Neshaminy Update
Neshaminy School District / September, 2023
During the second week of the school year, Maple Point Middle School welcomed Governor Josh Shapiro for a visit to highlight the Commonwealth's free breakfast program for all students during this school year. He was greeted by the Maple Point Student Council, school and district administrators, PA Senator Frank Farry, PA Representatives Joe Hogan, John Galloway, Tim Brennan and K.C. Tomlinson, and Bucks County Commissioners Bob Harvie and Diane Ellis-Marseglia. The Governor and the legislators spent an hour with a group of fifth and sixth graders as they ate breakfast chatting about the meal program, how their school year is going so far, offering advice and answering their questions.
“I proposed providing free breakfast to Pennsylvania students in my first budget address because I believe our children need to start the day with a nutritious meal – and I know they can’t learn on an empty stomach,” said the Governor. “With support from both sides of the aisle, this bipartisan budget delivers on that promise and levels the playing field by providing more than 1.7 million Pennsylvania students, including more than 1,200 students at Maple Point Middle School and more than 76,000 students across Bucks County, with free breakfast to start their day.”
“One in eight children in Pennsylvania face hunger and food insecurity," said PA Senator Frank Farry. "Bucks County is not immune to that and why I am pleased to support the universal free breakfast program. It was an honor to have Governor Shapiro join the students and talk about this important program in Neshaminy School District, where I graduated.”
In addition to the breakfast program, the Commonwealth also made school lunch free for those students eligible for reduced priced lunches for the 2023-2024 school year.
Prior to the varsity night football game at Heartbreak Ridge on Friday, September 1, a ceremony was held to rededicate the newly-renovated stadium to Harry E. Franks. It was attended by several members of Harry and Joan Franks family; son Harry Franks, Jr. and his wife Ellen; daughter Joy Longenecker and granddaughter Kelsey Franks.
"Of all the honors and all of the accolades that my father had, the fact that this stadium, Heartbreak Ridge, was named in his honor, while he was live to enjoy it, was one of his truly great moments," said his son Harry. "He certainly would have been here this evening, and as much as a tough guy as he was, he would certainly have shed a tear."
"It was a hard decision to knock down the old stadium," said School Board Vice-President Paul Saraullo during the ceremony. "It was iconic, with a lot of history and tradition. But we soon realized that it was in the best interest to replace it."
"By the way," he added, "there was never a question that this stadium was always going to be called Harry E. Franks Stadium."
The stadium was named after Harry Sr. in honor of his years as a legendary football coach and athletic director in 1985. He was the school's first Head Football Coach when the new building opened in 1952. During the next several years he built a legendary program which set up Neshaminy as a football powerhouse for years to come. He finished his coaching career with a 69-10-2 record.
He was the school's athletic and co-curricular director until his retirement in the 1970s. He passed away in 2007. His wife Joan, who passed away just last year, was a teacher in the district for 42 years, including time as a kindergarten teacher at the old Tawanka Elementary School where one of her students was none other than our current Acting Superintendent, Jason Bowman.
At the end of the ceremony, members of the Neshaminy HS Cheerleading Team unveiled new lettering on press box restoring the name of Harry E. Franks to the stadium and school that meant so much to him and his family.
On September 13, a group of Neshaminy High School administrators, teachers and district administrators met at Maple Point for the first of several meetings planned over the next several months to consider a block scheduling plan for the high school. A block schedule is a method that would replace the current daily schedule of 8 periods of approximately 45 minutes each with longer class periods that meet fewer times each day and week.
There are several ways a block schedule could be implemented, which is part of the consideration. At the meeting, educational consultant Dr. Michael Rettig presented information about block scheduling models along with various pros and cons of this method. Dr. Rettig is the founder of School Scheduling Associates, LLC. He has consulted with schools across the nation and world about school scheduling issues since 2006.
The group will meet again in November. Should they decide to proceed with a block scheduling proposal, it would be presented to the School Board for their consideration later this school year. If the Board decides to move forward with block scheduling at that time, it would not be implemented until the 2025-2026 school at the earliest.
Middletown Township Police Officer Melissa Robison, one of Neshaminy's School Resource Officers, will be offering a parent presentation as a part of Neshaminy’s Families Connect Program titled Navigating Internet Safety: Guardians of the Digital Realm.
The live presentation will be held virtually on Wednesday, October 4, 2023, from 7:00 – 8:30 pm. The presentation is free, but registration is required in advance to receive the Zoom link for the webinar. A Q&A session will follow the presentation. To register please visit the link below.
The 2023 Neshaminy STEAM Expo will be held on Thursday, April 4, 2024, from 6:30 - 8:30 pm at Neshaminy High School. Since it was founded in 2015, this celebration of all things Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math has grown to become one of the most beloved and well-attended educational events in the district and a great night for students and their families.
We are looking for individuals, businesses and organizations who would like to share their STEAM expertise with the next generation to join the 2024 Expo as presenters. Please contact David Geanette at dgeanette@neshaminy.org for more information and to sign up.
HERE COMES THE BUS
The free Here Comes the Bus app is available for the entire District. You can track your student's bus using up-to-the-minute GPS data using the app, which is available at the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. It can also be accessed on the web here. Neshaminy's school code is 29378. For the start of the 2023-2024 school year, individual student tracking will not be implemented, and students will not have to swipe cards to board buses. That feature may be added at a later date.
Neshaminy School District does not carry medical insurance for students, but we are pleased to offer an optional low-cost group plan for those families that desire extra coverage. Registration for supplemental, optional plan opens on August 30, 2023. Click here for more information about the plan and how to register.
We love our school volunteers! For the safety of our students, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania requires that ALL parents, guardians and community members who plan to serve as field trip chaperones and/or volunteers at school must have current clearances on file with the school district. For additional information on clearances, including who must apply, please visit the district volunteer web page. Please be sure to read all the information carefully. Volunteer applications can be completed online and will enable volunteers to register for multiple buildings at the same time.
Don't miss out! Clearances can take 2-4 weeks to process. All clearances must be renewed at a minimum of every five years to remain valid.
A noted in the article above, the free breakfast program is continuing into the 2023-2024 school year. All Neshaminy students will have access to a free "grab-and-go" breakfast every school day.
For families eligible for the Free & Reduced Lunch Program, there is more good news: lunch for those students eligible for the "Reduced" price lunch program will be free of charge this year as well as for those students eligible for the "Free" lunch program. As in past years, families must apply for the program EVERY school year. Applications can be completed online through the School Cafe app and website, or paper applications can be found at the Neshaminy Food Services website Food Services / Free & Reduced Meal Program (neshaminy.org) along with income guidelines and other important information.
CORE CREEK ELEMENTARY JOINS THE NESHAMINY FAMILY
After several months of discussion and community input, the School Board approved the name of the new elementary school on the Maple Point campus as Core Creek Elementary School. The name was by far the most popular choice in community surveys conducted last year and will welcome students once construction has been completed during the 2024-2025 school year.
JASON BOWMAN NAMED ACTING SUPERINTENDENT
At the September 12 Board Work Session (with action items), Substitute Superintendent Jason Bowman was named as Acting Superintendent of Neshaminy School District for a period of up to one year retroactive to September 1. Mr. Bowman is replacing Dr. Rob McGee, who officially retired from the district as of August 31, 2023.
NEW NESHAMINY HS ADMINISTRATORS APPROVED
Also at the September 12 Board Work Session (with action items) the Board welcomed two new administrators for Neshaminy High School:
- Vanessa Robtison, who will replace Assistant Principal Robert Mueller on November 4, 2023. Vanessa is currently an Assistant Principal at Council Rock High School North, and previously taught Technology Education at Neshaminy HS and Pennsbury HS.
- Roberta Cimochowski, who will replace Assistant Principal Lynn Knotts on January 4, 2024. Roberta is currently the Elementary School Assistant Principal at Bristol Borough School District.
The Neshaminy Education Foundation is raffling four lower-level tickets to the Eagles - 49ers game on Sunday, December 3. The package includes the game tickets, a basket of Eagles-themed items and parking. Chances are 1 for $5 or 10 for $20, and all proceeds benefit the non-profit Neshaminy Education Foundation. Raffle tickets can be purchased at Neshaminy HS and middle school's Back-to-School Nights; the Neshaminy HS Homecoming football game; Langhorne Harvest Day or email cstanley@neshaminy.org for alternative purchasing locations. The drawing will be held on Tuesday, November 7 and the winner notified by phone.
The Neshaminy music department held a Music Discovery Night at the high school on Monday, September 11. Students in grades 3-5 and their families were invited to learn about Neshaminy's award-winning music program and try out a variety of brass, woodwind and string instruments. This year marked the return of the instrument try-outs, which were suspended during the pandemic. Student musicians from the high school performed for the visitors and helped with the try-outs along with music teachers from the high school and around the district.
During the week of September 8 - September 15, the Neshaminy community once again demonstrated its generosity and determination to help in the fight to cure pediatric cancer and support cancer patients. The district marked Childhood Cancer Spirit Awareness Week with a series of activities including the Go Gold football game on Friday, September 8; Pajama Day on Monday, September 11; College / University Day on Tuesday, September 12; Character Day on Wednesday, September 13; and a Rita's fundraiser on Friday, September 15. This effort was supported by members of Neshaminy HS MiniTHON. The Neshaminy HS Student Council will be also raising money to support breast cancer patients at the upcoming Pink Out football game on Friday, October 6.
Neshaminy Goes Gold is the brainchild of Poquessing MS student Sara Harvey, a cancer survivor. Sara first enlisted the help of her fellow students and the administration at Poquessing for the cause, then expanded to include the entire district by making a proposal at a School Board meeting in September, 2021 and reaching out to district administrators.
The School Wide Positive Behavior Intervention and Supports (SWPBIS) programs in our Neshaminy schools are kicking off for the new school year. SWPBIS is a multi-tiered framework of support that seeks to improve the emotional, social and academic success of our students. The framework includes a common set of behavior and social expectations for each school, fun activities throughout the school year to help students understand those expectations, and recognition for those students who meet and exceed those expectations on a daily basis. This effort involves the entire school community including teachers, counselors, support staff, administrators and students' families.
At Albert Schweitzer ES, the program centers on the acronym C.A.R.E.S. (Cooperation, Attitude, Respect, Empathy and Safety). Students who display these qualities are nominated for a "Mystery Motivator" award, which includes an in-class recognition along with a gift card as a reward (see photo above).
Tawanka celebrated "Dot Day" by reading the book The Dot by Peter Reynolds. They then made personalized dots from paper plates and crayons as a project in their art class. Tawanka art teacher Melissa Sherwin put all of the dots together, filling a bulletin board and a window with all of the dot creations.
On August 30, the School Resource Officers at Maple Point helped some visitors from the Giant supermarket in Middletown sort and package 250 bags of food and school supply donations from Giant (photo above). The bags will be distributed to Neshaminy families that can use some extra help getting their students ready for the new school year.
At right, members of the Celebration Movement Church in Levittown dropped off bags of school supplies they gathered to help some families at Herbert Hoover ES.
Members of the Neshaminy High School chapter of the National Honor Society hosted their annual College Fair in Gym 1 at NHS on Thursday, September 21. Representatives from dozens of colleges, trade schools and the military were on hand to help NHS juniors and seniors prepare for the next steps in their education.
