Our Falcon Dash for Education is tomorrow–Friday, September 30th! Students should wear comfortable shoes and bring their water bottle. 

Since this year’s Dash has a superhero theme, students have been working on decorating superhero capes, which have been hung in the hallways. Please enjoy some pictures of our creative capes!

(If unable to view photos, click “Read in browser” below.)

The Lancaster Barnstormers are looking to fill the stands for the ALPB Championship series vs. the High Point Rockers! The Barnstormers are offering FREE tickets for students AND staff and $10 tickets for family and friends to support the team in their quest to win it all!

This series is a "best of 5" format with the first two games played in High Point, North Carolina. The remaining games in the series will be played at Clipper Magazine Stadium, following the below schedule:

Game #3: Friday, September 30* at 6:30 p.m.
Game #4: Saturday, October 1* at 6:30 p.m. (if necessary, series is "best of 5 games")
Game #5: Sunday, October 2 at 6:30 p.m. (if necessary, series is "best of 5 games")

Tickets can be purchased online by clicking here. Refunds will be distributed for any games that are not played.

Follow these steps to purchase tickets:
1. Click the link above.
2. Click the game you wish to purchase tickets for.
3. Under "All ticket types" choose as many Field Box Seats - Student Tickets (staff should also use this ticket type) and/or Field Box Seats - Family/Friend Tickets ($10 each) as you would like and add them to your cart.
4. Review, confirm, and pay for your order.
5. Questions can be directed to Kendra Behm at (717) 358-9855 or kbehm@lancasterbarnstormers.com.

*denotes post-game fireworks

The HSD Social Services department will periodically share resources that may be helpful to families in our community, like Finding Your Way in PA. This is a new Pennsylvania-based mobile & desktop app designed to share services, resources, and information with young people and families, particularly those experiencing financial insecurity or homelessness. While using the app, users can search for and request assistance with services and resources specific to the Lancaster area and get connected with helpful, local support. Click here for more information.

Picture Day: Wed. 9/28
Farmdale’s picture day will be held on Wednesday, September 28th. Order forms were sent home with students the other week. Orders and payment can be sent to school with the order envelope via cash or check payable to Lifetouch. If paying with cash, exact change is required. (Photographers and school employees are unable to make change.) Pictures can also be purchased online at mylifetouch.com using school ID: EVTK3SQHW. 

Hempfield Colors Day: Thurs. 9/29
“Our greatest glory is not never falling, but in rising every time we fall.” This is our last spirit day before the Falcon Dash! Students and staff are encouraged to wear Hempfield black and red. 

Falcon Dash: Fri. 9/30
Farmdale's annual fundraiser, the Falcon Dash for Education, will be held on Friday, September 30th. Fundraising efforts help provide field trips, educational assemblies, family fun events, and more for our children. Donations are being accepted until October 7th. 

Looking Ahead

• Mon. Sept. 26- No School

• Tues. Sept. 27- Cycle Day 5

• Wed. Sept. 28- Cycle Day 6, Picture Day

• Thurs. Sept. 29- Cycle Day 1, Hempfield Colors Day

• Fri. Sept. 30- Cycle Day 2, Falcon Dash

The Owl Hill Pre-K Counts program, offered collaboratively by The Owl Hill Learning Center and Hempfield School District (HSD), is being offered at Landisville Intermediate Center. The class is designed for 3 and 4-year-old children to experience a Pre-K program in the Hempfield School District.

Pennsylvania Pre-K Counts provides high-quality pre-kindergarten services in schools, preschools, and child care centers throughout the state. This new program is open to HSD children who turned three years of age on or before September 1 and meet the program eligibility requirements. 

The program has been approved through the Office of Child Development and Early Learning. The program runs Monday to Friday 8 am - 1:30 pm and will follow the HSD calendar. 

Materials and breakfast or lunch are provided at no cost to families. Transportation is the responsibility of the family, as no busing is offered for this program. 

The Owl Hill Pre-K Counts staff will be doing eligibility screenings by appointment or the Pre-K Counts Application and Eligibility Screening form can be downloaded here.  

To learn more about this program or to make a screening appointment, contact Mrs. Julie Mathers, Pre-K Counts Administrator, at (717) 537-8304 or hsdpkc@gmail.com.

Pajama Day
This Wednesday was Pajama Day in honor of our upcoming Falcon Dash! Students and staff enjoyed wearing their cozy pajamas to school. Here are some of our favorites:

Dressing for the Weather
Please help your child to come to school dressed appropriately for the weather. With dropping temperatures, please remember to send your student to school with a coat, jacket or sweater as we WILL have outdoor recess unless it’s raining.

Looking Ahead

• Mon. Sept. 26- No School

• Tues. Sept. 27- Cycle Day 5

• Wed. Sept. 28- Cycle Day 6, Picture Day

• Thurs. Sept. 29- Cycle Day 1

• Fri. Sept. 30- Cycle Day 2, Falcon Dash

The following is a correction to the original post from 9/21/22. The times & locations below are correct.

5^th and 6^th grade travel girls basketball try-outs are coming up on the following dates:

• Monday, October 10 from 6:00-7:30 p.m. at LIC
• Wednesday, October 12 from 6:00-7:30 p.m. at LIC

Registration for try-outs can be completed by clicking here. Questions can be directed to Chris Erb, 9^th Grade Girls Basketball Coach, or DC Clark, 8th Grade Middle School Coach.

The Salvation Army of Lancaster will be hosting in-person application dates for their annual Coats for Kids Giveaway on the following dates:

• September 26 from 9:30 a.m-3:30 p.m.
• September 27 from 9:30 a.m-3:30 p.m.
• September 29 from 9:30 a.m-7:00 p.m.
• September 30 from 9:30 a.m-3:30 p.m.
• October 1 from 9:00 a.m-12:00 p.m.

An in-person application is required for coats for children living in Lancaster County, ranging from toddler to 16 years old. When applying in-person, an adult will need to bring proof of ID (and proof of address if it differs from what is shown on the ID) and birth certificate(s) for the child(ren). Applications will not be accepted without the required documentation. Coat distribution dates will be on October 18, 19, 21, and 24.

For more information about Coats for Kids or for Salvation Army of Lancaster contact information and location, please refer to this flyer in English or this flyer in Spanish.

Hempfield School District is committed to researching, investigating and responding to concerns brought to the attention of school administrators. At a recent Board meeting, several community members expressed concern over a few books and texts they believe to be inappropriate and available in our schools’ libraries.

Since the meeting, district administrators and staff have looked into the concerns brought forth and reviewed the books in question, as well as reviewed the selection, challenge, and weeding processes for resource materials.

We strive to maintain a collection of print and online books for our students that is well-balanced and well-rounded in coverage of subject, types of materials, and variety of content, while maintaining appropriate maturation levels of the students they are serving.

Of the books specifically referenced at the recent Board meeting, one print copy was available at the high school; two titles were available through the IU13’s online catalog system only; and no elementary or middle school students have access to these titles. It is also important to note that none of the books referenced are required reading for any student, but rather available in the library system for student selection.

The district’s closer look into these materials brought to light that we can do a better job of informing parents about how to check what texts are available to students, and share some of the challenges we face in managing both the in-person and online e-book collections.

In addition to our online systems, we utilize IU13’s catalog, SORA. This is a joint resource shared by all Lancaster/Lebanon schools. While this is a great resource, one of the challenges we face is that we do not manage the titles in their collection. If, however, we become aware of a text that is misclassified or inappropriate for our schools, we can prevent it from showing up in a Destiny search. Parents can also request to opt their child out of the entire SORA collection and rely solely on Hempfield School District’s tools by contacting their child’s school librarian.

Another challenge is how certain texts show up when searched at different school/grade levels. For example, when we move a text to the High School only, it will show as “OUT” for Elementary/Middle School students. The students cannot check them out or access them, however, the title remains in the system. We recently learned that the titles must manually be removed from each individual school’s Destiny catalog for them to not display in a search. This is an ongoing task that our librarians continue to work through.

Hempfield School District has nearly 150,000 titles in our collection. No single librarian has read all 150,000 titles. We rely on the School Library Journal and Booklists, among other resources, to check reviews. And, these reviews are not always perfect at indicating inappropriate content. Sometimes we don’t find out until a book is read. It’s similar to our internet content filter – we put abundant safeguards in place, but there is occasionally a gap. In these instances, as soon as a gap is identified, we close it as quickly as possible.

What can you do:

1. Review the materials – Parents have access to all of the library’s titles by going to their child’s school library page and looking up the titles in Destiny. You can see titles, authors, book descriptions, awards, and more. Use this document for directions on how to access and perform searches in Destiny.
   
   
2. Block the content – You can have specific titles blocked from your child without having the book/resource removed from the library and making it inaccessible to other students. This can be completed quickly and simply with an email to your child’s librarian with the request. 
   
   
3. Challenge – If you have concerns about specific curricular or resource materials, please follow the procedure explained in the administrative guidelines developed in accordance with Board Policy 109.

 

Bottom line – if you have a concern, please talk with your child’s librarian first to make sure you have the facts about the book in question and to confirm that the title is indeed accessible to your child. Then you can make an informed decision about whether you want to have the specific book/resource blocked from your child.

 

2 Minute Talks is a monthly video series addressing the topical issues, concerns, or questions around our school district and community.

In the September 2-Minute Talk, Mr. Bromirski provides an overview of the water main replacement project that will take place in early October and result in the closure of Church St. between Main St. and Mumma Dr. This project will affect traffic in and around the Landisville campus.

Project updates will be posted to the district homepage throughout the duration of the project. Any changes to bus stops/bus routes will be communicated directly to those impacted by our Transportation department.