Park Elementary School

A reminder that the Steel Valley School District Board of Directors will hold their monthly board meetings for July this week in the high school library.

Monday's worksession meeting will begin at 7:30 p.m. Thursday's regular meeting will begin at 7 p.m.

Check out the delicious dishes cooked up in the latest Cooking in the Garden program!

"Our new state budget addresses two of the steepest challenges facing school districts like Steel Valley - fair, equitable funding for public schools and reforming how charter schools are reimbursed. The increased education funding and cyber charter reforms included in this year’s budget are promising initial steps in bolstering public education in all communities throughout the state," Steel Valley School District Superintendent Bryan M. Macuga said in a statement.

"The Steel Valley School District appreciates the extensive work from Governor Josh Shapiro and the state legislature to comprehensively address the state’s long-standing inequities in public education funding. We encourage our state leaders to continue their work so that future budgets can further increase and sustain equitable funding for all districts, and to further reform how all charter schools are monitored and reimbursed.”

Pittsburgh-area school districts react to $1.1 billion education funding boost in state budget Pennsylvania lawmakers bolstered K-12 funding by $1.1 billion in the 2024-25 budget, seemingly a response to last year’s court ruling deeming the...

The Steel Valley School District is thrilled to announce the construction of a new elementary school that will bring the district’s elementary students together for the first time and unite the entire K-12 student body on one campus.

The Steel Valley School District Board of Directors formally approved the motion to award the general construction contract to Pittsburgh-based Rycon Construction, Inc. during its board meeting on Thursday, June 20. Construction is tentatively expected to be completed in August 2026 in time for the beginning of the 2026-27 school year.

https://www.steelvalleysd.org/news/1792032/steel-valley-school-district-board-of-directors-approves-construction-of-new-elementary-school-creation-of-unified-campus

School uniforms will continue to be required next school year 2024-2025.

http://www.dhs.pa.gov/SunBucks

A reminder that June’s board meeting schedule has changed from the originally published date.

The board will meet for a work session on Monday, June 17 at 7:30 p.m. and then for a voting session on Thursday, June 20 at 7 p.m.

Both meetings will be in the high school library.

Her senior presentation in high school caused severe anxiety. Years later, Dr. Taylor Clementoni spoke with confidence in front of a much larger crowd as the guest speaker for the Steel Valley High School Class of 2024's commencement ceremony. The opportunity was a full circle moment for the Steel Valley alum, who shared more about her journey from prospective orthodontist to Director of Program Development at UPMC's Western Psychiatric Hospital.

https://www.steelvalleysd.org/high-school/news/1791280/how-dr-taylor-clementoni-11-defeated-the-imposter-within-and-found-new-opportunities-with-a-new-sense-of-confidence

Don’t forget to sign up!

Don't forget - Kennywood Day for Steel Valley is next Tuesday, June 4! Here's how to get your discounted tickets. Can't make it on the 4th? Follow the instructions to get discounted tickets to visit by July 14.

Message from Dr. Shaughnessy:

Hi boys and girls!

The year has come to an end!

Fourth graders, thank you for setting such a good example for the younger students in the building. You’ve done a great job at Park Elementary, and I’m very proud to have been your principal. Good luck at the Middle School – I am sure you’ll do well.

Kindergarten, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd graders – I miss you already and I can’t wait to see you next year!

I hope you all have a wonderful summer!

As the school year comes to a close, we want to share a few more photos from our last few events at Park this spring. Mayor's Day, our Celebration of Education, and the Field Day with our friends at Barrett helped make the end of the year special. We'll see everyone in the fall!

COMMENCEMENT UPDATE

After a careful review of today’s forecast, the Steel Valley School District has decided to continue with today’s commencement ceremony as scheduled.

The outdoor ceremony is the best way to celebrate our students and we want to give them every opportunity to enjoy that experience. We recommend being prepared for inclement weather and there will be a contingency plan in place if needed.

Congrats SV Class of 2024!

Principal Advisory Council

Fourth grade students on the Principal Advisory Council worked hard to make the school a better place. They met every other week with Mrs. Chalus and Dr. Shaughnessy, and each group worked on one big project.

This year, students in Group 2 came up with the idea to have fourth graders tutor kindergarten, first, and second graders in math next school year. They came up with a detailed plan, and then met with Mrs. Stephenson, who will be our Math Coach next year, to talk things over. Mrs. Stephenson thinks it's a great idea!

What a beautiful day for our annual Celebration of Education! The carnival theme was a perfect touch as our students enjoyed a wide variety of activities, including bounce houses, huge slides, games, face painting from high school students, Kona Ice, snacks, and so much more.

Of course, the big hit was our version of the dunk tank! A number of volunteers bravely sat in the chair under a bucket of refreshing water as Park students lined up to hit the target and dump the water on our guests.

We spied a few staff members sneaking into the line with the kids to dump water on our Superintendent Mr. Macuga!

Thanks to the staff, volunteers, the incredible Park Elementary PTO, and everyone else who helped make another Celebration of Education an amazing time!

Message from Dr. Shaughnessy:

Hi boys and girls!

Summer is almost here! The end of the school year is always a lot of fun, and I can’t wait to see you next week! We are going to have a great ending to an awesome school year.

Have a nice long weekend boys and girls, and I’ll see you on Tuesday.

Park Elementary Says Goodbye

This is a sad time at Park Elementary, as we get ready to say goodbye to Mrs. Jane Banyas, Mrs. Regina Takos, and Officer Vito Faiello. They made a huge difference in the lives of many, many children, and they will be missed.

Mrs. Jane Banyas is leaving us after 24 years with the Steel Valley School District. She has been a teacher for 50 years! Mrs. Banyas grew up in the area and graduated from Munhall High School. When she was little she wanted to be a teacher, and teaching at Park Elementary was always her dream job. Her years here have been a dream come true! Mrs. Banyas is looking forward to going to bed when she wants to, and not having to wake up early in the morning. She also plans to do all of the things she hasn't been able to because of work - going to the next Daytona 500 is at the top of the list! Mrs. Banyas is going to miss reading stories to the kids, and watching her former students grow up to become teachers!

We are also saying goodbye to Mrs. Regina Takos. Mrs. Takos, also known as SuperTakos, has been teaching for 29 years, almost all of which she spent with the Steel Valley School District. She was a Reading Specialist at Barrett Elementary for five years and then spent 15 years at the Middle School. Some of that time overlapped with her time at Park, where she has been the librarian for the past 11 years. Mrs. Takos is looking forward to going on vacation between September and May, which she has never been able to do because she didn't want to call off. She is going to really miss the kids and sharing books with them. Knitting Club has been the highlight of her last few years!

And after 11 years at Park Elementary, Officer Vito Faiello is saying goodbye. For the past 11 years, Park students started their day off right with a warm smile and heartfelt welcome from Officer Vito. And throughout the day, kids always knew they could count on a kind word from him whenever they crossed his path. Officer Vito has a lot of work he plans to get done in his retirement, and he can't wait to spend time with his family, including his three sons, five grandchildren, and his beautiful wife Colleen, who volunteered here daily this school year. Officer Vito has had a lot of fun the past 11 years, and he will really miss everyone. He said that it has been a pleasure for him to work with the students, who have been great! Officer Vito is especially grateful to the Park teachers and staff for making him feel like he was really part of the family (which he certainly was!).

Mrs. Banyas, Mrs. Takos, and Officer Vito - THANK YOU! Park Elementary School is a better place because of you, and you will be missed! Enjoy your retirement - you earned it.

The Steel Valley School District Board of Directors has hired Dr. Brian Plichta as Assistant Superintendent of Schools. The Board of Directors officially voted to approve Dr. Plichta’s hiring during its voting meeting on Thursday, May 23, 2024.

Dr. Plichta will work with Superintendent of Schools Mr. Bryan M. Macuga to oversee the district’s curriculum, instructional strategies, professional development, and management of federal programs.

https://www.steelvalleysd.org/news/1790512/steel-valley-school-district-board-of-directors-hires-dr-brian-plichta-as-assistant-superintendent-of-schools

Lunch with the Principal

This year every Park student had lunch in the office and got a positive phone call home after Dr. Shaughnessy received a great report from their teacher! It was always Dr. Shaughnessy's favorite time of the day!

Hi boys and girls!

You all sounded wonderful at the Spring Concert this week! 4th grade band students – you were great! You made so much progress this year – all of your hard work definitely paid off. Kindergarten, first, second, and third graders – I hope you think about joining the band when you’re in fourth grade. Now that I’m older, I wish I would’ve learned how to play an instrument when I was little.

You have all done a terrific job this school year. Let’s continue to be well-behaved and kind as we wrap things up!

Have a nice weekend boys and girls, and I’ll see you on Monday.

Mayor Day

Third graders had a great time participating in Mayor Day activities yesterday. Special thanks to the Borough of Munhall for making this such a great event for the kids!

With less than two weeks left in the school year, fourth graders from Barrett Elementary and Park Elementary received a glimpse of what next year holds in store for them through the district's annual Step Up Day.

The fourth graders gathered at the middle school to learn a bit about what they can expect as they make the transition to fifth grade. The students were welcomed by middle school principal Mr. Clay Stone and middle school guidance counselor Mr. Dylan O'Neill, who provided a run-through of what it's like to now be in middle school. Mr. Stone and Mr. O'Neill talked about the daily schedule, some of the activities and extracurriculars available, and multiple other topics. Students were also able to ask questions.

Current middle school students who are part of Ms. Erin Noblet's Student Government group led the fourth graders on a tour, showing them to their future classrooms, introducing them to some of the special classes they'll be able to take, and even meeting a few teachers.

After the tour concluded, the fourth graders gathered at Griffin Field for some fun activities that also helped build new friendships. Students from Barrett and Park worked together to run various relay races, go through team-building activities, and play spirited games of kickball.

Step Up Day is one of the resources Steel Valley uses every year to connect Barrett and Park students in order to help them come together and make as smooth of a transition as possible to the middle school experience. This year, fourth graders also enjoyed a joint STEM day sponsored by Bayer and the Best of the Batch Foundation. Both schools will also take part in a field day on Friday, May 17.

Park Elementary students brought a message of joy and togetherness with their selection of songs at the school's annual spring concert. Two performances were held on Wednesday, May 15 in order to accommodate family members who wished to attend.

Conducted by elementary music teacher Ms. Kerry Melega, the concert carried the theme of "Spreading Joy With Music," and each piece of music performed by every grade level had some sort of positive or uplifting message. From enjoying the beauty of nature to expressing confidence in themselves to celebrating friendship, the students' joyful message struck the right notes as the school year comes to a close.

The fourth grade beginning band opened the show with "Hot Cross Buns," "Au Claire De La Lune," "Merrily We Roll Along," "Lightly Row," "Farm Out," and theme from "Jurassic Park."

Kindergartners performed "Spread a Little Sunshine," "Each of Us is a Flower," and "This Little Light of Mine." First graders sang "This Land is Your Land," "It's You I Like," and "Being Me."

Second graders then took the stage to sing "Love Is," "Tomorrow," and "Country Roads," while third graders performed "The Rattlin' Bog," "Joy!" and "The Bare Necessities."

Fourth graders wrapped up the show with "The Big Rock Candy Mountain," "Turn The World Around," "It's a Small World," and "I Am But A Small Voice."

Please enjoy this collection of photos from the performance.

The Steel Valley School District Board of Directors will conduct this month’s meetings at the following dates and times:

MAY WORKSHOP MEETING
Monday, May 20 - 7:30 p.m. 

MAY REGULAR MEETING
Thursday, May 23 - 7 p.m.

All meetings are held in the Steel Valley High School Library.