Principal's Message

February 2012

2012-01-31T13:48:00.001-05:00

Dear Parents/Guardians,

The month of February begins the course selection process for next school year. The window to complete course selections online will be open to students between February 1 and February 13. We hope you’re able to attend our Course Selection Evening for parents and students on the night of February 6. The process of selecting appropriate courses is an important one for parents and students to discuss, and attending this evening event will assist you in making the best selections possible. A letter outlining in detail our plans for the evening

Also, our Counseling Center is once again running the very popular and informative College Planning Night at 7 pm on Thursday, February 16. Additional details are posted on our website on the Counseling link. While the target audience for this event is 10th and 11th grade students and parents, everyone is welcome.

In late January, 15 UHS choir students participated in the PMEA District 12 Choir Festival. This was a record number of students from our school. Of the 15 who participated, 12 have earned a spot in the
PMEA Regional Choir Festival in March. This is also a record for UHS! We are especially excited to know that UHS has the largest student representation of all 33 schools in District 12. Everyone here is very proud of our student's musical accomplishments. The following students will represent UHS in Regional Choir:

Victoria Provost, Natalie Walden, Tessa Jackson, Emily Garbenis, Jackie Tremblay, Bhaskar Balaji, Brock Benzel, Tim Pollick, Evan Dupuis, Alex Peterson, Christian Waibel, and Brandon Baumeister

I was also excited to be a member of the audience at the UCF Education Foundations U Factor Talent Show on January 28th. Many talented UHS students performed for a large audience making this a very successful fundraiser for the Ed Foundation. Congratulations to all of our students who performed on Saturday night, and especially to the students who took first place in the competition – Natalie Walden and Tim Pollick!

Please be sure to mark your calendars for the ever-popular PTO Book Sale scheduled for February 24-25, 2012. This fundraiser allows our PTO to offer grant opportunities to teachers and staff members. So far this year, 37 grants were approved by the PTO membership resulting in a variety of items being purchased that directly benefit our students. Some examples of approved grants include: Nook e-readers for English classrooms, art studio worktables for our outdoor art space, new music stands, forensic science lab kits and an additional emergency defibrillator, just to name a few. We are always grateful to our generous community members who come to the book sale and support our students in this tangible manner.

As always, if you have a question or concern, please feel free to contact me. Take care,

Paula Massanari, UHS Principal

January 2012

2012-01-03T13:01:00.002-05:00

Dear Parents/Guardians,

Happy New Year! Once again this year, UHS students will have the opportunity to serve the
wider community by volunteering their time on Monday, January 16 for the Martin Luther
King Day of Service. This year our students will have the opportunity to serve via six different
community projects (we’ve added two new projects). Detailed information regarding these
various outreach events are listed on the high school website. We encourage all UHS students
to participate in this year’s events, and parents are welcome to volunteer, as well.

As we move toward the midpoint of the school year, we are putting the final touches on our
midterm exam schedule. The daily schedule for midterm exams, which will occur on January
16-20, is posted on the high school website. We encourage students to start studying for
exams well in advance of the actual exam date.

Course selection night is scheduled for Monday, February 6. Information regarding this event
is being sent home with your child next week; a copy of the letter will also be posted on our
website. Please mark your calendar and plan to attend this informative evening event.

As you probably know, the high school PTO does a wonderful job of fundraising. Each year,
the PTO gives our staff the opportunity to submit requests for “grants” that enable us to better
serve our students. This year, I requested money from the PTO to pay for new benches, two
to be placed outside for students to use as they wait for a ride home after school, and four to
put in the hallway adjacent to the auditorium. Those benches have recently been delivered.
We’ve decided to put the two “outside” benches in the front office vestibule until the weather
warms up, but it’s nice to see that they are already being used quite regularly by students who
are patiently waiting to be picked up late in the afternoon. Thanks to all of you who regularly
support PTO fundraisers!

We hope you experience many blessings in this coming year. Take care,

Paula Massanari, UHS Principal

December 2011

2011-11-29T16:02:00.001-05:00

Dear Parents/Guardians,
This year’s UCFSD Wall of Honor recipients were announced at a recent School Board meeting. The induction ceremony, including a luncheon followed by an assembly for UHS students, will be held on December 6, and the following awardees will be honored:

Cleopatra Andreadis, Class of 2002
Rebecca (Becky) Baily, Class of 2006
Allen Forssmark, Class of 1971
Karl Kuerner, Class of 1974
Paula (Francisco) Ott, Class of 1968

Induction into the Unionville High School Wall of Honor is a lasting tribute to the gifts of service, character and professionalism that our awardees have demonstrated throughout their lives. We are pleased to extend a well-deserved recognition for their many accomplishments.

Would you like to be a part of celebrating excellent teaching at UHS? The Citadel Credit Union Heart of Learning Award is a countywide recognition program for outstanding teaching. I invite you to visit the UHS website and click on the Citadel Heart of Learning Award link for additional information on how to nominate your favorite UHS teacher.
We have several “good news” items to share regarding academic accomplishments! As I noted in a November eNews, we recently learned how UHS ranked in the State based on the performance of our current 12th graders on their PSSA assessments last spring. For State district ranking, our Reading placed #1 in state and Math ranked #2 in state. These are amazing rankings that reflect the dedication and commitment of our students, staff and parents related to academic achievement. In addition, nearly 10% of our 12th grade class was recognized as a “Commended” or a “Semi-Finalist” in the National Merit Scholarship program. These recognitions are extended to students who score in the top 2% of the country on their 11th grade PSAT. We are very proud of the 31 UHS students who were recognized for these prestigious awards. Also, in late November, we learned that two UHS students, Bhaskar Balaji and Nicole Bernstein, achieved Finalist status in the 64th Annual Delaware Valley Science Council Awards. They will be interviewed in late January for the next phase of the competition. Both students competed in the categories of math and chemistry. Congratulations to Bhaskar and Nicole on this outstanding accomplishment!

All of us at UHS wish you a wonderfully relaxing and refreshing winter break! Take care,

Paula Massanari, UHS Principal

October 2011

2011-10-01T14:05:00.000-04:00

DearParents/Guardians,

Thanksto all of you who attended our Back to School evening on September 22. I had the opportunity to speak to anumber of people, and many shared very positive comments about the caliber ofour teaching staff. Our yearbookand school newspaper student representatives reported that a number of you tookadvantage of the opportunity to order a yearbook or subscribe to the Indian Post. Also, the NHS is grateful to everyone who made acontribution to their fundraiser to benefit Jesse Picard, a UHS 2007 graduatewho was in a serious accident. ThePTO once again generously provided delicious refreshments in the Cafeteriathroughout the evening, and we are thankful for their ongoing support.

We arevery excited that Dr. Doug Vallette, our Science Department Chairperson, wasselected by the Main Line Magazine as one of the top teachers in thePhiladelphia region. The articleabout Doug is in the October issue of Main Line. Dr. Vallette is a tremendous teacherand this is a well-deserved recognition.

Wereceived more good news recently! At a PIAA District One meeting inSeptember, UHS was one of a handful of high schools that was awarded the PIAAGood Sportsmanship award. We werecited for "exemplifying the high ideals of good sportsmanship, conductingourselves in an ethical manner, and setting an example for others tofollow" during the 2010 sports seasons. Extra-curricular activities are important for our students,and it is wonderful that UHS students were recognized for their goodsportsmanship!

Onelast piece of excellent news – 11 UHS students were named as National MeritSemifinalists. They are: Bhaskaran Balaji, Nicole Bernstein, EliBleemer, Lauren Faux, Sarah Fulton, Nick Jones, Pearl Li, Alice Liu, Nora Tang,Pat Yan, and Sam Yarosh.

These students have thedistinction of being in the top one percent of the 1.5 million U.S. highschool students who took the Preliminary SAT/National Merit ScholarshipQualifying test last fall. We’revery proud of their accomplishments and wish them the best as they move forwardto be considered for the “finalist level,” which will be selected in February2012.

Take care,

Paula Massanari, UHSPrincipal

August 25, 2011

2011-08-31T08:27:00.003-04:00

Dear Parents/Guardians,

The 2011-12 school year will begin in a few short days, and we are eagerly awaiting the arrival of our 1,400+ students! UHS teachers have been working on making their rooms look inviting and have been planning excellent, engaging lessons. Every senior who applied for a parking space for the first semester received one, and students were able to pick up their parking sticker this week, which will enable them to park on our campus beginning Monday, August 29.

We hired seven outstanding new teachers this summer. They are:

Ms. Beth Wheeler – Guidance Counselor (Com-Gr)
Mr. Mark Feliciani – Business Teacher
Ms. Winden Rowe –Spanish Teacher
Ms. Hilary Holms – Long Term Substitute Spanish Teacher
Mr. Matt Borger – Social Studies Teacher
Ms. Janet Holguin –English teacher
Ms. Julie Toy – Math Teacher

Also, Ms. Keely Trumbo, English teacher, got married this summer and her new name is Ms. Lannon.
One additional personnel item relates to Ms. Kathy Kapp, an English teacher; she is out on a short-term leave for the first nine weeks of school, and her slot will be filled by Mr. Tim Patton.

Construction items moved along very well over the summer, and the first community event to
be held in our new auditorium will take place at 2 pm on Sunday, September 11. We will be hosting a tenth anniversary memorial concert, and we hope that you will be able to join with other members of our community in marking this significant event. Throughout this school year the major piece of ongoing construction will involve the erection of a new gymnasium.

We hope that you will be able to come to UHS on Thursday, September 22 for our Back-to-
School night at 7 pm. A separate letter with detailed information will be sent home soon. I would also encourage you to attend fall sports events; information about games is posted on the high school website (which just underwent substantial revision and updating).

On behalf of the entire high school staff, welcome back to UHS for a great year of learning!

Paula Massanari, Principal

June 2011

2011-06-09T15:25:00.001-04:00

Dear Parents/Guardians,

Another school year is about to end and this has been a very exciting year! Our Graduation Ceremony on June 7th was a lovely event. We had the opportunity to hear from our there talented student speakers – Savy Leiser, Max Berger and Kacey Stewart, along with Dr. Mike Mangan, the UHS Educator of the Year. Superintendent Parker also reminded us of the value of “fond memories” in our lives in her last graduation speech in the Unionville Chadds-Ford School District. The audience was able to express their appreciation of Sharon’s many years of devoted service through a standing ovation following her speech. Also, many of our sports teams have had terrific seasons, our debate team sent several students to the national competition, and numerous UHS music students participated in States as well. Please take a moment to check out the UHS website to read articles about several of our outstanding athletes and other student accomplishments.

The construction project continues ahead of schedule and slightly under budget. Next school year, we will have the front parking lot re-opened for visitors to the high school, making it much easier to you to access the Main Office, Counseling Center and the Nurse’s suite. The main construction work next year will be outside of the building as a new gymnasium is built in the space currently occupied by the art/technology education wing, which will be demolished later this month.

We are working on finalizing a master schedule for next school year. There are two new classes at UHS that are especially exciting! First, we are running two sections of Mandarin Chinese 1 via a distance learning course. Also, a professor from Immaculata University will teach “Decoding the Media” at our school in the fall for 11th and 12th grade students interested in taking a college level course during high school.

All of us at UHS wish you and your family a wonderfully relaxing summer filled with terrific
memories. Take care…

Sincerely,

Paula Massanari

June 2011

2011-06-09T15:23:00.002-04:00

Dear Parents/Guardians,

Another school year is about to end and this has been a very exciting year! Our Graduation
Ceremony on June 7th was a lovely event. We had the opportunity to hear from our there talented
student speakers – Savy Leiser, Max Berger and Kacey Stewart, along with Dr. Mike Mangan, the UHS
Educator of the Year. Superintendent Parker also reminded us of the value of “fond memories” in our
lives in her last graduation speech in the Unionville Chadds-Ford School District. The audience was able
to express their appreciation of Sharon’s many years of devoted service through a standing ovation
following her speech. Also, many of our sports teams have had terrific seasons, our debate team sent
several students to the national competition, and numerous UHS music students participated in States
as well. Please take a moment to check out the UHS website to read articles about several of our
outstanding athletes and other student accomplishments.

The construction project continues ahead of schedule and slightly under budget. Next school
year, we will have the front parking lot re-opened for visitors to the high school, making it much easier
to you to access the Main Office, Counseling Center and the Nurse’s suite. The main construction work
next year will be outside of the building as a new gymnasium is built in the space currently occupied by
the art/technology education wing, which will be demolished later this month.

We are working on finalizing a master schedule for next school year. There are two new
classes at UHS that are especially exciting! First, we are running two sections of Mandarin Chinese 1 via
a distance learning course. Also, a professor from Immaculata University will teach “Decoding the
Media” at our school in the fall for 11th and 12th grade students interested in taking a college level
course during high school.

All of us at UHS wish you and your family a wonderfully relaxing summer filled with terrific
memories. Take care…

Sincerely,

Paula Massanari

May 2011

2011-05-06T06:52:00.002-04:00

Dear Parents/Guardians,

Many exciting events are coming up this month including the MORP dance, prom, after prom, and the Senior Awards ceremony. Graduation and final exams will quickly those events and summer vacation feels like it is just around the corner! In addition to all of these UHS events, the district is offering an Internet Safety program called “Protecting Your Kids Online.” There are two different presentation dates/times – May 10 at Pocopson Elementary from 9:30 to 10:30 am AND May 23 at Chadds Ford Elementary School from 7:00 to 8:00 pm. All district parents, students and employees are welcome to attend this informative presentation.

Detailed information regarding Keystone exams is posted on our website. The Department of Education is requiring high schools to administer the Keystones to all students enrolled in algebra 1, biology and a literature course (we selected 10th grade English to meet this requirement). There are no make-up exams scheduled for high school students who miss an exam.

Many thanks to the UHS PTO and FOCUS groups for funding “Unity Day” last month. We were able to work with 100 UHS students to discuss issues that prevent students from feeling safe and/or welcome at UHS. Our conversations also heightened awareness of issues such as bullying, harassment, victims, bystanders and hazing. Two students presented to our faculty at a recent faculty meeting about the issues that we studied on Unity Day, especially on what teachers can do to help students feel safe. Also, a small group of students are working with administration to develop refined action plans resulting from the ideas that students shared during Unity Day.

The internal renovations to classrooms will be completed soon and construction workers will begin work outside to construct the new gymnasium. The front parking lot is being paved this week and will reopen in the fall, making it possible for visitors to the high school to enter the building near the Main Office at the start of the new school year. We do not anticipate picking up any additional parking spaces for students next year since a large number of construction workers will still be parking on our property. More detailed information regarding parking for senior students in 2011-12 will be provided to parents/students this summer. Overall, the construction project is going well, with the project running slightly ahead of schedule and on budget.

As always, if you have a question or concern, please feel free to contact a high school administrator. It is our pleasure to work closely with you.

Paula Massanari, UHS Principal

March 2011

2011-03-07T12:21:00.001-05:00

Dear Parents/Guardians,

This is a busy month for guidance counselors and administrators since we are beginning work on the master schedule for next school year. This will allow us to send home a draft course schedule with each student before the end of school. The schedule will list the courses your child will be scheduled to take, without listing the name of the teacher or the room number for the course. You will have until July 7th to contact us with questions/concerns regarding the draft schedule.

Once again this summer, UHS students will have the opportunity to sign up for summer school enrichment courses. More information regarding all of these classes will be posted on the district website soon. I will also be sending out an eNews with additional information when the final details of summer offerings are confirmed.

Our students have been working hard to get ready for the play, The Visit, which will run on March 10, 11 and 12. The start time on the 10th and 12th is 7 PM. On Friday, March 11th, the start time for the production is 7:30 PM. I would encourage you to attend. I’m certain our talented students will “wow” their audiences!

I’d like to remind all parents who are dropping their students off at the high school to follow the traffic patterns that are posted on the district website. We’re encountering a problem on an almost daily basis with parents who are not pulling all the way down to the end of the road in front of the tennis courts. Instead, parents are stopping at the south end of the road and are backing up traffic in the intersection near Route 82. This results in traffic backing up onto Route 82, which slows down the entire traffic pattern entering the high school. I would appreciate your cooperation in following the established traffic pattern.

The reading and math PSSAs will be administered to all 11th grade students on March 16-18. Everyone should have received a letter outlining the details of the schedule for students in grades 9-12. The letter is also posted on our website in case you’ve misplaced it; it contains important information about the start/end times for classes during those three days.

Take care, and I hope to see you at The Visit!

Paula Massanari
UHS Principal

February 2010

2011-01-31T13:46:00.000-05:00

February 2011

Dear Parents/Guardians,

The month of February begins the course selection process for next school year. We hope you’re able to attend our Course Selection Evening for parents and students on the night of February 2 (snow date is Feb. 8). The process of selecting appropriate courses is an important one for parents and students to discuss, and attending this evening event will assist you in making the best selections possible.

As you know, we are hosting 29 students and two teachers from Beijing, China for most of the month of February. Their first day in UHS classes is February 1st. We will be having a Farewell Dinner the evening of February 23 for any member of the school community who would like to meet our visitors from China. More details regarding this dinner will be forthcoming.

Our Unity Day workshop that was scheduled for February 1st was postponed due to the threat of inclement weather. The facilitator contacted me and asked that we reschedule since several of his employees would have to travel a long distance to UHS, and he was concerned about their safety if the weather was snowy/icy. We will be rescheduling this event for sometime in April (after the PSSAs). Our teachers and counselors nominated students to participate in Unity Day, and students were also given the opportunity to self-nominate. One hundred UHS students will participate in the event, which is designed to help us identify any issue that may make UHS a less-than-welcoming place for students. If your child was invited to attend the Unity Day event, and you signed a permission slip for February 1, that permission slip will cover their participation in the rescheduled event in April.

The finalized PSSA dates are posted on our website, and a letter outlining the dates/times for the 11th grade testing will be mailed home in the next several weeks. We will continue the practice of having amended school hours for the reading and math PSSA dates.

The past month was a difficult one from a weather perspective. Our School Board will be deciding on amendments to the school calendar during their February meeting. More information regarding snow make-up dates will be shared following that meeting. We appreciate your flexibility and patience.

Sincerely,

Paula Massanari
UHS Principal

Happy New Year!

2011-01-03T11:01:00.002-05:00

January 2011
Dear Parents/Guardians,
Happy New Year! There are many exciting changes that have taken place at UHS in time for the start of 2011. In the past few weeks, the Counseling Center, school nurse, Main Office and over 20 classrooms have relocated. We have shared information with students via the TV system in homeroom and set up a table in the cafeteria displaying floorplans and answering student questions posed during all three lunches. We’ve also posted signs on every classroom that has moved indicating where the teacher is now located, and every teacher involved in a move shared specific information with students in every class. These are truly thrilling times at Unionville High School!
Midterm exams will take place from January 18 to January 21. The midterm schedule is posted on our website for your information. Also, in late January, we will host visiting high school students from Beijing, China. I have communicated the details of this upcoming visit via the eNews, and we will be certain to post pictures to our website documenting the various activities in which our Chinese visitors will be involved during their stay.
I recently read an article in The Washington Post regarding cyberbullying that I thought you may find interesting. It may be viewed at this site: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/ article/2010/09/01/AR2010090102648.html. Earlier this fall, UHS hosted an assembly for our 9th grade students presented by a member of the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s office regarding cyberbullying, which helped our students better understand the serious implications of engaging in online bullying. If your child is a victim of any type of bullying, please be certain to contact a guidance counselor or school administrator. We will take steps to intervene on behalf of your child. While we cannot typically give a school consequence for behavior that takes place outside of the school day, we will work to support students/families who are struggling with bullying. Every person at UHS is totally committed to ensuring that all students feel safe and valued at Unionville High School, and we need your help in bringing issues to our attention.
We hope you have a blessed 2011 filled with treasured memories.
Take care,

Paula Massanari
UHS Principal

Mid - Month Update from the Principal Sent Out Via eNews

2010-12-10T10:03:00.000-05:00

Mrs. Nancy Christy, our guidance counselor who serves the A-Col section of
the alphabet, will be out on a planned medical leave beginning Monday,
December 13. She will return on January 24, 2011. Mr. John Rogers, a
retired guidance counselor from the West Chester Area School District who
filled in for us in August before Ms. Stewart was hired to replace Greg
Hilden, will be taking Mrs. Christy's place while she is out. John is a
highly competent counselor who will be able to seamlessly serve Mrs.
Christy's students. If a student needs a letter of recommendation, he/she
should contact Mr. Rogers and he will work with Mrs. Christy to provide
the letter in a timely fashion

Also, Mrs. Allison Hohman, English teacher, will be out on a 12 week leave
following the birth of her first child beginning in early January. As
soon as a replacement for Mrs. Hohman is hired, we will share that
information with you.

I went on TV this week and told our students about upcoming moves that
will take place before/during winter break. So far, our counseling
department has moved into new space, our school nurse will be in her new
room starting Monday, 12/13, and the Main Office will relocate just before
the winter break. All of these offices will be located in front of the
Library adjacent to the front parking lot that is currently being used by
construction workers; visitors to the high school will continue to enter
the high school via the lobby between the cafeteria and the gym.

Eighteen classrooms will relocate during the break, and students have been
told by their teachers were new classes will be located. We also had a
question/answer table set up in all three lunches on Wednesday, 12/8, so
that any student who wished to view a current floorplan or ask questions
was able to speak directly with Mr. Reif, an Assistant Principal, to have
his/her questions answered.

We hope you have a wonderful weekend. Take care,

Paula Massanari, UHS Principal

December 2010

2010-12-01T12:11:00.000-05:00

Dear Parents/Guardians,

The construction project continues to run slightly ahead of schedule and a bit under budget. The
High School Main Office, Counseling Center, social workers, school psychologist and school nurse will all
be relocating into renovated space over the winter break. This move will not impact our ability to
answer phones and deliver services to our students, but if you are coming to visit, you’ll need to look for
us in the space formerly occupied by district office.

Many classrooms will be renovated throughout the spring semester, so some students may
move out of a classroom for three weeks and then move back into that renovated room. The teachers
have been given the information they need about upcoming moves, and we will be sharing information
with our students via the morning announcements, as well as setting up “information desks” in the
cafeteria for students to view floor plans and listings of rooms that will be temporarily impacted. We
believe we have a good plan for communication and that this next series of moves will only be minimally
inconvenient for students.

Due to construction, we’ve had to continually adjust our fire drill procedures. Our November
fire drill ran very smoothly, with all students exiting the building within four minutes of the start of the
drill. Given the space constraints around the exterior of the building, every student has to line up in
the stadium on the turf field while his/her teacher takes attendance. While not ideal, it is the safest
procedure available at this time, and our plan was created in conjunction with the local fire department.

In January, the district will once again coordinate a Martin Luther King Day of Service volunteer
event. On Monday, January 17, high school students (and members of their families) will be able to
volunteer between 9 am and 12 pm at one of the following locations: 1) Kennett Senior Center; 2)
Chester County Adult Care Center; 3) Kennett Food Pantry (collection/distribution will take place in our
high school cafeteria); 4) Chester County Youth Shelter. Our UHS students will have the chance to sign
up after winter break in the main office. If an adult member of your family would also like to volunteer,
please email Kurt Barker, Assistant Principal, at kbarker@ucfsd.org.

As we approach the holiday season, all of us at UHS wish you a relaxing winter break filled with
meaningful time with family and friends. Take care,

Paula Massanari, UHS Principal

October 2010

2010-10-01T12:55:00.000-04:00

From the Principal's Desk

October 2010

Dear Parents/Guardians,

We recently received wonderful news from the National Merit Scholarship program. This year we have a total of 27 students who are being recognized as outstanding scholars. Our four National Semi-finalists are:

Laura Booth

Jason Silverman

Korina Dabundo

Wes Wright

UHS students who were named “Commended Students” in the 2011 National Merit Program are:

Hudson Bailey

Elizabeth Bell

Brett Ciancia

Mark Cronin

Allyson Cross

Andrew DeMarco

William Donovan

David Elvin

Dante Gizzi

Duncan Keller

Alexander Kenton

Mark Leipold

Ross Leiser

Savy Leiser

Sarah Mandel

Kelsey McDonald

Matt McKeeman

Cailey Oehler

Catherine Ollinger

Emily Olson

Rebecca Shaughnessy

Casey Taylor

Alex Wood

On October 13, all of our 10th and 11th grade students will take the PSAT (the preliminary SAT) during school hours; this is the test that will serve to qualify the next group of current 11th UHS students as National Merit Semi-Finalists. We will be sharing additional information about the schedule that students will follow on October 13. However, I am happy to report that we are scheduling a number of informational sessions that would ordinarily interrupt instructional time for 9th graders on that day such as presentations about LINK, information from guidance counselors specifically for 9th graders, an overview of services provided by our social workers, etc.

At the beginning of this month, teachers had the opportunity to submit a “grant request” to the PTO asking for an item(s) to support instruction in their classroom. Later this month, the PTO membership will vote on what requests will be approved. I want all of you to know how deeply we appreciate the wonderful work of the UHS PTO. Their unfailing efforts at fundraising result in our staff being able to offer enriched opportunities for learning for our terrific students!

Paula Massanari, UHS Principal

September 2010

2010-09-07T08:03:00.000-04:00

From the Principal’s Desk

September 2010

Dear Parents/Guardians,

The 2010-11 school year is off to a wonderful start! Students and teachers were delighted to occupy new, air conditioned space in the additional wing, and the building was filled with smiling faces and excited chatter in the hallways as friendships were renewed and students reconnected with beloved teachers. Our thanks to all of you who carefully read over the revised traffic patterns that are posted on our website; the bus and car traffic is somewhat congested, but everyone was respectful and considerate.

We hope that you will plan on attending the Back To School Night at 7 PM on Wednesday, September 22. A separate letter with detailed information will be mailed this week about this event. I would also encourage you to attend fall sports events and cheer for our talented athletes. Information about games is posted on our school website. Please note that the school sign along Route 82 is adjacent to the marked construction zone, so we will not be able to post items on the sign this year. You are invited to periodically check the high school website at www.uhs.ucfsd.org for up-to-date information regarding school events.

A brief construction update is provided below, and the district website also contains periodic updates:

The new wing with 38 classrooms (science, social studies, special education and English) is open for this school year
The library has been renovated and will open in mid- September
The cafeteria has been enlarged and renovated
The new auditorium space is currently under construction and will be completed next summer
The Main Office, counseling center and school nurse will relocate to the front of the building (in the former district office space) in January 2011

We have some personnel changes that you may already know about:

Ms. Kelly Johnson, new Emotional Support teacher (replacing Ms. Regina Kubica)
Ms. Lori Stewart, new guidance counselor (replacing Mr. Greg Hilden)
We have interviewed for an art teacher to replace Jeff Wheet and should know within the next two weeks what candidate is approved by the School Board
Our Dean of Student position was eliminated due to budget cuts, so Mr. Rob Conti-D’Antonio is now a biology teacher filling the position vacated when Mr. William Anderson retired

On behalf of our entire high school staff, it is a privilege to serve both parents and students to provide the best possible educational experience. I deeply believe in the importance of a strong student- parent-school connection, so if you have a question, comment or concern, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Paula Massanari,

UHS Principal

June 2010

2010-06-02T09:12:00.000-04:00

Dear Parents/Guardians,

Another school year is about to end and this has been a very exciting year! Early in the 2009-10 school year, we learned that UHS ranked third in the State for our PSSA scores (topped only by two charter schools that only accept students with gifted IQs). Many of our sports teams have had terrific seasons, our debate team sent several students to the national competition, and numerous UHS music students participated in States as well.

The construction project has gone quite smoothly – so smoothly, in fact, that it is currently running on time and slightly under budget! When we start the new school year, our students will enjoy a much larger, newer cafeteria, the Library will have been renovated, the module classrooms will be gone, and new classrooms will open in our additional space. The science classrooms will be especially beneficial to students with several new safety features added. This coming school year, we will experience renovation work within the existing structure, and our students will have to practice patience and flexibility as their classrooms are temporarily relocated and hallways are closed one week and reopened the next.

This month our senior class will relish their last few weeks of life at Unionville High School and celebrate their years together at the Senior Dinner Dance and graduation. They have been an especially delightful group of young people with whom to work, setting a tone in the building that has helped significantly reduce disciplinary referrals this year. We will miss the graduates of the Class of 2010.

We plan to host some “Open House” events for all of our students so that they’re able to walk through the new space and find their classrooms prior to the start of school. More information on those events will follow. All of us at UHS wish you and your family a wonderfully relaxing summer filled with terrific memories. Take care…

Sincerely,
Paula Massanari

May 2010

2010-05-02T09:43:00.000-04:00

Dear Parents/Guardians,

We completed the 11^th grade PSSAs in reading, math, science and writing last month, and once again I was struck by how diligently our students worked. Your support at home in ensuring students get adequate rest and a nutritious breakfast is especially important during these testing times, and we appreciate your partnering with us to help our students do their very best on these state assessments.

Recently, we have received an increased number of questions about the use of Facebook, Twitter, e-mail, and other forms of technology/social networking by college admissions offices throughout the application process. Although institutions use technology in a variety of ways, one thing is clear. All schools consistently stress the importance of projecting a professional image. In an effort to assist you, we have collected the following tips and articles.

Tips: Consider everything online as public information

Remove inappropriate photos and posts that project an unprofessional image
Use e-mail addresses that reflect a positive professional image
Do not subscribe to groups promoting illegal activity

Recommended Articles:

Your face is out there – Facebook and College Admission:http://mycollegeguide.org/articles /6/85/facebook_and_college_admission

Colleges Recruit Students through Facebook with Intelliworks Social Marketing:http://findarticles.com/p/ articles/mi_pwwi/is_200904/ai_n31595849/

Facebook, MySpace and College Admissions:http://collegeapps.about.com/od/ theartofgettingaccepted/a/Facebook.htm

At Top Schools, One in Ten College Admissions Officers Visits Applicants’ Social Networking Sites:http://www.kaplan.com/aboutkaplan/newsroom/Pages/newsroom.aspx?ID=41

MySpace in College Admission:http://www.education.com/reference/article/Ref_MySpace_College/

Guess who's looking at your Web page: college-admissions officials and employers are starting to check out candidates on Web sites like Facebook and MySpace:http://findarticles.com/p/articles /mi_m0BUE/is_2_139/ai_n17214763/

Remember: When used appropriately, technology can be a very useful tool in the college admissions process. However, as you communicate electronically, be careful about how you project yourself.

Take care and enjoy this lovely spring weather!

Paula Massanari, UHS Principal

March 2010

2010-03-02T09:47:00.000-05:00

Dear Parents/Guardians,

Our counselors and administrators are busily engaged in course selection work at the high school to ensure that all students have completed course selection requests for next year. The information from students about courses they’d like to take guides our decisions regarding what classes to run, which ones we must cancel, and how many sections of each class are needed. Our goal is to send home with each student on or about June 2 a draft schedule for the 2010-11 school year. You will then have until July 7 to contact us with questions/concerns about that draft schedule (see the Course Selection Guide on the high school website for additional information). I would urge you to carefully consider the input that your child’s current teachers offer regarding the appropriate level of class for your child. We want to ensure that all students are appropriately challenged, but we also realize that students who are misplaced in a course struggle to be successful. Working together to communicate about course selection will ultimately lead to students being appropriately challenged.

We are excited that our students will be performing the musical Les Miserables on March 4, 5 and 6. I have heard students practicing late into the evening, so I can assure you that they will delight audiences in early March! We hope that you will plan to join us for one of these evening presentations. Another exciting undertaking at UHS is the opportunity for students to take one of two dual enrollment courses offered in partnership with Delaware Community College this summer. As a part of the summer enrichment program offered district-wide, students may take an International Business or Medical Terminology course. These courses are a small, but important part of the summer enrichment program the district is offering to students of all ages; more information on the summer offerings is available on the district website.

Shortly after students return from spring break, PSSAs for 11^th grade students will begin. You will receive additional information later this month about our modified schedule for those testing dates. Our high school ranked third in the state last year based on our PSSA scores, and we anticipate that our students will once again perform at a very high level of achievement.

All of us at UHS hope that you have an enjoyable Spring break, especially after the dreary, snow-packed weather that we endured throughout February! If there is ever a time that you have a concern about your child, please feel free to contact his/her teacher, guidance counselor, or an administrator. We will be happy to help you in any way possible.

Take care and Think Spring!

Paula Massanari