Newsletters & Archives

Once again, WHS will be hosting the annual Ramp Riot robotics competition.

PLEASE JOIN US for RAMP RIOT on November 10th!

In the event that power is not restored at Mattison Avenue School, the following is the plan for school operations for Friday, November 2^nd. All Mattison students will report to their building at the start of the school day.

Students will then be transported with their teachers and Dr. Lupo to Shady Grove Elementary School for the school day. The administrative team and principals have been working to plan a productive instructional day for the students.

Additionally, we are adding administrative personnel to assist with the day. At 2:30 PM, Mattison students will be bused back to Mattison for normal dismissal procedures. While we know this is not business as usual, this is a unique situation and the goal is to get all children back to school for as much normalcy as possible following this unusual and challenging week.

We are working hard with our administrative team to make this a positive experience and, we hope with all of these details you will feel comfortable and work with us. The health, safety and welfare of our students is always our priority.

As of 5:00 PM, this is our current plan for tomorrow, Friday November 2^nd. If power is restored to Mattison Avenue you will be notified via Dr. Lupo and through a School Messenger call.

Thank you for your cooperation and support during this challenging time.

All district schools and offices are CLOSED Monday (10/29) & Tuesday (10/30). Activites have also been cancelled.

Parent Letter

 Classroom Meetings

This year, in anticipation of the upcoming election, Blue Bell “Celebrates America!”

Prior to Election Day and Veterans Day, each grade level has chosen an American holiday to research as a class or group.  They will create informational banners about America’s national holidays and traditions.  The banners will be on display in the library during Election Day and will be moved to the main hallway for our annual honoring of veterans on Friday, November 16^th.  As the year progresses, students will learn a variety of patriotic songs and awareness of the holidays when they occur.

 Our goal is to focus on America, it’s national holidays, and what it means to be an American, or even live here temporarily.  This would tie in very nicely with the election, student voting, being a good citizen at school, and our upcoming Veterans Day events.  It is a wonderful way to share and show pride in our great country.

 We hope you will take time to talk about the importance of America’s national holidays, too.  Be sure to look for the beautiful displays when you are at Blue Bell School.

Veterans Day Letter 2012

A letter from the superintendent to parents regarding the ongoing negotiations of the WEA-Support contract is available here.

Superintendent's Letter to Parents - October 18, 2012

The following information was sent to families at Blue Bell Elementary School and Stony Creek Elementary School. The District’s health services team encourages all school families to read the letter and fact sheet to learn more about pertussis and steps for prevention.

Notice Regarding Pertussis (Whooping Cough)

Pertussis Fact Sheet

Please click here to read the notice of public hearing regarding possible school closure.

Below are documents associated with the public hearing:

Public Hearing Agenda 10/1

Public Hearing Agenda 10/8

Public Hearing Presentation

Public Hearing Presentation (Spanish version)

Elementary Report

Elementary Report (Spanish version)

The bus schedules for the 2012-2013 school year have been posted on the transportation page and by clicking here.

Kindergarten  First Grade  Second Grade Third Grade  Fourth Grade

Fifth Grade

The district is seeking to establish a facilities community group to provide stakeholder input relative to the facilities recommendations for the Wissahickon School District. Interested individuals may make application to Mr. Wade Coleman, Business Administrator via his email at wcoleman@wsdweb.org through June 30, 2012. Applicants should submit a letter of interest and resume.

In an effort to keep the community abreast of the contract negotiations with the WEA Support Staff, a Negotiations Update Page has been created under District Information and a link has been placed on the district’s home page.

WSD is happy to announce upgrades to their community and parent portal.  As of 4PM on Wednesday, June 6th, 2012, the new web address to the WSD Sapphire Community Portal will be parents.wsdweb.org.  Please update your favorites and bookmarks accordingly.  The WSD Sapphire Community Portal allows parents and students to access school information such as grades and attendance via the internet.  Please contact your student’s school if you have any questions about signing up for this valuable resource.

A Special Public Meeting of the Wissahickon Board of School Directors will be held on Wednesday, June 6, 2012 at 6:00 p.m., in the Administration Offices of the School District, 601 Knight Road, Lower Gwynedd Township, Pennsylvania.  The purpose of the meeting is for the Board of School Directors to reconsider the Fact Finding Report dated May 21, 2012 regarding the Wissahickon Education Alliance (Support) and the Wissahickon School District, Act 88-12-15-E. 

The Wissahickon Early Learning Lab is open to pre-school children (3-5 years of age.) If you have any friends that might be interested in the program, please feel free to pass along this information.

High school students work under Teacher supervision to carry out a program designed to encourage social, emotional, mental, and physical development. This educational experience will focus on art, literacy, math, science, and free play.

Click here to access the W.E.L.L website if you are interested in finding out more about our program.

The 25th Annual Art Exhibition is coming to the WHS Circle Gym.  Opening night is Wednesday, May 23rd from 6:30-9:00, and closing night is Thursday, May 24th from 6:30-9:00 pm. 

Week of April 30th

Click here to watch a short clip about this project.

Click here for the to read the district's press release.

"Thank you all for coming and at this time juniors and seniors can return to their fourth period classes." With that simple instruction, former Wissahickon High School (WHS) Principal Bob Anderson dismissed his students from the audion. As the students shuffled out of the room, neither they nor their principal could have anticipated that they had just witnessed the last group of alumni who would be honored for the next ten years.

The Wissahickon Hall of Fame (WHOF) program began as a simple idea. "We needed role models to show us the way to the future," said Annette Yost-Fluck, class of ’47. Outstanding alumni were recognized for their accomplishments in a special assembly, which gave students the chance to interact with leaders who had made a positive impact in their community. Following the ceremony, the recipients were honored with plaques which hung on the wall outside the audion. For ten years Yost-Fluck orchestrated the WHOF program, kept in touch with alumni and diligently worked to help screen potential award recipients. However, in the mid-90’s the program simply ended.

"We are not exactly sure what happened or even when the decision was made," said current WHS Principal Lyn Fields. "We spent a lot of time sifting through records from then but not much was written down." Without leadership, interest in the program dwindled. Today, the Wissahickon Hall of Fame is little more than a series of haphazardly assembled plaques arranged on the outer wall of the audion. Pictures of past recipients are faded and stained; all have been worn by the passing years. Students stream past the wall on a daily basis but the men and women who walked these same halls decades before rarely elicit more than a moment’s pause.

"When I became principal, I took one look at that wall and decided ‘we need to change,’" explained Principal Fields. "I remember asking, ‘where are the traditions that celebrate our high school?’" Over the past year Fields made it her mission to promote the accomplishments of Wissahickon’s students publically and regularly. During the 2011-2012 school year students and staff saw the creation of "FANS" (a school spirit club), a homecoming parade and weekly ‘shout-outs’ over the morning announcements. Principal Fields then recruited two WHS teachers, Anthony Gabriele and Larry Cannon, to work on rebuilding the alumni and WHOF programs.

Gabriele, a graduate of WHS, was tasked with compiling an alumni database. Using a variety of social media systems Gabriele reached out to graduates. Cannon was appointed co-chair of the newly formed WHOF committee and quickly discovered that he had his work cut out for him.

"We decided to redesign all of the plaques so that there would be a uniform look, we developed a program that would honor alumni who represent a variety of disciplines and we established criteria to determine exactly who should be inducted." After watching countless VHS recordings from previous ceremonies Cannon decided to take a page from WHOF founder Yost-Fluck’s philosophy. "Annette’s ideas about students needing role models who could show them the way into the future is spot on," Cannon said. "The hall of fame is intrinsically designed to motivate students. It is important to surround them with excellent role models who compel them to ask the question, ‘how do I get to be on that wall too?’"

In defining those qualities of excellence the WHOF committee determined that candidates would need to excel in athletics, academics or the arts and make a significant contribution to the Wissahickon Community. "The hall of fame connects our district’s core values of leadership, self-respect, academic and athletic excellence, and service with the outside world by providing our students with role models who used to walk these same halls," Cannon said. This month the Wissahickon Hall of Fame will be honoring graduates who have competed in the 2008 Olympics, served as Pennsylvania’s delegate to the American Medical Society and hosted the backstage interviews on NBC’s ‘Sing Off’. These remarkable alumni have studied at Harvard, Yale and the Einstein Medical Center and all cite Wissahickon’s classrooms as early sources of inspiration.

"The 2012 school year is going to be the foundation of something greater for Wissahickon, we don’t know how big the [WHOF program] is going to get but we are already excited by the feedback we have received from students and parents," Cannon said. "Over time we hope the program will provide a living connection between the past and the present and inspire students to achieve greatness." In the coming weeks the WHOF committee plans to restore the plaques of past honorees, breathing new life into the hallways of Wissahickon.

Laugh and Learn at the 16^th Annual Family Awareness Night
 
ONE NIGHT ONLY! April 17^th 2012! You won’t want to miss the 16^th Annual Family Awareness Night (FAN) showcasing new and exciting programs that will leave parents and teens talking long after the night is done. Our opening presentation: “What Would You Do If…: A Spontaneous, Interactive, Improve Experience” will use prompts directly from the audience to act out how to successfully handle critical situations that all teens face. After everyone enjoys this production participants will get to choose 2 of 7 outstanding break-out seminars. Topics will range from the emotionally intense but uplifting personal account of overcoming teen depression to the hilarity of “laughter yoga”. Teens and parents can learn how to organize and de-stress, how to plan for a financially sound future and how to make a smooth transition from high school to college. Presenters will inspire us to travel the world and drive without distractions.

For the first time ever, all attendees will be given a free chance to win terrific prizes including a $200 Jambox speaker system, family dinner gift certificates, and Wawa gift cards. Your ticket to win is just showing up! Whether or not you leave having won the raffle, the real prize will be the time spent being and talking together as a family.
The FAN committee would like to thank the WHS PTC for sponsoring this event, and WEOF for their continued support of this FAN-tastic evening! A special “shout out” goes to all the teachers who are prioritizing the evening by giving the kids a break in their homework for the night. Thank you!

So please, tell all your friends, on April 17^th at 6:45 WHS Family Awareness Night is the place to be! Our hope is to make this a truly community event. See you there!

The competition will take place at Temple University's Liacouras Center and will begin at 9:00 a.m. and will wrap up at 3:00 p.m. Click here for information about parking and directions.

For details go to: philadelphia.phillies.mlb.com/phi/community/teacher_allstars.jsp

Wissahickon High School students showed off their brain power in a close win at the annual Pennsylvania State Academic Competition regional event sponsored by the Montgomery County Intermediate Unit (MCIU) on March 29^th. The team was victorious in the final match against Upper Dublin High School and Mt. St. Joseph Academy, answering difficult questions about literature, American history, contemporary events, world history, potpourri, and science. 

“All teams are to be congratulated for their obvious depth of knowledge and awareness of current events. We wish Wissahickon good luck at the state competition,” said Kendall Glouner, MCIU Director of Curriculum, Instruction and Professional Development. “MCIU enjoys hosting the event each year to promote excellence and develop the leadership skills of our best and brightest students.”

On May 4, the winning regional teams from all over the state will compete in the Pennsylvania State Academic Competition at the state Capital in Harrisburg. Each of the 29 intermediate units in Pennsylvania is permitted to send one high school academic team to participate in the competition. The winning team will receive a $2,000 scholarship for their high school and will have the opportunity to participate in the Panasonic Academic Challenge at Disney World in June.

Click here to download the district's calendar for 2012-2013. For more information about activities and events taking place at Wissahickon click here.

Career Day at WMS is scheduled for Tuesday, March 27, 2012. If you are interested in participating and would like to present your career to the students, please contact Gus Baldassano at 215-619-8110 ext. 2279 or Gbaldassano@wsdweb.org

Click here to watch the Green Committee's Update for March, 2012.

STATEMENT OF WISSAHICKON SCHOOL DISTRICT
March 12, 2012

 The District was recently notified by law enforcement authorities that a former teacher, Dr. Ronald Goldberg, was arrested by the police on charges related to alleged inappropriate touching of two females. The charges arise from allegations that Dr. Goldberg inappropriately touched two female students, one during the 2003-04 school year and one during the 2008-09 school year.

 By way of background, in May 2004, the school district received information that Dr. Goldberg touched two students inappropriately. The District took action to promptly investigate the matter. The District gave Dr. Goldberg an opportunity to respond to the allegations.  Dr. Goldberg denied the charges. These events were reported to law enforcement authorities and an investigation ensued. No criminal charges were filed by law enforcement authorities.

 Nevertheless, the District Superintendent at that time suspended Dr. Goldberg without pay pending dismissal proceedings.  Dr. Goldberg utilized an arbitration hearing to contest the suspension and dismissal.  Following a hearing, the arbitrator ordered the school district to reinstate Dr. Goldberg with full back pay.  The arbitration award was dated January 20, 2006.  In accordance with the legal duty to comply with the arbitrator's decision, Dr. Goldberg was reinstated and he was paid full back pay.

 The superintendent at the time provided strict directives to Dr. Goldberg that he was to work properly and not engage in inappropriate conduct.  Dr. Goldberg continued teaching until he retired on June 19, 2009.  The school district did not receive any complaints about Dr. Goldberg’s actions between the time of his reinstatement and his date of retirement. The school district has fully cooperated with law enforcement authorities and will continue to do so.