Dear Abington School District Community,
As a former English teacher, it is safe to say that reading is my favorite hobby. Whether turning the pages of a book, or clicking through the pages of a novel on my Kindle, I cherish getting an opportunity to read whenever I have downtime.
For that reason, this is especially one of my favorite times of the school year as we celebrate literacy through a number of annual events, such as the National African American Read-in, Read Across America, and several of our schools' One School, One Book initiatives, just to name a few.
Every year, I have the pleasure of visiting a number of classrooms across our elementary schools to serve as a guest reader, and it is my hope that in those moments, our students are gaining, or renewing, this same love of reading. Literacy is an important fundamental skill, and I appreciate the efforts of our teachers districtwide helping our students to develop these skills on an ongoing basis, across all subject areas.
If you need inspiration for a new book to read, I encourage you to scroll through our ASD Reads! posters (featured below) to see what favorite books our teachers and staff enjoy. This new campaign is in schools across the District, helping students to connect with literature through school personnel.
Regards,
Dr. Jeffrey S. Fecher
Superintendent of Schools
Abington School District Proposes Building a New Middle School
After a multi-year planning process, Abington School District is proposing to build a new Middle School. Together, teachers and staff, parents/guardians, students, and residents in our District provided valuable input to ensure that the proposed $285 million bond referendum addresses critical needs, reflects our community’s priorities, and provides long-term value for taxpayers.
All community members are invited to Abington Middle School on Thursday, April 3 from 6:30-8:00 p.m. for tours and a final opportunity to learn more about the building’s challenges and the goals of the proposed plan to build a new school. The event will also feature background about how the plan was developed, the cost and tax impact, and how to vote in the May 20 election.
Learning and teaching in a modern, safe, and welcoming environment are essential to a quality education and a positive student culture. The new Middle School would feature a modern learning environment, purposeful layout, and flexible design while enhancing accessibility, safety, and security. The new building would accommodate growing enrollment and evolving needs, serving students for generations.
Our community helped shape this plan, and voters in Abington Township and the Borough of Rockledge will decide whether it moves forward when they cast their ballot on the referendum on May 20. If the $285 million bond referendum is approved by a majority vote on May 20, the estimated tax impact on a median homestead in the District with a current implied market value of $387,402 would be $54 per month. The earliest the tax impact would incrementally go into effect would be July 2026 as the project bidding process gets underway.
As always, the District remains committed to engaging with our community on important decisions like these. All residents are encouraged to learn more at OneASDOneFuture.org and vote in the May 20 election.
Abington School District Launches ASD Reads! Poster Campaign
Abington School District recently launched a new poster campaign called “ASD Reads!”, designed to promote literacy and encourage a love of reading among students of all ages.
With more than 100 unique designs that will be displayed across the District’s 10 school buildings, bus garage and Administration Building, the poster artwork features staff members districtwide, including teachers, paraprofessionals, administrative assistants, bus drivers, custodians, administrators and more. School directors were also included in the campaign. All of the featured personnel were photographed holding their favorite book so that they can share this personal fun fact about themselves with students.
The posters, which are designed in a comic book style, also all have a QR code directing to the ASD Libraries webpage, where students can find the poster’s featured book, or others like it, for check-out at their school library. For a full album of all the poster designs, click here.
Abington School District Rolls Out BusPatrol Safety Technology
In a proactive effort to improve student safety while traveling to and from school, Abington School District has partnered with the Abington Township Police Department and BusPatrol to launch a new school bus safety enforcement program.
BusPatrol is a safety technology company with the mission of making student transportation safer by changing driver behavior and creating a culture of awareness and responsibility around school buses. In addition, they provide accessibility for school districts and municipalities to modernize their entire school bus fleets by outfitting them with updated interior and exterior cameras.
As part of the safety initiative, in February, the entire fleet of 102 Abington School District buses were outfitted with this photo enforcement technology. Each school year, school buses are illegally passed an estimated 43.5 million times nationwide, putting students at risk.
To learn more about the Abington School District bus safety program, go to https://www.abingtonsd.org/o/abington/page/bus-patrol.
Overlook Elementary Helps the Homeless
Across Abington School District, students observed Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day with assemblies and service projects to give back to others in our area, including the Sock Roll Challenge, in which Overlook Elementary students collected and organized supplies for the homeless. These activities tied in perfectly to the January Abington Pledge of Character Theme of "Helpfulness".
Copper Beech Raises $2,385 for the American Red Cross
In celebration of February's Random Acts of Kindness Week and the monthly Abington Pledge of Character Theme of "Kindness", Copper Beech held a t-shirt design contest, with Ms. McGettigan's kindergarten class being chosen as the winners. Sales of the shirts across the school community raised more than $2,300 to benefit the American Red Cross and victims of the California wildfires.
Roslyn Elementary Encourages Positivity
Roslyn Elementary's Anti-Bullying Committee held their first schoolwide fundraiser by selling "Encouragement Accessories" for all students and staff, tied to the March Abington Pledge of Character Theme of "Encouragement." The committee's goal is to spread positivity and acceptance throughout the entire building!
McKinley Elementary Receives $1.5 Million Public School Facility Improvement Grant
Senator Art Haywood presented a check to McKinley Elementary School as part of the Public School Facility Improvement Grant Program from the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development. McKinley was awarded $1.5 million to implement energy savings projects and renovations, including flooring replacement and HVAC upgrades.
