Pennsbury On Point is a weekly newsletter designed to keep the Pennsbury community up-to-date on district news, events, and information. The newsletter will be emailed to families weekly and archived on the district's Public Relations webpage.

If you have any photos or story ideas you would like to see featured, please email the Public Relations Department at publicrelations@pennsburysd.org.

Monday, November 21 - Parent/Guardian-Teacher Conferences

Half Day* for Students K-8, Full Day for Grades 9-12

Tuesday, November 22 - Parent/Guardian-Teacher Conferences

Half Day* for Students K-8, Full Day for Grades 9-12

Wednesday, November 23 - No school for all students. Offices will be open.

Thursday, November 24 - Thanksgiving Day

All Schools and Offices Closed

Friday, November 25 - Thanksgiving Recess

All Schools and Offices Closed

*Half Day Dismissal Times

Middle - 11:00 a.m.
Elementary - 11:50 a.m.

The world-famous Harlem Wizards are coming to Pennsbury on December 3, 2022 at 7:00 p.m.! This fun-filled, family event is open to the entire Pennsbury community and all proceeds from the evening will benefit the Pennsbury Education Foundation. Tickets are now on sale! Click the link below to purchase.

The Pennsbury Education Foundation is a 501(c)(3) committed to supporting the best possible curriculum, instruction, and programs for all Pennsbury students. Click here to learn more about the PEF.

Congratulations to Afton Elementary School 2nd grader Kaitlin Savage on winning first place in the K-2 category in the 2022 National Chemistry Week Illustrated Poem Contest! Second-grade students at Afton submitted their illustrated poems last month, and Kaitlin's was selected as the winner from entries nationwide. The theme of this year's contest was Fabulous Fibers: The Chemistry of Fabrics. Entries were judged based on relevance to and incorporation of the yearly theme.

National Chemistry Week is a public awareness campaign through the American Chemical Society that promotes the value of chemistry in everyday life.

Pictured below: Kaitlin Savage and Dr. Joseph Masgai, Principal of Afton

Students in the 7th grade gifted program at William Penn Middle School took a community service learning field trip & guided walking tour of the Delaware River Canal, thanks to the local non-profit organization and Pennsbury Partner, The Friends of the Delaware Canal. The walking tour focused on the history of the canal, overall canal importance, as well as current and future preservation. Students will now reflect upon their experience and learnings and determine a community service-based project for a future visit, which will most likely be focused on clean-up and preservation.

Pennsbury elementary schools marked the 50th day of school on Wednesday, November 16 with a variety of fun activities. Kindergarteners at Afton Elementary celebrated with a "Nifty Fifty Sock Hop." Students had fun singing, dancing (in socks) and counting to 50 all day long! They also had sundaes at their "Rockin Diner" and listened to oldies on their "jukebox."

First grade students at Walt Disney Elementary also celebrated the 50th Day of school in style. They discussed life in the 1950’s compared to now and learned fun facts about the decade. Did you know that Legos and Mr. Potato head were invented in the 1950's? Students also had a hula hoop contest and enjoyed a special root beer float treat!

The Pennsbury High School Speech and Debate Team captured 1st place out of 27 teams from six different states at the recent Dallastown Wildcat Invitational in Dallastown, Pennsylvania. The PHS Speech and Debate is open to students in grades 9-12. There are currently 59 students on the Speech and Debate Team.

What are the benefits of speech and debate? According to the National Speech & Debate Association, students who participate in speech and debate education:

• Get over their fear of public speaking, a critical skill for any career path.
• Improve their academic standing - countless studies have shown the impact of speech and debate education on high school standardized test scores, attendance, college admission rates, and more.
• Use their voice to change the world - Whether telling a story through an interpretation event or advocating for an issue in debate, speech and debate gives student the opportunity to take a stand.

Congratulations to the team and Coach Chris Berdnik on their recent first place win!

Congratulations to the Pennsbury-LYFT Character Award winners for November. DeRonn Adams, Tai Spinelli, Balazs Herdlicska, and Althea McHugh were honored at the Pennsbury School Board of Directors meeting on Thursday, November 17, 2022.

The purpose of the Pennsbury-LYFT Character Award is to recognize and reward students who embody exemplary character traits and behaviors. The character trait for November was responsibility. Click here to read more.

Pictured above - Dr. Smith, (left) Superintendent, DeRonn Adams, Balazs Herdlicska, Tai Spinelli, TR Kannan, President of the Pennsbury School Board. (Not pictured, Althea McHugh.)

The Sandy Run Service Unit Girl Scouts and their families gathered at Afton Elementary School on Thursday, November 17, in the spirit of community service. The Sandy Run Service Unit, which consists of students from Afton, Edgewood, Quarry Hill, St. Ignatius, and Abrams Hebrew Academy, packaged hundreds of meal trays for Caring for Friends. The non-profit will distribute the meals to food-insecure people in the greater Philadelphia area.

In addition to preparing meal trays, the Girl Scouts also made thank-you cards that will be sent to Ft. Jackson, South Carolina, for mobilized soldiers.

Charles Boehm Middle School was in the spotlight at this month's Pennsbury School Board of Directors Meeting. A different school is highlighted each month. Thanks to Anna Bolton, Aiden Guan, Delaney Jones, and Will Stein for providing an update to board members on events, activities, and points of pride at Charles Boehm! Check out their presentation below.

The Pennsbury High School Choral Music Department held its fall concert on Wednesday, November 16 at Keller Hall. The concert featured performances by the Treble Choir, directed by Lindsey Strauss, the Chamber Choir, directed by Ms. Strauss and James Moyer, the Concert Choir, directed by Mr. Moyer, the combined Treble and Concert Choirs, and the Combined Choirs with the newly created PHS Glee Club. Mr. Josh Suslak is the accompanist for all of the choirs. Bravo!

Students from Pennsbury High School recently volunteered their time to help the residents of Regency at Yardley with an afternoon of tech support. The residents of the 55-plus community were grateful for the time the students spent helping them straighten out issues with their mobile phones, tablets, laptops, and more. It was a great afternoon and an opportunity for our students to help the community.

Congratulations to the following Pennsbury High School seniors for officially signing on to play their sport at the collegiate level upon graduation!

• Kayden Faulcon - Baseball - University of Pittsburgh
• Joseph (Joe) Tiroly - Baseball - Rider University
• Ryan Zuckerman - Baseball - University of Pittsburgh
• Michael DeZutel - Lacrosse - Holy Family University
• Taylor Mays - Soccer - Rider University
• Joshua Oladele - Soccer - Villanova University
• Laney Freiband - Softball - Cornell University

As part of the 3rd Grade Social Studies curriculum, students in Kris Bria and Hannah Rumbelow’s class recently learned about the customs and traditions of the Lenni Lenape Native Americans. As a culminating project, students created wigwams (the Lenape shelter) and a diorama to demonstrate their understanding.

Edgewood Elementary celebrated their first schoolwide Town Hall meeting of the school year, honoring achievements throughout the building for grades K-5. Two groups of students (pictured) were recognized through Edgewood's Schoolwide Positive Behavior Supports tier program:

(Top) Cape Recipients - students earning Edgewood’s highest of character, the superhero cape for showing their R.O.A.R.S across all school settings.

(Bottom) Top Tigers - students earning recognition through Principal Hultquist's Top Tiger ticket process for showing expected behavior.

Congratulations to Charles Boehm's Mrs. Metzger on being named the Philadelphia Flyers Teacher of the Month for October! Mrs. Metzger teaches 7th-grade science at Charles Boehm.

Did you miss the latest Pennsbury Parent Academy presentation? Check out How to Help Your Child Manage Emotions with Dr. Adam Saenz.

View all of the past Pennsbury Parent Academy presentations by clicking here.

Do you enjoy working with children?

Do you like working close to home and earning a competitive salary?

Becoming a Pennsbury Bus Driver is the job for you!

We offer…

- A competitive salary
- Flexible hours
- A student-centered work environment
- Paid training for your CDL

Come join our team!

Apply online at: www.pennsburysd.org or call: 215-428-4140

Current CDL holders can start right away! (Once they receive proper clearances)

The mission of the Pennsbury School District's Special Education Parent Advisory Council (SEPAC) is to collaborate with administration and parents to facilitate communication, sharing of resources, and offering of support programs. SEPAC strives to improve the experiences and education of all students who receive special education, while promoting understanding, acceptance, and inclusion within the Pennsbury School District. Click here to learn more.

SEPAC holds monthly meetings, and all parents are welcome to join. If you are interested in attending meetings, please fill out this interest form.

Their next meeting will be Thursday, December 15 from 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.

The Pennsbury School District is making a concerted effort to ensure that students who reside within our District boundaries are able to attend the school they are assigned to based on their home address. To help us, we have established a Confidential Residency Reporting Tip Line. If you believe someone is falsifying their student's address to attend the Pennsbury School District, please call or email:

residency@pennsburysd.org

(215) 428-4100 ext. 84777 (TIPSS)

Please click here for more information.

Free breakfast is now available to all Pennsbury students. The Universal Free Breakfast Program will run through the end of the 2022-23 school year. More than 1.7 million Pennsylvania children enrolled in public schools, intermediate units, charter schools, career and technology centers, and childcare institutions that participate in the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs will benefit from this state-funded program.

The annual required Chromebook fee that allows students in grades 5-12 to take their device home can now be paid online. The price is $40.00 (reduced to $15 for students who qualify for free and reduced lunch). The Chromebook fee can be paid by logging on to PowerSchool through a web browser, not the PowerSchool mobile app. Cash or check payments are also accepted at each school.

Please click here for more details

Have a question about Pennsbury? Don't trust the rumors, ask Penny!

Send Penny an email at askpenny@pennsburysd.org, or leave a message at 215-428-4100, ext. 73669 (PENNY).

Click here to visit the Pennsbury School District's E-Flyers Page. On this page, you will find flyers that represent current or ongoing announcements of interest to Pennsbury students and families. To obtain approval for a flyer to be posted on the E-Flyers Page, please email your request to Macy Cellitti at mcellitti@pennsburysd.org.

Click here to view Pennsbury High School's Student Job Board and find local area businesses with open positions. Some positions allow applicants as young as 14 years old.

Click here for information on how to obtain a work permit.

Safe2Say Something is a youth violence prevention program run by the PA Office of Attorney General. Report a confidential tip to help prevent violence and tragedies.

Click here to submit an anonymous tip.

Did you miss an email from the District? Check the archive!

The Nutrition Group is now hiring! Positions include Food Service Workers, Cooks, and Kitchen Managers with rates from $13-$15/hr. The hours are Monday-Friday, school hours only. No nights, weekends, or holidays! Apply today by calling the Nutrition Group office at 215-949-6740 ext. 2, or click here and search for "Pennsbury"!

Dr. Thomas Smith, Superintendent of Schools

tsmith@pennsburysd.org

215-428-4111

Email: publicrelations@pennsburysd.org

Website: www.pennsburysd.org
Location: 134 Yardley Avenue, Fallsington, PA 19058
Phone: (215)-428-4100