Commemorating 10 years of Framework within the School District

The Upper Moreland School District as put together a documentary that takes a look back at its major focus on curriculum management.

According to Upper Moreland School District (UMSD) director of education Jenny Lehman, the Framework for Continuous Improvement DVD has been a decade in the making. “It turns 10 this year,“ Lehman said. According to Lehman, in order to commemorate the district’s decade-long progression for professional development and increasing academic rigor, a video documentary was commissioned to narrate the district-wide efforts of teachers and administrators. “We put together a DVD that will take us to the next 10 years and give us an indication of where we have been, where we are now, and where we hope to go,” Lehman said. The video shown during the committee meeting was an approximately10-minute trailer of a feature-length version. The longer video…

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Plan Mapped Out for UMHS and MCCC Potential Partnership

The Upper Moreland School Board further discussed how the district’s high school students can be set on a path to an Associate’s Degree from Montgomery County Community College.

During the March 6 Programs and Services Committee meeting of the Upper Moreland School Board, the district’s superintendent Dr. Robert Milrod further discussed the potential partnership between Upper Moreland High School (UMHS) and Montgomery County Community College (MCCC). Milrod first brought up the partnership at last month’s committee meeting, in which he presented an opportunity for the district’s high school students to take MCCC credited classes and potentially graduate with an Associate’s degree. “Dual enrollment is not anything new,” Milrod said. “What’s different is the scope.” According to Milrod, the UMHS and MCCC partnership would allow many of the district’s high school students to take college-credited courses. During the …

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The Up and Up in Upper Moreland

Should There Be an Activity Fee?

While controversy may surround a proposed school district activity fee, a solution will be found by the "will of the people."

Time and time again, people have told me Upper Moreland is a close-knit community. Some of the stories we publish on Upper Moreland - Willow Grove Patch do reflect how such a close-knit community can band together and overcome obstacles to ensure hope for a better future. Since the school district's superintendent, Dr. Robert Milrod, introduced the Activity Fee proposal at the school board's Jan. 18 public Programs and Services committee meeting, there have been a large number of community members in attendance. In fact, there were over 60 people who attended this week's committee meeting, leaving standing room only. A great deal of the concern is that the proposed Activity Fee is a "pay-to-play" solution that would require any Upper …

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Upper Moreland School Board Considers Settlement Music School’s Tax Exemption Request

Settlement Music School asked the school board for retroactive relief and to exempt the nonprofit music school from paying non-assessed property tax for 2010 and 2011.

The Upper Moreland School Board discussed a tax exemption request from Willow Grove’s Settlement Music School at the Budget/Finance Committee meeting Sept. 20. Helen Eaton, executive director of Settlement Music School, brought the request to the board’s attention. Eaton asked the board for retroactive relief and to exempt the nonprofit music school from paying non-assessed property tax for 2010 and 2011. The board decided to push the discussion item until more information is available, but made it clear that the board would not grant exemption. “We [the board] generally follow what the county [Montgomery County Board of Assessment] says when it comes to tax assessments,” said Richard Latta, treasurer, “If you have an appeal with the …

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Intermediate and Primary Schools Show Success in Instruction Management

Principals from the Upper Moreland School District’s Intermediate and Primary schools share their success stories from the 2010-2011 school year.

The respective administrators of the Upper Moreland School District school buildings got a chance to report to the school board on one of several goals they had achieved in the 2010-2011 school year. One such principal was the Intermediate School’s Dr. Joseph Waters, who addressed the Sept. 6 Programs and Services Committee meeting. In his presentation, Waters discussed the successful implementation of the RtII program. RiII (Response to Instruction & Intervention) is identified by the Pennsylvania Department of Education as an all education standards-aligned initiative. According to Waters, RiII involves identifying specific needs of students. “The purpose of RtII is to match intervention and instruction needs,” Waters said. “It provides …

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School District Promotes Comcast’s ‘Internet Essentials Program’

In an effort to reduce the number of students without access to broadband Internet, the school district will promote Comcast’s reduced Internet services program.

Several technology opportunities were discussed during last night’s school board Programs and Services committee meeting. One such opportunity would help students with financial needs gain broadband Internet access. “The world has gone digital,” Dr. Robert Milrod, Upper Moreland School District superintendent, said, addressing the board. Milrod said that the concern may be ever-shrinking, but there are low-income families who don’t have broadband Internet access. In light of this, Milrod suggested the school district promote the new Internet Essentials program. According to the Internet Essentials’ website, the program is a Comcast initiative offering students and families the opportunity to have broadband Internet access in their homes at…

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Upper Moreland School Board Locks in Milrod for Five More Years

In the fourth of his five-year contract, Superintendent Robert Milrod agreed to come to terms with the Upper Moreland school board to end the current contract Aug. 23 to enact the new five-year deal.

The Upper Moreland school board unanimously approved a five-year contract for Superintendent Robert Milrod Aug. 23. For the 2011-12 year, Milrod will earn $172,707.80, which represents a 1.4 percent increase from his 2010 contract of $170,300. The new contract runs through June 30, 2016. “I want to give my heartfelt thanks for providing me the opportunity to serve the district for 14 years,” Milrod said. “I will continue to do my best to work with students, teachers and community.” In the fourth of his five-year contract, Milrod agreed to come to terms with the Upper Moreland school board to end the current contract Aug. 23 to enact the new five-year deal. “The date of the contract and the increase in pay are linked to Act 1 index,” school…

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UMSD School Board Takes a Look at the Condition of the District's Athletic Uniforms

After finding out that there were not enough football helmets for practice, superintendent Dr. Robert Milrod directed the board's attention to the district's athletic uniform cycles.

In light of the pending co-curricular contracts, the Upper Moreland School District’s athletic and band uniform cycle has come under some scrutiny. District superintendent Dr. Robert Milrod brought up the subject of how much uniforms cost and their life cycles at the Aug. 2 Programs and Services committee meeting. Milrod explained to the committee that the state of athletic uniforms had become a focus after a parent had complained to him during this summer’s football camp. According to Milrod, the parent’s son had asked to use a football helmet during practice to get used to wearing one during the regular season, but was denied because the student was told there weren’t enough helmets. This led Milrod to begin an investigation of first the…

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Upper Moreland School District Grows and Grows

The district has a new hands-on approach to promoting nutrition and healthy choices.

The Upper Moreland School District has taken nourishing its students to the next level. Through its wellness program, the district was able to procure a $6,500 Farm to School grant, received last July. With this grant, the district has been able to make unprecedented headway in promoting nutrition and healthy choices among its student body. According to the district’s director of food services, Cindy Van Druff, students were first introduced to new kinds of fruits and vegetables in the classroom. “And we showed them foods with roots on them, like lettuces and onions,” Van Druff said. Such classroom demonstrations were followed up throughout the school year by offering the students the new fruits and vegetables on the cafeteria menu, which …

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