The Mt. Lebanon School District offers a half-day kindergarten program which provides opportunities for children to grow cognitively, physically, socially, and emotionally. Parents may pick up their child's kindergarten registration packet for the 2019-20 school year beginning February 1st, 2019 at their home school.
Today the state of Pennsylvania launched the Safe2Say Something anonymous reporting app. This app will now take the place of the MTLSD Student Protect App. The MTLSD Student Protect app is no longer available in iOS and Android stores. If you have downloaded the app please delete it from your phone. You will no longer be able to send alerts from the app. Effective today, January 14, please download the Safe2Say Something anonymous reporting app.
As always, in an emergency do not hesitate to call 9-1-1.
Safe2Say Something is a youth violence prevention program run by the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General. The program teaches youth and adults how to recognize warning signs and signals, especially within social media, from individuals who may be a threat to themselves or others and to "say something" BEFORE it is too late.
In 2018, the General Assembly passed Act 44 mandating the establishment and use of the "Safe2Say Something" (S2SS) anonymous reporting system by every Pennsylvania school entity by January 14, 2019.
THREE WAYS TO SUBMIT AN ANONYMOUS TIP:
- Call the tipline: 1-844-SAF2SAY (1-844-723-2729)
- Use the website: www.safe2saypa.org
- Use the mobile app available in iOS and Android stores
HERE'S HOW IT WORKS:
- Submit an anonymous tip report through the Safe2SaySomething system
- Crisis center reviews, assesses and processes all submissions
- Crisis center sends all submissions to school administration and/or law enforcement for intervention
- If needed, crisis center may contact tipster anonymously through the app
Mt. Lebanon School District welcomed instructors from the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) for a day long training session with elementary and secondary teachers on their "No Place For Hate" program. The sessions focused on training about understanding bias and fostering acceptance for the building-level faculty and staff teams involved in the District's "No Place for Hate" initiative. This training was made possible thanks to the generosity of school board member Larry Lebowitz and Lynn Lebowitz.
No Place for Hate is a self-directed program helping all of the stakeholders take the lead on improving and maintaining school climate so all students can thrive.
Last week, students from the Global Studies Certificate Program participated in their first international video conference. It was facilitated by Generation Global. The class video conferenced with two schools in Ukraine and one school in Indonesia for a 90 minute dialogue. The topic for discussion was global citizenship. Students shared first hand perspectives on why it is important to them to be educated about and aware of global issues. They considered some of the challenges to being a global citizen and expressed collective agreement that starting with themselves and their own communities was important. During a reflection period, Global Studies students valued the chance to speak thoughtfully about something that matters in their own lives and to hear from the international students about the things that mattered in their lives, especially political and environmental concerns.
Andrew W. Mellon Middle School has been selected as one of three middle schools in Pennsylvania named PA Don Eichhorn Schools: "Schools to Watch" (PA STW) as part of a recognition program developed by the National Forum to Accelerate Middle-Grades Reform. The program identifies exemplary middle schools in Pennsylvania in partnership with the Pennsylvania Association for Middle Level Education, Duquesne University, Edinboro University, the Horace Mann Service Corporation and Vibra Life. Mellon Middle School joins 38 other Pennsylvania middle-grades schools recognized previously who have met the strict STW criteria
Mellon will be recognized at the Pennsylvania Association for Middle Level Education State Conference at the Penn Stater Conference Center in State College on February 24, 2019. They will also be recognized nationally with all the other recognized STW schools across the country in Washington DC at the National Forum's National Schools to Watch Conference on June 27-29, 2019.
"We are very proud of our Mellon students, faculty, staff and administrators on achieving this outstanding recognition," said Superintendent Tim Steinhauer. "Congratulations on this honor which highlights our commitment to our mission to provide the best education possible to each and every students."
State leaders selected each school for its Academic Excellence, Developmental Responsiveness, Social Equity and Organizational Structures and Processes. In addition, each school has strong leadership, teachers who work together to improve curriculum and instruction, and a commitment to assessment and accountability to bring about continuous improvement. Bruce Vosburgh, President of the National Forum, as well as the PA State STW Director, stated, "We congratulate these schools for being places that do great things for all of their students. These schools demonstrate that high-performing middle grades schools are places that focus on academic growth and achievement. They are also places that recognize the importance of meeting the needs of all of their students and ensure that every child has access to a challenging, high-quality education."
The Schools to Watch selection process is based on a written application that required schools to show how they met criteria developed by the National Forum to Accelerate Middle Grades Reform. Schools that appeared to meet the criteria were then visited by state teams, which observed classrooms, interviewed administrators, teachers, students, and parents, and looked at achievement data, suspension rates, quality of lessons, and student work. Schools are recognized for a three-year period, and at the end of three years, they must demonstrate progress on specific goals in order to be re-designated. Unlike the Blue Ribbon recognition program, "Schools to Watch" requires schools to not just identify strengths, but to also focus on areas for continuous improvement; thus the three year re-designation.
Launched in 1999, Schools to Watch began as a national program to identify middle-grades schools across the country that were meeting or exceeding 37 researched based criteria developed by the National Forum. The Forum developed a web site https://www.middlegradesforum.org/ that features online tours of schools, as well as detailed information about the selection criteria used in the recognition program. There are now 17 states across the country, which have trained Schools to Watch State Teams, with more than 480 schools recognized across the country.
"We are pleased that our Schools to Watch program has shown that schools can meet high academic expectations while preserving a commitment of healthy development and equity for all students," said Ericka Uskali, National Forum Executive Director. "These Schools to Watch are indeed special; they make education so exciting that students and teachers don't want to miss a day. These schools have proven that it is possible to overcome barriers to achieving excellence, and any middle-level school in any state can truly learn from their examples," Uskali said.
The National Forum to Accelerate Middle-Grades Reform began as an alliance of 65 educators, researchers, national associations, and officers of professional organizations and foundations dedicated to improving education in the middle grades.
The Mt. Lebanon School District wishes our staff, students, parents and community a holiday season filled with peace, hope, joy, and goodwill to all. We are thankful for the contributions of our entire school community to make our schools the best possible places for learning both academic and life lessons.
Here's to a happy and healthy New Year for all. To celebrate the season, click the link below for some holiday cheer.
The Association of School Business Officials International has awarded the Mt. Lebanon School District with the Certificate of Excellence in Financial Reporting. This award recognizes districts that have met the program's high standards for financial reporting and accountability. The school district earned the Certificate of Excellence for its Comprehensive Annual Financial Report for the fiscal year ended 2017. This is the 34 year the District has been recognized with the award, due to the strong financial leadership of our Business Director Jan Klein.
By participating in the COE program, school districts demonstrate their commitment to financial transparency. Applicants submit their CAFR for review by a team of professional auditors, who provide feedback to improve future documents. If the CAFR meets the requirements of the program, the document may receive the Certificate of Excellence. A district's participation in the COE program can facilitate bond rating and continuing bond disclosure processes. Thank you, Ms. Klein for another year of outstanding financial reporting.