Pine Richland Middle School

Pine-Richland Middle School

Roll Rams Roll
Location
100 Logan Road, Gibsonia, Pennsylvania
Allegheny County 15044 Coordinates: 40°39′34″N 80°01′01″W / 40.65934°N 80.01702°W / 40.65934; -80.01702
Information
Type Public
School district Pine-Richland School District
Superintendent Mr. Brian Miller, July 2013-June 30, 2017 [1][2]
Principal David Kristofic[3]
Grades 7th-8th
Enrollment 735 pupils (2013),[4] 729 (2011-12), 725 (2010)[5]
Color(s)

Green, White, Gold

         
Mascot Ram
Information (724) 625 3111
Website http://www.pinerichland.org/Domain/134

Pine-Richland Middle School is a midsized, public, middle school in Gibsonia, Pennsylvania. It shares the same campus as Pine-Richland High School. The middle school is part of the Pine-Richland School District. In 2015, Pine-Richland Middle School reported an enrollment of 739 pupils in grades 7th and 8th. In 2010, it was reported that 5% of students coming from a family which meets the federal poverty level and 16% of pupils receiving special education services.[6] According to a report by the Pennsylvania Department of Education, 100% of its teachers were rated "Highly Qualified" under No Child Left Behind.[7] Until the start of the 2008-2009 school year, it provided grades 6th through 8th.

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, in 2010, Pine-Richland Middle School reported 40 pupils receiving a federal free or reduced-price lunch due to family poverty. Pine-Richland Middle School employed 58 teachers, yielding a student–teacher ratio of 12:1.[8] According to a report by the Pennsylvania Department of Education, 100% of its teachers were rated "Highly Qualified" under No Child Left Behind.[9] Sixth grade was moved to Eden Hall Upper Elementary School for the 2008-09 school year.

in 2015, the principal at Pine-Richland Middle School is David Kristofic. Prior to Pine-Richland, Mr. Kristofic served as principal for the West Shamokin High School and Elderton High School, in the Armstrong School District located in Ford City, Pennsylvania. In years prior, Kristofic served as the assistant principal at Indian Valley Middle School in Reedsville, Pennsylvania and Jr. High principal and Assistant Secondary principal in the Mount Union Area School District. Dr. Kathleen Harrington was the principal for 16 years, retiring in 2010. She earned the University of Pittsburgh's School of Education's Pre K-12 Educator Award. Pine Richland Middle School received the Don Eichhorn Best Middle School in Pennsylvania award for the 2003-04 school year, and a Schools to Watch award in the 2006-07 year that carries over to the 2009-10 year. This award was achieved again in the 2009-10 school year. The school team is the Pine-Richland Rams, and the colors are green and white.

Western Pennsylvania rankings

In 2015, Pine-Richland Middle School's eighth grade ranked 13 out of 145 western Pennsylvania middle schools based on the last three years of student academic achievement in Pennsylvania System of School Assessments (PSSA) in: reading, math, writing and three years of science.[10] (Includes schools in: Allegheny County, Beaver County, Butler County, Fayette County, Westmoreland County, and Washington County)

In 2015, Pine-Richland's seventh grade ranked 15th out of 145 western Pennsylvania middle school seventh grades.[11] In 2012, the seventh grade ranked 22nd in the western Pennsylvania region.

Academics

Visit http://www.pinerichland.org/academicreport for the latest in test scores. (PSSAs, Keystones, etc.)

Wellness policy

Pine-Richland School Board established a district wellness policy in 2010.[12] The policy deals with nutritious meals served at school, the control of access to some foods and beverages during school hours, age appropriate nutrition education for all students, and physical education for students K-12. The policy is in response to state mandates and federal legislation (P.L. 108 – 265). The law dictates that each school district participating in a program authorized by the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act (42 U.S.C. 1751 et seq) or the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 (42 U.S.C. 1771 et seq) "shall establish a local school wellness policy by School Year 2006." Most districts identified the superintendent and school foodservice director as responsible for ensuring local wellness policy implementation.[13]

The legislation placed the responsibility of developing a wellness policy at the local level so the individual needs of each district can be addressed. According to the requirements for the Local Wellness Policy, school districts must set goals for nutrition education, physical activity, campus food provision, and other school-based activities designed to promote student wellness. Additionally, districts were required to involve a broad group of individuals in policy development and to have a plan for measuring policy implementation. Districts were offered a choice of levels of implementation for limiting or prohibiting low nutrition foods on the school campus. In final implementation these regulations prohibit some foods and beverages on the school campus.[14] The Pennsylvania Department of Education required the district to submit a copy of the policy for approval.

Pine-Richland Middle School offers both a free school breakfast and a free or reduced-price lunch to children in low income families. All students attending the school can eat breakfast and lunch. Children from families with incomes at or below 130 percent of the federal poverty level are provided a breakfast and lunch at no cost to the family. Children from families with incomes between 130 and 185 percent of the federal poverty level can be charged no more than 30 cents per breakfast. A foster child whose care and placement is the responsibility of the State or who is placed by a court with a caretaker household is eligible for both a free breakfast and a free lunch. Runaway, homeless and Migrant Youth are also automatically eligible for free meals.[15] The meals are partially funded with federal dollars through the United States Department of Agriculture.[16]

In 2013, the USDA issued new restrictions to foods in public schools. The rules apply to foods and beverages sold on all public school district campuses during the day. They limit vending machine snacks to a maximum of 200 calories per item. Additionally, all snack foods sold at school must meet competitive nutrient standards, meaning they must have fruits, vegetables, dairy or protein in them or contain at least 10 percent of the daily value of fiber, calcium, potassium, and Vitamin D.[17] In order to comply with the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 all US public school districts are required to raise the price of their school lunches to $2.60 regardless of the actual cost of providing the lunch.[18] In 2014, President Obama ordered a prohibition of advertisements for unhealthy foods on public school campuses during the school day.[19]

Pine-Richland School District provides health services as mandated by the Commonwealth and the federal government. Nurses are available in each building to conduct annual health screenings (data reported to the PDE and state Department of Health) and to dispense prescribed medications to students during the school day. Students can be excluded from school unless they comply with all the State Department of Health’s extensive immunization mandates. The School's nurse monitors each pupil for this compliance.[20] District nurses also monitor each child's weight.

Highmark Healthy High 5 grant

In 2009, the Pine-Richland School District received funding through a Highmark Healthy High 5 grant. Pine-Richalnd Middle School received $9,117 which was used to purchase fitness equipment and nutritional materials for the Middle School Wellness Challenge.[21] Beginning in 2006, Highmark Foundation engaged in a 5-year, $100 million program to promote lifelong healthy behaviors in children and adolescents through local nonprofits and schools.

Pine-Richland School District participated in Highmark Healthy High 5 Health eTools for Schools which enabled mobile data collection of pertinent health and physical fitness screening data on students K-12 in a database held by InnerLink, Inc. in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Health eTools for Schools also provided interdisciplinary research-based curriculum in nutrition, physical education and physical activity to participating districts. The program was discontinued in 2013.[22]

Tuition

Students who live in the Pine-Richland School District's attendance area may choose to attend one of Pennsylvania's 157 public charter schools. A student living in a neighboring public school district or a foreign exchange student may seek admission to Pine-Richland School District. For these cases, the Pennsylvania Department of Education sets an annual tuition rate for each school district. It is the amount the public school district pays to a charter school for each resident student that attends the charter and it is the amount a nonresident student's parents must pay to attend the District's schools. The 2012 tuition rate was $7,927.55 for the middle school and high school.[23]

Extracurriculars

Pine-Richland School District offers a wide variety of clubs, activities and an extensive, costly sports program to both middle school and high school students. Eligibility for participation is determined by school board policy and in compliance with standards set by the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA). The District charges an $80 per year fee to students who choose to participate in extracurriculars.

By Pennsylvania law, all K-12 students residing in the district, including those who attend a private nonpublic school, cyber charter school, charter school and those homeschooled, are eligible to participate in the extracurricular programs including all athletics. They must meet the same eligibility rules as the students enrolled in the district's schools.[24]

The District participates in the C. Harper Positive High School Athlete Award, as well as a Boys and Girls Coach of the Year program. Winners are eligible to win financial scholarships from several companies in the Pittsburgh region:

Middle School Sports

Boys

Girls

According to PIAA directory July 2013 [25]

References

  1. Trozzo, Sandy., Pine-Richland hires Miller as new superintendent, The Post Gazette, April 11, 2013
  2. Pennsylvania Department oF Education, Education Names and Addresses, 2013
  3. Cindy Cusic Micco (July 22, 2010). "Middle school principal hired in Pine-Richland".
  4. Pennsylvania Department of Education, School Performance Profile - Pine-Richland School District Fast Facts, 2013
  5. National Center for Education Statistics, Pine-Richland Middle School data, 2010
  6. Pennsylvania Department of Education (October 4, 2013). "Pine-Richland Middle School School Performance Profile Fast Facts 2013".
  7. Pennsylvania Department of Education, Professional Qualifications of Teachers Pine-Richland Middle School, October 4, 2013
  8. National Center for Education Statistics, Common Care Data – Pine-Richland Middle School 2010, 2010
  9. Pennsylvania Department of Education, Professional Qualifications of Teachers Pine-Richland Middle School, September 29, 2011
  10. The Rankings: Eighth grade, Pittsburgh Business Times, April 6, 2012.
  11. Pittsburgh Business Times (April 5, 2013). "USC's Fort Couch Middle School top scorer among seventh-grade schools".
  12. Pine-Richland School Board Policy Manual, Student Wellness Policy 246, November 22, 2010
  13. Probart C, McDonnell E, Weirich JE, Schilling L, Fekete V (September 2008). "Statewide assessment of local wellness policies in Pennsylvania public school districts.". J Am Diet Assoc. 108 (9): 1497–502. doi:10.1016/j.jada.2008.06.429. PMID 18755322.
  14. Pennsylvania Department of Education – Division of Food and Nutrition (July 2008). "Nutrition Standards for Competitive Foods in Pennsylvania Schools for the School Nutrition Incentive".
  15. USDA, Child Nutrition Programs - Eligibility Manual for School Meals, 2012
  16. Pennsylvania Hunger Action Center, The Pennsylvania School Breakfast Report Card, 2009
  17. USDA, Child Nutrition Programs, June 27, 2013
  18. United States Department of Agriculture (2011). "Food and Nutrition Service Equity in School Lunch Pricing Fact Sheet" (PDF).
  19. Denver Nicks (February 25, 2014). "White House Sets New Limits on Junk Food Ads in Schools". Time Magazine.
  20. Pennsylvania State Department of Health (2010). "Pennsylvania Bulletin Doc. No. 10-984 School Immunizations; Communicable and Noncommunicable Diseases".
  21. Highmark Foundation, 2009 School Challenge Grants, 2009
  22. PR Newswire, Highmark Healthy High 5 Health eTools for Schools Available Free Through 2009, 2007
  23. Pennsylvania Department of Education (May 2012). "Pennsylvania Public School District Tuition Rates".
  24. Pennsylvania Office of the Governor Press Release (November 10, 2005). "Home-Schooled, Charter School Children Can Participate in School District Extracurricular Activities".
  25. Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletics Association (2013). "PIAA School Directory".
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