Sunday, September 30, 2012

Big Second Half Lifts Morrisville

Football: Morrisville 31, Academy of the New Church 13

Big second half lifts Morrisville

Morrisville 31, Academy of the New Church 13
Morrisville7 0 14 10-31
Academy of the New Church7 0 6 0-13

Scoring Summary

M - Ibezim 21 yard interception (Goodwin kick)
ANC - Alston 5 run (McCurdy kick)
M - Ibezim 1 run (Goodwin kick)
N - Murray 36 pass from Elder (pass failed)
M - Valdez 3 run (Goodwin kick)
M - Ibezim 10 run (Valdez run)
M - Safety; Cox made tackle in end zone
Team Statistics
MANC
First Downs149
Yards Rushing28590
Yards Passing1121
Total Offense286211
Comp. Passes, Int1-07-2
Fumbles-lost3-22-1
Penalties-yards5-305-30
Punts-Avg.1-30n/a
Sacked-Yds. Lost1-65-33

Individual Statistics

Morrisville
Rushing: Ibezim 14-100, 2 TDs; Valdez 11-53, 1 TD; Miller 13-77; Rankins 3-53; McIntyre 1-2
Passing: McIntyre 1-2-0, 1 yard
Receiving: Rankins 1-1
Interceptions: None
Academy of the New Church
Rushing: Alston 8-24, 1 TD; Romanishan 4-33; Nelson 7-13; King-Bails 3-8; Thomas 2-7; McCurdy 2-(-5)
Passing: Elder 7-11-2, 121 yards, 1 TD; McCurdy 0-1-0
Receiving: Murray 2-51, 1 TD; McCurdy 2-38; Thomas 1-6; Nelson 1-9
Interceptions: Elder 2
Posted: Sunday, September 30, 2012 12:00 am | Updated: 6:08 am, Sun Sep 30, 2012.
Big second half lifts MorrisvilleBy Jason Renard CorrespondentCalkins Media, Inc. | 0 comments
BRYN ATHYN — Morrisville needed a win, and after traveling to Academy of the New Church on Saturday afternoon for a nonleague match-up, that is exactly what they got by defeating the host Lions, 31-13.“It all starts at practice,” said Morrisville's Zjamir Ibezim, who finished with 100 yards on the ground, two touchdowns, and one score on defense.“We’ve been hitting the sleds harder, we started getting in the weight room, and everyone was on the same page. I hope we just keep this running now.”
Ibezim was the first player of the game to find the end zone, but it wasn’t on offense for the Bulldogs.
Morrisville's Jimmie Miller picked off a pass and flipped the ball back to Ibezim, who then scampered down the sideline 21 yards untouched less than three minutes into the game.
The Lions responded with 21 seconds left in the opening stanza when Aramis Alston rumbled in from a yard out to knot the score at 7, and that was the way the first half ended.
The second half was all Bulldogs.
The defense, led by Andre Cox, who finished with five sacks and a safety, held the Lions to just 90 yards on the ground throughout 48 minutes.
The offense began to click on all cylinders, with Ibezim and company racking up 285 yards on the ground.
The Bulldogs received the second-half kickoff and methodically marched down the field on nine plays before Ibezim crossed the goal line from a yard out.
The Lions again answered the score, this time on a Landon Elder-to-Zahir Murray 36-yard scoring strike. ANC failed on a two-point conversion try, and Morrisville blanked the Lions the rest of the way.
“I thought our defense played great,” said Morrisville coach Bill Quill. “We played a full game today on defense, and hats off to our defensive coaches. They did a great job.”
The Bulldogs' Raimy Valdez scored from 3 yards out to make it 21-13. Then Ibezim found the end zone for his third score of the afternoon with 4:27 left in regulation to make it 29-13. Cox capped off the day with his safety.
“It feels good,” said Cox. “It’s been a while, and it’s good to snap that losing streak. To get our second win feels really good.
"It felt great to get that safety, and when Chris (Peluzzo) came out of nowhere, I needed that help to get it. We haven’t beaten that team in a long time, but it feels good and I’m proud of my teammates.”
“We just came out and played hard,” added Ibezim. “Our line blocked great today, and we wanted to fight today for 48 minutes.
"Nobody gave up. Sometimes when the other team scores, we get down, but nobody did that today and we kept fighting.”
According to Quill, it was the first time in almost two decades that the Bulldogs have defeated the Lions. On Saturday, they did so with only 20 players suited up, none being more important than Gary Boyd.
“We cleaned up a couple of things today and we got Gary Boyd back at left guard,” said Quill. “We do a lot of pulling and a lot of trapping, so our guards are very important.
"Gary really helps us clean things up, and we can do a lot more with him in there. It’s huge to have him back.
“We needed a win like this. We needed a win like this to springboard us into the rest of the season."
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Wednesday, September 26, 2012

Morrisville Teachers Have New Contract

Morrisville teachers have new contract

Posted: Wednesday, September 26, 2012 11:08 pm
Morrisville teachers have new contractBy GEMA MARIA DUARTE Staff writerCalkins Media, Inc. | 0 comments
Posted on September 26, 2012       
by Gema Duarte
The Morrisville School District settled with the teachers union for a three-year contract that includes no salary increase the first year and union members will have to pitch in more toward their health care premiums.The school board voted 8-1 to approve the contract that will expire at the end of the 2014-2015 school year. School director David Stoneburner, who was the lone "no" vote, said he understands the Morrisville Education Association made many concessions because its members recognize the district's financial pinch. His issue is with the general aspect of giving salary increases — in any form — when the national economy is sluggish.
Under the new contract, union members will not initially receive a salary or percentage increase. However, come the second year they will get a "step or salary increase between 2 percent and 8 percent," according to officials. In addition, union members will get a 0.5 percent increase for experienced teachers on step 12, which is the district’s highest step, according to officials.
Then, during the 2014-15 school year, a delayed step increase is scheduled to take effect on the 15th pay of the school year and a .25 percent increase at the start of the school year, officials said.
“It just bothers me that in any way that people are given salary or benefit increases in these types of contracts when the rest of the people who have to pay for those aren’t getting (salary) increases (at their jobs)," Stoneburner said. "What’s good for the goose, is good for the gander. It’s not anything personal with our teachers, our teachers union or our administration. They all have done very well."
The 69 union members — including a psychologist, two guidance counselors and a school nurse — have been working without a contract since Aug. 31, when the previous six-year contract expired.
As for their health benefits, union members will contribute more than before. This school year, they will continue to contribute 10 percent toward the cost of the health care premium. However, each following year, they will contribute an additional 3 percent, totaling 16 percent at the contract’s end.
“The new contract is an example of cooperation between two groups of people with specific interests, but a common interest — continuing to offer a quality education to the student of Morrisville,” Superintendent Bill Ferrara.
“One thing that made this process a bit easier was, from the beginning, both sides were up front with their needs and their concerns,” Drew King, union president, said, adding that members voted in favor of the contract Tuesday, almost a week after the negotiating group came to a tentative agreement.
Under the previous contract, all new hires in the district would begin on step OA of the scale, unless the superintendent and the new hire agree on a different step because of the professional employee’s prior teaching experience, according to the contract. The OA means nothing specific, officials have said.
For the first year of the previous contract, a newly hired employee with a bachelor’s degree earned $40,784, and an employee with a master’s degree and 30 credits was paid $51,401 a year. Teachers with 12 or more years of experience and a bachelor’s degree earned $67,871 and those with a master’s degree and 30 credits earned $86,731.
As the contract ended, a first-year teacher with a bachelor’s degree earned $45,896. Teachers with a master’s degree and 30 credits earn $57,843. Teachers with 12 or more years of experience with a bachelor’s degree earned $76,378, while union members with a master’s degree and 30 credits received a salary of $97,602.
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Sunday, September 23, 2012

Potluck #61

Fresh as a daisy.  What you got?  Rants, raves, how about some good news?
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Saturday, September 22, 2012

2012 PSSA Results

2012 PSSA results

State gives four local districts warnings because of 2012 PSSA results
       
Want to know more?
The 2012 PSSA results are posted at: www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/community/news_and_media/7234/p/1237291.
The site also has scores from the PSSA science and writing tests. Students in fifth-, eighth- and 11th grades also took the PSSA writing test. Students in fourth-, eighth-, and 11th grades took the PSSA science test. Those results are not used to determine if schools and districts earned Adequate Yearly Progress status.
What do the categories mean?
PSSA scores are divided into four categories based on the state’s Academic Content Standards:
■ Advanced - Superior academic performance.
■ Proficient - Satisfactory academic performance.
■ Basic - Marginal academic performance.
■ Below Basic - Inadequate academic performance.
Source: Pennsylvania Department of Education

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Posted: Saturday, September 22, 2012 7:15 am | Updated: 7:21 am, Sat Sep 22, 2012.
State gives four local districts warnings because of 2012 PSSA resultsBy Joan Hellyer Staff WriterCalkins Media, Inc. | 3 comments
Posted on September 22, 2012
Four of the eight school districts in Lower Bucks County have earned Adequate Yearly Progress based on student achievement on Pennsylvania’s 2012 standardized tests, according to the state’s education department.Among high schools, only Morrisville and Neshaminy earned AYP status in test figures released Friday morning on the department’s website.For districts as a whole, Council Rock, Morrisville, Neshaminy and Pennsbury achieved AYP status.
The Bensalem, Bristol, Bristol Township and Centennial school districts received warnings from the state because not enough students demonstrated on the tests that they are learning at grade level, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Education website.
In addition, several schools within all eight districts had some deficiencies, according to the 2012 Pennsylvania System of School Assessment test results.
Eight of the 10 Lower Bucks public high schools including Bucks County Technical High School had deficiencies.
The state administers the standardized mathematics and reading tests in the spring of each year to public school students in third through eighth grades and 11th grade.
The scores demonstrate if students are learning at grade level and whether schools and districts qualify for AYP status, as required by the federal No Child Left Behind Act of 2001.
Students can score in one of four levels on each of the tests: Advanced, proficient, basic or below basic.
This year, Pennsylvania called for 78 percent of students in districts and schools to score proficient or advanced on the math test and 81 percent to demonstrate proficiency in reading.
Proficiency goals for the two tests will continue to increase until 2014 when both reach 100 percent, as called for by the federal act.
The proficiency rates are calculated by adding together the percentage of students who score in the advanced and proficient ranges.
A school district earns AYP status when at least one of its three grade spans meets participation and performance targets, education officials said.
The elementary span covers students in third- through fifth-grade, the middle level span is for students in sixth- through eighth-grade and the high school span covers ninth- through 12th-grade students.
Locally most deficiencies relate to different subgroups tracked by the state, including economically disadvantaged students and special education students. A subgroup score is factored into the AYP consideration when at least 40 students in the school are included in a particular subgroup.
BENSALEM
Bensalem High School landed in Corrective Action II 5th year status because not enough students overall, white and economically disadvantaged students demonstrated proficiency on the math and reading tests, not enough black students tested at grade level on the math test and not enough special education students achieved proficiency on the reading test.
Robert K. Middle School received a warning because not enough Latino and economically-disadvantaged students were proficient in math and not enough special education students were learning at grade level in math and reading.
Cecelia Snyder Middle School received a warning because not enough black, Latino and economically-disadvantaged students demonstrated proficiency in math.
Cornwells Elementary School got the designation because not enough special education students were proficient in math and reading;
Samuel K. Faust Elementary School was served notice because not enough black and special education students were proficient in math and reading and not enough Latino students demonstrated they were learning at grade level on the reading test;
Benjamin Rush Elementary got the warning because not enough black students were proficient in math and not enough Latino students demonstrated proficiency in reading;
Russell C. Struble Elementary School received a warning because not enough special education students were proficient in math.
BRISTOL
Bristol High School received a warning because not enough students were proficient in reading.
Bristol’s middle level program received a warning because not enough students overall, as well as Latino and special education students achieved proficiency in math. In addition, not enough black and economically-disadvantaged students demonstrated proficiency in reading and math.
Warren Snyder-John Girotti Elementary School landed in School Improvement II because not enough students overall as well as black and economically disadvantaged students demonstrated they were learning at grade level on the math and reading tests. In addition, not enough white students were proficient in reading and not enough special education students demonstrated proficiency in math.
BRISTOL TOWNSHIP
Harry S. Truman High School received a warning because not enough students overall, white, special education and economically disadvantaged students demonstrated proficiency on the reading and math tests and not enough black students tested at grade level on the reading test.
Lafayette Elementary School landed in School Improvement I because not enough black and economically-disadvantaged students were proficient in math and reading, not enough students overall as well as white students were proficient in reading and not enough Latino and special education students were proficient in math;
John Fitch Elementary School received a warning because not enough students overall were proficient in reading and not enough economically-disadvantaged students demonstrated proficiency in math and reading;
Abraham Lincoln Elementary School was put on notice because not enough black students were proficient in reading and math and not enough students overall and economically-disadvantaged students demonstrated proficiency in reading.
George Washington Elementary School received a warning because not enough economically-disadvantaged students were proficient in reading.
BUCKS COUNTY TECHNICAL HIGH SCHOOL
The comprehensive technical school received a Corrective Action II First Year status because not enough students overall and white students demonstrated they were learning at grade level on the math test and not enough special education students were proficient on the math and reading tests. BCTHS serves the Bensalem, Bristol, Bristol Township, Morrisville, Neshaminy and Pennsbury school districts.
CENTENNIAL
William Tennent High School landed in the Corrective Action II 4th year status because not enough students overall, as well as white and economically disadvantaged students demonstrated proficiency on the math and reading tests.
Klinger and Log College middle schools received a warning, as did Fred J. Stackpole Elementary School, because not enough special education students were proficient in math.
Willow Dale Elementary School also received a warning because not enough Latino and economically-disadvantaged students were proficient in reading and not enough special education students demonstrated they were learning at grade level in math and reading.
COUNCIL ROCK
Council Rock High School North received a warning because it missed the required graduation threshold. Council Rock High School South landed in School Improvement I status because not enough students overall and white students did not demonstrate proficiency in math and not enough special education and economically-disadvantaged students were proficient in reading.
Richboro Middle School received a warning because not enough special education students were proficient in reading.
MORRISVILLE
Morrisville's intermediate school received a warning because not enough of its special education students demonstrated proficiency on the reading test.
NESHAMINY
Maple Point Middle School received a warning because not enough special education students were proficient in reading.
Albert Schweitzer Elementary School received a warning because not enough economically-disadvantaged students demonstrated proficiency on the reading test.
PENNSBURY
Pennsbury High School landed in Corrective Action II fourth year status because not enough students overall, white, black and economically disadvantaged students were proficient in math.
Makefield and Village Park elementary schools each received a warning because not enough special education students were proficient in reading.
Manor Elementary School got a warning because not enough special education students were proficient in math and reading.
Oxford Valley Elementary School was put on notice because not enough special education and economically disadvantaged students were proficient in reading.
However, some local schools showed signs of progress, according to local education officials.
For instance, Neshaminy High School received a “Making Progress” designation because of its 11th graders demonstrated proficiency on the tests. It was a feat that was seven years in the making, according to school officials.
Across the state, scores on the 2012 PSSA tests “declined slightly” from 2010-11, the education secretary said Friday in a statement posted on the department’s website.
Ron Tomalis, Pennsylvania’s secretary of education, said there are two main reasons for the overall decline.
Tomalis credited a 2011 statewide investigation of alleged discrepancies on past PSSA answer sheets and the implementation of increased testing security measures for the 1.4 percent drop on the math tests and the 1.6 percent drop on the reading exams.
Overall statewide, 75.7 percent of students scored either proficient or advanced in math and 71.9 percent of students demonstrated they were learning at or above grade level on the reading tests.
The Pennsylvania School Boards Association and the Pennsylvania State Education Association on Friday took exception with Tomalis’ reasoning for the decline.
“Focusing on an investigation in a small number of classrooms in a small number of schools instead of acknowledging the impact of nearly $1 billion in funding cuts to ‘all’ schools is a disservice to students, teachers, parents and taxpayers,” said Michael Crossey, the PSEA president, in a statement released by the state teachers' unions.
PSBA officials agreed, saying alleged cheating incidents that took place in about 1 percent of classrooms statewide are not the main reason for the decline in AYP rates.
“Blaming the drop in the number of schools making AYP to these few cases does a discredit to the vast majority of schools that are working very hard while facing a number of challenges, and ignores other factors that would lead to a decline in test scores,” PSBA Executive Director Thomas J. Gentzel said in a statement released Friday by the trade group.
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Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Grandview Avenue Again Two-Way


MORRISVILLE SCHOOLSGrandview Avenue again two-way

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Posted: Wednesday, September 19, 2012 12:00 am | Updated: 6:41 am, Wed Sep 19, 2012.
By GEMA MARIA DUARTE Staff writer | 0 comments
Posted on September 19, 2012
Months of discussion between Morrisville government and the school district about congestion on Grandview Avenue have just been that: talk.
The council took action Monday when it voted to reopen Grandview Avenue as a two-way street all year long. But officials made the move without running it by the school board. The council didn’t set a date as to when the change would start, but indicated it should happen sooner rather than later.
School director Wanda Kartal was surprised to learn Tuesday of the move. As of 4 p.m. Tuesday, she was waiting for the district to be officially notified by the borough of the change so the district could go ahead and make needed adjustments with the crossing guards and send notification to parents.
“The safety of the kids crossing that street is our priority,” she said.
The residential street turns into a one-way avenue during each school year. Borough police Chief Jack Jones came up with the plan as an alternative to relieve the area’s congestion after M.R. Reiter Elementary students were moved to the high school following a 2008 furnace explosion left the school unusable.
Councilman David Rivella pushed for the change back to a two-way street, arguing that traffic isn’t as bad as it had been in previous years because this year third-graders were moved to the high school building on nearby Palmer Street, so there’s less traffic going to Grandview Elementary School and instead is going to the high school parking lot.
That street’s congestion has been a frustration for the community for years. The Joint Board/Council Committee had been discussing possible solutions since earlier this year.
A walkability study was conducted in May that showed that 70 percent of parents drive their kids to school. The committee received the results in June. During the summer, the group worked on street improvements, such as signage, for this school year based on that study, said Kartal, who sits on the committee and lives on Grandview Avenue.
Council President Nancy Sherlock, who also sits on the committee, said she didn’t believe traffic congestion was any less since the third-graders were moved.
Councilman Victor Cicero suggested having parents park their cars and walk over to pick up their kids.
Councilwoman Eileen Dreisbach motioned to table the matter until Monday, when the borough is having a special meeting, giving more time to study the area. But her motion failed 5-3 with council members Todd Sanford and Debbie Smith supporting her.
Sherlock said no study could be done in less than a week, and besides, the borough already had the walkability study results.
She said Grandview Elementary is no longer a neighborhood school. Rather, it’s the borough’s grammar school, so that’s why there’s more traffic than years ago.
Mayor Rita Ledger suggested encouraging parents to make Morrisville a walking-friendly community by assigning a parent to walk a few kids.
The council agreed that although it was a good idea, it would be unlikely to happen.
Kartal said her understanding from the committee’s meetings was that traffic flow was going to be observed since the third-graders’ move, and the results were going to be discussed at the Oct. 3 committee meeting.
“The council made a decision, and we have to work with it in keeping the kids safe,” Kartal said.

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