Shaler Area Schools Updated Message - Tuesday, February 9, 2010
2-Hour Delays Called for Wed. - Fri., February 10-12, 2010
Possible Closures on Wed. & Thurs. Depending on Conditions
As we all know, another round of snow is on its way and forecasters indicate at least 6 inches of new snow will fall through Thursday with the heaviest concentration falling between 4:00 PM Tuesday and 7:00 AM Wednesday. The forecast indicates heavy winds on Wednesday with snow showers throughout the day. Finally the snow will cease sometime Thursday. As described in the Monday, February 8th comments below, that were left on this website yesterday, we will ease back into a routine to make sure students can safely adjust to arriving at school either by car, foot or bus. The definition of "easing back in" means we will, at the very least, have 2-Hour delays the rest of the week. More than likely, assuming we get the snow forecasted for tonight, we will close on Wednesday instead of delaying. As a reminder, if we merely have a delay on Wednesday, the previously scheduled early dismissal for Wednesday is cancelled. As we assess the remaining snow that is part of this overall forecast overnight Wednesday into Thursday and the resulting conditions we might have to consider a closure for Thursday as well although at this point that seems less likely than the possible closure for Wednesday. If the current forecast holds we should be fine with a 2-hour delay for Friday.
Decisions as to whether a delay becomes a closure will be made as soon as is possible or practical to do so but no later than 7:30 AM on either Wednesday or Thursday morning. The reason 7:30 is the final time to make a decision on those two days is because since we know we are on a delay and I usually decide by 5:30 AM on a normal morning that now becomes 7:30 AM since a delay is already known to be in effect. We will try to make it as early as possible and before 7:30 so everyone can make plans.
I have made the announcement on the phone and this website but will hold off on notifying the TV stations until later this evening when I have a better handle on which I am calling. If snow amounts are light I will tell the media a delay and change it later if need be.
Finally, in terms of make-up days we need to rely on the adopted calendar for the 2009-10 school year. That calendar designates the various days we take for make-up. Based on that adopted calendar those days in order are April 6. April 1, April 5, and finally June 11. If we need more days than that we can consider changing a March 12th in-service day back to a student day and then future make-ups beyond that start on Monday, June 14.
I did hear back from the state about the possibility of getting a few days forgiven. Unfortunately, an emergency declaration by the Governor doesn't automatically qualify us for forgiveness of days. Each Superintendent in Pennsylvania must write a specific letter about our district's situation and that is sent to the Department of Education who makes the determination. The essence of the matter is that school districts have the ability to adjust calendars and still have their 180 days of instruction by June 30. We have been asked to wait a few weeks before sending that letter until winter is over but I will get that out no later than the end of February since our make-up days are planned for early April.
I certainly will tell the Department of Education about our school power outages, our road closures due downed trees and power lines, our snow plows that had mechanical issues due to the heavy snow, the fact that hundreds had no power for several days and emphasize the nature of our community in terms of the ability to remove snow in downtown type areas such as Etna and Millvale. We will then be at the mercy of the officials reviewing the letter. If we are fortunate to get any days forgiven we will add them back in the reverse order of how they were taken away.
Donald Lee, Superintendent
Shaler Area School District - Looking Ahead
Commentary from the Superintendent - Monday, February 8, 2010
As we reflect back on the past few days we can certainly understand how unpredictable the weather can be. I have a new appreciation for such terms as "the track of the storm". Our 4-7 inches that were proposed for last Friday night didn't quite turn out that way in the end. As we look ahead to tomorrow and this new storm we need to understand that the proposed 4 - 8 inches could be more but most importantly will be added to the 20 some inches we already have.
Forgetting about the possible storm for Tuesday for a minute I need to convey to you the overall condition of the community and how it relates to when we can reopen school. Bear in mind that this communication isn't an official announcement about future cancellations or delays, other than Tuesday, February 9th which is now a cancellation, but rather just an a chance for me to be able to communicate with you about an overall picture that we are facing.
Today, Sean Frank from the Shaler Police Department took me and officials from our Bus Company on a tour of the entire community. In Etna and Millvale streets are closed so front loaders can load snow into dump trucks for removal. Most main streets throughout the overall community are plowed but my observation is that many residential streets are about 75% clear with snow on both sides. As we drove and encountered another car we would often have to wait our turn to let one another pass. Also many of the cross streets and intersections have tight turning radius issues that we experienced in the Shaler police cruiser. Now try to imagine a big yellow school bus on those same streets encountering another car and navigating tight turning situations at intersections. We also observed many cars parked in streets with the 20" of snow still on and around them where other cars are finally being "dug" out by residents.
This entire situation is reminiscent of the Flood of 2004 and the fact that the community needs time to get things at home back to normal. We are told by the power companies that hopefully by midnight tonight all members of the Shaler Area community will have power. Once we do open we need to have motorists adjust to where children will be standing to now catch their busses due to the massive amounts of snow at intersections and adjacent to driveways and the edge of the various community streets. The point is once we do return to school we will probably return under the premise of two-hour delays for a couple days so we can adjust to the new conditions that present themselves for student safety as they stand waiting for busses.
I suspect some may differ with opening at all when so much snow is on the ground but we must understand this is a snowfall that has emerged with several weeks of winter still left (I hate that groundhog!!!). The 14 day extended forecast has below average temperatures and the highest temperature I saw on that chart was 33. The point is, this snow is not leaving us anytime soon and if we waited until much of it melted we would not open for weeks. Obviously that cannot be the case so we will all have to adjust to snow piled up around us as we begin to reopen school on a more regular basis.
I realize keeping the children out of school causes problems for working parents but we also need to be mindful of safety as we get back to our normal school routines. It is very possible if we get the 4-8 inches of snow on Tuesday into Wednesday we might not be able to return until the earliest on Thursday and if that was the case I suspect I would delay both Thursday and Friday to error on the side of safety. We then would have a three day weekend since President's Day is on Monday, February 15th and that is a no school and no work day for staff. President's Day was not identified as a snow make-up day so no matter what happens in the next few days regarding school closure President's Day is a day of no school.
Finally thoughts go to when will we make up days missed. As we know the January 8th snow day is being made up on Wednesday, April 28th. The school calendar outlines the following as the next days to use for make-up. Next is April 6th (the Tuesday at the end of Spring Break); then Thursday, April 1 or the beginning of Spring Break; then Monday, April 5th and finally, Friday June 11th. If we had to face more make-up days than four other options would be to make March 12th, which is now an in-service day, a student day. Even though this would be a last resort we must recognize that Friday, April 2nd (Good Friday) is not a protected day under state law and could be one we consider. Finally we would then move to the week of June 14th which is also something to avoid since it could affect Commencement. I only point out these "worst case scenarios" to have you understand the entire situation that faces us and the reason why we need to try and get back to a school routine as quickly and safely as we can. Let's hope that once we get past this week we are done with worrying about massive snow falls and snow make-up days and will be merely left with such things as delays instead. Finally school superintendents have made a request at the state level about the notion if any of these days we might miss could be excused and not have to be made up since the Governor has declared a state of emergency in our region and in the state. Once I know any more about that I will let you know. Obviously that would be great if, at least, a couple days could be forgiven. As it stands now if a school district does not have school in session for 180 days they lose subsidy money which is something that is impossible to consider since it is a sizeable amount of revenue that would be at risk.
Again all of this is information for you so you know the issues I face and will be contemplating in the next few days.
Donald Lee, Superintendent
The Athletic Committee Meeting scheduled for today, Monday, February 08, 2010 at 5:00 pm has been CANCELLED.
Kindergarten Registration... Kindergarten registration for 2010-2011 has begun! Packets are available in all of the primary buildings or online. Parent Orientation Meeting May 10, 2010. See More...
Class of 2013 Fundraiser... Take a chance on winning Steelers Season Tickets for the 2010 season! The Shaler Area High School - Class of 2013 is sponsoring a raffle for one lucky person to win 2 Steelers Season Tickets for the 2010 season. Read more...
Annual Spaghetti Dinner... Our High School Choir will sponsor it's Annual Spaghetti Dinner on Saturday, February 6, 2010 from 4:00 pm - 7:00 pm at the Glenshaw Presbyterian Church (300 Glenn Avenue) CANCELLED. Date will be rescheduled. Tickets are $7.00 for adults, $6.00 for Senior Citizens, and $5.00 for children 12 and under.
Shaler North Hills Library... Our Parent Discussion Group will continue this month with the topic, “Raising Responsible Kids”. Most importantly, parent participants will have the opportunity to share their experiences and ask questions. See More...
Alliance Against Drugs... The Shaler Area School District has partnered with the Alliance Against Drugs and the Pennsylvania Attorney General in a "Prevention Video of the Month" program. These short videos (approx. 15 minutes) are streamed over a high speed Internet connection. No usernames or passwords are required. Talking points for parents and students are available as a download from the Alliance web site.
Pancake Breakfast... Our Marching Band will sponsor a Pancake Breakfast on Saturday, February 20, 2010 from 8:00 am - 11:00 am at the Middle School. Read More...
High School Music Students... Congratulations in qualifying for the West Virginia Honors Band and the Senior High District Band Festival at Bethel Park High School. Read More...
PMEA Western Region State Orchestra... Shaler Area had 4 students participate in PMEA District Orchestra and 3 students accepted to PMEA Western Region State Orchestra that will be held at DuBois Area High School on Feb. 24 - 26, 2010. Read More...
TREATS FOR THE TROOPS... The Professional Development Class/Club will be accepting Girl Scout Cookie and monetary donations (shipping fees) as part of the class community service project at the high school. Last year we raised enough money to ship over 1,000 boxes to local soldiers overseas.
If you know a soldier from Shaler Area or related to Shaler Area in any way who would like to receive cookies this year, please forward their name/address to Merrit McDaniel. THANK YOU IN ADVANCE FOR YOUR KIND SUPPORT AND GENEROSITY!
High School Spring Musical... Our students will present the high school musical Bye Bye Birdie on March 5, 6, 12 and 13 at 7:00 pm and a Sunday Matinee at 2:00 pm on March 7. Contact the activities office at ext. 1530 for ticket information. Read More...
Basketball... The Boys and Girls FUN-damental Basketball Program is open to students in grades K-3 and will begin in May 2010. Read More...
Early Dismissals/2-Hour Snow Delay... What is Shaler Area’s position on the issue of bad weather on a day when we have an early dismissal scheduled? Click here for details...
Little Dribblers Program... See More...
2010 School Board Meeting Schedule... Please note that the start time for the School Board Meetings has changed from 8:00 pm to 7:30 pm. See More...
District Report Card... The 2008-2009 District Report Card is now available to view. This report highlights student achievement on the PSSA for the 2008-2009 school year.
Titan Jewelry... Titan Jewelry is now available in the High School Activities Office. See More... Edline (Parent Portal)... As of September 1, 2009 Parent Activation Codes have been mailed to all families with children in Grades 4-12. Questions can be emailed to Edline. Clerical Substitutes Needed... See More...
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