News from the Nest
Cardinal Pride in the Upper Dublin School District
November 2021
A Message of Gratitude from Dr. Yanni...
Dear Upper Dublin Community,
As I drive home from work each day, I spend time reflecting on my time in the office, out visiting schools, talking with students and staff, and planning District events. Sometimes I am amazed by how much "stuff" fits in a day. As my career has progressed from being a teacher to a principal to a central office administrator and now as Superintendent, I continue to be in awe of everything educators accomplish every single day.
Part of my reflection each day focuses on gratitude. I am extremely grateful for the dedicated staff we have here in our District who work hard each day to help our students learn and grow. I am equally grateful for the tremendous students that we have the opportunity to work with. Supportive parents/guardians, Board members, and community members round off my gratitude list. In a world where there is so much strife, how lucky are we to live and to work in Upper Dublin?
Gratitude is a powerful force that can shine brightly through the darkest of times. As we approach the holiday season and all the joy it brings, please take some time to share your gratitude for others with them. Each day presents us with opportunities to show our gratitude. As Maya Angelou once said, "This is a wonderful day; I have never seen this one before."
Onward!
Dr. Steve Yanni
Good News and Celebrations
- Congratulations to our Marching Cardinals for an extremely successful season! The Marching Cardinals received first place in several regional competitions and on Sunday they placed 2nd at the state competition in Hershey.
- Sandy Run 7th Grade science recently had a very exciting visit to Robbins Park where they explored the relationship between communities and nature by collecting water samples, analyzing data, and more in a day with the outdoor learning lab.
- As SRMS students ended the first marking period, students spent time with their teachers getting organized, "tying up loose ends", and reviewing essential habits of being a successful middle school student.
- Sandy Run has had fun lately with some informal team building activities and "Spirit Weeks" leading up to Halloween, while a very successful fall sports season has closed and winter sports are around the corner.
- All of our elementary schools continue to excel in First in Math! Students are also celebrating American Education Week with spirit days for each day.
- FWES 4th graders are excited for their first field trip in almost two years. They will be traveling this Thursday to Philadelphia for a private tour of Lincoln Financial Field. FWES is also grateful to the Philadelphia Phillies and UD Shade Tree Commission who have donated 18 news trees to Fort Washington Elementary. Planting will begin this Sunday, November 21st.
- MGES also has strong student participation in Math Olympiads and Reading Olympics. MGES is also excited to be receiving UDEF grants for Wonder Robots and a Sensory and Movement Path.
- At TFES, students honed their writing and presentation skills by interviewing veterans and presenting their interviews to their classmates.
- JTES students are celebrating gratitude month this November and are showing gratitude to their peers and teachers!
Inclusion | Diversity | Equity
Click here to view the November 2021 calendar. The calendar is updated monthly!
COVID-19 Update
- Municipality-Specific Data & Transmission Rate - Please click here to view our latest municipality-specific COVID-19 data (will be updated when released by MCOPH). Our UDSD Dashboard has also been updated. This data will be updated at least every Tuesday.
- Masking - Please keep in mind the masking mandate remains in effect, despite the Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court striking down the order last week. Because of an appeal, the masking order remains in place until further notice. Governor Wolf previously announced that the masking mandates would revert to local control on January 17, 2022. We expect to share information about our Health and Safety Plan next week.
Thank You to Eric's Pharmacy
The vaccination clinic was made possible by the vaccinators who were able to be onsite to administer shots. We are particularly thankful to our District's nurses who participated in the vaccine clinic!
The District is also in conversations with other providers in the hopes of providing an additional vaccine clinic for UD students ages 5-11. If/when we have news to share, we will certainly communicate the details to our community. In the meantime, families who are interested in having their children vaccinated are urged to get the vaccine wherever it is available.
Reminder - Data Review: Important Milestones
- Given the length of the testing window last year (some districts took advantage of testing students throughout the summer and earlier this fall), the data has not been fully released yet; therefore, the District will present our District data in January 2022.
- As has been the District's practice, the presentation will include overall student performance as well as student subgroup performance and comparative data to our peer districts.
The timelines listed below outline when we will receive data as well as individualized student information from PDE.
New Late Bus Registration
The transportation department is going to start using an online registration form for students that require a late bus. This new process will begin on Friday, November 19, 2021 and the form will be available electronically via the UDSD Bookmarks available on all student Chromebooks and QR Codes located at UDHS where cellphones are permitted. There are several benefits to doing so:
- It will reduce student loading time on the buses, which will be helpful in the cold weather
- It will allow the driver to plan the route in advance based on ridership, which will improve efficiency
- It will allow us to verify the purpose of the student activity, where we could not before
Thank You for Your Service to UDSD
- Ms. Francek has served on the Board of School Directors for four years. During her time on the Board, she served on the Personnel, Education, Policy, and Finance committees and was also the Board President for a year starting in December 2019.
- Mr. Ropski has also served on the Board of School Directors for four years, serving on the Finance and Operations committees during his tenure. Mr. Ropski also proudly served the Upper Dublin community as a Township Commissioner from 2007 to 2015.
Please join us in thanking both Ms. Francek and Mr. Ropski for their years of dedicated service to the District, to the community, and to our students and staff.
Mark Your Calendars
- Monday, November 22, 2021: Early Dismissal for SRMS / SRMS Conferences
- Tuesday, November 23, 2021: Early Dismissal for SRMS / SRMS Conferences
- Wednesday, November 24, 2021: Early Dismissal for All Schools
- Thursday, November 25, 2021 and Friday, November 26, 2021: Schools and Offices are Closed
- Monday, November 29, 2021: School Resumes
- Thursday, December 9, 2021: Early Dismissal for FWES, JTES, MGES, and TFES /Elementary Conferences
- Friday, December 10, 2021: Early Dismissal for FWES, JTES, MGES, and TFES / Elementary Conferences
- Thursday, December 23, 2021: No School; Winter Recess Begins
- Monday, January 3, 2022: School Resumes
COVID-19 Information
- COVID-19 Dashboard
- Quarantine information
- Changes in positivity rates and incidence rates over time
- Access to buildings by transmission level
Upper Dublin School District
Email: syanni@udsd.org
Website: www.udsd.org
Location: 1580 Fort Washington Avenue Maple Glen, PA 19002
Phone: (215) 643-8800
Facebook: facebook.com/UpperDublinSchoolDistrict
Twitter: @UpperDubSuper