May 8^th budget workshop – 6:00pm in the Oblock auditorium

May 22^nd special voting meeting - 6:00pm in the PHS cafeteria

June 26^th final 2012-2013 budget adoption - 7:00pm in the PHS auditorium

Tonight’s PTA Reflections ceremony was wonderful. Our students, parents, and staff celebrated the Arts and recognized student creativity. Congratulations to all of our winners and honorees. A special thank you to our PTAs, their support strengthens our school community.

When a large percent of our students are not in school they are clutching some type of technological device. They remind me of Cyborgs - a technologically enhanced organism. Our BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) initiative is in its third month and our students and faculty are adjusting to this paradigm shift better than expected.

Many of our teachers are reaching learners where they live – a wireless, digital, and mobile world where access to limitless information is just a click away. It is indisputable that technology has and will continue to change our lives and in turn our classrooms. The manner in which students learn and teachers instruct continues to follow Moore’s Law of exponentially increasing technology developments. Interactive and 24/7 learning environments like Moodle continue to provide new learning opportunities for students, and function as a communication avenue to keep parents informed.

The incorporation of new technological teaching methodology does not occur in isolation. The Plum faculty continues to teach the necessary “basic skills”, but alone the basics are not sufficient. Teaching our students to think critically, work cooperatively, solve complex problems, and learn how to learn are necessary skills to obtain and maintain quality employment and become a productive citizen.

Plum is committed to providing every student with a high quality education that fosters creativity, cultivates talents, and utilizes a broad curriculum that educates the whole child.

This past Friday, Dr. Rossi (above) and I spent an hour reading to First and Second grade students at Adlai Stevenson Elementary School. Following the stories and just prior to cake all of the students took an oath promising to read each day.

I was observing a 2^nd grade Reading class last month. One student tugged my jacket sleeve as I walked past her desk. “What’s a chalkboard?” she asked.

While many of our students have never experienced choking on dust while feverishly erasing a long division problem, many of our parents and residents have never experienced the inter-connectivity of an Interactive White Board (IWB). Plum teachers currently use two manufactures of IWBs to differentiate instruction for our students, SMART and Promethean. The video on our main page depicts how IWBs have transformed the chalkboard of yesteryear into the engaging tool of today. The video also includes other technology our teachers are using to reach all learners.

Current technology hardware in Plum Schools:

Desktop Computers – 1067

Laptop Computers – 1375

LCD projectors – 213

IWBs – 101

iPads – 147

Spring is in the air in Plum Borough. Our students are preparing for the final 60 school days, SATs, AP Exams, and the PSSAs. Scholar/athletes, thespians, musicians, and artists are poised for our spring drama productions, concerts, shows and athletic competitions. I encourage you to attend one of our exciting extracurricular activities to help break out of your winter slumber.

The use of technology in our daily lives continues to compound, and our classrooms are no different. The seamless integration of new technologies into our classrooms is rapidly expanding our scope of education and enhancing and extending learning opportunities. Throughout our classrooms children are using web-based products that allow students to access learning resources anywhere and at anytime. We have expanded the number of smart classroom, iPads, laptops, software, on-line resources, and teacher websites.

As you know through a variety of media sources, the landscape of public education is changing rapidly. Leading stories describe lagging test scores, students leaving for cyber/charter schools, and budgets in the red. The upcoming budget is particularly difficult and the Board of School Directors and administration is working hard to ensure Plum provides a high quality education for our children in a fiscally responsible manner for our residents. A preliminary budget is available on our website under the School Board tab. The final budget will be approved in June.

Last year we conducted our strategic plan mid point review as required by the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) focusing on Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment. The District is in the early stages of developing a 5-year Operations Plan to align financial forecasting and budgeting, facility operations, academic programming, and support services. This Operations Plan will complement our PDE Strategic Plan and provide the District with economic stability and educational excellence for years to come.

I would like to express my deep appreciation for the warm reception from the community and district staff. I am truly honored to serve our community as the new Superintendent of Schools and promise to continue the high standards Dr. Naccarati has established for this office and our district.

The Plum Borough School District administration, faculty, and staff will continue to provide an educational experience for our students that proudly reflect our commitment to children and the prepared graduate. I am honored to contribute and enhance the legacy of excellence in education that Plum has established. There is no doubt that we will build on our previous success elevating the District to new heights. 

Please accept my best wishes for a healthy and joyful New Year.