Panther Press
August Newsletter
November 4, 2024
Upcoming Dates:
2024-2025 School Year:
- 11/5- No School- Election Day
- 11/11- District Closed- No School- Veteran's Day
- 11/26- Half day for students- 11:10 am dismissal
- 11/27-11/29- No School- Thanksgiving Break
- 12/24-1/1- No School- Winter Break
- 2/17- No School- President's Day
- 2/14- Half day for students- 11:10 am dismissal
- 2/18- No School- Teacher PD Day
- 3/31- No School- Eid al-Fitr
- 4/17 & 4/18- No School- Spring Break
- 4/21- No School
- 4/21-4/25- PSSAs- English Language Arts
- 4/28-5/2- PSSAs- Math & Science
- 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
Check Out What's Happening at Ferderbar
Panther Pride Ticket Winners from October-November
Congratulations to the following winners who showed they can be respectful, responsible, and safe!
Halloween
Our Ferderbar Panthers enjoyed their Halloween parade and party!
Spotlight on Mrs. Brown's Class
On Friday, October 25, Mrs. Brown’s class at Ferderbar Elementary celebrated “Stuffy Day” as a reward for achieving 100 Panther Pride tickets this school year. Every student contributed by earning at least one ticket, with some students earning as many as ten.
For Stuffy Day, each student brought a stuffed animal to school. The students engaged in a variety of activities with their stuffies, including drawing portraits to display in the classroom, reading to them, teaching new vocabulary, sharing snacks, playing a place-value review game, and writing about their stuffy’s first day in 2nd grade. Though the stuffies were sad to say goodbye, they look forward to returning to second grade when the class reaches another 100-ticket milestone!
Update on Our Schoolwide Reading Initiative
Check Out Our Reader Zone Minutes!
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 October, Mrs. Fleming’s fourth grade class had our most reading minutes. Their class has held on to the “Reading Belt” for the month.
The highest in each grade level:
- Kindergarten: C1- Mrs. Cosenza
- First Grade: B7- Mrs. Faust
- Second Grade: B9- Mr. Mednick
- Third Grade: A8- Mrs. Cariola
- Fourth Grade: A12- Mrs. Fleming
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
Music News From Mrs. Patrick
Mrs. Patrick’s Vocal Music Notes
♪ 4th Grade Chorus: As a reminder, ALL 4th graders are part of our chorus. We have been rehearsing music for our winter concert during class. Reminder – our winter concert is Thursday, December 12th.
♪ Ferderbar Chorale: Students in our special group have been hard at work every Thursday morning preparing music for our trip to perform in a nursing home on December 20th. Permission slips will be sent home in a few weeks for that trip.
♪ October Games: Second and third grade classes practiced their rhythms with a fun game called “Candy Rhyth Race.” They had to match the name of the candy with the correct rhythm pattern. Fourth grade classes learned a cup passing routine to “The Addams Family” that included practice on our new “triplet” rhythm. See pictures below.
♪ Composer Spotlight: Our featured composer for the months of September and October was a pretty big one – Ludwig van Beethoven! Students enjoyed learning about his life and listening to his music. Beethoven wrote some of the most recognizable music, which meant there were a lot of extra fun ways to listen to it!
♪ Wall of Fame: We have a “Wall of Fame” in our music room. I would love to fill it up with examples of Ferderbar’s shining stars participating in musical endeavors outside of school. Does your child take piano lessons? Send pictures from their recital. Is he/she a dancer, involved in musical theatre, a children’s choir, etc.? Bring in pictures and programs from their shows! Let’s fill this wall up with our talented students!
Picture Day- Retakes
November 14th is picture retake day at Ferderbar.
Here is an overall review of what to expect.
- Any student wishing to have a retake should bring their original picture package to exchange for the retake image.
- When an order is placed online, the parent/guardian will receive a camera pass via email. This can either be printed or texted to the student and brought to picture day. The photographer will photograph the printed camera pass along with the student.
- If a student is not able to print their camera pass, that is not a problem. We will match up the student to their order manually in the production process.
- A parent may order from the flyer up until 24 hours after picture day. After 24 hours, the online ordering access may close. This will allow our imaging team to "Pull" all orders submitted and match them with the students photographed.
- When pictures are returned to school, all students that purchased pictures will receive their prepaid package. Any student that was photographed but did not order a package, will receive a "Proof" (PX) of their picture that was taken on picture day.
Monthly Counselor Updates
Please review the attachment below for helpful tips and ideas from our counselor, Mrs. Parker.
Ferderbar's Title 1- Parent and Family Engagement
The Title I Program at Ferderbar Elementary School is part of a wide range of educational experiences which assists students in obtaining skills needed to succeed in school and life. We are dedicated to the belief that parent engagement is integral to the SUCCESS of each student. The Title I Program at Ferderbar actively recruits parents as our partners for success. Parents will be involved in the planning, review and improvement of the school's engagement policy.
Please review our engagement policy, which is attached below.
Ferderbar Home & School Compact
Title I Parent-Student-Teacher Compact
PARENTS’ PLEDGE – I will:
- Participate, as appropriate, in decisions relating to the education of my child.
- Create a home atmosphere that supports learning.
- Make every effort to volunteer at school events and attend activities planned by the Title I staff.
- Send my child to school on time and well-rested on a regular basis.
STUDENT’S PLEDGE – I will:
- Develop a positive attitude toward school.
- Be responsible for completing schoolwork on time.
- Be cooperative by carrying out teacher’s instructions and asking for help when needed.
- Be respectful and safe with all school members and with school property.
TEACHER’S PLEDGE – I will:
- Provide high-quality instruction in a supportive and effective learning environment that enables students to meet the Pennsylvania academic state standards.
- Provide frequent updates to parents on their child’s progress:
- Progress reports
- Parent conferences
- Universal screening reports
- Classroom assessments
- Phone calls/emails
- Provide parents opportunities to participate in their child’s education and to observe classroom activities when feasible.
- Ensure regular communication between family members and school staff and, to the extent possible, in a language that family members can understand.
District Title 1 Newsletter
Topics include:
- Title 1 Handbook of Program & Policies
- Assessment and Curriculum
- Information on the Federal Education Law: Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)
- Linkit Portal for Families
- Future Ready PA Index
Student Device Reminders
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.
Attendance
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.
Volunteer Information
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.
Breakfast and Lunch Menus- School Cafe
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:
Free and Reduced School Meal Program
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)
Updated Student-Family Handbook
The link for our Universal Elementary Student/Family Handbook is below. In preparation for the upcoming school year, all families should review the information.
Approved Calendar for the 2024-2025 School Year
Important Dates:
- August 28th- First day for K, 5 & 9
- August 29th- All grades report to school
- September 2nd- District closed for Labor Day
Updated Board Members for the 24-25 School Year
Vice President- Amy Schnauffer: amyschnauffer5@gmail.com
Treasurer: Noelle Grebe: Noellegrebe@gmail.com
Secetary: Jill Langhorne: Jill.langhorne@gmail.com
Stay Up-to-date with our Home and School Association's Events and Activities
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:
- 11/18- HSA General Meeting- 6:30 pm
- 10/31-11/15- Fritz's Bakery Fundraiser
School Store
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:
- 10/25- Kindergarten
- 11/8- First Grade
- 11/15- Second Grade
- 11/22- Third Grade
- 12/13- Fourth Grade
Community Events and Opportunities
Check out the flyers below for information on events and programs in our community.