On February 12, Middletown Township opened a Teacher-Student Art Show at the Township Building. Included were artworks by four of students of Hoover ES art teacher Justin Burske and four of Neshaminy HS art teacher Terry O'Neill. Justin's students created collages which were scanned and sent to the high school. The HS art students then created their own interpretation using colored pencils or pastels, and the two artworks are exhibited side-by-side at the show. For this exhibit Faith Kula (2nd) is matched with Gabi Ellis (12th), Dylan Mott (2nd) is matched with Luke Kaliashivili (10th), Aubrey Belanger (2nd) is matched with Hannah Dulee (12th) and Kira Sutton (2nd) is matched with Maya Murry (12th).
Additional artworks from the Middletown group Artists at the Barn are also part of the show, featuring 3-D works by Linda Reboh and her students. The works will be on display through April 17.
#StandUp Neshaminy is sponsoring a special seminar for parents and guardians of 5th and 6th grade students in conjunction with a movie night for their children on Friday, March 6 at Carl Sandburg Middle School. While the students enjoy a viewing of the hit animated movie Zootopia, the adults will be offered a wealth of valuable information about teenage substance use and abuse, prevention, available services, and the current social climate in our schools.
The seminar will feature speakers including Bucks County District Attorney Matt Weintraub, representatives from the Southeast Council of PA and Family Services Association, the Bensalem Police Department "Mock Teen Bedroom" trailer tour, and stories from recovering substance abusers about the gateways that led them into addiction when they were teenagers.
According to #StandUp Neshaminy organizer and Neshaminy HS physical education teacher Jan King, this information is of special importance to families of 5th and 6th graders as this is the age when their children and their friends will start to face challenges from their peers and society. Understanding these challenges, maintaining good communication and knowing the signs of addiction and substance abuse will give parents and guardians the tools they need to help their kids make good decisions in school and beyond.
Last spring, the Neshaminy School Board discussed a new policy that would eliminate the concept of "class rank" during a student's high school years. Though it would not change the method of calculating a student's grade point average (GPA), it would eliminate the naming of a Senior Class Valedictorian and Salutatorian. This is not a new idea in education; currently Neshaminy is in the minority among surrounding Districts who have already adopted this type of policy.
The argument for eliminating class rank centers on past assumptions that all students are on a standardized path to graduation, and that they would each take the similar courses at the same time during their high school career. This is no longer the case as student choices have expanded significantly over the past decade. Some Neshaminy students begin high-school level courses in middle school, some enroll in partnership programs with local colleges and universities, and some participate in internship and apprenticeship programs. Others have passions and excel at courses that were not once considered as important in an academic class-ranking system.
In the present system of ranking, these choices could give some students an advantage over others, or cause them to forego meaningful educational opportunities for fear of lowering their class rank.
If adopted, the new policy would take effect with the Class of 2024. The next step is consideration by the Board Policy Committee and eventually the full School Board.
LINK: Class rank policy proposal and supporting documentation
At the School Board Public Meeting January 28, the Board accepted the resignation of Superintentent Joseph Jones III, effective at the end of this school year (June 30, 2020) Mr. Jones had announced his decision in a letter to School Board members and a message to District staff. After 31 years as a school administrator in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, he plans to return to his roots as a classroom mathematics teacher, possibly in Philadelphia or elsewhere. Mr. Jones joined Neshaminy School District in August, 2016.
At the meeting, School Board President Stephen Pirritano said, "Mr. Jones has served the Neshaminy School District and community with distinction. Joe came to Neshaminy during a transitional period and helped guide this District forward in not only educational improvement but also how we interact as a school community. While we were all surprised at his announcement, we wish Joe well in his future endeavors. We will always be grateful for his service and leadership."
The Board will commence a search for a new Superintendent.
The 4th annual Harlem Wizards game will be held at Neshaminy HS on Saturday, April 18 at 7 pm. This family-friendly, action and humor-packed game pits our Neshaminy Dream Team of staff members against the Wizards. This popular game is a fundraiser for the Neshaminy Education Foundation. Tickets are on sale and can be purchased online at www.neshaminy.org/wizards.
The 2020 Neshaminy Dream includes: Brian Kern, Jenna Grupp, Cara Gulden-Buttari and Amanda Arner from Pearl S. Buck ES; Marc Mednick from Joseph Ferderbar ES; Jennifer Gaft and Walter McGee from Herbert Hoover ES; Leslie Maxwell from Walter Miller ES; Meagan McHugh and Jodi Kurley from Albert Schweitzer ES; Robert Wright, Scott Blaydon, Perry Finkel, Megahan Fedele and Kati Burke from Tawanka ES; James Legette and Coach Skip Mason from Maple Point MS; Assistant Coach Bill Barnes from Poquessing MS; School Resource Officer Melissa Robison; Joe Rischow and Jim Gosser from the District offices; and Barb Hershowitz from the Neshaminy Education Foundation.
February 17th was National Random Acts of Kindness Day. To promote kindness at Ferderbar, the school decided to celebrate the entire week. Each day, they announced a kindness challenge and recited a kindness pledge on the morning announcements. That kindness pledge was posted on a wall and students were encouraged to sign it. Students also received “Kindness Shout Out Slips” during lunch and recess time to catch students being kind. Students created kindness posters to put around the school as well. The themes each day were:
- Monday: Manners Monday
- Tuesday: Take a Turn Tuesday
- Wednesday: Warm-Hearted Wednesday
- Thursday: Thank You Thursday
- Friday: Friendly Friday
In February students at Herbert Hoover were treated to a visit from author and publisher Janet Wong. She is the author of 21 children's books and collections, and has been featured as a literacy advocacy speaker across the country and world, appearing on the Oprah show, CNN and at the White House. After her presentations at school on February 6, she also signed books during the Hoover Book Fair at the Barnes & Noble store at Neshaminy Mall.
Ellen Labrecque is a local children’s author who writes for the popular Who Was? series. Recently she shared with the third and fourth grade students the steps she uses in the writing process when writing nonfiction. Mrs. Labrecque incorporates a Story Arc to help her decide the important events in a person’s life. After learning about the Story Arc, a youngster in the crowd commented, “Now, I know how to get started with my writing.” She stressed to her young audience how vital researching and rewriting is to writing well.
Mrs. Labrecque wrote six titles for the series and is in the midst of writing several more, most notably, Who Was Kobe Bryant? The highlight of the day may have been when she described an interview with NBA star Shaquille O’Neal and was gifted one of his size 22 sneakers which she brought with her (see the photo above).
On February 12, kindergarten students at Albert Schweitzer ES enjoyed a visit from USPS letter carrier Terry McHugh, who talked about his job and gave a tour of his truck. This wasn't just a social visit, however - he was also picking up Valentines Day letters the students created to be delivered to their families later in the week.
Albert Schweitzer Elementary joined in National GO RED Day (celebrated on the first Friday of each February) to celebrate National Heart Month and build awareness for Women's Heart Health. Students and staff wore red and participated in activities promoting heart health, all while raising money for the American Heart Association.
Tawanka kindergarten students in Mrs. Piccinetti’s class learned about Groundhog Day on January 31, including shadows, predictions, and bar graphing. They created paper groundhogs which they took outside, which did not see their shadows. This was a conclusion shared by a somewhat more famous (and real) groundhog out in Punxatawney a couple of days later.
On February 5, Carl Sandburg Middle School celebrated World Read Aloud Day for the fourth year. This event celebrates the importance of vocally sharing written stories.
Students and staff celebrated in a variety of ways including guests reading picture books, grade levels teaming up with students reading to each other, students bringing in blankets and their favorite books to share, and teachers selecting favorite poems, books and short stories to share with their classes.
What happens when a precocious 5-year-old girl with telekinetic powers and a love of books is sent to a tough boarding school? Audiences at the Neshaminy HS musical production Matilda found out during performances February 5-8. This emotional, energetic show is based on the book by Roald Dahl and featured some amazing choreography and powerful individual performances.
Congratulations to our Neshaminy HS swimmers who excelled at the Suburban One League (SOL) Championship on February 15! AJ McClurkin is the SOL Champion for the 100 breast stroke, Lachlan Stay is the SOL Champion in the 100 Fly, and Maximilian Butkiewicz is the SOL Champion in the 100 Backstroke. Dan Sinagoga took second in the breast stroke, Jeremy Ho took 7th and Connor McClurkin took 8th.
