DCIU Update

A Word From Dr. Larry O’Shea

October 2011 Delaware County Intermediate Unit #25

DCIU Update

A Word From Dr. O’Shea

October 2011 Delaware County Intermediate Unit #25

Inside this issue:

Don Guanella Students

Make Cards for the

Troops

2

DCIU Psychologist

Receives Major Award

2

Pennington Recycles 3

Adopt-a-Teen/Child 3

DCIU Participates in

Career Awareness Fair

4

Head Start Opens New

Business

4

Tech Connect 5

Don Guanella Thrift

Store

5

Health and Wellness

Information

6

Striving for Continuous Improvement

I was invited to attend a national conference in Dallas, Texas a few

weeks ago week sponsored by Jim Shipley and Associates (JAS). Attendees

represented school districts and education service agencies from around the

country that are clients of JAS. They share a commitment to applying the

Baldrige principles for continuous improvement as illustrated in the

diagram. Marilyn Wescott, our JSA consultant, introduced the Board,

Executive Council and the Administrative Leadership Team (i.e.,

department directors, principals, and supervi-

sors) to the Baldrige principles through semi-

annual Board retreats, monthly Executive

Council meetings, and quarterly Administrative

Leadership Team meetings.

We have started down a path of

adopting the Baldrige principles and creating a

true systems-based organization. Last

December, we completed our strategic plan with

the Board adoption of the strategic goals regard-

ing Financial Stewardship, Student Centered

Learning, and Market-Based Business Models.

Concurrently, we have been working to develop

our leadership teams at the Board and

administration levels by delineating roles and

responsibilities around global strategy and

operations. What was evident in listening at the conference to other organizations that have been

developing continuous improvement systems for several years is the amount of deliberate work

necessary to achieve substantive strategic and operational changes that produce demonstrable results.

With continued support of the Board, I would like to continue down this path.

After seeing multiple examples of what other education organizations have done (e.g.,

Montgomery County Public Schools, MD; Hurst-Euless-Bedford Independent School District, TX;

and Natrona County Schools, WY), I believe we too can demonstrate results and a worthwhile return

on our investment.

Board Retreat

We had a productive Board retreat on Saturday, September 17, 2011. Attendees discussed a

number of issues including above and below the line activities, indicators of Board effectiveness, and

strategies to increase as well as broaden Board engagement. One result was finalization of the Board

mission statement and operating principles that the full Board was asked to adopt at the October

Board meeting. These retreats are part of the leadership principle for continuous improvement.

Compensation Plan

One of the important processes within an HR system is a fair, equitable, and market-based

compensation plan that can be used to attract and retain skilled employees. The Board started the

review and redevelopment of a compensation plan for non-bargaining unit employees when it com-

missioned PSBA to study the compensation of DCIU employees. Accordingly, it has analyzed the

southeastern Pennsylvania education segment to develop market-based salary ranges for a set of job

families. Over the next several months, we will further discuss how we can use the data to establish a

process for compensation. These discussions are part of the workforce focus principle of continuous

improvement.

Page 2 DCIU Update

The students at Don Guanella had the theme

Kindness for the month of October. As part of

that theme, Mr. Robert Scarlota’s class made

cards as part of a school wide project through

www.soldiersangels.com. The cards will be

sent to troops stationed in Iraq. Debbie

Wambach, the new division substitute at Don

Guanella led the students and staff through this

heartwarming service project. Mr. Scarlata’s

class was the first to complete the task of

making Christmas cards for troops in Iraq.

Proudly displaying their cards in the photo are:

Front row left to right— Ashley P., Perry, Erik;

Second row: Ashley T., Robert Scarlota,

Delores Gudmundsen ,Vincent and Jimmy.

Don Guanella Students Make Holiday Cards for the Troops

Dr. Terri Erbacher, a DCIU school psychologist in the

Supplemental Education Services Department, has been

named the School Psychologist of the Year by the

Association of School Psychologists of Pennsylvania.

This well-deserved recognition highlights Terri’s

excellence as a school psychologist and as a university

professor, and acknowledges her many hours of service to

community groups. Terri is an active member of the

Delaware County Suicide Prevention Task Force and is

certified by the American Association of Suicidology as a

School Suicide Prevention Specialist. In addition, Terri

has specialized training in handling crisis situations in the

schools and is often asked to consult with school

districts dealing with traumatic events. In her spare time,

Terri is a Clinical Assistant Professor in the School Psychology Program at Philadelphia College of

Osteopathic Medicine where she teaches several courses and serves as an internship coordinator. Terri

is a true example of the hidden gems within the DCIU community who are truly committed to

providing quality services to students, families, schools and communities. Congratulations, Dr.

Erbacher!

Dr. Theresa A. Erbacher Awarded School Psychologist of the Year

Page 3 DCIU Update

On Monday, October 10, 2011, Pennington School began participating in a building-wide recycling

program. With the support of community donations, recycling bins have been distributed through-

out the building for the collection of paper, cardboard, plastic, glass, and aluminum. The recycling

program will provide students with additional pre-vocational opportunities such as collecting

recyclable materials from classrooms and offices, sorting items, and crushing cans and plastic.

Students will also work on communication and social skills. Pennington staff members are excited

to help the environment while providing meaningful learning opportunities for the students.

Pennington is Going Green

Adopt –A-Teen Parent and Child for Christmas

‘Tis the season to be Jolly ...

Experience the warm feeling of gift giving and

the holiday spirit. If you would like to help a

struggling teen parent and child with holiday

gifts, please contact:

DCIU Project ELECT Teen Parent Program

Rhoda Burrell @ 610-447-3878

Email: Rburrell@dciu.org

We will send you a personal request letter written by a teen parent participant which will include

gender, size and age. Please wrap the gifts and place name tags visibly on them.

Your immediate response is greatly appreciated as we would love to have

the gifts by December 9th.

Drop off or send gifts to: Chester High School

200 West 9th Street, Room A203

Chester, PA 19013

Thank you in advance for your help!

Page 4 DCIU Update

The Delaware County Workforce Investment Board, in

partnership with County Council, sponsored its eighth Annual

High School Careers Awareness Fair, Wednesday, November 2

from 9am-12pm at Delaware County Community College. The

Fair provided students with an opportunity to learn about career

trends and explore some of their future career options through speaking with professionals who current-

ly work in the field. The DCIU Early Intervention Program, including Jeanette Alexander and Melinda

St. George, participated in this event and was on hand to answer students’ questions about the variety of

career paths in early childhood education. There were over 200 student participants from many DELCO

high schools, including Springfield, Penn Wood, Interboro, Academy Park, Upper Darby, Southeast

Delco, Garnet Valley, Chichester, Ridley, and William Penn. Students from DCIU’s ELL Program also

attended.

DCIU Helps Students Learn About Careers

The Head Start Parent Policy Council recently recog-

nized one of their own. Cynthia Campbell, Head Start parent

and active Parent Policy Council member, recently fulfilled a

lifelong dream by opening the doors to her new restaurant, A

Letter From Home on 9th Street in Trainer, PA. The restaurant

serves southern cuisine and is open for brunch and dinner Friday

-Sunday. Cynthia’s inspiration for the name (and the business)

came from her now deceased father. As a teenager, Cynthia enjoyed cooking. She said that when her father would eat her

delicious food, he would say, “Doll, this tastes like a letter from

home.” He explained that during the war, when soldiers received a letter from home, it gave them a warm, comforting feeling, and that’s what eating her food

was like. Cynthia credited this accomplishment to her father, her daughters who helped finance this

venture, and to Head Start, which helped her to meet her goals by giving her support and a sounding

board, and an opportunity to network with other parents with similar goals, and to practice her craft.

Cynthia, who also provides catering services, is the adoptive mother of a little boy in the Chester Town-

ship Regional Center.

Head Start Parent Becomes a Business Owner

Renee Bell (l) and Stefani Thorpe ( r) present Cynthia Campbell with a certifi-

cate of achievement in recognition of the

opening of her new business.

• anxiety • back pain • constipation or diarrhea • depression • fatigue • headaches • high blood pressure • insomnia • problems with relationships • shortness of breath • stiff neck • upset stomach

Page 5 DCIU Update

Published by the Technology Department to provide

helpful information for DCIU staff. October 2011

School Dude School Dude is our Help Desk application where staff can enter

their own Help Desk requests. In order to better serve the growing tech-

nical needs of DCIU staff, we are encouraging every user to use the

School Dude system to enter repair tickets. This will benefit you by getting your request logged into

our system so that your issue can be scheduled for one of our techs. With every request being logged,

the Tech Department will be better able to monitor all requests to insure that service is completed in a

timely fashion. We have a PowerPoint designed to show users how to register onto the School Dude system for

the first time. To access the PowerPoint, you must sign into www.dciu.org with your “website”

password. Under the “QUICK LINKS” on the left hand side of the home page you will find the option

to access the School Dude system. Click on the “School Dude Login”. You will notice two links; use

the first link, “How Do I Use SchoolDude? (PowerPoint Presentation),” to access the presentation. Use the second link to enter a help desk request; click on the “School Dude Login” under the “QUICK

LINKS.” This will take you into the system. Click on the link called “SchoolDude Login (Default

Password: dciu2010).” This will bring you to the input screen to enter in a help desk request.

Tech support As always, if you need tech support, please call 610-938-9393, or if you are in one of the DCIU

networked buildings you can dial Extension “3393.” You can always access School Dude on our home page. This can be done from anywhere. If

you have any questions you can email us at tsupport@dciu.org.

Tech-Connect

The Thrift Store is now open at the Don Guanella

School. The hours of operations are Tuesday, Wednes-

day, Thursday 9:00 a.m.- 11:00 a.m. The student-run thrift

store offers a variety of items like books and knickknacks,

all at a reasonable cost. Many items come from donations

from the staff and the community. The store helps students learn employability and life

skills. Students perform tasks such as pricing items and

counting change as ways to gain experience in a retail

setting. The students would love for you to stop by one day

so that they have an opportunity to practice the skills

they’re learning. Pictured on the right, David, a student in Ms. Amy Rybnik's class at Don Guanella, is working

on putting out books for people to buy.

Don Guanella Thrift Store Open for Business

200 Yale Ave.

Morton, PA 19070

Phone: 610-938-9000

Fax: 610-938-9887

Email: info@dciu.org

DELAWARE

COUNTY

INTERMEDIATE

UNIT

WWW.DCIU.ORG

The HR Department is pleased to bring you this health and wellness information each

month on behalf of IBX and HMS. Look for more on the DCIU website.

Every year, more than 200,000 people

are hospitalized and 36,000 people die from

complications of influenza (the flu). According

to the Centers for Disease Control and

Prevention, people 65 and older account for

more than half of these hospitalizations and 90

percent of flu deaths. Getting a flu vaccine can

significantly reduce your chances of getting sick

this flu season. In fact, the American Lung

Association recommends the vaccine for more

than 200 million Americans who are at a high

risk for serious complications. These individuals include: anyone over 50; anyone who

will be pregnant during flu season; residents and staff of nursing homes and long-term

care facilities; anyone 5 to 64 years old with underlying chronic medical conditions,

such as asthma, heart failure, COPD, or coronary artery disease; all household members

and caregivers of people in high-risk groups; all children and adolescents 6 months old

to 18 years old; health care workers; anyone with a condition that could impair

respiratory function or increase the risk for choking. Talk with your doctor to find out if

the flu vaccine is right for you. The vaccine is generally available from October to

March. Besides your doctor’s office, flu vaccines are frequently offered at pharmacies,

health centers, and many community centers.

Remember Your Flu Shot Nasal Spray Flu Vaccination

Vaccination with the nasal-spray flu vaccine

is an option for healthy people 2 to 49 years

of age who are not pregnant. Even people

who live with or care for those in a high risk

group (including health care workers) can

get the nasal-spray flu vaccine as long as

they are healthy themselves and are not

pregnant. The one exception is health care

workers who care for people with severely

weakened immune systems who require a

protected hospital environment; these

people should get the inactivated flu vaccine

(flu shot).

In keeping with the overall DCIU theme of health and wellness for 2011-12,

many employees are focusing on better nutrition, exercising and holistic wellness. For

example, the Yoga class that began two years ago continues to have steady attendance.

The class is held on Mondays and Thursday in the Morton building. The Monday class

averages 15-20 participants. In addition, another 15-22 staff members at the Pennington

School get together once a week after work for a Zumba® class with licensed instructor

Joan Leary. Our programs are also incorporating health-related activities into their inservices. Recently, the OPTIONS program held an inservice with their Site Trainers

which consisted of a discussion on nutrition and wellness along with a Zumba® class.

DCIU Staff Focusing on Health, Wellness

OPTIONS Inservice on Health and

Nutrition Pennington staff moving in Zumba class