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.

Students and staff across Pennsbury "rocked their socks" in support of World Down Syndrome Day on March 21. World Down Syndrome Day began in 2006. The day is symbolic because people with Down Syndrome have three copies of their 21st chromosome. Socks were chosen because the karyotype of DS chromosomes actually looks like mismatched socks!

On Friday, March 18th, Pennsbury High School recently raised $2,380 to benefit Special Olympics and Unified Sports. The "Polar Spray" is a fun and unique take on the more common "Polar Plunge". For a small donation, students and faculty got to run through the freezing spray of a firetruck hose, courtesy of the Fairless Hills Fire Department. Participants were #FreezinForaReason to benefit this awesome cause and bring awareness to spreading the word of inclusion for those with special needs.

Click here to view the full Polar Spray photo album on the Pennsbury website.

The curtain rises tonight on Charles Boehm Middle School's production of The Jungle Book Kids! Adapted from Disney's beloved animated film and the works of Rudyard Kipling, the “man-cub” Mowgli, bounds through the jungle and learns what it means to be human.

Show dates & times:

Friday, March 25 @ 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, March 26 @ 2:00 p.m. & 7:30 p.m.

Tickets are just $10 and can be purchased online at www.boehmtheater.com.

Family, Career, and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) recently hosted its "Cinderella's Closet" free formal attire event at Pennsbury High School West. Cinderella's Closet provides formal wear, including dresses, suits, shoes, jewelry, purses, and more to interested students at no cost.

"We are proud to say that over 100 items found new owners. We look forward to making more dreams come true," said Ms. Mickle and Mrs. McCormac, FCCLA faculty advisors.

With prom season right around the corner, now is the perfect time to shop! Email Ms. Mickle (jmickle@pennsburysd.org) or Mrs. McCormac (jmccormac@pennsburysd.org) to set up an appointment.

Makefield Elementary School PTO recently hosted its first-ever “Makefield Builds Creativity” event. Over 30 students tapped into their creative minds to participate in the inaugural event. Projects included animation art, LEGO block creations (including a replica of Makefield School), a student-composed piano song, a Rube Goldberg machine, baking creations, and many more. In addition to the student projects on display, families enjoyed making bird feeders and wooden cars. Students also designed intricate origami, made Oobleck, and built words on a giant Scrabble board. Makefield’s mascot, Fledge, even made a special guest appearance! Makefield looks forward to hosting many more of these events to showcase student creativity.

Congratulations to the PHS Unified Bocce Team on an amazing inaugural season! The team competed on March 22 at the Special Olympics Unified State Championship at DeSales University and gave it their all!

Final results:

Henderson High School - Gold

Plymouth Whitemarsh- Silver

North Penn- Bronze

“The team reflects what a true champion is, they tried their best, never gave up, and showed incredible sportsmanship!! They have all come so far and I couldn’t be prouder of their accomplishments this year. We will be back next year,” said Coach Coons

Congratulations to Pennsbury High School junior Vincent Biehn on his recent success at the the PA State Bowling Championship! Vincent placed 4th in the boys singles tournament out of 144. This year marks back-to back appearances at the state championships for Vincent. Congratulations on this major accomplishment!

Students at William Penn Middle School recently helped the Nutrition Group sample and evaluate some new food products that may be featured next school year.

The Nutrition Group Corporate Team provided the students with bite size portions of 30 different items for the students to try and provide their honest feedback. They rated each food on a scale from 1-10, wrote notes, and starred their top 5 favorite items. Some of the sample items included Belgium waffles, breaded chicken, roasted turkey, and frozen fruit cups.

The students were so excited for this opportunity to try delicious food, and hope that they will see their favorite products in their cafeterias next year.

Yoga and mindfulness were on the menu this week for Penn Valley Elementary School families. The school hosted its first Family Yoga & Mindfulness Night on March 23.

Attendees learned basic yoga poses, de-stressing strategies, and breathing exercises.

"Before the pandemic, we polled our families on what family events, programs, and activities they would be interested in experiencing," said Kerry Bauerle, Penn Valley reading specialist.

"We found they were looking for strategies to reduce stress, unwind, and unplug from the constant connection to electronic devices. And then came 2020! We've been waiting to offer this opportunity to our families."

Families also received parting gifts, including mindful coloring books, the book A Little Peaceful Spot, and a matching plush Peaceful Spot.

The program was run by Dr. Michelle El Khoury, the owner of Yogamazia a former pharmaceutical industry professional who switched careers. "Empowering kids to learn and love yoga to strengthen their body, mind, and spirit, Yogamazia aims to create an embracing sense of community, diversity, respect, and resilience." Dr. El Khoury will be returning to Penn Valley for other sessions.

Pennsbury Speech and Debate crowned three state champions at the 2022 Pennsylvania High School Speech League State Tournament held March 19-20, 2022.

In two days of intense online competition, Pennsbury competed against 424 entries from 76 high schools in 18 different competitive speech and debate events.

PHS Team results include:

State Champions

Ellie Han - Lincoln Douglas Debate (undefeated - perfect 16/16 ballots)

Daniel Kim - Humorous Interpretation

Amanda Qu - Informative Speaking

Semifinalists

Michael Davis and Meghan Crohn - Policy Debate

Rachel Herway - Poetry Reading

Anwita Janga and Ashwika Janga - News Broadcasting

Manan Kothari - Extemporaneous Debate

Samarth Mannikeri - 6th Place, Extemporaneous Speaking

Aneesa Shaik - Prose Reading

Quarterfinalist

Riya Lakhani and Varun Patel - Public Forum Debate

Octofinalist

Gabrielle Bamberski - Lincoln Douglas Debate

Team Awards

Overall Sweepstakes - 3rd Place

Overall Debate Sweepstakes - 3rd Place

Overall Speech Sweepstakes - 3rd Place

Pennsbury’s contingent included 12 first-year students, seven sophomores, 11 juniors, and three seniors. Congratulations to all of our competitors and Coach Chris Berdnik!

Pennsbury High School will be hosting their 2022 College Fair on Wednesday, March 30th from 7:00-8:30pm at the PHS East gymnasium. Don't miss out on this great opportunity to speak with representatives from a long list of colleges and universities! This is a chance to learn more about the schools you're interested in (and maybe some you hadn't even considered before), find out what they're looking for in their applicants, and make a great first impression.

The opening reception for the PHS Art Majors Show, hosted by Artists of Yardley (AOY) Art Center, will be held tonight, March 25 from 6:00 - 8:00 pm. This showcase of up and coming talent from Pennsbury High School will be juried by members of AOY, and prizes will be awarded. Come out and support the arts in Pennsbury!

Safe2Say Something is a youth violence prevention program run by the PA Office of Attorney General. The program teaches youth and adults how to recognize warning signs and signals, especially within social media, from individuals who may be a threat to themselves or others and to "say something" BEFORE it is too late. With Safe2Say Something, it's easy and confidential to report safety concerns to help prevent violence and tragedies.

Click here to submit an anonymous tip.

All Pennsbury High School students (grades 9-12) are invited to apply for the Lendo Fellowship Program, which awards funds for academic or co-curricular activities endorsed by the Pennsbury School District.

Learn more about Dr. Lendo, the fellowship program, and how to apply. Applications are due April 1, 2022.

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.

The goals of SEPAC are:

• To improve special education communication among all stakeholders by having information accessible while building a network of support.
• To share resources with parents/caregivers regarding special education.
• To host speakers on topics that are relevant to children/families with special needs.
• To collaborate and support a community that promotes understanding and respect for all individuals.

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

The Nutrition Group values any and all feedback from our students and families regarding their food service program. Send them your comments and/or concerns by scanning the QR code below or by sending an email to tngcafefeedback@gmail.com.

The Pennsbury Education Foundation (PEF) is dedicated to ensuring the success of all students in the district and recognizes that their needs are diverse. The PEF believes every child deserves the opportunity to learn, be appropriately challenged, and succeed.

A 501(c)(3) organization, the PEF relies on donations from individuals and businesses to support the purpose of improving teaching and learning in Pennsbury through innovative educational initiatives. Grants are awarded to teachers and administrators through an application process that occurs twice each year.

Please consider supporting the PEF with a tax-deductible donation. For more information, please click here.

We are excited to announce the rollout of the Pennsbury High School Hall of Fame! The PHS Hall of Fame is designed to recognize and honor graduates who have distinguished themselves as contributing members of society. Please click here to nominate an outstanding graduate today!

The purpose of Pennsbury School District's Senior Tax Rebate is to provide property tax relief to eligible senior citizens residing in the district. Please click here to learn more.

Did you miss an email from Dr. Smith? All emails Dr. Smith sends to the Pennsbury community can be found on the superintendent's website.

Registration is now open for the 2022-23 school year! Please click here to begin the registration process.

Sign up today for the 3rd Annual Yes You Can 5K, Sunday, April 24 at the Pennsbury Middle School Complex! This chip-timed 5K race, organized by Makefield Elementary School, is open to the entire Pennsbury community and benefits all PTO's in the Pennsbury School District. Lace-up your shoes and prepare for a fun-filled day of community, confidence, and wellness!

Click here to register!

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 by clicking here and searching 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