In The Q

The energy in the Pennsylvania Capitol wasn’t radiating from the 18- foot Douglas Fir that Gov. Tom Wolf and First Lady Frances Wolf lit during Thursday’s annual tree lighting ceremony.

No, the energy flowing in the rotunda came from the melodious tones on the marble steps. The marvelous voices belong to the students who make up the Quakertown Community High School Varsity Singers.

“This was a blast,” said choral director Jonathan Lechner. “It was an honor to be invited. It’s a great opportunity for the kids. I’m awfully proud of them. This is one of the strongest groups we’ve had.”

The governor’s office invited the Quakertown choir to be the only entertainment for the traditional event.

For full story and more photos, please click here.

Four Quakertown Community High School students have qualified for the prestigious Pennsylvania Music Educators Association District 11 Band.

The talented students, pictured above, Cassidy O'Donnell, Ben Smith, Riley Heaton and Joey Sinsel, auditioned and were chosen for the all-state ensemble.

Frank Parker, the high school's band director, praised each of the students for their hard work.

On Twitter, Strayer Middle School band director Joe Santanello said "This is a big deal! Four outstanding students who earned this honor. Congrats to all who auditioned. Whether you made it or not, your hard work matters!"

Each year, the Middle School Hand Bell Choir, visits local community organizations to share the holiday spirit by entertaining residents. On December 12, a dozen talented students, directed by music teacher Marcia Vanderslice, enjoyed a special afternoon at the Quakertown Senior Center.

Not only did the students perform, but they had lunch with the seniors. “This is a great community outreach.” Mrs. Vanderslice said. “It’s important for the kids to give back to the community that helps support our schools.”

Each student, sometimes two, sat at a table with seniors as part of an intergenerational opportunity. Students got to speak with their lunch partners about what the school experience is like these days, and learn about the seniors.

“Rather than having them jump in and start playing, it was really special that they had some time to get to know each other a little bit,” Mrs. Vanderslice said.

The Hand Bell Choir, along with the Sixth Grade Center Chorus and Band will be holding their winter concert 7 p.m. Monday at Strayer Middle School.

The Quakertown Community School District has received some great news about the 2018 Keystone exams. Of 675 Pennsylvania high schools and charters taking the test, Quakertown Community High School scores were 45th overall in algebra, literature and biology. A year earlier, QCHS finished 97th.

Hard work by students and teachers led to the improved performance. Congratulations to everyone involved!

Information on the top 100 schools can be found here.

Students at Richland Elementary's Holiday Shoppe had a very special guest, as Santa Clause stopped by to meet some students who have been behaving very well.

Students and their parents were shopping for gifts when the white-bearded man dressed in red and white dropped in. The evening was set up by the school's Parent Teacher Organization and aided by Strayer Middle School's National Junior Honor Society. The event gave students an opportunity to shop in a safe place.

Several police organizations joined Quakertown and Richland police in helping children shop for Christmas clothes and toys during the annual Shop With A Cop program at Walmart. And the officers were positively giddy when called upon to grab a wagon and walk through the store with a young person.

More than 100 Quakertown area youngsters benefited from the generosity of residents and businesses who donated to the event, where the kids are paired up with police officers.

It's the eighth year police have been involved here, according to Quakertown Officer Bob Lee, one of the district's School Resource Officers. "This restores faith in humanity," said Lee, who helped get the program started in Quakertown.

Quakertown Community High School students have been signing up to take part in the district's MLK Day of Service on January 21. Teacher Rachel Girman has been a force behind much of this project, organizing meetings with students, faculty and the administration.

Parents have also inquired about volunteering for an MLK service event. If you'd like to participate, here's the link to do so. Thank you.

Many families attended the district's "Elementary Meet The Instruments Night" for their student(s) introduction to string instruments.

Music teacher Megan Edinger was on hand with Zeswitz Music employees to both measure students and give them an opportunity to try different instruments.

Miss Edinger can be reached at mkedinger@qcsd.org.

A new Administrative Assistant has been named at Trumbauersville Elementary School to replace Marilyn Heffentrager, who recently retired. Here's the announcement from Principal Adam Schmucker:

Dear Trumbauersville Families,

I am very pleased to announce that Erin Haslett will be the next Administrative Assistant of Trumbauersville Elementary! To many of us, Erin needs little introduction as she is a current Trumbauersville parent. (Jack - 4th grade, Christian - 2nd grade, and William - 1st grade). In addition, Erin has been an active member of our TPO and is a valued member of our school community.

Professionally, Erin is very familiar with school offices and supporting a tight-knit community. She brings extensive experience to her new role in our school. Previously, she has served as the registrar and office manager for Faith Preschool, a member services representative at the Upper Perkiomen YMCA and had a variety of other experiences volunteering in the community and managing event coordination. From now on, you will see Erin at the front desk when you come in or call the school.

Should you need to contact Mrs. Haslett and the school office, you can reach us at 215-529-2550 or at ehaslett@qcsd.org.

We hope to see you around the school!

The above photo illustrates how Trumbauersville's First Friday Assembly and activity this month was to focus on being unique and how everyone has something to offer.

To follow up in the classrooms, the students then wrote characteristics for each classmate on a hand to create a tree that will be hung in the school.

In addition, Trumbauersville second graders recently celebrated American Education Week by collecting donations of food, toys, old towels and blankets for local animal shelters. Their excitement is highlighted in the photo below.

Students and parents worked together to create a dog tug-of-war by braiding and knotting old t-shirts cut into strips. They also made thank you cards for the shelters to distribute to people who made donations or adopted pets.

Quakertown Elementary School students are raising money for kids with Leukemia and Lymphoma. The program is called Pennies for Patients.

If you'd like to help them achieve their goal of donating $3,000, please click here.

Congratulations to the 2018-19 team captains for the Quakertown Community High School wrestling team. They are: Domenic DeFalco, Kyle Goodwin, Corey Cope, Jake Wheeler and Max Russell.

The Quakertown football team, under the direction of Coach George Banas, enjoyed a tremendous season, finishing with a 9-4 record that included a playoff victory. They recently celebrated the effort and thanked many folks who have been supportive behind the scene.

Special thanks went out to the booster club, administration, parents, cheerleaders , marching band, student section, Jen Banas for all the amazing photos, coaches, and players!

Twenty-eight schools and organizations recently visited the Upper Bucks County Technical School for a College Fair. Students spent part of their afternoon speaking with professionals about future educational opportunities.

The schools and organizations with tables in the cafeteria included Bucks, Lehigh, Northampton and Montgomery community colleges, Automotive Training Center, Cedar Crest College, Delaware Valley University, DeSales University, Gwynedd Mercy University, Harcum College, IUP-Culinary, Johnson College, Johnson and Wales University, Manor College, Millersville University, Penn Tech, Pittsburgh Technical College, The Restaurant School at Walnut Hill, Triangle Tech, University of Northwestern Ohio, Universal Technical Institute, West Chester University, Army National Guard, Army, Marine Corp, Air Force Reserve, Career Link, and PA Higher Education Assistance Agency.

It's filled with information on several important issues that the School Board has been working on since the beginning of the 2018-19 school year. Topics include:

• Board retains leaders in 9-0 votes.
• Special musical entertainment for reorganization meeting.
• Unanimous vote limits potential tax increase.
• Required public hearing for Neidig renovations.
• Board agrees to sell closed schools.
• Meeting schedule changed for 2019.
• District honored for TechXcellence.

The Newsletter can be found here. You can also find information about QCSD on Twitter (@QCSDnews) and Facebook (QCSD news).

Happy reading!

Two important presentations were recently given at Quakertown Community High School that Superintendent Dr. Bill Harner wanted to make parents and guardians aware of.

One involves drug abuse and vaping; the other is about the Pennsylvania Youth Survey.

David Fialko of the Council Of Southeast Pennsylvania, a highly sought after speaker, spoke about drug abuse and vaping. His presentation can be found here.

Carolyn Staffieri, a QCSD Pupil Services Administrative Intern, presented on PAYS data. Her presentation can be found here.

The Quakertown Community School District is in need of custodians. SSC Services, which services the district, is seeking full and part time permanent and seasonal custodian positions.

Candidates may contact Laird Ihle, director of SSC, at 610-392-1059 or via email at lihle-ssc@qcsd.org.

The Levy School Bus Company is seeking drivers.

The position has flexible hours, a positive environment and is conveniently located in the Quakertown area.

Levy offers a competitive wage package, 401(k) benefits with company matched funds, bonus incentives, training and development, career opportunities, extra hours available evenings and weekends (optional), and community involvement.

This is a perfect job for people who love children, stay-at-home parents, college students looking for education experience, former teachers and anyone in need of extra income.

If you’re interested in becoming a school bus driver or want to hear more, please call Len at 215-536-4567 x121 or email len@levybus.com.

Gary Weckselblatt, QCSD Director of Communications, writes about the people and the programs that impact the Quakertown Community School District. Find more District topics of interest on the qcsd.org website by clicking here.

Email: gweckselblatt@qcsd.org
Website: www.qcsd.org
Location: 100 Commerce Drive, Quakertown, PA, USA
Phone: 215-529-2028
Facebook: facebook.com/QCSDNews
Twitter: @QCSDnews