I write today with a general update and some random points of interest just to check in and keep folks up to date. Hard to believe, but just like that we have reached November, a school month that tends to pass quickly with in-service dates, conferences, and the long Thanksgiving weekend. Enjoy it for all this wonderful Fall month tends to bring. 

I hope everyone enjoyed a productive in-service day today. Don’t forget to vote in today’s PA Municipal Elections. Thank you for your collective efforts in producing a terrific first two months of school in PDSD - we are off to a great start!

Keeping you in the loop,

Dr. George Steinhoff

Yesterday's employee wellness day totally surpassed expectations! By recognizing that we can improve our care for others when we first improve care our ourselves, the day was well-timed after a busy first few months of the school year. What a great way to begin the week - having our staff engage in activities that can nudge us all towards better self-care and hopefully help jumpstart some new or forgotten habits.

Meditation, journaling, art activities, yoga, walking, strength training, team competitions, healthful eating/healthy living, and so many other topics. Similar to other PD activities, the key is to follow up and take at least one small action in successive days: find time to restart exercise, take up a new hobby, read something other than work related material - just treat yourself to scheduling something that helps yourself.

We had some great resource providers in attendance as well - please keep in mind some of their offerings and follow up with the providers if you are so inclined. My compliments to Dr. Criscuolo and Mrs. Prentice from our HR office, as well as members of the PDSD Wellness Committee for planning, designing and delivering an all-around terrific day. Highest thanks is offered to all of our staff and guest presenters/hosts for stepping up and as servant leaders for the benefit of our entire team. Join me in thanking all involved.

During the week of November 6 - 10, schools nationwide celebrate National School Psychology Week (NSPW) to highlight the critical work school psychologists do to help students thrive. This is a time to recognize and show appreciation for school psychologists, who support students' learning and mental and behavioral health, promote positive and inclusive school climates, serve on school safety and crisis teams, and collaborate with families, teachers, and administrators to improve student outcomes. We appreciate our entire team of School Psychologist in Penn-Delco and we acknowledge the impact they make on our school community every day.

We are pleased to have added another psychologist to our staff to assist with the growing mental health, support, and assessment needs of our students. We have a talented team of psychologists and are happy to welcome Mr. Alex Harne to our team.

I have been asked to clarify district expectations on the use and maintenance of professional classroom or teacher social media accounts and am happy to do so. Staff who wish to maintain, use or regularly post to a professional social media account tied to your work as an educator in PDSD are welcome to do so, but it is not expected nor required.

Some of our staff have found that posting images and news items from their classroom is valuable to their parents and the school community, but no one should feel compelled to carry an account. I personally believe that engaging in the social media space, by posting positive news and images that tell an optimistic story about our staff and students, is helpful to our brand and reputation. However, I am certainly aware of the potential for misuse of social media posts by the trolls who emerge from the abyss of negativity. I recommend staff who post to social media to adjust your settings to view only options, eliminating the opportunity for immature outsiders to respond with nasty and unnecessary comments. 

American Education Week (AEW) is the week of November 13th this year. The week is intended to provide a time to reflect on and celebrate the work of our schools throughout the country. We look forward to posting plenty of positive images of the great work occurring in Penn-Delco. While it is important to pause to acknowledge the promise and importance of a free and high-quality education for every American child, AEW can also serve as a reminder of sorts for educators to make some small extra efforts during this week.

Consider emailing or calling random parents to compliment them on their child or to point out the growth and success you may be seeing. A supportive note to a parent, verbal reassurance to parents working through challenges with their child, or an unexpected call with a point of praise, those kinds of individual positive points of contact will go a very long way in generating increased appreciation for the work we do as professionals. During this upcoming season of Thanksgiving, if you are especially thankful for the work of a special student, consider letting parents know. Make a point to connect with our parent partners during American Education Week, you will be glad you did. 

Parents report a great deal of appreciation of the efforts and participation of so many of our staff who made the time to participate and stop by the various out of school Fall events, typically hosted by our PTL's. Community members, parents, and our students also notice when our staff have given up weekend and evening hours to attend community days, athletic events, and after-hours activities. You should know that staff presence at events like these makes a difference!

We are blessed with 6 wonderfully supportive PTL groups in PDSD, and parents and PTL officers have made a note of their appreciation of staff who join the events to support our students. 

The district is planning to start offering a breakfast option for students in our elementary schools beginning next month, with plans to also begin at NMS in early 2024. A breakfast program was frequently noted as a recommendation from staff in our Comp Plan surveys and I am pleased that we are close to getting this started. Thank you to the Principals, our Business Office, and Mike Puliti of Chartwells for getting this in place in short order. We expect some patience and understanding will be needed with the initial roll-out but believe it will ultimately be a positive addition to the school day without becoming a burden or impacting instructional time. 

Dr. George Steinhoff • [email protected] • Extension 1310