James Gettys Elementary School teachers visited the Gettysburg Area School District Board of Education meeting this week to tout the school’s many successes.
Principal Ted Wells told the board he was proud of the school’s Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA) results and Acadience Reading K–6 benchmark goals.
“We have really weathered the COVID storm better than most,” he said. “We consistently beat the statewide averages, we did that before COVID and continue to do that after.”
Wells noted the school’s PSSA scores dipped during COVID, as did most schools, but said he is impressed with the upward trajectory since the 2020-21 school year.
James Gettys’ fifth graders surpassed the statewide average in Reading. Third and fifth-grade students surpassed the statewide average in Math, with fifth-graders almost doubling the statewide average.
Jen Daniels, school librarian, said the school enforces good conduct through its Positive Behavioral Interventions and Support program. Each month, students selected by their teacher and their families are invited to a special breakfast to recognize their positive behavior, Daniels said.
Axa Jones, a kindergarten teacher, said the school thrives due to the support of people inside and outside the building. She said many Gettysburg-area professionals visit classrooms to supplement teachers’ lessons with real-life scenarios.
“When I think of James Gettys, the first word that comes to my mind is community,” Jones said. “The Gettysburg community provides an essential support system for our school.”
Jones also touted the school’s students for raising $5,000 through a Math Madness challenge.
Routine business
The presentation on James Gettys Elementary took up the majority of the board’s 30-minute meeting. Directors breezed through a list of route agenda items that included:
- Unanimous approval of human resources recommendations. Reading teacher Tracy Montedoro will retire from the district on June 15 after 23 years. Social Studies/English teacher Madison Spagnola resigned her position effective April 26 after five years of employment.
- The presentation of six updated policies, which will be voted on at a future meeting. Superintendent Dr. Jason Perrin said the board is almost finished with updating all district policies. Perrin said the project reduced the number of policies to help staff better understand the rules.
The board’s next meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m., April 8 in the District Administration Building on Biglerville Road. All meetings are open to the public and live-streamed on the district’s YouTube Channel.
Alex J. Hayes has spent almost two decades in the Adams County news business. He is passionate about sharing stories focused on the people in our communities and following local governments in an age when few journalists report on their meetings. Alex is also a freelance writer for several other publications in South Central Pennsylvania. Alex encourages readers to contact him at ahayes83@gmail.com.