Ready to Build Futures!
The
Safety Patrol at Albert Schweitzer Elementary School was on hand to
welcome new students during a an open house August 20.
|
An open letter
from Superintendent Joseph
Jones III to the Neshaminy community:
|
Dear Neshaminy families,
It is with great pleasure that I welcome you back for the 2018-2019
school year. We had a productive summer of success with the Neshaminy
Summer Stock productions, learning enrichment programs, sports camps,
facilities projects, and professional development for our faculty. Now
it is time to turn our attention to the many exciting opportunities for
learning, community service and fun waiting for each Neshaminy student.
Our commitment to the District's Strategic Plan, Education Reimagined,
continues to guide us as we rise to the challenge of preparing our
children for a rapidly changing world. Some of the new and expanded
programs that will help us achieve that goal this year include:
- Expanding the AVID program into both 9th and
10th grades, along with pilot programs at Poquessing and Ferderbar,
- Opening the Neshaminy Virtual Academy to offer
online learners a local educational choice,
- Continuing and expanding our Senior Year
Experience program with Bucks County Community College,
- Growing our 1:1 Technology program by adding
Chromebooks to the 9th grade this year and redistributing additional
iPads to kindergarten and 1st grade,
- Recognizing the importance of preschool
education through an expansion of the state-funded Pre-K Counts program
at Neshaminy for a total of 120 students,
- Adding new courses at Neshaminy High School,
including Forensic Science and Business Analytics, and
- Continuing our Instructional Rounds program to
analyze teaching methods and foster discussion directly into the
process of continuous school improvement.
Our staff has worked hard over the summer to prepare buses, classrooms,
school buildings, technology and other facilities for the new school
year, and I thank them for their efforts. As we begin a new year full
of hope and excitement, I ask you to join us by continuing to actively
support your child's education and to help us fulfill the District's
Mission Statement of "empowering each child to become a productive
citizen and lifelong learner.”
Joseph Jones III
Superintendent of Schools
|
Important back-to-school dates
The following are selected dates for back-to-school activities. Please
check the District and school websites for additional activities and
information:
- Wednesday, Aug. 29:
First day for grades K, 5 and 9
- Thursday, Aug. 30:
First day for all other grades
- Monday, Sept. 3: Labor
Day, District closed
- Thursday, Sept. 6:
Instrumental Discovery Night, NHS, 5:30pm and 7:30pm
- Monday-Tuesday,
Sept. 10-11:
Schools closed
- Thursday, Sept.13:
Elementary Back-to-School Nights (Tawanka 9/12 and 9/13)
- Thursday, Sept. 20: Middle
School Back-to-School Nights
- Thursday, Sept. 27:
Neshaminy HS Back-to School Night, 7pm
Seasons change...be prepared!
|
Summer
has few weeks left to go but it won’t be long until we
start thinking snow. Families
and District staff have numerous options for notification of schedule
changes and cancellations including text alerts, emails, automated
phone calls, the NSDTV cable channel, Facebook, Twitter and local
broadcast media. KYW newsradio no longer reads on-air weather notices,
but you can still find alerts on their website as well as those of
other major stations (channels 3, 6, 10 and 29) |
Please review the inclement weather policies and schedules on the
website below. Families should make contingency plans now for snow or
early dismissal days — the first flakes of snow will be here sooner
than you think!
New attendance policy posted
In keeping with changes
to Pennsylvania law, the School Board has adopted a new District
attendance policy for the 2018-2019 school year. You can read about
these changes at the website below.
Administrative changes for 2018-2019
Neshaminy School District welcomes some new and familiar faces to
administrative positions for 2018-2019. Among the changes:
- Andre Modica
will be open the new school year as Acting Principal at Joseph
Ferderbar Elementary School to replace Judy Brown,
who retired in August after 36 years with Neshaminy. Neil French
will be replacing Mr. Modica as Acting Assistant Principal at Maple
Point Middle School.
- Donald Palmer
will serve as Acting Principal at Tawanka Elementary School to replace Robin
Klaiber, who departed for a position with the Lower
Merion School District. Tim Hunt will
replace Mr. Palmer as Acting Assistant Principal at Poquessing Middle
School.
- Ryan Staub
joins Neshaminy High School as Principal to replace Dr. Robert McGee,
who has moved to district administration as the Director of Secondary
Education.
- Michelle Burkholder
rejoins Neshaminy as the Director of Elementary Education.
#StandUp Neshaminy website debuts
|
#StandUp Neshaminy
was established last year by Neshaminy teachers, administrators,
parents and numerous community partners to provide vital
information and resources to fight the opioid drug abuse epidemic. The
first public outreach effort can now be viewed online at www.standupneshaminy.org. This website, which will
be the central source of information for the campaign, contains updated
contact information for help from a variety of agencies, informational
videos, a FAQ section, and will be regularly updated with news of the
fight to eradicate this epidemic and offer help to our family members,
friends and neighbors who are affected.
|
Healthy meals build great learners
Children
need healthy meals to learn! Neshaminy School District offers
these meals every school day. This year, breakfast costs $1.35 for
elementary and $1.60 for secondary students. Lunch costs $2.60 for
elementary and $3.10 for secondary students. Your child(ren) may
qualify for free meals or for reduced-price meals. Reduced price is
$0.30 for breakfast and $0.40 for lunch.
If you received Free and Reduced benefits last year, your benefits will
only carry over for September of the 2018-2019 school year. Parents are
encouraged to complete an online application at www.schoolcafe.com. If
you need a paper application or you need assistance completing the
forms in person, please contact Suzanne Pritz in the Food Service
Department at 215-809-6542. Paper applications are no longer
distributed at school.
Alumni gathering planned
The Neshaminy Alumni
Committee is planning a social gathering at the Irish Rover Station
House in Langhorne on Tuesday,
October 2 from 6-8 pm.
This informal event is an opportunity to meet and network with fellow
alumni in the area, learn about upcoming projects for the Alumni
Committee and add your ideas for future events! All alumni are
invited to attend. An RSVP is requested by emailing cstanley@neshaminy.org or by
visiting the Alumni Committee website or Facebook page below.
Join us to help Build Futures!
Do you love working with
kids and want to jump-start a career in
education right here at Neshaminy? A number of additional opportunities
throughout the District for
certified and support staff can be found at the district employment
site below (updated frequently). All applicants will be required
to obtain Pennsylvania clearances.
The Guest Teacher program offers individuals who hold at least a
Bachelors degree (but no active PA teaching certificate) the
opportunity to obtain emergency certification to substitute teach in
Neshamimy schools. Jump-start a career in education and work when you
want! Click the link below for more information, training dates and
locations.
Summer We Build Futures Award
winners
Superintendent Jones
once again honored district staff who made significant
contributions to fulfilling the district's mission or advancing the
implementation of the Neshaminy Strategic Plan.
Those honored during the summer include (click on their names to see
nominating information):
|
|
Congratulations to all award winners! More information about the We
Build Futures Awards can be found on the District website below.
News
from around the district
|
Summer days filled with fun and learning
Neshaminy High School was
a busy place over the summer. In addition to hosting Neshaminy
Summer Stock and Summer School during July and
early August the building was also the site of the 2018 Neshaminy
Football Youth Camp held July 9-13, the 2018 Boys Basketball Camp held
July
30-August 3 and the 2018 Elementary Cheer Clinic held August 7-10.
|
Summer projects bring facility improvements,
upgrades
Crews were busy at
several sites over the summer completing work on a number of building
upgrades and maintenance projects throughout the district. Among the
highlights:
|
- Parking lot improvements at Neshaminy HS and
Poquessing MS were completed
- Roof work at NHS and Albert Schweitzer ES was
completed
- New air conditioning units were installed at Theodore
Kloos Auditorium at NHS, and
- Classroom improvements at the Learning Center were
completed.
During the upcoming school year, other projects will be completed
including:
- Preventative maintenance on the bleachers at Harry E.
Franks Stadium at NHS,
- Security upgrades at NHS and Maple Point Middle
School, and
- Completion of a second elevator at NHS (currently 50%
complete).
Teacher training supports AVID expansion
A group of Neshaminy
teachers and administrators attended the Summer
AVID Institute in Philadelphia during the week of July 18. This school
year, the AVID program will be expanding to two grades at the high
school, along with pilot programs at the middle (Poquessing) and
elementary (Ferderbar) levels. Additional training was conducted at
Neshaminy HS on August 20 for an additional group of 30+ Neshaminy
educators.
In 8th grade and in the high school, AVID is an elective that offers
multi-faceted, student-centered support for academic and social success
in high school, college and beyond. In early grades, AVID supports all
students to become more confident, successful learners.
NHS a finalist for $100K grant
|
In April,
2018,
Neshaminy High School teachers James Maloney and Jackie Rippert applied
for a $100,000 Farmers Insurance 'Dream Big' grant to build a
collaborative program to study, grow and cultivate fresh produce at the
school for multiple purposes. This summer, Neshaminy was named one of
15 finalists across the nation for the grant (and the ONLY school in
Pennsylvania).
|
Two representatives from
Farmers Insurance visited
NHS on August 8 to meet staff and some of the students who will be
involved. While here, they filmed a video to be used for the final
round in the fall.
Teachers attend science workshops
Neshaminy HS science
teachers Elaine Leventhal and Tim Vogel attended
the annual National Science Teachers Association STEM Forum & Expo
at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia in early July.
They attended workshops related to a new Forensics course that will be
offered at the high school this year and were even able to spend time
with the authors of the textbooks that will be used for this exciting
course.
Summer Stock packs the house
Neshaminy Summer Stock
staged two spectacular musicals in July at
Neshaminy HS. The young performers (grades 2-5) presented The
Wizard of Oz for three daytime shows, and the senior performers
(grades
6-12) presented The Hunchback of
Notre Dame for four evening shows and
one Saturday matinee. Near sell-out crowds packed Theodore Kloos
Auditorium for each show. Neshaminy Summer Stock has been a tradition
in the District for over 50 years, offering students a
professional-level theater experience and an opportunity to learn all
aspects of live production from a highly experienced team of creative
educators.
Students join Bucks County Playhouse production
| In
early August, a number of Neshaminy HS students performed with the
Playhouse Youth Company at the Bucks County Playhouse in New Hope both
onstage and in the pit orchestra for a musical version of Cinderella.
Kyle Duke, a music and drama co-curricular advisor at Neshaminy HS and
staff member with
Neshaminy Summer Stock, was the Musical Director for the production. |
|
Poquessing fundraiser supports outdoor classroom
The Poquessing Middle
School PTO is raising money for an ‘outdoor
classroom’ – a space for learning outside the school. On July 23, they
held a fundraiser night at Bruster’s Ice Cream in Feasterville to help
the effort. The ‘classroom’ will feature outdoor tables and benches,
decorative stone walls and seating areas, a gazebo, and landscaping.
| Neshaminy
Update is published monthly during the school year and distributed to
the Neshaminy community via email and web. To submit comments,
suggestions or news items for consideration, please email Chris
Stanley, Community Relations Coordinator. |
|
Neshaminy School District
2250
Langhorne-Yardley Road
Langhorne,
PA 19047
Joseph
Jones III
Superintendent
(215)
809-6000
|
Neshaminy
School Board
of Directors
Marty
Sullivan - President
Bob
Feather - Vice President
John Allen
Cyndie
Bowman
Irene M. Boyle
Tina
Hollenbach
Adam
J. Kovitz
David Marrington
Stephen
Pirritano
|
Mission Statement
The Neshaminy community builds
futures by empowering each child to become a productive citizen
and a lifelong learner.
|
