Penn Manor School District will be dismissing early today due to the impending weather. Eshleman Elementary AM Kindergarten will dismiss at regular time (11:30 AM). There is NO YWRAP program. There will be NO PM kindergarten.

Students in grades 1-6 will dismiss at 1:30 PM. If you need to change the normal way your child goes home, please call the office or email jennifer.rohrer@pennmanor.net. Additionally, there is no after school Y Care today.

Please read the following letter from Penn Manor superintendent Mike Leichliter regarding procedures at our schools for the new year.

Dear Penn Manor Families,

We have a few updates to share with you as we approach the 2021-2022 school year, which begins on Monday, August 30, 2021. 

PA Department of Education Health & Safety Plan: In preparation for the 2021-2022 school year, the Penn Manor Board of School Directors approved a Health & Safety Plan during its board meeting on July 12, 2021. Penn Manor’s  PA Department of Education (PDE) Health & Safety Plan is posted on the district website here. Key components of the plan include the following:

• Mask Wearing: At this time, the wearing of masks/face coverings in our schools will be at the discretion of students, families, staff and visitors. As a result of an order from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), face coverings are expected to be worn on all forms of public transportation, including school buses.
• Vaccinations: The PA Department of Health (PA DoH) is not requiring COVID-19 vaccinations for students or staff to attend school. 
• Cleaning & Disinfecting: The district will follow pandemic procedures for cleaning and sanitizing spaces, surfaces and other areas each night. 
• Physical Distancing: Physical distancing of three feet will be implemented to the greatest extent practicable inside our schools.
• Contact Tracing/Quarantining/Isolation: The district requests that all families/individuals prescreen for symptoms prior to entering school each day. Students with symptoms will be sent to the school nurse for assessment. Principals and nurses will be in contact with the PA Department of Health (PA DoH) as necessary regarding reporting and/or monitoring of COVID cases involving Penn Manor students or staff. Upon notification of a positive case, the district will follow the directives provided by the PA DoH regarding contact tracing, isolation and quarantines. All quarantine directives will be issued to affected individuals directly by the PA DoH. Students or staff who are exposed to a COVID-positive individual will not need to be quarantined if they have been fully vaccinated (with proof of vaccination) and are symptom free (as per PA DoH guidelines).
• Public Reporting of COVID-19 Cases/Quarantines/Closures: The district will not be sending daily emails regarding new COVID-19 cases in school buildings. Because there currently is no guidance from the PA Department of Education regarding mandatory building closures, the district will consult with local and state health officials on an as-needed basis to determine whether to switch schools to a full virtual format and to report information to the public. 
• Free breakfasts and lunches: We are pleased to announce that the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) is allowing schools to offer free breakfasts and lunches to all students in grades K-12 through the end of the 2021-2022 school year. Families should complete the 2021-2022 Free/Reduced Lunch application as there are additional benefits (such as reduced internet costs) for those who qualify.
• School menus: Penn Manor School District’s food distributor is currently experiencing labor and product shortages. As a result, some food products we use may be unavailable, so published menus may not match what is being served in our cafeterias in the coming weeks. Please bear with us during these challenges, and know that we will do our best to get the products we need so our meals are nutritious and our menus are accurate.  

We look forward to the start of the 2021-2022 school year. If you have any questions, please contact your child’s principal. Thank you for your continued support as we safely open our schools.

Sincerely,

Michael G. Leichliter, Ed.D.

Superintendent of Schools

We are excited for the new school year! Please take a few moments to help us prepare.

Transportation Survey: Complete this short survey to let us know how your child/children will arrive at school and how they will go home. Remember, we are largely a walking school, if your child is a bus student, you would have received a letter with busing information.

Transportation Intention Form

Free or reduced lunch: Research has shown that good nutrition has a positive impact on a child’s ability to focus and learn.  It is important that we provide a nurturing environment for each child, so that individual success as a student can be maximized.  We would encourage you to complete the form found at the link below.  Even kindergarten students can qualify for meals; which is certainly helpful if you plan to send them to breakfast or for the days when they have a chance to eat lunch at school with the older students.  Please contact Krista Cox for more details.  All information is confidential.  Many families are unaware that they qualify for this lunch program. And many more families are qualifying during this challenging time.

Application for free or reduced lunch

Additionally, right now, some families may qualify for up to $50 off monthly internet bills for families eligible for free/reduced lunch. You need to complete the application above first.
Broadband Benefit

Sapphire Parent Portal: for directions on setting up an account to access your child’s grades and submit excuses electronically, please click HERE or use the tab at the top of the blog: Sapphire Parent Portal. Need more information or some help with an existing account, call Mrs. Rohrer at 717-872-9540 x3600.

Check back frequently over the next few days for new information about the start of school. We look forward to seeing everyone on Monday!!

August 24, 2021

Back-to-School Night is scheduled for Wednesday, September 1, 2021. The program will be held from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.  This is an open house drop-in format where you will have the opportunity to briefly view your child’s classroom(s) and meet his/her teacher(s).

In order to minimize the number of people in the classrooms at one time, we are asking that parents visit the school anytime during their designated time period, as teachers will not be delivering formal presentations. Additionally, children are asked to stay home. 

• Families with the last names A through M are asked to participate from  4:00 to 4:45.
• Families N-Z are asked to participate from 5:00 to 5:45. 

While in the building we ask that you follow these mitigation strategies:

• Please practice social distancing and respect other individuals’ preferences, including those of our teachers.
• Monitor your own health prior to attending the event. If you are experiencing any COVID-related symptoms, please do not attend.

If you have specific concerns related to your child, please contact his/her teacher at a later time to schedule an appointment. 

Calling all incoming kindergarten families ~

As you know, we have challenged all of our incoming kindergarten students to complete the kindergarten portfolio and return it to school for the 2021-2022 school year. Completing this booklet not only helps you practice for skills you will use in kindergarten, but it also helps you earn an amazing kindergarten crew t-shirt.

Below is our final video in a 3 part series. This video models easy ways at home to work with sounds and building words. This skill will assist your child to be familiar with the sounds letters make and how to blend these together to form words. Please take some time to practice some of these activities as part of your kindergarten portfolio.

Enrollment is now under way for the Penn Manor Virtual School (PMVS) online education program for the 2021-2022 school year.

August 20 is the deadline to enroll students in kindergarten through grade 12. The school year begins August 30.

PMVS allows students to maintain an active status in the school district, receive a quality education, and continue to participate in school events and activities. PMVS students also can receive academic assistance from teachers.

Students who successfully complete their coursework through PMVS will receive a Penn Manor High School diploma.

Here is the enrollment interest form for parents to fill out for the 2021-2022 school year. Please note that students who are new to Penn Manor must first register with the school district before applying for the PMVS program. Visit the district’s registration page.

In addition, students who were enrolled in PMVS in the 2020-2021 school year and plan to continue with the program in 2021-2022 must submit a new interest form.

You can learn more about PMVS here.

Calling all incoming kindergarten families ~

As you know, we have challenged all of our incoming kindergarten students to complete the kindergarten portfolio and return it to school for the 2021-2022 school year. Completing this booklet not only helps you practice for skills you will use in kindergarten, but it also helps you earn an amazing kindergarten crew t-shirt.

Below is our second video in a 3 part series. This video models easy ways at home to work with numbers and gain number sense. This will assist your child to be familiar with numbers and have fun while learning. Please take some time to practice some of these activities as part of your kindergarten portfolio.

Calling all incoming kindergarten families ~

As you know, we have challenged all of our incoming kindergarten students to complete the kindergarten portfolio and return it to school for the 2021-2022 school year. Completing this booklet not only helps you practice for skills you will use in kindergarten, but it also helps you earn an amazing kindergarten crew t-shirt.

Below is our first video in a 3 part series. This video models easy ways at home to work with letters and practice letters while having fun. Please take a few minutes to watch the video and let the fun and learning begin.

Kindergarten-Readiness-Handbook-Activities-to-Prepare-Yourself-for-K

For our Sapphire parent portal account users and Penn Manor students:

Coming soon you will notice some changes to your Sapphire Community Portal (SCP) account. These updates include removing the need for a PIN number when logging in and a revamped look and feel to the entire portal.

For our Sapphire parent portal account users and Penn Manor students:

Coming soon you will notice some changes to your Sapphire Community Portal (SCP) account. These updates include removing the need for a PIN number when logging in and a revamped look and feel to the entire portal.

What to expect:
In the next two weeks upon logging into your Sapphire portal account, you will be asked to reset your username and password. This reset is necessary to convert your account to the new platform and remove the need for a PIN number as part of the log-in process.

For complete details regarding the upcoming Sapphire Community Portal (SCP) changes, please watch this Sapphire Community Portal Updates video and review the guidance document linked below:

English:  Sapphire Community Portal Updates – Summer 2021
Spanish/Español:  Sapphire Community Portal Updates – Summer 2021 (Spanish)

Thank you,

Penn Manor School District