Our staff has been busy this summer as we look to kick off the 2019-20 academic year with technology upgrades, new leaders, and a variety of new programs!

• Launching PowerSchool, our new student information system, gradebook, and special education management system replacing the Sapphire Community Web Portal.
• Introduction of Nutrislice, an online program for school breakfast and lunch menus.
• A completely redesigned website.
• Addition of mental health training for district leaders and staff members.
• Addition of third social worker to provide critical support services to remove the physical, mental, and emotional barriers that may prevent students from attending school regularly.
• Welcoming new department leaders in the areas of English 7-12, Music K-12, and an Exceptional Student Specialist.
• Addition of 55 new certificated staff members to serve our students.
• Roll-out of Comprehensive Plan, “Pathways to Success,” for 2019-22.
• Continued work on the districtwide Feasibility, Enrollment & Attendance Area Study. 

We look forward to welcoming our students back to school on Thursday, August 22!

Does Your Child Have Exceptional (Special and/or Gifted) Learning Needs? 

Hempfield Partners for Exceptional Children (HPEC)  has been created for you. HPEC is a partnership between parents and district staff, working together to improve parent-school communication and understanding of student needs and educational services. HPEC is where you can network with parents and staff to share your concerns about your child’s performance in school, to share strategies that have worked for you, or to gain new strategies.

2019-2020 Hempfield Partners for Exceptional Children Schedule

• November 6, 2019 (Wednesday, 6:30-8:00 p.m. -East Petersburg Elementary) ➢ Parent Networking Meeting
• January 13, 2020 (Monday, 6:30-8:00 p.m. -East Petersburg Elementary) ➢ Guest Speaker
• March 26, 2020 (Thursday, 8:00-9:30 a.m. - Administration Building) ➢ Breakfast with HPEC
• April 29, 2020 (Wednesday, 6:30-8:00 p.m. -East Petersburg Elementary) ➢ Summer Resources

For more information about HPEC visit the district website or email ;hempfield.hpec@gmail.com.

The 2019-20 school year is about to begin! Please look for information coming home to share your availability and/or willingness to volunteer and be involved in your child’s education.

Many, many families came out to Sneak-A-Peek and we hope even more come to Open House Night on Thursday, August 29, to learn more about how we can partner in your child’s education when you meet the teacher more informally. While we will be asking for your Giant Bonus number email address, and shirt size for your child, we will also share the curriculum and strategies your child will be learning.

 Thursday, Friday and early next week prove to be fast paced with over 590 children getting started in new classrooms. I am hopeful your clearances are up to date and you maintain those clearances to continue partnering with us as such a valuable volunteer. The sign up genius link below is critical to ensuring a smooth start with tagging bags, getting students to class, and welcoming new kindergarten families and students to our LPC family.

If your clearances are active, we’d love to have your support when getting started this week. 

Volunteers requested for first few days of school.

We look forward to a great year!

There is always so much to do and so little time! Trying to remember everything can seem daunting, so we’ve put together a checklist for you. Our back to school checklist includes reminders about:

• School supplies
• Required immunizations
• Updating allergy information
• Applying for free and reduced meals
• Registering for PowerSchool
• Updating volunteer clearances

If you are looking for more detailed information about any of these topics, visit your school’s “News” page on our district website.

CHIP, short for the Children's Health Insurance Program, is Pennsylvania’s program to provide health insurance to uninsured children and teens who are not eligible for or enrolled in Medical Assistance. CHIP covers uninsured kids up to age 19 in Pennsylvania. 

There are a lot of reasons kids might not have health insurance; maybe their parents lost a job, their parents are not offered health insurance at work, or maybe other options cost too much. Whatever the reason, CHIP may be able to help. All families need to do is apply. Most kids receive CHIP for free. Others can get the same benefits at a low cost. 

Chip Covers

• Routine check-ups
• Prescriptions
• Hospitalization
• Dental
• Eye Care
• Eyeglasses
• Behavioral care
• Specialty care
• More

CHIP is brought to you by leading health insurance companies who offer quality, comprehensive coverage. There is no limit on income. If your income is below CHIP guidelines, your child may be enrolled in Medical Assistance. Click here to apply for CHIP today.

Tuesday, August 20, is our district-wide elementary schools Sneak-A-Peek event!

• Landisville Intermediate Center’s Sneak-A-Peek event will take place from 9:30 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. 
• Landisville Primary Center Sneak-A-Peek event will take place from 10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.

This is a great opportunity for students, as well as their parents/guardians, to meet teachers and get acclimated to the classroom.

See our district calendar for more upcoming events.

The Pennsylvania Public School Code requires certain school health services for all children of school age. This is a reminder for elementary students in the following grades: 

• Kindergarten and First Time Entries to Grade 1: Physical and Dental exam completed within one year prior to first day of school. This is not due on the first day of school. 
• Grade 3: Dental exam completed within one year prior to first day of school. This is not due on the first day of school.

Additionally, certain immunizations are required for all children attending Pennsylvania schools.

The Immunization Law in Pennsylvania requires that all students have required immunizations by the first day of school. To view these requirements, visit the Pennsylvania Department of Health website. 

Families must provide updated immunization records no later than Thursday, August 22, which is the first day of the 2019-20 school year.

The PowerSchool portal is now open for parents and guardians: https://powerschool.hempfieldsd.org/public/. 

You should have received a letter in the postal mail with your student’s unique access ID and password, as well as instructions for registering for a portal account. If you did not receive this letter in the mail, please contact the Technology Department at 717-898-5596. 

We encourage you to register for a portal account as soon as possible to see your student’s schedule and teacher assignments. Please keep in mind that we are still transitioning data and getting things ready in PowerSchool. Information that you see in PowerSchool, such as schedules and transportation details, is only tentative until the start of school. We can’t wait for the school year to begin!

Get more troubleshooting resources here on our Technology Department> PowerSchool Page.

Dear Parent/Guardian,

On Friday, August 2, Hempfield School District will be transitioning parent/guardian access from Sapphire to PowerSchool. This change is also providing us with the opportunity to sync accounts between multiple systems resulting in a single username. As a result, previous parent/guardian accounts in both Sapphire and Schoology will be disabled.

You will be receiving a letter with instructions for creating a new account in PowerSchool this weekend. Your new Schoology account will be created automatically based on the account you create in PowerSchool. The Schoology account will be available for use within 24 hours. Schoology group info for athletics and extracurriculars is available in PowerSchool.

More information can be found here:

• PowerSchool Information
• Schoology Information

Please look for our letter for full details, arriving in mailboxes this weekend August 2-4, 2019.

Thank you,

Michael Graham
Director of Technology