The School District of Haverford is proud to announce that Dr. Jeffrey Nesbitt, K-12 STEM Coordinator, has been named the Science Administrator of the Year by the Pennsylvania Science Teachers Association. This award recognizes ongoing excellence in the role of administrator of science education and commitment to its improvement. This award was created to recognize a school administrator who acts as a champion for science education and science educators.
Dr. Nesbitt has been the K-12 STEM Coordinator, since 2016 where he is responsible for the oversight of all STEM-related departments in the District including Math, Science, Computer Science, and Technical Education. "Dr. Nesbitt facilitated the emergence and growth of Elementary STEM Days across the district. Each of our five elementary schools now hosts a STEM/STEAM Day for the students. He has encouraged our high school science clubs to take a role in the day. For the past four or five years, we have been able to take between 20 and 30 high school students to these STEM Days to assist our elementary students as they explore science. Having the “big kids” share their love of science with our elementary students has proven invaluable for the students in our district," said Jeremy Tomaszewski, Ph.D., HHS Science teacher.
Dr. Nesbitt and the high school Physics department partnered to change a physics first course into an Engineering by Design course. They received a local education foundation grant for $13,500 to provide maker space materials to enhance the engineering course. "One of Dr. Nesbitt’s strengths is his ability to connect teachers with members of the science community in order to better understand their field and push their practices forward. As an example, Dr. Nesbitt convened a panel of local science experts to speak with secondary science teachers about what students need to know as they enter the university-level study and embark on careers in science," said Jen Saksa, Assistant Superintendent.
Dr. Nesbitt collaborated with high school math teachers to begin, develop and grow the computer science program at the high school. The program now has two versions of IOS programming and two AP Computer Science A courses and one Arduino course with over 200 students taking computer science at the high school. "Throughout his tenure, Dr. Nesbitt has always sought to support his teachers as professionals, providing the passion and resources to support our efforts to encourage, motivate, and inspire the students from kindergarten through 12th grade in STEM," said Rebecca Mortland, HHS Science teacher.
The FORDS will suit up in honor of an individual, an organization or someone who deserves recognition for a life changing struggle. Join the Havertown community immediately following the football game to celebrate our honorees.
DATE: October 7, 2022
KICK-OFF: 6:00 PM
CEREMONY: Approximately 7:45PM - Immediately following the game, honorees, sponsors, and athletes will walk across the field while being recognized. Jerseys will be presented at this time.
Beginning October 1, 2022, and through the end of the 2022-2023 School Year, the School District will offer free breakfast to all middle and high school students currently enrolled for this school year.
This change only applies to the School Breakfast Program in the 2022-2023 School Year and does not affect a student’s eligibility status for lunch (free, reduced, and paid, respectively).
SchoolPass has been selected as the new absence reporting system, replacing the SchoolMessenger App. We are in the implementation process of the absence reporting module and are planning a mid-October start with families.
Parents and Guardians can report their student's absence from school through an app instead of sending an email or a note after the absence. Absences reported ahead of time through this system will not receive the call alerting you that the student was absent that day. Be on the lookout for more communication about how to sign in and report absences in the coming weeks.
All of the back-to-school paperwork is online in the PowerSchool Parent Portal. Please complete these back-to-school forms.
We ask you to pay particular attention to the Emergency Contact form and ensure that your information is accurate. If you did not complete this form last year, please be sure to finish it this year (and each year moving forward).
Our families must update their contact information allowing our teachers and staff to contact you. The contact data is what the District will be using as of October. To be sure you continue to receive accurate communication from Haverford, you must verify the information.
Click on PowerSchool on our Technology Department webpage for information about using the portal and completing forms. There is also a Youtube video they created walking you through the process.
If you do not have access to a computer, you can request paper copies from your building secretary.
National Hispanic Heritage Month
Give Me 5! Five Fact about the Celebration:
National Hispanic Heritage Month is celebrated from September 15 to October 15
National Hispanic Heritage Month celebrates the histories, cultures and contributions of American citizens whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean and Central and South America
The observation started in 1968 as Hispanic Heritage Week under President Lyndon Johnson
In addition, Mexico and Chile celebrate their independence days on September 16 and September 18, respectively
The day of September 15 is significant because it is the anniversary of independence for Latin American countries Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua
Explore our virtual library.
Yom Kippur
Give Me 5! Five Fact about the Celebration:
Yom Kippur means “Day of Atonement” in Hebrew.
This is the holiest Jewish holiday of the year and ends the ten days of High Holidays or “Days of Awe,” which begin with Rosh Hashanah.
Traditionally, Jewish people refrain from work and all adults fast from sundown the evening before Yom Kippur until nightfall the next day.
The Jewish calendar is a “Luni-Solar” calendar, established by the cycles of the Moon and the Sun, so the lengths of days vary by the season, controlled by the times of sunset, nightfall, dawn, and sunrise.
Yom Kippur ends with a single blast that is blown on the shofar—a trumpet made from a ram’s horn.
Diwali
Give Me 5! Five Fact about the Celebration:
Diwali is an important religious festival originating in India.
It celebrates the birth of Lakshmi, goddess of Wealth.
It's the end of harvest season.
Diwali takes place annually and lasts for five days, marking the start of the Hindu New Year.
The word Diwali (or Deepavali as it's sometimes called) means “row of lights” in an Ancient language of India, called Sanskrit.People decorate their homes with clay lamps and create design patterns called rangoli on the floor using colored powders or sand.
The School District of Haverford is proud to announce that Mrs. Heather Piñero has been appointed an Assitant Principal of Haverford High School. Mrs. Piñero comes to Haverford from the McKinney Independent School District, where she served as an Assistant Principal and Interim Principal at McClure Elementary School.
During her nine years in McKinney Independent and Putnam County School Districts, Mrs. Piñero was a 4th and 5th-grade Teacher, Team Leader, District Curriculum Writer, and Instructional Coach serving a diverse student population. As an administrator, she led day-to-day operations for a campus of over 600 students and 70 staff members. She monitored and coordinated programs, including Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS), Language Proficiency Assessment Committee (LPAC), and At-Risk, and disaggregated data to identify needs and develop/implement action plans.
Mrs. Piñero was responsible for campus logistics, including hiring and retention of staff, weekly parent, community, and staff communication, mitigation of conflict, budgeting of finances and expenses, and driving campus and district initiatives. She implemented campus initiatives including Professional Learning Communities (PLC), Data/Kid Chats, Vertical Teaming, Student-Centered Coaching, Positive Behavior Interventions and Support (PBIS), and numerous literacy and mathematics initiatives. Mrs. Piñero also served the greater DFW community as a member of and Secretary for the Bilingual/ESL Education Association of the Metroplex (BEAM).
During her tenure as a teacher and team leader, Mrs. Piñero focused on best practices and professional development training for staff and was a leader on the Instructional Leadership & Medical Emergency Response Teams, as well as a selected member of McKinney ISD’s Innovative Educator Academy. Mrs. Piñero earned a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education from Nova Southeastern University and a Master of Educational Leadership from the University of North Texas.
Please join us in wishing Mrs. Piñero much success in her new position.
The School District of Haverford is proud to announce that Mr. Joseph McCunney was appointed the new Director of Safety and Security. The Director of Safety and Security performs administrative tasks in developing, implementing, and managing programs designed to effectively address security and school safety needs. He is responsible for coordinating a comprehensive school safety program and working with school administrators and the community on all areas of school safety. He will also implement training programs about safety and security matters and help to develop and monitor the school safety area of the school improvement plans.
Mr. McCunney has 25 years of experience with the Pennsylvania State Police. He has extensive training in many fields including security threat assessments, child abuse investigations, criminal investigations, incident de-escalation tactics, and internal and external employment background investigations. His supervisory experience ranges from crime unit investigations to communications and information procedures and policies. He was a supervisor in the communications bureau responsible for maintaining, scheduling, and auditing approximately 2500 + agencies across the state.
In 2019, Mr. McCunney joined the School District as a Security Assistant at the Middle School. He completed the Basic School Resource Officer Training Course and remains an active member of the National Association of School Resource Officers (NASRO).
Mr. McCunney is the proud parent of two Haverford High School alumni. Please join us in wishing Mr. McCunney much success in his new position.
You're invited to the 5th Annual Elementary STEM DISCOVER DAY!
Saturday, November 5th from 10 am - 1 pm at Haverford HS
The Haverford Science Academy and Science National Honor Society students are excited to host a day of Science, Math, and Coding fun! Our students and teachers have organized demonstrations, make-and-takes, and interactive experiences for the elementary students in the district. This fall we are planning over 20 unique experiences! We look forward to seeing you! No cost to attend.
September 15 - October 15: National Hispanic Heritage Month
September 26-October 4: Sharad Navratri- Hindu Festival
Wednesday, October 5: Yom Kipper Holiday (Schools and offices closed)
Thursday, October 27, Friday, October 28, and Saturday, October 29: HHS Fall Play "HONK"
Monday, October 31: In-service (early dismissal for all students)
Saturday, November 5: DISCOVER Day
2022-23 School Year Calendar
About Us
Website: https://www.haverford.k12.pa.us/
Location: 50 East Eagle Road, Havertown, PA, USA
Phone: 610-853-5900
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/haverfordsd.net
Twitter: @haverfordsd