Pennsbury On Point

Pennsbury on Point is a weekly newsletter designed to keep the Pennsbury community up-to-date on district news, events, and information. The newsletter is emailed to families weekly and archived on the district's Public Relations webpage.

If you have any photos or story ideas you would like to see featured, please email the Public Relations Department at publicrelations@pennsburysd.org.

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• Confidential Residency Reporting Tip Line
• District Emails Archive
• E-Flyers
• Employment Opportunities at Pennsbury School District
• Harlem Wizards Tickets
• Part-Time Jobs for Students
• Pennsbury Parent Academy - Events & Recordings
• PHS Project Updates
• Safe Arrival Attendance Reporting System
• Safe2Say - Anonymous Tip Line
• Special Education Advisory Council (SEPAC)

J.J. from the world-famous Harlem Wizards stopped by our elementary schools this week to get everyone hyped for the December 6th game against Pennsbury teachers and staff! Tickets are on sale and going fast! Last year's game sold out, so grab yours today! All proceeds benefit the Pennsbury Education Foundation.

Game Details:

When: Friday, December 6 at 7:00 p.m. (Doors open at 6:00 p.m.)

Where: Pennsbury High School East (705 Hood Boulevard)

Tickets: https://pretix.eu/harlem.../fairlesshillspa12-06-24-07-00pm/

Thanks to our generous presenting sponsor NorthPoint Development, and our supporting sponsors, Michael's Jewelers, Jefferson Health, McCaffrey's Food Markets, CM3 Building Solutions, Inc., and Wegmans!

We hope to see you on Friday, December 6, at 7:00 p.m. at Pennsbury High School East as the Wizards take on some of your favorite teachers and staff members for a night of tricks, hoops, and alley-oops!

Pennsbury High School hosted a 9th Grade Recognition Assembly on Tuesday, November 12. This new, special event celebrated our outstanding students who have gone above and beyond in their classes. Teachers nominated up to three students from each of their classes to be recognized for a variety of awards, including:

Creative Innovator Award – For creativity and original thinking.

Ethical Leadership Award – For demonstrating strong moral character and ethical decision-making.

Critical Thinker Award – For excellence in problem-solving and analytical thinking.

Global Citizenship Award – For promoting diversity, inclusion, and global awareness.

Tradition of Excellence Award – For upholding the school’s proud traditions through achievement and spirit.

Lifelong Learner Award – For demonstrating a passion for continuous learning and growth.

Community Builder Award – For fostering collaboration and support among peers.

Resilience and Determination Award – For perseverance and striving for success in the face of challenges.

Plus, some teachers added their own special touch by creating unique award titles, such as the "Golden Spatula" and more! In total, 106 student were recognized for their hard work, creativity, and dedication. Keep up the good work, Falcons!

Walt Disney Elementary School hosted a heartfelt Veterans Day Breakfast and Assembly to honor family members of students who have served in the armed forces. The morning began with a warm breakfast for the veterans, giving them a chance to connect. At the conclusion of breakfast, the veterans walked through hallways filled with the patriotic spirit as kindergarten students waved American flags in their honor.

As they entered the gymnasium, they were met with thunderous applause from the entire school community. The Pennsbury High School Marching Band set a powerful tone by performing the National Anthem, while the PHS AFJROTC presented the colors and led everyone in the Pledge of Allegiance.

Several students took the stage to express the importance of recognizing and honoring our veterans. A significant highlight was the setup and explanation of the Missing Man Table, a symbolic tribute honoring service members who are missing in action. The table featured an empty seat, a single red rose, a candle, and other meaningful items, each representing the absence and sacrifice of these brave individuals.

Adding to the moving ceremony, two students and their veteran family members demonstrated the proper way to fold the American flag, teaching everyone that each of the 13 folds carries its own special meaning.

The event concluded with the veterans standing tall and proud as the Pennsbury Marching Band played the anthems representing each branch of the military, creating a moment of deep respect and unity. It was a day full of gratitude, reflection, and school-wide pride for the heroes among us.

Fallsington Elementary School students had a special treat on November 14, as they learned all about the benefits of butternut squash in a lesson led by Chef Todd from the Nutrition Group, Pennsbury’s food services provider! Not only did they learn about the nutritional value of this delicious fall favorite, but they also got to enjoy a warm serving of butternut squash soup, prepared by Chef Todd.

Fallsington’s very own school garden, where students plant and harvest their own butternut squash, played an essential role in this farm-to-table experience. This hands-on approach allows students to truly appreciate the journey from planting to harvesting and finally enjoying the fruits (and veggies!) of their labor.

To keep the learning (and tasty fun) going at home, Principal Mr. DePaola sent home a copy of the butternut squash soup recipe so families can enjoy making it together.

The Pennsbury High School Speech and Debate team achieved an impressive victory, taking home the 2024 Team Sweepstakes award at the Dallastown Wildcat Invitational held on Saturday, November 9, 2024, at Dallastown High School. This award, given to the top-performing school at the tournament, marks Pennsbury’s fourth consecutive win at this annual event.

In addition to the prestigious team award, PHS students earned 6 first-place wins. Freshman Finley Hamski excelled in the Novice Lincoln Douglas Debate, winning all preliminary rounds and achieving unanimous 3-0 decisions in her Quarter, Semi, and Final rounds. Additional first-place honors went to Zali Ali (Congressional Debate), Sejal Ijaz (Extemporaneous Debate), Angelina Liu (Informative Speaking), who also secured her second TOC Bid, Sanika Deshmukh (Declamation), and the team of Brienna Smith and Olivia Beno (Policy Debate).

Other notable performances included Carter Kanuk, Nuray Temiz, and Alexander Li in Congressional Debate; Afshan Syed in Dramatic/Humorous Interpretation; Catherine Potgieter and Armaghan Alvi in Extemporaneous Debate; and Ashwika Janga, William Ferrari, and Hannah Lowry in Extemporaneous Speaking. The team also celebrated strong showings from Ella Kasatkin in Varsity Lincoln Douglas; Rida Khalifa in Novice Lincoln Douglas; Ashwika Janga in Original Oratory; Megan Stevens, Andrew Prasanth, and Evelyn Shijo in Prose; and Sanvi Abnave and Evelyn Shijo in Declamation.

Pennsbury faced stiff competition from a field of 23 schools but emerged as a clear leader, demonstrating excellence across multiple categories. Congratulations to all Pennsbury competitors and their dedicated Coach, Chris Berdnik!

The Pennsbury Community Swap event is back! Give away your old things and pick up new ones - all items are free of charge! All families in the Pennsbury community are welcome.

Where: Manor Elementary School

When: Saturday, November 16, 2024 from 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

The Pennsbury National Business Honor Society (NBHS) recognizes outstanding juniors and seniors in the Pennsbury Business, Computer, and Information Technology (BCIT) program. Eligible students must have completed or be enrolled in their fourth business course and maintain a 3.0 overall GPA and a 3.5 GPA in BCIT courses.

Thanks to the dedication of Ms. Minsky and Mr. Mayo, NBHS continues to thrive, bolstered by their involvement in programs like DECA, SkillsUSA, and FBLA. Junior Benjamin Goldstein, an NBHS member, served as the Master of Ceremonies for this year’s event.

Photo credit: Abigail Stasiuk

This past Wednesday, about forty eighth-grade students from all three Pennsbury middle schools practiced the piece "El Toro" alongside the Pennsbury High School Symphonic Orchestra in a special side-by-side rehearsal.

The rehearsal helped prepare the middle schoolers for their upcoming concerts, where they will perform the piece for a live audience.

Thank you to Pennsbury Orchestra teachers Felicia Hebenstreit, Lisa Chippendale, Christina Dobson, and Nicholas Terramani for their efforts in making this rehearsal a great success.

Join us for the PHS Mini-Thon Turkey Trot on Saturday, November 16 at 10:00 a.m. at Pennsbury High School. Please click here to register!

By participating in the Turkey Trot, you'll be joining the fight to conquer childhood cancer alongside Four Diamonds, an organization dedicated to assisting children treated at Penn State Health Children's Hospital and their families. Four Diamonds covers 100 percent of all medical expenses related to cancer care not covered by insurance for eligible Four Diamonds children.

Let’s come together as a community to walk or run and make a difference for kids fighting cancer. See you on November 16!

Fallsington Elementary School second graders in Mr. Obert-Thorn and Mrs. Lam's classes enjoyed a special Pizza Party with the Fallsington Firefighters as a reward for their outstanding entries in the Fire Safety Poster Contest! The creative posters were submitted for Fallsington Day, where the community voted on their favorites. Congratulations to the winning artists! Take a look at their impressive posters below.

Makefield Elementary School recently held its own 2024 Election, where students voted on two fun topics: their favorite season and their favorite food flavoring (sweet, sour, spicy, or salty). This engaging project was a collaboration between Mr. Kane's 5th grade Mentally Gifted (MG) class and Mr. Spinelli's 5th grade Advanced Math Program (AMP) class.

After learning about elections and the electoral college, MG students brainstormed voting topics, designed campaign posters, and shared advertisements on the school's Kid Witness News program. Meanwhile, AMP students decided on demographic data to collect, tabulated the votes, and calculated percentages to analyze the results by gender and grade level.

The AMP class then created a display to share the findings with the school. In the end, Winter and Sweet won the election!

Pennsbury High School Drama Club Proudly Presents

Almost, Maine by John Cariani

It's about love...but not quite!

When: November 21-23 at 7:30 p.m.

Where: PHS West, The Cave (608 South Olds Blvd)

All Tickets $10 (Cash only at door)

Click here to purchase tickets!

On November 9, 2024, Pennsbury High School students from the Green Team and NHS volunteered at the Habitat Restoration Project at Five Mile Woods Preserve. The project focuses on creating and maintaining a wildflower meadow to support native pollinators, birds, and small mammals. Over the summer, invasive species like multiflora rose and Japanese knotweed were cleared using a black tarp.

Head Naturalist John Heilferty welcomed the group and shared the land’s history as protected open space. Students worked alongside community members to rake the soil and prepare it for planting native seeds. Science teacher Katie Lutzker helped identify invasive species and remove tough roots, while Green Team member Lily Van Varick shared how teamwork made the hard work of pulling a drag harrow manageable.

After three hours of effort, the group spread native and cover crop seeds, learning from John about their importance in restoration. They left hoping for rain to help the meadow thrive.

Ms. Realdine, Green Team Club Advisor, thanks Robert Vandegrift, Recreation Program Manager of Lower Makefield Township, for coordinating this opportunity. The Green Team encourages students to participate in community projects that promote environmental stewardship. Visit Five Mile Woods to explore this local treasure and learn about native flora and fauna!

On November 7, three Pennsbury elementary schools came together for a meaningful Veterans Day activity. Helen Stopper, a retired Pennsbury principal, virtually visited third-grade classrooms at Eleanor Roosevelt and Penn Valley Elementary Schools, as well as Mrs. Koch's Gifted fourth-grade class at Afton Elementary.

Ms. Stopper and her sister Louise shared an engaging presentation that included the history of Veterans Day, an overview of military branches, and personal family artifacts from relatives who served in the armed forces. Participating teachers also contributed by sharing photos of their own family members in the military.

Students united to sing the national anthem, hear the chime of the World Peace Bell, and enjoy a special rendition of What a Wonderful World by Playing for Change. To show their gratitude, students wrote heartfelt letters to veterans, which were delivered to the Delaware Valley Veterans' Home.

Pennsbury High School Drama Club Proudly Presents

A play about the magic of childhood:

S.T.A.G.E. Magic Theatre

When: November 23 at 2:00 p.m.

Where: PHS West, The Cave (608 South Olds Blvd)

All tickets $5 (Cash only at door)

Click here to purchase tickets!

**Magic Theatre is a relaxed performance for all ages and abilities.**

Edgewood Elementary School participated in the annual WSSA World Record STACK UP! event, aiming to help set a Guinness World Record for "The Most People Sport Stacking at Multiple Locations." This marks the school's 8th year joining the challenge.

This year, 308 Edgewood students contributed to the record-breaking attempt, which took place on November 12, 13, and 14. The goal was to surpass the current record of 737,863 participants stacking worldwide. Participants from across the globe—including Australia, Spain, Germany, Japan, and Canada—joined in the event organized by the World Sport Stacking Association.

Sport stacking is a fun, engaging activity that builds hand-eye coordination, brain activation, teamwork, fitness, and speed. "It’s a fantastic activity enjoyed by all ages and cultures. We’re thrilled to have another chance to break the WSSA World Record," shared Edgewood teacher Joe Gallo.

Fingers crossed for Edgewood and stackers everywhere! Good luck to all participants!

William Penn Middle School recently held its annual Turkey Trot, where 7th and 8th graders demonstrated their athleticism and enthusiasm. Students ran the course with energy and determination, making it a memorable event for all involved. Bryce F. led the pack, finishing with an impressive time of 5:52. The Turkey Trot continues to be a fun and active tradition, encouraging students to challenge themselves while celebrating the season together. Congratulations to all participants for their effort and enthusiasm!

On Wednesday, November 13, Fallsington Elementary School hosted its annual Family Night, with a fun theme centered around their One School, One Novel book, 8 Class Pets + 1 Squirrel 1 Dog = Chaos. The evening kicked off with parents learning about Fallsington’s Title 1 programs in reading and math, while students created puppets inspired by the book's main characters, Twitch the squirrel and Cuddles the dog.

Families also had the chance to win one of twelve squirrel and dog squishmallow door prizes and test their book knowledge in a fun round of Blooket trivia. The five Blooket winners earned the opportunity to read to Bailey, Mr. De Paola’s therapy dog.

The night concluded with an exciting Zoom call with the book’s author, Vivian Vande Velde. She shared the inspiration behind the book and led a creative writing activity. Students shared their writing aloud and asked the author questions. Every participating family received the next book in the series!

The final date to get your Senior Portrait taken to be featured in the yearbook is November 15, 2024. No Senior Portraits will be accepted after this date. There are no exceptions.

Offer/Price/Start-End Dates

• Back to School (Free Icons)
• $85.00
• 8/31/24 - 10/25/24
• Campaign 1
• $90.00
• 10/26/24 - 11/15/24
• Campaign 2
• $90.00
• 11/16/24 - 12/13/24
• Last Chance to Buy Personalization Online
• $90.00
• 12/14/24 - 1/31/25
• Limited Supply
• $95.00

Personalization: $10

Icons: $5

Signature Package: $18

Clear Protective Cover, Autograph Section, Photo Pockets: $5

Advertisements

• Full Page: $265.00
• 1/2 Page: $140.00
• 1/4 Page: $90.00
• 1/8 Page: $50.00

Please contact Nick Ruggieri with any questions at nruggieri@pennsburysd.org.

Download and sign up for the FREE SchoolMessenger app and receive all of your Pennsbury School District emails & notifications in one place! There are several different SchoolMessenger apps available. Make sure to download the app that says "SM Home". You will create your account using the email address you have on file at your child's school. It is necessary to download the app to use the new Safe Arrival Student Absence Reporting System.

Safe Arrival Student Absence Reporting System - The Pennsbury School District prioritizes the safe arrival of all students at each school each day. We are now pleased to offer an efficient student absence reporting system called Safe Arrival to support our efforts. Please visit the Safe Arrival page on our website for more information and learn how to use the system.

Click here to view the latest news from the Pennsbury Athletics Department.

As a district, we are committed to keeping you informed and constantly strive to improve the effectiveness of our communications with you. We are all too familiar with how inundated one's email inbox can become, and we don't want you to miss any important information from us!

To that end, the district administration team will send non-emergency communications to families on Thursdays as needed. These emails will contain links to important updates and information you need to know. All PSD Family Updates will also be posted on our website under "District Email Archive."

We will do our best to keep to this email schedule, obviously barring emergencies, so you can be assured that any necessary information from the district will be emailed to you on Thursdays as needed. In the event of an emergency, we will communicate with families in as timely a manner as possible.

We want to ensure you receive timely and important updates from our school district. The best way to stay informed about emergency situations, weather-related notifications, and other critical news is through our text message alerts.

👉 To opt-in, simply text the letter Y or YES to 67587 from the mobile device you have on file with the school district.

🔍 Not sure which mobile number is on file? No problem! Just check with the front office staff at your child's school to confirm the correct number.

The district does not charge recipients for the text messages they receive or send to the short code; however, wireless providers may charge for individual text messages, depending on the plan associated with the wireless device. Please check with your carrier if you are uncertain.

Stay informed and stay safe. Sign up today to make sure you never miss an important update from Pennsbury School District! 📚✨

Starting this year, the Pennsbury Activities Calendar will no longer be in PDF format. It is now built directly into the Pennsbury website. Click here to view! (Be sure to scroll down.)

Click the links below to view the current schedules for Pennsbury Athletics.

Weekly Sports Schedule

Current Team Schedules - Schedules are subject to change at any time. Check this page often for the latest updates!

Click here to visit the Pennsbury School District's E-Flyers Page.

These flyers represent current or ongoing announcements of interest to Pennsbury students and their families that emanate from local community organizations, sports leagues, scouting groups, and other non-profits. Browse through our gallery!

To obtain approval for a flyer to be posted on the E-Flyers Page, please email your request to Macy Cellitti at mcellitti@pennsburysd.org.

Do you enjoy working with children? Do you like working close to home and earning a competitive salary? Then becoming a Pennsbury Bus Driver is the job for you!

We offer:

• A competitive salary
• Flexible hours
• Student-centered work environment
• Paid training for your CDL

Questions? Email transportation@pennsburysd.org

How to Get Started:

1. Create a training account at PaTTAN: pattan.framwelder.com
2. Complete the 7 online courses: Bureau of Special Education Para Credential of Competency Entry Level Training Series and save your certificates.
3. Email paras@pennsburysd.org to set up an interview to complete the process.

Questions? Email us at paras@pennsburysd.org

The Pennsbury Parent Academy is a series of educational programs and presentations offered to Pennsbury parents and guardians to support school success and continued home-school partnerships. The PPA program includes monthly, live in-person and/or virtual programming on a variety of topics to promote parent and guardian community engagement, such as:

• Mental Health & Wellness
• Supporting School Success
• Social Media & Internet Safety
• Diversity & Inclusion

Visit our website for recordings of past presentations.

Click here to view Pennsbury High School's Student Job Board and find local area businesses with open positions. Some positions allow applicants as young as 14 years old.

Click here for information on how to obtain a work permit.

Safe2Say Something is a youth violence prevention program run by the PA Office of Attorney General. Report a confidential tip to help prevent violence and tragedies.

Click here to submit an anonymous tip.

Did you miss an email from the District? Check the archive!

The Nutrition Group is Now Hiring Kitchen Managers, Cooks, and Food Service Workers at Pennsbury School District!

Great opportunity! Monday through Friday, daylight shifts, no nights or weekends. Competitive wages offered.

Learn more about additional opportunities with us and join our team today! Apply online now at: tngcareers.com and search “Pennsbury” or call our office at 215-428-4100 ext. 22201

The Pennsbury School District is making a concerted effort to ensure that students who reside within our District boundaries are able to attend the school they are assigned to based on their home address. To help us, we have established a Confidential Residency Reporting Tip Line. If you believe someone is falsifying their student's address to attend the Pennsbury School District, please call or email:

residency@pennsburysd.org

(215) 428-4100 ext. 84777 (TIPSS)

Click here for more information.

Have a question about Pennsbury? Don't trust the rumors, ask Penny!

Send Penny an email at askpenny@pennsburysd.org.

Dr. Thomas Smith, Superintendent of Schools

tsmith@pennsburysd.org

215-428-4111

Email: publicrelations@pennsburysd.org

Website: www.pennsburysd.org
Location: 134 Yardley Avenue, Fallsington, PA 19058
Phone: 215-428-4100