The Panther Valley School District will be entering the new school year with new programs to help children with reading, teachers and administrators with data management, and parents with school communication.

Robert Palazzo, supervisor of curriculum, student and community services and current substitute superintendent, explained the programs to the board before adoption Wednesday.

“We’re continuing to work on aligning the curriculum and resources across grade levels and buildings to ensure better consistency,” he said.

The Into Reading program focuses on background knowledge, vocabulary and writing skills across grades kindergarten to five, and complement the current phonics curriculum, he said.

“A team of teachers helped review these resources and pilot them before we chose them,” Palazzo said.

He also highlighted programs related to school improvement, including EduClimber, a new data management warehouse for kindergarten through 12th grade, and ParentSquare, which is a new way for schools to communicate with families across all grades.

“Both of these are going to allow teachers from K through 12 to use the same resources,” Palazzo said. “ParentSquare is going to be great because it’s an app that families can go, and all the information is going to be in one place.”

These programs will be replacing Sapphire, which is another program that the district previously purchased, he said.

The district will also continue with Cartwheel virtual counseling for mental health services, Palazzo said, and is increasing the number of licenses from 25 to 50 for the coming year.

“We also expect St. Luke’s YESS program to return to our schools next year,” he said. “These programs assist with behavioral health.”

Palazzo also took a moment to recognize each building’s secretaries and other secretarial staff throughout the district on Administrative Assistant Appreciation Day.

“They’re really the first line of contact for our families,” he said. “So, we really appreciate everything they do.”

Palazzo also thanked everyone who assisted him in stepping into the superintendent’s role while Dave McAndrew is off on medical leave.

The board approved Into Reading curriculum for three years at a cost not to exceed $125,000, and this will be purchase through Rural and Low Income, and Ready to Learn funding.

The board also approved software purchases of EduClimber for three years at a cost of $27,778, and FastBridge Screening for one year at a cost of $6,309, both through Ready to Learn funding.

ParentSquare was approved for one year at a cost of $9,348, and a memorandum of understanding approved with Cartwheel for $25,000, which was also Ready to Learn funding.