler is on ​ sabbatical. He taught last year at Ingomar Elementary. He also taught at Chester Taylor Elementary School in Florida before returning to Pittsburgh. Mr. Holleran received his B.S. in Elementary Education from California University of and his M.S. in Educational Administration from Duquesne University.

Angela Lesinski – Mrs. Lesinski will be filling a new position as a contracted half­time ESAP ​ teacher along with Mrs. Harvey. Mrs. Lesinski is a current NA resident and a former McKnight student. She has spent the past few years subbing throughout the district and was an English Language Learner specialist and a Kindergarten teacher in St. Louis, Missouri previously.

Amy Reese – Mrs. Reese will be our full­time general music teacher taking the role opened by ​ Mrs. Hall’s retirement. Mrs. Reese is excited to make McKnight her permanent home, having traveled between McKnight and Marshall for the past 3 years. Mrs. Reese earned her degree in Music Education from Belmont University.

Madeline Arnold – Ms. Arnold will be taking over Mrs. Reese’s traveling general music ​ th position between McKnight and Marshall. Ms. Arnold taught general music and 4 ​ grade chorus ​ last year at Marshall Elementary. She received her degree in Music Education from the Jacobs School of Music at the University of Indiana.

Katie Arbogast – Mrs. Arbogast will be taking the KB & KE position in Kindergarten, which ​ was opened by Mrs. Kozak’s retirement. Mrs. Arbogast previously taught Kindergarten at McKnight prior to moving to . Her experience with Montessori and the high expectations of upper elementary will help our youngest students prepare for success.

Bethany Trettel – Mrs. Trettel is a new addition to our special education staff. Mrs. Trettel will ​ split her time between McKnight and Ingomar Elementary to work with our learning support and inclusion students. Mrs. Ferrari was a special education teacher in the Greensburg­Salem School District and received her B.A. in Child Development and Education from Washington and Jefferson College.

Maggie Lapp ­ Ms. Lapp will be our contracted 3B teacher. She taught at ​ Marshall Elementary last year. Ms. Lapp received her B.A. in Early Childhood Education from The University of Mount Union and is certified in Elementary (PreK­4) and Special Education.

We welcome all of our new staff to the McKnight Family. We are excited to see those in new positions blossom in their roles. We know they will push all of our students for success. They join the rest of the teachers as they busily prepare classrooms for the first day of school on Tuesday, August 25, 2015. ​

Enclosed you will find a Bus Backpack Tag, which is color­coded by grade level. Please fill in your child’s name, homeroom, and dismissal information and attach it to your child’s backpack. If your child dismisses to the YMCA program or a daycare van please be sure to put that information on the bus tag. This will help our staff assist your child in finding the right classroom and/or bus during the first few weeks of school. If you have not received a post card from the North Allegheny transportation department with your child’s bus information please call the transportation department at (412) 369­5500.

Homeroom assignment letters will be emailed out on Monday, August 10. Teacher names and sections can be found on the McKnight website. Please be advised that there will be no classroom assignment changes made prior to the start of the school year. Our placement process thoughtfully considers many factors. We appreciate your support of this process

Our building goals for the 2015­16 school year are as follows:

ACHIEVEMENT We will use data to make instructional decisions that support student growth and achievement. Teachers will be provided with professional development to add to their repertoire of skills to make lessons engaging, meaningful, and challenging for students. Artistic achievement will also be a focus as we integrate music, art, and physical education programs with academic content.

INSTRUCTION We will differentiate instruction to enrich and remediate the District approved curricula in order to meet the diverse and changing needs of all learners. Teachers will focus on the areas of English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics as they

develop goals based on grade level curriculum and PA Core Standards.

TECHNOLOGY We will use technology to incorporate rich and varied resources into daily instruction. Interactive white boards are scheduled to be installed in the 3rd grade classrooms as well as special education and GOAL rooms. These will add to those already in 4th th ​ and 5 ​ grades. We are excited for the new ​ technology plan to make its way into the elementary schools. We will prepare our students now for the tools coming their way in the next few years.

BEHAVIOR We will promote respect and appropriate behavior at all times. Staff members will serve as positive role models for students and enforce the McKnight Student Expectations.

BULLYING PREVENTION We will use the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program school wide to reinforce the anti­bullying policy. ​

Our school theme this year is, “The Power of an Idea.” Staff and students will incorporate this ​ ​ idea as a continuation from last year’s “See Things Differently” theme. We hope to take our ​ ​ students’ brilliance and grow it into amazing things throughout the school year.

We look forward to a productive year full of many enriching learning opportunities and great memories. Enjoy the last days of summer and prepare for great things!

Yours in Education,

Christopher Shute Colleen Hannagan Principal Assistant Principal