Community Update

Dear CHS Community,



Thank you for partnering with us to navigate a challenging week at Conestoga. We continue to strive toward a calm school environment that is conducive to in-person learning.

As we committed, our administrators and counselors have spent extra time this week listening to students to hear their perspectives. Throughout the week, we held formal and informal listening sessions where students had an opportunity to share their opinions, concerns, and ideas. We continue to welcome these conversations which have been open, informative, and respectful. 

We have completed much of the follow-up with individual students about events that have taken place since last Friday. To be clear, no students received consequences for expressing free speech. Disciplinary actions were taken to address violations consistent with the Code of Conduct. We understand it may be frustrating for those who wish to know more details about the disciplinary consequences, but for reasons of privacy and legality we cannot disclose further specifics.

We know there is much more work that needs to be done to unify as a school and to heal from the hurtful words and deeds that occurred. We hope this weekend and moving forward will be different. Intolerance causes harm and must end. We are committed to making Conestoga a place where each student is embraced, supported, and valued, and we will continually adjust and enhance our efforts to achieve that goal.

Although many differences of opinion remain among us, we have seen examples this week of thoughtful exchanges about tough questions that have no easy answers. Let’s build on the strengths we have as a community to ensure all students feel a sense of belonging, understanding, and empathy for each other.  

Sincerely,

Dr. Richard Gusick

Superintendent

Dr. Amy Meisinger

Principal

Opportunity to Join TESD Strategic Plan Action Teams

TESD parents and guardians are invited to help develop action plans as part of the District’s strategic planning process. This is an exciting opportunity to get involved and be a part of planning the District’s vision for the future in the areas of change, curriculum, engagement, sustainability, equity, faculty support, mental health & wellbeing, and safety. As a participant on an action team, you will provide a parent’s perspective as you collaborate with students, staff members, other parents and community members during six action team planning sessions in March and April. The meetings will be held at Conestoga on Tuesday evenings from 7:00-9:00 PM.

If you are interested in signing up to participate on one of the strategic planning action teams, you may click here to sign up online through February 28, 2022. For more information please see the Action Team Fact Sheet or visit the strategic planning section of the T/E School District website at www.tesd.net/strategicplan. If you have additional questions about the strategic planning process, please contact Dr. Wendy Towle at [email protected]. 

Senior Internship Program

Seniors attended Internship Orientation sessions in January and February and have begun their search for internships. All information, materials, deadlines and communication for the Senior Internship will be available to students through Schoology. Students should reach out to Mrs. Braun in the Student Services office if they have any questions or need assistance.

The dates of Senior Internship are May 9 through June 3.

Again this year, we expect the Senior Internship Program to be impacted by changes in the work force caused by Covid-19. Seniors who are unable to secure an internship will remain in school. Our goal is to help the seniors explore many internship opportunities and provide some flexibility as they do that.

Important Information for 17-Year-Old Seniors

Internship Community Sponsors of 17-year-old students must have completed the PA Criminal, PA Child Abuse and FBI background checks prior to the start of internship.

If you are interested in being an internship Community Sponsor, please contact Jeanne Braun. Questions about the Senior Internship Program may be directed to Jeanne Braun, Program Coordinator, at 610-240-1913 or [email protected].

Attention Students and Families!

Please join us for Financial Aid Evening on Thursday, March 17^th at 7PM. This VIRTUAL program will help families learn more about navigating their way through the financial aid process as it relates to post-high school planning. We are excited to welcome Susan Wendling, Director of Financial Aid, and Aileen O'Dowd, Assistant Director of Financial Aid, from Cabrini University. We look forward to having them for this informative evening. A link will be shared closer to the time of the event. 

Attention Junior Parents

It is our pleasure to invite you to schedule a virtual or in-person post-high school planning conference sometime this winter or spring. In this conference, you will meet with your child and your child’s counselor. We will provide you with a variety of materials and information to help you begin this process. Meetings began on November 29^th and meeting dates may be scheduled through April.  For more information, please open attached documents. We look forward to seeing you! 

Junior Parent Invite Letter

Parent Reflection 21-22

Career Days at Conestoga

It is a tradition that 10^th grade parents, working in conjunction with the Student Services office, organize Career Days at Conestoga. Career Days are three days – March 22, 23 & 24 – where professionals come to Conestoga and share their careers, their career paths and what types of jobs are available in their professional fields. Typically, we have about 25-30 speakers in many different professional areas.

If you are a Sophomore parent and interested in being on the Career Days Committee, please reach out to Diane Pancoast at [email protected]. We will need parents to work on speakers, speaker schedules, marketing and hospitality.

AP Exam Registration Updates

• Final deadline to cancel an AP Exam in order to receive a partial refund is April 1^st. Please log back into your Total Registration account to cancel an exam.
• Attached is the 2022 AP Exam Schedule for your reference.
• Please see Mrs. Smyth or Mrs. Barthelmeh in Student Services with questions.

Please click here to view the 2022 AP Exams schedule.

Class Parent Meetings

Parents at Conestoga are invited to attend the monthly Class Parent Meetings. It is an opportunity to hear from CHS Administrators and Counselors and get updates on what is happening at school. At this time the parent meetings are being held virtually. The Microsoft Teams links for the March meetings are below. It is preferable to download Microsoft Team on your computer to successfully link to the meeting.

Class of 2025

Chairperson: Deb Delaney, [email protected]

Meeting Date: Thursday, March 10, 10:00 am

Link to Meeting: Click here to join the meeting

Class of 2024

Chairperson: Diane Pancoast, [email protected]

Meeting Date: Tuesday, March 8, 10:00 am

Link to Meeting: Click here to join the meeting

Class of 2023

Chairperson: Stacey Pellegrini, [email protected]

Meeting Date: Thursday, March 17, 10:00 am

Link to Meeting: Click here to join the meeting

Class of 2022

Chairperson: Carrie Erickson, [email protected]

Meeting Date: Tuesday, March 15, 10:00 am

Link to Meeting: Click here to join the meeting

 



Winter Sports/Spectator Update

Winter sports are wrapping up their regular season games and preparing for playoffs. We are pleased to have returned to full capacity for all home events. We will also continue to livestream all events held in the large gym on our YouTube channel https://www.tesd.net/Page/16803. We wish our winter athletes good luck in the post season!

The Spring season will start March 7^th.

Our athletic website is a wonderful source of information regarding Conestoga Athletics: https://www.tesd.net/domain/1881

Message From The Key Club

We am excited to share that this February, Conestoga High School is uniting for American Heart Month to help Reclaim Your Rhythm to live longer, healthier, fuller lives. 

By participating in Heart Month, it is not only a great way for us to connect, but also a great way to support the lifesaving mission of the American Heart Association. Over the past year the AHA has been working tirelessly, making an impact on those most affected by COVID-19, fighting for health equity, and continuing to focus on overall brain and heart health for all. The AHA has been: 

• Addressing food insecurity through partnerships with local pantries and urban farms to distribute free and fresh produce by distributing 22 freezers to local pantries, over 2.000 bags of locally grown vegetables to North Philadelphia residents and provide 3.500 nutritious lunches to students who would normally access free school meals. 
• Working to ensure those with hypertension can manage high blood pressure from the safety of their own home through self-monitored blood pressure programs, distributing over 500 validated blood pressure cuffs and patient resources guides. 
• Focusing on healthcare and food access through relationships with Federally Qualified Health Centers, faith-based organizations and schools. 

CLICK HERE to make a difference right here in our community and support the mission of the AHA to help reduce deaths from heart disease and stroke, as well as improve the future health of our family, friends, and neighbors. 

Traffic Safety Reminders

• DROP OFF – Parents may drop off in the front of the building using two lanes. The bus circle is available beginning at 7:40AM as an additional drop-off location.
• PICK UP - Parents may pick up in the front of the building using two lanes. The bus circle is available at 3:00PM for parents to pick up students.
• Please DO NOT use the Main Lot for drop-off and pick-up as it creates more congestion for our student drivers.
• Drive slowly and carefully on school drop off areas and nearby roads.
• Obey all traffic flow patterns and rules of the road DO NOT MAKE ILLEGAL U-TURNS
• Please be respectful of our neighbors. DO NOT use driveways as a turn around.
• The Timothy School should not be used as a drop-off/pick-up location.
• 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).

QUICK LINKS

• Student Services Department
• Conestoga High School website