FamilyE-NEWS & VIEWS

SCHOOL DISTRICT

November 2013 , vol. 22 No. 2

New Math Curriculum ��������������������� 3Buckskin Pride ����������������������������� 4-5CVEF Grants �������������������������������������� 7New Teachers ����������������������������������� 8Buckskin Briefs ������������������������������� 102012-13 School Board �������������������� 11

CommunityForumsNovember 18 &February 18

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CommunityForumsNovember 18 &February 18

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PA SchoolPerformance Profiles Among County’s Best

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PA SchoolPerformance Profiles Among County’s Best

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Also inThis Issue ...Also inThis Issue ...

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on the board’s proposed preliminary budget�

Both forums will start at 6:30 p�m and will precede a regular board meeting�

“Though the forum in February will again be a traditional one on the budget, the board wants to highlight other hot topics in November,” said CV superintendent Dr� Gerald Huesken� “We will be looking to break down into smaller groups where we can discuss issues like our preparedness for a school intruder and the possibility of upgrades to our stadium complex, including a synthetic turf field�”

During these forums, board members and administrators will review the impact of these issues on the district’s budget, which continues to be strained by rising pension costs� CV is limited

Board Hopes New Topics Spark Attendance at Forums

by Act 1 restrictions to a maximum tax increase of 2�1 percent�

“Times remain tough for schools,” Huesken said� “Education policy at the state level remains in flux, and our school board will again face some difficult decisions� It’s important for all voices in our community to be heard�”

Programs to cover stadium complex, intruder drills, budget

The Conestoga Valley school board is again asking for input from the

communities it serves on key issues facing the school district�

And school directors are hoping topics, which affect student safety, athletics and the district’s academic performance, will spark interest among parents and community members to attend�

The board announced two community forums for the 2013-2014 school year, the first on Nov� 18 at CV High School and another Feb� 18 at J�E� Fritz Elementary School� Topics for the first forum will include budgetary issues, but also proposed renovations to the district’s stadium complex, districtwide ALiCE training for emergencies and the state’s inaugural School Performance Profiles� The forum in February will again focus

SCHOOL DISTRICT character commuNity commitmeNt

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Don’t be absent inyour child’s education.Monday, Nov. 18, 6:30 p.m.@ CVHS Auditorium

Budget Overview Stadium Renovations School Intruder Drills School Performance Profiles

Tuesday, Feb. 18, 6:30 p.m.@ J.E. Fritz ElementaryCafeteria

2014-15 Budget Report

If you are a parent, you have likely seen and will continue to experience

noticeable changes in what and how your child is learning math in school�

What you see in classrooms, in finished work that comes home—or even homework—appears much different than how you were taught math in school� That’s because CV has a new math curriculum that aligns with Pennsylvania Core Standards and Keystone eligible content� The district also adopted a

new textbook series kindergarten through

sixth grade, titled “Math in Focus” from Singapore Math�

“We are making this change to align to more academically

rigorous and focused standards,” says

Lisa Mumma, the

Research shows that learning is cyclical� Computational skills develop from conceptual understanding, which in turn is reinforced as students become more comfortable with their skills� The new curriculum ensures both skills and understanding are taught simultaneously� For students, that means there may not be a lot of problems in an assignment, because the focus is not repetition, but variation and depth� Though more rigorous, this method has been shown to be effective for all levels of learners�

“We all want the same thing—for all of our children to succeed in the 21st century, to be good citizens, and to contribute to their community,” Mumma says�

district’s K-12 mathematics supervisor� “We want every single one of our students to be on track for college and/or career by the time they graduate from high school�”

The new math curriculum, textbook series and state standards are challenging, she says, in part because they focus on problem solving and deep understanding of math concepts� Math in Focus teaches the same content as traditional mathematics programs, only in a way that emphasizes understanding and flexible thinking and utilizes innovative techniques, such as bar model drawing to solve word problems�

“Math in Focus will teach your children both how and why math works,” Mumma says� “This deep understanding means that students will be better able to use math in real-

life situations�”

New Math Curriculum Shown to be Rigorous, EffectiveFocus on conceptual understanding and skills

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character commuNity commitmeNt

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Community ServantsFritz Elementary students and staff are participating in a program called “For the Troops�” The organization sends care packages to U�S� military serving overseas� Fritz students will be writing letters to accompany the packages�

CV staff members pledged $15,171 to the district’s annual United Way campaign� That total represents an increase of more than 16 percent in the district’s total giving, and it is one of the highest totals in the county� Congrats to Colleen Hovanec, Fritz principal, who coordinates the campaign�

In the SpotlightCommendations to Brooke Mead, who is representing CV at the NAfME All-National Honors Orchestra in Nashville, Tenn� Brooke was

selected based on a successful application,

audition and letter of recommendation� She will perform with students from across the United States and its territories�

Commendations to seniors Thomas Fowler and Naomi Hess for being named National Merit Scholarship Semifinalists� They are among the top 1 percent of our nation’s seniors and among only 13 semifinalists from Lancaster County� Four CV seniors were also commended students by the National Merit Corporation: Rachel Ashmore, Patrick Martin, Melissa Nielsen, and Joseph Reed�

Learning HighlightsLast month marked the 48th year for CV Middle School’s Cape Henlopen Field Experience� Eighth graders dissected a shark, experimented with water chemistry, studied stars, explored flora and fauna and more

while spending three days in Delaware�

Fifth-graders at Fritz Elementary in September hosted a local radio personality who had much more to say about rocks and minerals than rock ‘n roll� RJ Harris, host of the morning talk show on WHP 580 in Harrisburg, is an

avid rock collector and member of the Central Pennsylvania Rock & Mineral Club�

Many CV students took fall field trips, including Leola sixth grade’s visit to the Lancaster Science Factory and Fritz first grade’s trip to the Strasburg Railroad�

Mr� Dick Whitson spoke about his career as a designer for Armstrong World Industries to CV AP art classes, while CV alum Cori Fisher spoke to the Foundations of Design class about her training as a fashion designer and showed her recent collection�

Congratulations to 2013 CV Homecoming Queen Malia Dickson, left, who was crowned by last year’s queen Sarah Krause, and this year’s homecoming court Tiffany Dao, Emily Nolt, Gina Oliveri, Angie Poli, Casi Smucker and

Linda Wang.

(PRIDE continued on next page)

The CV Buckskins Marching Band finished in first place in all four competitions so far this year. It has also won awards for best percussion (three times) and best color guard (twice). The band now gets ready for the year-end Calvacade of Bands Championship at Hersheypark Stadium.

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Continued from page 3

(PRIDE continued on next page)

Exceptional EmployeesArt, music and world languages supervisor Dan Burns exhibited new artwork in June and July exhibitions at Millersville University’s Ware Center in downtown Lancaster�

CVHS/MS gifted teacher Jason Perkowski served as a delegate to an international conference, representing Eastern Pennsylvania on the Educational Subcommittee researching and developing best practices, particularly in coordinating social and educational services�

The Pennsylvania Music Educators Associated invited CVHS band director Jared Daubert to present a session on current high school jazz band literature at the groups District 7 professional development day on Oct� 14�

Communications/ESL supervisor Michelle Trasborg and CVHS teachers Nicole Reinking and Susan Grammer will present to the National ASCD Conference on student

engagement at the invitation of the authors of Total Participation Techniques, a leading book on the subject� The conference typically attracts some 10,000 attendees�

Sports Round-UpCongratulations to the CV boys soccer team, which won the first District 3 championship in the team’s history with a 3-1 victory over Cumberland Valley� The L-L League Section I champion Buckskins advanced to the PIAA state quarterfinals, where they will take on West Chester Rustin on Nov� 9�

The CV girls soccer team also captured its second consecutive Section I title, and finished the year with a 17-4 record and a #2 seed in the District 3 tournament�

The girls volleyball team finished an outstanding season with a 12-4 record, good for third place in Section 1 and a berth in the District 3 playoffs�

Commendations to the inductees into our CV Athletic Hall of Fame for 2013 this past weekend: Lloyd Greiner (Active 1962-1998), Shelby Weaver Wagner (1992), Lauren Mable Bewley (2002), Katie Ranck Byler (2001), and Daniel Chow (2001)�

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Boys soccer team captain Nate Delgado, below, was named to the PIAA All-State team after leading the Buckskins to the

school’s first-ever District 3 soccer championship

and setting single-season and

career records for goals scored. His coach,

David Hartlaub, was named Section 1

coach of the year.

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CV Schools Receive Strong PA Performance ProfilesBrownstown, Fritz receive top scores in county

Schools in Conestoga Valley School District all posted strong scores on

Pennsylvania’s new School Performance Profile metric� Five of the district’s six schools scored in the 90s or high 80s (out of a possible 100 points) with the state Department of Education�

Brownstown Elementary led the way with a 96�4, which was the highest score of any school in Lancaster County� Fritz Elementary was close behind at 93�6, while CV Middle School and High School both scored 88�5, Smoketown Elementary scored 85�1 and Leola Elementary scored 76�

The School Performance

Profile (SPP) replaces Adequate Yearly Progress

(AYP), which CVSD

achieved every year of its existence, as the accountability measure for PA schools� SPP is a formula that combines student academic achievement scores, such as proficiency rates in math, reading, science and writing on the PSSA exams (grades 3-8) and Keystone Exam scores in literature, algebra and biology (HS), with student growth rates (PVAAS) and other indicators to assign a numerical score to every school in the state�

In their first year, the SPPs are incomplete� Results from 2013 will become baseline data to determine scores in additional areas, such as improvement toward proficiency targets and promotion rates�

“While we are pleased that our scores are generally very strong, we will not let these numerical values cause us to lose sight of our goal since federal accountability measures began—focusing on individual student growth,” CV superintendent Gerald Huesken said�

CV schools again posted strong growth scores� CVHS, Brownstown and Fritz all earned 30 out of 30 possible points in indicators of academic growth� Districtwide, CV students ranked 25th and 42nd in Pennsylvania in math and

reading, respectively, on PVAAS scores� CV student growth rates again led all Lancaster County schools�

“We will also use the data from the SPP to find areas where we can improve student performance, such as proficiency rates among certain populations and academic growth for our most advanced students,” Huesken said� “Our administrators and teachers are always open to new tools and strategies to further enhance our data-driven approach�”

Access to the CV’s Pennsylvania School Performance Profiles is available on the district’s website at the link below�

CV School Score

Brownstown Elementary 96�4

J�E� Fritz Elementary 93�6

Leola Elementary 76�0

Smoketown Elementary 85�1

CV Middle School 88�5

CV High School 88�5

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CLICK HERE

Extraordinary! ± This grant will provide for the recording and copyright of an original song composed by Leola Elementary teacher Rick Jones to be sung at Leola Proud assemblies in accordance with the school’s Covey Leader in Me project�

Whole School Read ±Aloud Program. An oral language literacy program with a goal of motivating all CV elementary students to read and share literature beginning in the home�

CVEF receives funding through donations, the Educational Improvement Tax Credit and local fundraising initiatives such as the annual CVEF Derby Day, scheduled for May 3, 2014, and the CVEF Golf Classic, scheduled for Sept� 9, 2014�

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More than $15,000 in innovative academic resources and

programs are coming to students in the Conestoga Valley School District thanks to the Conestoga Valley Education Foundation�

CVEF is a registered non-profit organization that has provided nearly $600,000 in grants to teachers, administrators and students since 1991�

For the fall of 2013, CVEF awarded grants to the following projects:

The Ukulele Project. ± A project to provide 28 ukuleles for music classes at Brownstown Elementary�

CV Education Foundation Awards $15,000 in GrantsSupport initiatives in music, literacy, science

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Many students in grades 4-6 have an interest in learning guitar, but their hands are not large enough to play a full-sized instrument�

Simple Machines Day. ± A partnership between teachers at Fritz Elementary and education students at Lancaster Bible College to provide hands-on workshops for each of the simple machines to all fourth-grade

students� The workshops will allow for students to manipulate actual life-size machines�

Neighborhood Bridges. ± Funding to pilot a four-month program

involving teaching artists from the Fulton Theatre who will engage second grade students in weekly one-hour sessions on creative writing, storytelling, puppetry, theatre games�

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Twelve (mostly) new teachers completed Conestoga Valley’s

induction program over the summer and began teaching in the fall� Though some may have started a semester or two before, welcome to all! (Pictured below, from left to right):

Laura Gingrich is the new Response to Instruction and Intervention (RtII) coordinator at Brownstown Elementary�

Katy Rothenberger is serving as a gold team math teacher at CV Middle School this year� She has previously taught at CVHS, as well as Donegal and Warwick High Schools� The Millersville University grad also teaches colorguard for the Warwick marching band�

Nicole Carmona is a new first grade teacher at Smoketown Elementary� She moved to Lancaster this summer from New Jersey, where she was a second grade bilingual teacher� She is a graduate of Baptist Bible College in Clarks Summit, Pa� She married in June and enjoys scrapbooking and hiking�

Hanna Cargill is a new English teacher at CV High School, where she

CV Welcomes 12 New Teachers in ‘13-14Some familiar faces completed summer induction program

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served as a RtII Aide last school year� She is a graduate of Cornell College (Iowa)�

Maureen Davis is a sixth grade teacher at Brownstown Elementary� She comes to CV after having taught elementary in New Jersey for 18 years� She earned a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from Millersville and is pursing a graduate degree at Wilkes University� She and her husband have three

children, and she enjoys

reading and cooking�

CV alumna Kelly Miller is a new learning support teacher at Smoketown Elementary� After graduating from Millersville University with a bachelor’s in special education, she taught at Eastern York High School� She spends her free time working to earn a pilot’s license�

(Continued on next page)

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Katie Young is a new counselor at Brownstown Elementary� She comes to CV after five years as a school counselor in the nonpublic school services division of the Montgomery County IU 23� She holds two master’s degrees, one in sociology from the University of Delaware and another in school counseling from Loyola, Md�, University� She enjoys spending time with her husband, daughter and dog, Klondike,

as well as hiking, cooking and reading�

NEW TEACHERSContinued from page eight

Brandon Nase is a new music teacher and band/orchestra director at CV Middle School� He earned a bachelor’s degree in music education from Millersville University and is working on a master’s in wind conducting� He enjoys teaching marching band and playing hockey� He is engaged to be married next summer�

Lindsey Krouse is a new learning support and kindergarten teacher at Brownstown Elementary� A native of Red Lion, Pa�, she earned a bachelor’s degree in applied developmental psychology and a master’s in education from the University of Pittsburgh� She previously

student taught in Pittsburgh city schools� In her free time she

enjoys running and listening to music�

Katherine Kern is teaching English at CV Middle School

this year� She has previously taught at James Coughilin High School, Wyomissing Area Jr/Sr High School and Reading Area Community College� She is a graduate of King’s College� She enjoys reading, hiking, biking and kickboxing�

Kaitlyn Gingrich, who started last year as a music teacher at Fritz, has a degree in music education from Lebanon Valley College and has previously taught in the Tulpehocken School District�

Not pictured:

Khris Brubaker is a kindergarten Teacher at Fritz Elementary� She holds a bachelor’s degree in early childhood education from the University of Richmond, and she has taught preschool through high school in a variety of positions� She and her husband have three daughters, She enjoys walking outdoors, baking and being involved in her church�

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Extraordinary GiveOn November 22, the Conestoga

Valley Education Foundation will be one of more than 250 local organizations participating in the Lancaster County Community Foundation’s Extraordinary Give�

Every dollar donated online will be stretched with $250,000 from LCCF and each donation could help CVEF win a portion of $50,000 in prizes—all to benefit CV students!

Mark your calendar for November 22 and tell your friends� Click on the link below to bookmark the page� And remember, when you give extra, extraordinary things happen!

CV CARESIf you come in contact with a CV

employee with superb customer service skills, you are encouraged to fill out a CV CARES Customer Service Recognition Card, available in all CVSD buildings and on the district website�

Each nominee receives a small token of appreciation�

K12 Payment CenterNever have to worry about lost lunch

money again! CV’s partnership with K12PaymentCenter provides a secure, easy and convenient way to apply funds directly to your student’s account online� You can even check the account balance and keep an eye on what your student is buying!

Premium Membership is free to all CV Parents and offers account balances, 45-day meal histories, low balance notifications and more� Plus, K12PaymentCenter’s mobile site is now live!

To register, you need your student’s district student seven-digit ID number�

CV Virtual AcademyThe CV Virtual Academy, a leader in

local cyber education, is now accepting applications for the fall semester�

CVVA students utilize CV’s Blended Schools online system and have the opportunity to meet face-to-face with local, Conestoga Valley teachers� This flexible solution enables self-paced student learning in a 24/7 learning environment for students in grades K-12�

CLICK HERE for more information�CLICK HERE

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CLICK HERE

The board meets the 3rd Monday of every month in the Lloyd S� Greiner Board Room at the Harry W� Wirth Administration Center�

CV School District does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, gender, religion, age, or disability in employment or provision of services.

Charles R� MainesAlan R� KeimIdette B� GroffMerle W� Esh,Secretary

Craig Esbenshade

Todd D� Shertzer,Treasurer

Dr� Gerald G� Huesken, Superintendent

Daryl Stoltzfus,President

John R� Smucker,Vice President

Elizabeth Ulrich

Conestoga Valley School Board 2012-13

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SCHOOL DISTRICT

2110 Horseshoe Road • Lancaster, PA 17601www.cvsd.k12.pa.us