Back to School Night Schedules:

Wednesday, September 21st

6 pm: 1st grade

7 pm: 3rd grade

Thursday, September 22nd

6 pm: Kindergarten

7 pm: 2nd grade

8 pm: 4th grade

Our first rainy day back to school we had a much higher number of car riders than usual and it created a very large back-up of traffic on Brownsville Road. Our buses had a hard time getting to the school and it delayed the start of our school day by 15 minutes. We also received many complaints. We would like to encourage students to continue to ride the bus on rainy days so we can avoid this problem in the future.

Thank you in advance for your cooperation!

Please pack a snack for your child every day. Students have the opportunity to eat a quick snack in class during their designated snack time to help fuel their body and mind. The nurse does not provide snacks to students who forgot to bring a snack.

It is also a good idea to pack a water bottle for your child to use throughout the day. Please make sure it is a bottle that closes tightly and will not spill.

The daily cost for elementary breakfast is $1.50 and lunch is $2.80. There are also ala carte snacks available for purchase.

Mr. Palmer enjoying the swings during recess on a beautiful September afternoon while Mr. Dave looks on!

Earlier this month, students were given the Positive Behavior Matrix. Will (from 1st grade) reviewed the Positive Behavior Matrix with his parents and returned his signed slip! Great job, Will! You are being RESPECTFUL, RESPONSIBLE, and SAFE!

Mrs. Curtin's class showing off their favorite characters and superheroes below!

Pictured here is Mrs. Rothman and two of her students in their pajamas for PJ Day. And two of her other friends making a school bus snack picture!

At Kindergarten orientation, bus driver Greta spoke to the students about bus expectations and safety. Students then got the chance to take a short bus ride!

Three cheers for Kindergarten! The boys and girls are excited about school and ready to learn! The first day of school the PTO gave all kindergarten students a special Tawanka T-shirt just for the future Neshaminy Class of 2035!

Another few pictures of Mrs. Neff's room wearing "I love Kindergarten" hats. Don't they look great?!

Kindergarten is doing an amazing job learning to working together in small groups!

Here are some of our new Tawanka Eagles having fun in gym class with Mr. Wright.

Our first grade teachers were so excited to start the new school year and meet their new students!

Pictured below: Back row, left to right: Mrs. Curtin, Ms. Kotsopoulos, Mrs. Moskat, Ms. Mortimer, and Mrs. Carnila. Front row, left to right: Mrs. Mannherz, Ms. Wells, and Mrs. Fedele

The students in Mrs. Carnila's class had fun practicing spelling their names and ages with play-doh!

Check out C-106 trying out their morning tubs! Morning tubs provide students with the opportunity to practice cooperative play, collaboration, social and problem-solving skills. We love starting out our mornings this way!

Mrs. Hanna's class is all done up in their customs, 80s/90s gear, pajamas and famous person to help celebrate Neshaminy going Gold for Childhood Cancer Awareness.

2nd graders made their first visit to our pollinator pod this year! We checked on our plants, practiced yoga poses, and planted a pinwheel in the beautiful outdoors!

Third grade is putting all their heart into making new friends! It's going to be a great year!

Third graders in Mrs. Sylvester's class are practicing "Place Value" in Math class!

Mrs. Tryon got to “know” her new students by using “dough”! The students were asked different “I dough not know” questions, and had to answer using only Play- Doh. Their creativity really came through with answering each question about themselves in different ways. Some chose to spell out words, while others created symbols, and even emojis. Everyone had fun and many new connections were made with each other and Mrs. Tryon!

Our third grade teachers dressed up as their favorite superheroes - Nurse Alexis (Elmo) and Nurse DiSandro (Cookie Monster)!!! They were both surprised and honored.

The 3rd and 4th graders attended an instrumental music recruitment assembly this week. Music teachers from across the district demonstrated instruments that are part of the program here at Neshaminy. 3rd graders can string instruments and 4th graders can play band or string instruments.

Mrs. Hanna's 2nd graders met their 4th grade buddies in Mr. Finkel's class for the first time.

We had a blast playing kickball!!

First day of school group photo!

The Math Challenge for 2022-23 will be starting on September 23rd! The math challenge is free and no sign-up in necessary. All Tawanka students are invited to participate. Once the challenge begins, students can print a math packet, complete, and turn in before the due date. Every student that completes a challenge will have their name submitted into a random drawing to win a small prize. There will be 15 challenges throughout the year, and students participating 10 or more times will receive a certificate in June 2023.

Neshaminy has a bus-tracking app called "Here Comes the Bus" (HCTB). This app allows parents to see the location of their child's bus in real time. The app works on both iOS and Android operating systems.

Neshaminy HCTB Page - https://www.neshaminy.org/Page/43477

HCTB Support - https://help.herecomesthebus.com/en/support/home

The contact person within Neshaminy for this app can be reached at HCTBCoordinator@neshaminy.org .

Neshaminy School District does not carry medical/dental insurance for students. However, you do have the opportunity to purchase low cost student accident group insurance.

All applications will need to be completed online. https://www.neshaminy.org/domain/71

Welcome back Tawanka families! Tawanka Elementary is a Title I School. As such, we will be sharing information on what that means as well as announcements about any Title I events that we are hosting throughout the year. Be sure to check out the Title I page on Tawanka's website for even more Title I information too! This year, our Title I team is made up of two Title I Reading Specialists and five Federal Instructional Assistants. Please reach out to Beth Smith (bsmith@neshaminy.org) or Andrea Gansor (agansor@neshaminy.org) with any questions about anything Title I. We look forward to working with you this school year!

Your Right to Know

Parents, Did you know that you have the right to know about the qualifications of the teachers and paraeducators who work with your student? Read the letter below to learn what information you are entitled to and how to request it.

Free and Reduced Meals

Don't forget to sign up for the Free and Reduced Meals Program for the 2022-2023 school year. You must apply each year, so even if you were eligible last year, you need to submit a new application. Starting in October, any students who have not applied for the program will be charged the full price for their lunch so be sure to apply by October 1st! You can scan the QR code on the flyer below to apply through a school cafe account; paper applications can also be sent home by request!

Safety of all students and staff is a top priority at Tawanka, so we have strict safety procedures in place. A reminder of the following:

Building Entry: All visitors must scan their driver's license or state issued ID at the kiosk in the front vestibule and wait for entry. This is required at every visit, or access will be denied.

Early Dismissals: Please notify the teacher if your child will be picked up early. If being picked up by someone other than a parent/guardian, please specify who will be picking up your child. Students will only be released to individuals listed on the emergency card, but the office must be notified prior to pick-up. Students must be signed out in the main office. Again, driver's license or state issued ID is required to pick up a student. We strongly encourage early dismissals be no later than 3:00 pm.

Neshaminy School District has engaged Eagle Industrial Hygiene Assoc., Inc., to fulfill the requirements of the Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act (AHERA), 40 CFR Part 763, Subpart E. This law requires that each Local Education Authority (LEA) engage EPA accredited individuals to initially inspect and subsequently reinspect every three years all student and staff accessed areas for the presence of both friable and non-friable asbestos containing materials (ACM) and to develop an Asbestos Management Plan from the information developed from the building inspections. All areas of our facilities were inspected for asbestos containing

materials.

The Management Plan provides a description of the amount, type, location and condition of all ACM found in these areas. The Plan also contains a detailed schedule of responses and activities for handling the ACM. The Management Plan is available for review by interested parents, faculty and staff in all school offices during business hours.

Donald B. Irwin, Jr.

Business Administrator

Our first PTO meeting will be held on Wednesday, October 12th at 7 pm.

Please join us! We welcome your input and would like to see more parents actively involved!

Last call for Pink Out T-shirts! The store closes this Sunday, September 18th @ 11:59 pm.

This is a firm deadline - no late orders will be accepted!

Back to School Nights September 21st and 22nd the PTO will have T-Shirts for sale.

We will also have KidStuff and SaveAround Coupon books available for purchase.

Cash or Venmo accepted at the time of purchase.

The PTO will also be doing a 50/50 drawing.