Haverford Happenings

All registrations are now being completed online. Please check our website for registration information. To register, a new student must be:

• A resident of the School District of Haverford Township
• Five (5) years of age before September 1, 2024
  
  

If you are registering a kindergarten or 1st grade student, within 14 calendar days of completing the online portion of the registration process you will receive an email from a School District of Haverford Township (SDHT) representative with information about the next steps required to complete your child’s registration.

AM/PM Kindergarten assignment letters will only be sent to households for whom the registration process, which includes submitting the online portion and providing all additional documents, has been completed by April 30th.

If you have questions or require assistance, please contact the Registrar’s Office: Ms. Stacey Mattox, 610-853-5900 x7139, smattox@haverfordsd.net.

As humans, we all go through times when we feel overwhelmed and need to hit the reset button. It's essential to take positive, productive steps to release pressure and prevent negative consequences. We teach and practice various strategies to help students release pressure, such as taking a walk, counting fingers, reciting positive affirmations, exercising, and self-care. These simple actions can put things into perspective and make seemingly significant issues much more manageable.

Given the academic, social, and physical pressures we face daily, taking care of ourselves is vital. We promote the Manoa Mustang Pledge, STAR, which emphasizes Safety first, Take responsibility, Act with kindness, and Respect for oneself and others. We believe that if everyone followed these principles, there would be less pressure on us.

In striving for 100% participation in following the STAR expectations, we understand that this can be challenging, so we provide space for students to do so during recess and throughout the building. Social-emotional learning is infused throughout the curriculum and explicitly taught by our counselors. We are committed to promoting growth and helping families develop positive, productive citizens. Our ultimate goal is to produce a community of empathetic and resilient learners with the skills to thrive socially and emotionally.

How do I contact The School District of Haverford Township?

The District places great value on transparent and efficient communication with parents, guardians, students, staff, and community members. The following series of flowcharts identify the steps to follow on how to get questions answered, how to resolve problems, and how to navigate the system. Following these steps will help answer the question or resolve the problem in the shortest amount of time possible. You can find this guide on our website.

Lynnewood Elementary School students navigate a process of selecting ingredients such as meat, cheese, bread, snacks, and a drink and then adeptly assemble a sandwich. Each lunch is packed into a personally decorated bag. With each class taking turns, students gather in the lunchroom where dedicated parent/guardian volunteers, organized by Allison Fineberg and Julie Brady, guide them through the process.

These carefully packed lunches are being delivered by committed parent volunteers to the Life Center of Eastern Delaware County. This vital organization provides shelter and resources for approximately 40-50 Delaware County residents experiencing homelessness for a duration ranging from six months to two years. Notably, all the food at the Life Center is generously donated, with various volunteer organizations, including churches and community groups, contributing to the preparation and service of dinner meals. The breakfasts and lunches, packaged in decorated bags by Lynnewood Elementary students, play a significant role in extending support to those in need.

This year, the National Honor Society Gift Drive successfully supported 35 families in our community! Each family received a school supply kit, a hygiene kit, a breakfast bag, and a wide range of presents such as games, toys, books, makeup, clothes, gift cards, and much more! This achievement was made possible thanks to the incredible support of the community through donations of clothes, toys, gift cards, and the Thanksgiving Pie sale. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to all the students and staff who contributed in any way to support the families in our community!

People to Know:

1. Año viejo” (old year) or monigote - Ecuadorians fill old clothes with sawdust to create these figures that can look like a real person or imaginary characters with the addition of a mask. The monigote figures represent the old year that is burned in a bonfire at the stroke of midnight.
2. Dancing Bears - In Romania, the new year is celebrated by men, women, and children donning bear costumes or bear furs and dancing to pan flute music at festivals held between Christmas and New Year’s Day.
3. L’home dels nassos - In Spain, L’home dels nassos or the man with many noses, has as many noses as there are days left in the year—and he grants wishes if you can find him.

Word/Phrases to Learn:

1. Hogmanay - In Scotland, Hogmanay starts on Dec. 30th and ends on New Years Day. There are many celebrations but the most common tradition is that of “first footing,” which involves being the first to visit friends and neighbors, often with a symbolic gift in hand.
2. Auld Lang Syne - is actually a Scottish song with lyrics written by Scottish poet Robert Burns. When translated literally from Scots, auld lang syne means “old long since.” The song never actually mentions New Year’s Eve, but its themes of joy and regret fit the holiday pretty well.

January Winter Stories VIRTUAL LIBRARY. This link will take you to a virtual library of books for this month.

Martin Luther King Jr. Day, was recognized as a federal holiday in 1983, with the first national observance occurring in 1986. On August 23, 1994, President Clinton signed the Martin Luther King Jr. Federal Holiday and Service Act (108 Stat. 1565), which expanded the holiday's mission to promote community service, interracial cooperation, and youth anti-violence initiatives. Each year, MLK Day has a theme or focus, and this year, in the Greater Philadelphia Area, the theme is the 60th anniversary of the 1964 Civil Rights Act.

If you're looking for ways to participate in acts of service being hosted in our schools, you can visit our website. Alternatively, if you'd like to get involved in the Greater Philadelphia area, you can search for projects on the MLK Day of Service website (click here).

January is School Director Recognition Month, a time to honor and appreciate the invaluable contributions made by our dedicated school directors. As elected officials within our community, our board members devote countless hours to fulfilling their governing responsibilities, serving as liaisons to county organizations, participating in committee meetings, and attending events. Their unwavering commitment to students' academic success and well-being is truly commendable.

Our board members unselfishly give their time and talent to our community, the students, and the schools in our district. They want to provide our children with the opportunity to learn within the best educational system possible, and for that, we say "Thank You."

We express our gratitude for and recognition of our board members' pivotal role in shaping the educational landscape of the School District of Haverford Township. More information about our Board of School Directors can be found here on our website.

The Haverford community is invited to the second informal chat with some school board members at the Community Conversation February 29th at Lynnewood Elementary School.

The School District of Haverford Township utilizes BoardDocs, an online, paperless resource for all school board meetings. Here you can find the agenda, meeting minutes, video replay, and board policies. The meetings are live-streamed on YouTube.

Regular and Committee Board Meetings will be held at Oakmont Administration Building.

*NOTE NEW TIMES FOR COMMITTEE MEETINGS

Upcoming Meetings:

• January 11: Finance & Facilities Committee Meeting at 6:30 PM
• January 11: Curriculum and Pupil Services Committee Meeting 7:15 PM
• January 18: Regular School Board Meeting
• February 1: Regular School Board Meeting

All presentations and videos can be found on BoardDocs.

When severe weather affects school opening, the decision to open or close schools has a big impact on families.

How are you notified? We use multiple means to alert parents to weather-related school closings and delayed openings. Our District Notification System (Swift K12) is used to alert parents/guardians via email, phone call and text message. We usually do not activate the system to call parents/guardians after 10:00 PM or before 5:30 AM. If a decision is made in between those times, it will be posted on the district website.

These are additional sources for information regarding weather-related school closings, delays, and emergency announcements.

• District website
• Twitter, Instagram and Facebook @HaverfordSD
• Through the Media - Local television news stations

Procedures for delayed opening and early dismissals can be found here.

January 8: Kindergarten Registration

January 9-12: HHS Keystone Testing - See the HHS January Schedule

January 12: Teacher In-service (early dismissal for all students)

January 15: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr Holiday (schools & offices closed)

February 16: Early dismissal for all students

February 19: Presidents’ Day Holiday (schools & offices closed)

The mission of the School District of Haverford Township is to educate and to inspire a community of lifelong learners who become well-rounded global citizens.

Website: https://www.haverford.k12.pa.us/
Location: 50 East Eagle Road, Havertown, PA, USA
Phone: 610-853-5900
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/haverfordsd.net
Twitter: @haverfordsd