Monday, May 13, 2013
Check out a few of the events happening this week in the township.
On Monday, May 13 at 7 p.m., the Upper Dublin School Board will meet in the high school cafeteria. According to the draft agenda, school district superintendent Michael Pladus will present district-wide cost reduction plan options, and business administrator Brenda Bray will present the 2013-14 proposed final budget. See the whole draft agenda here. -- On Tuesday, May 14 at 6:30 p.m., the Upper Dublin Board of Commissioners will hold its stated meeting at the township building. According to the draft agenda, the board will consider action on a revised Dresher Overlay Ordinance and will consider action on a resolution approving traffic signals at Limekiln Pike and Bell Lane. See the whole agenda here. -- Those looking to support the …
Friday, May 10, 2013
Upper Dublin graduate and Philadelphia Eagles Drumline Director Andrew Moffatt gives a drum lesson to Sandy Run Middle School students.
Sandy Run Middle School Band Director Sean Kennedy has been bringing professional musicians into his classroom for the past couple of months. Earlier this week, the school’s percussion students heard from the director of the Philadelphia Eagles Drumline … who once sat where they were sitting. It was under strange circumstances in which Kennedy reunited with his former student. He said his brother-in-law had given him tickets to an Eagles preseason game and when he looked up at the stadium’s monitor, he saw his former student Andrew Moffatt. “I was sitting there, and suddenly this drumline came out, so I started paying attention, and on the Jumbotron, there he was, playing snare drum,” Kennedy said. “I hadn’t talked to him in a couple of …
40.12603
-75.1696
Sandy Run Middle School
520 Twining Rd, Dresher, PA
/articles/from-sandy-run-to-the-linc-and-back
2087148
/locations/9371234
Friday, April 26, 2013
The Upper Dublin School District considers more than $100K in cuts from activities and athletics. Is it time for an 'activity fee?'
Earlier this week, Upper Dublin School District Superintendent Michael Pladus gave his third presentation on the district’s 2013-14 budget. Following the presentation, the board approved a motion furloughing four staff members and terminating six others. The measures will save the district about $621,000. Prior to the layoffs, the district was facing a roughly $2.4 million deficit. Also during that presentation, he outlined proposed activity and athletic cuts at all three levels — elementary, middle and high school. The proposed cuts would save the district a shade more than $135,000 and would affect about 75 clubs. The proposed cuts are listed below. At a March meeting, one resident was bothered that several high school clubs could be on …
Thursday, April 25, 2013
The Upper Dublin School District wants you to take a survey.
The Upper Dublin School District may be in the throes of budget discussions, but it’s also looking for input from the community about its performance … and it’s seeking it via SurveyMonkey. The district’s “renewal team,” led by assistant superintendent Robert Schultz, has posted a 20-item survey on the SurveyMonkey website and it will stay there through Friday, April 25. The survey items ask participants how they feel about a slew of topics, ranging from technology, to teamwork, to district communications. Participants may chime in with four answers: “fully describes the district,” “describes the district to some degree,” “does not describe the district,” and the noncommittal “not sure.” Participants may also write what they think the …
Wednesday, April 24, 2013
Ambler Savings Bank donates $10,000 to the Upper Dublin Education Foundation.
The Upper Dublin High School recently purchased a milling machine and a 3D printer — both of which are commercial-grade items — for the school’s new Business Entrepreneurship Program. The school purchased the items with the help of a $10,000 donation from Ambler Savings Bank. According to Upper Dublin Education Foundation Board Member Pam Ryan, the bank had been looking to donate money to the education foundation as part of the state’s Educational Improvement Tax Credit (EITC) program, which rewards businesses that donate to approved educational improvement organizations, like the Upper Dublin Education Foundation. “They approached us last spring and were contemplating getting involved with the program,” Ryan said. “They were saying, ‘Hey…
Monday, April 22, 2013
Several student writers are honored for their work ... and one is on her way to a ceremony at Carnegie Hall.
The Scholastic Art and Writing Awards honored several Upper Dublin students for their writing skills in humor, poetry, flash fiction, short story, essays, dramatic script and journalism. They will be honored at a ceremony at the University of the Arts in June. But 12th-grade student Elizabeth Christie took the cake with her entry "Liv and Let Di." It was recognized nationally with a Gold Medal award in the humor category. According to the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards website, a Gold Medal represents "The most outstanding works in the nation." In turn, Christie has been invited to attend a ceremony at the Carnegie Hall on Friday, May 31. From the website: Submissions are juried by luminaries in the visual and literary arts, some of …
Thursday, April 18, 2013
The Upper Dublin School District ranks highly, according to a Pittsburgh publication.
Upper Dublin is a pretty good school district, says the people out in Pittsburgh. “The Pittsburgh Business Times,” in its recently released “Western Pennsylvania 2013 School Guide,” dubbed Upper Dublin the 19th-best top-scoring public school district in the state. To put things in perspective, there are over 500 school districts and charter schools in Pennsylvania. Superintendent Michael Pladus said he heard the news last week from a colleague at the Montgomery County Intermediate Unit. He added that school district administration had no contact with the publication. According to Pladus, the rankings are calculated by taking a rolling, three-year average of the PSSA scores for all students in grades three through eight and 11. “The ‘…
Thursday, April 4, 2013
The Upper Dublin School Board looks at less harsh penalties for high school athletes — and those in other school clubs — who violate drug and alcohol policies.
Penalties may change for Upper Dublin students who violate conduct contracts on and off of school property … but they may be less severe. Upper Dublin School District Assistant Superintendent Robert Schultz, in a presentation this week, outlined proposed changes to the current code of conduct contracts for student athletes and those involved in student activities. Most notably, the proposed changes include the addition of an introductory paragraph that says students involved in athletics and activities have an added responsibility to the school district and the community; the penalties for violating the code would also change. For an athlete, the first drug and alcohol violation would result in a 14-day suspension in which the student …
Friday, March 29, 2013
Five unique positions up for grabs with the school district.
The economy is still "rebounding" per the experts, but there are jobs to be found in Upper Dublin. Take for instance the Jobs section on Upper Dublin Patch. There are over 40,000 opportunities listed there. If you seek a job in the school district, you are in luck. There are currently five openings posted on the Upper Dublin School District jobs site. According to the Upper Dublin School District Job Postings, the district no longer accepts paper applications for teaching positions. Those interested must make sure that your information is on PA-Reap. That site is used by the district for all teacher hires. However, interested candidates may submit a letter of interest for any position the district has posted on the website. Currently, the…
40.15354
-75.201909
Upper Dublin High School
800 Loch Alsh Ave, Fort Washington, PA
/articles/udsd-offers-up-job-openings
1835929
/locations/9113180
Friday, March 15, 2013
Sandy Run Middle School students take a field trip ... with no permission slips.
There’s a lot of talk revolving around the Upper Dublin School District’s 2013-14 budget woes … especially when it comes to the arts. But one teacher is doing what he can to enhance his students’ musical experience. Sandy Run Middle School band and jazz band director Sean Kennedy called in a couple of favors to his friends. Kennedy, a professional musician, reached out to several of his fellow musicians with whom he has played over the years, and invited them to come to the middle school for some master classes. “We’re calling it ‘Field Trips to the Band Room,’ and it’s in lieu of going to the city, or anywhere else, for a performance,” Kennedy said. “There’s no travel cost and no bus.” Kennedy said ran the idea through the school’s …
SMDH
2:51 pm on Monday, May 13, 2013
Every time I read the Patch I see some good news about music at Sandy Run. The district should be celebrating these teachers instead of cutting their jobs! more ›