The Weekly Update 11/15/2024

As the chilly winter months approach, it's time to bundle up in our warmest clothes – hats, gloves, jackets, and scarves. But with so many students wearing similar winter gear, it's easy for things to get mixed up or lost. To avoid the "missing glove" mystery, here’s a simple solution: label your clothing items with your name!

Putting your name on hats, gloves, jackets, and other winter gear helps ensure that everything finds its way back to you if it gets misplaced. You can use a permanent marker, sew a name tag into your coat, or even support the Tawanka PTO and buy labels from Mables Labels! (https://mabelslabels.com/fundraising/support search for Tawanka!) Be sure to check your gear before school to make sure everything is labeled and ready for the cold weather.

Let’s work together to keep everyone warm, organized, and looking forward to the winter fun ahead!

Stay cozy and safe this winter, and don’t forget to bundle up!

Tawanka students are receiving Tawanka Tokens at an incredible rate! We love to recognize Tawanka students who are respectful, responsible, and safe with a token. At the end of each month, all the students who earned a Tawanka Token are entered into a raffle and a winner per grade level is chosen. These individuals were the winners for September and October! Congrats to all the winners and all of the token recipients from those months!

A petting zoo visited Kindergarten students; Ms. Banks class certainly enjoyed the experience.

Miss Trotta's class enjoyed time with a visiting petting zoo! Students got a chance to pet and feed various animals! A great time was had by all!

Ms. Wells class earned a camping day for their hard work to earn all the jewels in their jar. They had a blast!

Some additional Halloween fun from Mrs. Atwater's class!

Second grade is participating in the 100 book challenge. Ms. Veneziale's reading rockstars reached 25 books read!

Third grade students were excited to be able to choose from a wide range of books from a new "lending library" from a grant awarded to Mrs. Smith, our reading specialist. Thank you Mrs. Smith!

Mr. Blaydon and Mrs. Atwater's buddy classes got together to make holiday cards for soldiers!

Dear Tawanka Families,

A big THANK YOU to all who joined us for our Pasta Dinner last night! We are so grateful for the wonderful turnout and the support of our school community. It was a fantastic evening filled with delicious food, great conversation, and an overwhelming sense of community spirit.

Your participation helped make this event a huge success! All proceeds benefit our Tawanka families. We could not do this without your support, and we truly appreciate your involvement.

Special thanks to the PTO, Aramark, staff, and all those who donated their time and resources to make the evening run smoothly.

We hope you had a wonderful time and look forward to seeing you at our ice cream sale this spring! Your support means the world to us as we continue to build a strong and vibrant school community.

Warmly,

Team Tawanka

We have a few cases of head lice in the building. Early intervention and communication between the parents and the nurse are essential in keeping the spread of lice to a minimum. If you suspect your child may have head lice, please notify the nurse immediately.

Indications of head lice infestation are live lice in the hair, itchy scalp and small grayish-white oval eggs (nits) that are attached to the hair shaft close to the scalp. The nits cannot be easily brushed away from the scalp like dry skin or dandruff because they are attached with a “glue-like” substance. The nits will mature in seven to ten days and become a louse. Lice are seen less often than the eggs (nits) because they are so small. Infestation is usually diagnosed from visualization of nits on the warmest part of the scalp, behind the ears and along the nape of the neck.

If you find any evidence of head lice:

• Verify the infestation with your health care provider or school nurse.

• Report the infestation to your school nurse.

• Seek advice from your health care provider concerning treatment, especially regarding the use of pesticides on your child.

• Treat hair as directed, use a metal or plastic comb designed for nit removal to facilitate removal of all lice and nits from your child’s hair.

To help prevent the spread of head lice, we recommend keeping hair pulled back in a braid or bun with hair gel and/ or hairspray. Remind your child not to share jackets, sweaters, hats, hair accessories, brush and combs. Head lice are spread through direct head-to-head contact. Indirectly it is possible to be spread by combs, hats, bed sheets, upholstered furniture/ car seats etc.

If you have any questions regarding head lice or the policy at our school, please call the school nurse at 215-809-6316 or at calexis@neshaminy.org ddisandro@neshaminy.org or kmcclellan@neshaminy.org

It is the policy of Neshaminy School District that any child identified as having head lice must be checked by the school nurse before returning to class after treatment and will be checked periodically thereafter.

Thank you for your attention and cooperation,

Carol Alexis, Debby DiSandro, and Kelsey McClellan

School Nurses

215-809-6316

Holiday Help Resources 2024

The United Way has prepared this list of holiday help resources for those in need and those wishing to help and support.

https://www.uwbucks.org/holiday-help-resources-2024/

If your family is in need of financial assistance, we have a few resources to offer that may be able to help.

Feasterville Rotary donates new coats to children who may need them. Please contact a staff member listed below as soon as possible to order your coat.

Free lunch applications, list of Food Pantries, heating assistance, and other community resources are available as well.

We will be contacting clubs and organizations in the area on your behalf to make a truly “Happy Holiday” for your family. Since we do not know how many organizations will respond to our appeal, we cannot guarantee the type or the amount of gifts your children will receive. These donations may be in the form of food, gifts or gift certificates.

Please contact the nurse’s office or our guidance counselors for further information.

Nurse 215-809-6316 calexis@neshaminy.org ddisandro@neshaminy.org

Guidance counselors cdonnelly@neshaminy.org mkovak@neshaminy.org

Any information shared will remain confidential.