Upper Dublin School District
Encyclopedia
Upper Dublin School District is located in Upper Dublin Township
, Montgomery County
, Pennsylvania
.
The school district
operates four elementary school
s, one middle school
, and one high school
, and serves students in grades K-12. The professional staff has an average of 16 years teaching experience and approximately 92% hold advanced degrees. The Upper Dublin School District is a separate governmental body from Upper Dublin Township, and is guided by the statutes of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It has a Board of Directors elected by the residents with the power to levy taxes within state guidelines. A superintendent
is in charge of day-to-day operations as well as strategic planning.
SRMS(6-8), and the high school
UDHS(9-12) are all accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools
. Upper Dublin High School became a Blue Ribbon School of Excellence in 1996, recognized by the United States Department of Education
.
to receive a K-12 paradigmatic accreditation from the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools
. Approximately 400 staff, community members, students, parents, and township officials were involved in the process.
. The campus is on a wooded lot with a large open play field lined with tall, old trees. Surrounding the campus are residential developments, some established and others brand new.
The interior of the school houses a full-size gym
nasium, library
, cafetorium, computer laboratory, and a networked technology infrastructure that is expandable and upgradeable. Each of the twenty five classrooms feature floor to ceiling bay window
s which, provide views of the outdoors. Additional features include an art suite, equipped with a visual, wet and kiln room, band and vocal music rooms, a PTO room, health suite, guidance suite, and an expandable large group room. Smaller sized seminar rooms are utilized by the speech and language pathologist, reading specialist, and school psychologist
. All rooms, classrooms included, are equipped with a telephone
, making communication convenient while adding an additional safety feature.
Several exterior courtyard
s serve as outdoor classrooms and help to expand learning opportunities beyond the walls of the school. The school has two developmental playgrounds designed specifically for younger and older children, including those with physical challenges.
Upper Dublin Township, Pennsylvania
Upper Dublin Township is a township in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 25,569 at the 2010 census.Upper Dublin is made up of several community areas, many of which are unincorporated areas in Montgomery County with no legal status, and are used primarily by the US...
, Montgomery County
Montgomery County, Pennsylvania
Montgomery County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, in the United States. As of 2010, the population was 799,874, making it the third most populous county in Pennsylvania . The county seat is Norristown.The county was created on September 10, 1784, out of land originally part...
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
.
General information
School district
School districts are a form of special-purpose district which serves to operate the local public primary and secondary schools.-United States:...
operates four elementary school
Elementary school
An elementary school or primary school is an institution where children receive the first stage of compulsory education known as elementary or primary education. Elementary school is the preferred term in some countries, particularly those in North America, where the terms grade school and grammar...
s, one middle school
Middle school
Middle School and Junior High School are levels of schooling between elementary and high schools. Most school systems use one term or the other, not both. The terms are not interchangeable...
, and one high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
, and serves students in grades K-12. The professional staff has an average of 16 years teaching experience and approximately 92% hold advanced degrees. The Upper Dublin School District is a separate governmental body from Upper Dublin Township, and is guided by the statutes of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It has a Board of Directors elected by the residents with the power to levy taxes within state guidelines. A superintendent
Superintendent (education)
In education in the United States, a superintendent is an individual who has executive oversight and administration rights, usually within an educational entity or organization....
is in charge of day-to-day operations as well as strategic planning.
Board of directors
- Joseph Chmielewski, Vice President, Facilities Chairperson, MCIU Board President
- Michael Paston, President
- David Robinson, Treasurer
- Debbie Mendelson Secretary, EAC Liaison
- Bert Saddler, Assistant Secretary,
- Art Levinowitz, Personnel Chairperson, Eastern Center V.P.,
- Vanessa Good
- Michael Resnick
- Margie Barrett
- Michael J. Pladus, Ed.D., Superintendent
Accreditation and recognition
The four elementary schools FWES, MGES, JES, and TFES(K-5), the middle schoolMiddle school
Middle School and Junior High School are levels of schooling between elementary and high schools. Most school systems use one term or the other, not both. The terms are not interchangeable...
SRMS(6-8), and the high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
UDHS(9-12) are all accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools
Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools
The Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools is a voluntary, peer-based, non-profit association dedicated to educational excellence and improvement through peer evaluation and accreditation...
. Upper Dublin High School became a Blue Ribbon School of Excellence in 1996, recognized by the United States Department of Education
United States Department of Education
The United States Department of Education, also referred to as ED or the ED for Education Department, is a Cabinet-level department of the United States government...
.
K-12 paradigmatic accreditation
Upper Dublin School District was the first school district in PennsylvaniaPennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
to receive a K-12 paradigmatic accreditation from the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools
Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools
The Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools is a voluntary, peer-based, non-profit association dedicated to educational excellence and improvement through peer evaluation and accreditation...
. Approximately 400 staff, community members, students, parents, and township officials were involved in the process.
District characteristics
- Class sizes of 22-26 students in major subject areas
- Up-to-date, well-maintained facilities, including:
- A planetariumPlanetariumA planetarium is a theatre built primarily for presenting educational and entertaining shows about astronomy and the night sky, or for training in celestial navigation...
- Technology labs
- Modern libraries with computerized circulation
- A planetarium
- Subject area coordinators and supervisors
- Special Education programs in all buildings
- Technology, including computers, in each classroom
- Comprehensive guidance and counseling services
- Induction programs and mentors for new teachers
- A curriculum that addresses the potential of all students
- Community partnerships that broaden and strengthen the education.
- A new High School (Started construction in Summer, 2008)
Parent-teacher groups
Parent volunteer groups are active in all six Upper Dublin schools. Parent-teacher groups sponsor special assembly programs, Child Watch programs, the Safe Home program (at the High School), school dances and fairs, after-school enrichment classes, and other activities and events. The Parent-Teacher Council is the umbrella organization for the parent-teacher groups. Parents are encouraged to join these organizations. http://www.udhspto.org/Jarrettown Elementary School
Jarrettown Elementary School is located in Dresher, PennsylvaniaDresher, Pennsylvania
Dresher is a community in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, USA. The population was 5,610 at the 2000 census. Because Dresher is neither an incorporated area nor a census-designated place, all statistics are for the ZIP code 19025, with which the community is coterminous.-Geography:According to...
. The campus is on a wooded lot with a large open play field lined with tall, old trees. Surrounding the campus are residential developments, some established and others brand new.
- Meg Place, Principal
External links
Maple Glen Elementary School
Maple Glen Elementary School is the newest school in the Upper Dublin School District; the school opened in September 2000. The single story building is 86000 square feet (7,989.7 m²). The school, which has been the home to roughly 450 students each year since its inception, was designed to be easily expanded to accommodate an ultimate enrollment of 600 students. The school is designed with a shingled roof and landscaping.The interior of the school houses a full-size gym
Gym
The word γυμνάσιον was used in Ancient Greece, that mean a locality for both physical and intellectual education of young men...
nasium, library
Library
In a traditional sense, a library is a large collection of books, and can refer to the place in which the collection is housed. Today, the term can refer to any collection, including digital sources, resources, and services...
, cafetorium, computer laboratory, and a networked technology infrastructure that is expandable and upgradeable. Each of the twenty five classrooms feature floor to ceiling bay window
Bay window
A bay window is a window space projecting outward from the main walls of a building and forming a bay in a room, either square or polygonal in plan. The angles most commonly used on the inside corners of the bay are 90, 135 and 150 degrees. Bay windows are often associated with Victorian architecture...
s which, provide views of the outdoors. Additional features include an art suite, equipped with a visual, wet and kiln room, band and vocal music rooms, a PTO room, health suite, guidance suite, and an expandable large group room. Smaller sized seminar rooms are utilized by the speech and language pathologist, reading specialist, and school psychologist
Psychologist
Psychologist is a professional or academic title used by individuals who are either:* Clinical professionals who work with patients in a variety of therapeutic contexts .* Scientists conducting psychological research or teaching psychology in a college...
. All rooms, classrooms included, are equipped with a telephone
Telephone
The telephone , colloquially referred to as a phone, is a telecommunications device that transmits and receives sounds, usually the human voice. Telephones are a point-to-point communication system whose most basic function is to allow two people separated by large distances to talk to each other...
, making communication convenient while adding an additional safety feature.
Several exterior courtyard
Courtyard
A court or courtyard is an enclosed area, often a space enclosed by a building that is open to the sky. These areas in inns and public buildings were often the primary meeting places for some purposes, leading to the other meanings of court....
s serve as outdoor classrooms and help to expand learning opportunities beyond the walls of the school. The school has two developmental playgrounds designed specifically for younger and older children, including those with physical challenges.
Thomas Fitzwater Elementary School
Thomas Fitzwater Elementary School (TFES), located in Willow Grove, PA, opened in 1962. Its mascot is a cheetah named Speedy. A statue named "The Swimmer II" greeted students at the front of the building every day, but now the staff have taken it down for remodeling.- Peter Alston, Principal
External links
Sandy Run Middle School
- Dr. Denise Falconi, Principal
- Steve Pickford, Assistant Principal - sixth grade
- Martin Doyle, Assistant Principal - seventh and eighth grade