Submitted by Dr. Brian Ellis

A group of researchers from Stanford University under the direction of Dr. Sean Reardon analyzed the assessment results of Grades 3-8 students from over 11,000 districts in the country. The researchers contrasted what is often a significant difference between looking at the performance of students (achievement and test scores) and the growth that students in one district experience relative to those in another district. For each district, they calculated the average amount of growth in the five years between Grades 3 and 8. When looking at the results of York Suburban, the researchers found that our students actually experience 6.0 years of growth in the five years, which ranks in the 97th percentile nationally! It is yet another example of the value of a York Suburban education. To read more about Dr. Reardon’s research you can access his paper at: https://cepa.stanford.edu/sites/default/files/wp17-12-v201712.pdf or read a New York Times article by Emily Badger and Kevin Quealy that talks about the research and how different school systems nationally have performed, “How Effective Is Your School District? A New Measure Shows Where Students Learn the Most “.

Submitted by Laura Horowitz, YSEF 

The deadline for submitting grant applications to York Suburban Education Foundation (YSEF) is February 1. We welcome your creative ideas and we want to fund them. So go to www.ysef.org, select the “Grants” tab and then select “Grant Guidelines and Application” from the dropdown menu. There you will find everything you need to complete an application to give your students new experiences.

Do you have fidgety students? You might want to apply for adaptive furniture. Or teach them yoga. Or lead them through a Brain Gym.

Would your students benefit from a field trip? We’ve sent groups to Broadway, and to visit college campuses, and to attend a Science Olympiad.

Is there a unique program you’ve heard of that your students might enjoy? We’ve funded tanks for raising trout for all of the 7th grade science classrooms, and greenhouses for 3rd graders, and drums for all elementary students.

Bring us your best ideas and let us help you bring them to fruition.

Submitted by Mrs. Karen Campbell

York Suburban Middle School students competed in the York County MathCounts Competition on Tuesday, January 9. Participants included:

8th graders

Noah West, Leo Chen, Jordan Weaver, Gelisse Seidel, Amanda Sargen, Jacqueline Kouma, Matthew Aulthouse, and Ellen Boldt

7th graders

Edward Lulo, Lydia Wilt, Rachel Potts, and Abigail Miller

6th graders

Ty Pridgen, Jake Foremsky, Ann Sargen, and Kyan Stockman

Individually, Edward Lulo ranked 7th and the team of West, Chen, Weaver, and Lulo ranked 4th​.

Submitted by Isobel Smith (Senior) , Sweeta Rasiyan (Junior)

This past holiday season has been full of events involving the Impact Foundation (IF), a student-led committee of the York Suburban Education Foundation. IF has one goal: York Suburban students helping students. Activities included the collection of food, attending the YSEF alumni events, creating stocking stuffer bags, managing the Impact Closets located in each district building, and operating Food for Thought – a weekend food backpack program. These events have been extremely impactful during the holiday season in helping York Suburban families in need feel a sense of security.  

Collection of Food: Over the holiday season, the collection of food was a major priority for IF. At the November YSEF alumni event, former York Suburban students and teachers donated 160 food items for IF’s Food for Thought weekend backpack program. IF student members also collected and donated over 300 additional items that were used to pack bonus food backpacks for families to use over long holidays breaks.

Holiday Stocking Stuffer Bags: IF students packed 80 goodie bags filled with toothpaste, toothbrushes, soaps, floss, and knitted hats using products donated to the Impact Closets.  These bags were then sent home with YSSD Give a Meal holiday boxes.

Student members of the Impact Foundation work many hours inside and outside of school to help York Suburban students and their families.  The IF students appreciate the support from the York Suburban community and staff. For example, we thank the district administrative staff at the Education Center who collected products needed for IF’s Impact Closets used to support families who need an extra helping hand. To learn more about how you can support IF’s continuing efforts, visit www.ysef.org and follow York Suburban Education Foundation on Facebook.

Thank you!

Submitted by Mrs. Stephanie Crumbling

As the Mindfulness Committee chairperson at Indian Rock Elementary, Mrs. Stephanie Crumbling is interested in learning how other schools in the area teach mindfulness and incorporate the lessons and activities into their classrooms.

Recently, she visited Dillsburg Elementary School,(DES) where mindfulness is part of the curriculum. Mindfulness lessons are taught by the guidance counselor to every second grader. Mrs. Crumbling shadowed the guidance counselor, Mrs. Kimberly Landauer for the day to interview her and observe small group lessons for at-risk students. She even met the DES service dog, Rory!

After each small group lesson, Mrs. Crumbling asked some of the students, many who have attention and focusing issues, how they felt about mindfulness lessons and activities. They reported that the mindfulness lessons help them focus and feel calmer, especially before a test. Mrs. Landauer feels that the greatest benefit to students is that they have a toolkit that enables them to put aside their worries, be present in the moment, and focus on the task at hand.

Stay tuned to see how mindfulness comes to The Rock.