Pennsbury On Point
January 27, 2023
January 27, 2023
Welcome to Pennsbury on Point!
If you have any photos or story ideas you would like to see featured, please email the Public Relations Department at publicrelations@pennsburysd.org.
January is School Board Recognition Month
As January comes to a close, we want to thank the members of the Pennsbury School Board for their commitment to our students and staff. These dedicated individuals contribute many volunteer hours, fulfilling their school board-related responsibilities and duties to support the mission of the Pennsbury School District.
The Pennsbury School Board of Directors:
- TR Kannan, President
- Gary Sanderson, Vice President
- Linda Palsky, Assistant Secretary
- Dr. Jeannine Delwiche
- Lois Lambing
- James Prokopiak
- Dr. Joanna Steere
- Chip Taylor
- Joshua Waldorf
Did you know...
• 4,500 school directors serve Pennsylvania’s 500 public school districts; all boards have nine members.
• School director elections are held every two years, on a 5-4 rotation to ensure continuity.
• All school directors are elected to four-year terms.
• School directors are elected locally; however, the state constitution delegates to them the responsibility to administer the school system as agents of the General Assembly.
• All serve as volunteers, without pay.
• The “typical” Pennsylvania school director is male, well-educated, 45-54 years of age, married with two children attending public schools, and voluntarily devotes six to 10 hours per month to school board business.
• More than 3/4 of school directors are postsecondary graduates.
• 4% of school directors work in the legal field, 14% work in education, and 2% work in trades.
• The percentage of female school directors was 43% in 2022.
• School directors are key decision-makers on issues such as school safety and security, budgeting, policy, hiring, and textbooks.
• 17% of Pennsylvania school directors have more than 10 years of experience as of 2022.
• 60% of all districts involve students at their local board meetings.
• 41% of school directors attended the schools in the district where they serve. 94% of school directors have children who attend school in their district.
• 85% of school directors with five or more years of service said their main reason for serving is a desire to contribute to public education or improve educational outcomes for students.
• PA school directors identify school funding issues, charter schools, and teacher/substitute shortages as the top concerns for public schools.
First Ever PHS Esports Season a Success
Pennsbury High School has entered the world of competitive E-sports! Short for electronic sports, E-Sports is a form of video game competition. Three teams recently represented Pennsbury in the Electronic Gaming Federation (EGF) Overwatch contest. Team Nano, led by Ariel Gibbs with members Dylan Arruda, Aiden Cahill, Philip Cahill, and Connor Mabin, was eliminated after two rounds. Congratulations on making the playoffs!
PHS's two remaining teams made it as far as the final National Qualifier match but fell short. These teams will regroup and try again this upcoming spring. Team Falcon, who plays the game of Valorant, is led by Ke'yon Morris, with members Emir Ghauri, Sebastian Godun, Aiden Mast, Maddox Milan, and Mughal Eza. Well done, Team Falcon!
Team Pooh Sheisty, which plays Rocket League, finished the season with only two losses. This team is led by Kyle Zisa, with members Ryan Miller and William Taylor.
For the individual competition, contestants competed, playing Super Smash Bros. PHS had three playoff contestants. Nicholas Grief made it to the playoffs, but saw an early exit. Captain Jacob Moody reached the quarter finals match, but fell to a national qualifier. Best of luck to these two contestants as they try again in the spring season!
Lastly, Darius Keating battled his way out of the losing bracket and made it to the EGF's National Competition, which will be held in Walt Disney, Florida, and sponsored by ESPN! Congratulations, and best of luck, Darius.
Congrats to all the Pennsbury teams, and we look forward to the much-anticipated spring season.
Pictured above Darius Keating (left) and Coach Mr. Sanchez (right)
Congratulations to the 28 middle school and 20 Pennsbury High School students who were accepted into the 2023 BCMEA Band and Orchestra! The Bucks County Music Festival will be held March 16-18 at Neshaminy High School.
Charles Boehm MS
Caitlyn Kelly, Flute
Annabelle Wooton, Flute
Ethan Huang, Clarinet
Kevin Pristatskiy, Trumpet
Eric Huang, Trombone
Julin Sarene, Violin
Elena Steiner, Violin
Renee You, Viola
Jillian Smith, Cello
Violet Mareash, Bass
Pennwood
Sanvi Abnave, Flute
Alexander Li, Oboe
Edmund Darrington, Bassoon
Wyatt Couchoud, Tenor Sax
Sharuya Patel, Trombone
Saxon Sherlock, Euphonium
Lily Van Varick, Cello
William Penn MS
Anna Chang, Flute
Jasmin Manalili, Flute
Riha Thakuria, Flute
Vincent Saiz, Bass Clarinet
Padraig Conlon, Trombone
Damien Jeral, Percussion
Luca Pellegrini, Percussion
Maisarah Dombroski, Violin
Debarghya Dhar, Violin
Erick Muller, Violin
Elora Duffin, Cello
Pennsbury High School
Elyse Perez, Flute
Olivia Wund, Flute
Simon Couchoud, Oboe
Max Donaghy, Clarinet
Reggie Acierto, Clarinet
Anuja Nanavaty, Clarinet
Samarth Mannikeri, Alto Sax
Zack Malinoff, Tenor Sax
Noah Howington, Trumpet
Bradley Hill, Trumpet
Quinn Milliken, French Horn
Hope Massey, French Horn
Dominik Vyvlecka, Trombone
Quinn Catalano, Trombone
John Darrington, Trombone
Cooper Pauliks, Trombone
Charles Darrington, Euphonium
Will McKeever, Tuba
Gabe Fuentes, Percussion
Sophie Oleynick, Percussion
Adam Dombrowski, Violin
Naima Doraisswamy, Violin
Emily Sryfi, Violin
Emily Huang, Bass
PHS Cheer Dominates at Nationals
Congratulations to our Pennsbury High School Cheerleaders on four beautiful performances this past weekend in Dallas, Texas. The PHS Cheerleaders competed in the NCA High School Nationals on Thursday, January 21-22. The Varsity Game Day finished 9th in the nation in the Game Day Large Coed Division. The Varsity Traditional team placed 3rd in the Large Advanced Coed Crowd Performance Division. The program is proud to continue increasing community spirit by entering this new Game Day division. Go Falcons!
Penn Valley Paraprofessional Shares Her Story
Students in Mrs. DiPentino's 2nd-grade class at Penn Valley Elementary School got a lesson in Filipino culture recently from class paraprofessional Mrs. Lenox. As part of the class's lesson on time and money, the Filipino-born and raised Mrs. Lenox, shared that she received 13 gold coins when she got married. She explained that Filipinos follow many Chinese traditions, and the number 13 is considered lucky in both cultures. Mrs. Lenox brought her gold coins into school so the students could see them up close. Thank you, Mrs. Lenox, for sharing your story and enriching your students' education!
William Penn's "Better Together" Club Honors Black History Month
In preparation for February's Black History Month, the William Penn Middle School Diversity Club "Better Together" and faculty advisor, Ms. Samples, created an educational display for the entire school to see and learn from. Their mission? To help students and staff remember this important celebration in honor of the triumphs and struggles of African Americans throughout U.S. history.
African Americans from both the past and the present are highlighted on the display, along with motivational, inspirational, and educational quotes.
Could Your Gingerbread House Survive a Hurricane?
Recently at Quarry Hill Elementary, Ms. Rowlands' third grade gifted support class completed numerous problem-solving activities in order to build a gingerbread house. Students had to design their houses to withstand either a hurricane or an earthquake. Then, they created a budget to purchase their materials. Finally, students were asked to write a historical fiction story that included details about their house.
Ms. Rowlands' class then presented their projects to Mrs. Mahoney's first grade class. The students shared a pictures of their gingerbread houses and told their fictional story. Great job, everyone!
PHS Students Become First in PA to be Web Animation Certified
Pennsbury High School teacher Cathy Costello and her "Advanced Programming and App Design" class were recently featured on CTeLearn's blog. Cathy's class has the first students in Pennsylvania to earn a professional certification in Web Animation from Web Professionals Global, the premier web credentialing organization recognized in industry.
Throughout the course, students created animated characters, commercials, public service announcements, and other authentic tasks typical of entry level animation professional assignments. This is a unique and valuable course offering at PHS, and Pennsbury looks forward to continuing this partnership with CTeLearning in the future.
Fallsington is full of Benergy!
Pennsbury's favorite autism ambassador, Ben Hartranft, is back for another round of school visits! The popular public speaker with an infectious personality stopped by Fallsington Elementary School this week to share his inspirational message of kindness and inclusion.
Ben was diagnosed with autism at the age of two. He only knew about 20 words, while most children his age knew around 200 words on average. Ben exceeded expectations and dreamed of becoming an ambassador for autism awareness and acceptance.
"I am now living that dream by speaking at schools, businesses, and organizations. Sharing my story; how inclusion and kindness shaped my life with autism," says Ben.
In addition to being a public motivator and speaker through his company, Benergy1, Ben is also a Philadelphia Eagles Autism Ambassador and raises money for the Eagles Autism Challenge.
Ben encourages everyone to "Go out and Be The One1!" He says it only takes one kind person to change the world. Ben will be visiting more schools throughout the remainder of the year.
Learn more about Ben at www.benergy1.com.
PHS Presents: The Phantom of the Opera!
Pennsbury High School Presents: The Phantom of the Opera
Click here to purchase tickets.
Showtimes:
February 17 8:00pm (Friday)
February 18 8:00pm (Saturday)
February 19 2:00pm (Sunday)
Pricing:
$20 Orchestra (Reserved Seating)
$15 Lower Balcony (Reserved Seating)
**$10 Upper Balcony (Unreserved Seating/General Admission)
Discounts:
**Seniors presenting a Pennsbury Gold Card and Veterans with proper identification will
receive one free unreserved upper balcony ticket, or $10 off of any other ticket level.
Online Ticket Sales:
Tickets on sale now! Click here to purchase.
In-Person Ticket Sales:
CASH ONLY -- Auditorium Lobby at Pennsbury High School East:
At the door one hour before each performance for that evening’s performance only
Questions:
Contact Mrs. Fallacaro at dfallacaro@pennsburysd.org
All Sales are Final – No Refunds or Exchanges
**Gold Card, Veteran discounts, and Upper Balcony tickets can only be purchased during in-person ticket sales or at the box office on the day of the performance**
Last Chance - Vote for Mrs. Metzger!
We need your help, Pennsbury! Mrs. Metzger, a 7th-grade science teacher at Charles Boehm Middle School, has been nominated for the NHL Most Valuable Teacher for January! If Mrs. Metzger wins, Charles Boehm will receive $10,000 towards Environmental Sustainability Resources.
You can vote one time each day until January 31! Click here to vote for Mrs. Metzger!
On January 31, 2023, the Pennsbury School District Board of Directors will hold a special meeting to review the findings of Public Financial Management's (PFM) Pennsbury-Morrisville Merger Feasibility Study. The report will include a detailed financial and academic analysis that the Pennsbury and Morrisville Borough School Districts can use to determine whether and how to move forward with a potential merger or tuition agreement. Neither school board will be voting on the report or any recommendations at this meeting, and no vote is scheduled regarding a merger or tuition agreement. There will be an opportunity for public comment. Click the link below to read the Pennsbury-Morrisville Merger Feasibility Study
The Pennsbury Parent Academy will be hosting a live viewing and discussion of the film Angst: Raising Awareness Around Anxiety on Monday, February 27 from 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. in the Pennsbury High School East Auditorium. This event will also be livestreamed.
What is the difference between “being anxious” and having an anxiety disorder? What can we do about the 634% rise in use of Mental Health America’s online tool for anxiety since the start of Covid? Why is there still so much fear and stigma in just talking to others instead of hiding online? What can each of us do to make it better and best engage in a full and happy life? Angst is on a mission: to start a global conversation and raise awareness around anxiety.
This documentary delves into all aspects of our society’s most common mental health challenge with:
Candid interviews with kids and teens who discuss their anxiety, its impacts on their lives and relationships, as well as how they’ve found solutions and hope
Expert perspectives, (from institutions such as Stanford University, Child Mind Institute), who talk about the causes of anxiety and its sociological effects and resources to help
Tips, tricks, and strategies to help reset thinking patterns, push back against anxiety, and support others
Awareness that anyone can be touched by – and overcome - anxiety, via a unique and revealing interview with mental health advocate Michael Phelps, the most decorated athlete in Olympic history
Learn more and watch the trailer at AngstMovie.com
Pennsbury Community School
Spring Registration is now OPEN for Pennsbury Community School!
New courses this Spring include Zumba, Vinyasa Yoga, Goals-based Investing, and Ceramics!
Courses are offered to anyone 18+ years of age and are not limited to just employees or Pennsbury residents. Invite your friends and family to enroll with you!
Check out the catalogue of courses below and click here to register.
What is SAP?
The Student Assistance Program (SAP) is a team of school staff and an SAP Counselor who work together to address concerns that may be interfering with a student's ability to be successful in school. Check out the monthly newsletter below.
ACP - Bringing Affordable Internet to Families
The Affordable Connectivity Program is a Federal Communications Commission program that helps connect families and households struggling to afford internet service. This new benefit provides a discount of up to $30 per month toward broadband service for eligible households. Eligible households can also receive a one-time discount of up to $100 to purchase a laptop, desktop computer, or tablet from participating providers.
Eligible households can enroll through a participating broadband provider or directly with the Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC) using an online or mail-in application.
You can learn more about the benefit, including eligibility and enrollment information, by visiting www.fcc.gov/ACP, or by calling 877-384-2575.
Join SEPAC Today!
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. Their next meeting is Thursday, February 16 at 1:00 p.m. If you are interested in attending, please fill out this interest form.
Confidential Residency Reporting Tip Line
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:
(215) 428-4100 ext. 84777 (TIPSS)
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)
2022-23 Chromebook Fees
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.
Pennsbury School District's E-Flyers Page
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.
Part-Time Jobs for Students
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.
Ask Penny
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).
Safe2Say Something
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.
The Nutrition Group is now hiring! Positions include Food Service Workers, Cooks, and Kitchen Managers with rates from $15-$17 per hour. 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"!
2022-23 School Calendar
Follow Us On Social Media!
About Pennsbury
215-428-4111
Email: publicrelations@pennsburysd.org
Website: www.pennsburysd.org
Location: 134 Yardley Avenue, Fallsington, PA 19058
Phone: (215)-428-4100