I. Call to Order Pledge of Allegiance

ROSE TREE MEDIA SCHOOL DISTRICT BOARD OF SCHOOL DIRECTORS Legislative Agenda March 26, 2015 7:30 p.m. I.

Call to Order

II.

Approval of Minutes A. B.

III.

C. D.

Penncrest High School Wrestler – State Wrestling Qualifier Penncrest High School Girls’ Track Team Indoor State Championship Medalists and Qualifiers Penncrest High School Boys’ Track Team Indoor State Championship Medalists Penncrest High School Varsity Boys’ Basketball Team – PIAA State Basketball Tournament Qualifiers

Media Elementary School After School Chess Club

Reports A. B. C. D. E. F. G.

VI.

Legislative Meeting Minutes of February 26, 2015 Central Delaware County School Authority Minutes of March 11, 2014

Educational Presentation A.

V.

Roll Call

Presentations and Awards A. B.

IV

Pledge of Allegiance

Student Liaison Reports Board Liaison Reports Committee Highlights and Reports School Reports Superintendent’s Report Solicitor’s Report President’s Report

Scheduled Presentations (Limited to Five Minutes Each) A.

Agenda

RTMEA – Sue Williamson

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March 26, 2015

VII.

Unscheduled Presentations (Limited to Three Minutes Each) A.

VIII.

Old Business A.

IX.

B.

Personnel 1. Terminations a. Professional b. Non-Instructional 2. Nominations a. Professional b. Non-Instructional 3. General a. Supplemental Contracts b. Other – See Attachment A 2015-2016 Online Subscription Renewals

Finance A. B.

C. D. XI.

None

New Business A.

X.

Rose Tree Media Residents

Purchasing 1. None General 1. Budgetary Transfers 2. Astro Turf Contract 3. Chartwells Dining Services Contract Renewal 4. Food Service Price Increase 5. Circle Line Sightseeing Agreement 6. Barbacane, Thornton & Company Audit Agreement 7. Advanced Power Control, Inc. Contract 8. Don Bonnett Associates, Inc. Proposal 9. Philadelphia Museum of Art – Inside/Out Installation Agreement Financials for February 2015 Bill Lists for February 2015

Adjournment ANNOUNCEMENT

There will be an executive session of the School Board for matters of personnel at 6:30 p.m. prior to the Legislative Meeting of April 23, 2015, at Penncrest High School. The Legislative Meetings are recorded on tape.

Agenda

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March 26, 2015

Rose Tree Media School District

EXCELLENCE TODAY FOR TOMORROW

308 North Olive Street Media, Pennsylvania 19063-2493 Telephone: 610-627-6136 Fax: 610-627-6136 www.rtmsd.org

Grace A. Eves Director of Management Services

James M. Wigo, Sr. Superintendent

To: From: Date: Subject:

Members of the Board of School Directors James Wigo, Superintendent Grace A. Eves, Board Secretary March 26, 2015 Minutes of the February 26, 2015 Legislative Meeting

I. Call to Order Pledge of Allegiance Roll Call ____________________________________________________________________________ Board Members in Attendance: John Hanna, President Tracy Barusevicius Nancy Fronduti Susan Nolen William O’Donnell Harry Postles Elizabeth Schneider Bill Tyson

Students: Tanner Daggy Allison D’Ignazio Riley George

Michaela Rhile Absent:

Absent: Nancy Mackrides Also in Attendance: Ron Baldino, Maintenance and Operations Eleanor DiMarino-Linnen, Dir.PS and Sp. Ed. Donald DiPaulo, Asst. Principal SLMS William Dougherty, Asst. Principal PHS Grace Eves, Dir. Management Services Joseph Fuhr, Principal SYA Ron Harris, Network Specialist Thomas Kelly, Esq., Solicitor Bonnie Kinsler, Supervisor of Transportation

Patti Linden, Supv. Technology Kim McCann-Roller, Info. Tech. Spec. Jenny Robinson, Principal Rose Tree Elem. Robert Salladino, Principal SLMS Sharon Sweeney, Asst. Principal PHS Steven Taylor, Assistant Superintendent Paula Voshell, Principal Media Elementary Kathy White, Asst. Principal Springton Lake MS James M. Wigo, Sr., Superintendent

II. Legislative Meeting Minutes of February 26, 2015

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March 26, 2015

II.

Approval of Minutes A.

Legislative Meeting Minutes of January 22, 2015

Mr. Postles moved and Mr. O’Donnell seconded a motion to adopt the following resolution: RESOLUTION: 2014-2015 67 Resolve, the Board of School Directors approve the Legislative Meeting Minutes of January 22, 2015. The aforementioned resolution was declared adopted by the Chair, the vote being: AYES:

Tracy Barusevisius, Nancy Fronduti, John Hanna, Susan Nolen, Bill O’Donnell, Harry Postles, Elizabeth Schneider and Bill Tyson NAYS: None ABSENT: Nancy Mackrides

III.

Presentations and Awards A.

IV.

Educational Presentation A.

V.

None

Rose Tree Elementary K.I.D.S.

Reports A. Student Liaison Reports B. Board Liaison Reports C. Committee Highlights and Reports – In Official Minutes of February 26, 2015 D. School Reports – In Official Minutes of February 26, 2015 E. Superintendent’s Report – In Official Minutes of February 26, 2015 F. Solicitor’s Report – In Official Minutes of February 26, 2015 G. President’s Report – In Official Minutes of February 26, 2015 Buzzy

VI.

Scheduled Presentations (Limited to Five Minutes Each) A.

VII.

RTMEA – Sue Williamson

Unscheduled Presentations (Limited to Three Minutes Each) A.

Rose Tree Media Residents – 13 members of the community spoke

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VIII.

Old Business A.

Policies 1. Policy #806 Child Abuse – Second Read and Approval – See Attachment A

Mr. Postles moved and Mrs. Fronduti seconded a motion to adopt the following resolution: RESOLUTION: 2014-2015 68 A.

Policies 1. Policy #806 Child Abuse – Second Read and Approval Resolve, the Board of School Directors approve Policy #806 Child Abuse. The revision of this policy is necessary due to amendments made to the Child Protective Services Act.    This policy was discussed at the January and February 2015 Committee Meetings.

The aforementioned resolution was declared adopted by the Chair, the vote being: AYES:

Tracy Barusevisius, Nancy Fronduti, John Hanna, Susan Nolen, Bill O’Donnell, Harry Postles, Elizabeth Schneider and Bill Tyson NAYS: None ABSENT: Nancy Mackrides IX.

New Business A.

Personnel 1. Terminations a. Professional b. Non-Instructional 2. Nominations a. Professional b. Non-Instructional 3. General a. Unpaid Leave of Absence b. Supplemental Contracts – See Attachment B1 and B2 c. Other

Mrs. Fronduti moved and Mr. O’Donnell seconded a motion to adopt the following resolution: RESOLUTION: 2014-2015 69 Resolve, the Board of School Directors approve the following New Business:

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IX.

New Business A.

Personnel 1.

Terminations a.

b.

Professional 1.

Judith DiMaio, Reading Teacher, Indian Lane Elementary, resignation effective January 5, 2015.

2.

Lawrence Twiss, Teacher, Springton Lake Middle School, resignation effective January 30, 2015.

Non-Instructional 1.

2.

Lawrence Owens, correction of resignation date to January 5, 2015.

Nominations a.

b.

Professional 1.

Ronni Miller, Homebound Instructor for the 2014-2015 school year at the rate of $46.00 per hour.

2.

Betsy Spardel, Homebound Instructor for the 2014-2015 school year at the rate of $46.00 per hour.

3.

Lindsi Ciuffetelli, Director, Title I Summer School 2015 at the annual salary of $3,500.00.

4.

Charles Ridewood, IV, Long Term Substitute Social Studies Teacher effective February 27, 2015 at the annual salary of 45,953, Bachelor’s Degree/Step 1 pro-rated. Mr. Ridewood received his Bachelor’s Degree from Widener University. He is assigned to Penncrest High School.

Non-Instructional 1.

Craig Casner, Summer Scheduler at the annual salary of $4,000.00. Mr. Casner is assigned to Penncrest High School.

2.

Sarah Graham, Summer Scheduler at the annual salary of $4,000.00. Ms. Graham is assigned to Penncrest High School.

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IX.

New Business A.

Personnel 2.

Nominations b.

3.

Non-Instructional 3.

Kenneth Lucas, Support Staff II, effective February 27, 2015 at the rate of $16.66 per hour. Mr. Lucas is assigned to Penncrest High School.

4.

Leigh Ann Coary, Substitute School Nurse, effective February 27, 2015 at the rate of $140.00 per day.

5.

Priscilla Archambo, Substitute Cafeteria Worker, effective February 27, 2015 at the rate of $10.98 per hour.

6.

Robert Dempsey, Substitute Bus Driver, effective February 27, 2015 at the rate of $22.40 per hour. NOTE: Mr. Dempsey is being hired pending completion of his pre-employment paperwork.

7.

Jill Dzien, Substitute School Nurse, effective February 27, 2015 at the rate of $140.00 per day.

8.

Lauren O’Donnell, Interventionist, effective February 26, 2015 at the rate of $25.00 per hour. Ms. O’Donnell is assigned to Glenwood Elementary replacing Karla Astfalk who resigned.

9.

Paul Philiposian, Substitute Cafeteria Worker, effective February 27, 2015 at the rate of $12.00.

General a.

Unpaid Leave of Absence 1.

Arlene Douge, Bus Driver, requests an unpaid leave of absence effective January 15, 2015 through February 17, 2015.

2.

Kathleen Shegda,Support Staff I, Rose Tree Elementary requests an unpaid leave of absence effective February 20, 2015 through February 27, 2015.

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IX.

New Business A.

Personnel 3.

General b.

Supplemental Contracts 1.

Sharon Williams, (.5) New Teacher Mentor for the second semester of the 2014-2015 school year at the annual salary of $608.00. Ms. Williams is assigned to John Phillips at Springton Lake Middle School.

2.

Sandra Carter, (.5) New Teacher Mentor for the second semester of the 2014-2015 school year at the annual salary of $608.00. Ms. Carter is assigned to Erin Warner at Penncrest High School.

3.

Lisa Lobitz, (.5) New Teacher Mentor for the second semester of the 2014-2015 school year at the annual salary of $580.00. Ms. Lobitz is assigned to Hollis Fishman at Penncrest High School.

4.

Jodi Strevig, (.5) New Teacher Mentor for the second semester of the 2014-2015 school year at the annual salary of $580.00. Ms. Strevig is assigned to Julia Pickett at Penncrest High School.

5.

Sue Hendrixson, (.5) New Teacher Mentor for the second semester of the 2014-2015 school year at the annual salary of $608.00. Ms. Hendrixson is assigned to Kathleen Sandiford at Indian Lane Elementary.

6.

Recommend Board approval for the following Penncrest High School personnel to serve as Event Chaperones for the 20142015 school year: Marci Carmeans Emily Kelley Elise Simonian

7.

$55.00 per event $55.00 per event $18.33 per hour

Recommend Board approval of the Penncrest High School Spring Athletic Supplemental Contracts for the 2014-2015 school year. See Attachment B1

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IX.

New Business A. Personnel 3. General b. Supplemental Contracts 8. c.

Recommend Board approval of the Springton Lake Middle School Athletic Supplemental Contracts for the 2014-15 school year. See Attachment B2 Other (1) 1.

Resolve the Board of School Directors approve an exception to the ADSUPI Agreement allowing Richard Gregg, upon his resignation, to be paid for his unused sick leave in accordance with the payment scale incorporated in the agreement.

The aforementioned resolution was declared adopted by the Chair, the vote being: AYES:

Tracy Barusevisius, Nancy Fronduti, John Hanna, Susan Nolen, Bill O’Donnell, Harry Postles, Elizabeth Schneider and Bill Tyson NAYS: None ABSENT: Nancy Mackrides IX.

New Business A. Personnel 3. General c. Other (2) Mr. Postles moved and Mrs. Fronduti seconded a motion to adopt the following resolution: RESOLUTION: 2014-2015 70

IX.

New Business A. Personnel 3. General c. Other (2) 2.

Resolve the Board of School Directors approve the agreement between the Rose Tree Media School District and the Rose Tree Media Secretaries and Education Support Staff Personnel Association for the period of July 1, 2015, through June 30, 2016. See Attachment I

The aforementioned resolution was declared adopted by the Chair, the vote being: AYES:

Tracy Barusevisius, Nancy Fronduti, John Hanna, Susan Nolen, Bill O’Donnell, Harry Postles, Elizabeth Schneider and Bill Tyson NAYS: None ABSENT: Nancy Mackrides II. Legislative Meeting Minutes of February 26, 2015

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IX.

New Business A. Personnel 3. General c. Other (3) Mr. O’Donnell moved and Mr. Postles seconded a motion to adopt the following resolution: RESOLUTION: 2014-2015 71

IX.

New Business A. Personnel 3. General c. Other (3) Resolve, the Board of School Directors approve the separation agreement between Rose Tree Media School District and Lawrence Twiss. See Attachment J. The aforementioned resolution was declared adopted by the Chair, the vote being: AYES:

Tracy Barusevisius, Nancy Fronduti, John Hanna, Susan Nolen, Bill O’Donnell, Harry Postles, Elizabeth Schneider and Bill Tyson NAYS: None ABSENT: Nancy Mackrides

IX.

New Business B.

Overnight Trips 1. Penncrest High School Orchestra and Choir – Washington, DC 2. Penncrest High School Indoor Percussion and Color Guard –Wildwood, NJ 3. Penncrest High School Orchestra – Upper Merion High School 4. Penncrest High School Band, Hershey, PA 5. Penncrest High School Spanish Exchange – Madrid, Barcelona and Tavernes, Spain 6. Penncrest High School Chinese Language/Cultural Immersion Trip – Beijing and Shanghai, China

Mrs. Fronduti moved and Mr. O’Donnell seconded a motion to adopt the following resolution: RESOLUTION: 2014-2015 72 Resolve, the Board of School Directors approve the following Overnight Trips:

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IX.

New Business B.

Overnight Trips 1.

Penncrest High School Orchestra and Choir – Washington, D.C. Resolve, the Board of School Directors approve an overnight field trip for Penncrest Orchestra and Choir students to attend the World Strides Heritage Performance Festival in Washington, D.C. from 4/17/15-4/19/15. Substitute costs are $204 and are being paid by the District. Registration, transportation, meals and lodging costs are being paid by students.

2.

Penncrest High School Indoor Percussion and Color Guard Wildwood, NJ Further resolve, the Board of School Directors approve an overnight field trip for the Indoor percussion and color guard to compete in the TIA Atlantic Coast Championships in Wildwood, NJ from 4/30-5/3/15. Costs are funded through the student activity fund.

3.

Penncrest High School Orchestra and Honors Musical Ensemble – Upper Merion, PA Further resolve, the Board of School Directors approve an overnight field trip for the Penncrest Orchestra to attend the Honors Musical Ensemble sponsored by the PA Music Educators Association at Upper Merion High School from 3/12-3/14/15. Costs are being paid by the student activity fund.

4.

Penncrest High School Band –Hershey, PA Further resolve, the Board of School Directors approve a request for an overnight field trip for Penncrest Band students who qualify to re-audition at the all-State level to attend the Honors Musical Ensemble sponsored by the PA Music Educators Association at Hershey Convention Center from 3/253/28/15. Registration fees are being paid by the student activity fund. Transportation, lodging and meal costs are being paid by the District and will be determined based on the number of students who qualify (1-4 students possible). Substitute costs of $306 are being paid by the District.

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IX.

New Business B.

Overnight Trips 5.

Penncrest High School Spanish Exchange – Spain Further resolve, the Board of School Directors approve a request to offer a Spanish Exchange trip to Madrid, Barcelona, and Tavernes, Spain from March 10-23/2016. Substitute costs of $1,020-2,142 are being paid by the District. The final cost is based upon the finalized dates of the trip. All other costs are being paid for by students.

6.

Penncrest High School Chinese Language/Cultural Immersion Trip – China Resolve, the Board of School Directors approve a request to offer a Chinese Language/Cultural Immersion Trip to Beijing and Shanghai, China in late June of 2016. All costs are being paid for by the students.

The aforementioned resolution was declared adopted by the Chair, the vote being: AYES:

Tracy Barusevisius, Nancy Fronduti, John Hanna, Susan Nolen, Bill O’Donnell, Harry Postles, Elizabeth Schneider and Bill Tyson NAYS: None ABSENT: Nancy Mackrides IX.

New Business C.

2015-2016 School Year Calendar – Review – See Attachment C

Resolve, the Board of School Directors review the 2015-2016 School Year Calendar. See attachment C in the Official Minutes of February 26, 2015. IX.

New Business D. E.

Book Approval for Springton Lake Middle School 2015-2016 Textbooks

Mr. Postles moved and Mrs. Schneider seconded a motion to adopt the following resolution: RESOLUTION: 2014-2015 73 Resolve, the Board of School Directors approve the following New Business:

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IX.

New Business D.

Book Approval for Springton Lake Middle School Resolve, the Board of School Directors approve the attached list of books for use immediately. I Am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education And Changed the World (Young Reader’s Edition) – Malala Yousafzai and Patricia McCormick Titanic: Voices From the Disaster – Deborah Hopkinson Omnivore’s Dilemma: The Secrets Behind What You Eat – Richie Chevat and Michael Pollan The Last Full Measure – Jeff Shaara Flags of Our Fathers (Young People’s Edition) – James Bradley In compliance with Policies 108 and 109, the Board of School Directors approves books and materials for use in Rose Tree Media schools. The first three titles will be used by students in grades 6, 7, and 8 respectively to support their learning during Core Extension. The last two titles will be used by small groups of students in 7th Grade AGP for Social Studies. Purchases will be funded by the Office of Curriculum & Instruction. This issue was discussed at the February 2015 Curriculum & Instruction Committee meeting.

E.

2015-2016 Textbooks Further resolve, the Board of School Directors approve the following textbooks for use beginning in the 2015-2016 school year. In compliance with Policy 108, the Board of School Directors approves textbooks for use in Rose Tree Media schools. Purchases are dependent on final approval of the 2015-2016 budget. This issue was discussed at the February 2015 Curriculum & Instruction Committee meeting.

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IX.

New Business E.

2015-2016 Textbooks Subject

Title

Publisher

Business Ed

Introduction to Accounting: An Integrated th Approach, 6 Ed. Real World Accounting

McGraw-Hill

English as a Second Language

National Geographic Hampton Brown Edge Levels B, C e-books (6 year) Inside the USA Newcomers

Hampton-Brown

Language Arts

Collections: Grade 11

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

2016 enVision 2.0 Big Ideas Math Compacted Pathway, Big Ideas Algebra (middle school version) Big Ideas Algebra (high school version) Big Ideas Algebra 2 th PreCalculus: Numerical, Algebraic, 9 Ed., 2015 Understanding Statistics Concepts and Methods, th 11 Ed. th Calculus of a Single Variable, 9 Ed., wirh 6 years of WebAssign Practices of Statistics

Pearson HMH

Biology (iBook) Chemistry: Matter and Change (iBook) Keystone Finish Line Biology

McGraw-Hill McGraw-Hill Continental

American Government: Institutions and Policies, th 14 Ed.

Cengage

Bien Dit Level 3 Realidades Level 3 Discovering Chinese, vol. 4 Modern Chinese 2A, e-book

Holt McDougal Prentice Hall Better Chinese Better Chinese

Math

Science

Social Studies

World Languages

Glencoe

Cengage

HMH HMH Demana Cengage Cengage BFW

The aforementioned resolution was declared adopted by the Chair, the vote being: AYES:

Tracy Barusevisius, Nancy Fronduti, John Hanna, Susan Nolen, Bill O’Donnell, Harry Postles, Elizabeth Schneider and Bill Tyson NAYS: None ABSENT: Nancy Mackrides

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X.

Finance A. B.

Purchasing 1. None General 1. Budgetary Transfers 2. Starlite Production – Penncrest High School 3. Villanova University – 2015 Penncrest Graduation 4. David Lubar – Springton Lake Middle School Visiting Author

Mr. Postles moved and Mrs. Fronduti seconded a motion to adopt the following resolution. RESOLUTION: 2014-2015 74 Resolve, the Board of School Directors approve the following Finance: X.

Finance A.

Purchasing - None

B.

General 1.

Budgetary Transfers Rose Tree Media School District Policy #612…(Public School code section 609) when funds are not available for a proposed appropriation, a legal transfer from one class of expenditure to another may be made in the last nine (9) months of the fiscal year by the board. Resolve, that the Board of School Directors approve the following budgetary transfers: FY 15-27 Fund 10 General Fund FROM: Instruction - Supplies AMOUNT: $2,065 TO:

Instruction – New Equipment AMOUNT: $2,065

RATIONALE: Transfer needed to cover the cost of additional scales for the Science Department at Springton Lake Middle School

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X.

Finance B.

General 1.

Budgetary Transfers FY 15-28 Fund 10 General Fund FROM: Care and Upkeep of Equipment- Replacement Equipment AMOUNT: $1,900 TO:

Care and Upkeep of Equipment- Repairs and Maintenance AMOUNT: $1,900

RATIONALE: Transfer needed to cover the cost of repairs to Win Chariot Iscrub machine at Springton Lake Middle School FY 15-29 Fund 10 General Fund FROM: Instructional Staff Professional Development- Contracted Services AMOUNT: $1,175 TO: Instruction- Contracted Services AMOUNT: $1,175 RATIONALE: Transfer needed to cove r the cost of visiting author at Springton Lake Middle School These items were discussed at the February 10, 2015 Finance Committee meeting. 2.

Starlite Production - Penncrest High School Further resolve, that the Board of School Directors approve the contract with Starlite Production in the amount of $5,000 for the lighting and programming for the Penncrest High School musical. Funding is through the Student Activity and is at no cost to the District. This item was discussed at the February 10, 2015 Finance Committee meeting.

3.

Villanova University – 2015 Penncrest Graduation Further resolve, that the Board of School Directors approve the contract with Villanova University in the amount of $12,275 for the June 11, 2015 graduation ceremony for Penncrest High School. This item was discussed at the February 10, 2015 Finance Committee meeting.

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X.

Finance B.

General 4.

David Lubar – Springton Lake Middle School Visiting Author Further resolve, that the Board of School Directors approve the contract with David Lubar in the amount of $1,900 for assemblies and events at the Springton Lake Middle School. This item was discussed at the February 10, 2015 Finance Committee meeting.

The aforementioned resolution was declared adopted by the Chair, the vote being: AYES:

Tracy Barusevisius, Nancy Fronduti, John Hanna, Susan Nolen, Bill O’Donnell, Harry Postles, Elizabeth Schneider and Bill Tyson NAYS: None ABSENT: Nancy Mackrides X.

Finance B.

General 5. National Liberty Museum – Springton Lake Middle School Field Trip 6. Wolf Performing Arts Center – The Butterfly Project 7. The Cooperative Purchasing Network, TCPN 8. Montgomery Educational Consultants, Inc. 9. Active Network, LLS 10. Chick-Fil-A Fundraiser 11. Elwyn-Davidson School Contract 12. George Crothers Memorial School for Extended School Year Contract 13. Makin Music Program Contract 14. Settlement Agreement 15. Wide Area Network License Agreement – See Attachment D 16. Windstream Agreement – See Attachment E 17. West Canaan Information Technology Agreement – See Attachment F 18. School Messenger Order Authorization – See Attachment G 19. Rescind Purchase Order With Verizon 20. The Protocall Group Healthcare – See Attachment H

Mrs. Nolen moved and Mr. O’Donnell seconded a motion to adopt the following resolution. RESOLUTION: 2014-2015 75 Resolve, the Board of School Directors approve the following Finance.

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X.

Finance B.

General 5.

National Liberty Museum – Springton Lake Middle School Field Trip Resolve, that the Board of School Directors approve the contract with the National Liberty Museum in the amount of $242 for admission to the museum in Philadelphia for a field trip for Springton Lake Middle School students. There is no cost to the District for the trip. This item was discussed at the February 10, 2015 Finance Committee meeting.

6.

Wolf Performing Arts Center - The Butterfly Project Further resolve, that the Board of School Directors approve the contract with the Wolf Performing Arts Center in the amount of $200.00 for a performance at the Springton Lake Middle School. This item was discussed at the February 10, 2015 Finance Committee meeting.

7.

The Cooperative Purchasing Network, TCPN Further resolve, that the Board of School Directors approve the contract with The Cooperative Purchasing Network to provide procurement services. This item was discussed at the February 10, 2015 Finance Committee meeting.

8.

Montgomery Educational Consultants, Inc. Further resolve, that the Board of School Directors approve the contract with Montgomery Educational Consultants, Inc. in the amount of $14,300 to provide a demographic study and enrollment projections for the potential real estate market growth of the District. This item was discussed at the February 10, 2015 Finance Committee meeting.

9.

Active Network, LLS Further resolve, that the Board of School Directors approve the contract with Active Network, LLS to provide credit card payment services. There is a $500 setup fee that will be paid from the Summer School account and transaction fees that will be paid by registrants. This item was discussed at the February 10, 2015 Finance Committee meeting.

10.

Chick-Fil-A Fundraiser Further resolve, that the Board of School Directors approve the agreement with Chick-Fil-A for a fundraiser to benefit Penncrest High School’s Class of 2018. This item was discussed at the February 10, 2015 Finance Committee meeting.

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X.

Finance B.

General 11.

Elwyn-Davidson School Contract Further resolve, the Board of School Directors approve a contract for a special education student to attend the Elwyn-Davidson School. The student requires an intensive therapeutic school program. The per diem rate is $274.64.

12.

George Crothers Memorial School for Extended School Year Contract Further resolve, the Board of School Directors approve a contract for two special education students to attend the George Crothers Memorial School for Extended School Year services from 7/6-8/3/15. These students have multiple disabilities and these services are required under the Individual with Disabilities Education Act. The cost for the first student is $3500.00 and the cost for the second student is $3,565.

13.

Makin Music Program Contract Further resolve, the Board of School Directors approve a contract for the SLMS Life Skills class to participate in the Makin Music Program. The students will attend 6 performances for a total cost of $420.

14.

Settlement Agreement Further resolve, the Board of School Directors approve a settlement agreement for a special education student to receive the ADM rate ($14,000) for the remainder of the 2014-2015 and 2015-2016 school years to cover partial tuition at a private school. The agreement was discussed at the January Pupil Services Committee meeting and releases the District from the obligation of providing a Free and Appropriate Education to the student for the 2014 through 2016 school years as required under IDEA.

15.

Wide Area Network License Agreement Further resolve, the Board of School Directors approve the Wide Area Network License Agreement between Sunesys, LLC and the Rose Tree Media School District. The License Agreement includes multimedia optical fiber communication transmission system to communicate through the exchange of voice, data and video communications. The five (5) year proposal will commence on July 1, 2015, with monthly recurring payments not to exceed One Thousand Five Hundred dollars ($1,500). This Proposal was reviewed at the Technology Committee meeting on February 10, 2015. Solicitor, Tom Kelly, has reviewed and approved this proposal. See Attachment D

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X.

Finance B.

General 16.

Windstream Agreement Further resolve, the Board of School Directors approve the Proposal Agreement between Windstream and the Rose Tree Media School District. The Agreement includes all district-wide voice communication services for local and long distance, Voice Over Internet Protocol, trunking, e-Fax solutions, and POTS lines. The five (5) year proposal will commence on July 1, 2015, with monthly recurring payments not to exceed Two Thousand Five Hundred Eighty One dollars and Seventy six cents ($2,581.76). This Proposal was reviewed at the Technology Committee meeting on February 10, 2015. Solicitor, Tom Kelly, has reviewed and approved this proposal. See Attachment E

17.

West Canaan Information Technology Agreement Further resolve, that the Board approve the Master Services Agreement between West Canaan Information Technology, LLC and the Rose Tree Media School District. The Agreement includes all Internet Transit for a 1 Gigabit per second (Gbps) Circuit with 1000 Megabytes per second (Mbps) commit. The five (5) year proposal will commence on July 1, 2015, with monthly recurring payments not to exceed One Thousand Two Hundred dollars ($1,200). This Proposal was reviewed at the Technology Committee meeting on February 10, 2015. Solicitor, Tom Kelly, has reviewed and approved this proposal. See Attachment F

18.

School Messenger Order Authorization Further resolve, that the Board approve the Order Authorization between Reliance Communications, LLC, d/b/a School Messenger, and the Rose Tree Media School District. The Order Authorization contains a Custom Mobile Application for iOS and Android devices which includes annual hosting, licensing, and support. The one (1) year proposal will commence on July 1, 2015, with automatic successive one-year renewal terms and an annual payment not to exceed Three Thousand Seven Hundred Seventy Nine dollars ($3,779). This Proposal was reviewed at the Technology Committee meeting on February 10, 2015. Solicitor, Tom Kelly, has reviewed and approved this proposal. See Attachment G

19.

Rescind Purchase Order with Verizon Further resolve, that the Board rescind the COSTARS/CAT 2 Purchase Order for Services ordered between Verizon Business Services and the Rose Tree Media School District. This Purchase Order for Services was approved at the legislative meeting of January 22, 2015. This rescindment was reviewed at the Technology Committee meeting on February 10, 2015.

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X.

Finance B.

General 20.

The Protocall Group Healthcare Further resolve, the Board of School Directors approve the contract with The Protocall Group Healthcare for staffing services as needed. Protocall is a staffing agency that provides additional specialized staffing when needed to meet the needs of students with Individualized Education Programs.

The aforementioned resolution was declared adopted by the Chair, the vote being: AYES:

Tracy Barusevisius, Nancy Fronduti, John Hanna, Susan Nolen, Bill O’Donnell, Harry Postles, Elizabeth Schneider and Bill Tyson NAYS: None ABSENT: Nancy Mackrides X.

Finance B.

General 21.

Ratification of the January 22, 2015 Legislative Agenda, Finance items B. General 1-7

Mr. O’Donnell moved and Mrs. Schneider seconded a motion to adopt the following resolution: RESOLUTION: 2014-2015 76 X.

Finance B.

General 21.

Ratification of the January 22, 2015 Legislative Agenda Finance items B. General 1-7 Resolve, the Board of School Directors ratify the following Finance items of the January 22, 2015 Legislative Agenda items B. General 1-7:

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X.

Finance B.

General 1.

Change Orders Change Orders are acted upon in accordance with Resolution 1997-98 – 124, as approved by the School Board of Directors on April 23, 1998. Resolve, that the Board approve the following change orders:

2.

a.

Change Order GC-01 for a credit from Fayette Group in the amount of $340.00 for the substitution of a curved wood backsplash in lieu of a quartz backsplash.

b.

Change Order PC-02 for a credit from Apex Plumbing in the amount of $8,013.78 for damages at Springton Lake Middle School.

Budgetary Transfers Rose Tree Media School District Policy #612…(Public School code section 609) when funds are not available for a proposed appropriation, a legal transfer from one class of expenditure to another may be made in the last nine (9) months of the fiscal year by the board. Further resolve, that the Board approve the following budgetary transfers:

FY 15-13 Fund 10 General Fund FROM: AMOUNT:

Printing –Professional Services $5,500

TO: AMOUNT:

Printing - Supplies $5,500

RATIONALE: RATIONALE: Transfer needed to purchase paper for the print shop. FY 15-14 Fund 10 General Fund FROM: AMOUNT:

Instructional Staff Development –Professional Educational Services $5,000

TO: AMOUNT:

Regular Programs Instruction - Books $5,000

RATIONALE: Transfer needed to purchase new books for the level reading libraries.

II. Legislative Meeting Minutes of February 26, 2015

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March 26, 2015

X.

Finance B.

General

2.

Budgetary Transfers

FY 15-15 Fund 10 General Fund FROM: AMOUNT:

School Sponsored Athletics – Dues and Fees $4,157.63

TO: AMOUNT:

School Sponsored Athletics – New Equipment $4,157.63

RATIONALE: Transfer needed to cover the cost of new equipment for field hockey teams at Penncrest FY 15-16 Fund 10 General Fund FROM: AMOUNT:

Regular Programs Instruction - Software $3,000

TO: AMOUNT:

Technology - Equipment $3,000

RATIONALE: Transfer needed for smart board purchase for the library at Rose Tree Elementary School. FY 15-17 Fund 10 General Fund FROM: AMOUNT:

School Sponsored Student Athletics- Dues and Fees $2,999

TO: School Sponsored Student Athletics - Software AMOUNT: $2,999 RATIONALE: Transfer needed to cover the costs for Huddle software that is used to review games at Penncrest. FY 15-18 Fund 10 General Fund FROM: AMOUNT:

School Sponsored Athletics- Replacement Equipment $2,400

TO: School Sponsored Athletics - Supplies AMOUNT: $2,400 RATIONALE: Transfer needed to cover costs of athletic supplies at Springton Lake Middle School.

II. Legislative Meeting Minutes of February 26, 2015

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March 26, 2015

X.

Finance B. General 2.

Budgetary Transfers

FY 15-19 Fund 10 General Fund FROM: AMOUNT:

Technology- Supplies $2,319

TO: AMOUNT:

Regular Programs Instruction- New Equipment $2,319

RATIONALE: Transfer needed for a new smart board for art room at Indian Lane Elementary School. FY 15-20 Fund 10 General Fund FROM: AMOUNT:

Regular Programs Instruction – New Equipment $2,299

TO: AMOUNT:

Learning Support – New Equipment $2,299

RATIONALE: Transfer needed for a smart board in a new special education classroom. FY 15-21 Fund 10 General Fund FROM: AMOUNT:

School Sponsored Athletics – Dues and Fees $2,107.11

TO: AMOUNT:

School Sponsored Athletics – New Equipment $2,107.11

RATIONALE: Transfer needed to cover new equipment for freshmen and JV baseball teams at Penncrest. FY 15-22 Fund 10 General Fund FROM: AMOUNT:

School Sponsored Athletics- Dues and Fees $1,979.73

TO: AMOUNT:

School Sponsored Athletics – New Equipment $1,979.73

RATIONALE: Transfer needed to cover new equipment for girls JV and varsity lacrosse teams at Penncrest. II. Legislative Meeting Minutes of February 26, 2015

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March 26, 2015

X.

Finance B.

General 2.

Budgetary Transfers

FY 15-23 Fund 10 General Fund FROM: AMOUNT:

School Sponsored Athletics- Dues and Fees $1,376.38

TO: AMOUNT:

School Sponsored Athletics – New Equipment $1,376.38

RATIONALE: Transfer needed to cover new equipment for girls’ soccer teams at Penncrest. FY 15-24 Fund 10 General Fund FROM: AMOUNT:

Instruction and Curriculum Development – Refreshments $1,350

TO: Regular Programs Instruction - Refreshments AMOUNT: $1,350 RATIONALE: Transfer needed to cover monthly bobcat citizen’s breakfasts at Indian Lane Elementary School. FY 15-25 Fund 10 General Fund FROM: AMOUNT:

School Sponsored Athletics- Dues and Fees $1,276.38

TO: AMOUNT:

School Sponsored Athletics – New Equipment $1,276.38

RATIONALE: Transfer needed to cover new equipment for boy’s soccer teams at Penncrest.

II. Legislative Meeting Minutes of February 26, 2015

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March 26, 2015

X.

Finance B.

General 2.

Budgetary Transfers

FY 15-26 Fund 10 General Fund FROM: AMOUNT:

Staff Development- Dues and Fees $1,200

TO: AMOUNT:

Instruction- Dues and Fees $1,200

RATIONALE: Transfer needed to cover the cost of contest and exam fees at Penncrest. 3.

Grosh Backdrops Contract

4.

Further resolve, the Board of School Directors approve the Grosh Backdrops Contract in the amount of $540.08 for the spring musical at Penncrest High School. Funding is through the student activity account and is at no cost to the district. Music Theatre International Contract Further resolve, the Board of School Directors approve the Music Theatre International Contract in the amount of $535 for the musical Annie at Indian Lane Elementary School.

5.

Raffaele & Puppio Agreement Whereas, the District has taken an administrative appeal to DHS/DPW and PDE regarding the School Based Access Program cost settlement for the 2012-2013 school year; and Whereas, the Board understands that several other Delaware County Districts have also taken appeals on similar issues; and Whereas, the Board wishes to participate in and take advantage of consolidating its appeal with other districts; Be it resolved, that the Board of School Directors of the Rose Tree Media School District hereby approves the retention of Katherine Meehan, Esquire and Raffaele & Puppio, LLP, to represent it with regard to the appeal of the School Based Access Program cost settlement for the 2012-2013 school year, only. Representation shall be pursuant to the following fee agreement to be approved by the Board. Attorney fees are $150 per hour. Legal assistance fees are $90 per hour. Out of Pocket expenses are also included the agreement.

II. Legislative Meeting Minutes of February 26, 2015

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March 26, 2015

X.

Finance B.

General 6.

Johnson Controls Planned Service Agreement Further resolve, that the Board of School Directors approves the planned service agreement with Johnson Controls for the Education Center, Indian Lane Elementary School, Penncrest High School, and Rose Tree Elementary School for a three-year term for the following amounts: Year 1 $25,436 Year 2 $26,199 Year 3 $26,985

7.

Donations Further resolve, that the Board of School Directors accepts and approves the following donations and recognizes the generosity of the donors. a.

A Lego Mindstorms Set with of value of $2,447.10 was donated to the Rose Tree Elementary School by a parent.

b.

A Tama Swingstar drum set and accessories with a value of $499.99 was donated by a family to the Springton Lake Middle School.

b.

A Yamaha Tenor Saxophone case was donated to the Springton Lake Middle School.

The aforementioned resolution was declared adopted by the Chair, the vote being: AYES:

Tracy Barusevisius, Nancy Fronduti, John Hanna, Susan Nolen, Bill O’Donnell, Harry Postles, Elizabeth Schneider and Bill Tyson NAYS: None ABSENT: Nancy Mackrides

II. Legislative Meeting Minutes of February 26, 2015

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March 26, 2015

X.

Finance C. D.

Financials for January 2015 Bill Lists for January 2015

Mr. Postles moved and Mrs. Nolen seconded a motion to adopt the following resolution: RESOLUTION: 2014-2015 77 Resolve, the Board of School Directors approve the following Finance Reports: X.

Financial Reports and Bill Lists C.

D.

Financial Reports January

2015

Treasurers Reports

January

2015

Investment Reports

January

2015

Summary Expenditure Status Report

January

2015

Revenue Status Report

Bill Lists January

2015 General Fund Bill List

$ 2,726,488.31

January

2015 Capital Fund Bill List

$

201,095,02

January

2015 Bond Series 2011 Bill List

$

1,519.60

January

2015 Bond Series 2013 Bill List

$ 2,072,405.00

January

2015 Activities/Special Revenue Fund

$

42,380.43

$ 5,043,888.36 The aforementioned resolution was declared adopted by the Chair, the vote being: AYES:

Tracy Barusevisius, Nancy Fronduti, John Hanna, Susan Nolen, Bill O’Donnell, Harry Postles, Elizabeth Schneider and Bill Tyson NAYS: None ABSENT: Nancy Mackrides

II. Legislative Meeting Minutes of February 26, 2015

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March 26, 2015

XI.

Adjournment Mrs. Postles moved and Ms. Nolen seconded a motion to adopt the following resolution: RESOLUTION: 2014-2015 78 Resolve, there being no further business to come before the Board of School Directors, the meeting was adjourned. The aforementioned resolution was declared adopted by the Chair, the vote being: AYES:

Tracy Barusevisius, Nancy Fronduti, John Hanna, Susan Nolen, Bill O’Donnell, Harry Postles, Elizabeth Schneider and Bill Tyson NAYS: None ABSENT: Nancy Mackrides

_____________________________ Grace A. Eves School Board Secretary

II. Legislative Meeting Minutes of February 26, 2015

27

March 26, 2015

Rose Tree Media School District 308 North Olive Street Media, Pennsylvania 19063-2493 Telephone 610.627.6000 Fax 610.891.0959 www.rtmsd.org

Grace A. Eves Board Secretary Director of Management Services

James M. Wigo, Sr. Superintendent of Schools

To:

Board of School Directors Superintendent of Schools

From:

Grace A. Eves

Date:

March 6, 2015

Subject:

March 11, 2014 - Central Delaware County School Authority Minutes 6:30 p.m. _________________________________________________________________ 1.

Call to Order: Chairman: Nancy Mackrides

2.

Pledge of Allegiance

3.

Roll Call: Secretary, Grace Eves In attendance: Tracy Barusevicius, Nancy Fronduti, John Hanna, Linda KinslerFox, Nancy Mackrides, William O’Donnell and Elizabeth Schneider Absent: Chris Guilday and Peter Barry Also in attendance: James Wigo, Sr., Anne Callahan and Grace Eves

4.

Appointment of New Authority Member Mr. Hanna moved and Mrs. Fronduti seconded a motion to adopt the following resolution: RESOLUTION: 2014-2015 1 Resolve, The Authority appoint Harry Postles to the Authority, replacing the term of Peter Barry whose term expired in 2013. The aforementioned resolution was adopted by the chair, the vote being: AYES: NAYS: ABSENT:

Tracy Barusevicius, Nancy Fronduti, John Hanna, Linda Kinsler-Fox, Nancy Mackrides, William O’Donnell and Elizabeth Schneider None Chris Guilday and Peter Barry

CDCSA Minutes of March 11, 2014

1

March 26, 2015

5.

The Secretary read the following members names and term of expiration: Harry Postles Tracy Barusevicius Nancy Fronduti Chris Guilday John Hanna

6.

2018 2017 2014 2015 2018

Linda Kinsler-Fox Nancy Mackrides William O’Donnell Elizabeth Schneider

2015 2015 2017 2014

Approval of Minutes of March 11, 2014 Annual Meeting (Attached) Mrs. Fronduti moved and Mr. Hanna seconded a motion to adopt the following resolution: RESOLUTION: 2014-15 2 Resolve, that the Authority Members approve the minutes of the March 11, 2014 Annual Meeting. The aforementioned resolution was adopted by the chair, the vote being: AYES: NAYS: ABSENT:

7.

Tracy Barusevicius, Nancy Fronduti, John Hanna, Linda Kinsler-Fox, Nancy Mackrides, William O’Donnell and Elizabeth Schneider None Chris Guilday and Peter Barry

Reappointment of Board Members – The Authority Members recommendation to Board of School Directors Mr. Hanna moved and Mr. Postles seconded a motion to adopt the following resolution: RESOLUTION: 2014-2015 3 Resolve, that the Authority Members recommend to the Board of School Directors the reappointment of the following Committee Members Harry Postles Tracy Barusevicius Nancy Fronduti Chris Guilday John Hanna

2018 2017 2014 2015 2018

Linda Kinsler-Fox Nancy Mackrides William O’Donnell Elizabeth Schneider

2015 2015 2017 2014

The aforementioned resolution was adopted by the chair, the vote being: AYES: NAYS: ABSENT:

Tracy Barusevicius, Nancy Fronduti, John Hanna, Linda Kinsler-Fox, Nancy Mackrides, William O’Donnell and Elizabeth Schneider None Chris Guilday and Peter Barry

CDCSA Minutes of March 11, 2014

2

March 26, 2015

8.

Election of Officers Officers of the Authority shall be elected annually. Mr. Hanna moved and Mrs. Fronduti seconded a motion to adopt the following resolution: RESOLUTION: 2014-2015 4 Resolve, that the Authority Members elect the officers to the following positions: Chairman, Nancy Mackrides Secretary, Nancy Fronduti At Large, William O’Donnell At Large, Chris Guilday At Large, Elizabeth Schneider

Vice Chairman, Harry Postles Treasurer, John Hanna At Large, Tracy Barusevisius At Large, Linda Kinsler-Fox

The aforementioned resolution was adopted by the chair, the vote being: AYES: NAYS: ABSENT: 9.

Tracy Barusevicius, Nancy Fronduti, John Hanna, Linda Kinsler-Fox, Nancy Mackrides, William O’Donnell and Elizabeth Schneider None Chris Guilday and Peter Barry

Appointment of Solicitor Mr. Hanna moved and Mrs. Frondtui seconded a motion to adopt the following resolution: RESOLUTION: 2014-2015 5 Resolve, that the Authority appoint Thomas L. Kelly, Esq. to the position of Solicitor of the Central Delaware County School Authority. The aforementioned resolution was adopted by the chair, the vote being: AYES: NAYS: ABSENT:

Tracy Barusevicius, Nancy Fronduti, John Hanna, Linda Kinsler-Fox, Nancy Mackrides, William O’Donnell and Elizabeth Schneider None Chris Guilday and Peter Barry

CDCSA Minutes of March 11, 2014

3

March 26, 2015

10.

Adjournment Mrs. Fronduti moved and Mr. Hanna seconded a motion to adopt the following resolution: RESOLUTION: 2014-2015 6 Resolve, there being no further business to come before the Authority, the meeting is adjourned. The aforementioned resolution was adopted by the chair, the vote being: AYES: NAYS: ABSENT:

Tracy Barusevicius, Nancy Fronduti, John Hanna, Linda Kinsler-Fox, Nancy Mackrides, William O’Donnell and Elizabeth Schneider None Chris Guilday and Peter Barry

CDCSA Minutes of March 11, 2014

4

March 26, 2015

III.

Presentations and Awards A.

Penncrest High School Wrestler – State Wrestling Qualifier Resolve, the Board of School Directors honor Joseph Pyfer, Penncrest Varsity State Wrestling Championship Tournament qualifier. The Wrestling Team is coached by Greg Jacobs, Will Harmon and Sean Graham.

B.

Penncrest High School Girls’ Track Championship Medalists and Qualifiers

Team

Indoor

State

Resolve, the Board of School Directors honor the Girls’ Track Indoor State Medalists and Qualifiers: The Girls’ Track coaches are John Lohn and Mike Clark. a. b. c. d. e. C.

Mariah Kozub – 55 Meter Hurdler – State Qualifier 6th Place Medalist - 200: Alicia Collier 6th Place Medalist – 400: Katie Arbogast 7th Place Medalist - 4 x 400 Relay: Katie Arbogast, Brianna Artis, Alicia Collier and Megan Kitchin Bronze Medalist – 4 x 200 Relay: Katie Arbogast, Brianna Artis, Alicia Collier and Zoe Gabel

Penncrest High School Boys’ Track Team Indoor State Championship Medalists Resolve, the Board of School Directors honor the Boys’ Track Indoor State Medalists: The Boys’ Track coaches include George Munro and Rob Brown.

III.

a.

5th Place Medalist 4 x 400 Relay: Dion Durnell, Evan Emmanuel, Sohom Kamat and JJ Teal.

b.

Silver Medalist 4 x 800 Relay: Evan Emmanuel, Brendan Hanna, Sohom Kamat and JJ Teal.

Presentations and Awards

1

March 26, 2015

III.

Presentations and Awards D.

Penncrest High School Varsity Boys’ Basketball Team – PIAA State Basketball Tournament Qualifiers Resolve, the Board of School Directors honor the Penncrest Varsity Boys’ Basketball Team for qualifying for the PIAA State Basketball Tournament. Players include: Jimmy Carpenter, Nolan Carroll, Michael Doyle, Ryan Granger, Drew Hanna, Chandler Henry, Matt Hunger, Nick Ladd, Mike Mallon, John Nichols, Shaun Norwood, Tyler Norwood, Manny Ruffin, Justin Ross and AJ Taylor. The Boys’ Basketball Varsity team is coached by Michael Doyle, Tim Brown, Leo Doyle, Quahsim Gredic, Sean Tait, Andrew Radomicki and Sean Spratt.

III.

Presentations and Awards

2

March 26, 2015

OFFICE OF CURRICULUM & INSTRUCTION TO:

Members of the Board of School Directors Mr. James M. Wigo, Superintendent of Schools

FROM:

Dr. Steve Taylor, Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum & Instruction

DATE:

March 10, 2015

RE:

March 10, 2015 Curriculum & Instruction Committee Meeting Minutes Chairperson: Mrs. Liz Schneider

Board Members in Attendance: Tracy Barusevicius, Nancy Fronduti, John Hanna, Nancy Mackrides, Sue Nolen, Harry Protzman, Liz Schneider, Bill Tyson Also in Attendance: Anne Callahan, Jim Ciccarelli, Lindsi Ciuffetelli, Grace Eves, Patti Linden, Anthony Lombardo, Steve Taylor, Jim Wigo, and members of the community. Proposed Online Subscription Renewals for 2015-2016 Dr. Taylor asked the Board’s permission to approve online subscription renewals for the 2015-2016 school year. As a part of the presentation, Anthony Lombardo and Jim Ciccarelli shared an abridged version of their national presentation on WebAssign, an online subscription used by students in several math and science classes at Penncrest. Dr. Taylor also demonstrated the capabilities of some of the library databases. Action: This item will be moved to the March 26, 2015 Legislative agenda for a vote of the Board. Public Comment There was no public comment.

EXCELLENCE TODAY FOR TOMORROW

Rose Tree Media School District 308 North Olive Street Media, Pennsylvania 19063-2493 Telephone: 610-627-6136 Fax: 610-627-6136 www.rtmsd.org

Grace A. Eves Director of Management Services

James M. Wigo, Sr. Superintendent

To:

Members of the Board of School Directors James M. Wigo, Superintendent From: Grace A. Eves, Director of Management Services Date: March 13, 2015 Subject: March 10, 2015 Finance Committee Minutes Chairperson: Bill O’Donnell ______________________________________________________________________ Attendance: Tracy Barusevicius, Nancy Fronduti, John Hanna, Nancy Mackrides Sue Nolen, Bill O’Donnell, Harry Postles, Elizabeth Schneider and Bill Tyson Absent: None Also in Attendance: Anne Callahan, Grace Eves, Patti Linden, Steve Taylor, James Wigo, Skip Daino and Lisa Taddei, Chartwells 1.

Contracts a. Chartwells Skip Daino and Lisa Taddei from Chartwells presented the renewal proposal for 15/16. The Food Service Department is limited on items that can be sold due to meeting the requirements for the Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010, which has had an impact on sales. Ala carte sales at the High School and Middle School are down. The District can apply for a waiver for the whole grains requirement of the Act. This will allow the Food Service Department the opportunity to serve Chick-Fil-A and give students the choice of purchasing whole grain pasta and bagels as well as non-whole grain. They will keep the same recipes for whole grain pizza crust and will continue to serve whole grain rolls. The Committee agreed to have the District apply for the waiver. Another component of USDA Child Nutrition Program and Section 205 of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Act of 2010 is the Paid Lunch Equity calculation. According to this calculation the District is not permitted to increase meal prices by more than .10, but must raise them by .05. This is to ensure sufficient funds are provided to nonprofit school food service accounts for meals served to students not eligible for free or reduced lunches. The Committee reviewed a .05 and a .10 price increase. The .05 increase will produce a guarantee of $15,634 and a .10 increase will produce a guarantee of $25,226. Ala carte prices will remain the same. The Committee recommended renewing the contract with a .05 price increase. Chartwells was asked if they could provide a salad bar at the High School. Due to the serving requirements under the Act they would not be able to supply a salad Dedicated to Excellence

bar. They do offer three varieties of packaged salads daily at the High School. Chartwells will be having an app available later this year. The app will provide a nutrition analysis of menu items and will contain food allergy information. b. Circle Line Sightseeing Springton Lake Middle School is scheduling a field trip for sixth graders to New York City. There is no cost to the District. Substitutes will not be needed as most of the sixth grade students will be on the trip. Dr. Salladino and teachers will accompany the students on the trip. The teachers will include a writing aspect to the trip as it relates to immigration and social studies. c. Audit-Barbacane, Thornton & Company The fee for the 14/15 audit is $30,100. The fee has been increased by the Act 1 Index of 1.9%. The Administration will issue an RFP for auditing services for the 15/16 fiscal year. Action: These items will be moved to the March 26, 2015 Legislative meeting for a vote of the Board. 2.

Budgetary Comparison Report The District has received 88% of revenue and has expensed 79% of expenditures. Federal revenue is lower this year compared to last year due to the receipt of ACCESS funds. Action: Discussion

3.

Budgetary Transfers

FY 15-30 Fund 10 General Fund FROM: AMOUNT:

Instruction- Software $3,000

TO: AMOUNT:

Technology Support Services- New Equipment $3,000

RATIONALE: Transfer needed to purchase a new smartboard for Rose Tree Elementary School.

Dedicated to Excellence

FY 15-31 Fund 10 General Fund FROM: Instruction- Supplies AMOUNT: $3,000 TO: Technology Support Services- Travel AMOUNT: $3,000 RATIONALE: Transfer needed to cover the costs for teachers and administrators to attend conferences. FY 15-32 Fund 10 General Fund FROM: AMOUNT:

School Sponsored Athletics- Supplies $1,160

TO: AMOUNT:

School Sponsored Athletics –Dues and Fees $1,160

RATIONALE: Transfer needed to cover swim meets and championships for Penncrest High School. Action: These items will be moved to the March 26, 2015 Legislative meeting for a vote of the Board. 4.

2015/2016 Instructional Services Budget Review The Instructional program budgets include regular, special, vocational and other educational programs as well as the Delaware County Community College. Other Instructional programs include the detention center, which is located within the District. The District receives reimbursement from sending school districts for students that are at the detention center. Overall expenditures have increased by 6.6% mainly due to increases in benefits and additional staff as a result of increased enrollment. The PSERS’s retirement expense will be approximately $10 million in 2015/16. It is currently approximately $8.2 million for an increase of approximately $1.8 million. The District anticipates receiving reimbursement of half of the expense from the Commonwealth. Expenditures and revenues will be further reviewed as the Administration proceeds through the budget process. A special Legislative meeting will be held on April 14th at the Education Center to adopt a proposed final budget in accordance with PDE requirements. The District is required to adopt a proposed final budget at least 30 days prior to the adoption of the final budget in May. Action: Discussion

Public Comment: Six members of the public were present. The next Finance Committee meeting will be on Tuesday, April 14, 2015 Dedicated to Excellence

EXCELLENCE TODAY FOR TOMORROW

Rose Tree Media School District 308 North Olive Street Media, Pennsylvania 19063-2493 Telephone: 610-627-6136 Fax: 610-627-6136 www.rtmsd.org

Grace A. Eves Director of Management Services

James M. Wigo, Sr. Superintendent

To:

Members of the Board of School Directors James M. Wigo, Superintendent From: Grace A. Eves, Director of Management Services Date: March 13, 2015 Subject: March 10, 2015 Operations Committee Minutes Chairperson: Harry Postles _____________________________________________________________________ Attendance: Tracy Barusevicius, Nancy Fronduti, John Hanna, Nancy Mackrides Sue Nolen, Bill O’Donnell, Harry Postles, Elizabeth Schneider and Bill Tyson Absent: None Also in Attendance: Ron Baldiono, Anne Callahan, Dennis Cini, Cini Construction Services, Grace Eves, and James Wigo

1.

Change Orders Change orders for Indian Lane Elementary School’s boiler project will be issued. One is a credit of approximately $3,907 for piping that was not needed and the other is an increase in the same amount for an upgrade to the gas meter. There is no increase to the contract. Action: Discussion

2.

Advance Power Contract Advanced Power’s support agreement covers Glenwood Elementary School, Springton Lake Middle School and Media Elementary School’s HVAC controls. The annual amount of the contract is $11,880. The contract provides the ability of the Maintenance Department to monitor the systems offsite. Indian Lane Elementary School, Rose Tree Elementary School and Penncrest are monitored under a support agreement with Johnson Controls. Action: This item will be moved to the March 26, 2015 Legislative agenda for a vote of the Board.

Dedicated to Excellence

3.

Bonnett Associates Incorporated,( BAI) Agreement The BAI agreement covers engineering services for the 15/16 capital projects that were presented during the February 10, 2015 Operations Committee meeting. The cost of the agreement is $78,597 which is 7% of the estimated construction costs for the projects. Action: This item will be moved to the March 26, 2015 Legislative agenda for a vote of the Board

4.

Capital Projects Update The Committee reviewed additional proposed capital projects for 15/16. The projects include roofing/flashing/gutter repairs to Rose Tree Elementary School and exterior wall repairs at Media Elementary and Indian Lane Elementary Schools. The addition of these projects brings the budget to approximately $1.6 million. Bids will be issued and reviewed by the Committee during upcoming Operation Committee meetings. Action: Discussion

5.

Penncrest High School Stadium Improvements A public informational meeting on the proposed stadium improvements at Penncrest was held on Monday, March 9. The Committee discussed the merit of the improvements that include the replacement of the track and installation of a turf field on the stadium and the related funding, fund raising and revenue generation of the turf field. The cost of the project is approximately $1.5 million. If approved at the Mach 26, Legislative meeting, the project will start May 15 and end August 15, 2015. Action: This item will be moved to the March 26, 2015 Legislative agenda for a vote of the Board. 6. Miscellaneous Topics Ron Baldino reported that the District’s salt supply is low. The District has exceeded its original allocation at bid pricing and was forced to purchase additional salt at three times the cost due to the weather conditions this year. There may be the opportunity for the District to purchase 7 more CNG buses as part of DEP’s CNG grant program. The Administration will keep the Board informed as additional information becomes available. Action: Discussion

Public Comment: Five members of the public were in attendance. The next Operations Committee meeting will be on Tuesday, April 14, 2015

Dedicated to Excellence

EXCELLENCE TODAY FOR TOMORROW

Rose Tree Media School District 308 North Olive Street Media, Pennsylvania 19063-2493 Telephone: 610.627.6000 Fax: 610-891-0959 www.rtmsd.org

James M. Wigo, Sr. Superintendent of Schools

Anne D. Callahan Director of Human Resources

To:

Members of the Board of School Directors James M. Wigo, Sr., Superintendent

From:

Anne D. Callahan, Director of Human Resources

Date:

March 13, 2015

Subject:

Minutes of the Personnel Committee Meeting – March 10, 2015 Tracy Barusevicius, Chair

Board Members in attendance: T. Barusevisius, N. Fronduti, J. Hanna, N. Mackrides, S. Nolen, H. Postles, E. Schneider, B. Tyson Also in attendance: A. Callahan, J. Wigo, G. Eves, One member of the public I.

Items for Legislative Meeting – Anne Callahan The members of the committee reviewed the items to be included on the agenda of the Legislative Meeting to be held on March 26, 2015. Additional items will be added to the agenda as they come to us. Action: These items will be moved to the March 26, 2015 Legislative meeting for a vote of the Board.

II.

Assistant Tennis Coach – Springton Lake Middle School Springton Lake Middle School requested the addition of an assistant tennis coach for the 2014-2015 season. The PIAA regulations for participation in tennis matches have changed making it difficult to field a 7th grade team and an 8th grade team with one coach. The committee asked Mrs. Callahan to get the number of students participating in tennis to them by the end of the week. The committee agreed to have a resolution for this item on the agenda of the Legislative meeting on March 26. However, after Dr. Salladino and the Springton Lake athletic director reviewed the number of students who signed up for the tennis team, they withdrew their request for the additional coach. Action: This item will be tabled at this time. III.

Executive Session An executive session was held to discuss matters of personnel.

The next meeting of the Personnel Committee will be held on April 14, 2015 in the Board Room at the Education Center.

ROSE TREE MEDIA SCHOOL DISTRICT

PRESIDENTIAL ANNOUNCEMENTS – EXECUTIVE SESSION “In accordance with the Pennsylvania Sunshine Act, executive sessions of the School Board were held on the following dates to review and discuss matters permitted under Section 8 of the Act.” February 26, 2015 March 10, 2015 March 26, 2015

There will be an executive session of the School Board for matters of personnel at 6:30 p.m. prior to the Legislative Session of April 23, 2015, at Penncrest High School. The Legislative meetings are recorded on tape.

Presidential Announcement

1

March 26, 2015

EXCELLENCE TODAY FOR TOMORROW

SCHOOL REPORT’S – March 26, 2015

GLENWOOD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL Kindergarten The kindergarten boys and girls are having so much fun using their “Super Powers” while reading (sounding the word out, using the picture for a clue, checking to see if it is a popcorn/sight word, and jumping over the word they do not know and then going back. They also enjoyed learning about Dr. Seuss and all of the books that he has written. First Grade The first graders are learning that readers can be their own teachers. The students are using word solving strategies to integrate meaning, structure, and visual cues as they read. They are learning how to self-monitor, cross check and self-correct as they read. First grade enjoyed cuddling up with their favorite Dr. Seuss book on Read Across America Day. Each first grade teacher chose a different Dr. Seuss book to read and incorporate into other areas of the curriculum as the students rotated through the three different classrooms. The students graphed goldfish crackers according to color, created a new zoo animal, and wrote an opinion story about their favorite Dr. Seuss book. Second Grade Second graders are learning what it takes to become members of The Giraffe Club. Through a series of REACH lessons, the students are learning the characteristics of leaders. Leaders are people who notice problems around them and try to solve them even if others say they can’t. The students have studied Caesar Chavez, Susan B Anthony, Harriet Tubman, and many others. Third Grade Third graders are using familiar reading strategies to comprehend the biographies of famous people. Students are finding that, like the main character in a novel, the subject of a biography faces struggles, learns lessons, and accomplishes goals. By identifying the traits and motivations of these well-known, successful people, third graders are improving their ability to infer information about characters and to support their theories with evidence from the text.

School Reports

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Fifth Grade During March, the fifth grade is taking a look at how to best read and respond in writing to various articles. This is known as a text dependent text response. We are doing this because students will need to understand how to write and respond to text dependent essays in various state based test that they will encounter throughout their academic career. In reading, the fifth grade continues to look at how to best read historical fiction. However, by mid-March, the fifth grade will turn its attention to the reading of fantasy literature. In social studies, the fifth grade continues to look at the Constitution and the years after the American Revolution. In science, the fifth grade continues to use the scientific method to experiment on weather, tornadoes and hurricanes. INDIAN LANE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL Kindergarten In Language Arts, kindergarten students compared fiction and non-fiction texts. They learned to report "facts" and reading “between the pictures and the words.” They compared different versions of the same story. In kid writing, the students continued to focus on beginning their writing with a capital letter. In math, kindergarten students learned to add using dice and dominoes and adding sums to 10 using ten frames and two colored chips. They also arranged 6 tiles in many different ways (3 and 3, 4 and 2, 1 and 5). First Grade First grade students began learning all about the characters in books and how they can deepen their understanding of books through the characters. In Writing Workshop, students used many mentor texts to help write a persuasive piece of writing. They learned that in order to convince others of their point of view they need to use persuasive strategies such as appealing to the reader’s emotions, quote experts, give data or facts, and sound trustworthy. Students learned about writing reviews. Students were shocked to learn that some people actually get paid to write reviews on movies they see, books they read, and places they go to eat! Students began writing their own movie reviews and are working hard at remembering to give the reader a sneak peek, but not to give too much away. In Social Studies, they wrapped up their unit on important Americans by learning about Barack Obama and Abraham Lincoln. The students really enjoyed learning about the many Americans who played important roles in the country’s history. Students began a unit on Community Helpers, too. A dentist and a police officer came in and talked to the students about their jobs. In Math, they began learning how to tell time to the hour and to the half hour and learned how to use their own individual clocks and move the hour and minute hand to the correct time. Second Grade Reading Workshop had students reading a few more fairy tales before beginning a unit on series books. Students identified patterns found in series and they used these patterns to become stronger readers. Students also discovered how to ask probing questions to help reading partners stretch and challenge their thinking. The importance of being a flexible thinker was also something on which they focused. In Writing Workshop, students put the finishing touches on some of their persuasive pieces before beginning a fairy tale writing

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unit. They also started writing original fairy tales, putting to use all that they learned about this genre. In Math, the children continued to work on the many layers of the placevalue unit. The major principle of place-value numeration is that the positions of digits in numbers determine what they represent. Additionally, taking numbers apart and recombining them in flexible ways is necessary for computation. Place-value also includes ordering, rounding and comparing numbers. Students are mastering double-digit addition and subtraction, both with and without regrouping. The children also practiced rounding multi-digit numbers to the tens, hundreds and thousands place. They also ordered and compared larger, multi-digit numbers. Of course, they continue to build their skills with money, time and fractions. In Social Studies, students learned about Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad. They also studied the Chinese New Year…Gung Hay Fat Choy! As part of Social Studies, students attended this year’s Art Goes to School session where they were treated to a mini-exhibit featuring both famous and lesser-known artists. As well as gaining knowledge about the painters, they also learned the stories behind the artwork. Third Grade Persuasive essays have been completed and students entered into a new unit focused around Baby Literary Essays. In Reader’s Workshop, they wrapped up a mystery unit and students will be focusing on “Close Reading”. In math, students are continuing to learn about perimeter; students are solving missing sides, drawing shapes with a given perimeter, and solving for the perimeter of different types of shapes. In Social Studies, they learned about having a voice in our local community. Students spoke out at a simulated public meeting about whether their hypothetical town should build a pool or a park/playground based on given resources. Fourth Grade In Fourth Grade, students completed the Ecosystem unit in Science, however, they continue to make observations about the changes taking place in their eco-columns and making connections with their models and the surrounding environment. In fourth grade AMP, students worked on a culminating project that connects Geometry and Art. All fourth graders focused on learning measurement conversions both for the metric system and U.S. customary. Students also reviewed time measurements. In Language Arts, all students are reading, writing, and performing poetry. They learned about the use of figurative language in poems, the significance of white space and line breaks to set the rhythm and tone of the poems, and how the topics of poetry are unlimited. Fifth Grade Plans are in full swing preparing for the Spring Science Fair. Students celebrated Read Across America Day by having students share their book (possibly Dr. Seuss), with students in another fifth grade class. The students looked for figurative language usage in these books. Students focused on common core standards that are introduced in math and reading. Parent/Teacher conferences were held and in fifth grade and they were student led. Art First graders worked on their proportion skills with portraits and Second graders studied Polynesian art.. Third graders illustrated their illuminated letters. Fourth graders created and added patterns to their figures in motion. Fifth graders added color to their functional

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dinnerware designs. We celebrated the Featured Artists whose work is framed in Ms. Seeley’s office. Congratulations to our Featured Artists: Matthew Roberts, grade 1, Gabriel Palmer, grade 2, Michael Woolery, grade 3, Benjamin Demos, grade 4, and Samantha Moffitt, grade 5. The students and their parents enjoyed lite breakfast fare. A discussion of the artwork followed and a great time was had by all. The PSBA (Public School Board Association) art exhibit in Mechanicsburg, PA, was held and the entire art department of Rose Tree Media School District participated. Representing Indian Lane with their work was Otis Eli, grade one, Ava McLaughlin, grade two, Sam Turk, grade three, Logan Rector, grade four and Owen McGroary, grade five. The students’ work will be on display from February 28 – April 1. Physical Education Students worked on gymnastics skills. Students were tested on the forward/backward roll and left/right cartwheels. The skill stations also included the balance beam, vault, mini trampoline, pommel horse, pyramid building and rope climbing. Music First grade learned a German dance (and some German words.) and Glockenspiels were the center of their attention. Second grade expanded the February patriotic song to include a flag routine and also watched a video of a flash mob in Belgium perform the homophone song, “Do, Re, Mi.” They began a unit on the four instrument families. Third grade was busy mastering the recorder and improvising to songs from Ghana and the Caribbean. Fourth grade worked on their “Celebration of Music” pieces which culminated in a concert for parents. Fifth grade finished the marking period with a written assessment and Recorder Karate belt testing. They have moved on to preparations for their Spring Musical, Annie, Jr.. Library In library, first through third grade students had a lot of fun with fairy tales and fractured fairy tales. Fourth and fifth grade students continued to utilize the Destiny library catalog and WebPath Express to find resources in the library and online. Dr. Seuss was a topic of discussion relating to his books and to his love of reading. Dr. Seuss has written over 50 books for children and is recognized across the nation on his birthday, which is also known as Read Across America Day. Inspired by Dr. Seuss’s goal to motivate children to read, Mrs. Hatton invited students to build a fort at home and read in it. Parents were asked to take a picture of the children reading in their fort and send it to Mrs. Hatton which was part of a display in the library hallway. This was an optional activity that we hoped would emphasize one fun way to enjoy a good book. MEDIA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL Kindergarten Readers With the crazy weather over the past few weeks, Kindergarten has been hunkering down and comparing and contrasting informational text. We understand how we can become an expert by reading many different books about the same topic. We used microphones and reported information to our reading partners, just like newscasters report information on television! We also learned to ask questions about our partner’s texts. We are very

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excited to now know how to identify non-fiction text by looking for photographs and a table of contents. First Grade Celebrations First grade students celebrated the 100th day of school. Each student designed a 100th day shirt and participated in a grade level fashion show. A few shirts featured 100 buttons, 100 stickers, and even 100 Cheerios! Students spent the remainder of their day participating in various 100th day activities. In reading, students began identifying character traits found within their books. Students learned how to use evidence from their stories to identify how their characters were acting or feeling. A few favorite character traits used by the students were heavy-hearted, gloomy, cheerful, and eager. In social studies, students learned about the Chinese New Year and studied famous African Americans in honor of Black History Month. Individuals highlighted during this time included Harriet Tubman, George Washington Carver, Jackie Robinson, Martin Luther King, Jr. and Rosa Parks. Students read books, wrote stories, and researched facts about each individual. Second Grade Poets and Economists Second Graders celebrated Valentine’s Day with a pizza party and a chance to spend time with our peers. We continued learning about Economics and the differences between wants and needs. As part of this unit, the students are able to earn class money to purchase items at the stores they create in March. They are also learning to understand the importance of budgeting so that they can pay for the bills or fines that come their way. In Math, students have developed their own survey questions, conducted the surveys, and then showed the ways they can represent them. The students are very excited about starting to write poems in Writing Workshop. We are looking forward to sharing some of our poems! Third Grade Investigators Third grade students at Media Elementary School have become quite convincing. They have just finished their persuasive writing pieces. In these pieces, students stated an opinion, supported their idea with reasons and examples, and provided a “call to action” for the readers. Students in third grade have also begun their detective work in the mystery unit of study in reading. They work to solve cases while gathering clues through close reading and examining characters’ motivations. Fourth Grade Writers In fourth grade, we spent several weeks on learning how to write literary essays. The students discovered that, in order to write effective essays, they must read a story using close reading strategies. Attention was given to discussing character traits and struggles within the plot. The students could also incorporate their own personal experiences and opinions as they related to the understanding of the text.

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Fifth Grade Takes on the American Revolution Students recently selected topics for the annual fifth grade “rite of passage,” the Media Elementary Research Project. Students are conducting research using books, magazines, articles, and the internet. They have gathered their resources, completing the not-taking process, and soon will be drafting their papers. The research papers along with the student-prepared display boards will be on display at the Research Fair later in the spring. Additionally, students took part in a poetry unit of study. We are excited about entering many of the students’ poems into the upcoming Young Poets of Delaware County Poetry Competition. Art Explorers As part of Youth Art Month, the following students’ artwork was selected for exhibition at the Pennsylvania School Board Association’s gallery during this past month: 1st grade: Noah Bickley, mixed media still life 2nd grade: Sky Davenport, painting, inspired by Oaxacan sculptures 3rd grade: Maeve Brophy, ceramic relief, inspired by pre-historic cave paintings 4th grade: Leann Tang, painting, inspired by George Rodrigue’s Blue Dog series 5th grade: Garrett Whitfield, leaf composition (drawing) Below are highlights of recently completed art projects at Media. Fifth Grade: Students in fifth grade discussed the artwork of a contemporary artist, Frank Stella, whose past work includes colorful, sculptural reliefs made of metal and other materials. Inspired by Stella, students created a relief of cylinders, cubes, and cones that popped out of a background paper and demonstrated a variety of shading techniques. Fourth Grade: Fourth grade studied the design principle of movement in art. Students copied the movement of a photograph showing an athlete in motion. They arranged and glued parts of a body and drew black and white patterns of lines and shapes to fill in the figure. Third Grade: Third grade continued their exploration of Western art by observing medieval-illuminated manuscripts. Students illuminated the first letter of their first or last names, using metallic gold paper, and illustrated a border and the space around the letter, with an animal, plant, or object associated with the Middle Ages, that also shared the same letter. Second Grade: Students in second grade created ceramic reliefs of an historic building from Media to tie in with learning about their community in social studies class. Students examined photographs of buildings such as The Thomas Minshall House, Media Elementary School, and the Delaware County Court House before etching each structure’s unique shape and texture in clay. First Grade: First-grade art students created self-portraits as part of a unit on portraiture. They learned about placement and proportion and used mirrors and grids to guide them in their learning process. Overall, it was a successful opportunity for the children whose drawings really reflect a true likeness to them.

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Library News Students in Grades 1 and 2 are looking forward to meeting author Jon Agee, in the Library. Mr. Agee, author of books like, The Retired Kid and My Rhinoceros, is visiting to share his new picture book, It’s Only Stanley. All students, Kindergarten through Grade 5, are preparing for Media’s annual Poetry Café. Students, parents, staff and teachers are invited to attend and share original poems and favorite poems. We are learning about, and writing, every kind of poem imaginable: haikus to stream-of-consciousness. See you there, and don’t forget your Poet’s hats! Physical Education The students have worked on non-manipulative movements such as stretching, jumping and landing, transferring weight, balancing, rolling, twisting, and turning through gymnastic activities. They have explained and applied the basic movement skills and concepts to create and perform movement sequences and advanced skills. Additionally, the students have demonstrated the fundamental skills, strategies, and the sport etiquette associated with the sport of floor hockey. Music March 25th marked the 4th grade “Celebration of Music” where in the afternoon we invited family and friends to come and enjoy our music classroom presentation. Our program highlighted many activities directly from music class. Much of the music content is delivered with a Regions of America theme to complement our Social Studies curriculum. Student favorites included a recorder version of When the Saints Go Marching In, a folkdance to Erie Canal, an Orff arrangement of a Native American piece and the ever popular Fifty Nifty United States, written by Ray Charles. The students concluded their presentation with a choral arrangement of Rock Island Line. Immediately following the show, students and families enjoyed the Fourth Grade Science Fair. ROSE TREE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL Kindergarten In March, the Kindergarteners will enjoy another busy month! They began by celebrating Read Across America when guest readers read a favorite book to the class and an author come to visit to tell them about writing books. In Reading Workshop, they’ll be learning about strategies for solving tricky words. In Math, they’re demonstrating their understanding of counting on, and adding or subtracting from, a chosen number. They’re also learning about weather patterns as they observe the changes occurring outside. They are looking forward to a spring thaw (and outside recess!) First Grade First graders had an amazing month. Their Read Across America celebration included guest readers, an author visit and wearing pajamas for a day! They loved reading Dr. Seuss books and had lots of fun doing book reviews on their favorite titles. They also

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worked on patterns in math and opinion pieces in writing. They are becoming stronger readers and successfully read two steps each day in school. Second Grade Second graders turned Read Across America Day into Read Across America Week! They enjoyed activities to support and encourage their lifelong commitment to being strong readers. Monday was PJ Day and the students enjoyed wearing their pajamas to school! Tuesday brought more fun with a "read-in" where students took a reading oath, learned biographical information about Theodore Geisel and enjoyed reading with friends across the grade level. Guest Reader Day was Wednesday and the children were delighted to have community members read to them in their classrooms. Read My Shirt Day happened on Thursday, with the students enjoying the time to read each other’s shirts. Friday was a very special day because of a visit from author/illustrator Matt Phelan. Students enjoyed a presentation and, through a persuasive letter-writing contest, one lucky student was chosen to have lunch with Matt and the other contest winners. Second graders realize that "Readers are Leaders" and they will carry that message with them through their lifetime of reading! Third Grade Third graders made the most of March! They kicked off the month by participating in Read Across America in which they hosted guest readers in their classrooms and had a pajama day to celebrate reading. To encourage reading during the month, students participated in a "March Madness: Tournament of Books." Sixteen chapter books were chosen to begin the bracket. Students read a minimum of two books a week and completed a score sheet for each book. At the end of each week, totals were calculated across the grade level to reveal the winners. Books moved through the bracket to crown one book the Champion of the "March Madness: Tournament of Books!" In writing, students completed their Opinion Writing Unit. Each student persuaded their classmates and teacher to agree with their opinion. Third graders enjoyed a presentation from the Franklin Institute called the "Electricity Show" which supported the Electricity and Magnetism science unit. An additional science trip was made to Lankenau Hospital Health Education Center. This trip correlated with the science unit on the human body and health. Fourth Grade The fourth grade students’ hair stood on end as they unraveled the mysteries of electricity during the Traveling Science Show with the Franklin Institute this month. The energetic presenter guided the students as they found out how Benjamin Franklin and his contemporaries learned about electricity. Through demonstrations they investigated sources of electricity and discussed the impacts of using electricity in our everyday lives. The students loved when they explored static and current electricity. The fourth and third graders watched as electricity traveled through the air to power fluorescent light bulbs— turning students into a human “circuit.” The Rose Tree students and teachers are so grateful to our PTG who made this presentation available for our third and fourth graders. Fifth Grade The fifth grade students had a busy month during writing workshop. Students learned how to write and edit their writing pieces using Google Drive. This was perfect timing for the students, as they were creating curriculum-based writing pieces, as well as pieces to

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enter into The Delaware County Intermediate Unit Young Author’s Project writing contest. Students enjoyed the convenience of Google Drive as they wrote, shared, revised, and edited their pieces using their Google Drive accounts with their teachers and classmates. The fifth grade teachers were very impressed by the enthusiasm and efforts of their students. Music In the general music classroom, students continued to build upon a strong musical foundation aided by the positive school-wide behavior plan. First graders developed their rhythms and progressed to 16th notes. The students added to their melodic vocabulary with the solfege sign “La” as well as many new songs and activities to reinforce both aspects. Second graders learned about tempo. They discovered three different tempo markings and with the application of some kinesthetic activities mastered allegro, moderato, and adagio. The students also had a contest to see who could to the correct movements to “Mrs. Mary Mack” the fastest. Both first and second graders learned about the cultural and historical foundations of Irish music including the penny whistle, bagpipes, fiddle, and river dance. Third graders continued to work on the fundamentals of reading music with the aide of a recorder. They completed their first 3 belt assessments and learned about the dotted half note. Fourth graders continued to work on their “Day in the Life” concert to be performed in March in honor of National Music in Schools Month. The concert pieces are a reflection of the many facets of a fourth grade music student. Fifth grade students finished their Jazz unit this month. In the unit they learned, compared, and contrasted Miles Davis and Louis Armstrong. They also learned about the guitar and its inclusion into Jazz music, and how vocalists would improvise using “Scat Singing.” The students focused a lot on improvisation creating a story word by word, using the boom whacker instruments, and scat singing. A song will also be performed at their spring concert in the Jazz style. Rehearsals have begun of this year’s musical Aladdin. The cast has almost doubled from last year. We are looking forward to our culminating performances. Band Serena Williams, fifth grade clarinetist from Rose Tree Elementary participated in the PMEA District 12 Delco Intermediate Band Fest. The fest was held at the Upper Darby Performing Arts Center. This ensemble consisted of over 100 fifth and sixth grade instrumentalists from public and private schools in Delaware County. Library Students have been learning location and access strategies in the library. Students have been demonstrating mental connection strategies during reading. The Rose Tree Elementary Reading Olympics team includes 15 hard working and motivated fifth grade students. They have been meeting for 50 minutes twice a cycle to discuss Reading Olympic books, summaries and strategies for the competition that takes place in April at Springton Lake Middle School. Guidance Throughout the month of February, students at Rose Tree Elementary were encouraged to Read for Ronald, to help raise money for the Philadelphia Ronald McDonald House. Fifty students took the challenge, and together these 50 students raised $2,943.15. However, our Read for Ronald fund-raising did not stop there. We held a Pajama Day

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fund-raiser. Students and staff alike "paid the price" to wear their pajamas to school by making a one dollar (or more) contribution to the Philadelphia Ronald McDonald House. Pajama Day raised an additional $347 that will also be donated to the Philadelphia Ronald McDonald House. This was a great way to wrap up the Read for Ronald program and a great way to kick off our weeklong Read Across America celebration. Physical Education During the month of March, all grades focused on a variety of Jump Rope skills. Third, fourth and fifth grader students participated in “Jump Rope for Heart”, which supported the American Heart Association. In addition, the fifth grade students created a group exercise routine. The routine incorporated exercises involving upper body strength, lower body strength, abdominal strength, and flexibility. The groups performed the routine to a song. Gifted Third grade AGP students are in the process of creating a scale model and video tour of the solar system. Fourth grade AGP students are exploring Sir Isaac Newton’s Laws of Motion. Fifth grade AGP students are drawing scale models of prominent buildings. Reading March was an amazing month for reading! We celebrated Read Across America Week with Pajama Day, read-a-thons, and guest readers from the community. These included PTG members, administrators, school board members and the Honorable Jack Whelan, Delaware County’s District Attorney. In addition, the author/illustrator Matt Phelan visited and gave presentations about writing and art. A special lunch honored Mr. Phelan and the students from grades one through five who were winners of our “Lunch with Matt Phelan!” persuasive essay contest. Art All the art teachers of the district, including Meg Barney, will have their personal artworks exhibited at the Media Arts Council Gallery for the month of March. The subjects of the artworks will include landscapes, portraits, animals and still life. The gallery hosted an art reception, open to the entire RTM community. The Media Arts Council Gallery is located at 609-B West State Street, Media, PA. SPRINGTON LAKE MIDDLE SCHOOL The following Students of the Month for the Month of March were honored at a breakfast this morning with their teachers, parents and guardians: Team 6-1: Megan Gress and Spencer Schwartz; Team 6-2: Eli McEntire and Claire Santangelo; Team 6-3: Delaney Rauscher-Adams and Laiba Khan; Team 7-1: Alexis Howells and Liam Mosteller; Team 7-2: Connor Quesenberry and Grace Hannigan; Team 7-3: Meghan Robinson and John Kirkpatrick; Team 8-1: Sean Prior and Riley Nolan; Team 8-2: William Flounders and Abigayle Pennoni; Team 8-3: Nathan Dole and Madison Dickert

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Art Ms. Sycz’ grade eight students are now preparing to paint their clay sculptures by reviewing color theory, which will enable students to mix desired colors. Students will explore various techniques of acrylic painting in order to successfully paint their clay figures. Seventh grade students have completed making a large hollow form that will be used as the main form of their clay animals. In the process, students have demonstrated an understanding of basic clay hand building techniques. Students are now beginning to decide upon additional forms to add to the main body to create the animal they wish to represent. Grade six students have finished sculpting a small clay bird figure. Students are now in the process of sculpting an environment for the clay bird. Demonstrations are being given to show how to sculpt objects such as rocks and nests that can be placed in natural settings such as a forest. For whimsical settings, students are seeing how to make pattern and dry clay to create standing lettering or shapes. The application of the principle of contrast to three-dimensional art is now being explored. Congratulations to Mrs. Going’s eighth grade students, Sydney McCarthy and Heidi Mroz. Sydney took first place overall and Heidi took third place over all in this year’s Delaware County Suicide Prevention Task Force Poster Contest. Students will receive monetary gifts as well as recognition with their parents at this month’s Delaware County Counsel meeting in Media at the Government Building. Eighth grades have completed sculpting figures based on the work of Renaissance master, Michelangelo. The painting of the figures continues. Illuminated Manuscripts will also be displayed soon on the beautiful new bulletin boards at Springton to continue to show off those artistic SLMS students! All eighth grades have also begun work on the annual Art of Paper Quilling or Paper Filigree assignment which is the art of curling paper, also started during the Renaissance in Italy. Quite an amazing time in history! Seventh grades have completed their unit on Art of the Fish. Glazed ceramic pieces are now being fired and should be in the showcase very soon. First, students have to figure out what their challenges were and how did they problem solve out of the problem during sculpting. As a final review, students are now asked, what makes their sculptures successful? Nice twist. Makes them think! Sixth grades have now completed their Chinese Zodiac paintings with the addition of a printmaking unit. Students learned how to design a Chinese character symbol for their zodiac animal, learned the art of printmaking so they could print their character symbol and create an original composition using their printing plates! German artist, Albrecht Durer, French artist, Henri Toulouse-Lautrec and American artist, Andy Warhol were also discussed for their numerous contributions to the field of printmaking. Eighth grade students in Mrs. Prior’s classes are painting their illuminated manuscript pages. They are choosing colors that will most effectively enhance the designs of their decorative borders, lettering, and backgrounds. Consideration is to be given to the colors used in the medieval manuscripts. The use of gold and silver paint, markers, and colored pencils simulate gold and silver leaf. Seventh grade students are continuing to develop their painting skills, including effective use of the brush, color mixing and blending, and application of paint to paint their symmetrical designs. Sixth graders are learning the fundamentals of using clay by hand building clay boxes. They are utilizing the elements of form, line, texture, and shape.

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The art teachers are participating in an exhibit at the Media Arts Council March 7 to April 3. There is an opening reception Saturday, March 14, 4 to 6 PM at 609-B W. State Street. Core Extension In March, the Reading and Writing Across the Curriculum classes continued their work with argumentation and persuasion. In sixth grade, students wrote a letter to the president and sent it to the White House. They also wrote two argumentative pieces: Should stores be allowed to spy on you? Should parents help with homework? The sixth graders finished the month by giving persuasive speeches to the class on a topic of their choice. In seventh grade, students wrote a position paper on the following topic: Should sugary drinks have warning labels? They based their paper on text evidence that they gathered from Scope, Forbes, NPR, and The Boston Globe. They also finished out the month both analyzing and giving speeches. In eighth grade, students analyzed logical fallacies in both print (“Not All Scientific Studies Are Created Equal”) and commercial advertising. They applied these logical fallacies in skits they created and performed for the class. The eighth graders also wrote a position paper on whether or not child soldiers should be given amnesty. They prepared for this paper by reading news articles and memoirs about child soldiers who survived their ordeals. Guidance All eighth grade students have completed the course selection process. Mrs. Gilroy met with students in the computer lab during their language arts classes to help them enter their course requests into the system. Mrs. Griffin is concluding the sixth grade Family Matters Group this month. Students have had an opportunity to share family challenges and learn strategies to cope with changes that affect their daily lives. Margie Gilroy and Susan Howe attended the Delaware County Technical High Schools (DCTS) annual "middle school counselor breakfast" on March 10th. DCTS offers career and technical experience while students are in high school. Students can receive technical experience and certification in many fields such as: health & bioscience, engineering & computer science, construction technology, logistics, distribution & transportation and hospitality, tourism & human services. There is a special program for 9th graders to explore DCTS during their first semester in high school. They can attend and rotate through two programs during the semester and receive credit. DCTS also offers a summer camp called "Career Heroes" for ages 11-14 during the week of June 22. DCTS is a wonderful resource! Language Arts Eighth grade language arts students in Ms. Azeff's and Mrs. Williams's classes are working in historical fiction book clubs. Students are collaborating on creating a newspaper based upon the events that occur in the plot of their chosen novel. In addition, students are learning to think more analytically about what they read through the use of a reader's notebook. In their notebooks, students are not only tracking the plot of the story, but also journaling about universal themes across texts, mood, character growth, use of figurative language and conflict development.

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Students in Mr. Phillips's classes are reflecting on their own lives with the conclusion of their unit on memoir writing. They have written some very moving pieces of work based upon their own life experiences. The lessons in the memoir unit also address universal themes across texts, mood, character growth, use of figurative language and conflict development. During the month of March, seventh grade language arts students finished their study of their dystopian and fantasy literature circle books by completing their final meeting and writing their Literary Text Analysis. This was very successful and most students were able to independently discuss their books for over thirty minutes! Conversations were on-topic and rich with literary elements. Enhanced language arts classes extended their understanding by creating a technology-based project surrounding the plot, characters, conflict, theme, and setting of their books. Once literature circles ended, seventh grade students began to take a look at the elements of drama. While reading a drama about Florence Nightingale, students understood the importance of stage directions and dialogue in comprehending a play. The month ended with a study on the Text-Dependent Analysis. Students continued to work on properly citing text evidence to support their positions on particular topics. Mrs. Patton’s sixth grade language arts classes completed the reading unit analyzing character development both in read aloud mentor texts and independent reading. We have been focusing on recognizing the changes that characters go through and the causes of those changes. We have looked at external pressures and internal strengths and flaws and the impact on characters. As a final bend, students analyzed how authors use small moments to demonstrate that character’s learn and teach life lessons and how these lessons impact the characters. Classwork included discussion, as well as interpretative entries in Reader’s Notebooks. Students continue to work on assigned skills in Study Island. In addition, with individual student benchmark results now incorporated into the practice, students can log into the program and practice directly at their own personalized level for each skill area. This has greatly helped in the differentiation of the program. Sixth grade language arts classes have also begun work with Greek and Latin word roots. Each week students add five new roots to their knowledge base, practicing to expand recognition of words that may not otherwise be familiar. We will add to these roots weekly. All Language Arts classes have had the opportunity to participate in multiple writing competitions. These include the Delaware County Young Authors, Boeing Corporation, and the Cricket Magazine poetry competition. Cricket selected the poems of three Springton Lake students to publish in an upcoming issue of the magazine. Library March was to bring visiting author David Lubar to Springton Lake; however, instead of our visiting author, we had a visiting snow storm that forced us to postpone our author. No worries. Mr. Lubar will be coming in April instead, and he jokes that if it snows for that one, he is “signing up for the Mars mission.” Hopefully, spring will truly be here by then.

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March is also when we celebrate Read Across America Day (Dr. Seuss’ birthday). This event inspired a month-long contest called “Who’s Behind That Book.” The contest features a wall of pictures of staff behind favorite or significant books. Over 60 staff members participated, and students were encouraged to guess who was behind the books. We thought it would be fun to extend the contest for the month, and students have continued to make their guesses as they pass by the hallway display. Prizes will be awarded for most correct answers. Despite the cold weather, March has been ablaze with activity; however, we look forward to spring and the many exciting events that are planned for April, May, and June. Math Geometry students completed their midterm this past month with tremendous success. They worked collaboratively in class to review as well as independently at home. After the midterm, students began exploring the patterns of Pythagorean triples. From there they worked with right triangles and the Pythagorean Theorem to solve for various sides within a right triangle. In one of the more exciting unites of the year, students explore and solve using their first trigonometric ratios (sine, cosine, and tangent). The end of this unit concludes their extensive study of triangles and their properties. Algebra I students began the month exploring all aspects of inequalities. They focused on the rules to solving one-step, two-step, and multi-step inequalities. Students then learned how to graph inequalities in one and two variables on both a number line and coordinate graph. Students then applied this skill to solving more complex inequalities and equations that included absolute value. The students are moving into a new unit on systems of equations, they will be solving systems through graphing, substitution, combinations, and multiplication. Eighth grade Connected Math classes will be exploring rational and irrational numbers during the month of March. Students will distinguish between rational and irrational numbers using their properties, and compare them, as well. Also, during the month of March, students will use linear equations and systems of linear equations to represent, analyze, and solve a variety of problems. Students will solve one and two-step linear equations by using substitution and/or the inverse operation. Finally, they will learn to apply the distributive property to equations, and to solve equations using like terms. In seventh grade math, we spent the last month working on ratios, rates, and proportional relationships. They began by identifying similar figures by comparing corresponding parts and then moved into using scale factors to describe relationships among the side lengths of similar figures. Students used this information to explore and understand that similarity is an instance of proportionality. Students then continued to use scale, ratios, and fractions to make larger and smaller objects. They organized this information in tables, which allowed them to identify patterns, make predictions, and write equations for each of the situations. We are now finishing the month with volume and surface area of three dimensional figures. Students are exploring patterns among volume and surface area, developing strategies for finding volume and surface area, and are extending their understanding of similarity and scale factors.

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March 26, 2015

In seventh grade-accelerated math, we began the month exploring the Pythagorean Theorem and relating the area of a square to the side length. This led the students into the understanding of square roots. Students then used this concept to simplify radicals that were not perfect squares and to simplify cube roots and beyond. This led the students to explore other operations involving radicals such as adding, subtracting, multiplying, and rationalizing the denominator. Currently the students are beginning a unit on systems of equations; they will be solving systems through graphing, substitution, combinations, and multiplication. Sixth grade students studied ratios and proportional relationships. One particular activity students enjoyed was “shopping” the classroom and calculating the better buy using actual grocery items. Accelerated Math students studied ratios and proportional relationships. Students especially enjoyed creating linear graphs, learning about slope, and determining if x and y have direct variation. Next month, all sixth grade students will be study statistics as well as preparing for the PSSA’s. Music The SLMS Jazz Band participated in the Annual Haverford MS Jazz Festival. The group received an excellent rating. 8th grader Rachel Westcott took home an outstanding solo award. 16 members of SLMS Band participated in the annual Delaware County Honors Band hosted by Beverly Hills Middle School. The participants were Rachel Westcott, Sarah Chang, Casey Loper, Ana Bernal, Zander Prokop, Josie Cressler, Paige Goldberg, Maura Morris, Dan Nolan, Allen Chen, JB Peterson, Cody Sita, Tom Kuntz, Brendan Egan, Zachary Munin, Erick Wade. Delaware County Band is an ensemble made up of the top band students from 7 middle schools. The other schools that participate are Drexel Hill, Strath Haven, ET Richardson, Paxon Hollow, Beverly Hills and Haverford. Band members from Penncrest and Springton Lake got together for an evening of music making and idea sharing at our first Crossover Night. Parents and students met with the band directors from both schools and discussed the advantages of continuing with music in high school, how band can serve as a bridge between eighth and ninth grade, and the positive environment of the high school band. Students toured the building, met our percussion and color guard instructors, had the chance to ask questions of the student leaders, participated in a rehearsal, and enjoyed some social time. It is hoped that everyone involved received valuable firsthand information that will help them make the right choice for them when it comes to high school course selection. The annual school musical went as planned despite some unfortunate weather. Eightyfour students participated in the show and brought the musical “Bye Bye Birdie” to the Springton Lake Middle School stage. This year, a live pit orchestra accompanied our student performers. Pianist, Nancy Beale, bassist, Daniel Turkos and drummer, Bryan Graber were led by the musical’s director, Joseph Fisher, who also accompanied the students with guitar, saxophone, and flute. Mrs. Diane Stern served as choreographer

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and assistant director. Mr. Fisher and Mrs. Stern thank the Springton Lake community for an outpouring of support that helped make the show a great success. Eight eighth grade students represented Springton Lake Middle School in the annual PMEA District 12 ChorusFest at Unionville High School. Quiana Artis, Ben Grady, Sarah Hughes, Jake Kelk, Jake Lamb, Riley McGowan, Abby Race, and Emily Sampson had the opportunity to work with renowned composer and Temple University professor, Rollo Dilworth. Physical Education All students finished their second round of lessons in the pool. All students have been swimming in accordance to American Red Cross developmental guidelines. Students have worked towards refining their skills to achieve developmental swimming levels that will take place at the end of their third and final session All students completed the multicultural unit where they participated in activities that spanned sixth of the seven continents. Students experienced the activities as well as continued to learn about not just origins of the games but some cultural background information. Classes who were not in the main gym during climbing were either in the weight room or the auxiliary gym. In the weight room, students continued to work with weight machines and cardio equipment. The other classes who were in the auxiliary gym participated in floor hockey, where stick handling, positioning and teamwork were the focal points Science The sixth grade science, students learned about advances in genetics. Students investigated animals that have been cloned and discussed whether they thought that extinct animals should be able to be cloned, and brought back from extinction. Students learned about adaptations and how adaptations help an animal to survive and reproduce. Students learned about natural selection and used an Explore Learning lab simulation to show their understanding, while investigating what happened to the peppered moth population in England after the Industrial Revolution. The seventh grade science program changed gears from electrical investigations to the universal laws that dictate forces and energy. The forces were introduced when the teachers performed several spectacular demonstrations including student participation. Once a basic understanding of forces and motion was established, vector diagrams were used to represent direction and magnitude of forces working in cooperation or opposition. In eighth grade, we continue to prepare for the PSSA Science exam, which will be given in the last week in April. Specifically, we have focused on reviewing content on environmental science. We have been learned about acids and bases, how they are found in nature, and the unique properties of water as it relates to these substances. In addition, we have experimented with the use of natural indicators and have discussed the pH changes associated with the digestive system and the various enzymes that are utilized.

School Reports

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March 26, 2015

Social Studies Sixth grade students have been studying Japan, North Korea, and China. They had to compare and contrast the present-day countries and the historical contexts that created the modern countries. In the study of North Korea, the students were particularly intrigued by the fierce control and secrecy that Kim Jong-il and Kim Jong-un wield over their people. In addition, the classes have been using an article about China along with comprehension questions and writing prompts developed by the social studies and language arts teachers. The study of Asia continues with the study of India and the IT revolution that has transformed the nation into a global power. Seventh grade social studies students have been studying Manifest Destiny and the expansion of the United States throughout the 19th century. Students have been investigating the causes of expansion and how the United States gained more land and territory though diplomacy, treaties, and war. In addition, the classes are exploring the differences between the North and the South and what led to the division over slavery. Eighth graders have been investigating the vibrant and intriguing culture of Ancient Greek Civilizations. They have reviewed the elements of myth and the values of the Ancient Greeks to analyze The Iliad and The Odyssey. Students have also examined how historians use artifacts, including ancient writings, fossils, and myths to write history. Eighth Grade World history students have also been reading about the development of Democracy in Ancient Greece. Using the Mac Lab, the students have been writing an Informational Essay about the Development of Democracy in Athens. They have used text evidence to support their writing. The Persian Wars, the Peloponnesian Wars and the conquests of Alexander the Great have been lively topics in the classroom as well. Some classes have been building models inspired by Ancient Greek architecture. The Eighth Grade is looking forward to studying Ancient Rome in the days to come. Special Education In Mrs. Perilli’s sixth grade resource class students participated in executive functions lessons that focused on gathering information from various types of texts. During class, students practiced skimming articles to gather useful information to use in projects, reports, or papers. Students also developed an arsenal of strategies for previewing a chapter in a text book, including making predictions, activating prior knowledge, using illustrations in context, making connections, and monitoring/adjusting comprehension. Students practiced these strategies using grade level science and social studies textbooks. Finally, students learned how to write an effective summary. Using highinterest articles, students were able to locate the main idea of each paragraph, paraphrase the main ideas, and use those ideas to develop a concise summary. The current math unit being covered in Ms. Viso’s seventh grade learning support math classroom is “Expressions and Equations.” In this unit, students are modeling and solving real-world and mathematical problems by using and connecting numerical, algebraic, and/or graphical representations (For example: If a woman making $25 an hour gets a raise, she will make an additional 1/10 of her salary an hour. How much is the raise? What will her new hourly salary be?) Students are using variables to represent quantities in a real-world or mathematical problem, and construct simple expressions, equations and inequalities to solve problems

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by reasoning about the quantities (For example, the perimeter of a rectangle is 54 cm. Its length is 6 cm. What is its width?) Students are demonstrating their understanding that rewriting an expression in different forms in a problem can shed light on the problem and how the quantities in it are related (For example, a + 0.05a = 1.05a means that “increase by 5%” is the same as “multiply by 1.05.”) A hands-on and visual strategy being used in the classroom to assist students in grasping these difficult concepts is the CUVC strategy for writing equations from word problems: C – Circle the Numbers, U – Underline the Question, V – Variable: insert a variable, C – Check: check your answer using substitution. By the end of the unit, students will be able to describe real-world situations in which integers are used. World Language Springton Lake French classes celebrated Mardi Gras with chocolate Fondue and mask making. Seventh graders sent Valentines to their French pen pals. PENNCREST HIGH SCHOOL Hi-Q News The Penncrest Hi-Q team won first place in the Delco Hi-Q Championship Match earlier this month. The team ended regular season play in second place and hosted a playoff match against Strath Haven and Marple Newtown High Schools. Penncrest won that match soundly, advancing to the championship match where they faced Garnet Valley High School (who was in first place at the end of the regular season) and Haverford High School (who finished the regular season in third place and won their playoff match against Sun Valley and Delco Christian). Penncrest built up a very comfortable lead in the first half of the match allowing them to win the championship with a score of 47 points to Haverford's 40 and Garnet Valley's 33. The team will be honored at the Partner's in Education Celebration at Drexelbrook in April. Music Department News The Penncrest Jazz Band has been selected to perform at the Pennsylvania Music Educators Association 2015 State Conference held at the Hershey Convention Center this weekend (March 25-28). Over 2,000 attendees that include current and retired teachers from preschool through college/university are expected for this year's conference. Performing groups audition through an online submission process to be selected to perform at the conference. This year, the Penncrest Jazz Band was honored to be the only high school jazz band chosen to perform. Their presentation, "The Oliver Nelson Songbook," features music from this very important composer, bandleader, and musician in the field of jazz. The Jazz Band presented a preview of their conference program at their annual Jazz Night at Penncrest High School this month. The band is under the direction of Craig Snyder. World Language Department News Twenty-four Intermediate, Advanced, and AP French students traveled to Southern France as part of the French Exchange this month. Over the two week visit, students

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investigate Roman ruins, medieval castles, and world-renowned works of art. The trip ends with two days in Paris where students will visit the Louvre museum and la Tour Eiffel. A link to a photo journal for the exchange can be found on Mme Riviere’s Penncrest website. Students will return home on April 1. Twenty-three Spanish students traveled to Costa Rica as part of the Spanish Immersion trip in March. During the trip, students volunteer in local schools, visit a butterfly farm, and learn about the rainforest. Students return from the trip on April 2. Mandarin Chinese students celebrated the Chinese New Year with a field trip to Philadelphia’s Chinatown this month. In addition, under faculty member Ms. Lin’s guidance, Penncrest students performed a traditional dragon dance for students during lunches. This month over 200 students participated in the national exams for French, Latin, and Spanish. Results are due in late April. Annually RTM District Contests are administered to every World Language student, grades 6-12, who compete against their peers enrolled in the same language/level. The top three students for each language/level (and possibly Honorable Mention) will be invited to receive their awards at the annual World Language Fête in May. The list of winners for all languages and levels can be found on the Penncrest World Language website. Sophomore Dance The sophomore semi-formal dance, commonly referred to as the "Soph Hop," recently went off without a hitch. Following their win at the Winter Pep Rally, the class of 2017 officers and class council, along with the support and contributions from the PTG, put together a fun event for nearly 400 students. This year's theme was a masquerade so multi-colored masks added to snazzy outfits donned by attendees. Simon Youth Academy News This month, SYA students took a field trip to the Franklin Institute. The students participated in dissecting a sheep’s heart, discovered the intricate biology, zoology, and physiology of the world’s most spectacular creatures in the science exhibit BODY WORLDS, and explored the many exhibits the Franklin Institute has to offer. This month the students at the SYA will be participating in a March Madness Challenge. Students have been challenged by the staff to complete 70 lessons within their curriculum. Students who complete the challenge will earn “Fun Friday” at the end of the month. Students completing 100 lessons or more will be rewarded with a bonus prize!

School Reports

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March 26, 2015

IX.

New Business A.

Personnel 1.

Terminations a.

Professional 1.

Dr. Steven Taylor, Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction, retirement effective June 30, 2015. Background Dr. Taylor joined the staff of Rose Tree Media School District in 1980. During his tenure, he served as a Language Arts Teacher, Federal Programs Coordinator, Junior Advisor, Coached Soccer, Track and Basketball teams, was a Standards Facilitator, Director of Teaching and Learning, Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction and more. Dr. Taylor is retiring after 35 years of dedicated service.

b.

Non-Instructional 1.

2.

Worker,

Nominations a.

Professional 1.

b.

IX. New Business

Ron Tyson, Substitute Maintenance resignation effective March 13, 2015.

Joseph Peleckis, Assistant Summer School Director for Summer School 2015 at the annual salary of $3,000.00.

Non-Instructional 1.

Steven Rhoades, Substitute Bus Driver, effective March 27, 2015 at the rate of $22.40 per hour. Mr. Rhoades is assigned to Transportation.

2.

Michael Anders, Substitute Bus Driver, effective March 27, 2015 at the rate of $22.40 per hour. Mr. Anders is assigned to Transportation. 1

March 26, 2015

IX.

New Business A.

Personnel 2.

Nominations b.

3.

Non-Instructional 3.

Linda Hibberd, Substitute Cafeteria Worker, effective March 10, 2015 at the rate of $10.98 per hour.

4.

Thomas Delaney, Substitute Bus Driver, effective March 27, 2015 at the rate of $22.40 per hour. Mr. Delaney is assigned to Transportation.

5.

Keisha Davis, Substitute Cafeteria Worker, effective March 27, 2015 at the rate of $10.98 per hour. NOTE: Ms. Davis is being hired pending completion of her pre-employment paperwork.

General a.

Supplemental Contracts 1.

Christopher Bonnett, Head 8th Grade Boys Lacrosse for the 2014-2015 school year at the annual salary of $3,045.00. Mr. Bonnett is assigned to Springton Lake Middle School. NOTE: Mr. Bonnett is being hired pending completion of his pre-employment paperwork.

2.

Ali Perilli, (.5) New Teacher Mentor for the 2014-2015 school year at the annual salary of $580.00. Ms. Perilli is assigned to Springton Lake Middle School.

3.

Recommend Board approval for the following Rose Tree Elementary Staff to serve as Club Sponsors for the 2014-2015 school year: Margaret Barney Jean McPheeters JoAnn Podlaski Dennis Smyth

IX. New Business

2

Student Council $290.00 Student Council $290.00 Set/Design Club $580.00 Lego Robotics Club $580.00

March 26, 2015

IX.

New Business A.

Personnel 3.

General b.

Other 1.

B.

Recommend Board approval of the Agreement between Rose Tree Media School District and the Rose Tree Media Education Association for the period of September 1, 2014 through August 31, 2018. See Attachment A

2015-2016 Online Subscription Renewals Resolve, the Board of School Directors approve the following online subscription renewals for use in the 2015-2016 school year.

Online Program

Use

Grades Affected

Gizmos (Science) KidBiz/TeenBiz (Reading) Rand-McNally Classroom (Social Studies) Reading A-Z (Reading) Study Island WebAssign (Science and Math) Better Chinese (World Language)

Instructional Instructional Instructional

6-8 1-5, 9-10 1-8

Instructional Instructional Instructional Instructional

K-5 9-11 11-12 9-12

Access PA Membership Culturegrams by Proquest Databases for History by ABC-CLIO Databases for Literature, History, Health, and General Reference by Gale/Cengage Learning Follett Software (Library System Management) InfoBase – Facts on File Database Noodle Tools World Book Encyclopedia

Library Library Library Library

K-12 K-12 K-12 6-12

Library

K-12

Library Library Library

9-12 9-12 K-12

IX. New Business

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IX.

New Business B.

2015-2016 Online Subscription Renewals Background Under Policy 109, the Board of School Directors approves resource materials for use in Rose Tree Media schools. The renewals listed above represent contracts that must be approved by the Board. They provide a variety of resources, but fall in two general categories: resource materials used in the district’s libraries, such as the Follett library operating system or the Facts on File database, and programs used explicitly for instruction, such as KidBiz/TeenBiz. Renewals are dependent on final approval of the 2015-2016 budget. The online subscription renewals were discussed at the March 2015 Curriculum & Instruction Committee Meeting.

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March 26, 2015

X.

Finance A.

Purchasing - None

B.

General 1.

Budgetary Transfers Rose Tree Media School District Policy #612…(Public School code section 609) when funds are not available for a proposed appropriation, a legal transfer from one class of expenditure to another may be made in the last nine (9) months of the fiscal year by the board. Resolve, that the Board of School Directors approve the following budgetary transfers: FY 15-30 Fund 10 General Fund FROM: AMOUNT:

Instruction- Software $3,000

TO: Technology Support Services- New Equipment AMOUNT: $3,000 RATIONALE: Transfer needed to purchase a new smart board for Rose Tree Elementary School. FY 15-31 Fund 10 General Fund FROM: AMOUNT:

Instruction- Supplies $3,000

TO: Technology Support Services- Travel AMOUNT: $3,000 RATIONALE: Transfer needed to cover the costs for teachers and administrators to attend conferences.

X. Finance

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March 26, 2015

X.

Finance B.

General 1.

Budgetary Transfers FY 15-32 Fund 10 General Fund FROM: School Sponsored Athletics- Supplies AMOUNT: $1,160 TO: School Sponsored Athletics –Dues and Fees AMOUNT: $1,160 RATIONALE: Transfer needed to cover swim meets and

championships for Penncrest High School. Background These items were discussed at the March 10, 2015 Finance Committee meeting. 2.

Astro Turf Contract Resolve, that the Board of School Directors approve the contract with Astro Turf through The Cooperative Purchasing Network’s, TCPN, proposal # R5175-PA-5753 in the amount of $1,567,172 for improvements to the stadium at Penncrest High School to include the installation of a synthetic turf field, replacement of the track and site drainage improvements upon receipt of the Department of Environmental Protection, DEP permit and the grading and storm water management plan approval from Middletown Township. Background These items were discussed at the March 10, 2015 Operations Committee meeting.

3.

Chartwells Dining Services Contract Renewal Resolve, that the Board of School Directors approve the renewal contract with Chartwells Dining Services for the 2015-2016 school year pending contract review by the district’s solicitor and the Pennsylvania Department of Education, PDE. Background This item was discussed at the March 10, 2015 Finance Committee meeting.

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X.

Finance B.

General 4.

Food Service Price Increase Resolve, that the Board of School Directors approve a $.05 price increase for breakfast meals and a $.05 price increase for lunch meals in accordance with the U.S. Department of Agriculture National School Lunch Program Paid Lunch Equity requirements. Background This item was discussed at the March 10, 2015 Finance Committee meeting.

5.

Circle Line Sightseeing Agreement Resolve, that the Board of School Directors approve the agreement with Circle Line Sightseeing in the amount of $4,848.00 for a field trip to New York City for the sixth grade class of the Springton Lake Middle School. The cost of the trip will be paid by the students. There is no cost to the District for this agreement. Background This item was discussed at the March 10, 2015 Finance Committee meeting.

6.

Barbacane, Thornton & Company Audit Agreement Resolve, that the Board of School Directors approve the agreement with Barbacane, Thornton & Company for auditing services for the 2014/2015 school year. The amount of the agreement is $30,100. Background This item was discussed at the March 10, 2015 Finance Committee meeting.

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March 26, 2015

X.

Finance B.

General 7.

Advanced Power Control, Inc. Contract Resolve, that the Board of School Directors approve the annual service contract with Advanced Power Control, Inc. for technical support services for the automated control systems for the Springton Lake Middle School, Glenwood Elementary School and Media Elementary School in the a amount of $11,880. Background These items were discussed at the March 10, 2015 Operations Committee meeting.

8.

Don Bonnett Associates, Inc. Proposal Resolve, that the Board of School Directors approve the proposal with Don Bonnett Associates, Inc. to provide Engineering Design/Documentation, Bidding and Administrative Services for proposed 2015/2016 capital projects. The amount of the proposal is $78,597 plus reimbursable expenses. Background These items were discussed at the March 10, 2015 Operations Committee meeting.

9.

Philadelphia Museum of Art – Inside/Out Installation Agreement Resolve, that the Board of School Directors approve the display board on the lawn of the Media Elementary School. The display will contain a reproduction of Pablo Picasso, Self Portrait with Palette. There is no cost to the District for this agreement. Background To promote the arts Media Borough in conjunction with the Philadelphia Museum of Art will be displaying artwork reproductions throughout the borough. The museum will install a free standing 36 3/16” x 28 7/8” frame on the lawn of Media Elementary School at Front and Monroe Streets.

X. Finance

4

March 26, 2015