Neshaminy Update
Neshaminy School District / September, 2023
Under a bright, sunny summer sky, 717 members of the Neshaminy High School Class of 2024 celebrated their graduation in front packed stands full of their family members and friends at Harry E. Franks Stadium on the evening of Wednesday, June 12. This was the 129th graduation ceremony for the Neshaminy community, which opened its first high school in the 1890's.
The ceremony opened with greetings from Principal Stephen Garstka, who then introduced Class of 2024 Public Relations Officer Demacio Cooper and Class Treasurer Madison Stout to deliver the student greetings. Their remarks were followed by those of Class Vice-President Ryan Hock-Smith and Class Historian Reece Emerson.
Superintendent Jason Bowman reminded the students that he, too, was once sitting in the same spot that they were when he graduated from Neshaminy High School himself in 1991. He called on them to "enjoy the present moment" and praised them for their resilience and perseverance. The Class of 2024 entered their freshman year at the high school during the pandemic in September 2020 in the midst of social distancing, hybrid learning and curtailed class schedules.
The seniors next heard from their Senior Class Advisor, NHS math teacher Kathy Winchester. Her remarks were followed by the tradition of singing "We Are One" by the senior members of the Neshaminy HS Choir under the direction of Kristin Nichols.
Senior Class President Ryan Meehan closed out the ceremony by encouraging his classmates to embrace change and to, "...take risks because not only do risks open doors for new opportunities, but they help us discover our true potential."
He then dismissed the Class of 2024 who were then joined by a stream of family and friends from the stands who joined them on the field at The Ridge for one final celebration.
In a morning ceremony at the Bucks County Courthouse in Doylestown on Friday, June 14, Jason Bowman was sworn in as Superintendent of Neshaminy School District by his wife, the Honorable Denise M. Bowman, a Bucks County judge. The ceremony was attended by family members, several Neshaminy School District School Board, cabinet and staff members and friends. The ceremony marked the beginning of his five-year contract as Superintendent after serving as Substitute and Acting Superintendent since March, 2023.
Neshaminy School District has introduced a new, more efficient way of gathering vital information about our students and their parents and guardians. This streamlined process makes it easier for parents and guardians to update their student's address of residency, contact information, and permission forms each year. The new system, accessible on any smartphone, computer, or other web-based device, saves time and effort and ensure that each school has the proper student information. Parents and guardians will be asked to confirm and fill out new information each school year.
ALL Neshaminy parents and guardians are required to log into Home Access Center and update their current residency and contact information. This process will be available from May 31 through August 1, with a one-week pause during the week of July 1-5 for system updates. It's crucial to have this form completed as soon as possible to ensure that the most up-to-date information is available before the new school year begins. After logging into Home Access, users will be asked to complete the following:
- Confirm or update the primary address of residency
- Confirm or update parent / guardian names
- Confirm or update emergency contact information
- Confirm or update contact email address, phone, and text numbers
- Review and accept the Neshaminy Technology agreement
- Review and check other policy and permission items
If the address of residency has changed within the district, you will be asked to provide documentation of your new address. ALL Parents and Guardians of students entering fifth grade and ninth grade will also be required to “re-prove” residency by providing documentation confirming their address. This process can also be completed easily online using the same system; instructions on what documents are needed and how to upload them will be provided closer to the launch date.
Families that are new to the district and have registered their student(s) within the past three months do NOT need to complete this process this year. Recently registered students entering kindergarten for the 2024-2025 school year also do not need to have their information updated.
Additional instructions and information about this new system have been shared via email and posted on the district website, www.neshaminy.org.
Pre-K Counts at Neshaminy is now signing up families for the 2024-2025 school year. This grant-funded preschool program provides a quality full-time preschool program at no cost to families who meet the generous household income guidelines. A family of four, for example, can have a household income up to $93,600 to qualify. Income is based on 2023 IRS tax returns for all members of the household. In 2023-2024, clases in the Neshaminy Pre-K Counts program are meeting at Walter Miller Elementary School, Albert Schweitzer Elementary School and the Lower Southampton Learning Center (the former Lower Southampton Elementary School). The locations for the 2024-2025 program will be announced by August 1.
If you child is age 3 or 4 before September 1, apply now! For additional information, full income qualification guidelines and registration materials, please visit www.neshaminy.org/pkc.
- Thursday, July 4: Independence Day, District offices closed
- Tuesday, July 23: School Board Public Meeting, 7 pm
- Wednesday, July 24 - July 28: Neshaminy Summer Stock Main Stage show: Mean Girls
- Wednesday, July 24 - July 28: Neshaminy Summer Stock Showcase: 50th Annual Non-Scaring Monster Convention
- Thursday, July 25 - July 28: Neshaminy Summer Stock Theater Workshop show: Disney's The Descendents
- Tuesday, August 20: Neshaminy HS Orientation #1
- Tuesday, August 20: School Board Public Meeting, 7 pm
- Wednesday, August 21: Neshaminy HS Orientation #2
- Thursday, August 22: Middle School Orientations
- Tuesday, August 27: Elementary School Orientations / Classroom Visitation
- Wednesday, August 28: First Day of School, Grades K, 5 & 9
- Thursday, August 29: All grades report
Check the district and school websites for more important dates and events!
BOARD APPROVES TENTATIVE ONE-YEAR NFT AGREEMENT
At a special School Board meeting held on June 28, the Board approved a tentative one-year agreement between the district and the Neshaminy Federation of Teachers. The agreement was previously approved by the membership of the NFT. The agreement includes provisions for salary step increases, changes to elementary teacher preparation time and other items. The tentative agreement covers the period from July 1, 2024, through June 30, 2025.
2024-2025 FINAL OPERATING BUDGET
The 2024-2025 Neshaminy School District final operating budget was unanimously approved at the June 18 Board Public Meeting. The budget includes total revenues equal $209,440,288 and expenditures equal to $213,290,541. The millage rate equals 181.675, an increase from the 2023-2024 rate which was 171.23 mills.
SENIOR TAX ASSISTANCE PROGRAM ELIGIBILITY INCREASED
The Board approved an increase in the income eligibility and other adjustments to the Irene Boyle Senior Tax Assistance Program. The program provides property tax relief in varying amounts, depending on income, for senior citizen homeowners residing in the district. The current maximum annual income eligibility of $29,999 has been raised to $34,999. This increase will help seniors who lost eligibility to the program due to incremental increases in Social Security benefits over the past several years. Since 1977 the program has provided over $3.2 million in tax relief to Neshaminy seniors.
SUMMER PASS PROGRAM RECEIVES A DONATION AND GRANT
The School Board accepted a donation of $5000 from Lower Southampton Township for the Summer PASS (Planned Action Stimulates Success) program. The program offers approximately 60 Neshaminy students who have experienced truancy and related problems during the school year a four-week summer program that provides them with tutoring, social and life skills, community service and recreational opportunities.
The program will also be partially funded by a $25,000 grant from the Bucks County Drug and Alcohol Commission obtained from funds made available through the multi-state opioid distributors settlement case.
In 2017, Pennsylvania's Department of Health established requirements for school vaccinations. Please review this document from the Pennsylvania Department of Health and consult with your child’s healthcare provider. Communication from the District will continue as a reminder of this PA Department of Health requirement.
District Policy 203 requires that “a certificate of immunization shall be maintained as part of the health record for each student, as required by the Pennsylvania Department of Health.” Further, the Policy states that “a student who has not been immunized per state regulations shall not be admitted to or permitted to attend district schools unless exempted for medical or religious reasons or provisionally admitted by the Superintendent or designee after beginning a multiple dose vaccine series and submitting proof of immunization or a medical certificate on or before the fifth school day of attendance.”
The requirements allow for the following exemptions: medical reason, religious belief, or philosophical/strong moral or ethical conviction. Even if your child is exempt from immunizations, he or she may be excluded from school during a vaccine-preventable disease outbreak.
Communication from the District will continue as a reminder of this PA Department of Health and Policy 203’s requirements. Please contact your child’s School Nurse with questions.
As part of first grade’s Project-Based Learning, the students in Stacy Flynn's first-grade class at Albert Schweitzer ES completed two farm-themed projects. For the first project, the class learned about how farmers grow, transport and sell their crops. They demonstrated this learning by making a Farm to Table Quadrorama. For their second project, students engineered a shade structure for their farm animal figurines. They had the choice of a sheep, cow or chicken. They used the school’s 3D printer to print the farm animal figurines.
After sharing their projects, they performed farm-themed Reader’s Theatre Skits for their families. This was followed by an Ice Cream Social and end-of-the-year slide show. As part of the celebration, the class was encouraged to wear their farm animal t-shirts that they made for a field trip to Snipes farm in May.
Congratulations to the Poquessing 6th grade AE students who competed at the Future Problem Solving International Competition in early June at Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana. Student Savannah Donat won top prize in her division and is an international champion! Students Camryn Mocarski, Patrick Donahue, Anushka Tailor, and Ellie Heine also did really well in their division receiving top scores.
On June 6, the 6th graders of Carl Sandburg Middle School participated in a service project spearheaded by Mrs. Walters with the aim of raising funds for the nonprofit, Water for South Sudan. While reading A Long Walk to Water in their reading classes, the sixth grade learned about the need for clean water and how it impacts a person’s health and daily life. The nonprofit was created by Salva Dut, the young boy the novel was written about. Mrs. Walters organized the walkathon and various water related relay activities to not only deepen her students' understanding of the plight of the people of South Sudan, but to also teach them about the importance of service to others. Students carb loaded before the day's fun with soft pretzels compliments of the Neshaminy Federation of Teachers, and they cooled down after with a sweet treat of Kona ice.
With a goal set at $500, students fundraised through donations, bracelet sales, and a school wide Fill- a-Jug competition. Thanks to the generous donations, the sixth grade exceeded their goal and raised over $1100 to help bring access to clean water to South Sudan. Using literature to educate students about the needs of others and the world around them helps to build empathy and understanding.
