Haverford Happenings

All registrations are now being completed online. Please check our website for registration information. To register, a new student must be:

• A resident of the School District of Haverford Township (proofs of residency are required)
• Five (5) years of age before September 1st of the school term for kindergarten
• Six (6) years of age before September 1st of the school term for 1st grade
  
  

If you are registering a kindergarten or 1st grade student, within 14 calendar days of completing the online portion of the registration process you will receive an email from a School District of Haverford Township (SDHT) representative with information about the next steps required to complete your child’s registration.

AM/PM Kindergarten assignment letters will only be sent to households for whom the registration process, which includes submitting the online portion and providing all additional documents, has been completed by April 30th.

If you have questions or require assistance, please contact the Registrar’s Office: Ms. Stacey Mattox, 610-853-5900 x7139, smattox@haverfordsd.net.

For the class of 2028 Parents and Guardians, please join us for a preview of HHS on Thursday, December 14th @6:30 in the HHS Auditorium.

There will be a presentation of our excellent offerings by the High School Administration in the auditorium at 6:30 PM. in the auditorium then tours of the building. Tours of the expansive HHS campus are scheduled immediately following.

We are grateful for the service of our 14 Transportation Department staff members and all those in our community who have served our country and we are appreciative that we could celebrate them on Veteran's Day.

During the Curriculum and Pupil Services Committee Meeting on November 9, 2023, the Academic Data Report and School Performance Update were presented. Some of the key findings were discussed.

The PSSA test-taking rate in the district is approximately 93% per preliminary reports. Our efforts in grades three through eight have produced positive results, and we are steadily approaching the achievement levels we had before the pandemic. The Keystone exams at the high school are gradually returning to pre-pandemic levels. Participation, test-taking, and passing rates for AP classes are higher than pre-pandemic levels. In the class of 2023, 374 students took the SAT, and the mean score in our district was 1145, which exceeds the national average. Additionally, 23 high school students were named National Merit Scholars.

You can find the presentation here. The meeting is available for viewing on our YouTube Channel here.

The School District of Haverford Township prides itself on offering rigorous, innovative, and high-quality courses at all levels. Haverford High School is continually updating its course offerings, with some new, exciting electives now part of the catalog from which students can choose, including AP African American History (new to College Board) and Haverford Sports Media. New Level II classes include: Sports and Entertainment Management II, Construction Technology II, Commercial Drone Aviation II, and Practical Woodworking II.

You can view the presentation at the Curriculum and Pupil Services Meeting here. The Course Selection guide was approved at the December 7th Meeting, you can view it here.

Elementary: This is just a reminder about morning drop-offs; please be aware of traffic flow around the schools, especially near the elementary buildings. Please follow the directions of our staff members who are outside to ensure the safety of our students.

Secondary: The Haverford Library renovation project started on the sidewalk on Mill Rd. in front of the library and will be closed for the next 15 months. Crosswalk and stop signs will be installed at Greenway. Mill Road will only be closed at 7:30 am and will be open by 2 pm on those days.

The District celebrated our staff members for their 25 years of dedicated service in education!

Betsy Montgomery, Teacher, Chestnutwold; Sheila McNabb, Special Education, Middle School; Carolann Klock, Learning Support Teacher, Manoa; Matt Stewart, Teacher, High School; Roe Viola, Secretary, Human Resources; Katie Jones, School Counselor, High School; Karen Ramplin, Manager, Food Services; Luz Pavone, Security, High School; Amy Maffei; Teacher, Lynnewood; Michelle Welsh, Reading Specialist, Manoa; Stacy Musi, ELA Learning Support teacher, Lynnewood; and Michelle Daniszewski, Teacher, High School.

Matt Stewart is a master at making sure our students and athletes are happy and engaged, but more importantly that they are good people and good citizens who are always trying to get better with him. “Honor your teammates with your effort” is the philosophy of the Haverford High School Swim and Dive team, a mantra that we could all remember to be better teammates, to work hard to be better for one another, and uplift those around us.

For 17 years, Coach Stewart has coached the Haverford swim team to be one of the most consistently strong programs at Haverford High School, and to be one of the most respected programs in the State and Country. In his 17 years he has coached teams and individual student-athletes who have competed for Central League Championships, PIAA State Championships, and the Olympics (of the world).

Congratulations to Coach Matt Stewart on earning the title of 2022-23 NFHS/Pennsylvania Coach of the Year.

Behind every perfect posture, smile, chin up, and pom pom shake is Coach Maria Safern. Coach Safern has instilled in our cheerleaders the incredible balance between the importance of competition and discipline, and what matters is that good intentions, effort, and trying to be your best are never in vain, no matter what the result is.

Coach Safern has coached at Haverford High School for 15 years. She has coached District 1 Championships, earned bronze and silver medals at State Championships, and UCA National Championships. She has turned the Haverford High School East Commons into the Mecca of cheer and a museum of accomplishments.

Congratulations to Coach Maria Safern on earning the title of 2022-23 NFHS/Pennsylvania Coach of the Year.

Congratulations to our high school student-athletes, their families, coaches, and teachers who have supported them. We look forward to watching them with Haverford pride as they compete at the collegiate level.

Grace Ciochetto, Softball, Shippensburg University; Erin Coyle, Field Hockey, Stevens Institute of Technology; Madison Culbertson, Softball, Penn State Brandywine; Hilary Elsner, Lacrosse, Rutgers University; Keira Horung, Volleyball, Robert Morris University; Sydney Jones, Volleyball, Temple University; Meghan Kent, Softball, West Chester University; Annabelle Knese, Softball, Kutztown University; Lucy Wolf, Softball, Ursinus College.

During the school year, the Superintendent's conference room displays student artwork with pride. This fall, the artwork of students in Alejandro Camacho's classes at Coopertown Elementary School was showcased. Both the students and their families were invited to a reception where they could discuss their work and its inspiration with Dr. Reusche. You can view all the student artwork here.

On Monday, December 4th the School Board of Directors held its annual reorganization meeting and induction of the new and re-elected members. We extend a warm welcome to our new and re-elected board members: Bridget Weideman, Chris Shelton, LaTonia Lee, Dave Schwartz, and Antoinette Snodgrass. Bridget Wiedeman was elected Board President and Antoinette Snodgrass was elected Vice-President. More information about our Board of School Directors can be found here on our website.

The Haverford community was invited to an informal chat with some school board members at the Community Conversation on November 30th at Haverford High School. Discussions included an overview of board functions, recent accomplishments and priorities, and a Q&A with community members. The next Community Conversation is scheduled for February 29th at Lynnewood Elementary School.

The School District of Haverford Township utilizes BoardDocs, an online, paperless resource for all school board meetings. Here you can find the agenda, meeting minutes, video replay, and board policies. The meetings are live-streamed on YouTube.

Regular and Committee Board Meetings will be held at Oakmont Administration Building.

*NOTE NEW TIMES FOR COMMITTEE MEETINGS

Upcoming Meetings:

• December 14: Finance & Facilities Committee Meeting at 6:30 PM
• December 18: Policy Committee Meeting at 6:30 PM
• December 21: Regular School Board Meeting
• January 4: Regular School Board Meeting

All presentations and videos can be found on BoardDocs.

When severe weather affects school opening, the decision to open or close schools has a big impact on families.

How are you notified? We use multiple means to alert parents to weather-related school closings and delayed openings. Our District Notification System (Swift K12) is used to alert parents/guardians via email, phone call and text message. We usually do not activate the system to call parents/guardians after 10:00 PM or before 5:30 AM. If a decision is made in between those times, it will be posted on the district website.

These are additional sources for information regarding weather-related school closings, delays, and emergency announcements.

• District website
• Twitter, Instagram and Facebook @HaverfordSD
• Through the Media - Local television news stations

Procedures for delayed opening and early dismissals can be found here.

3 People to Know:

1. Siddhartha Gautama (Buddha) - Bodhi Day is observed to mark the moment that took place 2,500 years ago when Siddhartha Gautama achieved enlightenment and became the Buddha or ‘awakened one’.

1. Nicholas of Myra (St. Nicholas Day) - most well known in the West as the beloved patron saint of children and gift-giving. His connection to the American character of Santa Claus is faint, but it can be traced. According to tradition, Nicholas' parents died when he was young, leaving him a large sum of money. With his inheritance, Nicholas practiced charity, helping those in need.

1. Augustinian friars (Las Posadas) The practice of Las Posadas was begun by Augustinian friars near Mexico City around the year 1586. They used the celebration to teach the indigenous Aztec population about the birth of Jesus by having daily Christmas masses for nine days. This also coincided with the winter solstice ceremonies of the Aztecs.

2 Word/Phrases to Learn:

1. Kwanzaa term - Habari Gani (Swahili) - meaning “What is the News”. It is spoken when greeting others during Kwanzaa. The appropriate response is to say the name of the principle for that day. Each day of Kwanzaa centers around a principle.

1. Hanukkah term - Nes Gadol Hayah Sham - Pronounced ness gah-DOHL high-YAH shahm. Literally “a great miracle happened there,” the letters on the dreidel (nun, gimmel, hey, shin) represent these words. In Israel, the shin is replaced with a peh, so the letters spell out Nes Gadol Hayah Po, or “a great miracle happened here.”

This link will take you to a virtual library of books for this month.

December 8-9: Manoa Musical - Lion King Kids!

December 12, 7:00 pm: 5th & 6th Grade Instrumental Winter Concert at HHS

December 13, 7:00 pm: High School Instrumental Winter Concert

December 19, 7:00 pm: High School Winter Choral Concert

December 25-January 1: Winter vacation begins at the close of school on 12/22/23 (teachers & students)

December 25 &26: Holidays (Schools & Offices Closed)

January 1: Holiday (Schools & Offices Closed)

The mission of the School District of Haverford Township is to educate and to inspire a community of lifelong learners who become well-rounded global citizens.

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