Rose Tree Media School District
Penncrest High School
Minutes of the October 14, 2013 PTG Meeting
Call to Order: The meeting was called to order at 6:59p.m.
Welcome: Debbie Saylor-Brown welcomed everyone to the meeting. There were introductions
of PTG board members and grade-level representatives.
Secretary's Report: Minutes of the May 14, 2013 PTG meeting were unanimously approved
(motions to approve: Bob Schultz and Leslie Bullitt).
Treasurer's Report: 1) The PTG is still collecting dues. PTG should make budget for dues.
2) A donation will be made in the memory of Mrs. Knipel, former SLMS music teacher; the
donation will be divided between two charities: RTMSD Music Department at SLMS and
Jefferson Hospital for Neuroscience - Jefferson Foundation (motions to approve: Susan Howe
and Julie Bond).
Faculty Report:
From Theresa Long and the PE Department: Health and PE News-11th and 12th graders have
completed their fitness program, including running their mile. Interboro PE teachers visited
Penncrest on their in-service day to observe how we infuse technology in PE with the use of
heart rate monitors.
From Chris Grouzes of the English Department: This year's installment of Emanon's annual
Readers Theatre is entitled, "World Mythology and Folklore." The cast is diligently rehearsing
for the upcoming performances on October 29th and 30th. The night performance for parents and
public will take place on the 29th at 7 pm. We encourage all to come and see the interesting ways
that we can express literature through this dramatic art.
From Dave Stango for the Student Council: October 14th through 19th is Homecoming week
at Penncrest high school. Spirit week begins Monday. Each day students are encouraged to show
their school spirit by dressing accordingly. The themes are: Monday- Dress like a teacher,
Tuesday-Superhero Day, Wednesday-80's Day, Thursday-Fun in the Sun, Friday-Pep Rally:
Wear Your Classes Colors
Voting For the 2013 Homecoming King and Queen is online. Follow the link on the Penncrest
website. Voting is open until noon on Friday 10/18.
The Homecoming Dance is Saturday 10/19 at 7-10pm. Tickets are $10 and will be on sale in all
lunches during Homecoming week. The dance is semi formal.
From Steve Silva: Mr. Steve Silva of the Social Studies Department at Penncrest met with
several key senators from both parties and gave a speech during a press conference in the main
rotunda of the state capitol in Harrisburg on Tuesday, October 1st. The purpose of the meetings
and press conference was to raise awareness for Senate Bill 606, otherwise known as, "Aidan's
Law," so named in honor of Mr. and Mrs. Silva's son, Aidan, who passed away suddenly in
September, 2010 from Unexplained Sudden Cardiac Arrest.
Sudden Cardiac Arrest affects an average of 1,000 people a day in the United States and the
ONLY method of revival from Sudden Cardiac Arrest is the use of an Automated External
Defibrillator (AED). When no AED is present, a victim has less than a 4% chance of survival,
but with an AED the odds increase to over 74%. And for every minute that passes a victim's
chance of survival decreases 10%. Pennsylvania implemented a program in 2001 to help schools
obtain AEDs at a discount price, but those AEDs have been deemed outdated and unreliable by
the manufacturers starting January 1, 2014. "Aidan's Law" would re-establish the state program
to help schools across the state obtain updated AEDs at discounted prices. New York and New
Jersey have mandatory laws for AEDs in schools and athletic fields, but PA does not. For more
information or to learn what you can do to help get the law passed and keep our kids in
Pennsylania safe, visit www.AidansHeart.org or email Mr. Silva.
From Joseph Fuhr for the Rose Tree Media Simon Youth Academy: Thank you to all the
parents who participated in Back to School Night.
Congratulations to Senior Christopher Thompson who will participate in a Saturday internship
program at KYW starting October 12. Chris has the opportunity to learn about the inner
workings of a major market radio station with the News Studies Student Reporter Program.
Chris will attend KYW News radio on four Saturdays to learn news writing, reporting, ethics and
interviewing skills from station managers, editors, reporters, anchors and guest speakers.
Angie Norrbom, a former RTMSYA student and now owner of the Tobin’s Feed and Seed in
Middletown, met with the students to discuss life after high school, work ethic, and what it is like
to own your own business.
Three RTMSYA student accepted jobs this month and will be working in the local community.
From Sherre Gaertner and the Music Department: In September, the Ambassador Choir was
invited again to sing on September 18th at Downtown Media's Dining Under the Stars.
As October settles in, we have had our first fundraiser - a carwash on Sunday, October 6. The
students were enthusiastic and monies raised will be used toward travel, competitions and other
choir activities. At this point, we begin several other fundraisers: our Holiday Sale (poinsettias,
cookie dough and fruit) will begin shortly to be delivered in early December; AND - calling all
hungry families, neighbors and people you wish to treat!: a delicious All-You-Can-Eat Pancake
Breakfast will be held at Applebees in Aston on Sat. Nov. from 8-10 am. Please contact choir
students for all sales or breakfast tickets. Else, email Director Sherre Gaertner at
sgaertne@rtmsd.org
Upcoming concerts including our annual opening of the Homecoming Game on Friday, October
18 where our Penncrest Choir will join in voice with the Springton Lake 8th grade chorus whom
we enjoy mentoring. On October 23, our male choir students will attend the Young Men's Choir
Festival at Rowan College. This day is filled with master classes and many opportunities to
observe other choirs and learn from other professional conductors. (The Young Female Choir
Festival is in the spring
From Jennifer Clarke: The annual JV show will be on Thursday November 7th and Saturday
November 9th in the auditorium. We still need parent chaperones and concessions. Any
volunteers would be appreciated, and its a great way to help out the Juniors with the biggest
fundraiser they have. Any interested parents can contact Jennifer Clarke or (parents) Leslie
Bullitt or/ and Kelly Doyle.
From Concetta Mattioni: I will be participating in the October 2nd Saturday Art Stroll in
Media this Saturday, October 12 from 6 - 9 p.m. My work will be on display at the Court Diner
and will remain there through the month of October.
From Joe Peleckis and the Math Department: FREE Math tutoring is now available thanks to
the Math Honor Society, Mu Alpha Theta. Students can get help with Algebra 1, Geometry, and
Algebra 2 from superstar upperclassmen on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays after school
in Mr. Peleckis' or Mrs. Matheson's class rooms.
From DeAnn Scherer and the National Honor Society: The NHS has already sponsored 2
blood platelet drives involving 30 students. Ellie Cardamone is present tonight and would like
to say a few words about the Military Care Packages project that she is coordinating. (Ellie will
step up at this point and present her info).
Committee Reports:
A) JV Show (Leslie Bullitt): Volunteers and are still being sought; some parents signed up at
back-to-school night. Sophomore parents are being asked to assist with the show by chaperoning
back-stage so the Junior parents may see the show. Concessions will be sold before and after the
show, including Chick-Fil-A. There will also be candy grams and single flowers for purchase
for the performers. The show begins at 7:00p.m. with two performances: Thursday, November
7th and Saturday, November 9th. Please come out and support a great event.
B) AM Prom (Ginny Miori): Parents in any grade level may sign up to help with AM Prom. A
website has been created: AMProm2014@gmail.com. There will be a decorations meeting
sometime this month. Kathleen Veloso is overseeing the silent auction. The AM Prom is
Saturday, May 3rd (set up) into Sunday, May 4th.
Grade-Level Reports:
9th Grade: Science Field Studies are happening this month.
10th Grade: no report
11th Grade: PSATs are coming up this week for all students in grades 10 and 11.
12th Grade: no report
Principal's Report:
1) There will be a global connect to parents regarding the upcoming PSATs. Sophomores and
Juniors will take the test starting promptly at 7:30a.m. on Wednesday, October 16th. There will
be a three-hour delay for students in grades 9 and 12. There are no make-up tests for the exam.
Sophomores take the exam to prepare them for their next year; test results Junior year may
qualify students for a National Merit Scholarship and other opportunities.
2) This year's leadership retreat will be at Camp Tockwogh in Worton, MD. It's a new location
this year; the camp falls within the 80-mile radius of allowing school buses to travel (78 miles);
this will help offset the cost of the trip since it won't be necessary to rent coach buses.
Applications will be accepted online. The trip is November 23rd until November 25th; students
leave at 2pm on Saturday and arrive back by the end of the school day on Monday. Students stay
in winterized cabins. Due to the new location, more students will be able to attend. PTG made a
donation towards this trip to help offset the cost to participating students.
3) Visits will be occurring in all English classes to talk to students to see what they like/don't
like. Grade 9 visits are in October, then followed by 10th, 11th and 12th grades. Other topics
covered are: curriculum, GPA, class rank, and ranked courses. Please send any
feedback/suggestions that parents or students wish to share via email to rgregg@rtmsd.org.
4) The K-9 program will continue to happen this year. There will be random searches of lockers
and general sweeps throughout the building.
5) When visiting Penncrest High School, visitors will need to stop at the Welcome Center to
receive a visitor's badge. A valid form of i.d. will need to be provided.
6) The iPad initiative got off to a positive start. Administration will continue to monitor
situations that arise. Please share any challenges. Patti Linden has overseen this rollout. It was
asked to have support staff be trained on the iPads if they work directly with students on them.
Principal's Advisory Board (PAB): Susan D'Ignazio provided report.
1) iPad rollout was discussed along with ergonomics. Concerns of continuous use of this
technology could pose issues, like being hunched over. Students mainly use Google Docs to
complete schoolwork.
2) Back-to-School Night was a positive evening.
School Board Meeting Report: Janet Lis provided report.
August 22, 2013 - Legislative Meeting
 A scoreboard for the football field was donated by various Penncrest booster clubs.
 Student Leadership trip to Worton, MD, in November 2013 approved.
 French student trip to Quebec and Montreal in March 2014 approved.
 Various contracts and personnel actions approved.
September 10, 2013 - Special Legislative Meeting
 Various personnel actions approved.
September 26, 2013 - Legislative Meeting
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Presentation of Penncrest Guidance Department. New things done, particularly over the
past three years – FAFSA completion night (3 yrs.); Naviance (3 yrs.); Junior interview
now in October; Sophomore interview (1 yr.); ACT site (1 yr.); Kaplan partnership (1
yr.); full length practice tests offered this year.
Superintendent Report – School Performance Profiles (federal accountability measure
instead of AYP) to be listed on the Pennsylvania Department of Education website, but
for some schools data was not correct. These schools, including Penncrest, do not have
information listed, though this will be corrected by the end of this year. Google PA
Department of Education for this information.
Various personnel actions taken and contracts approved including:
Concurrent Enrollment Agreements for Dual Enrollment - Penncrest and Delaware
County Community College, Neumann University and Penn State University
Brandywine. Twelve students taking 15 courses at DCCC this fall.
Pool management with Woolery Enterprises (listed as IM Pools Management).
State Audit Report – school district compliance in all significant respects with laws,
contracts, grant requirements and administrative procedures.
Student Council Leadership trip to PASC State Conference in Boyerstown, PA in
November 2013.
Two ping pong tables donated to the Penncrest Ping Pong Club by Diane Swantek and
Chris Guilday.
Administrative contracts approved for Director of Human Resources (3 yrs.) and Director
of Management Services (5 yrs.).
Old Business: none
New Business: A few parents had some questions/comments.
1) A parent requested to have separate meetings held regarding topics that may arise with
students; these would be similar to support groups for parents and students. Some suggestions
were: ADHD and eating disorders. Some contacts were recommended to seek help. They were:
the guidance department, school psychologist (Josh Madsen), STAR program, school social
worker (Bernadette) and HCI (Dana Riker).
2) A parent requested to have information provided as to what sports are no-cut sports; the
concern comes for a child's self-worth. It was noted that there are many opportunities for
students to participate in sports at the competitive level and intramurals. It is difficult to know
for each sport due to the turnout at tryouts from year to year. Mr. Chip Ollinger (athletic
director) will be contacted to see if a description of each sport may be provided on the website.
3) The trip to Italy that was overseen by Mr. Stevenson was a very positive experience.
4) After any school event where there is leftover food that could be donated, Mary Beth Orens is
able to get it to a local food bank.
Meeting Adjourned: The meeting was adjourned at 8:11p.m.
** The next PTG meeting will be November 11th**
Please note start time is at 6:00p.m. due to school concert
Patti Linden, Director of Technology & Information Science, will be the guest speaker