DUBOIS – DuBois Schools are taking a stand against drugs and alcohol abuse with red ribbons this week.
Honoring Enrique “Kiki” Camarena, a Drug Enforcement Administration Agent who was killed in Mexico in 1985, this event uses red ribbons to continue the fight against drug use, showing that any one person can make a difference.
Throughout the rest of the month, DuBois Area Schools are urging you to come together and brighten our children’s futures.
A full look at the Superintendent’s report is below:
October 24, 2024 School Board Report
Fire Prevention Week – October 6 – 12, 2024
Thank you to all of our local fire departments for their support and assistance with our monthly fire drills. Our firefighters completed building tours, educational lessons, provided educational resources, trucks were on site, etc. We sincerely appreciate their support and shared efforts to educate our students!
DuBois City – High School, Middle School, Juniata
Sandy Twp. – Wasson & Oklahoma
Reynoldsville Fire Company – CG Johnson
National School Bus Safety Week
October 21-25, 2025
This week, we are proud to observe National School Bus Safety Week, a time to emphasize the importance of ensuring that our students travel to and from school safely each day. The safety of our children is a shared responsibility, and this week serves as a valuable reminder of how we can all play a role in supporting safe practices.
School buses are one of the safest modes of transportation for our students, but it’s crucial that we continue to educate our community on ways to enhance safety measures. Whether you are a parent, student, driver, or community member, there are simple steps we can all take to ensure school bus safety:
- Students should always be mindful of their behavior while riding, staying seated, and following the driver’s instructions.
- Motorists must be vigilant, stopping for school buses when the stop arm is extended and driving cautiously in school zones.
- Parents and guardians can reinforce safe habits with their children by teaching them to look both ways and avoid distractions when getting on and off the bus.
Let’s work together to ensure that every child arrives at school and returns home safely each day. National School Bus Safety Week is a reminder of our collective responsibility, and with everyone’s commitment, we can keep our students safe on the road.
October 8-10, 2024 In-Service
DASD professionals appreciated the opportunity to engage with families as we facilitated parent teacher conferences and benefitted from professional development in the following areas: Artificial Intelligence, STAR Benchmarking and Diagnostic Assessments, Data Analysis to support Student Learning through interventions, STEELS Foundations training with the IU6, Structured Literacy training with Diane Coulter, Book Studies, time to engage in personal learning communities centered around academics and student behaviors, as well as time to complete state mandated trainings.
Reconnecting Youth
Over the summer, we provided support of the Clearfield /Jefferson Drug and Alcohol Commission’s efforts to secure a grant to start a Reconnecting Youth program at the Middle School and I’m elated to share their success in being selected as a grant recipient. Yesterday, we met with Malissa Martino and Chris Grunthaner to start to plan for the specifics.
Reconnecting Youth (RY) is an evidence-based prevention program targeting identified at risk students in 7th and 8th grade. RY includes a semester-long class, spread over 10 weeks with just 10-12 students, that can be integrated into the school day. The RY Class combines a positive peer group culture with skills training in five engaging modules:
- Improved School Outcomes
Students participating in Reconnecting Youth will increase school attendance and improve GPA.
- Increased Mood Management
Students will learn coping skills to better manage their moods and decrease depressive symptoms.
- Decreased Drug & Alcohol Use
Students will learn peer refusal skills, dangers of drug and alcohol use, and long-term consequences of substance use.
- Decreased Suicide Risk Factors
Reconnecting Youth helps students learn how to better manage moods in order to decrease feelings of hopelessness and helplessness.
- Increased Protective Factors
Students participating in Reconnecting Youth increase problem-solving and coping skills, as well as, experiencing strong connections to their school community.
Future State
On Monday, Ms. McLaughlin and I were honored to participate in the Future State Charrette hosted by Penn State DuBois. The Future State Charrette is an initiative for Penn State’s Commonwealth Campuses and is a regional community conversation on workforce and economic development, community engagement and research. This opportunity lent itself well to our district’s READY initiative and provided us, as well as many other businesses, legislators and those focused on workforce development in the region to build awareness of the needs of our region. We very much appreciated the invitation and look forward to the outcomes of the Future State initiative.
Furniture Update
CG Johnson – The new student chairs are in place and are appreciated by the students!
Middle School – The tables for the outdoor classroom have been installed to include seating for 45!
Middle School – The new risers and posture chairs in the auditorium are ready for the upcoming holiday performances. The Music Department, shared that “it feels like Christmas”!
High School Science Classrooms & Science Labs – The new student chairs and lab table stools are scheduled for delivery within the next two weeks.
High School, Middle School & CG Johnson – New teacher desks and chairs have been ordered and an on-site meeting is scheduled for next week to develop a phasing plan.
