Principal's Welcome

On behalf of the administration, faculty and staff, I welcome you to the 2021-2022 school year! We are very excited to welcome our students back to the Big C. Earlier this week, I emailed my Welcome Letter to all families which contained the details of our reopening. The new addition and renovations are amazing! We are looking forward to having the halls and classrooms buzzing again with activity.  

Please join me in welcoming Dr. Nicole Jolly to the administrative team at Conestoga.  Dr. Jolly will serve as our 9^th Grade Assistant Principal and Activities Director. She is very excited to get to know the students at Conestoga, particularly the Class of 2025. We are pleased to have her join the team at Conestoga.

School will begin on Monday, August 30^th at 7:50am. Freshman should report directly to the auditorium and sophomores, juniors and seniors should report directly to homeroom. We have many exciting activities planned for the opening days, with special attention given to orientation programs for freshman and students new to the district. Please be sure to view the District 2021-2022 School Calendar which can be found at www.tesd.net. We look forward to an outstanding school year as we welcome the Class of 2025. 

Welcome back and as always, Go ‘Stoga!

Amy A. Meisinger, Ph.D.

Principal

Conestoga Safety Protocols

We are committed to providing full-time, in-person instruction for the 2021-22 school year. The health and safety of our students and staff remains paramount as we prepare to reopen. Detailed safety protocols are specified in our full District Health & Safety Plan. Items of particular note include:

• Individuals aged two and over are required to wear a face covering while indoors in any District building and on school buses regardless of vaccination status. Masking is optional but encouraged during outdoor activities. The mask must fit snugly, covering the mouth and nose. The CDC recommends two-ply masks with a metal wire for best protection.
• By sending your student to school, families are affirming that students do not have any COVID-19 symptoms, have not been directed to quarantine, and are not otherwise sick or ill. A daily symptom screener in Power School will no longer be required.
• CHS will maintain at least 3 feet of physical distancing between students to the greatest extent possible. Physical distancing of less than 3 feet may occur in classroom activities, building transitions, on school transportation, during lunch, or at other times.
• Students will be encouraged to spread out to the greatest extent possible during lunch. The cafeteria (6 feet of social distancing), atrium and courtyard will be available. Masks should only be removed while eating and returned immediately when finished. ALL students are eligible for lunch privileges, which means students may leave during lunch with parent permission through the Privilege Form. The number of students electing to utilize lunch privileges will determine the extent to which we are able to distance.
• Hallway traffic and stairwells will return to full, two-way use.
• Hand sanitizer will be available throughout the building. Students are also encouraged to bring their own hand sanitizer to school.
• Contact tracing will be done by District nursing staff and administrators as needed. 

Fall Semester EEPE Course Requirements

The Fall Extended Experience Physical Education coursework will now revert to coursework that students will be engaged in outside of Conestoga High School and outside of the home. Guidelines for the EEPE course can be found here at EEPE Overview. To prevent confusion between the EEPE and Team Sport courses, please visit EEPE vs. Team Sport to ensure that your child is enrolled in the correct course.  

The Fall Semester EEPE Application Survey for the seniors will be due on Friday, September 3rd. The Application Survey will be posted on August 30th on the EEPE Schoology course site. All Fall Semester Application Surveys must be submitted by the deadline. Any senior student who does not submit the application by September 6th will be dropped from the course and added into a PE course for the remainder of the semester. Underclassmen will have the course dropped from their schedule. Parents will have access to this information through their Schoology parent account. 

A Note from the Attendance Office

When your child is going to miss school or is going to be late you must:

Send an email to [email protected] or a written note within 3 days of your child's absence/ lateness with a valid reason.

If you send a note without a valid reason (listed below), then the absence or lateness will remain unexcused.

If you email with a valid reason for the absence/lateness before 9:15 a.m. on the day of the absence/lateness, you will not receive phone calls, emails and texts. If you do not send an email before 9:15 a.m. then you can respond to the automated email you receive.

You do not need to call prior to your child's absence. You only need to send an email or a note for their return.

What to include in your emails/notes:

FULL NAME OF YOUR CHILD

GRADE

VALID REASON (listed below)

Please note: missing the bus, traffic, and oversleeping are not reasons for being late.

Each semester your child is permitted 4 excused tardies and 2 unexcused tardies. Students who exceed this will receive a school detention or an ESS based on the Code of Conduct.

If you receive a phone call, email, or text that your child is absent, and you believe it is in error, please contact the attendance office as soon as possible.

Excused Absences and Tardies Reasons:

1. Personal illness

2. Family Emergency

3. Death of a Family Member

4. Medical or Dental Appointments

5. Authorized School Activities

6. Educational Travel with Prior Approval

7. Pre-approved Religious Instruction (limit 36 hours per year)

8. Bona Fide Religious Holiday

9. Tutorial Instruction in a field not offered in the District's curricula

10. Attending Court Hearings related to involvement with the County Children and Youth Agency or Juvenile Probation Office

11. When the student is required to leave school for the purposes of attending court hearings related to their involvement with the county children and youth agency or juvenile probation office

12. If the student is absent due to participation in a project sponsored by an organization that is eligible to apply for a grant under the Pennsylvania Agricultural Fair Act

13. If a student is dismissed from school during school hours for health-related reasons by a certified school nurse, registered nurse, licensed practical nurse or a school administrator or designee employed by the District.

14. For the purpose of obtaining professional health care or therapy service rendered by a licensed practitioner of the healing arts in any state, commonwealth or territory.

15. If a student whose parent or legal guardian has been called to duty for, is on leave from, or is immediately returned from deployment to a combat zone or combat support posting, with regard to school attendance, tests and extra-curricular or co-curricular activities, at the discretion of the Superintendent or designee, no penalties shall be imposed for absences of up to five (5) days.

16. Where the Superintendent has approved an attendance plan necessitated by rare and extraordinary circumstances. In this context, "rare" means typically no more than 1 or 2 per year District-wide and "extraordinary circumstances" means the student is engaged in a profession or activity at a nationally recognized level.

Emergency Card, Registration Form and Media Consent Form

New this year, we are asking parents/guardians to complete three forms virtually instead of on paper:

• Emergency Contact Form
• Registration Form
• Media Consent Form

All three of these forms are available to be completed on the PowerSchool parent portal https://powerschool.tesd.net. Once logged in, please click on "TESD Forms" on the left side of the site.

 Student Privileges

Conestoga High School administration and faculty believe students benefit from increased opportunity for self-direction as they mature. Consistent with this belief, our students' eligibility for privileges increases as they progress through their high school years. Privileges are granted only with permission of the parent or guardian. The student must have the ID card in his/her possession or access to their virtual ID card to exercise privileges. Students will scan their ID card or their virtual ID card when using their privileges to leave or enter school. Privileges may be rescinded at any time by the parent/guardian or by the school authorities if the student experiences academic difficulty or for failure to follow the school rules. All privileges may be suspended by the administration for safety/security reasons. The following privilege options are available to eligible students:

• Delayed Arrival: Seniors and Juniors who have unassigned time during first period have the option of late arrival in time for homeroom. Homeroom attendance is required of all students. Students are required to enter the building through the Main Lobby no earlier than five (5) minutes prior to the start of the next period. Students will be required to scan their virtual or traditional privilege cards when entering the building.

• Early Dismissal: Seniors and Juniors who have unassigned time during eighth period have the option of early dismissal. Seniors who have unassigned time during eighth, seventh and eighth, or sixth, seventh and eighth period have the option of early dismissal. Students are required to leave the building through the Main Lobby. Students will be required to scan their virtual or traditional privilege cards when leaving the building.

• Lunch Privilege: Seniors have the privilege of leaving campus for lunch during their assigned lunch period (5^th period or D Lunch). Juniors, Sophomores and Freshmen will have the privilege to leave for lunch at this time due to expanded COVID protocols. This privilege may be suspended for all students during times of inclement weather. Students are required to leave and return through the Main Lobby and return no earlier than five (5) minutes prior to the start of the next period or for their assigned class. Students must scan their virtual or traditional privilege card when leaving and rescan their virtual or traditional privilege card when returning. Students returning late from Senior Lunch Privileges will forfeit their privileges for a minimum of five days for the first offense, in addition to receiving other disciplinary consequences for any missed class time. With parent permission, seniors who do not have scheduled classes after the lunch period are not required to return to campus.

If you wish to apply for Student Privileges, please complete the Student Parent Authorization Form for Student Privileges.

Conestoga 2021-2022 Online Directory

·        The CHS Directory will be available in early September.

·        There will be no cost for the directory.

·        Conestoga will provide parents with a link to access the Directory. You will log-in and 'register’, verify your information, and decide what information – if any – you’d like included in the directory. Also, if any of your information changes throughout the school year, you will be able to update it in the directory.

·        You may opt out of having any information in the CHS Directory. Once you log-in and ‘register’, you will be able to opt-out of having any of your contact information included in the CHS Directory. If you don’t take this action, your information will appear in the directory.

·        Information in the CHS Directory is safe and secure and will not be shared or sold to third parties by the District or by Membership Toolkit, our vendor. You can only access the Directory via a link using your registered log-in. Additionally, each person using the Directory must agree to a Privacy Statement.

·        Directory App! You can download the Membership Toolkit App so the directory is easily available on your devices.

More information about the directory and how to access it will be available to Conestoga parents once the school year begins.

Class Parent Organizations & Class Meetings

Each class at Conestoga has a Parent Chairperson and the parents meet monthly with Administrators and Counselors to get updates on what is happening at school. This is a wonderful opportunity to meet other parents, get information and have your questions answered. 

Parents will have the opportunity to attend the September and October Parent Meetings either in-person or virtually. For in-person attendees, all parent meetings will take place in Room 268 (2^nd floor at Conestoga, directly above Room 142). For virtual attendees, links to the Teams meetings are below.

Class of 2025

Chairperson: Deb Delaney, [email protected]

First Meeting Date: Thursday, September 9^th, 10:00 am

Link to Meeting: Click here to join the meeting

Class of 2024

Chairperson: Diane Pancoast, [email protected]

First Meeting Date: Tuesday, September 14^th, 10:00 am

Link to Meeting: Click here to join the meeting

Class of 2023

Chairperson: Stacey Pellegrini, [email protected]

First Meeting Date: Thursday, September 23^st, 10:00 am

Link to Meeting: Click here to join the meeting

Class of 2022

Chairperson: Carrie Erickson, [email protected]

First Meeting Date: Tuesday, September 21, 10:00 am

Link to Meeting: Click here to join the meeting

Club Fair 2021

Do you have a student interested in learning more about the clubs and activities offered at Conestoga High School? Please encourage your child(ren) to spend some time at the Virtual Club Fair, which will take place from September 21 - 25, 2021. Students will have access to a FlipGrid, which highlights the various clubs and activities offered at Conestoga High School. In addition, students will have access to an online club sign-up form in Schoology. All students are encouraged to go to the club fair during a free period or during their lunch. Conestoga offers more than 150 various clubs for students to explore and participate in. During Club Fair week, student representatives from many of the CHS clubs will create short videos to advertise the goals, objectives, and activities that they hope to work on throughout the year. Student Activities provide a wonderful opportunity for students to enrich their high school experience and be connected to something fun and meaningful. Club Fair is the perfect time for students to join or re-join any clubs of interest. We encourage students to explore the clubs and activities at Conestoga High School and build community, whether virtual or in-person.

Attention Class of 2022

Senior portraits for the Class of 2022 FINAL DATES AT CONESTOGA: SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 18, 25, and OCTOBER 2. THERE WILL BE NO OTHER DATES SCHEDULED.

Information about scheduling an appointment will be mailed to your home by the studio. To contact the studio, log on to http://www.ouryear.com/ school code 87046 or call 1-800-OUR-YEAR™ (687-9327) or email [email protected]. 

The yearbook staff does not schedule your appointment. 

If you have not had a picture taken during one of the scheduled sessions and would like to appear in the yearbook, you must go to the studio in Bensalem, PA for a session. All pictures must be taken by October 31 in order to appear in the yearbook. 

Once your pictures have been taken, the studio will send you proofs. Follow their directions to select a picture for the yearbook. You must select the portrait for the yearbook by October 31. If you do not choose a pose, the studio will choose one for you. 

Fall 2021 Athletic Update

Varsity and JV teams began on Monday, August 16^th (Football will started a week earlier on August 9^th for heat acclimation). JVB and 9th grade programs will begin on Monday August 30th. As a reminder, all athletes interested in participating in a fall sport, must submit all required paperwork to the athletic office. Please use the following link for all PIAA paperwork. https://www.tesd.net/domain/1881

Traffic Safety Reminders

TESD urges all parents to exercise traffic safety around our schools. Please be reminded to: 

• Drive slowly and carefully in school parking lots, drop off areas and nearby roads
• Obey all traffic flow patterns and rules of the road
• Please be respectful of our neighbors
• When dropping off and picking up students, please pull all the way up allowing traffic to flow
• Discuss pedestrian safety with your kids (use crosswalks/sidewalks, look both ways, don't "walk and text," etc)

Traffic patterns around the schools are always busy at the start and end of our school days. We appreciate your attention to the safety of all of our students. 

QUICK LINKS

• Student Services Department
• Conestoga High School website