The FIVE target groups include:

• Individuals between the ages of six months and 24 years;
• Household contacts and caregivers for children younger than six months;
• Pregnant women;
• Healthcare providers and emergency medical services personnel;
• Individuals under 65 years of age with underlying health conditions including asthma, diabetes, suppressed immune systems, heart disease, kidney disease, and neuro-cognitive and neuromuscular disorders.

APPOINTMENTS ARE REQUIRED and can be made 24 hours a day by clicking here.  Individuals without internet access can call 1-877-PA HEALTH (1-877-724-3258) between the hours of 9 am and 5 pm. Phone lines are limited. It is our understanding that walk-ins will not be accepted.

 Anyone seeking vaccination should download an H1N1 vaccine consent form from the Dept. of Health web site at www.h1n1inpa.com/assets/media/Consent%20Form.pdf . The completed form should be brought with you to the vaccine clinic.  

This vaccine is strictly voluntary for Parkland School District students. As always we encourage all students and staff to stay healthy by washing their hands frequently and staying home until they are fever free and no longer showing flu-like symptoms.  Detailed information can be found on our web site at www.parklandsd.org. Thank you for your cooperation.

On this beautiful fall day, Ironton 4th and 5th graders ran a timed cross country run in an effort to record an improvement in their fitness levels after training for the Turkey Trot in Physical Education class this past month.  Friends and family members cheered on their little athletes and some parents even ran with their kids.

First Place 4th grade boy and girl were Drew Trexler and McKenzie Brago.
First Place 5th grade boy and girl were Zachary Imdorf and Rachel Medlar.

This creative costume of a “Claw” vending machine game was made by Leah Toomey and her mom!  Leah is a student at Kratzer Elementary.  Our community enjoyed seeing many creative costumes as all elementary students paraded around their buildings on the Friday before Halloween during a favorite Parkland tradition. We wish everyone a safe and happy Halloween!

The Pennsylvania School Boards Association (PSBA) awarded Robert Bold, Parkland School Board Director and current  Board President, with Master School Board Member accreditation during the public board meeting on October 27, 2009.  This recognition is both for school boards and individual members who have demonstrated exceptional accomplishments in attaining the goals of effective governance and meeting the needs of students for the 21^st century through educational excellence and equity of all students.

This is the second year PSBA has awarded such accreditation to members.  Roberta Marcus, Parkland School Board Director and President-Elect of PSBA, received the award last year making Parkland the only District in Pennsylvania to have two award-winners serving on its board.  Pictured above is Bob Bold (left), PSBA Executive Director Tom Gentzel (center), and Roberta Marcus.Last year, nine school board members in Pennsylvania received this award and this year only five awards were granted.  Those who were selected completed a detailed application process through which they highlighted their board service, community engagement, advocacy and teamwork skills. The final selections were made anonymously by a panel of past presidents of PSBA, and the winners were announced at the PASA-PSBA School Leadership Conference in Hershey, Oct. 13-16, 2009.

PSBA Executive Director Thomas J. Gentzel presented the award and stated, “The continuation of this accreditation program is just another way PSBA hopes to elevate the importance of effective school governance for the benefit of student achievement.”

The Center for Disease Control (CDC) recommends that students with symptoms of the flu such as fever, sore throat and body aches contact their family doctor with questions or concerns. Vaccine-related questions should also be directed to your doctor.  The CDC is recommending that children and adults in high risk categories get vaccinated against both the seasonal and H1N1 flu.

We are asking that students and staff stay home until they are fever free for 24 hours without the use of fever reducing medication.  Our nursing staff will continue to send students home with fevers of 100 degrees or higher.  Students with influenza-like symptoms may be provided a mask to suppress the spread of germs while waiting in the nurse’s office to go home. 

We continue to encourage frequent hand washing and have provided hand sanitizer in strategic locations.  Custodians are using proper disinfectants and increasing the frequency of cleaning as appropriate.

We are communicating with health department officials and have offered the use of our facilities for vaccine clinics in the future should this become necessary. Please refer to this web site for future updates. 

Thank you in advance for your cooperation. Best wishes to you and your family for a healthy fall season.

Top 10 Tips for Preventing the Spread of Flu

PSD Efforts to Reduce the Spread of H1N1 Flu

Web Resources For More Information

Fire Departments from the three townships that comprise Parkland School District visited all elementary schools in October to discuss fire safety tactics.  Above, students at Fogeslville climb out of a window and down an escape ladder of a smoke simulation trailer.  The trailer visually demonstrates how quickly a room fills with thick smoke in the event of a fire and gives kids the chance to practice a window escape with the help of fire safety officials.

 The Fred J. Jaindl Elementary School will be the District’s 8^th elementary school and will serve the Southwest corner of the District.  About 435 students who currently attend Fogelsville Elementary School will be re-assigned to the new school.  In order to balance enrollment between schools, some students who currently attend Parkway Manor and Cetronia Elementary Schools will be re-assigned to attend Fogelsville.  To balance the attendance in the northern part of the district, some students who currently attend Kernsville Elementary School will be reassigned to Schnecksville Elementary School.  The students and boundaries that are currently in place for Ironton and Kratzer Elementary Schools will not be affected.  Parkland has two middle schools and one high school, and boundaries for these buildings will not be affected by the new elementary sending areas.

Highlights about the redistricting process include the following: 

• Five of the seven current elementary schools will be affected by the redistricting effort.
• 723 current students and their families have been notified that they will have a new school assignment next year.
• Students who received notice of a new assignment and who will be in 4^th or 5^th grade next year have the option of staying at their current school.
• Transportation will be provided to those 4^th and 5^th grade students opting to remain at their current school.
• Maps with the current sending area boundaries and the new boundaries are attached to this press release.
• Enlarged maps are on display at the elementary schools for parents to view new sending areas in detail.
• Spring orientations are being planned for all students who are reassigned so that they may become familiar with their new building before next school year.

 Dr. Louise E. Donohue, Superintendent of Schools, stated, “It has been Parkland School District’s goal for a number of years to seek balance among our seven elementary schools with regard to class size as well as the overall school size across the district.  The addition of the Jaindl School will maintain this consistency and allow for future growth.”

On Tuesday, September 15, 2009, the Parkland Board of School Directors approved the appointment of Todd M. Gombos as Principal of Orefield Middle School. Mr. Gombos will replace Dr. Rodney Troutman who was promoted to Assistant to the Superintendent for Educational Programs.

Dr. Louise E. Donohue, Superintendent of Schools, stated, “Todd is genuinely motivated as a school leader to work on the behalf of all students. In addition, he is eager to contribute to Parkland School District and to be a part of our team and overall mission.  With strong interpersonal skills and solid administrative experience, we are pleased and excited that he will be joining us as the new building leader of Orefield Middle School.  We believe he will be a great partner to join Ms. Michelle Minotti, Principal of Springhouse, and the staffs of both middle schools in leading the Parkland Middle School program.”

Resolution of the Board of School Directors of

The Parkland School District

Resolution Urging the Pennsylvania General Assembly to Approve a 2009-10 State Budget that Maintains the Commonwealth’s Commitment to Adequate and Equitable Basic Education Funding and releases American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) dollars in Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), Title I, Title II-D and other State Fiscal Stabilization Funding (SFSF)

WHEREAS, emerging from the national recession requires that Pennsylvania make smart choices today that improve the ability of our students to compete in the high-skills global economy and avoid local property tax hikes that will hurt families and senior citizens who are experiencing tough economic times; and

WHEREAS, the ARRA provides Pennsylvania with significant resources to invest in basic education to accelerate academic improvement, stop program cuts and eliminations, and prevent staff layoffs that would otherwise occur as local revenue has fallen; and

            WHEREAS, the ARRA provides additional stimulus dollars to school districts; IDEA, Title I, Title II-D and other SFS funding; and

WHEREAS, the  Parkland School District met its mandate to pass a budget on time and approved its budget for the 2009-10 fiscal year on June 23, 2009; and

WHEREAS, because the Pennsylvania General Assembly did not pass a state budget before June 30, school districts had to estimate the amount of state funding that they would receive; and

WHEREAS, the Pennsylvania General Assembly should appropriate at least $300 million for school districts in the basic education subsidy; and 

            WHEREAS, the Parkland School District urges the Pennsylvania General Assembly to release ARRA dollars as reported in numerous Federal and State communications; and

WHEREAS, several budget proposals reduced funding for valuable educational programs

– in addition to the basic educations subsidy –  and including the Accountability Block Grant program, Dual Enrollment, charter school reimbursement and Pre-K Counts; and

WHEREAS, the Parkland School District will be forced to make budget adjustments if the basic education subsidy is not increased by at least $300 million using stimulus dollars; and

WHEREAS, the Parkland School District has taken proactive cost-cutting measures to reduce expenses for the 2009-10 budget, even before the board of directors adopted its final budget, and those cuts include various expenditure areas like personnel, supplies and equipment; and

WHEREAS, rolling-back state funding for basic education will create financial uncertainty  for the Parkland School District and that impact could be felt in the years to come by students and property taxpayers; and

WHEREAS, rolling-back state funding for basic education and using stimulus dollars to level fund basic education would mean that Pennsylvania abandons its first basic education funding formula in almost two decades and essentially abandons the principles of adequacy and equity; and

            WHEREAS, no ARRA dollars for IDEA, Title I, Title II-D and SFSF Stabilization Funds have yet to be released; and

            WHEREAS, the U.S. Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan, has indicated that Pennsylvania will jeopardize its competitive position to gain access to the ‘Race to the Top’ discretionary grants dollars if the Commonwealth “disproportionately reduced its education budget and/or” if Pennsylvania does “nothing more than backfill budget holes” with stimulus funds; and

BE IT RESOLVED, that the Parkland School District calls on the General Assembly to enact a

2009-10 budget that does all of the following:

     1.  Increases basic education funding by at least $300 million so school districts;

     2.  Keep Pennsylvania on track for real education reform by maintaining the commitment to the basic 

          education funding formula; and

     3.  Maintain the state’s investment in public education by not rolling-back state funds in the basic

          education subsidy.

FURTHER RESOLVED, that a copy of this resolution be submitted to all local newspapers and television stations, to the Parkland School District’s elected Senators and Representatives in the General Assembly, the members of the Conference Committee on House Bill 1416, and to the Governor of Pennsylvania.

Mr. Robert E. Bold                                                                                          August 25, 2009

_____________________________________                                              _______________________

President, Parkland Board of School Directors                                                    Date

Bus Information/Teacher Assignment cards will be mailed to all homes on Friday, August 28th.  You should receive these by early next week.  Thank you for your patience.

Parkland School District