Wiss Watch

Click "open this email in a browser" for the best display. To translate or use ADA features, click the Translate icon at the top. Tap any image to enlarge it.

최상의 표시를 위해 "브라우저에서 이 이메일 열기"를 클릭하십시오. ADA 기능을 번역하거나 사용하려면 상단의 번역 아이콘을 클릭하세요. 이미지를 탭하면 확대됩니다.

Para traducir o usar las funciones de ADA, haga clic en el ícono Traducir en la esquina superior derecha. ¿Teniendo problemas? Haga clic en "abrir este correo electrónico en un navegador" para ver la barra de herramientas de Traducción/ADA en la parte superior. Toca cualquier imagen para ampliarla.

The week leading up to the Eagles victory in Super Bowl LIX was so much fun! NBC10 was on the scene to capture WHS making the largest “Bird Call” in the region! All 1,500 students called the Eagles to leave a phone message cheering the Birds on to victory. Accompanied by the band, the whole school sang the Eagles fight song! Deanna Durante talked to members of the WHS football team and senior class president about their predictions for Super Bowl LIX. NBC10 also captured our 6th graders at WMS singing "Fly, Eagles, Fly!" Watch on NBC10 or check out our video below.

Blue Bell showed their Eagles spirit with an enthusiastic pep rally led by the one and only D.J. Meet Mike! They had a special Eagle guest and Fin the Shark hyping up the crowd. Students and teachers teamed up to show off their football skills in a fun toss, and each grade brought the energy by chanting E-A-G-L-E-S as loud as they could!

Our students are so talented! More than 100 seventh and eighth graders are performing in sold-out performances of Mary Poppins Jr. on February 27 - March 1. The singing, acting and dancing is top notch! Shoutout to all of our performers, Mrs. Brown, WMS Choral/Drama teacher, and to all of the students, staff and parent volunteers who supported the production.

Don't miss the WHS musical, Into the Woods. Tickets are on sale for performances on Thurday, March 6 at 7PM, Friday, March 7 at 7:30PM and Saturday, March 8 at 7:30PM. Tickets can be purchased from any cast or crew member, in the WHS Main Office, or at the door for $10.

DID YOU KNOW? More than 750 WMS and WHS students participate in the performing arts! Sponsor Wissahickon on Stage and...

• Support improvements to our WHS performing arts facilities and programs that exceed the district’s budget
• Enhance our choral, band, strings & drama programs
• Create a more enjoyable experience for our audiences
• Benefit EVERY Wissahickon student who takes the stage
• Donations in any amount make a difference! Scan the QR code to donate today!

Completing a 100 days of school is a big deal in the elementary schools! On February 3, students celebrated by dressing as a 100-year-old and had fun completing math and writing activities. Miss Quigley’s kindergarten class at BBE got together with their 3rd grade buddies to count 100 stickers in rows of 10 on an octopus. Students also wrote about what they would do when they are 100 and how they would spend 100 dollars! Mrs. Decker's kindergarten class at LGE participated in stations including pipe cleaner glasses, 100 cup stacking, pattern block building, and 100-piece fruit loop necklaces!

Congratulations to Claire Qing from Shady Grove Elementary School, our District Artist of the Month for February! Claire is a talented fifth grader in Mr. Mauriello’s class, known for her remarkable attention to detail in every art project she tackles. In addition to excelling in her art classes at school, Claire has been honing her artistic skills with oil painting lessons outside of school for the past year.

For her recent art project, Claire and her classmates explored the history of lava lamps and learned how to draw organic shapes to depict the lava inside. Using chalk, Claire skillfully applied value to illustrate the light source within the lamp. She also created an intricate Zentangle leaf design, filling it with detailed Sharpie patterns. The background was painted with watercolor. Salt was sprinkled on the paper when the watercolor was wet to absorb parts of the pigment and to create texture around the leaf. In her snowman landscape, Claire demonstrated her mastery of chalk techniques by using the point of the chalk to capture fine details and the side of the chalk was used to create a stunning sunset effect. She also applied two different chalk applications to the snow. Claire used her finger to smooth out the snowman and left the ground more textured around the snowman to create contrast. Shadows were created to add depth to the landscape. The fifth grade class also explored the vibrant wooden animals created by artists from Oaxaca, Mexico. Inspired by the Mexican artist, Pedro Linares, and his colorful “Alebrijes,” Claire crafted two animals out of clay. She painted her two chicks with acrylics and added fine details with Posca Paint Pens to create her colorful version of an “Alebrije.”

Art Teacher Dr. Tinneny congratulated Claire for her outstanding artistic achievements at Shady Grove Elementary School!

Congratulations to the WMS MATHCOUNTS Team! The club sent 8 members to compete against over 160 of the best mathletes in the region and had seven place in the top 25%, Gavin Bishop, Kyle Huang, Sohum Bhatt, Maya Cheng, Raymond Liao, Chloe Noh, Yooni Kim and Andrew Zhang. The team finished a strong 3rd out of 20 schools.

As a result of their top 10 scores after the written rounds, 7th graders Kyle Huang and Gavin Bishop both earned the opportunity to compete in the high-pressure Countdown Round on stage in front of a packed auditorium. Gavin proceeded to knock off five consecutive opponents on his way to winning the competition! Gavin now heads to the State Competition in Harrisburg next month.

Kudos to our students who participated in the 2025 WMS Spelling Bee Championship: 2nd runner-up Wiam Ishaqui, runner-up Cameron Rive, and champion Declan Olson. Declan will compete in the Regional Bee at Wissahickon High School in March. Good luck!

Special thanks to our co-chairs/judges: Steve Ebert, Cheryl Neild, and Janice Belcher.

Congratulations to our North Montco Career and Technical School students who were inducted into the National Technical Honor Society: Evelyn Contreras, Protective Services Program, and Lindsey Craig and Suzanne McNaughton, Advertising Design. Their accomplishments were highlighted at the February 3rd school board meeting. Watch the Presentation

Wiss Nation is Wiss Proud of Dianne Krause, Instructional Technology Specialist and Coach, who received the "Innovator of the Year" award at PETE&C Conference in Hershey. At the banquet, Ms. Krause was surprised to win another award—the “Making IT Happen” award from ISTE!

Does the man in the picture look familiar? That's the former WSD Technology Director, John McGowan!

Congratulations to Olivia Lore and Joshua Yu for their successful audition into the 2025 PMEA District Chorus Festival. For three days, Olivia and Josh worked alongside 160 other advanced choral singers under the direction of West Chester University choral director Ryan Kelly. Olivia has moved on to the more elite level and will be joining the PMEA Region Chorus in March. Congratulations to Olivia and Josh!

The WHS Debate & Speech Team's regular season culminated with league playoffs, plus two consecutive weekends of invitational tournaments at Pennsbury High School and the University of Pennsylvania. Students did an excellent job at the competitions, demonstrating impressive poise, flexibility, and support of one another. Four students advanced to quarterfinals for their events: Mihir Khanna and Joseph Chang (Public Forum Debate), Sarah Yang (Lincoln-Douglas Debate), and Cael Lee (Impromptu Speaking). Standout competitors from our invitational competitions are Mihir Khanna and Joseph Chang at the Pennsbury invitational and Eli Perilstein, Cael Lee, Vivian Han, Kevin Gao, and Lucía Olmo-Cintron at the University of Pennsylvania invitational. Shoutout to Ms. Horwitz for her leadership of this program!

Congratulations to the Wissahickon Color Guard for an incredible performance and securing 3rd place at their show on February 22! Your hard work, dedication, and passion continue to shine, and we couldn’t be prouder.

Huge shoutouts to the WHS athletes who have been breaking records, earning Suburban One League and PIAA recognitions, beating personal bests, and placing in championship events!

Boys Swimming

• Reed Harris, 11th grade, broke the following records: 500m Freestyle (1st Place, D1 Champion), 200m Freestyle (2nd Place), and 100m Freestyle

• Jack Johnson: 3rd place 200 IM
• Dean Bowers: 2nd place 50 Free
• Logan Bruno: 3rd place 50 Free and 2nd place 100 Free
• 200 Free Relay 2nd place (New School Record – Reed Harris, Tym Babur, Dean Bowers, Logan Bruno)
• 400 Free Relay 2nd place (Reed Harris, Mason Latchford, Tym Babur, Logan Bruno)

Girls Swimming

• Norah Webber: 500m Freestyle 1st place – PIAA District Champion

Girls Basketball

• Maura Jacob and Julia Lettieri earned spots on the Suburban One League Liberty Division Honorable Mention Team

Girls Indoor Track

• Hope Greenwood and Linsey Gejer: 4th and 6th place in 55 meter dash
• Jaiydalin Meaux: 6th place in 55 meter hurdles
• Chloe Doll: 2nd place in 200 meter dash
• Kiera Werner: 2nd place in 800 meter dash
• Charlotte Ledoux: 3rd place in high jump
• Lindsey Gejer, Hope Greenwood, Jaiydalin Meaux, and Kiera Werner: 1st place in 4x200 meter relay
• Ameerah Jones-Rines: 4th place in long jump; personal best jump of 17 feet 1 inch

Boys Indoor Track

• Dominic Harvey-Sheppard, Amari Nash, Quentin West, and Zion Ford set a new school record for 4x200 in 1:29.14, the second fastest time of the day

Boys Wrestling

• Tyler Prince placed 1st and Rafael Oguiwara placed 3rd in the Suburban One League Liberty Division League Championships
• Tyler Prince and Sam Tatko qualified for upcoming 2025 PIAA Southeast Regional Tournament

Congrats to senior Sabrina Honeycutt recognized as a UnivestCorp Featured Athlete. Check out her story!

Congratulations to the WMS Hockey Team on winning the Suburban Hockey League AAA Championship! A thrilling 3-2 victory Sunday night against North Penn advanced the Trojans to the Championship game to face the top seeded Pennsbury Falcons on Wednesday night for the Championship.

Congratulations to the wrestlers that placed in the District Tournament at Colonial Middle School on Monday February 10, 2025. Evan Clementi received a silver medal. Luis Jimenez, Tyler Renfer, Ryder Dicus, and Kelly Corson received bronze medals. There were 5 wrestlers that placed 4th in their weight class. Congrats on a great season!

Planning for the 2025-2026 WSD Budget is underway. We invite our community to watch the short video below explaining the annual process of developing the school district budget and its impact on student success. Visit our website for more budget information.

The community is also invited to attend a series of Finance Committee/Budget Workshops held in the District Administration Office.

• March 10 at 6:30pm

• April 1 at 6:30pm

• May 12 at 6:30pm

Shoutout to our talented Stony Creek 5th graders who presented to the school board about their student-led newscast, News from the Nest. Student reporters write and record the scripts for the video announcements, which highlight upcoming and recent assemblies, celebrations, and student achievements. Watch the board meeting to see students share their behind-the-scenes work, including some bloopers! Besides making announcements more entertaining for other SCE students, the newscast provides an opportunity for fifth graders to serve as leaders and role models for the school. They also practice their writing, editing, and presentation skills and flex their creativity with suggestions for new segments.

At two assemblies at Shady Grove, guest speaker Carlos Ojeda, Jr. spoke to students, focusing on the idea that our unique traits are "magic". While sharing his story, he revealed that he is hearing impaired and has only 5% of his hearing—his "magic." Through activities and magic tricks, he encouraged students to celebrate their own magic.

After the presentation, students discussed their special qualities and how to support each other, tying it into our No Place for Hate Promise. They pledged to treat everyone fairly, act as allies (or "upstanders"), and ensure everyone feels safe and included!

Mr. Smyth’s AP World History students have been reading fairy and folktales from around the world to understand the importance of shared stories, culture, and their impact on nationalism. Students used these tales to inspire their own original fairy/folktales in comics form.

Students in Mr. MacMinn’s physics class are studying different types of collisions during their momentum unit. The students are using PASCO Smart Carts to measure the velocity so they can calculate momentum and kinetic energy before and after collisions. Students are also studying center of mass. Check out the students trying to solve a puzzle where they balance 14 nails on a single nail. The students also found the center of mass of unique shapes during a class demonstration.

Lower Gwynedd students and families reached their Boosterthon fundraising goal of $20,000! As a reward, students got to silly string Principal Leddy, pie him in the face while he was duct taped to the wall, and dump cold buckets of water on him!

Staff across the district recently participated in Restorative Practices training with Mike Mandel, Instructional Restorative Practices Coach and Keziah LaTorre, Director of Equity and Cultural Responsiveness. The secondary session focused on the importance of relationships, team building, and collective problem solving while the elementary staff learned about restorative conversations.

What’s up with the dots? Staff participated in a Fair Process activity. Through collaboration and problem solving, they had to make it through the other side of the path. (like Indiana Jones; if you step on the wrong dot, you’re out).

WMS staff and students played in the annual Jerry Hartman Memorial Game! The 8th grade boys and girls basketball teams took on the staff in memory of Jerry Hartman. Mr. Hartman taught 6th and 7th grade while at WMS. He is not only honored during the game but there is also an 8th grade scholarship in his name awarded to two students at promotion.

It was a close game for the first three quarters, but the staff pulled it out in the end, winning 99 to 87. Thank you to everyone who helped make this game possible, especially the WMS Home and School Association for the great shirts! Special shoutout to the MVPs of the game: Mr. Martin, Mr. Sutton, Naim Bey and Maddie Meinel.

Wissahickon High School will be showcasing artwork at Gypsy Blu (Upstairs Gallery Space) in downtown Ambler for the month of March (Youth Arts Month). Artwork on display features work from high school art students and National Art Honor Society Members, including Art 1-4, AP Art (2D & 3D), Photography, Graphic Design, and Ceramics. There will be a Closing Night Celebration on Friday, March 28 from 5-8PM. Music will be provided by a select group of WHS musicians.

Also this March, a selection of elementary and WMS artwork is on display at Ambler Savings Bank! A reception will be held on March 25 from 3 to 5PM.

Shoutout to the WMS Math Department teachers and students on a great presentation to the School Board. They highlighted differentiated instruction, including the use of Building Thinking Classrooms (small group instruction). Students work in groups divided by mixed abilities and tackle math problems in a vertical thinking space (stand-up spaces) to solve problems using different strategies. Students said they really enjoy this peer-to-peer learning.

The MathCounts students and advisor, Mr. Deckebach, spotlighted the club, which includes 30 WMS students who meet after school to build problem-solving skills and have fun. They are the only club in PA to earn gold recognition for 17 consecutive years!

The Wissahickon Board of School Directors welcomes residents and community members to attend its monthly public meetings (e.g., work sessions, regular meetings, and committee meetings). These public meetings are held in-person at the District Administration Office and/or virtually via Zoom and YouTube. Click here to learn more about the school board.

2/24: Watch the Board Meeting

1. On 2/3, the Board watched a presentation by Stony Creek students about their student-led newscast, News from the Nest. Read story above: Reporting from Stony Creek.
2. On 2/24, the WMS Math Department teachers and students presented learning highlights to the board. Read story above.
3. On 2/24, Keziah LaTorre, Director of Equity and Cultural Responsiveness, provided highlights of district-wide activities and lessons related to Black History Month. Read more under Cultural Recognition and Celebrations.

Upcoming Board Meetings

• March 3, Regular Board Meeting, 7:00 p.m.
• March 31, Work Session, 7:00 p.m.

Ms. Richick's fourth-grade class at Shady Grove has been exploring the biography genre. In celebration of Black History Month, each student selected a notable figure to write a mini-biography on. Inspired by the “Who Was…?” book series, students used Canva to create a front and back book cover as their final project.

In the weeks leading up to Martin Luther King Jr. (MLK) Day, students read about MLK, and participated in lessons about Dr. King and his commitment to serving his community. Students then served the SGE community by “beautifying” a space. All 700 students “made their mark” with a handprint on a 5x5 or 6x6 wooden tile. The tiles will be used in a mural/mosaic honoring the legacy of Dr. King and displayed surrounding an original painting by SGE Assistant Principal Mrs. Kennedy’s father.

Shoutout to our WMS students and families who initiated a new Korean Language and Culture Club which held its first meeting in January. WMS is excited to have Soojin Suh Cho as the advisor. She has 25 years of experience teaching Korean language, history, music, and cultural studies.

The club is open to all WMS students. Through engaging activities, students will explore Korean art, music, traditional games, and more, while also gaining an introduction to the Korean language.

Lower Gwynedd students and teachers worked hard on the Black History Month projects displayed around the school! Each class took time to engage in a gallery walk to observe all the amazing projects, sparking more learning and conversations around Black History at LGE. Mrs. Hickey's 5th graders were among the first to enjoy learning from their peers!

Our schools are proud to incorporate lessons and activities that support social emotional learning (SEL) skills - self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills and responsible decision making. SEL leads to long-term improvements in students’ skills, attitudes, prosocial behavior and academic performance. February's district SEL theme was Relationships and Empathy.

All schools are implementing Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) this year to create a safe, welcoming, and supportive learning environment and school community for all students. Appropriate behavior, school rules and expectations are taught, modeled, practiced and acknowledged with positive reinforcement.

Shoutout to the Panthers, Dragons, and Pride teams - the grade level Trojan Ticket winners recognized for their super positive efforts displaying the WMS 3Rs: respect, responsibility, and building positive relationships. They celebrated with popcorn and a movie - The Super Mario Brothers!

Stony Creek was glowing with excitement at their monthly SOAR (Safe, Open-Minded, Accountable, and Respectful) celebration. They enjoyed glow day activities, including glow-in-the-dark tic-tac-toe and Eagles coloring sheets.

The WSD Board Racial Equity Oversight Committee members invite you to a Community Listening Session at 7:00PM on Monday, March 17, at Penllyn Woods Community Building. Join us in our collective efforts to ensure that the District’s vision of addressing the needs of our students are met through the identified Focus Areas of Priority. These areas include: Belongingness; District Responses to Racial Disparities in Discipline; Equitable Representation in Advanced Placement Courses in High School; Equitable Representation in the District’s Gifted Program; Special Education Identification, and Teacher/Staff Diversity.

If you are interested in participating, please complete the registration form linked here, and identify which of the Focus Areas of Priority we should discuss at the meeting.

Show your WSD pride and get your spirit wear for the spring! Check out the items featuring our fun new comic book style logo! The Spirit Store is open now through March 9th: https://runaroundinc.tuosystems.com/stores/wsdsp25

Students, ages 5-18, are invited to participate in the Wissahickon Valley Public Library (WVPL) 2025 Design-A-Bookmark Contest. Designs should be related to books, libraries, and/or reading. The winning designs will be printed as colorful bookmarks and distributed at both branches of the library! All entries will be displayed either online and/or inside the library for patrons to admire.

All entries must be submitted with the entry form linked below to either the Blue Bell or Ambler Library locations by closing on Friday, April 18.

Bookmark Contest Entry Form

The Dental Hygiene Program at Montgomery County Community College offers free and low-cost dental services to the community, including a free upcoming oral exam and sealant for children, ages 6-14, on March 22. View PDFs below for more info.

Wiss Nation is proud to be a part of the GIANT Feeding School Kids initiative! From January 1 – March 31, you can round up at the register to support meal programs for our students.

In previous years, the district has received funding ranging from $8,000 to $13,000 as a result of our school community rounding up when they shop at GIANT.

Parents/Guardians often wonder where to turn with a question or a concern regarding their child or other school issues. Starting "too high up the ladder" often requires information backtracking and can leave valuable allies out of the loop. Here are some handy guidelines to use:

Classroom problem? Start with your child’s teacher. They are in the best position to address classroom-related issues. If the problem is outside the teacher’s area of expertise or control, the teacher will refer you to the right person.

Not able to resolve your problem with the teacher? Go next to the school principal or supervisor who usually will be able to resolve your problem or refer you to the right person.

Issue or inquiry is not being resolved at the building level or isn’t a building level issue? You might be referred to a member of the Wissahickon School District administration. You may also consult our list of administrative departments to determine whom would be the most appropriate person to contact, depending on the nature of your inquiry. View Administrative Contacts

Watch our video shorts series "Did You Know?" to learn more about Wiss Nation programs, services, events, activities, resources and more. Our students narrate each video which is 30 seconds or less!

WATCH NOW

Nominations for the 2025 WHS Alumni Hall of Fame will close on March 8. If you know an alumni with exemplary post-graduate achievements, please submit a nomination.

WSD is participating in the Building Tomorrow: Careers in Education Fair on Saturday, March 22, 10a-1pm at Radnor High School Cafeteria (130 King of Prussia Rd, Wayne, PA 19087). Save your spot