School news with Schenley and Frick

Frick PSCC
To help with the transition to the combined schools in the Reizenstein building, Mrs. Facaros plans to invite the Frick PSCC to the Schenley PSCC meeting to be held on April 15, 2009. On April 3, which is scheduled as a half-day, the Frick teachers and staff will be invited to the Reizenstein building to view facilities. The building will be off-limits during the summer while construction/maintenance/repairs/adaptations are completed. In May, the Schenley PSCC meeting will be held at Frick.

4Sight testing has been rescheduled for Jan. 29, 2009. Senior IB students who are registered to take the IB diploma are asked to report to school by 8:00 am. The students will have an opportunity to work on programme requirements. All other seniors should report to the library to work on college aps, FAFSA forms, grad projects. If a senior is not at school by 8 am, arrival time should be 10:45 so as to not disrupt testing.

Feb. 5 -- Winter Concert and FAFSA Workshop--details for the concert will be given later. The FAFSA workshop is sponsored by NEED and is a hands-on session to complete the required financial aid forms for nearly all colleges.

Tech use -- A possible topic for future PSCC meetings is the use and/or abuse of technology at the school. The meeting would cover cyber bullying, text messaging, LOUD mp3s among other subjects.

Prom -- The prom is a privilege not a right.

CHANGE OF SCHEDULE FOR 2ND SEMESTER -- It became obvious early in the school year that the activity period as scheduled was not working. More planning and coordination was needed to provide meaningful activities for students. For the remainder of the school year, most students will report to their period 9 class and will remain there until the end of the day (84 minutes). Students will be required to have a written pass to go to another teacher/classroom for tutoring or activities. (Three classes could not be rescheduled and will continue to meet 10th period--chorus, health, and ???).

PLAY PRACTICE --A bus leaves Reizenstein at 5 pm to take the students to Peabody for play practice. Approximately 45 kids take the bus. Sorry, I didn't get the title of the play or any details but it is supposed to be Shakespeare set to music. As soon as I get more details, I will send them because the Schenley musical is ALWAYS a highlight of the school year.

PEABODY --A parent asked what the current plans are regarding Peabody and the students currently attending there. Mr. Huber who was on the site selection committee for the IB school said that Peabody was a unanimous selection of the committee. (I don't know what other sites were considered but Westinghouse, although beautiful facilities is not accessible to magnet students by bus and Reizenstein would cost too much money to adapt for continued use as a high school). The board has not yet voted on the selection. Data has shown that only 25% of students in the Peabody feeder pattern actually attend the school and the building is seriously underutilized. No plans have yet been announced for the placement of the remaining students if the school does get approved for the IB school.

WEB SITE -- The district is continuing to upgrade the website and coordinate all information. At this time each individual school is prevented from adding any information except the daily bulletin. The school calendar is controlled by the district which means there is NO useful information on the calendar, except for district wide dates.

If you have been reading my emails over the past 4 years or attended any meetings with me, you know that the lack of communication has been one of my biggest gripes. This is the computer age!!!! It is absolutely ridiculous that a school district the size of Pittsburgh cannot get this right. Parent Engagement is a nice catchy phrase but it is hard to be engaged when you have such difficulty getting information. I know that there are many things that we cannot change due to money issues but this is something that would not take much money to fix and would go a long way toward making parents feel engaged. Please call the Parent Hotline and ask when the system will be fully functioning.

Parent Hotline: 412-622-7920


COLLEGE FAIR -- This was not mentioned at the meeting but the date is coming very soon. On Feb 5, 2009, from 9-1 and 6-9, and Feb 6, from 9-12 at the convention center is the NACAC College Fair. Students beginning their college search might find some useful information (http://www.nacacnet.org/EventsTraining/CollegeFairs/ncf/Spring/Pages/PittsburghNCF.aspx)

REMINDER:

Today, Jan. 22, Financial Aid Night at Reizenstein Library. 6-8 PM in the cafetorium.

Feb. 5, FAFSA Parent Night, 6-8 PM in room 144

11th Grade PSSA Preparation, Saturday sessions beginning Jan. 31. Incentives will be given to participants.

Feb 18, IB parent meeting at 5 pm., PSCC meeting at 6 pm., in the library.
Feb 25., parent meeting for current 10th grade students considering IB.

Lots of information. If you have any additions, corrections, or questions, please email, Amy Moore.