Haverford Happenings

Registration for Kindergarten and grades 1 - 12 for the 2023-2024 school year opened on January 9th.

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 (proof of residency is required)
• Five (5) years of age before September 1st of the school term for kindergarten
• Six (6) years of age before September 1st of the school term for 1st grade
  
  

If you are registering a kindergarten or 1st grader, within 14 calendar days of completion of the online portion of the registration process you will receive an email from a School District of Haverford Township representative with information about the next steps to complete your child’s registration. Families who are registering students for grades 2 - 12 for the upcoming school year will be contacted in early April.

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

Have you wondered what sites your student is accessing on their district Chromebook? You can check their history on the Chromebook with these steps:

1. On their Chromebook, open Chrome
2. At the top right, click More (three vertical dots)
3. Click History > History

This will show you all of the websites your student has accessed on different dates and times.

District Chromebooks settings do not allow students to delete their history or use private browsing windows, so this history should include every site your student has accessed from their Chromebook.

The Technology Department maintains resources to help with using your district Chromebook on the Technology Department 1:1 Chrome Device Page.

If your student is not using a district Chromebook, you can also view their history in other popular browsers. Directions for each browser are linked below:

• Firefox
• Edge
• Safari

Our Technology Department provides district software designed to provide students with access to age appropriate materials, however, due to the way content filters work, infrequently undesirable content can slip through. If you do notice something questionable being accessed on your student's district device, please contact ITHelpDesk@haverfordsd.net and we will determine how it was accessed and work to block it in the future.

Your internet provider may provide parental controls that will help you to provide additional filtering on your home network. Options available for filtering your home internet include:

• Comcast/Xfinity: Set Up Parental Controls for the Internet
• Verizon/FiOS: Parental Controls

• ATT: Set content controls with Smart Home Manager

• Astound Wifi security

Even with the latest protections in place, no system can guarantee prevention of access to all inappropriate content. In cooperation with our teachers, parents/guardians, and Technology Department, we can work to minimize this.

Each year our middle school seminar class is tasked to take a close look at their community and propose enhancements. The students prepare a written proposal letter, a blueprint, and create a physical or digital model. They then engage in a final project presentation made before community members, administration, and township officials who are very supportive of our program and have a history of being engaged in this learning process. Learn more about the H-Town Project with Dr. Reusche in 60 seconds (+ a little more) with the Superintendent here.

The School District of Haverford Township prides itself on offering rigorous, innovative, and high-quality courses at all levels. Please read the 2022-23 New Course Offerings Information Sheet to learn more about recent additions to our high school program.

Haverford High School is continually updating its course offerings, with some new, exciting electives now part of the catalog from which students can choose. These classes were approved last year and offered as electives for the first time in the 2022-23 school year. • Introduction to Data Science • Introduction to Sports Management • Interior Design • AP Computer Science Principles • Advanced Personal Fitness • Fitness and Sport • Italian Culture via Cinema • Spanish Culture • Ukulele Lab • Co-Op Education (on-the-job work experience).

Haverford High School Athletics hosted its first Female Student-Athlete Forum in December. The event was designed to educate and engage our students on topics specific to the female student-athlete experience including mental health, nutrition, and fitness. A female college athlete panel was available to answer questions from our students encompassing their experience transitioning from high school to college athletics.

The High School Business Department, the NBHS (National Business Honor Society), and FBLA (Future Business Leaders of America) hosted the first student job fair to connect the talent at Haverford with the job demand of local businesses. Juniors and seniors had the opportunity to speak with companies of interest about job openings and inquire about everything from the skills these employers valued to their organization’s culture.

This year, the National Honor Society Gift Drive was able to support 38 families in our community for a total of 95 students! In addition to the gifts, all families received a school supply kit, a hygiene kit, and the option for a breakfast bag. This was possible with the community support of the Thanksgiving Pie sale, clothes, toys, and gift card donations. A special thank you to the Student Senate, Hi-Q, Haverford Education Foundation, staff, and students who donated their change to the gift drive. These students have helped to make a difference in the lives of our community members.

Amelia Spitz was inspired to start the Fords Forward club at HHS to provide her classmates and those in the community with a space to give back. "I believe we often get comfortable in our own routines and take for granted what we have, no matter how large or small that is. With the club, my goal was to give back the generosity I have been shown and be able to extend that to someone else", said Amelia. Currently, there are about 20 members in Fords Forward. This year they supported 12 families in the Gaudenzia home in North Philly. The Gaudenzia home provides for mothers recovering from addiction and their children, allowing the family to stay together. Each child and mother received all of their wishlist items, necessities, and food. If you are interested in partnering with the club please email them at fordsforward@gmail.com.

Give Me 5! Five Fact about the Celebration:

1. King's Birth Name Was Michael, Not Martin. After his father's trip to Germany, and learning about Martin Luther, his father changed his own and his son’s name.
2. King Entered College At the Age of 15. He was such a gifted student that he skipped grades 9th and 12th before enrolling in 1944 at Morehouse College.
3. He received his Doctorate in Systematic Theology after earning a divinity degree from Pennsylvania’s Crozer Theological Seminary, located in Chester, PA.
4. When King was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964, at the time he was the youngest Peace Prize winner ever, at the age of 35.
5. King was virtually unknown when he was named as a spokesman for the Montgomery Bus Boycott in 1955. There were concerns that some rivalries within the movement could present problems, and King was selected as a bipartisan leader.

Give Me 5! Five Fact about the Celebration:

1. It is a festival for one-quarter of the world's population and is celebrated in many parts of Asia.

2. Every Lunar New Year starts a new animal's zodiac year. It is the year of the Rabbit.

3. The festival is celebrated for 16 days until the Lantern Festival. On the evening of the 15th day of the first lunar month, on the night of the full moon, families gather for dinner and go out and see fireworks and light lanterns.
   

4. Children receive lucky money in red envelopes.

5. Celebrants eat dumplings for every meal, every day.

In honor of school boards’ commitment to our students, schools, and communities, January is designated School Director Recognition Month .

Pennsylvania public schools educate nearly 2 million students, including the 6,511 students in Haverford. School directors, who are unpaid, devote hours each month to the challenging and complex responsibilities of board business, including voting on budgets, adopting policy, and participating in comprehensive planning.

The School Board adopted the PSBA Principles for Governance and Leadership – a framework of action steps designed to increase boards’ effectiveness. Research shows that school board actions have a direct effect on student achievement. Therefore, boards must engage in actions that increase their effectiveness, for the betterment of the students they serve. Go to https://www.psba.org/about/governance/principles/ to read the Principles and to see a list of Pennsylvania public school boards that have adopted them.

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 are held at Oakmont Administration Building.

Upcoming Meetings:

• January 12: Finance & Facilities Committee Meeting

• January 19: Regular School Board Meeting

• January 26: Curriculum and Pupil Services Committee Meeting
• February 2: Regular School Board Meeting

All prior meetings, presentations and videos can be found on BoardDocs.

January 13: Teacher In-Service (early dismissal for all students)

January 16: Holiday (Schools & Offices Closed)
January 18: High School Bands/Jazz Winter Concert at 7:00 PM
January 26: 7th and 8th Grade Winter Choral Concert at 7:00 PM

*December Concerts can be viewed here.

2022-23 School Year Calendar

• At-a-Glance
• A detailed schedule of activities and holidays
  
  

2023-24 School Year Calendar

• At-a-Glance

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

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/haverfordsd/
Twitter: @haverfordsd