Panther Press
August Newsletter
September 23, 2024
Upcoming Dates:
2024-2025 School Year:
- 9/23- HSA meeting- 6:30 pm in Ferderbar library
- 9/25- Picture Day
- 10/3 & 10/4- No School- Rosh Hashanah
- 10/11- No School- Yom Kippur
- 10/19- Fallfest
- 11/1- No School- Diwali
- 11/5- No School- Election Day
- 11/11- District Closed- No School- Veteran's Day
- 11/27-11/29- No School- Thanksgiving Break
- 12/24-1/1- No School- Winter Break
- 4/21-4/25- PSSAs- English Language Arts
- 4/28-5/2- PSSAs- Math & Science
Check Out's What Happening at Ferderbar
Panther Pride Ticket Winners from September
Breakfast with the Principal- all the winners from the last few weeks ate breakfast with Dr. Doherty.
We celebrated our summer readers with a small celebration! Students played a travel bingo game, picked out a new pencil, and chose a ānewā book! Great job to all of our students that completed their Summer Reading Road Trip.
Message from the Art Room
Ferderbar artists were so excited to be back in the art room creating amazing art with Mrs. Loizos! It has been a great start to the year, with much more to look forward to! Thank you for sending in an old t-shirt for your child to wear to art class to protect their clothes - we do tend to get our hands messy as we learn! Enjoy this peak behind the scenes of our artists at work!
Creating paper sculptures with Mrs. Cosenzaās class!
Mask making with Mrs. Mednickās class!
Picture Day
Picture Day is this Wednesday, 9/25. All students received the picture day order form in last week's Thursday folder. All students will get their picture taken on that day for their school ID. Only families who send in money or order online will receive a photo package.
Message from Ms. Patrick
Save-the-Date
ATTENTION 4th GRADE PARENTS:
āŖ ALL 4th grade students are a part of the chorus and will be performing in BOTH concerts this year.
āŖ Chorus meets during 4th grade music class. There are no before or after school rehearsals for 4th grade chorus.
āŖ There may be some other choral opportunities available this year on a volunteer basis ā more information will be sent home as those details are confirmed.
āŖ Concert dates: Thursday, December 12th & Thursday, April 10th
ā« In-school concert ā 9:30 AM in Poquessing auditorium
ā« Evening concert ā 7:00 PM in Poquessing auditorium
āŖ Winter Concert Performers: 4th Grade Chorus & 4th Grade orchestra
āŖ Spring Concert Performers: 4th Grade Chorus & Full Orchestra, &
4th Grade Band
āŖ More detailed information regarding these concerts will be sent home from the directors as the dates approach.
Join Our Schoolwide Reading Incentive Program!
See details below on how to get started!
Monthly Counselor Updates
Please review the attachment below for helpful tips and ideas from our counselor, Mrs. Parker.
Attendance - Every Student- Every Day!
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 CafƩ 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)
AplicaciĆ³n reducida gratuita de Pennsylvania (EspaƱol)
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
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.
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:
- 9/23- HSA General Meeting- 6:30 pm
- Fall fundraiser runs from 9/25-10/9- info went home 9/23
- 10/19- Fallfest
- 10/21- HSA General Meeting- 6:30 pm
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:
- 9/27- Third Grade
- 10/18- Fourth Grade
- 10/25- Kindergarten
- 11/8- First Grade
- 11/15- Second Grade
Community Events and Opportunities
Check out the flyers below for information on events and programs in our community.