Panther Press
August Newsletter
October 21, 2024
Upcoming Dates:
2024-2025 School Year:
- 11/1- No School- Diwali
- 11/5- No School- Election Day
- 11/11- District Closed- No School- Veteran's Day
- 11/26- Half day for students- 11:10 am dismissal
- 11/27-11/29- No School- Thanksgiving Break
- 12/24-1/1- No School- Winter Break
- 2/17- No School- President's Day
- 2/14- Half day for students- 11:10 am dismissal
- 2/18- No School- Teacher PD Day
- 3/31- No School- Eid al-Fitr
- 4/17 & 4/18- No School- Spring Break
- 4/21- No School
- 4/21-4/25- PSSAs- English Language Arts
- 4/28-5/2- PSSAs- Math & Science
- 5/20- No School- Election Day
- 5/26- No School- Memorial Day
- 6/11, 6/12, 6/13- Half Days
- 6/13- Last day for students
Check Out What's Happening at Ferderbar
Panther Pride Ticket Winners from October
Congratulations to the following winners who showed they can be respectful, responsible, and safe!
Unity Day
October is Bullying Prevention Month.
On October 16th, our staff and students celebrated Unity Day. This is a day when we try to build a sense of community through kindness, acceptance, and inclusion. We hope that these efforts will help to prevent bullying in our school.
Ferderbar Goes Pink!
Ferderbar staff and students dressed in all pink to recognize Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
Fire Prevention Assembly
Students in kindergarten, first, and second grade attended a fire safety/ prevention assembly on Wednesday, 10/16. Lower Southampton Firefighters came to talk with the students about how to stay safe.
Check out the flyer below for information on a poster contest taking place with the Lower Southampton Township. Children between the ages of 4-11 can participate.
Fall Fest
Monthly Counselor Updates
Please review the attachment below for helpful tips and ideas from our counselor, Mrs. Parker.
Halloween
On Thursday, October 31st, the students of Ferderbar Elementary School will hold our annual Halloween costume parade. All family members are welcome to view our outdoor parade. The parade will begin promptly at 2:20 pm.
Students will parade around the blacktop at the back of the building. Families will be able to view the parade from behind the fence that lines the perimeter of the blacktop. Kindergarten will lead the parade with the grades following in ascending order, first, second, third, and finally fourth. All grade levels will go around twice.
Hopefully the weather will be beautiful, however if it rains, the parade will remain inside for only students to view. Costumes depicting any violence or horror as seen in the movies, on the news, or in comics are not permitted. Weapons of any kind, including metal, plastic, wood, and cardboard are not permitted. Costumes should reflect age-appropriate characters.
We request that all students bring their costumes to school in a bag with their name and their teacherās name clearly marked on the bag. Students will be provided with time in the classroom to dress in their costumes in preparation for the parade. Students will bring in their own snack and drink for a small classroom party afterwards.
If you do not wish to have your child participate in the parade, or the classroom activities that follow, please complete the form below or write a note to your childās teacher. Your child will be excused from the festivities, and he/she will be provided with an alternate activity that is not related to this event. Additionally, if you do not want your child to participate in this event, you may pick your child up from school at 2:00 pm with no attendance penalty. If you are opting out, please fill out and return the form below.
ELD Parent Information Meeting
Attention All Families Whose Child receives English Language Development Instruction.
Please join Mrs. Biello, Mrs. Rodriguez, and Mrs. Glinski for an informational meeting describing the curriculum that the students learn within the ELD classroom.
The meeting will begin at 8:20 am. Parents are encouraged to attend without your children, however if your Ferderbar student needs to come due to a childcare issue, then they will sit in the hallway until school starts at 8:50 am.
PLEASE FILL OUT THE GOOGLE FORM IN THE LINK BELOW TO INDICATE THAT YOU PLAN ON ATTENDING.
Student Device Reminders
Important Reminders:
- Students need to come to school with a charged laptop everyday.
- All cellphones and smartwatches will be placed in student bookbags at the start of the day and will remain powered off during the school day.
- No stickers can be placed on the district device.
- Students need to have headphones.
Please see the following attachments for additional information and expectations.
Attendance
Good attendance is essential for students to succeed in school.
Please remember to send in a note or an email to your child's teacher after every absence. If you go to the doctor for a sick visit, well check, specialist, or dentist, please ask for a note and bring that in. All absences are marked unexcused, until a note is provided. Families can use the attachment below to provide details about their child's absence.
Volunteer Information
Who needs to obtain volunteer clearances?
Any adult applying for or holding a volunteer position who is responsible for a child's welfare or has direct contact with children during curricular or co-curricular activities needs to obtain volunteer clearances. Examples include classroom volunteers, Home & School activity volunteers, or field trip chaperones.
If you have any questions as to whether a clearance is needed for a particular volunteer role or activity, please contact our main office, 215-809-6370.
Don't Wait!
Act 34 - the Pennsylvania State Police Clearance - can take 2 to 4 weeks to process and Act 151 - the Child Abuse History Clearance - can also take 2 to 4 weeks.
You will NOT be allowed to volunteer or chaperone a school trip unless all appropriate volunteer paperwork is complete and submitted.
Click the link below to access additional information and links for each clearance.
Breakfast and Lunch Menus- School Cafe
Breakfast is free for the 24-25 school year. Students can purchase a second breakfast.
Neshaminy uses School CafƩ for payment. You will need to register at https://schoolcafe.com You can check balances, set balance alerts, set recurring payments etc. A 5% convenience fee will be charged on all online payments.
Food Service Website
Please visit the Food Service webpage for additional information:
Free and Reduced School Meal Program
To apply for the Free & Reduced Meal Program:
Read the letter to Neshaminy families for information about the 2024-2025 Free & Reduced Meal Program
Visit https://www.schoolcafe.com/ or use the free School Cafe app to apply quickly and easily online.
Though we encourage our families to apply online, paper applications are still available and can be found below. They are also available at the Main Offices of each of our schools and can be filled out and returned there.
Pennsylvania Free Reduced Application (English)
AplicaciĆ³n reducida gratuita de Pennsylvania (EspaƱol)
If you need help or want to fill out an application in person, the Main Office staff at each school can assist you during their normal business hours.
Do you have questions about this application or the Free & Reduced program at Neshaminy? Call 215-809-6542.
Do you have questions about this application or the Free & Reduced program at Neshaminy? Call 215-809-6542.
Please Note:
- Families must complete a new Free & Reduced application each school year.
- Paper applications are no longer distributed at school.
Did you know...
- Free and Reduced Meal applications are available in 48 languages (call for information)
- If you qualify for free meals, you may be eligible for affordable internet from Comcast (see below) and the chance to purchase lower priced laptops or computers
- You can go to any local library within your community and use their computers to apply for Free and Reduced Meals
Additional Programs
If you receive Free & Reduced benefits, your children may qualify for other programs as well. To make it easier to find out about these, we can share your information with these other programs but need your permission to do so. Completing the forms below will not change whether your children get free or reduced price meals:
Elementary information sharing permission form (fillable PDF form)
Updated Student-Family Handbook
The link for our Universal Elementary Student/Family Handbook is below. In preparation for the upcoming school year, all families should review the information.
Approved Calendar for the 2024-2025 School Year
Important Dates:
- August 28th- First day for K, 5 & 9
- August 29th- All grades report to school
- September 2nd- District closed for Labor Day
Updated Board Members for the 24-25 School Year
Vice President- Amy Schnauffer: amyschnauffer5@gmail.com
Treasurer: Noelle Grebe: Noellegrebe@gmail.com
Secetary: Jill Langhorne: Jill.langhorne@gmail.com
Stay Up-to-date with our Home and School Association's Events and Activities
Check out the HSA's webpage to learn more about the events and activities throughout the year.
https://www.neshaminy.org/domain/997
Upcoming Dates:
- 11/18- HSA General Meeting- 6:30 pm
- 10/31-11/15- Fritz's Bakery Fundraiser
School Store
The school store will run every Friday from 8:50-9:10 in the back of the cafeteria. One grade level goes per week.
School Store Schedule:
- 10/25- Kindergarten
- 11/8- First Grade
- 11/15- Second Grade
- 11/22- Third Grade
- 12/13- Fourth Grade
Community Events and Opportunities
Check out the flyers below for information on events and programs in our community.