08/28/2026
Dear Parents, Students, and Guardians,
Pottsville Area School District is excited to welcome our families back to school this Monday, August 31st for the first day of the 2026-2027 academic year! This summer, our district has worked hard to make meaningful improvements and investments with curriculum and instruction, as well as needed enhancements to our facilities in preparation for the arrival of students.
Our core focus area this academic year is a return to the foundational level of what we know works best in our schools to ensure students get the most out of our instructional program.
“Back to the Basics” is a simplistic theme to drive our district through three critical tenants which will help improve outcomes for all students:
Consistent Attendance
Quality Instruction
Positive Interactions
Consistent Attendance
With this district focus, we are asking families to support us with ensuring your student is attending school as frequently as possible. With only 180 days of instruction per year, even 10 absences, excused or unexcused, equate to a huge amount of lost learning. These 10 days add up to two full weeks of learning which was lost. Imagine how dificult it could be for a student to catch up to their peers after missing two weeks of teaching and learning. Please help us help your student grow academically by ensuring they are attending school each day, on time. Illness and emergencies happen, and we understand that. Please save lost instructional days for true illness and emergency.
Quality Instruction
As a district, we have spent significant time revamping our elementary and middle school bell schedules to maximize our time on task while our students are with us. Our administrators and teachers are working together to ensure time off task is minimized, transitions are limited, and instruction is prioritized during the year. We have made investments in new print mathematics core materials for our middle and high school algebra students, new print social studies core materials for our elementary and middle school students, and powerful new systems to help our staff monitor students who are experiencing difficulty.
With this, our district has clarified our technology policy to further hold instructional time sacred. There has been an unprecedented push across the country to take an honest look at the effect electronic device dependence is taking on our students’ academic and social growth. We understand you send your child to school to learn the skills needed to become successful in life, not scroll social media.
Pottsville Area School District will restrict electronic device possession and use during the academic day. Students are encouraged not to bring devices to school. If devices are indeed brought to the building, students are expected to turn their devices off and secure them in their bookbag or locker. Students are not permitted to keep a device in their pocket.
Our students at Pottsville Area High School will be permitted to responsibly utilize their device during their lunch period, if such use does not violate our technology policy and code of student conduct.
Your school principal will communicate further guidance specific to their building.
Positive Interactions
Great partnerships between all stakeholders in our schools is critical to student success. We will continue to emphasize positive interactions amongst students during the school day, and work to communicate the strengths and areas of needed growth, to our families concerning their student.
To accomplish this, our new student data and support systems will allow teachers and administrators better access to information to ensure meaningful conversations can occur during parent meetings about their child. Further, our school administrators continue to prioritize positive student interactions and supporting students when disagreements or conflict arise.
Finally, I wanted to take a moment to thank all members of our school district community for their hard work in preparing for our upcoming school year. Thank you to our families for always supporting us as we work with families to move our students forward developmentally and academically.
Together, while keeping our priorities grounded in our basic tenants, I am beyond excited for a successful and meaningful year of academic growth for our district.
Sincerely
Guy Lowery, Ed.D Superintendent
Pottsville Area School District
