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Superintendent's Newsletter

November 2023

Superintendent'sNewsletterNovember 2023

Message from the Superintendent

It is my pleasure to present the November edition of the Lower Moreland Township School District Superintendent’s Newsletter. I hope this letter finds you and your family healthy and well. The 2023-24 school year is in full swing, nearly one-quarter complete. Many wonderful learning experiences for our students have already taken place with more to come throughout the school year.


As American Education Week (Nov. 13-17) nears, it presents a wonderful opportunity to celebrate public education and honor all those involved who help to ensure every child receives a quality education. To celebrate, Pine Road Elementary School has established classroom visitation times for parents/guardians to take part in. All elementary parents/guardians are welcome to join.


Lastly, while the District prepares to begin work on developing the 2024-2029 Strategic Plan during the remainder of this school year, we also focus our attention on the current plan and its final year. Whether you are a parent/guardian, staff member, student or community member, these documents serve as a wonderful tool for following the District’s progress across a multitude of focus areas.


I wish everyone a safe and happy Thanksgiving holiday!


Scott Davidheiser, Ed.D.

Superintendent

Student Representatives to the Board of School Directors

Hello Lower Moreland Community! We, the Student Representatives [Mia Dubin and

Edona Selamaj] are thrilled to share with you all our latest progress and updates regarding

School Climate Updates and Student Mental Health.


We were immensely delighted when granted the opportunity to guide the Lower

Moreland Class of 1983 through their old stomping grounds, leading the class through Pine Road Elementary School and Lower Moreland High School. Listening to the class reminisce and reflect upon their adolescence was a gift, especially hearing their loud laughter and memories fill the halls. To the class of 1983, thank you for giving us the opportunity to see how friendship is truly powerful, and how the Lower Moreland School District has guided you all onto a beautiful path.


Regarding mental health, we issued a quarterly check-in Google Form at the high school

this past week. Students answered questions concerning their comfort at school, how connected they feel with other students or staff, and their overall satisfaction day-to-day. With over 500 responses, we can garner a better understanding of the student body and work to address the problems, if any, that students experience at school. Though responses are still trickling in, we will work toward compiling the data to present to the school board. Connecting Lower Moreland students to the school board is the central responsibility of a Student Representative, and this form allows student feedback to reach the board during our presentations.

Scenes from LMHS Drama Club's Production of Little Women

Business Office (Mark McGuinn, Business Manager)

During the month of October each year, the PA Department of Education asks each school district to submit their October 1st enrollment data for reporting purposes. For the 2023/24 October 1st enrollment submission, Lower Moreland Township School District reported its’ enrollment as 2,592 total students, with 1,133 students at Pine Road Elementary, 608 students at Murray Avenue School, and 851 students at Lower Moreland High School. This represented a 0.92% decrease (24 total students) from the 2022/23 October 1st submission.


There have been two enrollment projections that were completed within the last 7 years, one by the Montgomery County Planning Commission and the other by an enrollment firm FutureThink, and both studies can be found in this section of the district’s website:


The District has once again contracted with the Montgomery County Planning Commission to do another enrollment study as the District transitions to four (4) schools beginning in the 2024/25 school year. That study is slated to be completed sometime in mid-November of 2023, and is scheduled to be presented at the 12/5/23 Work Session Meeting of the Board of School Directors.

An Evening to Honor Veterans Event

Curriculum and Instruction (Julien Drennan, Director of Curriculum, Instruction, and Prof. Dev.)

The 2023-2024 school year is moving along quickly, with the end of the first marking period on November 8, 2023. Teachers at Pine Road and Murray Avenue schools will be holding conferences in the afternoon of 11/20 and 11/21. All schools will host conferences in the evening of 11/21 and the morning of 11/22. Please see the district calendar for information about the early dismissal schedule. Conferences are a great way to understand your student's strengths and struggles and gain insights into their progress. We encourage families to take part in meetings with teachers. Establishing a relationship with your student's teachers is an important step in building and maintaining a strong school and home partnership. Some areas of interest that can be discussed during a conference include: schoolwork, assessment, behavior, social and emotional growth, participation, motivation and work habits, peer relationships, and strategies to assist students with their learning. Parents and guardians are encouraged to share their perspective and ask questions that will enhance understanding. If you are interested in tips for successful parent-teacher conferences, click here.

Pine Road Halloween Parade

Community Engagement (Carla Pacitti, Supervisor of Curriculum and Community Engagement, ELD Supervisor)

Teachers across the district have spent professional learning time exploring Pennsylvania’s new Culturally Relevant and Sustaining Education competencies, beginning with Competency 3 (Design and Facilitate Culturally Relevant Learning that Brings Real World Experiences into Educational Spaces).


Murray Avenue Library Media Specialist Ms. Reesha Grosso has curated collections of diverse texts to respond to students’ interests and experiences. MA is also hard at work planning a cultural celebration centered on bread, to be held on December 1st during WIN.


Students also learned about Diwali (the Hindu festival of lights) which is celebrated on November 12th this year. At LMHS, the Community Engagement Team worked with the Asian Cultures Club to celebrate the holiday. ACC president Selena Chen organized an art activity where students learned about Diwali and made clay diyas (lamps). The lights pictured will be decorated and displayed at the high school.


At Pine Road, Mrs. Janina Arnwine welcomed Kindergarten parents Shraddha Kamat and Shrina Patel to teach a lesson on Diwali. They read “Let’s Celebrate Five Days of Diwali” and helped each child make a diya.

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Parents Shraddha Kamat and Shrina Patel

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Clay Diyas

Human Resources/Public Relations (Cheryl Galdo, Esq., Dir. of HR/PR)

District Wellness Committee

The School Board adopted a Wellness Policy that complies with the National School Lunch guidelines. The policy requires that the District establish a Wellness Committee with various stakeholders, including parents and students. A copy of the Wellness Policy and information about the Wellness Committee can be found here.


Meetings of the Wellness Committee are held virtually twice a year at 6 pm. If you would like to join the Wellness Committee, please contact Cheryl Galdo, Director of Human Resources/Public Relations, at cgaldo@lmtsd.org.


Information about the District’s food services program can be found here. On this page, you can find breakfast and lunch menus and information about Smart Snack requirements from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The Smart Snacks in School regulations apply to those food items that are available for purchase during the school day that are separate from the standard meal.


Message from the LMHS Mini-THON

If you are interested in chaperoning for the LMHS Mini-THON on November 17, please click here.


If you are interested in donating food to feed student-dancers at Mini-THON, please fill out this form.


Thank you for your support and generosity!

Congratulations!

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Hannah and Rebecca Kideckel are the 2023 PIAA 2A Girls Tennis Doubles Champs
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Murray Avenue Teacher Kristen Hutchinson was recognized by the PA Chapter of the Society of Health & Physical Educators

Technology (Jason Hilt, Ed.D., Director of Technology)

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.


Parents of 6-12 grade students are reminded to obtain a pairing code from their student to become an observer in Canvas to view important information about classwork. The directions for students to generate a pairing code can be found HERE and a simple observer guide can be found HERE.


Students in Meghan McKeever’s English 11 Foundations course used Canva to create feature worthy magazine covers on a short story of their choice. Focusing on a chosen theme, students used graphic design elements in Canva to represent setting, conflict, and character. Check out a student example HERE.


Ms. Grosso hosts events throughout the school year in the library at Murray Avenue School for students to connect virtually with scientists, engineers, and those in other careers. Last month students had the opportunity to meet with Dr. Georges Pavlidis, an Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Connecticut. Dr. Pavlidis shared about his experiences which include research focused on measuring temperature on the nanoscale to understand, for example, how heat is transferred in wireless devices.

Student Services (Frank Giordano, Director of Special Education and Student Services)


The Fall 2023 Resource Expo at the Montgomery County Intermediate Unit (MCIU) will take place on December 5th from 6-8 p.m. For the past 20 years, MCIU has coordinated this event for families, caregivers, educators, and the community to come together and share resources that support students with disabilities. While students receive many services within their school programs, the goal of the Resource Expo is to expand awareness of resources that address needs beyond school life. The MCIU invites service providers who can help with financial/estate planning, camp options, colleges, social and leisure groups, service coordination, and much more.


Here is a sample list of service providers slated to attend:

  • Office of Vocational Rehabilitation (OVR)

  • Families CCAN

  • OneWell

  • Music Works

  • 1847 Financial

  • Child and Family Art Therapy Center

  • College Living Experience

  • Chapel Haven

There is no registration for participants. Families and educators are encouraged to just come and explore a variety of services available to students with disabilities.


The advertisement for the event can be viewed here. (A Spanish-language version of the flyer is available here.)

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Lower Moreland Township School District

Scott A. Davidheiser, Ed.D.

Superintendent

Email: sdavidheiser@lmtsd.org
Website: www.lmtsd.org
Location: 2551 Murray Avenue, Huntingdon Valley, PA, USA
Phone: 215-928-0272
Twitter: @LMTSD