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Education

March 13, 2020

Ellwood City Area School Directors Pass Amended Kindergarten Admission Policy

The Ellwood City Area School Directors approved Policy 201 Admission of Students during the Thursday night voting meeting. The policy was amended for early admission to kindergarten. The amended section regarding early admission to kindergarten now states: Physical, social and emotional maturity must be adequate to function satisfactorily in the Ellwood City Area School District’s kindergarten program. Criteria for early entrance includes the following: The child must turn five years old by September 15 of the school year of enrollment. The child seeking early entrance must have completed two years of preschool experience. A written letter of request from the…

March 12, 2020

Riverside School District Releases Statement Regarding Coronavirus

According to information made available on the district website, the Riverside Beaver County School District superintendent Bret Trotta released a statement this week regarding the coronavirus epidemic and what the district is doing to prevent any potential spread of the virus. The statement reads: We are writing today due to the recent news of the coronavirus (COVID-19) and want to inform you on how our schools are responding. Please trust that proactive steps are being taken on campus to help avoid an illness outbreak of any kind. Teachers and staff members have been well informed of the PA Department of…

March 11, 2020

Ellwood City Area School District Superintendent Addresses Coronavirus

Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is the hottest topic in the world today. Ellwood City Area School District Superintendent Joseph Mancini said the district is having discussions regarding the disease, but that no major moves or changes have been made as of yet to address the situation. He said district administrators are staying on top of the reports, discussing, and researching the disease’s reach on a daily basis. He said the district is taking the stance right now of “don’t panic, but prepare.” “There has been increased cleaning of high touch areas,” he said during the Ellwood City Area School District’s Board…

March 6, 2020

BC3 Course Focuses On Preventing Military Veterans’ Suicide

(Butler, PA) Among Peter Albert’s patients at the Butler VA Health Care System are those who tell him that they’ve known more fellow fighters who killed themselves than those they’ve known who were killed in combat. Nearly 6,140 U.S. military veterans nationwide died by suicide in 2017, marking the 10th consecutive year in which the number exceeded 6,000, according to the VA’s 2019 National Veteran Suicide Prevention Annual Report. Among them in 2017 were 254 from Pennsylvania. Veterans who die by suicide, Albert added, may not have served in combat. Butler County Community College on March 23 will offer a…

February 17, 2020

Ellwood City School Directors Approve Personnel, Spring Coaches

The Ellwood City School Board Directors voted during Thursday’s board meeting to approve personnel hires. Among the appointments were Michael Elmer who was hired as an instructional aide and David Poore and Megan Rosenberger were approved as mentors for the remainder of the 2019-2020 school year and for the first semester of the 2020-2021 school year. Heidi Feltrop, secondary librarian was granted tenure. Board directors also voted to update the ACT 93 Agreement to include Paul Pishioneri and his salary increase to $72,000 for the 2020-2021 school year. Spring coaches were also appointed (Director Gary Rozanski Sr. abstained from the…

February 14, 2020

Ellwood City Area School District Board Votes to Revise Kindergarten Admission Policy

The Ellwood City Area School District Board voted to revise policy 201 during Thursday night’s meeting. A unanimous vote will put the revisions on display until the next board meeting where they will then be recommended for approval. The discussion regarding kindergarten admission has been ongoing since November by parent Megan Jones whosaid previously that she was disappointed to learn that her child who has already invested two years into preschool would not make the August 15 cutoff for kindergarten registration and that there was not an option for evaluation. The vote regarding kindergarten admission was tabled during the January…

February 14, 2020

Ellwood City Area School Board Meetings to Include Police Presence

The Ellwood City Area School District’s Board voted 8-1 during Thursday’s meeting to implement a police presence at future school director meetings. Board President Renee Pitrelli motioned for the vote stating that the way the world is today, she feels it necessary. She added that with topics such as negotiations coming up, adding a police presence is the right thing to do. Board Director Jennifer Tomon voted “No.” “I don’t think the public should be paying for it,” she said. Ellwood City School District Police Officer Matt Smock was in attendance at last night’s meeting.

February 11, 2020

Ellwood City School Board Continues Consideration of Kindergarten Admission

The Ellwood City Area School District Board is set to consider a change to Policy 201 during its Thursday voting meeting. The vote regarding kindergarten admission was tabled during the January 21st meeting because the board wanted further input and consideration from the administration as to whether a viable process to evaluate students for early entry could be developed and implemented. After initial review, the administration, during the board’s January 13 committee meeting, recommended that the policy should remain as is, but not all board members agree with that assessment. During the January 21 meeting, Board President Renee Pitrelli and…

January 29, 2020

Riverside SD Announces New Student Online Enrollment; Students of the Month

Riverside will be implementing Skyward New Student Online Enrollment on February 10, 2020. The Riverside School District is creating a new way to enroll students new to our district, including NEW KINDERGARTEN ENROLLMENTS FOR 20-21.  The process is automated and eliminates the need for printing endless forms.  The process walks new parents/guardians through a series of questions and will help improve the efficiency of the enrollment process.  We will be working diligently this week to create and test our new system.  Access will be available February 10, 2020.  No phone calls for kindergarten enrollment will be received until Monday, Feb…

January 24, 2020

Ellwood City School District Board Collides Over Ethics

Ellwood City School Board Directors passed a Board Resolution: “Principles for Governance and Leadership” during their recent meeting but not without a discussion regarding ethics. Part of those principles, set by the Pennsylvania School Boards Association (PSBA), encourage board directors to “Act Ethically.” Director Jennifer Tomon challenged whether fellow board members appointed to the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Negotiation Committee have a conflict of interest when it comes to their duties. The PSBA Resolution, in its section regarding ethics, states that board members should “act to avoid actual or perceived conflicts of interest.” According to Tomon, the three directors…