EPE Express
East Pennsboro Elementary School Newsletter
April 2021 - PSSA Edition
Principal's Message
The Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA) is coming up in April. All 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade students regardless of in person, livestream, or Panther Academy learning options must take the assessment. We will take the PSSA at EPE and West Creek Hills Elementary on the following days:
English Language Arts
Tuesday, April 20
Wednesday, April 21
Thursday, April 22
Math
Monday, April 26
Tuesday, April 27
Science (Grade 4 only)
Wednesday, April 28
Thursday, April 29
Students who are enrolled in livestream or in Panther Academy will be brought to the building by school bus for their PSSA in the afternoons of each testing day. Further information will be provided as we approach the PSSA regarding specific busing times for these students.
To prepare your 3rd, 4th, or 5th grade student for the PSSA please do the following:
- Make sure your student gets a good night's sleep.
- Your student should eat a nutritional breakfast (breakfast is free this year at school).
- Talk to your student about taking the PSSA seriously and putting forth their best effort.
- Let your student know there is nothing to stress about - all students get as much time as they need to complete each day's test section. Anything you can do to establish a positive mindset with your child about the test is appreciated!
We continue to appreciate the positive feedback from parents who are utilizing the EPE Panther Spotlight link below! Take a look at the latest examples of EPE excellence:
"I am nominating Mrs. Sundy because since day one when my son started her class she has gone above and beyond. She notifies me daily of how he is doing in class and is constantly giving extra time and advice to him because he started in October and was behind. My son loves her and her class because all she does for him."
"Mrs. Smith is a wonderful teacher. My son has some stress with transitions, and she has worked with me to make sure that he is comfortable and knows what to expect during all of the changes during the switch from Virtual to Hybrid and even with the routine changes on snow and early dismissal days. She has always answered my emails and Seesaw inquiries quickly, even during non-school hours, and has assisted me by providing needed materials, such as phonics cards and printable sight words so I can better help him at home. Mrs. Smith has been a great resource to ensure that he is being connected with various supports at school and is so caring and kind. She even went out of her way to make sure that she got a special food item during their recent Ice Cream party so that he could participate- which he would not have been able to do otherwise due to a dietary restriction. Kindergarten is a tough transition time to begin with and COVID restrictions have created a lot of unchartered territory. We are very thankful to be navigating it with Mrs. Smith -she is a wonderful teacher and an asset to EPE!"
Please consider nominating an EPE staff member by clicking the link below: https://forms.gle/63F7PuEL3qYZ8rnm8
If there are any questions about your 3rd, 4th, or 5th grade student taking the PSSA, please feel free to contact Mr. Etter or myself at the school.
Respectfully,
Mr. T. and Mr. Etter
717-732-0441
Return To Our Specials Classrooms!
EPASD Town Hall Event
Selfies Still Needed!
Facility Dog Paintings
2nd Grade Talks About Empathy
March Math Madness - Grade 3
The following 3rd grade students made it to the Sweet 16 of our March Math Madness competition:
Adyson (Wilcox)
Emma C. (Wilcox)
Lukcas (Hegman)
Blake (Hegman)
Alexis (Luft)
Lina (Hegman)
Gianna (Sanders)
Gabe (Sanders)
Olivia (Walsh)
Sam (Walsh)
Cassie (Sanders)
Trent (Walsh)
Talia (Sanders)
Penelope (Luft)
Lauren (Sanders)
Cade (Wilcox)
Congratulations to these EPE students for persevering though Math Madness! On to the Elite 8!
5th Grade Student's Mission to End Bullying
As a reference, the EPASD School Board Policy for Bullying is at the link below:
http://go.boarddocs.com/pa/epns/Board.nsf/goto?open&id=BS8NUU61AAAF
Kindergarten Registration!
https://www.epasd.org/departments/students/student-accounting-records/
General EPE Information:
EPASD Technology Support
- Students/families needing support for all EP issued devices may contact our tech team for help at the following email: technologyhelp@epasd.org
- Our EP Technology site provides additional details for many questions parents may have: https://sites.google.com/a/epasd.org/epasd-tech-support/home
- All device exchanges will be by appointment only and at the middle school.
OTIS Parent Accounts!
Great news, East Pennsboro Area School District is happy to announce that parents and guardians have access to an online program that offers a variety of videos and tutorials pertaining to numerous topics. The online platform is called Otis. https://otis.teq.com/
Currently, employees of East Pennsboro Area School District utilize Otis as a professional development tool.
Parents may access the platform to find information about troubleshooting and using iPads for learning, troubleshooting and using Chromebooks as learning tools, how to use and understand Google Classroom, how to help your student(s) with remote learning, how to apply for college loans, and much more.
We encourage parents and guardians of students in East Pennsboro Area School District to take advantage of this free and helpful online learning tool.
Please use the attached information to create a free account.
Attendance
Reminders of Attendance Criteria when Remote Learning:
Just as a reminder, when your student is learning from home, and they are not able to attend the livestreamed lesson, please be sure they complete the attendance sheet and complete all of the assigned work for that day.
Remote learning attendance is also taken based on work that is completed. Please be sure to encourage your child to complete all of their assignments when remote learning. This applies to both students who attend school on their A/B day, as well as full livestreaming students.
General Attendance Process:
EPE accepts attendance notifications (excuse cards, absence notes, etc.) via email. Parents can email epesattendance@epasd.org as a means of reporting your child’s absence. Paper notes will still be accepted as well. Reminder that all excuse notifications are required to be submitted within three school days of your child’s absences.EPASD Elementary Lunch Menus
Change in Routine Procedures
The classroom teachers follow routine dismissal procedures daily. Changes in those routines
should be for urgent reasons and must be accompanied by a Change of Routine Notice or a
written parental notice requesting such a change. All student verbal requests for such changes will be denied without written notice or a phone call from a parent/guardian. Seesaw messages, text messages, and emails will not be accepted during the school day of a change of routine. Please have these requests into the school ahead of time so we can ensure students are where they need to be for a safe and secure dismissal. The
Change of Routine Notice can be found at the following link:
Important Dates
March:
25 - EPE Spring Picture Day (Livestream students from 2:00-3:00 PM)
26 - End of 3rd Marking Period
31 - Snow Make-up Day (Flexible Instruction Day - students do not report to buildings)
April:
1 - Snow Make-up Day (Flexible Instruction Day - students do not report to buildings)
2 - 5 - Spring Break (Buildings Closed)
8 - School Board Meeting
13 - 3rd MP Report Cards Issued
22 - School Board Meeting
20, 21, 22 - ELA PSSA
26, 27 - Math PSSA
28, 29 - Science PSSA (Grade 4 Only)
All above dates are subject to change based on current federal, state, and district guidance regarding the COVID-19 epidemic.
Please see our previous newsletters:
About us
Email: rtysarczyk@epasd.org
Website: https://www.epasd.org/
Location: 840 Panther Parkway, East Pennsboro Township, PA, USA
Phone: 717-732-0441
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EastPennsboroElem/