In this June 17th update, Dr. Marseille discusses the end of the 21-22 school year, safety updates, celebratory activities, and congratulates our Class of 2022 graduates.

Important highlights:

• 2022 Commencement
• Audit updates
• Upcoming celebrations
• Safety updates

Read the full letter here.

Click here to access this May 27, 2022 update. 

Click here to access this May 24, 2022 update. 

Click here to access this May 20, 2022 update. 

Click here to access this May 16, 2022 update. 

Click here to access this May 6, 2022 update. 

Dear families, 

I hope this letter finds you and your family healthy and safe. I would like to provide an update regarding COVID-19, our mitigation strategies, and our Health & Safety Plan.

To recap our path over the past few months, on January 28th the District moved towards a metric that supported data specific to our community as opposed to continued reliance upon county-wide data less reflective of our schools. We moved towards going mask-optional in our school buildings when the incidence rate maintained a 2% or lower incidence rate for 14 consecutive days. Subsequent to this change in protocol, all of our schools pivoted to mask-optional at different times.

Since then, the landscape has changed. In my regularly scheduled meeting with Superintendents across the county, we had the opportunity to be joined with medical professionals who provided national and local data on COVID-19.

Effective Friday, April 29, we are moving from Mask Optional/Required  to Mask Recommended to align our Health and Safety Plan with the Delaware County Department of Health’s guidance. We continue to encourage everyone to get vaccinated and maintain up-to-date vaccination status based on the current CDC guidelines.

The District will continue to provide Test to Stay to families who are listed as close contacts through the end of the school year. Contact tracing will also remain in place through the end of the school year. The District will continue to monitor data so that it can respond to emerging changes where they might occur. 

Stay safe,

Wagner Marseille, Ed.D.

Dear staff and families,

I hope this email finds you in good health and good spirits as we conclude our first week back from a much needed spring break. I hope you had time to spend with family and friends and to recharge your batteries. Author Tom Roth in “Are You Fully Charged?” identifies three keys to be fully charged: 

1. Meaning: doing something that benefits another person 

2. Interactions: creating far more positive than negative 

3. Energy: making choices that improve your mental and physical health

I wish you were able to at least experience one of the three during the break. Many of you are familiar with the term “it's a small world”. Well, I experienced something similar during my break. The family and I had a chance to spend time in Montego Bay, Jamaica during the break and we had a wonderful experience. Monakee, Cheyanne, and I arrived at the resort and checked in.  Since our room was not ready, we decided to grab some lunch at one of the restaurants on the property while waiting for our room. As we sat there enjoying our lunch overlooking the ocean, we began having this lovely conversation with a family who was sitting next to us. While talking, we learned we were both from Pennsylvania and, lo and behold, they are residents of Wallingford-Swarthmore with children at WES and SHHS. What are the odds that our families would connect in Montego Bay, Jamaica in the same resort. I want to send a shout out to the Jenkins family, Parker, Caroline, and Charlotte for hanging out, eating, laughing, and relaxing with the Marseille family.  

The Facilities and Finance Committee meeting was held at SHMS on Wednesday April 20. The Facilities committee shared an update on a number of projects such as but not limited to, the Trinity Day Care roof and windows replacements, hot water heater replacements, athletic fields, WES partial roof replacement, HS swimming scoreboard, and future projects. Please find the presentation here. We then moved to the Finance Committee meeting where an update was provided on the 2022-2023 budget. We also spent time discussing a proposed debt restructuring and project funding. As part of our commitment towards maintaining a balanced budget, we have identified several ongoing financial challenges to our District. 

One of the challenges identified is the relatively high annual debt service. This situation is not due to an overextension of credit but is attributable to our relatively ambitious repayment schedule. This rapid repayment will provide long term benefits for our schools and taxpayers.  However, we believe that we must balance this benefit with the current needs of the District along with the tax burden to our residents. We have been exploring the possibility of restructuring a portion of our debt to improve the balance of these competing goals. At our Board meeting on Monday, April 25, there will be a motion to proceed with restructuring a portion of our outstanding debt.   

I want to thank all of the families who came out to the Mental Health Resource Night on April 18. There was a lot of important information shared by various experts in their fields. Numerous hand-outs and brochures were made available to families, so they are aware of existing resources and how to access them. Thank you to the Student Services team for planning the event, and we intend to make this a yearly occurrence. For additional information, please click here to see our quarterly newsletter, “Behavioral Health in our Schools”.

During spring break, the Strath Haven HS Silvertones traveled to Italy to tour and perform. Our music program offers many opportunities for students to grow as musicians and performers, and I want to thank our music teachers for their impact on our students and program. It is a fitting time to have also received notice that WSSD, for the 10th year in a row, is recognized as a NAMM Foundation Best Communities for Music Education. We are one of 102 Pennsylvania school districts and 738 nation-wide school districts to receive this honor for demonstrating an exceptionally high commitment and access to music education. 

 To continue in the award winning vein, WSSD has recently earned several other accolades.

• Mr. Dan Shaffer was honored at the FMFCU Foundation Celebration where he received an Excellence in Teaching Award and an FMFCU Foundation grant for SHMS and his classroom. Mr. Shaffer has been teaching and coaching in WSSD for 34 years, and his award is well-deserved.

• The SHHS World Languages Department was recognized with the Golden Globe award by the Pennsylvania State Modern Language Association.  

• At the PMEA All-State Festival, Ms. Jane Urban received a Citation of Excellence for her music education work at NPE.

We encourage you to visit our social media pages (Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram) and website to keep abreast of all of our district activities and highlights. 

Please mark your calendars for these upcoming events:

• April 25 - Regular School Board meeting @ 7 p.m. (SHMS Library)

• April 27 - Policy Committee @ 7 p.m. (Room B226)

• April 27 - WSSD Jazz Night @ 7 p.m. (SHHS auditorium)

Stay safe,

Wagner Marseille, Ed.D.

 

Dear staff and families, 

I hope this letter finds you in good health and good spirits. After four days of confirmation hearings, the Senate confirmed Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court yesterday. Of the 115 justices that have served on the court, Judge Brown becomes the sixth woman and the first African-American woman to serve on the court.  

The Educational Affairs Committee meeting was held in the library of SHMS on April 6. The administrative team shared a presentation on students’ academic achievement and growth, based on PSSA and Keystones scores spanning the last five years. We also showed a county-wide comparison of students’ performance on the PSSAs. This comprehensive collection of data also incorporated information on students’ performance that was imported to the Hanover Research data dashboard for the purpose of the Equity audit conducted for the school district. We did a comparative analysis of the performance of sub-groups of students based on race, socio-economic status, and IEP (Individualized Education Program) identification.

In acknowledgment of Autism month, we would like to recognize the hard work that our students and teachers have done throughout this school year and beyond. This month, as well as throughout the year, it is important to focus on the inclusion and understanding of all individuals and to celebrate neurodiversity.

Please mark your calendars and plan on joining us for the Mental Health Resource Night on April 18 at SHMS from 6 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. There will be a plethora of resources and information available as well as various sessions for parents, caregivers, and students in grades 8-12. We hope to see you there. 

Thank you to all those who supported the vaccination clinic held on Tuesday, April 5. As we head into spring break, the COVID-19 incidence rates have been low in our buildings. When we return on April 18, we will look at the 14-day data to determine where we are as a district and to determine if we can shift some of the mitigation strategies in our Health and Safety Plan. This was discussed during the presentation at the Board meeting on March 25th.

Thank you so much to everyone who completed the communication audit surveys already. The links will remain live during spring break, so if you haven’t had a chance to provide feedback yet, please consider doing so. Your participation is greatly appreciated.

• Family survey

• Staff survey

• Community survey

I would like to share several experiences that highlight our students and staff:

• For spring break, the SHHS Silvertones are touring and performing in southern Italy, and many of our SHHS French language students are on a study abroad trip in France. We wish them all safe travels and an enriching experience.

• The spring sports season is underway, and I look forward to cheering on our Haven teams. Congratulations to SHHS junior Alexa Brown for breaking the school shot put record at the Haverford Invitational this past weekend with a throw of 42-8. The girls track & field team is off to a strong start overall as they extended their dual meet victory streak to 116 in a row this week. Also, well done to the varsity boys ultimate frisbee team for winning the Radnor Invitational this past weekend.

• SHHS has sent three musicians to the 2022 PMEA All-State Festival. Congratulations to Gavin John '23, horn (symphony orchestra), Dae Taylor '22, alto saxophone (concert band), and Henry Stockman '22, euphonium (wind ensemble). 

• This week, Mrs. Gaur’s pretzel and lemonade stand raised over $3,000 for Ukrainian refugees through Holy Myrrh-Bearers Ukrainian Catholic Church in Swarthmore.Thank you to everyone who showed their support.

• SHHS Mini-Thon recently held an event to raise funds for pediatric cancer through their very entertaining event, Haven Heartthrob. Students competed by sharing their talents and answering questions while the audience voted for the winner. Congratulations to Zach Suico for winning the title! I was really happy that I had the opportunity to attend this event and see many of our high school students participate in a very fun evening.

Can you believe it? Upon our return from spring break, we begin another countdown with less than 50 days left in the calendar school year. We only have 43 days left of school, and 38 days for our seniors. There will be a lot going on, so please mark your calendars for these upcoming events:

• April 18 - Mental Health Resource Night @ Strath Haven Middle School, 6 - 8:30 p.m.

• April 20 - Facilities and Finance Committee @ 7 p.m. (Room B226)

• April 21 - Botvin Life Skills Parent Training, Grades 3-5 @ 6 p.m. (Zoom)

• April 25 - Regular School Board meeting @ 7 p.m. (SHMS Library)

• April 27 - Policy Committee @ 7 p.m. (Room B226)

• April 27 - WSSD Jazz Night @ 7 p.m. (SHHS auditorium)

We wish everyone a wonderful spring break and acknowledge our families who are observing Passover, Easter and Ramadan.

Stay safe,

Wagner Marseille, Ed.D.

Dear staff and families,

I hope this letter finds you in good health and spirits. As we close another week, I can’t help but think about my official countdown to Spring break. Only five more school days left until we all take a well-deserved break, an opportunity to recharge, reflect and relax.

As we engage in the 3Rs, let’s make sure we do that in a safe and healthy way. We are all aware of the cyclical nature of COVID and the spike in cases after an extended break. So let us have fun but continue to be mindful of mitigation factors.

Yesterday I shared with you an open invitation to participate in our communication audit survey that will serve to better evaluate the effectiveness of our communication with staff, parents/families, and the greater community. Your voice matters and will play an integral part in our strategic planning. The survey window will be open until April 9 and can be accessed through these links: Family/Guardian Survey     Staff Survey

At our Monday, March 28, regular school board meeting, we shared with you another presentation from Hanover Research highlighting key findings of our equity audit. The conclusions of the equity audit can be identified within three main overarching themes:

• Academic outcomes and access

• Cultural proficiency, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging

• Professional Learning and Leadership

The data suggest we are at a crossroads. We must draw a line in the sand and have an unwavering commitment to eradicating inequities that have too long impacted our students. Especially those students with IEPs (Individualized Education Program), economically disadvantaged students, and our Black/African American students. These challenges, however, present opportunities to think anew and build stronger communities. We look forward to your energy, commitment, and ideas towards the development of our five-year strategic plan. I encourage you to view the presentation.

I  would like to share several experiences that highlight our students and staff:

• Congrats to Ned Glasson, Darwin Murley, Ella Newton, and Leo Schiffino from NPE, who won the Creativity Award at the STEM DCIU K’nex Challenge. Thanks to Mr. Mendell for his work preparing them for the competition.

• NPE held their annual STEAM Night on March 28, and hundreds of families came out to enjoy an evening of hands-on science, technology, engineering, arts, and math activities. Thanks to all the parents and community volunteers who organized and ran the event, especially the SHHS National Honors Society students. 

• Student representatives from SRS and SHMS sold baked goods and rainbow loom bracelets, raising over $700 for Ukrainian relief efforts, which they delivered to Holy Myrrh-Bearers Ukrainian Catholic Church in Swarthmore.

• SHHS held their first annual International Day Showcase on March 24, where students highlighted their cultures and traditions through music, dance, and presentations. This event grew from an idea by seniors Joyce Huang and Zach Suico to a tremendous, upbeat celebration that created an amazing shared experience for our high school community. I was honored to be there and am excited to see this student-led event continue and grow in the future.

• SHMS’s annual Black History Celebration Assembly took place on March 25. Great job to Mrs. Cobb and the middle and high school students who organized and performed.

• The Art of WSSD, an exhibition featuring our student artwork from grades K-12, was hosted at the Community Arts Center (CAC) on March 27. I would like to recognize the dedication and creativity of our students and staff. The exhibit runs through April 29.

• Also running through April 29 at the CAC is the George Slick Fellowship art exhibition featuring the work of Gabriel Lawson ‘22. Thank you to everyone who came out to support and celebrate him at his reception on March 29.  

Mark your calendar:

• Vaccination Clinic - Tuesday, April 5, from 4:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. (ages 5+ who are receiving their second shot from the March clinic or those who would like a booster shot)

• Committee Meetings

  • April 6 - Educational Affairs at 7: 00 p.m. in the library of SHMS

  • April 20 - Finance and Facilities at 7: 00 p.m. in B-226 at SHMS

  • April 27 - Policy at 7: 00 p.m. in B-226 at SHMS

• Spring Break: Monday, April 11 - Friday, April 15 

• Mental Health Resource Night: Monday, April 18 at 6:00 pm at SHMS 

As we continue to strengthen and celebrate the beautiful diversity of our community, April brings the observation and recognition of the holy month of Ramadan, the holy week of Easter, and other observances such as and not limited to National Genocide Awareness Month, National Poetry Month and Earth Day on April 22.

Stay safe.

Wagner Marseille, Ed.D.

Dear staff and families,

I hope this letter finds you in good health and spirits. 

The Facilities Committee meeting was held on Wednesday, March 16 where Mr. Klabunde, the Director of Operations, provided a number of updates on the current projects taking place across the district. In addition, Mr. Klabunde shared the progress of some pending capital projects such as the Wallingford Elementary School roof repairs, the SHHS swimming scoreboard, and the Solar Panel Project in the Pit/snack bar at King Field. Please access the presentation to review the other topics such as upcoming capital projects and current research on alternative funding resources to support district projects. 

The Finance Committee meeting, also held on March 16, was led by Ms. Martin, the Business Manager, who provided a five-year forecasting of the district’s expenditures and revenue. The sample scenarios provided better clarity to the long-term strategic planning that will be needed as our expenses continue to outpace our revenues. Please access the presentation to review additional topics such as fund balance analysis, the district's financial health rating, and the Delaware County Intermediate Unit (DCIU) 2022-2023 proposed budget.  

Today, 250 members of the SHHS marching band and orchestra traveled to Florida early this morning to perform at the Kennedy Space Center and Universal Studios Orlando. They will also have time to enjoy the amusement park and have fun with friends. I wish them safe travels and hope they return with memorable experiences.  

Though I was unable to attend the Winter Concert as a result of our scheduled Finance and Facilities meetings, I heard rave reviews about the program. Congratulations to Mr. Pignataro and our students on their wonderful return to the stage as it was the first time the symphonic band and wind ensemble performed in 1,030 days. Bravo to all!

In other musical news, I would like to recognize SHHS senior Elle Gordon who recently placed first in the upper high school musical theater division at the Eastern Region of National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) competition at Temple University and will advance to nationals.

The SHHS Speech and Debate team won the District Championship for the second year in a row, and the following students have qualified to compete in the national championships:

• National Catholic Forensic League (NCFL) Grand Nationals,Washington, DC, May 27-29
  Harry Yu, Michelle Ding, Ava Manaker, Justin Bi, Dania Maqbool, Aashna Pandey, Jason Hu, Aditi Halpe, Jillian Thomas, Supraja Sudarsan, Emily Shor, Meredith Seidman, Arohi Patil

• National Speech and Debate Association (NSDA) National Speech and Debate Tournament, Louisville, KY, June 12-17
  Ava Manaker, Justin Bi, Dania Maqbool, Jason Hu (Strath Haven's 2nd ever 4-time qualifier!), Lydia Pita, Supraja Sudarsan, Jillian Thomas, Arohi Patil, Aditi Halpe, Emily Shor (also recognized as the District Student of the Year) 

Four members of the Strath Haven HS yearbook staff qualified for the upcoming Pennsylvania School Press Association Student Journalism Competitions at Penn State on March 30th. Good luck to Joyce Huang, Charlotte Horetsky, Bailey Hansen, and Kai Lincke.

I am looking forward to Strath Haven High School’s International Day Showcase on March 24th, a student-initiated, school-wide event that will feature music, song, dance, and more. Students, teachers, and staff are encouraged to wear traditional clothing from their own backgrounds and cultures. They hope to make this an annual event.

Although the spring sport season began on March 11th, our state qualifiers from the winter wrapped up their seasons with outstanding results.

• Hannah Spielman placed third at the PA Girls Wrestling State Championship. She finishes an outstanding high school career as a four-time state qualifier and medalist, and her participation has helped grow the girls wrestling division in Pennsylvania. 

• Chase Barlow placed 5th at the PIAA Wrestling State Championships. He set a record for the most wins in school history and was a four-time Central League champion and state qualifier and a two-time state medalist. Juniors Ben Farabaugh and Sam Milligan both finished with 2-2 records at States, and senior co-captain Kelton Brunner graduates as a state qualifier with 96 career wins. 

• Sydney Bergstrom completed her storied swimming career at Strath Haven with a 5th place in the 500 free and a 12th in the 200 free at the PIAA Swimming Championships. I wish her luck as she will continue to compete at the University of Pennsylvania. 

I want to thank my students for reminding me that today is Holi, the Hindu Festival of Color that also heralds the arrival of Spring. 

Reminders:

March 19 - April 29 - The Art of WSSD K-12 Art Show, Wallingford Community Arts Center 

(Sunday, March 27, 2 p.m. - 4 p.m. - Reception and The George Slick Fellowship Art Exhibition featuring Gabriel Lawson ‘22)

March 21 - Rock Your Socks Day

(Everyone is encouraged to wear colorful, mismatched socks to celebrate World Down Syndrome Day. March 21 is symbolic because people with Down syndrome have 3 copies of their 21st chromosome.)

Week of March 21 - East Possum Hollow Sidewalk Project begins
(East Possum Hollow Road will convert to one-way travel. Traffic will proceed eastbound from Providence Road towards the train station. This construction is anticipated to be completed in mid-May.)

March 23 - Policy Committee meeting at 7 p.m  in Room B-226 at SHMS

March 28 - Regular School Board Meeting at 7 p.m. in the library of SHMS

April 5 - Vaccination Clinic 4:30 - 6 at SHHS

April 6 - Educational Affairs Committee meeting at 7 p.m. in B-226 at SHMS

 

Stay safe,

Wagner Marseille, Ed.D.

Dear staff and families,

I hope this letter finds you in good health and spirits. 

Last October, the district launched one of three comprehensive audits scheduled for this calendar year: the equity audit. On March 2, these findings were presented at the Educational Affairs meetings and were shared in my previous communication to you. Please click on the link if you have not had the opportunity to review the equity audit presentation. Representatives from Hanover will facilitate another presentation at the regular school board meeting on March 28. 

This week Curriculum Management Solutions, Inc (CMSi) spent three days in the district collecting, observing, and analyzing district practices. At the conclusion of their visit, the auditors gave a high-level overview of the curriculum audit process and presented some of the overarching themes to the administrative team:

1. Organizational structure and school board policy

2. Curriculum management/assessment design

3. Equity

4. Planning and visionary process

5. Classroom instruction

6. Gifted education

7. Budgetary and facilities constraints

8. Student achievement data

I would like to thank students, faculty, administration, families, and school board members who gave their voice through interviews, surveys, and focus groups. We look forward to sharing the comprehensive findings of the curriculum audit with you.

This week we began the preliminary stages of our Communications Audit that will be facilitated by the National School Public Relations Association (NSPRA). The communication audit will assess the effectiveness of current communication efforts related to strategic planning goals and objectives, including public relations, public engagement, marketing initiatives, and other activities. NSPRA will conduct interviews, focus groups and administer a survey to faculty, families, and administrators. We anticipate surveys to be administered from March 21 to April 1 and for focus groups to be scheduled soon after.

MARK YOUR CALENDAR:

• Vaccination clinic - Tuesday, March 15, 2022, at SHHS 4:30-6:30 p.m.

• Facilities and Finance Committee Meeting - Wednesday, March 16, 2022, at SHMS 7:00 p.m.

• Policy Committee Meeting - Wednesday, March 23, 2022, at SHMS 7:00 p.m.

Stay safe.

Wagner Marseille, Ed.D. 

Dear staff and families,

I hope this letter finds you in good health and good spirits. 

As we enter the month of March and begin to see the first signs of spring, there are a number of cultural celebrations for us to acknowledge, including but not limited to Women’s History Month, Irish American Month, Social Workers’ Month, and Music in our Schools Month.

This week, our elementary buildings celebrated Read Across America Week. National Read Across America Day was recognized on March 2nd in our elementary schools, and this year, the focus was to encourage students to "Read Across the Diverse Regions of America."  Three years ago, the National Education Association (NEA) shifted the focus of Read Across America to “Celebrating a Nation of Diverse Readers” to honor the diversity that makes our country what it is through books and reading, and to convey to students that they belong in the world and the world belongs to them. I had the pleasure of reading one of my favorite books, The Giving Tree, by Shel Silverstein to Ms. Sheintoch’s first grade class at SRS. I thoroughly enjoyed my discussions of kindness with the students, and they invited me to return to their classroom in April to share their poems with me. I look forward to thanking the students personally for sending me heartfelt thank you notes.

On March 3, SRS joined the rest of the schools in WSSD with a shift to mask-optional as they met the 14-day below 2% incidence rate. Also of note is that WSSD transportation switched to mask-optional on the same day. WSSD continues to provide opportunities for families who wish to get vaccinated. As such, we are working with our medical partners to host another community vaccination clinic. Please visit the district's dashboard for the latest information.

On October 11, the district began its first phase of our equity audit by launching three platforms (data analysis, surveys and focus groups) in collecting district information that would culminate in a comprehensive report. At the Educational Affairs Committee meeting on March 2, we presented the findings of our equity audit. I want to thank those who attended the meeting, and the over 2,500 participants who shared their voice, perspective and stories through surveys and focus groups. Please click here to access the presentation. 

At the Educational Affairs Committee, Dr. Ragone and Dr. Nuland from Hanover Research presented the findings of the Equity Audit. The equity audit was completed through three concurrent research projects and findings were based on a triangulation of three data sources: data analysis, surveys, and focus groups. The major themes and key findings spanned three major areas, and each area is further broken down into specific components:

1. Equity of access for academic programs

• Academic tracking 

• Advanced coursework

• Barriers to parent involvement

2. The district’s efforts to provide an equitable and welcoming learning environment for students

• Disproportionality in discipline

• Intolerance and poor handling of cultural matters

• Impunity for bigoted behaviors

3. The district’s efforts to provide an equitable and welcoming work environment for teachers and staff

• Professional development to support DEI

• Strategies to address DEI-related matters

• Staff diversity

This comprehensive document and digital dashboards are layered in complexity and are rich in data. This is not work that can be done overnight, nor is it incumbent upon one or two individuals to take on this work. Rather it requires a collective commitment and ownership from everyone - community members, parents/guardians, board members, students, teachers, staff, and administrators. My goal is to build a sustainable ecosystem founded on cultural competency, diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging that involves and impacts every facet of WSSD. To that effect, we look forward to working with everyone, specifically our Cultural Proficiency Equity Teacher Leaders and district partners, to begin developing and implementing short- and long-term objectives and goals.

In the coming weeks, we look forward to sharing with you the full report of the research findings as well as a synopsis. The community will have another opportunity to hear from the Hanover Research representatives at the next school board meeting on March 28 at 7 p.m. in the Strath Haven Middle School library. I encourage you to attend the meeting.

Also, the Facilities and Finance meeting will be held on March 16, and the Policy Committee meeting is scheduled for March 23. Both meetings will be held at 7 p.m. in Room B-226 at Strath Haven Middle School, and I hope you will be able to join us.

I am looking forward to seeing Into the Woods at Strath Haven HS this weekend. I have heard rave reviews already and I want to offer my kudos to Mr. Shankweiler and the very talented cast and crew on their creativity, dedication, and perseverance. The final performances are tonight and tomorrow at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m.  

Congratulations to Strath Haven HS students Winnie Kenney, Hannah Wible, Anna Falk, and Sarah Peyman who had their artwork included in the Regional High School Art Exhibition at Delaware County Community College. Winnie also received first place in the Wharton Esherick Museum’s 14th Annual Imprint Exhibition and Competition.

The end of the winter sports season brings with it more well-earned honors for Strath Haven.  

• Unified Bocce placed second at the Delco Championships and have qualified for the Interscholastic Unified Bocce State Championships.

• At the PTFCA state track & field championships, Teghan Sydnor placed second in the 60m hurdles and set a new school record. Alexa Brown was third in the shot put, and the distance medley relay of Rowe Crawford, Marin Faggioli, Casey Conway, and Hannah Prokup finished 8th in the distance medley relay.

• Wrestling won their first-ever District title led by five gold medalists: Ben Milligan, Kelton Brunner, Chase Barlow, Sam Milligan, and Anthony Crawford. Eight wrestlers qualified for the 3A Southeast Regional Tournament this weekend.

• Congratulations to swimmer Sydney Bergstrom for finishing 4th in the 500 yard free and 7th in the 200 yard free at Districts.  

Stay safe,

Wagner Marseille, Ed.D.

 

Dear Staff and Families,

I hope this letter finds you in good health and good spirits. As we come to the end of February and the celebration of Black History Month, I want to thank and recognize our staff and students who participated in a myriad of activities that elevated and honored the lives and achievements of countless African-Americans that have influenced our history and who continue to shape our present. It is in these moments that as a district, we renew our commitment to equity, inclusion and belonging, and that we become more intentional in highlighting the diversity of all of our students throughout the school year and not just one moment in time. I look forward to working with you in making this a reality.

On February 22nd, the Young Activists Coalition (YAC) presented the third annual Black History Month Assembly at Strath Haven High School. The theme was "We Strive, We Thrive" and was centered around artistic expression and passion, as well as mental health and wellness for African Americans. The students conveyed these themes in a variety of ways, such as music, dance and poetry. The assembly concluded with a video featuring interviews of Black students at Haven and how they express their creative passions. Great job to everyone who planned the assembly, performed in it, and provided technical and creative support. It was a true team effort with a powerful impact. Well done!

Since our transition to mask-optional on February 7th at SHHS, and subsequent transition at WES, NPE and SHMS, rates across these buildings have remained below 0.2% to a high of 0.5%.

• Strath Haven High School is in its third week of mask-optional and is currently under 0.25% incidence rate.

• Nether Providence Elementary is in its second week and is currently under 0.4%.

• Wallingford Elementary is in its second week and is currently under 0.35%.  

• Strath Haven Middle School is in its first week of mask-optional and is currently at 0.5%

• Swarthmore-Rutledge is currently at 1.10% and has been below 2% for 9 days.

As of February 25th, the incidence rate of COVID positive cases at Swarthmore-Rutledge Elementary School has been under the 2% threshold. If we maintain this trend, SRS is scheduled to move to mask-optional on March 3rd. 

For updated information please access the dashboard located on our website. Incidence rates may change periodically as a result of testing lags and reporting. Once received, the district will update the dashboard to reflect these cases.

As always, we support staff and student/parental (guardian) choice to remain masked during this mask-optional phase. For those families who would like to continue to follow the CDC’s recommendation for masking, please see the CDC guidelines for best fit and mask selection.

I would like to thank all of you who have shared your vaccination status with us. This is very helpful information that contributes to our decision-making process regarding mitigation strategies. If you have not done so already, please update your vaccination status with the school district. Below are ways to share that information with Administration:

1. In person - Please notify the staff in the main office at your student(s)'s school. You will need to show their vaccination card.

2. Via email - Take a photo of or scan your vaccination card, and send to dsweeney@wssd.org. 

3. Upload into PowerSchool

• Log in to PowerSchool and click on Forms on the left-hand side.

• Scroll down to "Health" and click on COVID-19 Vaccination Information

• You will need to include the dates of vaccination and upload an image of your vaccination card.

In addition, please note the district is planning an additional vaccination clinic in conjunction with Springfield Pharmacy. We are currently coordinating with our vaccine provider to schedule the event and identify the best date for all those involved. The clinic will happen prior to spring break. Our lead COVID nurse, Deb Sweeney, will send out the clinic details shortly. 

This week we held our Policy Meeting meeting and presented to the board first and second readings of the following policies:

1. Presentation and Discussion of Policies for First Reading

• Policy 108 - Adoption of Textbooks

• Policy 109 - Resource Materials

2. Presentation and Discussion of Policies for Second (Final) Reading

• Policy 239 - International Students (Programs)

• Policy 239.1 - Educational Programs for Non-Resident Students (Recommendation for Repeal)

• Policy 104 - Equal Opportunity and Nondiscrimination in Employment Practices

Furthermore, the committee engaged in conversation to reflect on the district’s practice on cell phone usage, screen time, social media and the impact these have on students’ well-being.

The monthly legislative school board meeting will be held in the library of Strath Haven Middle School on Monday February 28th. The Educational Affairs Committee meeting will be held on March 2nd in Room B-226 at 7 p.m. and will highlight findings of the equity audit presented by representatives from Hanover Research. The outcomes of this audit will shape our multi-year strategic plan in the areas of equity, inclusion and belonging in our school district. I recognize and appreciate families’ busy schedules, but I hope you can join us to review these important findings.

Our elementary school community came together to participate in International Night at WES on February 23. Families from WES, NPE, and SRS showcased 20 different countries, highlighting their history, traditions, and culture. I am grateful to those who hosted a table and those who came to support the event .I had a great time talking with students and families and learning about their cultures, and I am looking forward to more district-wide programs and events in the future. 

Good luck to our Strath Haven HS athletes who are in action this weekend. The wrestling and swim teams will compete in their respective District 1 championships, and the track team will compete in the PIAA state championships. Coming up on March 1st, the unified bocce team will participate in the Delco Playoffs .

Tonight is the opening night of Into the Woods at Strath Haven High School at 7:30 p.m. Good luck to the cast and crew. I am looking forward to the show, which I am sure will be spectacular.

Stay safe,

Wagner Marseille, Ed.D.

Dear WSSD Families,

I hope this communication finds you in good health and good spirits. Since joining the Wallingford-Swarthmore staff this past summer, I have had the pleasure of learning extensively about the District, our school community’s hopes and expectations, and areas in which there is need for improvement. From small group meetings, focus groups, and individual conversations in addition to rigorous data analysis, I have learned that there is tremendous joy and pride in our District and our students. However, there is also consensus for a new model of thinking and operating, as well as making investments in our long-term strategic work, to better support our students.

With this in mind, I will be making a recommendation to our Board of School District at the Regular Meeting on Monday, February 28 for a district office administrative reorganization, with the goal of better supporting student learning.

In summary, the feedback I have heard and the data analyzed shows:

1. A need to increase our curricular programming, innovation and rigor with the goal of creating multiple career pathways for all students.
2. A need to more deliberately address the challenges of diversity, equity, cultural proficiency, inclusion and belonging.
3. A need to strengthen and improve counseling services and support our students’ mental and emotional health, as well as continue supporting our trauma-informed practices.
4. A need for significant improvement in student outcomes, especially for those in historically underperforming, marginalized subgroups (students of color, special education students, and economically disadvantaged students).
5. A need to provide increased support to our staff/teachers so they can best help our students and strengthen family partnerships.

The administrative organization of any school system is the foundation on which our work is conceived, organized, and accomplished.

As such, I am recommending a district office administrative reorganization that replaces several of our existing positions with new ones, creates two entirely new positions, and makes some adjustments to the job descriptions of several existing positions, effective July 1, 2022.

The goals of these changes include:

• Aligning our work to ensure each department is fulfilling its educational mission, and creating a stronger structure to help us implement the goals and objectives of our strategic plan.
• Providing a clear hierarchy of responsibilities and communication, along with more clearly defined roles.
• Providing more cohesiveness and collaboration (eliminating the ‘silo’ approach to our operations) as we work to address programmatic and educational challenges.
• Accelerating student achievement, narrowing outcome gaps, and better leveraging the district’s strengths.
• Building and strengthening an aligned, consistent, high-quality, equitable curriculum and school community.

After months of study, I feel very strongly that an administrative reorganization will help to strengthen and better align departments, particularly in academic and student support programming. I believe it will allow for a more direct, ongoing monitoring of the district’s K-12 instructional program; an emphasis on achievement for all students; development of a comprehensive, cohesive professional development program that supports for our staff; and provides for greater accountability as we emerge from the stressors of a worldwide pandemic. There is no additional cost to this proposed reorganization plan; rather it has the potential to save about $70,000.                                          

I am very sensitive to the fact that change, even when it leads to positive outcomes, can be difficult. This proposed reorganization directly impacts several of our district administrators. Under this plan, three full-time district office positions have been eliminated or consolidated. We have met with these administrators to explain the need for this change. We are very grateful for their service in the district, and they are welcome to apply for the new roles when they are posted.

Our district will so or, in some cases already begun, significant, districtwide audits conducted by national firms: an Equity Audit by Hanover Research; a Curriculum Audit by Curriculum Management Services; and a communications audit. I am looking forward to reviewing the results of these audits this spring and summer with our administrators, school-based staff, and community. I believe these are critical in helping guide the important work of strengthening our school district.

Please see the attachment Reorganization for details on this proposed administrative reorganization. I am happy to answer questions or have a conversation with any community member who would like to discuss the benefits that I believe these changes will bring to our students. I am very optimistic about the ways in which I feel we can strengthen our district.

Sincerely,

Dr. Wagner Marseille, Superintendent

Dear staff and families,

I hope this letter finds you in good health and spirits. As we head into the third week of the month, four of our five buildings have transitioned to mask optional as of February 18th. 

• Strath Haven High School is in its second week of mask-optional and is currently under 1% incidence rate.
• Nether Providence Elementary is in its seventh day and is currently under 0.2%.
• Wallingford Elementary is in its fifth day and is currently under 0.64 percent.  
• Strath Haven Middle School shifted to mask-optional as of today.

As of February 17th, the incidence rate of COVID positive cases at Swarthmore-Rutledge Elementary School has been under the 2% threshold. If we maintain this trend, SRS will be able to move to mask-optional on March 3rd. 

As always, we support staff and student/parental (guardian) choice to remain masked during this mask-optional phase. For those families who would like to continue to follow the CDC’s recommendation for masking, please see the CDC guidelines for best fit and mask selection. 

For updated information please access the dashboard located on our website. Incidence rates may change periodically as a result of testing lags and reporting. Once received, the district will update the dashboard to reflect these cases.

We continue to implement mitigation strategies found in our Health and Safety Plan, such as physical distancing (three to six feet to the greatest extent possible), healthy hygiene, including hand washing and respiratory etiquette, cleaning, and proper building ventilation.  

As part of our partnership with the Delaware County Intermediate Unit (DCIU), the district operates all COVID related testing under its Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA). Per the CDC, CLIA regulations establish quality standards for laboratory testing performed on specimens from humans, such as blood, body fluid and tissue, for the purpose of diagnosis, prevention, or treatment of disease, or assessment of health. As a result, the district will be transitioning from the use of the Binax Now rapid antigen testing to the Flow Flex rapid antigen testing beginning on Tuesday, February 22nd. This new testing process has additional steps that will increase the time required to complete the test, so we ask for your patience as we make this transition.

The Facilities and Finance Committees held their meeting on Wednesday, February 16th in B-226 at Strath Haven Middle School. Please click on the hyperlinks to see the PowerPoint presentations. We invite you to join us for the next scheduled Policy Committee meeting on February 23rd at 7 p.m. in room B-226 at SHMS.

As a reminder, school is closed on Monday for the holiday, but Test to Stay will be open on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday of next week.

On Saturday I had the opportunity to attend the last showing of the Addams Family and I want to congratulate the cast and crew of The Addams Family at Strath Haven Middle School! It was an outstanding performance, reflecting the hard work, dedication, passion and creativity of the directors, Sarah Elsheakh and James McLaughlin, the cast, and the support of the parents and community volunteers. I look forward to the upcoming production of Into the Woods at Strath Haven HS opening on February 25th.  

There was a lot of excitement in our schools this past week with Valentine's Day parties and celebrations on Monday as well as 100th day of school activities on Tuesday and Wednesday. Additionally, a big thank you to our PTOs and HSAs for holding some of their appreciation events this week, as well as throughout the year. Your support of our teachers and staff is greatly appreciated and we are fortunate to have such an amazing team of individuals with so much creativity, passion, and heart. 

The winter sport season is winding down, and here are some updates:

• Good luck to our SHHS track & field athletes who will be competing in the Meet of Champions at Lehigh tonight and tomorrow.
• Good luck to our SHHS wrestling team as they host the Michael Miluski Duals tournament tomorrow between 9 a.m. - 1 p.m. They will be honoring the memory of long-time SHMS and community wrestling coach and Nether Providence HS alumnus, Coach Miluski.
• Congratulations to Sydney Bergstrom who won the 500 free and got second in the 200 free and to Gavin Shifflett for his second place finish in the 200 free at the Central League championships.

Stay safe and enjoy the long weekend.

Wagner Marseille, Ed.D.

Dear staff and families,

I hope this letter finds you in good spirits and good health. I would like to begin by thanking the parent who stopped by Test to Stay this morning to acknowledge the extra work the staff has taken on during this pandemic. In addition, he provided insight by accurately expressing how we have all been navigating this pandemic, stating, “there is no manual on this.”

As of Monday, the high school experienced its first week of mask optional, while NPE shifted to mask optional on Wednesday, and today was the first day for WES. Having had the opportunity to visit each of these buildings and talk to students and staff, this shift, operationally, has been seamless and effective, allowing for parent/guardian choice for student masking or not masking.

Strath Haven Middle School will transition to mask optional on February 18th, provided the 14-day rolling incidence rates do not change. Currently, it is 1.40% there. At this time, Swarthmore-Rutledge Elementary School has not yet fallen below the 2% threshold and continues to be at the “mask required” status. The rolling incidence rate at SRS is 2.20%.

Here are the masking protocols for COVID positive returning students, staff, and close contacts:

• COVID positive middle school/high school student or staff: wear a KN95 mask (2 will be provided by the nurse upon return to school) for 5 additional calendar days.

• COVID positive elementary students: will be provided 3-ply surgical masks. The district is looking into smaller KN95 masks for the elementary population for use upon return from isolation.  

• Asymptomatic household close contacts: wear a KN95 mask (2 will be provided by the nurse upon return to school) for 7 additional calendar days.

• Asymptomatic close contacts identified inside or outside of school: wear a 3-ply surgical mask for 7 days.

• Surgical masks are available on entry at each school building.

• KN95 masks are available in each school nurse’s office.

In the December 10th Superintendent update, I began sharing the rationale for moving away from county-level data to individual building-data. Prior to the Omicron variant, our district-wide incident rates have not risen above 2.3%. The February 7th target date was identified because it allowed for the worst of the flu season to pass and for transmission spikes from post-winter breaks to subside while giving families time to get fully vaccinated. At the December 13th Regular Board Meeting, I shared that the incidence rates that were being reported at the county level did not accurately reflect what was happening within our district. Please see my archived communications on our website to access all information I have shared to date about masking and incidence rates.

I acknowledge and value the questions and concerns community members shared with me regarding the decision to move to mask-optional. The comments and feedback I was receiving in the early part of the school year with respect to my decision, my credentials, my rationale, and the science I was using to base my conclusions are similar to what I am receiving now regarding the decision to shift to mask-optional. I understand we may continue to disagree however, our local school data, before Omicron, from September 5 through December 12, shows building incidence rates below 1%. This guided us to evaluate and utilize local data.  I have received messages and communication from many of you expressing a variety of opinions: it is too early to go mask optional, we should wait until the end of the month, until the end of Spring break, until everyone gets vaccinated. I hear you, and I appreciate your perspectives, but we are seeing a significant decline in the number of COVID cases. This is evident in all 67 counties across Pennsylvania.

We have put in a trigger that is extremely conservative and a process that allows us to track data on a daily basis. The current trigger of 2% rolling incidence rate over a 14-day period by total building population allows us to pivot to universal masking the very next day if numbers go in a different direction. Please see the video message from Mrs. Sweeney that explains the rolling incidence rate and the requirements for returning to mask-optional.

We continue to support staff and student/parental or guardian choice to remain masked during this mask-optional phase. For those families who would like to continue to follow the CDC’s recommendation for masking, please see the CDC guidelines for best fit and mask selection. 

The Facilities and Finance Committees will meet on Wednesday, February 16th, and the Policy Committee will meet on February 23. Both meetings take place at 7 p.m. in Room B226 at SHMS. All are welcome.  

I want to bring your attention to several events and happenings throughout the district:

• Congratulations to the cast and crew of The Addams Family at Strath Haven Middle School. I am looking forward to seeing our talented students perform when I attend the show on Sunday.

• Good luck to the SHHS Cheer Team, as they are in Florida competing in the national championships. Go, Haven!

• Congratulations to the SHHS Unified Bocce team on their very close win over Ridley on February 10th. They have another home match on Tuesday, February 15 at 3 p.m. Please come out and cheer them on.

• The Strath Haven Silvertones spent their day today delivering singing Valentines to their classmates and teachers. Check out our WSSD social media accounts to see some photos and videos from the day.

• Please check out the latest edition of the Office of Student Services newsletter. It includes information about QPR suicide prevention, student supports, and PBIS updates.

• Parents and guardians of students in grades 3-5 are welcome to attend the upcoming Botvin Life Skills Parent Night on February 17 at 6 p.m. Please see here for more information. 

Enjoy Super Bowl weekend, and I hope you have been cheering on our athletes in the Olympic Winter Games like I have been. Don’t forget that school is closed on Friday, February 18, for in-service day and on Monday, February 21, for President’s Day.

Stay safe,

Wagner Marseille, Ed.D.

Dear staff and families,

I hope this letter finds you in good health and good spirits. 

As outlined in my previous communications (January 7, January 14,  January 28), and included in our COVID-19 dashboard and our Health and Safety Plan, Strath Haven High School has maintained an incidence rate below 2% for 14 consecutive days. As a result, SHHS will move to mask-optional effective February 7th. If the incidence rate goes back up to 2% or above on any day, the building will return to mask-required on the following school day. This will be recorded on our dashboard, which is updated Monday through Friday. Updates to the dashboard will occur as newly identified positive cases are reported. Incidence rates may change periodically as testing lags, and reporting delays occur. Once received, the district will update the dashboard to reflect these cases. Please note that per federal masking orders issued in January 2021, masks are still mandatory on District buses and vans.

We support staff and student/parental (guardian) choice to remain masked while the high school enters into this mask-optional phase. We continue to implement mitigation strategies found in our Health and Safety Plan, such as physical distancing, healthy hygiene, including handwashing and respiratory etiquette, cleaning, and proper ventilation. 

If incidence rate trending continues, then NPE is on track to move to mask-optional beginning February 9th and WES on February 11th, per the rolling 14-day period. SHMS has dropped below the 2% threshold today. We will continue to monitor their progress. At this time, SRS is still above the 2% threshold. For further explanation, please refer to the short video message from Mrs. Sweeney.

On its blog, CHOP PolicyLab posted COVID-19 Outlook: As Recovery Continues, Schools Plan for Next Steps, which addresses the latest data, trends, and projections and what it means for schools. Per CHOP, “After recent widespread transmission of omicron, many communities have experienced a decline in case incidence during the last few weeks. As case incidence declines, so too does the risk for transmission.” Over the last two weeks, the district has seen a 50% decrease in reported cases. As always, we will continue to keep you informed of any changes or shifts regarding mitigation strategies per our Health and Safety Plan. 

As we welcome February, there is much to celebrate and honor. We recognize the legacy and contributions of African Americans to our country. Though only twenty-eight days in length, we must be reminded that African American history is American history and should be embedded throughout the year. Please visit our website and events page to get a glimpse into the celebratory and learning experiences led by our staff and students. We will also be highlighting some of these happenings on our social media channels.

February 1st marked the start of the Lunar New Year, a holiday celebrated by over 2 billion people worldwide and is one of the most important celebrations for many people of East and South-East Asian descent. At WSSD, we also marked this significant holiday by engaging in a myriad of activities in our schools, reflective of the culture and traditions of this new year celebration. 

The Educational Affairs Committee held its monthly meeting on Wednesday, February 2nd where we discussed the latest updates regarding the curriculum and equity audits our district is currently engaged in. We also introduced our options and recommendations for a communications audit. This is an exciting time for our district as we take stock of where we are and look forward to creating a common guiding vision. A plan for how Cultural Proficiency Framework will be implemented in the district was shared that delineates the way students, teachers, families, and administrators will be collectively engaged in this very important work. I also conveyed the professional development sessions that will accompany and support these efforts.

We hope to avoid the common missteps of this work by creating a healthy ecosystem where parents, guardians, students, staff, administration, and community all have a common language and understanding of cultural proficiency, equity, inclusion, and belonging. 

Congratulations to the Strath Haven High School Hi-Q team, as they won their third and final competition of the regular season on February 3 against Marple Newtown and Springfield. They will hear about the playoff rounds early next week. 

I want to congratulate Haven Cheer for their semifinal finish at the State Championships in Hershey last weekend and wish them continued success as they compete in the National Championships in Orlando, FL beginning on February 10th.

Last but not least, I would like to give a nod to Punxsutawney Phil, who is reported to have seen his shadow this week on Wednesday, predicting another six weeks of cold weather.

Stay safe,

Wagner Marseille, Ed.D.

 

Dear families and staff, 

I hope this communication finds you in good health and good spirits.  

In my January 14th communication, I provided you with the latest information regarding the District’s Health and Safety Plan timeline to our shift to mask-optional depending on the daily building level incidence rates. In the most recent CHOP policy update of January 27th, COVID-19 Outlook: Recovery Continues, But Some Regions Lag Behind, we continue to see a decrease in COVID-related incidence and hospitalization rates across the country. It is projected that in the next several weeks, we will continue to see declines in these numbers.

According to our data, as of today, January 28, 2022, if Strath Haven High School maintains their current incidence rate of under 2% from the week of January 31st through February 4th, the high school will be able to shift to mask-optional on February 7th.    

Currently, our elementary and middle school buildings exceed the 2% threshold of identified COVID cases and therefore are not anticipated to move to mask-optional on February 7th.

As always, we will continue to monitor the daily data for the week of February 4th to see if there are any changes to the mask-optional plan for any of our buildings.  

Please note:

• Even if a building moves to mask-optional, masking will still be mandatory on District buses and vans per the federal order issued in January 2021. 

• On February 7th, if a school building has an incidence rate below 2% for the previous 14 days, masking will become optional.

• If the incidence rate rises at or above 2% on any day, universal masking will be mandatory.

• Mandatory masking will be lifted provided the school building incidence rate is below 2% for 14 days in a row. 

• All information regarding incidence rates can be found on our District dashboard.  

Our Lead Covid Nurse, Mrs. Sweeney has developed a short video in an attempt to provide additional clarity on our incidence rates and the rolling 14-day count.  Optional Masking Calendar and Resources   

Last Monday, we held our Regular Board meeting.  I was excited to welcome Dr. Hilden, Mr. McLaughlin, Mrs. Duffy, and Mrs. LaPira from Strath Haven High School as they shared with us A Look at the Fall Semester.  Seniors Kai Lincke and Noah Sacks created an exciting video that captured the spirit and pride of Strath Haven. If you didn’t get a chance to watch it at the board meeting, please view it here. 

The other focus topic presentation was on Sleep and School Start Times, and an overview of five schedules were presented that would potentially reflect the change in the start time of our school day.  As a result of discussions that ensued, it was decided that the proposed schedules that will be further explored are Schedule A and Schedule E.  Furthermore, since our District will be engaging in a Strategic Planning process by the end of this school year, the investigation of School and Sleep Start Times, including looking at the effectiveness of our current block scheduling and maintaining the current high school schedule, will be integrated within the Strategic Plan. 

The Policy Committee held its monthly meeting on Wednesday, January 26th.  Policies 003 Functions, 005 Organization, and 009 Policy Development were reviewed for a third reading and will be presented to the School Board for approval.  Finally, Policies 104 Nondiscrimination in Employment and Contract Practices, 239 International Students, and 239.1 Educational Programs for Nonresident Students were shared for first and second readings.  The slides from the meeting can be viewed here.

The next Educational Affairs meeting will be held on Wednesday, February 2nd in Room B-226 at Strath Haven Middle School at 7:00 p.m. The items on the agenda are: 

• Curriculum Audit Launch

• Communications Audit

• Equity Audit and Cultural Proficiency

As a follow-up to previous updates, all Chromebooks and iPads that were purchased through the FCC Emergency Connectivity Fund Grant were delivered on December 28, 2021.  On Wednesday, January 19, 2022, over 300 devices were distributed to students in grades K-5 throughout the District.  We will continue to work with the elementary teachers, administrators, and families to determine the need for additional devices.

Congratulations to the Strath Haven wrestling team for their second-place finish at the Central League Championships on January 22nd. There were many strong performances including two first-place finishes by Chase Barlow and Sam Milligan. I also want to send my good luck wishes to the Haven Cheer team as they compete at the state championships in Hershey today.

Stay safe,

Wagner Marseille, Ed.D.

Dear Staff and Families,

I hope this letter finds you in good health and spirits. I wanted to follow up on the January 7th communication indicating our anticipated shift to our Health and Safety Plan that incorporates new guidelines from Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) and PolicyLab at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.  Please click here to review it as it will take effect on January 18, 2022.

I understand the many concerns with my anticipated mask-optional timeline of February 7, 2022, in light of the significant increase in incidences as a result of the Omicron variant.  Pre-holiday break and post-holiday break, we experienced a significant increase in incident rates across all buildings. We saw the incidence rate in each building rise from less than 1% in students and staff two weeks before Christmas, to greater than 2.9% at the high school, 4.2% at NPE, 3.3% at SRS, and 2.7% at WES for the past 14 days from January 3rd through January 14th.  Only the middle school was below the 2% threshold for the past two weeks at a 1.9% incidence rate.  Based on those data points, if the district was operating under our 2% mask optional threshold of incidence rates over a two-week period, all of our buildings except for SHMS would have shifted to universal masking.

I continue to believe in the national forecasting models that show an anticipated significant decrease in cases over the next two weeks.  In the event the district is experiencing incidence rates at its current levels, we will have no choice but to delay our mask-optional shift, and we will require universal masking until numbers have decreased below the 2% threshold.  On January 28th, I will communicate our definitive plans based on incidence rates.  Below you will find some key highlights in our Health and Safety Plan: 

• Masking on district buses and vans is mandatory by the federal order issued in January 2021.

• The district has adopted the 7-day modified quarantine as outlined by CHOP and Policy Lab at CHOP.    

• Masks should completely cover the nose and mouth and fit snugly against the sides of the face without gaps and be at least two layers of fabric, per the new CDC mask recommendations.

• Individuals should isolate if positive for COVID-19 regardless of vaccination status.  A positive individual should stay at home for 5 days and continue to wear a mask for 5 additional days. The 5-day count for isolation begins the day after symptom onset or day after of test positivity in asymptomatic individuals. Upon return to school, for 5 days, staff and students will be placed in an alternative lunch setting.

• Staff or students who are exposed to COVID-19 and identified as an asymptomatic close contact with a household member and has received the primary series of Pfizer, Moderna, or the Johnson and Johnson vaccine, will be able to remain in school and shall mask for 7 days (Mask to Stay) and will participate in Test To Stay.

• Staff and students who are close contacts with an individual who has COVID-19 and is not a household member can remain in school and work if they are asymptomatic regardless of vaccination status. They will be required to wear a mask for 7 days (Mask to Stay) and to conduct daily symptom screenings. If an individual is unvaccinated or partially vaccinated, Test To Stay should be implemented, but not required.  

• If you are experiencing COVID-related symptoms, please stay home, take a COVID test and contact the building nurse or our Lead COVID Nurse, Deb Sweeney, regarding the results.

Please visit wssd.org/covid to review our daily incidence rates and updated FAQs.  

Today I had the pleasure of attending numerous activities and assemblies in our buildings that highlighted the legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr. Our faculty did an outstanding job in creating opportunities for students who spent part of the day engaged in service projects, assemblies, videos, and songs in memory of Dr. King.  

The essence of Dr. King’s dream is about promises of equality, justice, and freedom, and his vision was that every child would have equal access to quality instruction and supports. I would like to echo the sentiment of working together to ensure that every child succeeds, and together we honor Dr. King by valuing diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging in our school district. We celebrate his legacy by remaining dedicated to social change and justice. I urge you to take some time this holiday to talk to your child(ren) about Dr. King’s commitment to a free and just society for all, and to spend some time in the service of others.

Please note the upcoming meetings: On January 19th, the Facilities and Finance Committees will meet in Room B226 at Strath Haven Middle School. The School Board business meeting will take place on Monday, January 24th in the SHMS library, and the Policy Committee will meet on Wednesday, January 26th in Room B226. As always, your attendance and participation are welcome. 

 There are a number of accomplishments that I would like to recognize. Congratulations to Chase Barlow ‘22 who was recognized for his excellence on the football field this past season and named 1st Team All-State by PAFootballnews.com.

Congratulations also to the Haven Cheer team for qualifying for the State Championships in Hershey on January 29-30. It is the first time in team history that they qualified, and we wish them lots of luck.

In her first meet of the season, SHHS junior Alexa Brown broke the school record in the shot put with a throw of 40’-9 ¾. She is ranked 4th in Pennsylvania and 7th in the US, and is off to an amazing start. Good luck for the rest of the season. 

Congratulations to Mr. Rothenbach and the SHHS Hi-Q team for their second victory of the season against Interboro and Delaware County Christian School on January 13th.

As the first semester of the school year at SHHS comes to a close, I wish all of our students well on their final exams and projects.  

Stay safe,

Wagner Marseille, Ed.D.

Dear Staff and Families,

Let me begin by wishing you all a Happy New Year. During winter break, I hope you had the chance to catch up with family and friends and enjoy some much-needed rest and relaxation. January is always about fresh beginnings, new resolutions, and strengthened resolve. Despite so many plans being short-changed because of COVID-19, there is no denying the promise of a new year, and new opportunities. 

I would also like to thank everyone for their support, patience, and flexibility as we continue to navigate the challenges the pandemic continues to bring. As this new year begins, we are already being reminded to expect the unexpected with two snow days in this very first week. Despite unforeseen circumstances and unknowns that 2022 may bring, I know the tremendous strength we have as a team and a community, and for that, I am very grateful. That teamwork is reflected in the way in which we are working together to forge a path forward despite the ongoing challenges. COVID-19 continues to evolve and the manner in which we adapt and respond to the challenges this presents define who we are. As has been the case throughout this pandemic, plans may be in a state of flux as a result of health recommendations and metrics. 

Yesterday we had our largest number of positive cases to date. Though these numbers are higher than we have seen during my time here, we are fortunate not to be experiencing the elevated numbers that many other school districts are seeing with student and staff absences that have many moving to a different model of instruction. I want to thank our staff who are stepping in for their colleagues and taking on additional classes to support absences and ensure we continue with our commitment to in-person learning.  

As the landscape continues to change, so does the ever-evolving guidance. I want to bring to your attention the newly-released policy guidelines from Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and PolicyLab at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. We have been very fortunate to meet regularly with my Delaware County Superintendent colleagues and our medical experts. During this week's meeting, we had the opportunity to review and discuss the new guidelines. I also had the chance to discuss those revisions with members of our Pandemic Team, made up of our nurses and building/central office administrators. The new guidelines, COVID-19 Outlook: A Pandemic in Transition Requires Updated School Guidance, provide a path forward with today’s challenges.  A section of the guidance that resonated with me reads, 

“Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, schools (and particularly the students) have been asked to shoulder a significant burden to avert the risk of severe disease in an unvaccinated public. Now that all within K-12 school communities have been offered vaccination, the competing risks to children of education loss from prolonged school closures alongside social isolation are far more concerning than COVID-19 itself. While it is too soon to conclude that COVID-19 has become an endemic seasonal virus like influenza, the declining virulence shows signs that we are rapidly shifting in that direction, particularly for vaccinated individuals.”

As a result of these guidelines, next week, I will be revising our Health and Safety Plan to reflect the new guidelines from CHOP and PolicyLab at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.  This guidance includes continuing our Test to Stay program and our commitment to in-person instruction. The main points of the guidance can be found here. Once we have revised our Health and Safety Plan, I will communicate with you again and provide a link to those new changes. In addition, we will move away from daily COVID-19 notification emails to posting the identified cases each day on wssd.org/covid by 7 p.m. 

We will be hosting our next vaccine clinic on Wednesday, January 12th, from 4 p.m. - 8 p.m. in the Strath Haven High School cafeteria. This is for anyone who attended one of our previous two clinics and requires a second shot (ages 5 and up), as well as anyone in the community who is interested in getting a booster shot (ages 12 and up). Spots are limited, so please register using this link as soon as possible.

As we approach the holiday honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his work and legacy, our schools are working on a variety of service activities, including WES’ annual assembly led by the second-grade team, collection drives at NPE to support Delaware Mutual Aid and a local animal shelter, and the creation of a peace quilt by students at SRS. In addition, I am looking forward to experiencing Strath Haven Middle School’s annual Day of Service on January 14th that I have heard so much about. On the 19th, I hope to see the performance by students from the Kensington Creative and Performing High School as they return to SRS for their annual visit to perform songs and skits in celebration of Dr. King’s legacy.

Schools will be closed on January 17th in observance of the MLK Day holiday as well as on the 18th for a teacher in-service day. I encourage you to find ways to participate in serving the community during the annual Day of Service in honor of Dr. King. Remember, MLK Day of Service is not a day OFF but a day ON in the service of others. "Everybody can be great ... because anybody can serve. You don't have to have a college degree to serve. You don't have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love."

At our Educational Affairs meeting on January 5th, we had two presentations: WSSD Technology Report and WSSD Sleep & School Start Times Investigation Report. The presentation about the Sleep & School Start Times addressed the onset of this initiative approximately two years ago, the research that was conducted on this topic, the taskforce and committees that were formed, and the work done with staff and families/guardians to delve deep into the possibilities of changing our start times and the consequential impacts this change would have on various aspects of our school district - operations, academics, transportation, athletics, and performing arts among others. Five different schedule ideas or models were presented to demonstrate the effect a change in school time would have on a student’s day and after-school activities. Based on each schedule idea, an exhaustive list of points were discussed that need to be taken into consideration if schedule changes are proposed. In light of the upcoming strategic plan that will be launched by the end of this school year, this is an on-going endeavor the administrative team will continue to work on at the request of the school board members on the Educational Affairs Committee.

We held our first two Equity Focus Groups this week: WES on Tuesday and NPE on Thursday. I want to thank those in attendance for sharing their stories, perspectives, and recommendations.  Next week, the administrative team will be facilitating focus groups at SRS and SHMS. You should have received an email inviting you to participate in an Equity and Inclusion Survey between January 6 and January 20. As I mentioned in previous communications, we have partnered with Hanover Research to conduct an Equity Audit for our school district and your responses to the survey will provide us with invaluable insights into Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in WSSD so we can make the necessary changes to best serve our students and families. The survey is intended for students (grades 6-12), parents or guardians, and staff members and should take approximately 10 minutes to complete. Thank you for taking the time to complete it.

Please mark your calendars for the upcoming committee meetings that occur in room B226 at Strath Haven Middle School.  As always, we welcome your attendance and participation. 

• January 19 - Facilities and Finance Committee

• January 26 - Policy Committee

The next School Board Business meeting will take place on Monday, January 24 at 7: 00 p.m. in the library of Strath Haven Middle School.  

Enjoy the weekend and stay safe,

Wagner Marseille, Ed.D.

Dear WSSD Community, 

I hope this communication finds you in good health and good spirits. Despite the significant increases in positive cases across the country and in our region, I hope you were able to spend time with family and friends. Unfortunately for me, my family members were not able to join us this year as many of them were ill and our holiday plans had to be altered.  Last week our positive numbers grew exponentially and I anticipate we will continue to see those numbers rise during the first two weeks of our return in the new year. We have been monitoring our cases during the break and appreciate staff and families who continued to update us during the break.  

I wanted to share with you new guidance on Isolation and Quarantine that was released by the CDC on December 27, 2021. Isolation has changed from 10 full days to 5 days provided symptoms are resolving and you are fever-free for 24 hours. Masking is required for an additional 5 days. The five-day count begins from the day of onset symptoms or test day for the asymptomatic individual.

Quarantine is based upon vaccination status. Scenario A: if you have been boosted OR completed primary series of Moderna or Pfizer within 6 months or within 2 months for the J&J vaccine then the following guidelines apply:

• Wear a mask for 10 days when around others

• Test on day 5, if possible 

• If you develop symptoms remain home and get tested

Scenario B: If you completed the primary series of Moderna or Pfizer over 6 months ago OR over 2 months ago for J&J AND you are not boosted OR are unvaccinated then:

• Stay home for 5 days. After that continue to mask for 5 additional days when around others

• If you cannot quarantine you MUST wear a mask for 10 days

• Test on day 5, if possible 

• If you develop symptoms remain home and get tested

IF an individual is unvaccinated, partially vaccinated, fully vaccinated as defined above, and IS  named a close contact, begin the Test to Stay program.

As you can see, providing evidence of your student’s vaccination status and booster information is imperative to properly guide you through the isolation and quarantine process. If you have not already done so we encourage you to please send in proof of vaccination status. Here are ways to share that important information with the administration:

1. In person - Please notify the staff in the main office at your student(s)' school. You will need to show their vaccination card.

2. Via email - Take a photo of or scan your vaccination card, and send it to dclements@wssd.org. 

3. Upload into PowerSchool

• Log in to PowerSchool and click on Forms on the left-hand side.

• Scroll down to "Health" and click on COVID-19 Vaccination Information

• You will need to include the dates of vaccination and upload an image of your vaccination card.

For additional information please refer to the WSSD FAQs. 

The district is looking forward to students and staff returning to school on January 3, 2022, in person. We would ask that you continue to use mitigation strategies such as masking and physical distancing when gathering to celebrate with family and friends over the remaining winter break. 

Stay safe, 

Dr. Wagner Marseille

Dear Staff and Families,

I would like to provide an update regarding the racist graffiti incident at WES that happened right before Thanksgiving. The district has identified the individuals who were involved in the vandalism and racial epithet that was written on our doors. Along with Mr. Savage, principal at WES, I have had the opportunity to meet with the family and the individual involved in this incident. Though we will not forget this incident, Mr. Savage, myself, and the family have put in place ongoing steps for growth, learning, and restitution to take place for the individual involved. As superintendent, I must take responsibility for what I have come to learn are very clear indicators that show we have many children who are disengaged, disenfranchised, and often do not feel part of our learning community. It renews my resolve to continue my efforts in making this school district an inclusive and welcoming community that promotes belonging, trust, and safety.

As we head into the holiday break, I wanted to share a few highlights and reminders. This week our Facilities, Finance, and Policy Committees met in room B226. Click on the hyperlinks to see the PowerPoint presentations. Please mark your calendars for upcoming meetings as we encourage you to join us. This is a reminder that our School Board Legislative meetings will be held on a monthly basis starting in January, and the next scheduled meeting is on January 24 at 7:00 p.m. in the Strath Haven Middle School library.

I want to congratulate the eleven Strath Haven High School AP Art & Design students in Mrs. Rodgers’ class who showcased their work at the 15th annual exhibit in the third-floor hallway. After many years of learning and hard work, these students are preparing for their next level of studies. I want to thank our art teachers and brilliant art department for guiding and inspiring our students and helping them to develop and nurture their techniques and talents.  

It is with great pleasure that I share with you the following SHHS student musicians who auditioned and qualified for the following 2022 Pennsylvania Music Educators Association (PMEA) District 12 (Delaware, Chester, and Philadelphia counties) ensembles. Congratulations to:

Chorus: Gretha Fergus, Natalie Caputo, Sophie DeCristofaro, Archie Bracegirdle, Ben Kedson, James Traverso

Band: Dae Taylor, Matt Lund, Henry Stockman, Sophie DeCristofaro, Gavin John, Jake Millett, Sammi Quinn

Orchestra: Sara Ventriglia, Matt Lund, Gavin John, Nate Sepinwall, Jake Millett, Emma Wei, Grace Gong

In addition, Cecelia Olszewski ‘22 has qualified for the 2021 National Association for Music Education (NAfME) All-National Honors Ensembles Symphony Orchestra. This honor comes through her audition and an extensive resume of past PMEA District, Region, and All-State participation during her sophomore and junior years. She is one of only ten Pennsylvania students who qualified for this prestigious recognition and will have the opportunity to participate in a virtual ensemble experience in January.

Congratulations to these students for their remarkable achievements as well as to their music teachers, John Shankweiler and Nicholas Pignataro, who were instrumental in helping them prepare for their auditions. The excellence of our high school music program was showcased in the Winter Concert on December 21st, featuring our orchestras and choirs. It was so wonderful to be back together for the first time in over two years listening to live music performed by our talented musicians.

Speaking of talent, just a few days earlier, the SHHS stage featured the dancers and choreographers of Dance Haven performing their winter showcase. Again, another tremendous performance and another opportunity for our students to learn and grow together. Well done to all.   

Congratulations also to three of our Haven Ultimate Frisbee players who were recently selected by USA Ultimate to try out for the U20 national team who will compete at the WFDF World Junior Championships in the Dominican Republic this August. Bella Garcia ‘21, Gavin Abrahamsson ‘22, and Katie Stack ‘25 will travel to Florida this February to compete against top high school and collegiate athletes from around the country to have a chance to represent the USA. Good luck to them.

There were many festive activities throughout the District this past week, as we wrap up 2021 and prepare for our much-needed winter break. There were fun and “ugly” sweater days at all of our schools, spirit week at SHMS, and gingerbread and fairy house making at our elementary schools, to name just a few. Thank you to our teachers and staff for making our schools merry and inviting.

I want to acknowledge and thank the WSSD community for your spirit of giving throughout this holiday season. Many carloads of food were collected before Thanksgiving and delivered to the Media Food Bank and other agencies. The SHMS Winter Charity Drive came to a close as they collected hundreds of new toys and winter clothing items to help our neighbors through CityTeam Chester. SHHS helped local families in need by providing supermarket gift cards. At SRS, Mrs. Smart’s and Mrs. Cotrufello’s classes came together to assemble bags with food, gloves, and ear warmers for CityTeam as well. WES families collected post-Halloween candy for troops at Fort Dix, and NPE participated in a Marine Toys for Tots Campaign benefitting children in Chester County. Our high school students from the Young Activist Coalition organized and presented a “winter holiday fair” bringing awareness to the myriad of cultural holidays, traditions, and practices through poster boards, reports, jewelry, food, ornaments, and more.

I will be remiss if I didn’t take some time to share my visit at WES this morning. I enjoy and make it a priority to spend time in every one of our buildings, and this morning I took Mr. Savage’s invitation to “come see cheer and joy at WES”. We stopped by all the classrooms and everywhere we went, we heard echoes of the same joyful words of gratitude and happiness from our students; They are looking forward to spending time with their families, participating in activities that are traditions in their households, opening presents and are simply happy for the break. Ms. Scott’s class passionately and heartily recited their class pledge that not only affirmed how they matter as students and as a classroom community but also celebrated their school spirit. Our students are the best, and being called “Super-Nintendo” was absolutely the icing on the cake.

I will see you back at school on January 3rd, rejuvenated and ready to embrace a new year.  Upon our return, we are scheduled to have our District-facilitated Equity Focus Groups from  6:00 - 7:30 p.m. on January 4 (WES), January 6 (NPE), January 11 (SRS), January 13 (SHMS), and January 18 (SHHS). Confirmation emails have been sent out to those who responded, and we look forward to seeing you at the focus groups in the new year.

Best wishes to you and your families,

Wagner Marseille, Ed.D.

Dear Staff and Families,

Despite the challenges presented yesterday and today, our staff, as always, came with an open heart and open mind to support children. The learning experiences and activities we engaged in reminded us of the spirit of the holiday and affirmed the importance of family, friends, and laughter. From making gingerbread houses and snow globes in our elementary schools, learning to jump double dutch at the middle school and AP Art students showcasing their portfolio work at the high school, there were a myriad of joyous memory-making activities across our buildings.

I want to share with you some key pieces of information for this week. At Monday night’s board meeting, there were a number of highlights discussed in my Superintendent’s report including the district school calendar and our Health and Safety Plan. 

The Board of School Directors voted and approved a two-year calendar with the 2022-2023 school year slated with a post-Labor Day start and the 2023-2024 calendar scheduled with a pre-Labor Day start. 

During the meeting, I shared the District’s Health & Safety Plan and the transition from using county-level data to community-level data to determine our masking options. Since the opening of school, we have been using county-level data to make decisions about our community. We will transition to using building-level data that will provide us with better information to guide our mitigation efforts.  

Effective February 7, the District will move to mask-optional requirements conditional upon building-level incidence rates remaining below two percent for a 14 day period. If any building reaches that threshold, we will move to universal masking until the incidence rate falls below two percent. For example, the mask option would be lifted if SHHS has 29 cases, SHMS 20 cases, WES 13 cases, SRS 13 cases and NPE 12 cases over a 14 day period. Using building level incidences provides a more accurate picture of what is happening within our own community. I encourage you to review the PPT presentation from Monday night and our Health and Safety Plan that will take effect February 7, 2022. This date allows for post-winter break transmission spikes to subside, for the worst of the Flu season to pass, and for children ages 5-11 who received the first vaccine to move to fully vaccinated status.  

With the support of Springfield Pharmacy, we will host another vaccination clinic on December 20 in the Strath Haven High School cafeteria. Students ages 5-11 can get their first or second vaccine and community members ages 16 and up can get a booster. Please register here to secure your spot as spaces are limited. The final date for this clinic series is January 12.  

If your child has been vaccinated, we ask that you please share that information with the District to assist in our mitigation efforts. Here are ways to share that important information with the administration:

1. In person - Please notify the staff in the main office at your student(s)' school. You will need to show their vaccination card.

2. Via email - Take a photo of or scan your vaccination card, and send to dsweeney@wssd.org. 

3. Upload into PowerSchool

• Log in to PowerSchool and click on Forms on the left-hand side.

• Scroll down to "Health" and click on COVID-19 Vaccination Information

• You will need to include the dates of vaccination and upload an image of your vaccination card.

Test to Stay has been in place since November 1, 2021. Since then, we have tested 178 students and 10 staff members. This is equivalent to maintaining 1,246 in-person instructional days and participation in athletics and activities for our students using this program. It has effectively identified four asymptomatic individuals to help maintain the health and safety of our school community. We are expecting the transition to mask optional beginning Feb. 7 to increase the volume of testing, and we encourage you to use the program both now and following the February 7 date. As per the CHOP Policy Lab (we are under their program, not the PA DOH-Ginko testing program), we have the option to expand close contacts to out-of-school exposure and have done so with great success. We hope anyone who has participated in the program has found it convenient and easy to help maintain some normalcy during these times.

Regarding our Equity Audit, we are moving into its next phase and, beginning in the new year, Hanover Research, along with administrators, will host numerous focus groups with our community.  

As a reminder, our Equity Audit comprises three major phases. The first is the implementation of Focus Groups that will be facilitated by Hanover Research and members of WSSD administration. Hanover will begin their focus groups sessions from January 10 to 21. The Equity Score Card, which is a deep analysis of district academic and other demographic data, began on December 15, 2021. Surveys to families, staff, and students will open on January 6, 2021. On January 4, communication will be sent out to alert participants of the upcoming survey.  In addition, WSSD administration will host five community focus group conversations at each of our school buildings on January 4, 6, 11, 13, and 18. January is slated to be a busy month for all of us. In addition, I will look at dates in the new year to bring the community together to discuss the requests to add additional religious and cultural holidays to the district academic calendar. Please stay posted for those upcoming meetings.  

As many of you know, a couple who reside on Copples Lane filed a complaint seeking in large measure to prevent and/or limit our evening use of the King Field complex (including football on Friday nights in the fall) by Strath Haven’s athletic teams and marching band throughout the year. Although the case was filed back in 2017, a hearing on the plaintiffs’ request for a permanent injunction was held in May 2021. Last month, a Delaware County judge denied the petition for an injunction. That ruling means we can continue to use King Field as we have in the past: with the best interests of our students, faculty, alumni, and the local community in mind.  To be sure, the case is not over as the plaintiffs filed an appeal (as they are entitled to do) of the court’s ruling this week. As we have in the past, we will continue to defend against the injunction request as appropriate in support of our curricular and extracurricular activities. We will, of course, continue informal efforts to reach an amicable resolution which does not limit Strath Haven’s use of our facilities.

Next week is a short school week, but it will be a busy one. There are two committee meetings taking place that you are invited to attend. The Facilities and Finance Committee meetings are scheduled for Tuesday December 21 and the Policy Committee will meet on December 22. These meetings will take place at 7 p.m. in Room B226 at Strath Haven Middle School.

SHHS will hold their Winter Concert on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. Tune in to the live stream to see our talented musicians and singers. Tonight SHHS dancers will take the stage as Dance Haven will hold their Winter Showcase. Stop by the auditorium at 7 p.m. to see them perform. 

Please enjoy a relaxing weekend.

Stay safe,

Dr. Wagner Marseille

Dear Staff and Families,

I hope this letter finds you in good health and good spirits. I want to share with you some key pieces of information from this week. On Monday, December 6, we held the annual school board reorganization meeting. Congratulations to the recently re-elected and newly elected board members: Dr. David Grande, Kelly Wachtman, Wendy Voet, Mary Jo Witkowski-Smith, Kevin Henry, Nannette Whitsett, and Rachel Holbert. Please visit our website for more information about the appointed officers and committee assignments.

We sincerely appreciate the time, energy, and dedication of our board members, and I look forward to continuing the work ahead of us. Thank you for your commitment to supporting our students, staff, and community.

As a result of the restructuring and the newly designed configuration of committees, the board has moved to monthly regular board meetings. Please see the schedule here. In addition, each of our standing committees meet once a month and we encourage your participation and attendance there as well. The upcoming committee meetings are Facilities / Finance Committee on December 21 and Policy Committee on December 22. These will take place in Room B226 in SHMS at 7 p.m. Agendas will be posted on our website and on BoardDocs before the meeting.

Please join me at the December 13th regular board meeting where the administration will present two proposals for the 2022-2023 and 2023-2024 calendar. For the 2022-2023 calendar, the board will be asked to take action on a proposed pre- or post-Labor Day start, and for the 2023-2024 school calendar, a pre-Labor Day start. Calendar proposal information can be accessed here.

In addition, I will be sharing information about the Health & Safety Plan, specifically my recommendation to begin using district-level incident rates related to individual building numbers, in lieu of county-wide data, to develop a plan that would allow the district to move to a K-12 mask-optional model effective February 7, 2022. 

Since the start of the calendar school year, our district incident rates has not risen above 3%. The district has faithfully adhered to mitigation strategies and has implemented test-to-stay procedures with success. We have upcoming vaccination clinics for children ages 5-11 on December 20 and January 12 to receive their first or second shot. A February 7 target date allows for the worst of the flu season to pass and transmission spikes from post-winter breaks to have subsided while giving families time to get fully vaccinated. I hope that you can join us for the meeting or you can tune in to the live stream. 

This has been a very busy time of year with a lot of exciting things going on in WSSD. Our Strath Haven High School Hi-Q team recently hosted the first event of the season and defeated Chichester and the Academy of Notre Dame. The WES third grade team of teachers and staff received the 2021 Freedom Medal for Dedication to Education from the Delaware County Veterans Memorial Association. The SHHS football team made it all the way to the state championship semifinals, with both coaches and athletes setting records along the way. And Haven Cheer qualified two teams for the UCA National High School Cheerleading Championship in Florida in February.

As we continue to demonstrate in a myriad of ways in which we define excellence, the SHMS Fine and Applied Arts Winter Concert took place on Tuesday and Thursday, with the final event taking place on Tuesday. The music performed in the auditorium and the artwork in the hallway speaks to our students’ commitment and work ethic, and I was also reminded how powerful it is when individuals come together to create something beautiful. They could not accomplish this without their dedicated and passionate teachers.

Likewise, this past week, Dr. Mosakowski and I accompanied several SHHS students to the Equity Coalition Student Forum hosted by the DCIU. They have been meeting with other student leaders from around Delaware County on a monthly basis since last year to explore intersectionality in areas they care about: Race & Culture, Mental Health, LGBTQ+, Climate Change, and Art-ivism. Watching the students light up through their connections and sharing their voices was inspiring, and I am looking forward to the culminating event they will produce this spring. I am thankful for all of the experiences that allow our students to showcase their passions and skills. 

Please enjoy the weekend and stay safe,

Wagner Marseille, Ed.D.

Dear Families,

I hope this communication finds you in good health and spirits.

As many of you are aware, the Office of Education has been leading conversations regarding our proposed 2022-2023 and 2023-2024 school calendars. At the September 9th Educational Affairs Committee meeting, we shared our intent to present the calendar information as a two-part series to the community. At the Educational Affairs meeting on November 4th, the administrative team gave a historical perspective on school calendar creation and shared examples of calendars from school districts in Bucks County, Montgomery County and Delaware County. 

We received a number of requests from community members who attended the meeting that our calendar be more inclusive and reflective of the diversity of our community, and that we identify and recognize religious/cultural holidays that speak to our demographics. Some of the requests include, but are not limited to: Diwali, Eid, the month of Ramadan and the Chinese New Year. This request, though simple, is layered with complexity as one of the most immediate and pressing questions will become why choose those particular religious/cultural days and not others. 

I shared with this community the challenge in picking which holidays to recognize and place on a district calendar as well as the dilemma of leaving others out. As a matter of fact, the ADL (Anti-Defamation League) has published a diversity and religious calendar that features a dozen or more days to be recognized as religious/cultural holidays each month. As such, a small number of individuals cannot decide which of those will be part of our school calendar, and which ones will be omitted. This process requires a larger community dialogue with more people, representing a diversity of perspectives, at the table. Though the proposed calendars presented at the Educational Affairs Committee meeting last night did not reflect those requests, I want to assure you that I was listening, and heard your requests. To get it right, we want to be more prepared to hold a conversation about the calendar and the inclusion of religious/cultural holidays to best serve our students and families.

My proposed calendar recommendation will move forward for a board vote at the Board Meeting on December 13th. Prior to a vote, Administration will do a high-level review of the proposed calendars and allow for board and community questions and comments. However, in the upcoming new year, I am committed to creating an opportunity for larger community dialogue on how the district will identify religious/cultural holidays that would be recommended to be integrated into our school calendar or to generate a separate religious/cultural calendar such as the ones drafted by ADL (Anti-Defamation League) and other organizations. 

Please click here for the presentations from the first calendar presentation on Nov 4th and the most recent presentation on Dec 1st as well as relevant documents pertaining to our calendar proposals.

Be safe,

Wagner Marseille, Ed.D. 

Dear Staff and Families,

I hope this letter finds you in good health and good spirits. As we are less than 24 hours away from Thanksgiving, I, too, am excited to bring my family and loved ones together. Whether you celebrate Thanksgiving in its traditional form, or whether you incorporate your own cultural traditions or celebrate in another way altogether, we will come together to give thanks and break bread. During these challenging times, let tomorrow and next week reinforce our commitment to our families, our loved ones and our neighbors.  I hope your tables are abundant and filled with laughter and love.  

I have a number of updates that I wanted to briefly share with you.  At Monday’s night's board meeting I shared my commitment to our Health and Safety Plan in my Superintendent’s report, as well as the need to implement strategies that will enable us to relax some of our Health and Safety measures since access to the vaccine is now readily available. We have supported two successful vaccination clinics in collaboration with Dr. June Elock-Messam (Every Child Counts, Inc) and Dr. Joseph Laskas (Delaware County Medical Society) held at NPE on Nov. 13th and Nov. 20th.  We look forward to additional vaccination clinics in collaboration with Springfield Pharmacy that will be held on November 29, December 20, and January 12 from 4PM to 8PM at Strath Haven Middle School. I also shared the district's desire to have up-to-date vaccination information as this will be vital in our strategy moving forward into the new year.  Below are ways to share that information with Administration:

1. In person - Please notify the staff in the main office at your student(s)' school. You will need to show their vaccination card.

2. Via email - Take a photo of or scan your vaccination card, and send to dsweeney@wssd.org. 

3. Upload into PowerSchool

• Log in to PowerSchool and click on Forms on the left-hand side.

• Scroll down to "Health" and click on COVID-19 Vaccination Information

• You will need to include the dates of vaccination and upload an image of your vaccination card.

Also, this week we held our first Policy Committee meeting and presented to the board and community members in attendance First and Second readings of the following policies. 

1. Presentation and Discussion of Policies for First Reading

• Policy 003 – Functions (Local Board Procedures)

• Policy 005 – Organization (Local Board Procedures)

• Policy 009 – Policy Development (Local Board Procedures)

2. Presentation and Discussion of Policies for Second Reading

• Policy 115 – Career and Technical Education (Programs)

• Policy 123.1 – Concussion Management (Programs)

• Policy 201 – Admission of Students (Students)

• Policy 222 – Prohibition of Tobacco Use (Students)

• Policy 227 – Vaporizers, E-Cigarettes & Other Electronic Substance-Delivery Systems (Students)

• Policy 250 – Student Recruitment (Students)

Please join us on December 22, 7PM. in room B-226 at SHMS at the next scheduled Policy Committee meeting when we will be revisiting those policies as well as additional ones. We have implemented or restructured four pivotal committees (Finance, Facilities, Policy and Educational Affairs) in order to allow for greater transparency and community engagement. I know your schedules are busy but I want to invite you to attend as many of these conversations as your schedule permits because much of the district's work will be vetted through those committees. (Click here to review committee dates.)

Good luck to the football team as they play in the District 1 5A championship game on Friday against West Chester Rustin. It is an away game, so let’s fill the stands with our Panther fans and help the Haven Cheer team and the marching band cheer them on to victory. Let’s go, Haven! 

Stay safe,

Dr. Wagner Marseille

 

Dear Staff and Families,

Dear WSSD Community,                                                                                   

I hope this letter finds you in good health and good spirits. As we close out the month of October and head into November, I wanted to share several key items with you. 

At our October 25th Board meeting, Mrs. Mary Figura, Assistant to the Superintendent for Management Services, and Ms. Deb Sweeney, Lead COVID Nurse, provided important information to introduce a new mitigation strategy in the fight against COVID-19. Beginning Monday, November 1, 2021, we will be implementing a comprehensive program called Test to Stay which helps to identify SARS-CoV-2 infection in schools. This strategy is aimed at maintaining in-person instruction and extracurricular activities for the school community. The program is supported by CHOP PolicyLab, CDC, and PA DOH. It is scientifically based and has been shown in studies to save over 100,000 in-person instructional days.

Test to Stay is a voluntary program for asymptomatic students and staff who are named as close contacts. Two forms are required to participate: a parental/staff consent form as well as a QR code form. Once contact tracing is completed, parents will receive a notification email indicating their student is a close contact. Parents must print and complete the consent form (see the consent form here under “Test to Stay FAQs”. Additionally, you can see this and other WSSD COVID-related information in our COVID Corner newsletter.) Directions for a creation of a QR code that you will need at testing will be included in the email notification. Parents will need to print these forms and bring them to the testing site. Please note that proper masking is required throughout the 10-day program, regardless of any “negative” test results.

Test to Stay testing will be a drive-by process held at the Spencer House, adjacent to King Field at SHMS, for all students and staff. Signage will direct traffic from the entrance to the middle school at Providence Road. For testing, the nurse will come to your vehicle, give the student or parent the swab for testing so that it can be administered. Nurse assistance will be provided if needed. If your child refuses or is uncooperative even with nursing assistance, you will be asked to follow the traditional quarantine guidelines of PCR testing on day 5-7 following exposure for early release on day 8 OR complete a full 10 days of quarantine to return on day 11. Zoom will be permissible for these students.  For additional information, please see FAQs under the COVID information tab.

If a parent/guardian wishes to participate in the Test to Stay program but has questions or concerns, please contact Ms. Sweeney, dsweeney@wssd.org.

I want to remind our registered voters to please go out to vote in the November 2nd elections so your voice can be heard. As a result, all WSSD schools will be closed for students. On that day, our WSSD teachers will be engaged in a variety of professional development activities including MAP (Measure of Academic Progress) reporting training, K-1 Literacy training, Stress in Adolescents: An Examination of the Context of High Performing American High Schools led by Widener University, and Trauma-invested Practices led by Eve Cannon, our WSSD trauma coach. There will also be time for department and faculty meetings.

The Educational Affairs Committee meeting will be held on November 4th at 7 p.m. in the SHMS library. The two agenda topics are: WSSD 2022-23 Calendar (Part 1) and Federal Programs. We are seeking feedback and input as we build our calendar for the next school year, so we would like as many community members to attend and participate in the conversation.   

As we close out the fall athletic season and prepare for winter sports, I want to congratulate all of our fall student-athletes and coaches on a great season and for meeting your personal and team goals. Our football team continues their regular season as they close out tonight against Radnor at 7 p.m. and have their sights on the playoffs (the game is being held at Conestoga). Haven Cheer will be participating in the Penncrest Cheer Challenge this weekend at Penncrest High School. Our SHHS cross country teams competed at the District 1 3A Championships today, and congratulations to our girls team for finishing first!  Good luck to our runners who will be competing at the state championships in Hershey on November 6th.

Please come out and show your appreciation for our High School Marching Band on November 3rd at 7 p.m. at King Field. This is an important fundraiser for the band, and we want to show support for the program and our student musicians. This will be an exciting evening of music performances, raffle, and silent auction prizes.  

Halloween was in the air today as our students and staff celebrated with costumes, parades, and class parties. Please enjoy your weekend as many of our families will be celebrating Halloween.

Stay safe,

Dr. Wagner Marseille

Dear Families and Staff,

October 9th marked my 100th day as superintendent of the Wallingford-Swarthmore School District. Upon reflection of the richness of my experiences during this time, I am humbled and grateful for the opportunity to serve this community. I sincerely thank all of you for welcoming my family and me, and it is my conviction that, together, we will meet the challenges of today and embrace the opportunities of tomorrow.

As laid out in my Entry Plan, I have been focused on listening, learning, and reflecting. In order to better serve the WSSD community, it is important that I continue to listen to your thoughts and experiences, and to learn about your aspirations and ideas for our schools. I have met many of you on school grounds, at events, board and committee meetings, and lately, my Community Conversations series. 

As I continue my daily interactions with key stakeholders: administrators, teachers, staff members, PTO/HSA leaders, board members, alumni, students, community leaders and officials, I am gleaning stories and insights that are compelling, honest, and centered on our common goals for our students. We want them to be able to navigate the intricacies of a complex world, acknowledge the differences, but remain steadfast on the many things that bring us together.

On October 7th I began my Community Conversations with the Superintendent series at Strath Haven Middle School, and this week I held them at WES and SRS. It has been wonderful to take the time to sit down and talk about your and your child(ren)’s experiences in WSSD. I want to express how reinvigorating and reaffirming these conversations have been for me. While several common themes emerged, the uniqueness of each building also became increasingly evident. I share your hopes and dreams, and look forward to ongoing conversations that will eventually lead to the development of our strategic plan where we will think anew, dream boldly, and build stronger and healthier communities.

If you have not attended already, please join us at SHHS on Monday, October 18 or NPE on Tuesday, October 19. Both sessions are outdoors at the lunch tents from 5:30 p.m.to 6:45 p.m. All are welcome. 

At Monday’s board meeting, we were excited to welcome Michelle Lowry from the Foundation for Wallingford-Swarthmore Schools who presented our schools with $11,700 in grant money. They raise these funds through community donations and events - including the upcoming Panther Pajama Run and Walk on November 13th. These generous donations go a long way in supporting and enhancing the experiences of our students and teachers.

The school Board members approved the appointment of our new Director of Human Resources, Dr. Ethan Ake-Little, who will join us on November 15th. We cannot thank Mr. Abbott enough for his unwavering commitment and dedication to the WSSD community over the past 33 years. We look forward to celebrating his upcoming retirement and acknowledging his impact and legacy on our school district.

In my Superintendent Report, I shared some key updates relating to COVID as well as upcoming committee meetings, specifically our Facilities & Finance meeting on October 20th.

I wish to congratulate the 14 SHHS students who were named Commended Scholars in the National Merit Scholarship competition. As the fall sport season comes to a close,  congratulations also to the SHHS girls tennis team for finishing second in the Central League and qualifying for Districts for the first time in 15 years. The girls cross country team returned to the top of the podium by winning the Delco Championships, and we wish them luck at the Central League championships tomorrow. The golf team won the Central League title for the second time in three years. Strath Haven HS continues its tradition of athletic excellence, and we couldn’t be prouder of all of our student-athletes and coaches. 

Stories of excellence and success continue to be reflected in all that we do. For example, I observed a middle school student invite another student who was sitting alone to join her table. I witnessed a student offering the “panther paw” he earned to a friend who demonstrated an act of kindness. Kudos to the young man who carried the backpack of a friend who was on crutches. Last but not least, to the classmates who consistently look for ways to assist their friend with a physical challenge, you are the essence of WSSD. These are powerful instances that speak to the core of who we are, and that define us as a community.

I hope you join us tonight at the Homecoming football game against Penncrest. The team is 5-1 and ranked a close-second to Chester in the District 1 5A division. We are hoping for another win and continued success for the team. Come out and cheer them on and enjoy the performance of our Panther Marching Band. Please mark your calendars for the SHHS Marching Band Showcase on November 3rd at King Field. It is their only fundraising event of the year, and they would love your support. In other exciting music news, Strath Haven HS senior Cecelia Olszewski, this year’s George Slick Fellowship Winner for Music and Music Composition, will be holding her recital on Tuesday, October 19th at 7 p.m. You can watch the live stream here.

As I embark on my next 100 days and enter into a phase of collaborating and planning, I look forward to meeting more of you and continuing this exciting journey in WSSD.

Stay safe,

Dr. Wagner Marseille

Dear Families and Staff,

I hope that you are well and finding time to enjoy this beautiful fall weather. October has arrived and we have some exciting events to look forward to: fall festivals, Homecoming activities at the high school, and Halloween parades later this month at the elementary schools. 

I am soon approaching my first 100 days and have had many rich conversations with parents, students, community members and staff. I am excited to announce a series of “Community Conversations” that will take place at each of our schools during the month of October. Learn more and register for one of the upcoming sessions here. As always, I look forward to hearing your experiences and stories.  

I hope you had the opportunity to attend or view the school board meeting on Monday night, where we discussed field trips, the district calendar, and other action items approved by the board. Information regarding the board meeting can be viewed on Boarddocs and my Superintendent's Reports can be found here.   

As an administrative team, we have engaged in several discussions on School Start Times, an initiative that began in 2019 and lasted up until March 13, 2020 when the pandemic changed our educational landscape. I am impressed to learn the detailed steps WSSD undertook to carry-out a thorough investigation of School Start Times, including the research pertaining to this topic as well as the task force meetings, scheduling think tanks, and panel discussions that were held. In an effort to keep the momentum going, albeit a hiatus of eighteen months along with administrative and structural changes that occurred during that time frame, we look forward to exploring School Start Times at WSSD once again. 

Please join us at the next Educational Affairs committee scheduled for October 6 at 7:00 p.m. in Room B-226 at Strath Haven Middle School. On the agenda are the following items:

• Pennsylvania Department of Education Comprehensive Plan
• Revisiting School Start Times & Next Steps

As we continue to receive guidance, the PA DOH  has provided updated guidelines surrounding  the K-12 exception regarding quarantine. These guidelines provide clarity in regards to ways the district will proceed with contact tracing which impacts quarantining for our student population.

Old Guidance

Updated Guidance

Students were covered under the K-12 exemption where mask usage can be observed, the close contact definition excludes students who were between 3 to 6 feet of an infected student (laboratory-confirmed or a clinical diagnosis) if both the infected student and the exposed student(s) correctly and consistently wore well-fitting masks the entire time. This allowed all students to return to in person learning without interruption.

For those students who are vaccinated, they will be required to test on day 3-5 with a PCR following the exposure. They may return to in person learning without an interruption but must remain masked at school per our Health and Safety Plan and should wear a mask in other indoor public settings and for 14 days or until they receive a negative test result.  For those students unvaccinated, they will be required to quarantine from the last date of contact with the COVID positive individual. That is considered day 0. The student will need to take a PCR test beginning on day 5 or later. An individual then may return to school with a negative PCR beginning on day 8. Without testing, students may return on day 10.

The clarification provided is that the “exception” only applies in the classroom environment. Therefore, students deemed “close contact” while riding the bus will be impacted by this guideline. 

To the greatest extent possible the district will maintain physical distancing.

As I shared at Monday night’s board meeting, our students’ COVID vaccination rate has increased. If your student(s) are vaccinated, be sure to upload your forms into Powerschool or submit them to your school’s nurse. If your student is eligible for a vaccination and has not received theirs yet, please follow-up with your physician to explore your options. 

Be safe, 

Dr. Wagner Marseille

Dear WSSD families,

I would like to reach out to provide an update on the ongoing challenges with transportation. As a result of pandemic-related illness and other absences, we are having difficulty operating at a normal schedule, as evidenced from the challenges this morning.  

Our Transportation Director Ms. Patti Diafero and her team are working tirelessly behind the scenes to try to keep our busses running to full capacity, and that is getting more challenging as the days go on.

Unfortunately, for Tuesday, September 28, busses 1 and 17 will not be in service. Additionally, for those SHMS and SHHS students who take bus 1 or 17 at 3:05/3:10 p.m. for the activity bus, that bus will now run at 4:10 p.m. (This is for 9/28 only at this time. Students should report to the SHMS or SHHS cafeteria after school to wait for their bus to arrive.)

In the meantime, we are looking for additional solutions including: 

• Hire additional drivers and substitute drivers.

• Expand our parking spots for high school students able to drive, both on and off-campus.

• Encourage parents/guardians to drive their students to and from school, if possible.

• Encourage students to walk or bike to and from school, if possible.

• Rent passenger vans to support transportation.

Unfortunately, WSSD is not alone in this challenge, as bus driver shortages have become a nation-wide problem during this time of COVID. We encourage everyone to continue to wear your masks, follow physical distancing protocols, and follow recommended CDC guidelines. 

For developments and changes, we will send communication to you via email, text, and phone. In addition, there will be updates on our website (the pop-up alert, under District Announcements, as well as the FAQ section of wssd.org/covid), and we will also share information on our social media channels, as appropriate.

Thank you for your patience and understanding as we navigate these challenges together.

 

Sincerely,

Dr. Wagner Marseille

 Dear WSSD community,

I hope this email finds you in good health and spirits. I wanted to share some key information as we close our opening week and the sixth day of school. But first, check out our First Day of School video that captures many moments of our students, teachers, and staff coming back together again. 

At Monday night’s legislative meeting, the Board of School Directors took action on a number of items and I want to highlight several of them.  I encourage you to please visit our website to view the meeting and/or to access Boarddocs for information related to the meeting.  

I want to welcome and congratulate Mrs. Amy Caruso who was unanimously appointed to fill the vacant seat of Ms. Chapin Cimino and look forward to her passion and commitment to the students, staff and community of Wallingford-Swarthmore. 

As I had shared with you in my Entry Plan, “Our North Star is deeply rooted in our mission and vision statement, that among other things, calls for the pursuit of excellence and positions us to be a World Class District”.  One of the many steps towards that journey is to fully understand where we have been to better understand where we need to go. As we look forward to the development of a five year strategic plan we must first begin collecting important data points. Two of those salient data sources were approved on Monday night when the Board voted to conduct an Equity Audit in the Fall and a Curriculum Audit in the Spring.  Both audits will provide an overview of our practices, procedures, protocols, programs and gaps as well as discrepancies that may exist between and amongst groups of students. We look forward to the rich conversations and action planning the results of the audits will generate, that will in turn contribute to the development of our five year strategic plan. 

At the meeting, I also shared that 98 percent of our staff were fully vaccinated as well as the percentage of our WSSD students over 12 years of age who are fully vaccinated. As of today, the vaccination rate of our students by grade level is as follows: 12th: 71%; 11th: 51%; 10th: 49%; 9th: 51%; 8th: 53%; 7th: 52%. 

Per the CDC, “Vaccination is the leading public health prevention strategy to end the COVID-19 pandemic. People who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 are at low risk of symptomatic or severe infection.” We encourage families to reach out to their physician to make the best medically informed decision for their child.                    

I have received a number of inquiries from families who are having difficulty uploading the vaccination cards to PowerSchool. Please refer to the FAQs under the COVID information tab on our website for direction and/or please feel free to contact your child(s) school nurse. 

At our September 15th Facilities and Finance Committee meeting, we discussed the 2022-2023 budget calendar, the budget process, revenues, and ESSER funding. We also reviewed the potential  licensing agreement with Forecast 5 Analytics that supports budget planning, budget projections, trend analysis, and comparative analysis with other districts in the commonwealth. The tools also support the development of analytics such as student spending, resource allocation, compensation trends and comparative student performance.  Furthermore, we looked into a proposal from the Pennsylvania Economy League to conduct a demographic analysis to better support the district's long term planning. James Baldwin stated, “Not everything that is faced can be changed. But nothing can be changed until it is faced”.  These rich data dives, along with many more planned throughout this calendar year, will allow us to be better informed and prepared for crucial decisions that lie ahead. 

In addition, to enhance our current safety measures we discussed student safety as it relates to access to our buildings  As of October 1st, all visitors will use the Raptor Visitor Management System and will need to provide identification as they enter our schools.  We are asking that anyone who enters our buildings has a government issued ID.  Raptor will provide a consistent system to track visitors and volunteers. 

As I conclude my communication, a special “shout out” and congratulations to the ten Strath Haven High School seniors who were named semifinalists in the National Merit Scholarship competition. 

The Strath Haven HS field hockey teams will be hosting Great Valley this evening. JV is at 5:30 p.m. and varsity is at 7 p.m. at King Field. Please join me in supporting the team tonight. 

Stay Safe, 

Wagner Marseille, Ed.D.

Dear Families and Staff,

I hope this email finds you in good health and spirits. The school year has officially begun! Even the rain could not keep the smiles off the faces of students and staff as they re-entered the buildings once again. In anticipation of this exciting time in the school year, the administration held one final meeting to review our systems, share opening day celebration plans, and map out upcoming events. After, I took one last walk of the buildings before the first day, imagining how it would look once our students arrived.

The day exceeded my expectations as I walked the colorful and welcoming halls, greeted the buses and incoming walkers, said hello to parents/guardians, and saw staff connecting with their students for the first time. The masks could not hide the excitement and eagerness in the faces of our school community. From the kindergarteners with their hats that said, “I rocked my first day of kindergarten” to the senior shirts that said, “2enior2”, I felt honored to be a part of this district and its sense of community and commitment to each other.

Deeply rooted school pride and enthusiasm for student success was palpable and continued throughout the past two days. There were some kinks to be worked out, such as pick up and drop off in some locations, schedule assignments, and typical mishaps of the opening days, but none of it took away from the celebratory mood of our first day of school.

This morning, I was humbled and moved as members of the high school band, led by Nick Pignataro, played the National Anthem during the raising of the flag in remembrance of the 20th anniversary of 9/11. During that moment of silence and recognition, I was brought back to that moment in time of where I was and what I was doing during the attacks. And though our students were not born at the time, two decades later, it remains true that we will never forget.

As I walked through one of our buildings, I saw on a bulletin board a quote from Maya Angelou, “This is a wonderful day, and I have never seen this one ever before.” This quote echoes my exact sentiment and experience of the first two days of school. Imagine if we bottled that level of energy and excitement for the remainder of this calendar school year. My challenge to us is to make every day a wonderful day that we have not seen before.

Enjoy the weekend with friends and family and if you’re not busy tonight, please come out and support the class of 2022 FOOD TRUCK-A-THON event at the Creekside Swim Club from 6-10 pm.   You can find additional information at https://www.shhshsa.org/truck-a-thon.

Be Safe,

Wagner Marseille, Ed.D.

Dear Families,

I hope this letter finds you in good spirits and good health and that the extreme weather on Wednesday did not cause you and your family too much hardship. Unfortunately, we have witnessed a significant amount of damage in our region and across the East coast.

We are looking forward to welcoming students back to school on September 9th, and in preparation for the upcoming year, our teachers and many of our staff members returned to campus this past Monday for four days of training, meetings, and reconnecting. Part of the professional development experience during those days included conversations on mental health, positive behavioral development, and curriculum.

We kicked off the week with our annual Convocation at King Field. As I joined WSSD on July 1st , this is the first time that I got to meet all of my colleagues and teammates. I outlined some of my plans and aspirations for the upcoming year, and I am excited to work with them to bring those plans to fruition.

I was also happy to share the stage with our School Board president, Dr. David Grande, our HR Director, Ferg Abbott, and our esteemed guest speaker, alumnus and 2020 Olympian, Jake Hoyle. It's funny how although Jake and I didn’t speak beforehand, we both talked about the power of teacher belief. He shared how learning the sport of fencing in middle school from Ms. Pixie Roane and her ongoing support and belief led him on a path all the way to the Olympic Games. This is similar to my own story where my high school teacher and coach, Mrs. Mackie tapped me on the shoulder in the hallway and said, “You are my next state champion”, leading me on my own journey to athletic and personal success.

The belief we have in ourselves, coupled with the belief that others have in us, can lead people to accomplish extraordinary things. With this in mind, I challenged our staff this calendar year to find those students in their classrooms and school buildings, tap them on the shoulder, and say, “You are my next ….”

None of our aspirations for our students nor our curricular, programmatic, and academic goals can be accomplished if we don’t recognize and address the significant amount of trauma that children and adolescents are struggling with as it relates to stress, anxiety, a need for belonging and acceptance, along with struggles related to identity factors, including race, gender, religion, poverty, and sexual orientation. Additionally, our students are battling new challenges as a result of technology and social media and are living through a global pandemic that has us returning to universal masking and physical distancing.

Trauma-informed practices, social-emotional learning programs, and positive behavioral interventions and supports are important components of our plans for the 2021-2022 school year because they provide a foundation and roadmap for navigating these challenges. Though we have many goals and objectives, we must prioritize the health and safety of our students and staff and rebuild our sense of community.

It is important to note that the District’s Health and Safety Plan has been revised to reflect the PA Department of Health’s universal mask order, which also allows us to continue the priority decision for five full days of in-person instruction for our students. In addition, the Health and Safety Plan for Competition and Voluntary Workouts and Music Health and Safety Plan are also updated. (All three plans can be viewed here.) You can also view our COVID newsletter which we will publish periodically to provide updates and information regarding the District’s mitigation strategies.

As we continue a layered approach to mitigation strategies, the District will begin assurance testing twice a week for staff members who are not fully vaccinated. We are encouraged that over 90% of our staff members have reported that they are fully vaccinated.

As a reminder, Mrs. Deborah Sweeney is our lead nurse for COVID-19, helping to conduct contact tracing, streamline COVID related communications, update the WSSD community on state and local mandates and COVID related information, provide support to all school nurses and staff, partner with community supports to provide vaccine clinics, and answer all Districtrelated medical COVID questions. Her contact information is dsweeney@wssd.org or 610-892- 3470 extension #2144.

I want to note that August 30th was my 60th day at WSSD, and I am well into my 100+ day journey as laid out in my Entry Plan. I am completely immersed in Phase 1 of my plan: Learning, Listening, and Reflecting, and I look forward to the opportunity to create space to engage and hear more from our staff, students, and parent-led organizations, which will include holding community meetings. I will communicate the schedule for these opportunities with you.

During the summer, I was able to see many of our teachers, staff, and students in action at the Summer Panthers, Extended Year, and Community of Explorers programs. I have had numerous meetings and conversations with staff, teachers, parents, students, alumni, board members, union leadership, township officials, and legislators. I thank everyone for reaching out to me as your voice and input matters. I also attended my first SHHS football game last Friday, and I look forward to attending my first SHHS girls soccer competition this afternoon as they host Avon Grove. Tonight’s football game against Marple Newtown will also be a good one, and I am excited to see our marching band perform at full strength.

We have also begun collecting data in many areas of our operations and are preparing for curriculum, equity, and communication audits which will help us improve and grow in many areas. I invite you to attend our first Educational Affairs Committee meeting on September 9th at 7 p.m. in room B226 at Strath Haven Middle School where we will be proposing the implementation of curriculum and equity audits.

I hope you are able to find the time to spend with your family and loved ones this weekend, and I look forward to welcoming your child(ren) on September 9th.

Sincerely,

Wagner Marseille, Ed.D.

Dear WSSD Community,

I hope this email finds you in good health and good spirits.  Today marks my first week officially as Superintendent.  I have been trying to learn as much as possible from the faculty and staff  I’ve had the pleasure of meeting.  I’ve received warm welcomes, and those greetings validate this transition is more than just a career shift, but a permanent connection to you and our larger community. 

I wanted to share with you at a high level my Entry Plan into the district. The plan speaks to objectives and activities that we will collectively experience during my first hundred days and beyond.  It will serve as a platform for me to understand better the stories, hopes, challenges, and dreams of our community.  The plan is deeply rooted in understanding where we are and where we will travel together.  Maya Angelou said, “If you don't know where you've come from, you don't know where you're going.”

We will participate in deep dives into who we are, who we think we are, and what we want to become.  This is challenging work, but I assure you that we will be unstoppable if we walk together in solidarity and keep our eyes on the prize. 

I am looking forward to our partnership.  

Sincerely,

Wagner Marseille, Ed.D.

 

Dear Wallingford-Swarthmore Community,

I hope this letter finds you, your family, and your loved ones in good health and good spirits. Chinese Philosopher Lao-Tzu stated, “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” Today I completed my first day as the proud Superintendent of the Wallingford-Swarthmore School District.

As with many new opportunities, I was both restless and excited last night in anticipation of this first day. Though it has been some time since the April 12th School Board meeting when the Board voted on my appointment, so much has occurred professionally and personally that I am eager to share with you.

Although I have spent the majority of that time supporting Cheltenham in the transition, I have had numerous opportunities during the last two months to meet with Dr. Palmer and members of her team. I want to thank her for her service, professionalism, and generosity, and I wish her the best in her retirement.

I had several meetings today with members of the administrative team including Ms. Martha Kew our Business Manager. It was not the first time Ms. Kew and I have spoken, but today was the most in-depth conversation we had regarding the district's long-term fiscal health. It was an extremely productive meeting.

As you may be aware, Ms. Kew’s last day in the district is July 8th, and though I have not had the long history with her as some of you may have, I do appreciate her taking the time to help me better understand our fiscal realities. I look forward to working with our interim Business Manager, the School Board Directors, administration, faculty, staff, and community members on one of our biggest challenges that impacts all facets of the district.

As we spend the summer preparing for the opening of the 2021-2022 school year and the anticipated return of our students, faculty, and staff, our team is committed to keeping you informed and up to date on the process.

I want to share that my family and I are proud to be new residents of the district and are excited about the opportunity to create deep roots, both personally and professionally. Our daughter Cheyanne will begin her 6th-grade experience as a student at Strath Haven Middle School this fall, and as parents, we are excited about this pivotal transition.

I look forward to getting to know you, and I will be creating opportunities to connect, to learn more about your experiences, and to hear your stories. I hope you enjoy the July 4th weekend as we reflect on, acknowledge, and celebrate 245 years of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence.

Sincerely,

Wagner Marseille, Ed.D.
Superintendent of Schools