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107 comments:
My kid's bus is about 15 minutes earlier than past years. They like it because they now get to the high school with plenty of time to get to first class. The route is doubled, so the bus is crowded. They are last ones on, and they've complained that too many snotty kids will hog a whole seat to themselves, so finding a seat is hard. I do feel for those kids who are first on, last off who have the longest rides.
Exactly what is the system? What a mess!
I have a child at the high school. The only issue we have had was with the wild drop off time(s); however that has to due with construction. My child kind of likes the earlier pick up because she now has time to get to her locker before first period. I have heard of various issues with regards to elementary schools, but have no personal experience.
i have a child in kindergarten. my child came home crying because the bus driver was literally screaming at the kids that were having difficulty figuring out where to get off of the bus. some of the kids knew the bus was very close to their house, but they were not sure where they were to get off. i was initially angry that ptsd would hire such uncaring mean individuals to drive small elementary children. i later heard that it really was not a ptsd bus driver, but an employee for a bus company that ptsd hires.
(i do not know if that is a fact or not.)
Please keep to news articles ...peoples opinions come out naturally-Thanks
We have an elementary school aged child that is on a bus nearly 30 minutes every night. How is that right?
September 5, 2011 12:50 PM
I am not saying it is right, but all three of my children, from 1996-2011, have had 45 minute bus rides from grades k-8. That is nothing new.
September 5, 2011 12:50 PM
Seriously? Are you kidding?
In the late nineties my child arrived home at 4:10. That was grades k through 3.
Is that what all this about, 30 minutes on a bus?
Anonymous said...
We have an elementary school aged child that is on a bus nearly 30 minutes every night. How is that right?
September 5, 2011 12:50 PM
So do we!! And the bus that our child has ridden for the past two years, the same bus that my child's siblings rode for the past gazillion years, goes by our house a full 15 minutes before this new bus drops our child off. 30 minute bus ride?? Ridiculous!!
No bus issues for our family. Our first grader is on the bus for well over 30 minutes. The time on the bus was much longer in the other school district we have lived in.
Its not just kids spending 30 minutes or more on the bus. There are issues of drivers screaming at children inappropriately, missing stops, changing routes daily depending on who they see on the bus (this then alters drop off times), arriving early at drop off points and then leaving kindergarteners solo at busy intersections. The district has not been responsive. Many, Many people have called with concerns and no one has bothered to return calls. One explanation I heard was that they made the middle school routes longer to use less buses and drivers, so that its impossible even without traffic for the drivers to get to elementary schools by 3:25 dismissal times. They start late from the school and therefore everything gets pushed back. What was wrong with the old routes ? Did it cost too much ? Is this a cost saving measure ? Does it cost less to hire Matthews drivers than to have our own district drivers ? Did they fire district drivers ? I also heard that they are renting our buses to other schools such as mt. lebo that does not have their own busses. Is mt. lebo kids taking precedence over out PT kids ?
C'mon parents. 30 minutes is not that bad. My girls did 30+ minutes from 1990 and on. There are bigger issues in this community to be bugged about. Lighten up on the coddling mums and dads. Your children's predecessors have had bus schedules like this many moons ago!
I am sure that everyone that posted is dealing with issues with the transportation "program." We have two child, one using the bus to get to PV for 2nd grade, so far so good. Now the issue...we also have a kindergartener with special needs and the "professional educators" solution for appropriate transportation was to have him board the middle school bus, get off at the middle school and find his next bus to get to St. Thomas More. We have tried for weeks to get an appropriate solution only to have no return phone calls and one very poor response from the Superintendent. This has been going on for nearly three weeks with no solution provided. Very disappointed in how this has (well not) been handled. Next step, local media.
Dear Blog King or Queen??
Looking at all the posts, don't you think it is time to move on with two of them that have been up for years. The one about shedding a tear has been there for years as the settlement for the former HS principal. I am guessing that parents who have students in K-12 don't even know who the HS principal was and the other one is also outdated. Time to move on? The district has significant problems that are current, that we read about here. Whether you print this or not is up to you. I am not related to anyone including the HS principal and am not an employee of the district. Just looking at updating and relevancy, that is all.
I have a kid currently in the high school who understands the "old" topic titles on the main page and had that person as principal. We are still footing the bill, it's not that old.
I see from email today that the stadium now has "standing zones"" marked on the pavement for games and bleachers added to the end zone under the scoreboard....so hopefully the away school's band will be moved into the away side stands...for their sake? Nice solution with added bleachers...but, the "zone" lines seem ridiculous.
You are correct. I know nothing of the old issues here. However, i am glad that old settlement agreement is on here. It really does have to do with here and now with regards to current budget issues:
"On July 1, 2013, the District shall authorize and enable Dr. Hajzus to take paid leave with full compensation at 100% of his then-annual compensation, as well as all benefits under the Act 93 Agreement, for the 2013-2014 school year, which the parties agree will be the latest possible date for Dr. Hajzus' final year of employment with District. To this end, Dr. hajzus will give the District written notification of his intention to declare any school year prededing the 2013-2014 school year to be his final year of employment with the District, upon the same (30) day written notice"....."Dr. Hajzus will remain on the District's roster of active employees during this year of paid administrative leave and continue to earn full pension service credit and any related Act 93 benefits during the leave, as if he had continued to report to work each day."
Do you think that does not currently impact every single one of our pocket books? The district said the pay to play fee saved something like $75,0000. I know I will get slammed for making this comment, as will the school district for doing the wrong thing; and of course the "he deserves it" comment. All of which might be very true. Even so, it still heavily impacts our budget here and now. I have seen this guy out and about (he looks just fine) walking trails, enjoying daily life while we pay his outrageous salary to sit at home. We pay for it. It is ok to be out and about smiling yet not ok to work? What is the guys problem? Sounds and looks like the typical medical fraud to me.
hmmmm.....did you even bother the read the old settlement agreement? it impacts the school district budget until 2014. i have a child in the middle school and two other children that have already graduated from this school district. speak for yourself. when parents raise questions about current specific subjects they can see that they were not alone; previous families, that have already been through the system, have had similar concerns.
if you go way way back on these posts, you can clearly see that college and post secondary guidance was a big issue and it still is! our school board ran for office based on "accountability" and they themselves are not doing it! they lied.
"I have seen this guy out and about (he looks just fine) walking trails, enjoying daily life while we pay his outrageous salary to sit at home. We pay for it. It is ok to be out and about smiling yet not ok to work? What is the guys problem? Sounds and looks like the typical medical fraud to me."
September 7, 2011 7:40 AM
Before you speak you need to think. Why are we attacking the first symptoms of issues and problems in our district that still exist? Our leadership, or lack of it, created a problem that must have been very serious as the district did not win anywhere or anytime outside of the Board Hearing. What one looks like has nothing to do with the documented harm that was done to him and his family. How in the world can you be critical of a person who stood up to this system of ours and protected himself and his family? By the way I am aware that this person did indeed try to come back to work but the current super blocked and derailed his attempts to do so. We only know that something bad happened and people were held accountable period. Yes we are all paying that bill but lets place keep the focus on the perpetrators and not the victim.
Sounds and looks like the typical medical fraud to me.
What a senseless comment. Since you see the man around why not confront him with your accusations? I hope he is made aware of your comments and those like yours as I see him as the only person with the @a%^& to stand up for kids, the schools, the community and what was right. We lack fighters like him thus we will continue this downward spiral.
Sorry, I think old topics are sometimes relevant too. Especially when it comes down to lawsuits and large amounts of money. Very true, it does not matter whose fault it is, it is a legal document and we are still paying for it.
The district should also be posting the other various public employment contracts. This district, in my opinion, is very sneaky. I would like to the status of various other district lawsuits.
@"Please keep to news articles ...peoples opinions come out naturally-Thanks"
Sometimes that is how news articles get started.... ; )
September 7, 2011 7:40 AM
I think we can all conclude the following;
1. All public school employees are entitled to apply for various leaves.
2. The superintendent has to approve these leaves and place them on the Board agenda.
3. The Solicitor reviews the agenda items prior to, or along with the Board, to be sure they are legal.
4. The Board votes to approve the requested leave.
I don't get where you feel the former principal has done anything wrong? Of course we may not like these types of leave but these are applied for and approved all the time. Why your singling out this person and making such accusations is a bit confusing.
YATAHAY said...
@"Please keep to news articles ...peoples opinions come out naturally-Thanks"
Sometimes that is how news articles get started.... ; )
September 8, 2011 10:16 AM
Very true!
WE PAY FOR HIM NOT TO WORK AND IT IS STILL VERY RELEVANT. THAT MAN NEVER STOOD UP FOR KIDS OR THEIR EDUCATION, EXCEPT OF COURSE IF YOU WERE A CLOSE PERSONAL FRIEND. OH PLEASE LET ME SEE HIM IN PUBLIC, I HAVE A LONG LIST OF QUESTIONS FOR THAT MAN AND HIS FAMILY AS WELL.
"What a senseless comment."
hey, looks like fraud to me too. what is senseless about it--because they do not agree with you? fighters like him? yeah, real great advice (not) he told my kid there was no need to take those tough honors and ap courses because they were so hard? although you are right, he did allow some of the kids to bypass school district policy because they were friends of the family. yes, he did fight for some, while stomping upon others.
i am so thankful the district now has a really good administrative team at that high school. the entire mood and environment has changed.
Because this guy was so great and apparently walked on water we are not paying for it?
Aren't you taking this a little too personal? We most certainly are footing the bill for that salary!
Think about it, from the outside looking in, it certainly does look like medical fraud. I would be happy to tell him or any of his family members that. If he is out and about, why he is not able to go to work? Surgical rehab for years? What kind of medical condition goes on for years that you can not do a desk job? My father had cancer and was told to go on permanent disability, which certainly did not pay a full salary and benefits! Do all public school district employees get full salary and benefits if they are sick for years and can not work?
Two of you are obviously very happy to be paying his full $130,000+ benefits salary for not working. I am not. I do not care how good he WAS or what he DID years ago. He has not done it for the past 3 years, but we are still paying him for it??
I would like to think the district is smart enough to be looking out for such a serious issue as medical fraud. Maybe not. They seem to have serious issues with accountability.
September 8, 2011 10:35 AM
I Agree. We pay for all public school district salaries and the lawsuits and settlements they have against the taxpayers. Bottom line, we pay.
Is it true? The 3.7 superintendent developed QPA was used by her eliminating any EVERY day substitute who did not have that exact QPA or higher? If true, did she send this information out to the board and substitutes so they would know they will Never get hired here with a lower QPA? If it is true why hasn't she communicated that to All subs? Who on the board is brave enough to ask her these questions? If it is true. Why not ask the elementary teachers?
Is it true? Staff in central office are concerned about what has been going on this week. The last time the super was
out of character like this people felt things were going on
that they did not know about and the superintendent was
trying to get them to support her for who knows what?
Is it true? A large amount of distrust has developed in that building because of how people are treated?
he did allow some of the kids to bypass school district policy because they were friends of the family. yes, he did fight for some, while stomping upon others.
Ha ha your comments stand alone as your total ignorance of the reality of things. If that did happen he would have been fired and lost his license. However, those on the witch hunt, maybe one of them was you, who he did not cower to tried to smear him, his family name and even his family. Sorry, but we went down that road with you guys before and it was an empty and hollow place with no evidence and only evil people bent on hurting a good person, nice family and excellent kids.
OH PLEASE LET ME SEE HIM IN PUBLIC, I HAVE A LONG LIST OF QUESTIONS FOR THAT MAN AND HIS FAMILY AS WELL.
Simple, we all know where he lives. He makes no secrets about that. We know from the blog he walks on the trail. We also know from the blog he is in and about the community. You paper tigers are pitiful. Why not look him up and report back to the blog. That would be interesting. Cat got your tongue!!!!!!
By the way why are you hostile to his family--that is really sick but maybe that is who and what you are--sick.
Ha ha that is the sound of us laughing at you.
September 8, 2011 10:35 AM sums up the medical fraud issue very well.
September 8, 2011 3:21 PM
Do all public school district employees get full salary and benefits if they are sick for years and can not work?
If they have the sick days, qualify for the requested leaves, if it is in their contract, or they meet criteria that is Board approved the answer is yes.
I know two people who applied for teaching positions and were denied consideration/interview because their GPAS were slightly below 3.7. This is the reason they were given. I think if this IS policy, someone on the board, besides the super, needs to take a quick look through personnel files and make sure ALL of her recent hires have met this criteria.
I do not agree with this "policy". High GPA does not equate good teacher.
I visit this site for entertainment and at times felt compelled to make a comment. The bottom line to keep in mind is that the majority of people do not visit this site. Good people do not want to get involved in the BS that occurs on this site in the way it is done. Granted there appears to be a few good people but please read the blog in it's entirety and it is what it is--useless.
I thought this particular blog was about the new bus schedules? Can't you comment on the past principal somewhere else? Or better yet....give it up. It really is yesterday's news. Time to move on bloggers.
Too bad this blog can't post photos.
He was a good guy that bent the rules for those that "needed" it:
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/s_84308.html
Anonymous said...
I visit this site for entertainment and at times felt compelled to make a comment. The bottom line to keep in mind is that the majority of people do not visit this site. Good people do not want to get involved in the BS that occurs on this site in the way it is done. Granted there appears to be a few good people but please read the blog in it's entirety and it is what it is--useless.
September 9, 2011 10:42 AM
Good people? You might be surprised at who and how many people read this "useless" blog for more than entertainment. I am surprised every time someone new in a conversation mentions this board. I have learned a lot on this blog about things going on at school that I NEEDED to know for my kids that were not being communicated.
There is some childish sniping. Not everything here is "useless".
You also need to know that a lot of employees and school board members read this site. Because so many employees are afraid of retaliation by the superintendent, they can only let the board know here what is going on. Unfortunately, many of the school board members are also afraid to investigate the information that is written here. How do you think people find out about subs being told to go home due to QPA's, the comments being made to the staff about F'n around she wrote, and the sad situation in central office on how people get treated, and many other pieces of information. Like anything else, it is probably not entirely perfect, but nonetheless most of it is very, very accurate. One day, school board members may listen.
There is something I really do not understand in this school system. At the elementary level the kids get a 15 minute lunch period. By the time they get their lunches they have five minutes to eat; of course if you pack you get the full 15 minutes. In high school they get 40+ minutes for lunch, then they just sit there for 30 minutes. My child has said that it is too loud to do homework and it is really just a waste of time. I do not understand why nobody has ever redone the scheduling system, especially since they keep piling on more and more un-necessary graduation requirements? What a waste of valuable education time just sitting idle.
I found this very interesting:
http://www.foxbusiness.com/personal-finance/2011/09/02/highest-paying-jobs-with-most-time-off-read-more-highest-paying-jobs-with-most/
July 1990: Thomas Hajzus hired as principal of Peters Township High School.
June 2001: Hajzus begins seeing a psychiatrist for depression.
January 2002: Hajzus submits a letter to Peters Superintendent Diane L. Kirk outlining his psychiatric problems.
Feb. 26, 2002: Kirk informs Hajzus that he is being placed on administrative leave. The district orders him to undergo an independent mental evaluation.
April 24, 2002: A report from Dr. Charolette Hoffman, the independent psychiatrist, recommends Hajzus return to work, with accommodations for late arrival and breaks during the day.
May 13, 2002: School board creates position of director of special programs and projects, reassigns Hajzus to the post.
May 15, 2002: Hajzus requests public hearings before the school board.
January 2003: School board upholds Hajzus' reassignment after series of public hearings.
February 2003: Board promotes Assistant Principal William Englert to high school principal.
March 2003: Hajzus appeals to state secretary of education.
August 2003: Then-Secretary of Education Vicki L. Phillips reverses school board decision. Board elects to appeal the decision to Commonwealth Court.
March 2004: Commonwealth Court upholds Phillips' decision.
May 2004: District appeals to state Supreme Court.
December 2004: State Supreme Court refuses to hear district's appeal
I was very impressed with the student musical performances at the rally for America. I certainly will be watching for upcoming concert dates. I was very surprised.
One day, school board members may listen.
September 10, 2011 5:51 PM
I blame Cindy G as she is in charge of personnel, is the prime supporter of the super but is getting what she wants as she has a child playing sports, especially one to benefit from PV renovations.
Hey I bet the sub QPA is a result of a sub being critical of the super and thus she sought out a way to make it appear this was universal but meant for a person or two. Not out of the question from what I hear from people who have disagreed with her. We don't have enough subs now what are we doing??? More study halls for our kids. Does this person do anything that benefits our district?
We all keep hearing about these personnel problems and they seem to all stem from poor treatment or decisions by the superintendent. Where is our School Board, specifically where is the personnel Committee of the Board? Who is in charge of personnel from the Boards perspective? That's who should be called to task.
My child, who was highly opposed to the new Friday night rules, could not stop talking about the incredible student section. I was able to occasionally stand by the fence and did not miss the hoards of kids shoving and standing by the concession area. I do not know how others feel about it, or how successful it was, but my child and I had a much better Friday night experience than in years past.
I watched the Board meeting and saw those two courageous girls from the Forensics team make their plea for financial help. I saw Dr. Zetty on TV reply is a cold manner and was a tad condescending but had no solutions for the girls. If I were the teams forced to pay the freight I would then not allow the District (Dr. Zetty) to use our efforts to pump up the districts reputation.
Moreover I have now seen with my own eyes a leader who has no compassion nor care for kids. Please do not tell me what I saw it was there and our superintendent was lousy in dealing with those poor girls.
Where in the heck in our School Board????
September 10, 2011 9:41 AM
I hear people reference this blog frequently as well. I am usually not a contributor. I have personally found some comments to be relevant and certainly some that are not. That is how a blog goes!
We had trouble the first week of school with buses, but now it is ok. Hope you all are having an ok time with buses now. I really liked the changes at the football game. In my opinion it seemed a lot more family friendly. The Rally for America was very nice as well, but that was Character Counts.
he told my kid there was no need to take those tough honors and ap courses because they were so hard? although you are right, he did allow some of the kids to bypass school district policy because they were friends of the family.
I'm sorry I was in numerous meeting where I heard the opposite of what you are saying you heard? If you heard this maybe your kids should not have been taking the AP classes and you were their problem?
Where did you get that this person allowed family friends to by pass district policy? I watched those hearing on TV and guidance counselors testified, as did others involved, under oath, that that allegation was untrue and the district never was able to prove it. Where have you been?
Lets let that dog finally go to sleep.
I have a child that goes to the high school. We have had no bus trouble. We live fairly close to the school. I think it is funny that the drop off time is 2:22. The buses do not even get out of the parking lot that early.
"Where did you get that this person allowed family friends to by pass district policy?"
thankfully, my child was one of them :)
"If you heard this maybe your kids should not have been taking the AP classes and you were their problem?"
Yes, my children are problems. One is in the 4th year of medical school and still getting straight A's. There was no valid reason to deny straight A students access to AP classes by telling them the courses "were too hard". If the courses filled, it would have been another story. Your right, put that dog to sleep. Thankfully my other child, now going through the high school, is not facing the academic hurdles my other children had.
September 12, 2011 11:25 PM
hahaha i wasn't called to testify. we reaped a few benefits from that regime. no such thing as computerized grades then either. no proof and certainly no complaints here. way to work it. i do have to say, it was nice to be able to stroll around the stadium without getting trampled on friday night.
So, you blame Cindy G that the Super. can do NO wrong. Whatever takes place, the super. will not be accountable for her actions, decisions, comments, behavior, etc? Is that what you are saying? Well, this is what I am saying.
Why do the other 8 board members allow this?
What happened to the school district/school board web site? Everything is gone from the school board agendas to the old school board meeting minutes. They really are making it a habit of creating difficulties for taxpayers to receive information that is part of public record. Our district never did put the teachers contract online like other schools do. I thought technology was to make things easier? They shove technology down the kids' and teachers' throats, but won't practice what they preach!
We certainly can go get a paper copy, but those of us that frequently work during the school day do not have time to run to the DAO every time we want to look up something. This district gets less and less transparent as the years go by. Our school board should be ashamed of themselves. I was looking for meeting minutes, from a few years ago, in regards to a policy that I was looking at. I wanted to know who voted for what. It is a very quick and easy task via a computer search, but not so easy leafing through hundreds of pages of paper meeting minutes! This reaks of a political move on the part of school board members. It seems they do not like being held accountable for their own actions either! Are they afraid someone of us might hold them accountable?
thankfully, my child was one of them :)
September 13, 2011 9:31 AM
Then where were you when the district was trying to prove that happened and had no evidence? I doubt that your truthful or you could have saved the district a boat load of money.
The outcomes of what has been the facts of all the hearings and court cases say otherwise.
No evidence and no proof just rumor, innuendo and of course people like you that are either dishonest or a liar, pick one or are you both?
No matter the real proof is in the court rulings and other outcomes.
The information about PV field is gone from the web site. The district sure was quick to sweep that extravagant expenditure under the rug.
Pishaw, get over it. My "over achiever" of a kid got the same speech. It was five or six years ago. "The world needs people in skilled labor too. Not every student that should be in AP classes, needs to be take them." The entire room, at that meeting, heard it. Get over it. It is no longer like that and it is ancient history. Move on.
The game crowd was much more peaceful. It was also a lot smaller. Even with team recognition, there were fewer in attendance...so it appeared to work. In my view, the people "missing" were middle school students and the little ones who roll down the hill. I'd be curious to know if it affected ticket sales. Now...could someone please ask the student section to sing the alma mater and fight song? Most school's student section is the "twelfth man". By singing loud with the band, cheering with the cheerleaders, making noise in unison instead of a mishmash of sound. It shows a wealth of school spirit while intimidating the opposing team in a clean, acceptable way!
Since when did we (the school district email/communication director) start sending out emails to vote for athletes of the week? Oh I guess that starts when you mom is on the board. Please keep the communication to important items. The only vote I want to cast is for school board when it counts in November. Say bye bye!
The world does need plumbers, brick layers and welders. Not everyone that qualifies to take challenging or hard courses actually needs to take them.
The board acts as a unit, but all singular votes have not been unanimous.
"The outcomes of what has been the facts of all the hearings and court cases say otherwise"
you are so right. the "outcomes" do speak for themselves. read the entire transcript, every single testimony; not just 'the outcomes'. the transcripts do speak for themselves as well. our situation was brought to light during the trial, several student issues were. many shocking very little things came out in trial that are officially listed in the court documents as wrongful or questionable actions. they were not published or outlined anywhere by the media. those actions were certainly not against the law. the district was flat out wrong in the way they handled the job reassignment. it was against the law. that is the 'outcome' and it is correct. the district did the wrong the thing. based upon, what you call, that final "outcome", it appears those little incidents were "expunged" from permanent employment records because the district did not handle them correctly. just because the newspaper or the final outcome didn't publish if for you to read, does not mean it was not brought to light at the trial. the factual testemonial statements are part of permanent court records.
i do not care what you think or what names you call our family, or his. only those of us directly involved, know the specific details of what really happened. he was a great help to our child at that time.
"Since when did we (the school district email/communication director) start sending out emails to vote for athletes of the week? "
Ummmm...2010...Remember the girls soccer player? Shelly S. was her name? Then there was for that baseball player in May--Bianco. We were also sent a message about voting for Austin H. last year!
Sounds like you have some sour grapes against that family. We also got something last year about voting for the PT hockey team and a tennis player. Take your hate elsewhere. Whether you like the family or not, their child's actions speaks for himself.
Mark my words. Cindy G will be the next board president so she can take pleasure in hearing herself talk.
We did get past emails for voting PT students as athlete of the week and voting for other things as well! Why is it ok to solicit votes for other PT students but not ok for the child of a school board member? The kid did nothing wrong. I agree, "take your hate elsewhere".
"i do not care what you think or what names you call our family, or his. "
Ditto. Transcript 500-something contains that information. They did nothing, the same thing the school board is doing right now! Not a thing!
I think Cindy G. handles herself quite well. I enjoy her leadership and knowledge on the board.
"Since when did we (the school district email/communication director) start sending out emails to vote for athletes of the week? "
Ummmm...2010...Remember the girls soccer player? Shelly S. was her name? Then there was for that baseball player in May--Bianco. We were also sent a message about voting for Austin H. last year!
Sounds like you have some sour grapes against that family. We also got something last year about voting for the PT hockey team and a tennis player. Take your hate elsewhere. Whether you like the family or not, their child's actions speaks for himself.
September 14, 2011 10:36 AM
You sound just like the mom in question! And just an FYI our family just started receiving the school emails, and I do not care who the athlete is or the sport it is wrong!
Anonymous said...
Mark my words. Cindy G will be the next board president so she can take pleasure in hearing herself talk.
September 14, 2011 10:38 AM
Then God help us all....what was her GPA?
Red and White....
AND BLUE RIBBON!
Pleasant Valley Elementary Named a National Blue Ribbon School
The U.S. Department of Education has named Pleasant Valley Elementary as a National Blue Ribbon School. This year, 304 schools were designated as 2011 National Blue Ribbon Schools based on their overall academic excellence or for their success in closing achievement gaps. The Department will honor the 255 public and 49 private schools with their National Blue Ribbon School awards at a conference and awards ceremony Nov. 14-15 in Washington, D.C.
"On behalf of the Pleasant Valley Family, we are extremely excited to be recognized as a Blue Ribbon School," said Michael Fisher, Principal at Pleasant Valley. "The success at Pleasant Valley can be attributed to our dedicated faculty and staff, supportive parents, community, and past educators who have set the standard for Pleasant Valley's tradition of excellence."
Pleasant Valley was recognized among the highest performing public and private schools as measured by their performance on state assessments. A total of 14 schools in Pennsylvania were awarded this honor.
Congratulations to PV!!
Who is the technology person we are supposed to talk to about all the "file not found" errors on the new web site or are we supposed to call the OH company that hosts that web page? Did they ever a hire a real technology person? I am guessing not because it costs too much to hire a real technology professional!
Why do you people have to criticize the accomplishments of a specific student? That is just so wrong. Although I do think the district does hold athletic accomplishments in higher esteem than it does academic accomplishments.
I have noticed that we have received several solicitations for "votes" within the past few years. What is wrong with that; or is it because you are jealous of student accomplishments because it was not your own?
PTSD Transportation Update
Over the past several days, final changes have been made to the regular bus schedules and our transportation procedures. All routes have been reviewed and posted times adjusted based on real-time needs for dismissal, arrival, etc. Parents of students K-8 should log in to PowerSchool to review the updated bus information.
You will also note the new five-day view of the transportation information. For students who have been approved for multiple routes, PowerSchool will now reflect those schedules.
We have been notified of construction projects that may necessitate changes in the coming weeks or months in some areas of the Township. Specifics will be made available as the projects are slated to begin.
Attention Elementary Parents:
Our goal is to build strong safety habits with our students inside and outside of our building. As we work with our Transportation Department, we ask that our parents create an open dialogue with their child's bus driver about the drop off procedures for your child. Please talk with your child's driver at the bus stop and let the driver know your family's bus stop routine - if your child will frequently be picked up by a neighbor, another family member, if they are permitted to walk home without an adult, etc. We believe these are good safety habits, regardless of the student's age.
Going forward, our procedure for students in grades K-3 will be that during the first two weeks of school, without instructions from a parent, and without a responsible party there to meet the bus, the driver will keep the child in our care, return him or her to the Transportation Offices, and the parents will be contacted.
Email blast from school district:
These drivers have been charged with the care of students and while the safety of all of our students is our utmost concern, we take extra precautions with the youngest students as they are developing important safety habits. Thank you for taking the time to open a line of communication with your driver to ensure your child's safety at the bus stop.
Looks like TH is again another vocal presence on this blog. Take note of the numerous defensive arguments, filled with misspellings and grammatical errors. This is exactly his hallmark.
His next blog will be a vicious attack on this comment. Yet another indication of who it is.
Mark my words. Cindy G will be the next board president so she can take pleasure in hearing herself talk.
She may well be but we know for sure she does not listen to anyone especially if they are critical of the leadership of the district.
"Take your hate elsewhere"
Ha ha ho ho ha ha where have you been all of these years this blog originated out of hate and continues with hate as its foundation. That is for a few people who visit from time to time. It is amazing that we can change the people and the haters are still there.
Nice for PV to get recognition somewhere in the Township. Our superintendent, as usual, has very little to say about academic achievements even this highest of honors in the Nation.
CONGRATULATIONS PLEASANT VALLEY
the only school in PTSD to ever achieve this award!
I think Cindy G. handles herself quite well. I enjoy her leadership and knowledge on the board.
September 14, 2011 6:30 PM
J O K E what are you watching? She is rude and abrupt and what leadership? She is only leading one other board member down the path with her....the sinking path...good riddance to both of you! Sooner than later
Congrats to PV on Blue Ribbon Recognition. Thanks go out to the teachers who are the core of this recognition, to Mary Hamrick who helped build this school and work with the teachers, to Diane Kirk who did the same, and to Mike Fisher who is continuing the tradition. Well Done!
Was the question asking "Since when does the district...?" hypothetical? Thanks to a few who actually provided an answer, whether you like it not. My vote goes for 'not'!
I certainly agree. This district is always promoting students who participate in athletic competition and do not, at all, encourage academic competition. The district is currently in the process of telling the academic competitors that they are cut. The district spends more on the laundry bill for athletic teams than they do for academic compeitions.
Academic Excellence? What a farce.
I have also been asking this for years, PT groups do it all the time:
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/pittsburgh/s_757406.html
I love the elementary schools here. They encourage active dialogue and inquisitiveness in children. Too bad that can not carry over to the upper grade levels here. I think the AP Science and Math classes offered in this district are also beyond reproach.
So tired of the same person/s making reference to blog entries being made by "haters" and making statements for people making comments here to "take your hate elsewhere" Hate is such and strong and disgusting emotion which is not part of my vocabulary. Perhaps you are the one with issues or the guilty conscience? It is getting really old. If you do not like what is being said here then blog elsewhere or come up with a new line.
"For students who have been approved for multiple routes, PowerSchool will now reflect those schedules."
What exactly does that mean? Does that mean the bus does not take the same route to and from school each day? My early elementary school aged child keeps telling us that the bus does not go the same way every day.
Why are the bus routes not posted on PowerSchool as well? Bus routes are very important to know in case something happens in the township or in case of a horrific world event, for safety purposes. It would be nice to know where my children are.
What is wrong with you people? Hew person needs some work to do so it all gets screwed up? Why fix what is not broken?
We actually got a real letter in the mail from the high school asking us to meet about post secondary planning! They actually invited the parents! We are not hearing, "but, we told the kids about...."!
It must be a cold day...........
Bus schedules AGAIN!
We are starting the 4th week of school and they are changing schedules AGAIN!
FUBAR!
If they do not want to post the bus routes online because of safety issues, the least they could do is send us the entire route of our own child's bus. Let me guess, powerschool can not do that.
I wanted to pick my child up at the first stop on the route to keep a doctors appointment. I thought it would be better for the school traffic, to not have another student car rider. I have no clue what the first stop on the route is!! What are they trying to hide? This district is becoming less and less transparent and I really do not trust them any more.
Lets reminder Mary Ann B as an important part of the foundation at PV. Congrats to all who were there in the past and to those who will carry on in the future. An award such as this depends on everyone's contributions to set it and then get it.
PV was a fantastic school when my children attended over a decade ago. I am so glad to see that the excellence continues! Congratulations!
September 19, 2011 2:23 PM
since we are reminiscing about decades ago, how about principal mcwreath and do not forget the more recent mary hamrick. oh do not forget that wonderful mrs. critchfield too! she was the best.
I heard, via hearsay, that PTSD is eliminating the academic competition for odyssey of the mind for elementary students. I heard the district is claiming they never did support that academic competition for elementary kids. That is a lie. My child participated in that activity in the early 2000's and we paid for it, but were required, by that organization, to utilize the name PTSD as a sponsor. We only used the name.
Policy 6153 states, specifically, that the Odyssey of the Mind academic competition is supported by the school district. The policy also states:
"All students who qualify on the basis of competition or who are otherwise eligible to engage in the activity shall be accorded the opportunity to participate in the student trip. Students or parents/guardians may be required to provide financial support for the student trip."
I did not find any age delineation within the policy. It certainly sounds like age discrimination to me. More academic cuts. Just pathetic.
PV was, and obviously still is, a great school!
Is it true that the district is trying to get rid of the odyssey of the mind competition again? I know it is probably true that it might save the district a whopping $1,000! It seems every time there is a renewed interest in that academic competition, the district slashes away at it even more. The administration certainly does like to take the credit when those kids win! How can the district justify creating a new competitive bowling team, yet not support an academic competition that fosters critical thinking skills in a team environment? That program has been around for decades. Please tell me this is just a nasty grapevine rumor.
The superintendent doesn't want to fund it.
I heard administration said that the district does not support extracurricular activities at the elementary level. Just because the district did support OM before, does not mean they should have been doing so.
As I recall, the OM program used to only be available for "gifted" kids. In my opinion, I thought it was great when participation picked up and was available to all students willing to put forth the effort; apparently the district does not think so. Look out, I am guessing other long standing elementary academic competitions will also soon have school district support withdrawn as well. I certainly hope someone brought this to the attention of the school board.
hahaha...odyssey of the mind costs the district one sponsor salary for a full year, about $1500, and $125 for each school that participates. the district spends $230 thousand on sports coaches and $110 thousand on academic coaches.
sure cut the academics from public education! this has gone too far. our school board had better speak up.
Yes, it is true; the district wants to eliminate that academic competition for younger students and the board members do not care at all.
What's next? NHD? PJAS? Does the district think these programs will be successful at a higher grade level without a feeder program? Perhaps that is the point? Without feeder programs, these programs will not be successful in higher grades, then the district will not have to fund them at all. They will be able to claim cuts based on lack of participation. Been there, seen that!
I am sure other local school districts that have OM teams would be happy to host the intellectual abilities of some of our students.
quit your moaning. you can take your kid to almost any private or parochial school that encourages students in academic competitions. haven't you noticed, ptsd is on their way to eliminating that academic competition crap? the schools are going backwards. in school, during the day, is academic work and extra curriculars are sports. the end.
Does that include the Middle School OM teams?
"The superintendent doesn't want to fund it."
Unacceptable. When my child participated, we paid for it and took him to competitions. We only used the school name. They sure were happy to brag about the winnings! USC and Mt. Lebo have hundreds of kids that participate and they encourage it. Those schools might not fund it, but at least the school lets them use their name. It just hit me, they do not want to fund it, because our teams would win and then maybe they have to pay to go to states or worlds! Thats right, we only fund sports to do that. Not academics. This is the school district that brags about "Excellence in Academics"?...baahaaahaaa
So, the district is eliminating Odyssey of the Mind because of funding; but they will be paying about $9,200 every year for electricity to the new field above PV and they need an additional $27,000 some dollars to finish the electrical on said field. They are also now trying to fix a water line leak that has been going on at PV for years. Guess why! That water needs to go to the new field.
I just read an article in the news paper about OM no longer being sponsored at the elementary level. The article was in the Almanac.
http://www.thealmanac.net/alm/story11/09-21-2011-PT-school-board
In 2003 my son was on team from McMurray elementary. It certainly was not free, but the district supported the academic efforts of the students, by letting them utilize the PTSD name. The district was happy to announce that 77 students participated in the program in March.
Sounds like district administration made that preposterous decision then send parents with questions to see Dr. Freado. Kind of ironic that he was such a proponent of the program at McMurray school years ago; now he has to explain to parents why it is not longer supported.
"Does that include the Middle School OM teams?"
No PTMS and PTHS can still have teams. School districts spend $135 to have a school team. Therefore they save $135 for each school that does not participate; fees that parents said they will pay.
"So, the district is eliminating Odyssey of the Mind because of funding;"
The district did not say that. They said no extra curriculars are supported by the school district at the elementary level. This is definitely new and absurd; especially when parents are willing to fund it.
This school board and administration have made it extremely clear their priority for students is athletics not education.
They even dropped OM for younger gifted students that have it as part of their GIEP to stimulate creative thinking!
From the article about Odyssey of the Mind being cut:
"“We don’t offer extracurricular activities in Math Counts and theater, or any of the other opportunities at the elementary level,” said Superintendent Nina Zetty. “There is a win-win solution and Dr. (Robert) Freado (middle school principal) is taking care of that."
She suggested that interested parents should contact Freado, who can explain the process of how elementary students can participate in the "Odyssey of the Mind" competition.
Zetty said that volunteers can help with the program, as they do in other extracurricular activities, but all volunteers would have to pass the necessary clearances."
Hasn't OM ALWAYS been taken care of through volunteers? It has to be such a minimal cost to the district. This is ridiculous. Her statement that math counts and theater are not offered-she says that like it's a good thing.
Getting sick of seeing sports-make that certain sports-get all the funding.
The administrators have to explain many things they don't agree with that the superintendent demands. Start off with the 3.7 QPA that she and she alone put in and don't let anyone tell you any different. Then go to OM, the HS football coach, not putting all information in the policies (she does add ons that don't need board approval), telling the school board that the foundation will be paying 10,000 for math books WITHOUT ASKING the foundation (by the way, when they were later asked they said NO!-the board already voted so this is 10,000 that should have come out of the district budget in the first place) to many other issues. A once proud district is no longer thought of as one that people want to come and work. People will still move in due to low Washington County and Peters Township Taxes. Until an article in the newspaper is written with all the facts, interviews held with the people who left, and the sad negative environment in central office where people work in fear, nothing will change.
I am shocked the district does not support OM at the elementary school levels, yet will do so at the middle and high schools. I guess we wait for the other hammer to drop on the support of the other elementary educational extra curriculars?
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