South Fayette selects Avonworth as mentee school
Assistant Superintendent Dr. Michael Loughead was recognized as this year’s leader in curriculum innovation and implementation by the Pennsylvania Association for Curriculum and Development. “It’s very humbling. I stand on so many great shoulders. This is different from any place I’ve worked; there’s a passion in this district that allows you to flourish and do innovative things,” he said.
“This is my son’s copy of “Lord of the Flies” from 1991. It’s tattered,” resident Natalie Coogler told the board. “We’re meeting with the English department right now, and materials review are part of that as well. So it’ll be addressed,” assistant superintendent Michael Loughead said.
South Fayette school district has picked Avonworth as a mentee school to improve curricula and student performance in elementary reading and literacy.
“We scored (above 90 percent) on our school performance profile, and our elementary school has had consistently high PSSA reading scores, so that in part was why we selected Avonworth for reading mentorship,” assistant superintendent Dr. Michael Loughead said.
South Fayette, awarded a $25,000 grant, was one of 17 districts selected through the Governor’s Expanding Excellence initiative to allow districts to help each other model the best math and reading curricula.
“While many other schools applied for mentorship, we and Avonworth share many of the same philosophical beliefs in technology and innovation, as they are also a Digital Promise League of Innovative schools member,” superintendent Billie Rondinelli said.
“Part of the criteria for the grant is we have to present to other schools how this can be replicated. So this is a pay-it-forward not only for our districts, but we have to show this can be used for any district,” Loughead said.
In other business at the district’s Oct. 28 regular school board meeting, a survey presented to the board found at least 47 middle school girls may be interested in starting their own softball program.
Vic Iagnemma circulated the survey and told the board he’d be interested in helping start a team program next year.
“What if you have everyone coming out?,” board president Len Fornella asked.
“Other middle school programs cut (students who don’t make the team), and most are out there to learn for the varsity program anyway,” Iagnemma said, acknowledging the program’s cost would be on this year’s budget.
Also at the meeting, representatives from Eckles Architecture presented what they thought were good ideas to incorporate for any future renovations or building expansions.
“We toured several locations, including Upper St. Clair and Pine Richland, and we found a wrap-around full-room white board classroom design was very effective,” project manager Cassandra Renninger said.
“There were also multiple detachable boards for breakout work sessions and brainstorming, so students could take work back and forth to groups.”
The low-tech design emphasizes collaboration in brainstorming and working through problems, while a high-tech design was also offered up for creative collaboration.
“Other features that could be integrated are collaborative tech spaces that can provide 3D printing and design,” Renninger said, “and we were also interested in a joint digital and traditional art classroom.”
“What we’re seeing in other (science and tech) programs is an emphasis on collaboration. The laptops, the whiteboards – these things are bringing the students together at the table and getting them to work together,” Loughead said.
“We’re not looking to do away with traditional classroom spaces, but with interest in the district in gaming, engineering and self-made products, we want to supplement that need,” Rondinelli said.
No cost structure has been presented yet, and any expansion project is still dependent on an increase on student population.
“This potential move toward expansion is dependent on growth. So, we need to talk to the township on what plans are with development,” Fornella said.
Meantime, taxpayers in the district could see a maximum increase to millage without a referendum to be a .63 increase, per current school tax indexes. The current millage rate is 25.2126.
“That would net $744,000 in additional revenue, but the index numbers will change later in the year, so that’s what we’re looking at now and we don’t know yet if we’ll need it,” director of finance Brian Tony said.
In new business, the board voted to waive certain course requirements for Parkway West Career and Technology Center students. Waived were the following courses: world language, world cultures, and college and career planning.
“Parkway students were having trouble meeting those requirements and otherwise finding the time to get these credits. This will accommodate them to allow them to succeed in a career path more easily,” principal Scott Milburn said.
The board also approved the designation of middle school assistant principal Tom Kaminsky to serve as interim intermediate school principal as principal Greg Wensell is out on medical leave.
Other accolades acknowledged at the meeting included Dr. Michael Loughead receiving the annual Pennsylvania Association for Curriculum and Development award, a state-wide recognition of an administrator who best improved curriculum implementation; director of technology and innovation Aileen Owens was selected as a Digital Innovation in Learning Award trailblazer.