Superintendent's Newsletter

It is my pleasure to present the May edition of the Lower Moreland Township School District Superintendent’s Newsletter. I hope this letter finds you and your family healthy and well.

Starting the first full week in May (6th-10th), we honor all teachers during National Teacher Appreciation Week. On behalf of LMTSD and the Board of School Directors, we thank all LMTSD teachers and staff for their dedication, compassion and commitment to our students. LMTSD recognizes and appreciates how our teachers play such a pivotal role in our students’ lives.

During the month of May, the district celebrates Asian American and Pacific Islander and Jewish American Heritage Month. The month of May is also Mental Health Awareness Month. In addition to recognizing and celebrating our diverse community and all families attending our schools, it is also important that all of us continue to maintain good mental health. Along with contacting our school counselors for any assistance your child may need, please click here if you or your child is in need of immediate help.

Lower Moreland Township School District has partnered with BusPatrol to launch a new School Bus Safety Program in line with PA Motor Vehicle Code § 3345. As part of the program, all school buses that transport LMTSD students will be outfitted with safety technology in 2024-2025 to make the ride to and from school safer for all. This technology includes photo enforcement cameras to detect vehicles that illegally pass stopped school buses while the stop sign is out, and red lights are engaged. The police department then reviews the footage to determine whether to issue a violation by mail. The safety of our LMTSD students is a top priority. Pennsylvania’s Operation Safe Stop reported more than 250 illegal passes in just one school day in 2021, and reports estimate that state school buses are illegally passed more than two times per bus per day. LMTSD is no exception. This safety initiative will curb dangerous driving behavior around school buses to protect our students.

Please enjoy viewing the last and final full documentary video of the new high school build. Many thanks to Sophia Zalipsky and her Team for their incredible work and effort over the past four years in documenting this incredible project. Lastly, please enjoy reading both the spring edition of Lion’s Roar, the High School Newspaper, and the 2024 LMHS Literary Magazine.

Scott Davidheiser, Ed.D.
Superintendent

Pine Road Elementary hosted their annual Multicultural Night on May 1st. The event provided an opportunity for students and families to celebrate their diverse backgrounds through food, performances, and a “Walk of Cultures,” where students showcased their cultural dress. Pine Road teachers Janina Arnwine, Lisa Dairies, and Christina Rice head the committee that plans the event, and Pine Road families came together to make the event the biggest and most well-attended one since its beginning.

The Round Up Program at GIANT Food Company donated $9,789 to the District's Food Services Program. Representatives from GIANT came to the High School to share the news with Lance Leone, the District's Food & Nutrition Director. The funds were raised through Giant's "Feeding School Kids Rounding Up" program through which customers have the option of “rounding up” their grocery purchases to the nearest dollar or converting their earnings points into a donation to support school district food programs. The donation helps clear outstanding lunch fees for families. This is the third year that the district has received a donation from Giant.

The Technology Department supports information technology systems and instructional technology programs and practices in the district. Each month, we highlight how our students and teachers engage in 21st Century learning activities. We also share updates on new initiatives and tips and tricks related to devices and technology tools used in the district.

Mr. Patrick Engleman, Ms. Ellen Zschunke, and Ms. Reesha Grosso, district librarians, attended the Pennsylvania State Library Association's 50th annual conference in April. They attended sessions on intellectual freedom, artificial intelligence in libraries, book selection, and PA state standards alignment, all of which aimed to keep them at the forefront of the field.

During a conference session, Mr. Engleman discussed the enhanced books he developed over the past four years in collaboration with Mr. Rosser's critical writing classes. These books, enabled with NFC tags, allow library patrons to scan the tags and watch videos from students, including book reviews and talks developed by Mr. Rosser's students. The session was well-attended, and the methods developed at Lower Moreland were shared with librarians from various districts. The project's materials were funded by a district mini-grant.

Each May, National Speech-Language-Hearing Month provides an opportunity to raise awareness about communication disorders and the role of American Speech- Language Hearing Association members in providing life-altering treatment.

The Office of Student Services would like to highlight the importance of the services provided by our Speech Pathologists and Hearing Support Teacher in the school setting and thank them all for the work they do to support our students with speech and hearing needs. Thank you to:

Speech Pathologists:

Courtney Benner

Danielle Koellner

Carolyn Poliseo

Hearing Support Teacher:

Christina Stokes