Welcome to the Pennridge School Board monthly update. To foster better communication with the public we are providing a monthly executive summary of our actions. These are highlights of this month's Board meeting.

Each month, we will also include links to specific times of the video of our meeting to help you navigate to specific areas of interest. I hope you find this information useful and easy to access.

We welcome feedback from the public and the School District welcomes you at the meetings and invites you to participate in the meetings' public comment sections.

If you have comments or concerns about Pennridge School Board matters, please e-mail psdschoolboard@pennridge.org.

Below for a complete list of Board actions for the month. The full agenda can also be viewed on our Board Docs website by clicking here.

Highlights of the Board's Decisions:

• Superintendent Berrios honors and recognizes our students and staff members.

• The Communication Department previews the new PSD website

• Several Pennridge Staff receive stipends to reward their expertise in their trades

• The School Board approves several exciting trips for our students

• Policy 109; Resource Materials receives Final Approval

October School Board Meeting Schedule:

• October 14, 2024- Curriculum, Activities, and Policy Committees
• October 21, 2024- Facilities, Finance and Personnel Committees
• October 28, 2024- Pennridge School Board Monthly Meeting

Major timecode references for the School Board Meeting Video:

00:04:30- President's Report

00:10:00- Superintendent's Report

00:30:00- Student Liaison Report

00:35:35- Public Comment

00:44:23- Curriculum Committee

00:45:20- Facilities Committee

00:46:20- Finance Committee

00:47:47- Policy Committee

01:16:17- Old Business

01:24:30- New Business

• PSD is recognized nationally as one of just 28 Schools in Pennsylvania as a Champion of Inclusiveness for Unified Sports and the only District in Bucks County!
• Art Teachers Receive Commendation for earning Pennridge distinguished recognition as a Pennsylvania Outstanding Visual Arts Community
• Pennridge Students recognized for National Merit Scholarship excellence
• and more!

The Pennridge School District Celebrated Our 2023-2024 AP Capstone Diploma Recipients! To receive the AP Capstone Diploma, students must earn scores of 3 or higher in AP Seminar, AP Research, and on four additional AP Exams of their choice.

12th Grader, Katelyn Eberhardt has taken 6 AP Exams through her 11th-grade year with an average score of 3.67. She is also taking 2 more AP Courses this School Year.

• The other winners are Class of 2024 Graduates:

• Alexandra Roehl who is attending Muhlenberg University

• Stella Siokos who is attending Lehigh University

• And, Sophia Trumbower, who is attending Penn State University

More than 16,000 students nationwide are chosen to be semi-finalists from the 21,000 who qualified after scoring very well on the PSAT. This pool includes the highest-scoring entrants from each State! PHS Seniors, Tyler Flaska and Noah Van Beurden are our Semi-Finalists this year.

We would also like to acknowledge our three Commended Students for the 2025 National Merit Scholarship Program. The students have PSAT Scores in the Top 5% in the nation! They are, Stratford Bannister, Ryan Cecere, and Salvatore D'Aquino.

This accolade is a testament to the incredible talent, dedication, and passion that our students and faculty bring to the arts.
Organizers say, "This is an opportunity to acknowledge how art programs enrich students’ lives and contribute to their overall academic and personal development. Your school’s achievement highlights the exceptional impact of your visual arts programs and underscores the commitment of your entire educational community to nurturing young artists. It is inspiring to see how your efforts are recognized and celebrated during this meaningful week."

This month, Pennridge High School earned the 2023-2024 PIAA Sportsmanship Award voted on by your league member schools. The PIAA and the District One Committee honored Pennridge a commemorative banner, an engraved paperweight, and a certificate of recognition from the PIAA Executive Director.

In addition to her two PIAA State Championships at Pennridge, PHS Girl's Soccer Coach Audrey Anderson is PA Coach of the Year!

Once again, the Pennridge School District encourages and values our staff members who continue to excel in their trades. In September, we approved compensation to those individuals who have attained a ranked level in a skilled trade position, and for those folks who have obtained certification, as required, to perform necessary services within the district.

Having skilled workers as Pennridge employees allows us to perform many tasks that other Districts may have to seek third-party labor to perform.

Certifications held by our district wide Operations and Transportation Department employees as follows:

Operations:

• Roger Affleck- Universal Refrigerant Recovery Certification, Building Operator Certification
• Chris Bogen- Pesticide Applicator - Pool
• Shane Fasy- Pesticide Applicator - Grounds
• Fred Maser- Universal Refrigerant Recovery Certification, Master Plumber License
• Angela Santangelo- Pesticide Applicator - Pool
• Steve Scheip- Sewerage Plant Treatment Operator, Universal Refrigerant Recovery Certification, Burner Operation Certification
• Paul Silvestri- Asbestos Contractor/Supervisor Certification
• Zach Steich- Building Operator Certification, Electrical Diploma Certification
• Lorn Strawser- Pesticide Applicator - Grounds

• Ken Gilbert- Diesel Mechanic (State Vehicle Inspection License)
• Andrew Smutinik- Diesel Mechanic (State Vehicle Inspection License)
• Rich Vees • Diesel Mechanic (State Vehicle Inspection License)

As it is written in the approved Policy 109- Resource Materials, "Pennridge School District encourages teachers to have classrooms that are rich with reading materials relevant to the subject areas for teaching and learning. It will be the professional responsibility of each Pennridge School District teacher to ensure that any book(s) not purchased by the District but held in individual classroom libraries and available for student use will have been read or reviewed by that teacher in advance of making the reading materials available for student use.

Reading materials, including magazines, websites, etc. that contain any inappropriate or potentially offensive language or themes will be excluded from the classroom collection.

• When selecting reading materials for classrooms, staff should refer to the Administrative Procedure regarding "Classroom Libraries and Library Materials".
• Staff members (librarians and classroom teachers) also are strongly encouraged to recommend reading materials for future school library acquisition.

Building Principals will review recommendations for new reading materials for the classroom and the library. Teachers are encouraged to make use of their building libraries by regularly signing out books for their classrooms that are appropriate for the grade level.

Please click below if you want to read more information about this and other Policies.

Please be advised, all supporting documentation can be found as attachments of the meeting agenda on BoardDocs. https://www.boarddocs.com/pa/pnrg/Board.nsf/Public