Bridger Spirit Day at Highland Elementary
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The Ambridge Area School District is pleased to announce the Act 88 arbitration panel has returned a majority decision in favor of the District’s final, best offer to the Ambridge Area Education Association (AAEA). The decision, issued Aug. 11, determined the District’s offer is the most reasonable and feasible option for all parties involved.
The arbitration team consists of the District’s appointed representative, a Pennsylvania State Education Association (PSEA) representative and a neutral third-party representative selected by the District and PSEA arbitrators. All three arbitrators possess extensive experience in labor negotiations.
“In a good faith effort, the District worked diligently and met frequently to develop an offer that the neutral arbitrator would find acceptable and fair, considering the state of the District and the restraints of the budget,” said Dr. Jo Welter, Superintendent. “The District is satisfied with the decision and is hopeful that the teachers will have faith in the arbitrators making the decision.”
August 6, 2017
Dear Parents/Guardians:
As you may already know, Kevin Hudac passed away Friday, after an unfortunate accident. Kevin was a recent graduate from the class of 2017. We know that this type of loss can greatly affect our children and our school community.
We will bring in our professionals and prevention specialists from the Prevention Network to help our children deal with their emotions and reactions to feelings of fear and loss. Services will be available in the High school office Monday August 7th from 9am to 1pm and by appointment as needed moving forward. Please contact the Guidance office at 724-266-2833 x2377
This type of death can produce many different responses to loss. There can be shock, fear, sadness, shame, anger, and guilt. Every individual is different. Some may not react at all while some children will display grief openly and want to talk about the death and their feelings. Talking can help children with their fears about their own possible losses.
Sometimes grief can be expressed in actions. Be aware of behavior changes such as crying, over-reacting to small stresses, complaining of stomach or headaches, or acting tired or withdrawn. If you become concerned about your child’s behavior, please call the school to ask for help.
Know that your teachers and counselors are here to help with any problem your child may encounter. Please call your school if you need assistance for your child.
Sincerely,
Ms. Janice L. Zupsic
Senior High School Principal
Ambridge Area School District
DearParent/Guardian:
The Ambridge Area School District is pleased to announce that we will begin using the Raptor Visitor Management System in all of our district schools to build on the district’s program of campus safety for students and faculty. Part of keeping students and faculty safe is knowing who is in our building at all times and the Raptor system will allow us to do that. The Raptor system will better allow us to track visitors, contractors, and volunteers in our schools and provide us with a safer environment for our students and staff.
Upon entering a district building, visitors will be asked to present a valid state-issued ID, which will be scanned into the system. The Raptor system will check to ensure that registered sexual offenders are not entering our buildings. It is important to note that the Raptor system only scans the visitor's name, date of birth and photo for comparison with a national database of registered sex offenders. Additional visitor data from the driver's license is not gathered nor is the system connected to any other system such as the Department of Motor Vehicles. Therefore, any other information on the ID is not scanned by the system and is not accessible to any of the users. Once entry is approved, Raptor will issue a badge that identifies the visitor, the date, and the purpose of his/her visit.
A visitor’s badge will not be necessary for those who visit our schools simply to drop off an item in the office or pick up paperwork. In the event that a person does not have identification, the campus administrator on duty will be called to assess the situation.
If you are interested in learning more about the Raptor visitor management system, please visit the Raptor Technologies website (www.raptortech.com). If you have any questions for the district personnel, please contact the school office.
The safety of our students is our highest priority and the Raptor visitor management system provides a consistent way to aid in keeping away people who may present a danger to our students. Therefore, all visitors to the school must be scanned into the system and obtain a visitor badge. Thank you, in advance, for your understanding and support of enhancing school safety protocols in our district.
Sincerely,
L. Joan Welter, Ed.D.
Superintendent of Schools
Dear Residents of the Ambridge Area School District,
As a 20 year resident of the community and a parent of two children who were educated in this District, I am honored to be the Superintendent of the Ambridge Area School District. From first- hand experience, I assure you that your children will be engaged in a variety of educational and extracurricular opportunities that will successfully prepare them for their future. This school community is filled with caring adults who work hard every day to support our students and create an environment that is conducive to learning and growing. As parents, we too must be committed to helping our children learn and grow.
Upon visiting any of our schools you will find that they were all built or renovated in the past few years. They are clean, updated and functional for the needs of our students. Teachers make our schools welcoming and I have personally witnessed the support by many professional educators going above and beyond to create a positive experience for students. A recently added STEAM initiative provides integrated technology experiences for all students and all ninth graders will have the opportunity to complete a coding class for the first time this year. The professional staff is proud of what they do and work hard to help students be successful every day.
Students have a wide variety of extracurricular opportunities from which to choose. Athletics, the arts, and technology challenges all await them in our schools. The District’s High School Steel Drum Band tours the local area to entertain and perform at numerous venues. Most of their time is spent outside school hours. This is a testimony of how great our students really are. The District provides opportunities for athletic competition and a large number of students take advantage of these challenges as well. You will quickly find that when your child is involved in any of these activities, parent involvement also becomes a huge aspect of the experience. This is a tribute to our entire school community.
Our schools pull our community together. My closest acquaintances and friendships have been made through the school environment. As it should be, Ambridge Area School District remains a strong catalyst for bringing our community together. I invite you to engage and stay involved with our schools. It is a great place!
Go Bridgers!
Jo Welter, Ed. D.
Studio Baden took fantastic photographs from graduation. Here is the link to order:
National Junior Honor Society Members
Current 8th Graders
Newly inducted 7th Graders
Sports Physicals will now only be held on July 27th at 12pm (all Junior high and High school student athletes). Phycials are $20 and athletes must have their physical packet and money (cash) on the day of the physical.
To view a printable version of the Physical Form plese Click Here.
For more information about physicals please visit the Ambridge Athletcs Webpage by Clicking Here.
Students in Kindergarten through Sixth Grade were awarded a certificate for being chosen as May’s Physical Education Star Students of the month. Mrs. Parisi has dedicated a bulletin board in the gym to honor her students. Mrs. Parisi has established the following criteria for the award. Not absent on a Gym Day, a good role model in class, extra effort, and encouraging fellow classmates to do their best. Along with Mrs. Parisi in the picture are: ALEX POMPEO, EMMA PINCHOT, KENDELL BROWN, JAIDEN PHILOGENE, STELLA HOMICH, KYE DEILY, SIENNA PAXTON, VINCENT RIEGNER, MARIO CERCONE, RAKYIA NIXON-MILLER, MACKENZIE KEEBER, CHRISTIAN JACKSON, AIDYN IORFIDO, ALAINA HUEY, EMMA KERTIS, BRODY GOEHRING, TROY MUSGRAVE, KELIS CARLISLE, HENRY DICKENSON, TAYLOR BURNS, & KAYLA RAYNAK. Missing from the picture are: OWEN HAMMOND AND PAUL SEIFER.
Congratulations to all!
UPDATE – Ambridge Area Education Association Contract Negotiations
All three Arbitrators (District Arbitrator, Association Arbitrator and Neutral Arbitrator) met on Tuesday, May 16, 2017 and are scheduled to meet again on Tuesday, June 13, 2017. The District is hopeful that this process will bring about a resolution to the contract negotiations.
Congratulations to Ms Chelsea Benedict on her nomination for a Golden Apple Award from AAHS.
Her tireless dedication to our students above and beyond the school day is remarkable and with a very positive impact.
Ms Benedict was nominated for the 2016-2017 academic year award by Mr. Booher, Assistant Principal.
We look forward to May 27th when the winners will be announced by The Prevention Network at reception to honor all district nominees from the Beaver County Area.
On Thursday, May 18, the track team competed at WPIAL Championships. The top four athletes in each event qualified to compete at states. Only the top 24 athletes in each event in the region were allowed to compete at WPIALs. The athletes on the team who competed were Isaac Elliott, Samantha Giordani, Mica Hanish, Leuca Hanish, Ethan Trehar, and Harley Steubgen. Isaac placed first in both the 100 meter dash and the 400 meter dash. Mica placed third in the 3200 meter run. Ethan placed fourth in the javelin. Congratulations to those who competed and good luck to those who will move on to compete at states!