2024-2025 School Year:

• 2/14- Half day for students- 11:10 am dismissal
• 2/17- District closed- President's Day
• 2/18- No School- Teacher PD Day
• 2/28- Paint Night- Ferderbar cafeteria
• 3/15- Wizard's Game
• 3/21- Puttin on the Kids
• 3/31- No School- Eid al-Fitr
• 4/10- STEAM Expo- Neshaminy High School
• 4/17 & 4/18- No School- Spring Break
• 4/21- No School
• 4/21-4/25- PSSAs- English Language Arts
• 4/25- Spring Dance- tentative date
• 4/28-5/2- PSSAs- Math & Science
• 5/9- HSA's Mother's Day Flower Sale
• 5/14- Art Show/ Book Fair/ Science Fair Night
• 5/16- Field Day
• 5/20- No School- Election Day
• 5/26- No School- Memorial Day
• 6/11, 6/12, 6/13- Half Days
• 6/13- Last day for students

Congratulations to the following winners who showed they can be respectful, responsible, and safe!

Monday- Wear your bright colors

Tuesday- Wear your pajamas

Wednesday- Wear gear from your favorite team

Thursday- Wear your warm up and exercise clothes

Friday- Wear your Eagle's gear

Students earn points in the cafeteria for being respectful, responsible, and safe.

Congratulations to the following classes:

Golden Fork: Highest Points

Kindergarten-Ms. Zimmerman/Ms. Shields

First Grade- Mrs. Osborn

Second Grade- Mr. Mednick

Third Grade- Mrs. Haughey

Fourth Grade- Mrs. Mednick

Golden Spoon: Second Highest Points

Kindergarten- Mrs. Cosenza

First Grade- Mrs. Mitchell

Second Grade- Mrs. Athey

Third Grade- Mrs. Dillon

Fourth Grade- Mrs. Eckelmeyer

At recess students can choose to participate in the walking program. As the students walk around the blacktop, their miles are recorded. Below is the list of our top ten students who have walked the most miles. Great job!

• Jay S. (3rd grade)- 97.21 miles
• Imran D (4th grade)- 86.51 miles
• Troy R. (4th grade)- 59.01 miles
• Max S. (1st grade)- 57.01 miles
• Damir B. (4th grade)- 51.61 miles
• Kush P. (4th grade)- 37.60 miles
• Rohan T. (4th grade)- 36.60 miles
• Daryna K. (4th grade)- 33.30 miles
• Ilan K. (3rd grade)- 32.50 miles
• Gabriella M. (3rd grade)- 32.50 miles

Our school-wide reading initiative is recorded using the Reader's zone app. Students record the number of minutes they read each day. Below is the list of the highest classroom totals for each grade level.

Congratulations to all of our students that have been entering their reading-at-home minutes into Ferderbar’s Reader Zone app. For the month of January, Mrs. Fleming’s fourth grade class had our most reading minutes. Their class has earned the “Reading Belt” for the month. Here are out top reading classes for each grade level for the month of January: Kindergarten – Mrs. Cosenza’s class, First grade – Mrs. Faust’s class, Second grade – Mrs. Brown’s class, Third grade – Mrs. Haughey’s class, Fourth grade – Mrs. Fleming’s class.

Please be sure you are recording your reading minutes into the app. Our reading code for the Reader Zone app is 2379a

Keep reading!

Mrs. Pinson

Ferderbar has a treat free policy for birthday and holiday celebrations. As a reminder, this treat free policy applies to Valentine's Day. Students are welcome to bring in Valentine's Day cards along with non-edible items like stickers, pencils, mini eraser, etc.

Students will have a Party in a Bag celebration on Valentine's Day, where they can bring in items from home. Please consult with your child's teacher to ensure all snacks adhere to any classroom allergy alerts.

Families may send in non-edible items (pencils, stickers, books, etc.) for classroom and birthday celebrations. Please reach out to the homeroom teacher prior to sending in items. Food items such as cupcakes, pretzels, candy, and other edible items will not be distributed to students. Balloons may also not be distributed due to latex allergies.

Join us for Paint Night on February 28th, 2025 from 7-8:30 pm. The event will be located in the Ferderbar Cafeteria.

$10 per person. Due to limited space we are asking that 1 adult per family attend. All supplies will be provided. Snacks will be for sale.

Mrs. Loizos will guide the painters to create their own version of the wintery fox.

A flyer will go home this week in Thursday folders, but is also attached below.

We are excited to introduce LinkIt! Student Portal, a valuable tool that allows parents and guardians to access their student's data with ease. Through this portal, you will be able to view your child’s performance on both benchmark and state assessments, along with a variety of other local assessments. To access this information, simply log in to LinkIt! Student Portal using your child’s school-issued Chromebook, entering their student username and password. This platform provides a clear, comprehensive overview of your student's progress and performance, supporting a partnership in their academic success.

Step 1. Log into your student’s school issued Chromebook, using their username and password. You may be prompted to Log in with Google, to access Clever.

Step 2. Once you are in Clever, you will see all the apps that your student has accessible to them. Scroll down until you find LinkIt!. Select the app clicking once.

Step 3. Log into LinkIt! by clicking Sign in with Google.

Step 4. Select Reporting and then click Reports to see your student’s available data.

Step 5. This screen will show you all the available data for your student. To see more

detailed information, choose a category by clicking on the caret on the right-hand side of

the screen.

Step 6. See your student’s data by clicking on the item. In this example, the arrow is pointing to the 2023-24 Spring Gr 3 ELA i-Ready Diagnostic. When you click that item, you will see the Summary. To see Subscores, click Detail.

Step 7. Detail will now provide you with all the additional information available for that data point.

Step 8. If your student has LinkIt! assessments, they may have an Item Analysis and a Review Test feature.

Directions are listed below in multiple languages.

All students have completed their Middle of Year i-Ready Diagnostic Assessments in Reading and Math this month.

The Diagnostic is an adaptive assessment that adjusts its questions to suit your child’s needs. Each item your child receives is based on their answer to the previous question. For example, a series of correct answers will result in slightly harder questions, while a series of incorrect answers will yield slightly easier ones. The purpose of this is not to give your child a score or grade but to determine how to best support their learning.

The Diagnostic assesses your child in the following domains for each respective subject area.

Reading: Phonological Awareness, Phonics, High-Frequency Words, Vocabulary, Comprehension (Literature), and Comprehension (Informational Text).

Math: Numbers and Operations, Algebra and Algebraic Thinking, Measurement and Data, and Geometry.

After each Diagnostic, your child is assigned individualized lessons (My Path) based on how he/she scored on the assessment. These lessons are interactive and provide strategic support to keep your child engaged as they learn.

To access your child’s diagnostic results for both Reading and Math, follow the steps listed below.

1. Log in to your child's i-Ready Dashboard using their district device. Students will be able to show you the correct icon.
2. Click on the For Families dropdown and select the For Families report. You will need to change the settings to allow pop-ups to download the report.
3. Enter the District Report Code- PV4RVH.
4. The file will download and then can be opened.

Teachers will be sending home paper copies of the Family Reports for Math and Reading, as well as the Dibels Family Report for students in grades K-2. If you need a translated copy, please reach out to your child's teacher.

When viewing this report, we ask that you focus on the domain chart in the report to see where your child is performing in each of the specific domains listed above. Remember, your child’s placement in each of these domains creates individualized lessons (My Path) for your child. Each day, your child will work towards completing 15 minutes on their My Path, which is an essential part of our reading/math classes. In addition to receiving classroom instruction, completing these lessons will help your child grow toward their typical growth for the year.

Thank you for your continued support and for being a partner in your child’s learning! If you have any questions about i-Ready, please do not hesitate to contact me. You can also learn more about the i-Ready Diagnostic by visiting i-Ready Family Center: Understanding Diagnostic Results.

Neshaminy School District is pleased to offer a new efficient student absence reporting system called SafeArrival.

You can now report your child’s absence in advance of the official start of the school day using any of these three methods:

1. Using your mobile device, download and install the SchoolMessenger app from the Apple App Store or the Google Play Store. The first time you use the app, select SIGN UP to create your account. Select Attendance and then Report an Absence.

2. Use the SafeArrival SchoolMessenger website. The first time you use the website, select SIGN UP to create your account. Select Attendance and then Report an Absence.

3. You can call 1-888-256-5072 to report an absence to the SafeArrival system.

While we strongly encourage parents and guardians to use SafeArrival, hand-delivered notes and phone calls to the Main Office will still be accepted for absences. Please note that absences called into Main Offices will be marked “unexcused” until a written note is provided.

• Your username and password are the same whether you use the mobile app or the website. You must register your account using the email address on file with Neshaminy. To use the phone reporting option, you must use the phone number on file with Neshaminy. You can verify or modify your contact information by logging into the Home Access Center (HAC). If you do not recall your HAC credentials, please call your schools main office.

• The automated absence reporting systems is available 24/7. If you report on the day of an absence, you must do so by 11:45 pm or contact the main office or attendance office at your child’s school during normal school hours.

• If you do not report an absence ahead of time, the automated notification system will contact you when your child is absent. The system will send messages via email, text (if you have opted to receive text messages), and phone. If you report your child’s absence through SafeArrival or directly to the school in advance, you will NOT receive this notification.

Chorale will begin rehearsals for our spring trip on Thursday, February 13th. We are welcoming new members! Sign-up sheets went home in Thursday folders.

The “Wall of Fame” is starting to fill up. Please continue to send in pictures, programs, etc. of any special music-related performance/activity your child participates in, so that I may proudly display it in the music room. If you have any good pictures of the full orchestra or chorus from our December winter concert, please send them to me: apatrick@neshaminy.org

Topics in this newsletter include:

• Teaching Empathy
• 5 Conversations to Develop Empathy
• Ferderbar Kindness Week

4th Grade Monday Morning Band Rehearsals will begin on Monday, February 10th at 8AM in the school cafeteria.

Below is the schedule for band practices.

The orchestra will begin rehearsing for the spring concert soon! Rehearsals begin on Tuesday February 11th at 8 AM in the cafeteria.

Below is the schedule for orchestra practices.

Important Reminders:

• Students need to come to school with a charged laptop everyday.

• All cellphones and smartwatches will be placed in student bookbags at the start of the day and will remain powered off during the school day.
• No stickers can be placed on the district device.
• Students need to have headphones.

Please see the following attachments for additional information and expectations.

Our Lost and Found table is filling up fast. Please ask your child if they have misplaced an item to check the lost and found table in the cafeteria.

We encourage all parents and guardians to label all items that the student brings into school, including lunchboxes, water bottles, school bags, coats, hats, etc.

Please visit our Title 1 website for details on how Title 1 Funds help our students.

Good attendance is essential for students to succeed in school.

Please remember to send in a note or an email to your child's teacher after every absence. If you go to the doctor for a sick visit, well check, specialist, or dentist, please ask for a note and bring that in. All absences are marked unexcused, until a note is provided. Families can use the attachment below to provide details about their child's absence.

Who needs to obtain volunteer clearances?

Any adult applying for or holding a volunteer position who is responsible for a child's welfare or has direct contact with children during curricular or co-curricular activities needs to obtain volunteer clearances. Examples include classroom volunteers, Home & School activity volunteers, or field trip chaperones.

If you have any questions as to whether a clearance is needed for a particular volunteer role or activity, please contact our main office, 215-809-6370.

Don't Wait!

Act 34 - the Pennsylvania State Police Clearance - can take 2 to 4 weeks to process and Act 151 - the Child Abuse History Clearance - can also take 2 to 4 weeks.

You will NOT be allowed to volunteer or chaperone a school trip unless all appropriate volunteer paperwork is complete and submitted.

Click the link below to access additional information and links for each clearance.

https://www.neshaminy.org/Domain/2376

Breakfast is free for the 24-25 school year. Students can purchase a second breakfast.

Neshaminy uses School Café for payment. You will need to register at https://schoolcafe.com You can check balances, set balance alerts, set recurring payments etc. A 5% convenience fee will be charged on all online payments.

Food Service Website

Please visit the Food Service webpage for additional information:

https://www.neshaminy.org/domain/18

To apply for the Free & Reduced Meal Program:

Read the letter to Neshaminy families for information about the 2024-2025 Free & Reduced Meal Program

Visit https://www.schoolcafe.com/ or use the free School Cafe app to apply quickly and easily online.

Though we encourage our families to apply online, paper applications are still available and can be found below. They are also available at the Main Offices of each of our schools and can be filled out and returned there.

Pennsylvania Free Reduced Application (English)

Aplicación reducida gratuita de Pennsylvania (Español)

If you need help or want to fill out an application in person, the Main Office staff at each school can assist you during their normal business hours.

Do you have questions about this application or the Free & Reduced program at Neshaminy? Call 215-809-6542.

Do you have questions about this application or the Free & Reduced program at Neshaminy? Call 215-809-6542.

Please Note:

• Families must complete a new Free & Reduced application each school year.
• Paper applications are no longer distributed at school.

Did you know...

• Free and Reduced Meal applications are available in 48 languages (call for information)
• If you qualify for free meals, you may be eligible for affordable internet from Comcast (see below) and the chance to purchase lower priced laptops or computers
• You can go to any local library within your community and use their computers to apply for Free and Reduced Meals

Additional Programs

If you receive Free & Reduced benefits, your children may qualify for other programs as well. To make it easier to find out about these, we can share your information with these other programs but need your permission to do so. Completing the forms below will not change whether your children get free or reduced price meals:

Elementary information sharing permission form (fillable PDF form)

The link for our Universal Elementary Student/Family Handbook is below. In preparation for the upcoming school year, all families should review the information.

Ferderbar is a treat free school for all birthday celebrations. Families can send in items like pencils, erasers, stickers, and any non-food items.

Check out our calendar below.

President- Dina Mangione: mangionedina67@gmail.com

Vice President- Amy Schnauffer: amyschnauffer5@gmail.com

Treasurer: Noelle Grebe: Noellegrebe@gmail.com

Secetary: Jill Langhorne: Jill.langhorne@gmail.com

Check out the HSA's webpage to learn more about the events and activities throughout the year.

https://www.neshaminy.org/domain/997

Upcoming Dates:

• 2/10- HSA General Meeting- 6:30 pm- located in Ferderbar's library
• 2/28- Paint Night

All current Board members will be leaving their positions at the end of this year. If you are interested in becoming a Board member, please reach out to Dr. Doherty (sdoherty@neshaminy.org) or Mrs. Mangione (mangionedina67@gmail.com). The positions we need to fill are President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer.

Who: Ferderbar Students and Staff

What: A Talent Show When: March 21st, 2025 at 7pm

Where: Poquessing Auditorium

Puttin’ on the Kids (POTK) is a yearly tradition that gives an opportunity for our students to showcase their unique talents for their friends, family and teachers. This has been one of our kids’ favorite activities for over 30 years and we are so excited to offer this once again to the children of Ferderbar. Please encourage your children to participate and join us for an entertaining night! We welcome any child that has a talent to share - singing, dancing, playing an instrument, stand-up comedy, magic, gymnastics etc. We love seeing the kids come together and work hard on something they can be proud of.

Please see the form below to sign up.

We are excited to start planning for the end of the year events and will be collecting 4th grade dues of $40 to cover the costs. The dues will help pay for your child to have a party, year book and a gift.

We will also be hosting a few events throughout the school year to help fund raise; however, we will be unable to provide everything for the children without the dues.

If you are experiencing financial hardship and are unable to contribute the full amount of the 4th grade dues or would like to contribute a different amount, please indicate that on the form below with the amount enclosed by February 21, 2025.

If you have any questions, please reach out to Madeline Hendricks at madeline.hendricks18@gmail.com or Jeanne Neal at jciccone85@gmail.com.

The school store will run every Friday from 8:50-9:10 in the back of the cafeteria. One grade level goes per week.

School Store Schedule:

• 2/7: Kindergarten
• 2/21: First Grade
• 2/28: Second Grade
• 3/7: Third Grade

Check out the flyers below for information on events and programs in our community.