N O R T H A L L E G H E N Y S C H O O L D I S T R I C T

Tiger NewsFEBRUARY 2018

www.northallegheny.org

In This Edition Page 2

-NASH Students Compete on Hometown High Q-Diversity World Cultures Tables at Northland Library

Page 3 -Tackling Student Stress Update

Page 4-NASH Spring Musical-NAI Spring Play-A Taste of NA

Page 5 -News and Noteworthy-A.W. Beattie Career Center Students of the Month

-NAI Gives Back

Page 6-Senior Citizens’ Prom-Distinguished Alumni Gala

Upcoming Events

Saturday, February 10-ACT at NASH, doors open at 7:15 a.m.

-NAI Spring Play, 7 p.m.-NASH MORP Dance, 8-11 p.m.

Monday, February 12-Jump Rope for Heart @ IES & MES-PES PTA Meeting, 9:15 a.m.-Launching into Kindergarten Meeting @ CMS, 10 a.m. and 7 p.m.

-NA PAGE Meeting @ Ponce Room (Baierl Center), 1 p.m.

Tuesday, February 13-NADBP @ NASH Band Room, 7 p.m.-NA Foundation Meeting @ CAO Board Room, 7 p.m.

Wednesday, February 14 -Valentine’s Day Parties: HES- 2:15 p.m. MCK- 2:30 p.m. MES- 2:30 p.m.

Students, Schools Honored at DAA Ceremony

Meteorologists Share Expertise with NASH StudentsStudents in Ms. Schmiech’s Honors Meteorology class at NASH welcomed two special guest speakers on January 9. North Allegheny alumni Scott Harbaugh ’89 and Casey Lehecka ’13 returned to their alma mater to share their expertise and experience in the field of meteorology. Scott is the weekday morning meteorologist for WPXI Channel 11 here in Pittsburgh, and Casey is the weekend meteorologist for WJAC in Johnstown, PA. Casey shared that Ms. Schmiech’s Honors Meteorology class inspired her to pursue a career in meteorology. Thank you to Scott and Casey for returning to NA to visit!

Before the January 24 School Board Meeting, the North Allegheny Board of School Directors presented 42 students with Distinguished Achievement Awards in recognition of their state and national level accomplishments. The Girls Volleyball Team, Girls Tennis Team, and Girls Golf Team were each honored for bringing home WPIAL and PIAA Titles. Additionally, Franklin Elementary was recognized for being named a 2017 National Blue Ribbon School by the U.S. Department of Education. Carson, Ingomar, and Marshall Middle Schools also received special recognition from Apple representatives for being named Apple Distinguished Schools earlier in the year. Congratulations to all recognized at the ceremony!

N O R T H A L L E G H E N Y S C H O O L D I S T R I C T

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FEBRUARY 2018

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Upcoming Events Thursday, February 15

-EAC/SAC @ CAO Board Room, 9:30 a.m.

-CMS Talent Show for Parents and Community, 7 p.m.

-NAOPA @ NASH Orchestra Room, 7 p.m.

-UBO Meeting @ Ponce Room (Baierl Center), 7-9 p.m.

Friday, February 16-CMS In-School Talent Show-MES PFA Meeting, 10:15 a.m.-All MS 8th Grade Boys BOLD Event @ NAI, 3-7:30 p.m.

Monday, February 19-No School (Snow Contingency Day)

Tuesday, February 20-Combined MS Parent Coffee @ CMS,7 p.m.

Wednesday, February 21-PMEA Region Band, February 21-23-School Board Work Session @ CAOBoard Room, 7 p.m.

Thursday, February 22-CMS Fall/Winter Sports RecognitionAssembly

-8th-9th Grade Elective Transition Fair@ NAI, 6 p.m.

-HES Talent Show, 6-7:30 p.m.

Friday, February 23 -Registration and Physicals Due for Spring Sports (all levels)

-MES Read-A-Thon, through March 2-Combined MS Parent Coffee @ MMS, 9:30 a.m.

-All MS 8th Grade Girls GOLD Event@ NAI, 3-10:30 p.m.

-MCK Talent Show, 6-9 p.m.-BWE Science Expo, 6:30-8:30 p.m.

NASH Students Compete on Hometown High Q

Tune in or set your DVRs to CBS Pittsburgh on Saturday, February 10 at 11 a.m. to watch NASH seniors Arlen Belitsky, Owen Chase, and Steven Lu compete against Indiana Area and Neshannock on Hometown High Q. Good luck!

Diversity Committee Creates World Cultures Table Projects at Northland Library

On behalf of the Diversity Committee, NASH senior Yuri Tamama participated in the Diversity World Cultures Table Project at Northland Library on January 6 and February 3. Many community members stopped by to learn about East Asian and South Asian cultures. Great job to the NASH Multicultural Student Union on coordinating this project, including senior Grant Jiang, junior Takuma Goto, and sophomore Divya Ramkumar.

N O R T H A L L E G H E N Y S C H O O L D I S T R I C T

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Tackling Student Stress Update

At the beginning of the school year, North Allegheny laid out a plan to focus on four things that students noted were causing them stress. The first two items were school start times and grade weighting. The District provided information regarding both topics, hosted public forums, and distributed a survey that engaged 5,530 parents, students, and staff members. During the December School Board meeting the District reviewed the results of the survey during a presentation.

• In terms of grade weighting, the District is not planning any significant changes next school year, but is looking at future tweaks that might alleviate some of the stress students are experiencing.

• In terms of school start times, 74% of survey respondents believed that high school start times should be later at North Allegheny, however only one of the proposed scenarios had support from the community. From these survey results, the District recommended to the Board to adjust high school start times for the 2019-2020 school year from a 7:25 a.m. start time to 8:00 a.m. Delaying implementation one year, the District would have additional time to educate the community and rework our bus schedules.

• At the January 24 School Board Regular Meeting, the School Board tabled this item and requested additional information regarding the costs associated with the proposed start time adjustments.

• The District will now conduct a transportation study to analyze the routes that would be impacted by the change and continue to explore options that would benefit the overall well-being of North Allegheny students.

Keep an eye out in March for a survey regarding homework that will be sent to students, parents/guardians, and teachers.

•Colleges remove the grade weights when students apply

•Students focus on weighted courses & don’t select courses that may suit future needs

•Honors & AP courses are weighted, enhancing a student’s GPA

GRADE WEIGHTING

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•The following organizations suggest an 8:30 a.m. start time for adolescents

•American Acad. of Pediatrics •American Medical Assn. •Centers for Disease Control

•Current NA start times •HS - 7:25 a.m. •MS - 8:10 a.m. •ES - 9:00 a.m.

SCHOOL START TIMES

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•Will be explored in Phase 2 of Tackling Student Stress

HOMEWORK

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•Will be explored in Phase 2 of Tackling Student Stress

TESTING

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Inclement WeatherDelays and Closings

On occasion, weather conditions or other unexpected circumstances may make it necessary for school to be delayed or cancelled. The safety of our students is always paramount in this decision-making process. As we continue to trek through the winter months, keep an eye out for communications from the District pertaining to delays and closings. Information can be found on NA’s website, social media, and the local television news stations. Additionally, a SchoolMessenger notification will be sent as soon as a decision is made.

Information on how NA decides to delay or cancel school can be found here on the District’s website.

N O R T H A L L E G H E N Y S C H O O L D I S T R I C T

www.northallegheny.org

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The North Allegheny Foundation presents A Taste of North Allegheny

Saturday, March 24, 2018, 6:30 - 9:30 p.m. Waterfront II Building in Franklin Park

Tickets now available online

Don’t miss NA’s Spring MusicalDisney’s The Little MermaidTickets go on sale February 11

Click here for more informationNAI Spring Play

The Westing GameAdapted by Darian Lindle

From the Newbery award-winning novel by Ellen Raskin

First commissioned and produced by Prime State, Pittsburgh, PA

February 8, 9, & 10 at 7 p.m. February 10 at 2 p.m.

Tickets $6 at the door Gold Card Members- FREE

A bizarre chain of events begins when sixteen unlikely people gather for the reading of Samuel W. Westing’s will. And though no one knows why the eccentric, game-loving millionaire has chosen a virtual stranger- and possible murderer- to inherit his vast fortune, one thing’s for sure: Sam Westing may be dead... but that won’t stop him from playing one last game!

N O R T H A L L E G H E N Y S C H O O L D I S T R I C T

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News and Noteworthy

• Seniors Teresa Christensen and Heya Lee were named candidates for the United States Presidential Scholars Program.

• Seniors Elizabeth Guo and Siddarth Madala both earned the National Speech and Debate Associations’ Academic All American Award! Both students are in the top .5% of students competing nationwide.

• The 2017 NASH Yearbook, Safari, won the Clyde F. Lytle Keystone Award. The staff will be recognized on March 27 at the PSPA State Journalism Contest at Penn State.

• The NA Speech and Debate Team was recently named one of the Top 64 teams in world at the 17th annual International Public Policy Forum. Students competed against teams from 17 countries and 30 U.S. states.

• Students from A.W. Beattie participated in the SkillsUSA Contests in January and performed well in several categories. Nathan Arredondo placed second in the category of Ad Design and Seth Syfrett placed third in the category of Carpentry. Additionally, Grace Cibula (Ad Design) will be going on to the state competition in April at Hershey.

• The NASH literary magazine, Variations, was “Recommended for the Highest Award” in the category of “Excellence in Student Literary Magazines” in Pennsylvania by the National Council of Teachers of English. Congratulations to teachers Kathy Esposito and Janellen Lombardi, along with the entire staff of Variations.

• Several NAI and NASH students received Pittsburgh Regional Scholastic Writing Awards. The American Voices medal is the highest regional honor presented by the Scholastic Writing Awards. Gold Key Winners and American Voices Nominees will move on to national competition. All students listed below will be honored at a reception on February 24 at the University of Pittsburgh.

Honorable MentionsMeredith Blough, Short Story

Tess Christensen, Senior PortfolioTess Christensen, Poetry

Zehra Mehdi, PoetryCorinne Swann, HumorCorinne Swann, PoetryMakayla Wach, Poetry

Silver Key WinnersRachael Harris, Personal Essay/Memoir

Ellen Poplavska, Dramatic ScriptNisha Rao, Short Story

Corinne Swann, Personal Essay/Memoir

Gold Key WinnersAmanda Lu, Personal Essay/Memoir

Zehra Mehdi, Flash FictionZehra Mehdi, PoetryFaith Nguyen, Poetry

Claire Shao, Personal Essay/MemoirCorinne Swann, Science Fic./Fantasy

Makayla Wach, Short StoryRoshie Xing, Poetry

American Voices NomineesCorinne Swann, Science Fic./Fantasy

Makayla Wach, Short Story

A.W. Beattie Career Center Students of

the Month

Congratulations to the following A.W. Beattie students who were named Student of the Month for December 2017 through January 2018:

Devin Powers EDAM/Robotics

Olivia Chesmer Early Childhood Education

Sarah Randig Pastry Arts

NAI Gives Back

Students with the NAI Tiger Shop recently donated $500 to the NAI Tigers Helping Tigers fund, which benefits students in Texas impacted by Hurricane Harvey. They money was raised by selling snacks during two class periods each day. Great job, Tigers!

N O R T H A L L E G H E N Y S C H O O L D I S T R I C T

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Distinguished Alumni Honored at Inaugural Gala

North Allegheny Foundation honored nine alumni on January 25 at its inaugural Distinguished Alumni Gala. This prestigious award recognizes alumni who have made significant contributions to society and achieved great accomplishments in their profession. Additionally, Marshall Middle School teacher Linda Granite was honored as a finalist for 2018 PA Teacher of the Year. Honorees returned to NASH on the morning of January 26 for a special mentoring session with faculty and students.

NASH Hosts Annual Senior Citizens’ Prom

The students of NASH will once again host the annual Senior Citizens’ Prom on Friday, May 11, 2018 from 7-10 p.m. This free event is open to individuals 62 and older, and includes a free prom photo and light refreshments.

Attendees are asked to RSVP by May 4 by calling 412-369-5445 with the number of attendees and a song request.

www.northallegheny.org

FEBRUARY 2018Snow Contingency/

Make-Up Days

Pennsylvania law requires public schools to provide 180 days of instruction each year. NASD schedules 184 days to allow for the possibility that up to four days might be cancelled due to bad weather or other emergencies. If it is necessary to cancel more than four days during the year, then the District is obligated to hold classes on days that were originally intended to be in-service or vacation days. If that situation occurs during the 2017-2018 school year, these will be the contingency dates on which classes will be held:

• February 19, 2018• March 29, 2018• April 2, 2018

As of February 7, the District has cancelled twice for inclement weather.