Superintendent's Corner
September 14th, 2023
Dear WSSD Community,
My favorite movie is Forrest Gump and one of the many iconic quotes from that movie is, “Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re going to get”. The reason I use this quote is because you never know who you are going to meet within our school buildings. These opportunities and moments to engage with students captivate me and always brighten my day. My myriad of experiences in the first 11 days have brought me long lasting memories. I had the opportunity to sit down with a freshman during lunch to hear about his wonderful 8th grade year and the anticipation of being in high school as well as his gratitude to Dr. Matsanka and the middle school teachers who have prepared him for his 9th grade experience. I assisted in delivering a lesson on phonetics in one of our Kindergarten classes. I had an insightful conversation with four new students to the WSSD family who are a part of A Better Chance (ABC House). I was cheerfully greeted by an elementary student who said, “Oh Dr. Marseille, is that you?” only to be asked by the next student, “And who are you?”.
These are the perfect moments to form a new bond and make new friends. These connections, spontaneous, unexpected and genuine are to me the very epitome of who we are as a school district. It’s only the third week since we began the school year and I have heard it said numerous times that it’s as if we never left. Well, when we interact in purposeful and intentional ways with students and we build meaningful relationships with and among each other, it is indeed as if we never said goodbye. We are indeed back in the full swing of things, Back To School Nights, picture day, assemblies, athletic events, all of the ways we seek to engage our students and their families as well as planning for upcoming events that we are all looking forward to.
Let me share with you a few highlights from the week, as well as reminders of the upcoming meetings and events.
Back To School Nights
As we anticipate back to school night for NPE next Thursday evening, I want to thank all of you for your preparedness and readiness to host our families by giving them a glimpse into the work you are doing and will do during the course of this calendar school year. As a parent, I want to thank all of our teachers for their openness to partner with families to support the needs of their child.
Instrumental Demonstrations
Sports & Activities
Our sports teams are starting off the year strong and filled with Panther Pride! The PIAA has shared the following quote about sportsmanship from The Discovery of Morals, “Sportsmanship is probably the clearest and most popular expression of morals. Sportsmanship is a thing of the spirit. It is timeless and endless, and we should strive to make it universal to all races, creeds, and walks of life.” As we continue the fall sports season, we want to reaffirm our commitment to providing a safe and enjoyable experience for all involved. All of us play a role in the PIAA sportsmanship message. We look forward to another successful, and positive season!
Strategic Plan
As we anticipate the Board taking formal action on our Strategic Plan on October 23rd, we invite you to join us on October 18 at the Education Affairs Meeting for the summarization of our key findings and goals for our 10 year plan. This is the culmination of a year and a half of work which would not have been possible without your support.
To learn more about the pathways and updates on our strategic plan visit our website here!
School Board & Committee Meetings
The Educational Affairs Committee will meet on September 20th and plan to discuss a review of the first four days of school, new teacher academy, social studies updates and resources. The Policy Committee Meeting met yesterday, September 13th, and the following policies were presented: Organization Chart, Civility, Public Participation in Board Meetings, Citizen Advisory Committees, and Public Complaints. The Facilities Committee met on September 6th and discussed King Field updates, Baseball/Softball dugouts, and food services equipment.The Finance Committee also met on September 6th and presented a list of bills, financial states, and contracts, and discussed the upcoming 2024-2025 budget process. The Nutrition Group also gave a presentation at this meeting. The Regular School Board Meeting will take place at 7PM in the SHMS Library on September 26th.
Meetings are live-streamed and archived on WSSD YouTube Page. For more information and a link to the meeting schedules, please click here.
Connect With WSSD
Email: helpdesk@wssd.org
Website: wssd.org
Location: 200 S Providence Rd, Wallingford, PA 19086, USA
Phone: 610-892-3470
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WallingfordSwarthmoreSchools/
Twitter: @WSSchools