< PreviouslLegislative Update Legislative Update BY STATE REP. ANITA KULIK State Rep. Anita Kulik State Rep. Anita Kulik represents Pennsylvania’s 45th District. Her office is located at 1350 Fifth Avenue in Coraopolis. She can be reached at (412) 264-4260. Visit her online at www.pahouse.com/ Kulik. I have wanted to use this column as a way to provide information about events in Harrisburg. I have tried to provide details about things we do, and actions that are being taken. This year has been a very unique - perhaps we can easily say bizarre - year. However, if there is one thing this year has brought to light, it is the importance of home and family. While many of us are looking forward to the end of 2020 with great anticipation, there has never been a more important time for us to embrace the holiday season. There is much that we, your elected officials, must still do. We passed a temporary budget, but now it is time to pass a final budget to carry us through until June. We have many bills outstanding. I introduced various pieces of legislation, such as Alina’s Law, to address domestic violence. This has been pushed to the side by the committee that must address it, as other pressing items of legislation have been debated. However, all of these bills are important, and the House and Senate must focus on all issues. While there is so much to do, I realize that we are all ready to experience a familiar sense of normalcy. Yes, COVID is still with us and may be for some time. We continue to wear our masks, which are now turning festive. We’re keeping a polite distance and sanitizing just about everything. We have shown that we can live safely and respectfully of others and will take this with us into the holiday season. It is truly the most wonderful time of the year - not because it is coming to the end of an otherwise terrible year, but because it is a time that so many of us have been looking forward to enjoying. We have missed so much this year, from religious holidays to family milestones, from weddings to summer gatherings, from sport events to graduations. A family Thanksgiving dinner that spills into holiday shopping, baking and family time will be most welcome now more than ever. I am looking forward to tuning into my favorite holiday special, “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” - the original one from when I was a child. The Grinch realizes that Christmas and the other seasonal holidays are not about gifts or decorations but the sense of togetherness. We need this now, more so that I can ever remember. We need to regain our sense of civility and kindness. We lost these this past year and need to remember that we live together in our communities. We must work together for the common good. Being respectful of those around us should be our normal. I trust that my colleagues in Harrisburg will realize and follow through with that. I trust that we all can look in the mirror, and into our hearts, and realize that divisiveness is not going to solve any problems. Whatever you are looking forward to this season, I wish you much joy. I wish you all a new year filled with hope. I wish you all a holiday season and a new year that brings you happiness, health and a lot of love. To quote my other favorite story, “God Bless us, everyone.” 20 • Allegheny West Magazine • November/December 2020lLegislative Update Legislative Update BY STATE SEN. PAM IOVINO State Sen. Pam Iovino With the General Assembly back in session and my offices physically re-opened to the public, by appointment only, I stand ready to continue fighting to serve and to represent you. There are major decisions facing our Commonwealth. I am focused on making the prudent decisions and the smart investments to tackle our recovery and to get us moving forward. This edition’s updates focus on policies to do just that. State Sen. Pam Iovino represents Pennsylvania’s 37th Senatorial District. Her Robinson Township district office is located at 5996 Steubenville Pike and can be reached at (412) 788-2967. Visit her online at www.senatoriovino.com. Follow her on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at @senatoriovino. Maintaining school control of sports and extracurricular activities In September, I voted “yes” on House Bill 2787. This legislation would allow school districts to make their own decisions regarding resuming sports and other extracurricular activities, including whether spectators are permitted. I heard from an unprecedented number of constituents who supported this legislation and are confident in their schools’ ability to implement COVID health and safety plans for the protection of all involved. Comprehensive guidance and reporting for nursing homes during COVID-19 Nursing homes, long-term care facilities and congregate care facilities, which house the most vulnerable to COVID-19, have confronted and continue to face significant challenges from the pandemic. We need to develop protocols and structures in anticipation of a surge of cases this fall and winter. That is why I have introduced legislation that would do the following: • Create a protocol for residents and eligible family members to receive notifications about their health, to review their notification agreement, and to update it in the case of an infectious disease outbreak; • Provide guidance and prioritization for testing and personal protective equipment for residents and staff in facilities with confirmed COVID-19 cases; • Mandate aggregate data to be published by each facility outlining the number of confirmed positive and presumed positive COVID-19 cases and deaths due to COVID-19 for residents and staff of the facility; and • Outline inspection, assessment and auditing guidelines to ensure facilities are following safety and reporting protocol. Supporting business interruption insurance claims In September, I held a virtual event with my colleagues and members of Pennsylvania’s small business community to advocate for bipartisan legislation I introduced that would help Pennsylvania businesses file claims on their business interruption insurance policies. This potential source of funds could prevent businesses from being forced to close their doors. Business interruption insurance is coverage that replaces income lost in the event that business is halted due to a disaster. Since the pandemic and resulting shutdown, many Pennsylvania small businesses have sought financial relief by filing claims on their business interruption insurance policies, only to be denied due to ambiguous insurance policy language. To confront the most daunting economic challenge of our time, we need to put in place every available option to provide safety nets and recovery tools to support our businesses and our economy. That includes business interruption insurance. You can watch the full virtual event on my website. Paid family and sick leave - a necessity for PA working families I continue to advocate for the passage of legislation that would provide paid sick and family leave for nearly all of Pennsylvania’s workers. I supported this policy before the pandemic hit, but now, paid family and sick leave has become an absolute necessity for the health of our working families and our economy as a whole. No employee should have to choose between taking care of a sick family member and keeping their job. Likewise, no employer should have to choose between the health of their business and being loyal to their workers. That is why I am proud to co-sponsor the Family Care Act. This bipartisan and bicameral legislation would provide working Pennsylvanians with paid family and medical leave. Importantly, this legislation would do so without adding a new burden to small businesses. NOW HIRING! Oces located in Robinson Twp. & Monaca 412.494.2000 ExpressPros.com Full-time and part-time job opportunities in a variety of positions: Administrative, Professional, Industrial, Skilled Labor, Skilled Trades, and Skilled Professional. Call to schedule your interview! No Fees! November/December 2020 • www.awmagazine.com • 2122 • Allegheny West Magazine • November/December 2020We asked area elementary students to create our cover this month. Three favorites were chosen from each grade at each school and one overall for our cover. The rest are printed here. The artists who created these are (from top left): (from Montour Elementary School), kindergartener Matthew Wydra; first-graders Brooke Bujaky, Jaxon Burleson and Raegan Vore; second-graders Katie Neilson, Aarav Nagarkoti and Alaina Offner; third-graders Manasvik Annreddy, Kayla Del Bianco and Drishti Arora-Jain; fourth-graders Allison Conley and Sofianne Sujai; (from Archangel Gabriel Catholic School) first-graders Violet McGovern, Claire Ocheltree and Milana Kolocouris; second-graders Peter Schneider, Avaya Hess and Chiara Stuvek; third-graders Liam Blatt, Mia Gaffney and Mia Reilly; fourth- graders Kaylee Tamburino, Sonni Spadaccia and Lauralei Kroniser; (from Robinson Township Christian School); first-grader Cosette Claremont, second-grader Vaelen Teresi and third-grader Ian Schmaus. November/December 2020 • www.awmagazine.com • 2324 • Allegheny West Magazine • November/December 2020N Your Schools Your Schools RTCS reopens for in-person classes Robinson Township Christian School welcomed students back for in-person learning in late August. Students in grades K through 12 are now attending class in person five days a week. While all public schools were required to submit a detailed reopening plan to the Pennsylvania Department of Education before the start of the term, private schools were given a bit more flexibility. While advised to adhere to the guidelines, they were able to tailor them to their own unique needs. To develop its own plan, RTCS put together a task force of educators, parents and healthcare professionals. After prayerful consideration and many meetings over the course of the summer, the task force determined a full return to the classroom would be feasible if everyone adhered to the measures outlined in their detailed safety plan. As part of the plan, parents are asked to monitor children for potential symptoms before sending them to school each day. Upon arrival, students and staff are met at a safety checkpoint, where they are given hand sanitizer and their temperature is checked. Students are also required to wear masks on the premises until seated in the classroom, where they are appropriately spaced from neighboring students. With a student-teacher ratio of 6:1, following these safety guidelines has been very achievable. “I really think we have a good solution, one that is very compliant with what the CDC is saying and the PDE,” RTCS Principal Bryan Campbell said. “But it’s also very compliant with what we think we need to be doing to serve our God and our constituents as a Christian school.” Campbell believes the small class sizes and close-knit community make RTCS able to adapt well with the ever-present changes of 2020. The nature of RTCS lends itself well to adapting as needed and being flexible. The school has also gained some new students whose families felt distance learning wasn’t the best option for them. “We are still getting calls regarding enrollment from parents who think their children aren’t thriving with virtual learning,” said Campbell. “I encourage them to come in and see what we have to offer as an alternative.” RTCS expands kindergarten program RTCS is pleased to announce the open enrollment of a second morning kindergarten class that started this fall. An afternoon aftercare program is now also available for both kindergarten classes. As well, RTCS welcomed kindergarten teacher Barb Beideman this school year. Beideman has taught in both Christian and public schools. She also homeschooled her own sons. She holds a BA in elementary education from Grove City College and a master’s degree from Clarion University in library sciences. She is certified in Orton-Gillingham, a phonics-based method of teacher reading skills. Beideman has taught as an adjunct instructor in the Department of Library Science at Clarion and led support groups for homeschooling families. She was a homeschool evaluator for 19 years. In addition, she has worked at the Children’s Dyslexia Center of Pittsburgh and has provided private tutoring. “It’s a blessing to see children learn and grow. I hope to foster a love of learning and to come alongside parents at RTCS in helping them to educate their children in the Lord. I am already learning from the faith I see in my kindergarten students,” Beideman said. Robinson Township Christian School CONTENT SUBMITTED ABOVE: Second-grader Lucy Jackson celebrates returning to school in August. Barb Beideman November/December 2020 • www.awmagazine.com • 25Your SchoolsYour Schools N STORIES AND PHOTOS SUBMITTED BY ST. PHILIP CATHOLIC SCHOOL St. Philip Catholic School On Sept. 8, for the first time in six months, St. Philip School opened its doors and continued face-to-face instruction with the option for students to attend virtually from home. On-site students found a number of changes upon returning, including a new entry procedure in which each student has his or her temperature recorded before entering the building. Mask rules, covered water fountains, directional arrows, up and down stairway designations, and new cafeteria procedures also greeted the students. In the classroom, on-site students joined their virtual peers attending class via the Internet. While there have been changes in how St. Philip learns and teaches, it is still one school, one faculty and one SPS. As a result of the need to provide a virtual experience for students, St. Philip has taken a giant step toward becoming a “one-to-one” school. This means that each student has his or her own Chromebook or iPad to access web-based applications that accompany the math and language arts curriculum. Several other web-based programs are also used in classes. This also allows St. Philip to hold class via the Internet, both for students who choose to learn from home or for all students when weather or other issues close the building. This will mean no more snow make-up days! Such an Internet setup required the purchase of additional wireless connections for classrooms. St. Philip’s goal was to Meeting the COVID challenge by turning lemons into lemonade St. Philip seventh grade art students utilize an opportunity to hold class outside. eliminate delays in loading information and “kick-offs” when the system became overworked. Now each classroom can accommodate up to 60 devices on the Internet at the same time with no interruption. Class size was reduced by hiring three new teachers, thus allowing for social distancing in classrooms. Other safety measures include the installation of hand sanitizers outside of each classroom, daily cleaning and sanitation of the entire facility, no sharing of school supplies, in-class temperature checks, outdoor classes and a full-time nurse on duty daily. St. Philip School is proud to be meeting the challenge of COVID-19 and continuing its 106-year tradition of serving Crafton, Ingram, Thornburg, the city of Pittsburgh and surrounding communities. ABOVE: St. Philip kindergarten student Noah Umalin adjusts to new safety rules. BELOW: Second-graders social distance in class and welcome stay at home classmates. 26 • Allegheny West Magazine • November/December 2020N Your Schools Your Schools Archangel Gabriel Catholic School STORIES AND PHOTOS SUBMITTED BY ARCHANGEL GABRIEL CHRISTIAN SCHOOL Rome Monument moved, cleaned and refurbished this statue, which now sits in front of Archangel Gabriel Catholic School. Despite the difficult circumstances, the cross-country team has had an incredible season thus far. The team hosted three home meets and won each, despite going up against much larger schools like Ave Maria. While strictly observing COVID guidelines, the team successfully completed its home season with an eighth grade recognition that will be remembered. Not only did the team win that meet, but eighth graders celebrated with a pizza party, courtesy of AGAA. They were also showered with signs created by Kathy Gill, personalized prints created by parent Tabitha McGarvey and marathon Greek-style flower wreaths from parent Sharon McAndrews. They even got a surprise visit from Kona Ice, courtesy of their coach. Following the celebration, the team competed in the South Hills Championship at scenic Youthtowne against 10 teams. The JV boys, led by MJ Martella, placed first overall while the JV girls team, led by Eva Crofford, tied for first. The varsity boys team, led by Jack Hathaway, and the varsity girls team, led by Mia Crofford, both placed second. The following runners also medaled or scored points for their team: Wyatt Walsh, Grant Karlik, Andre Kolocouis, Christian Gill, Lindsay Bressler, Ava Ziemniak, Izzy Stuckeman, Bella Walsh, Carter Cross, Christian Williams, Jack Marcello, Liam McAndrews, Sophia Saginaw, Tiara Curry and Lily Ireland. The team looks forward to the Diocese Championship on Oct. 24 at Youthtowne. AGS is blessed to have so many talented runners and supportive families. On Oct. 4, Archangel Gabriel’s Parent Teacher Guild teamed up with Scally’s Golf Center to give the school’s mothers and sons some time to spend together. Each family participated in a round of miniature golf at their 18-hole course, which was themed with brightly painted animal statues and challenged with waterfalls and creeks. They also were given two buckets of balls to drive toward targets off of the range. While there were some very skilled golfers, the goal was for families to have a wonderful time connecting and enjoying the day together. Each year, the PTG plans countless activities for families to enjoy. This gives students great memories and helps to build connections among AGS families. The Holy Family Archangel Gabriel Catholic School recently received a beautiful new statue. The Holy Family statue was donated by Mother of Sorrows Church in Stowe Township. The 3,000-pound solid Carrara marble statue was also moved, cleaned and refurbished by Rome Monument at no cost to the school. AGS is extremely grateful to J. Poli of Rome Monument for the service. Mother of Sorrows Church was designed by the great Italian architect Beli and Beli to resemble Noah’s Ark. The marble statue was originally erected in 1966 when Father Joseph Farina, one of the five Farina brothers who were all priests of the Diocese, was its pastor. AGS is pleased to have the Holy Family’s likeness in such a profound location, where it gazes at Holy Trinity Church and inspires the school’s families to become true holy families as they enter the building. A special thank you also to Father Joe Codori, Father David Poecking, Holy Trinity priests and everyone else who has helped to give this statue a new home. It has quickly become a significant part of our campus. Cross CountryMothers and sons on the links AGS mothers and sons spent some time together at Scally’s Golf Center. November/December 2020 • www.awmagazine.com • 27412.205.8998 | DDSWebDesign.com Websites that get results. Designed in Pittsburgh Contact us for a free website analysis. Affordable Custom Designs Responsive Sites | Content Management SEO | E-commerce | Hosting | Maintenance Imagine your website working as hard for your business as you do. 28 • Allegheny West Magazine • November/December 2020November/December 2020 • www.awmagazine.com • 29 Montour School District Superintendent’s Message First Quarter Reflection: Educating Children During a Pandemic When it came time to make a decision on reopening school buildings for in-person learning for the 2020-2021 school year, Montour School District (like many school districts across Pennsylvania) was concerned with weighing the health risks versus what was “best” for children and families. The Board of School Directors and administration reached the consensus that opening schools would provide benefits to students and families beyond education, including supplying child care, providing crucial wraparound and therapeutic services, supplying meals, and addressing many other means of family support. Additionally, without the option of in-person instruction, we firmly believed children were at risk of falling behind academically, exacerbating educational inequities. This fall, the Montour School District opened its doors for in-person education. In-person education meant that students participated at the school buildings five days per week and engaged in our educational opportunities. Approximately 74% of our 3,000 students elected to resume in-person learning. That being said, Montour recognized that not every family was comfortable sending their children to school during a pandemic, even with the district’s stringent health and safety precautions in place. Through multiple summer surveys and focus groups, the District also developed two additional remote options to meet the needs of students and families. With guidance and cooperation from the teacher’s association, Montour took a bold step and installed wide-angle, high-definition cameras in every classroom to stream “real time” instruction into students’ homes. Utilizing Google Meet, Google Classroom and Zoom, students now had the option to attend class daily, from home, and interact with classmates and their teachers remotely. Fortunately, Montour has continuously prioritized innovation (including purchasing and implementing up-to-date district technology), making the stakeholders’ comfort level with these options a positive influence in our decision to take the leap. As a result, we have witnessed some truly remarkable educational opportunities taking place for students, teachers and parents! At the elementary (K-4) level, Montour has two “remote” teachers per grade. These innovative teachers are dedicated to facilitating live instruction daily, via video stream. There has been a deep connection forged between the parents and teachers of these students as they collaborate to get children “set-up” for daily instruction. Never in the history of education has there been such a constant natural opportunity for daily educational dialogue between teachers and parents. Additionally, younger students’ abilities to navigate in and out of “break-out rooms,” take assessments, and present to their classmates has been remarkable. At the middle and high school level, teachers facilitate instruction to in-person and remote students simultaneously. These students have significant opportunities to interact with their peers, assemble into working groups, and collaborate with each other daily, regardless of their selected educational option. Another benefit of this remote learning feature was the opportunity for students to enroll in any and all course offerings at both the middle and high school level so remote students were not limited to “virtual” classes. Moving forward, we understand and deeply appreciate the ways that public education has changed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Montour’s decision to provide remote learning has been embraced by our teachers, students, families and the wider community. The innovative strategy to augment the education experience for children has been a great success, thanks to our teachers’ willingness to innovate, grow and commit to authentically engaging children while balancing ‘normalcy’ with the new reality. Implementation strategies, teacher training and technological support have been (and will continue to be) critical. Montour has dedicated teacher leaders in each building who are responsible for professional development and strategic evolution with respect to live remote learning. This has established a support network for all stakeholders to enhance their craft for the “new” educational norm. Teachers and administrators at Montour challenge each other daily to embrace a growth mindset, take calculated educational risks, and embrace new technology and new pedagogical approaches in service of every student, every day. Follow Dr. Stone on Twitter! @DR_CHRIS_STONE Dr. Christopher Stone Superintendent Montour School District This article was published on the U.S. Department of Education website under the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education. Read it at: oese.ed.gov/dr-christopher-stone/Next >