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.

Pennsbury continues its newest tradition of recognizing each school's Support Staff Professional and Educator of the Year! We received many nominations this year, proving that Pennsbury is filled with outstanding staff members! Thank you to everyone who completed a nomination form, and

congratulations to this year's winners! The group will be formally recognized at the April 20 school board meeting. Watch the video below, and click here for more pictures.

The curtain rises tonight on Frozen Jr. at Charles Boehm Middle School!

"A story of true love and acceptance between sisters, Frozen JR. expands upon the emotional relationship and journey between Princesses Anna and Elsa. When faced with danger, the two discover their hidden potential and the powerful bond of sisterhood. With a cast of beloved characters and loaded with magic, adventure, and plenty of humor, Frozen JR. is sure to thaw even the coldest heart!"

• Friday, March 24 @ 7:30 p.m.
• Saturday, March 25 @ 2:00 p.m. & 7:30 p.m.
  
  

Click here to order tickets.

Congratulations to the cast and crew of Makefield Elementary School's production of the Little Mermaid! The first of three sold-out shows open tonight! The 36 actors and nine stage crew members

have been working endlessly with Mr. Kane and Mrs. Turry for the last six months in anticipation of opening night. Makefield’s hallways and gym have been transformed, the mics and lights are set, and the costumes have all been designed. These very talented mermaids, princesses, sea creatures, and gulls are ready to take you deep under the sea! Break a leg!

March is Music In Our Schools Month, and Pennsbury musicians have been busy! Congratulations to Pennsbury High School's Quinn Milliken and Emily Huang, who performed in the PMEA Region 6 Orchestra Festival on March 11 at Bayard Rustin High School in West Chester.

On March 18, 53 students from Pennsbury High School, Charles Boehm, Pennwood, and William Penn Middle Schools proudly represented the district at the BCMEA Music Festival at Maple Point Middle School and Neshaminy High School.

Charles Boehm

Eric Huang, Trombone

Ethan Huang, Clarinet

Caitlyn Kelly, Flute

Violet Mareash, Bass

Kevin Pristatskiy, Trumpet

Julin Sarene, Violin

Killian Smith, Cello

Elena Steiner, Violin

Annabelle Wooton, Flute

Renee You, Viola

Pennwood

Sanvi Abnave, Flute

Wyatt Couchoud, Tenor Sax

Edmund Darrington, Bassoon

Alexander Li, Oboe

Sharuya Patel, Trombone

Saxon Sherlock, Euphonium

Lily Van, Cello

William Penn

Anna Change, Flute

Padraig Conlon, Trombone

Debarghya Dhar, Violin

Maisarah Dombrowski, Violin

Elora Duffin, Cello

Damien Jeral, Percussion

Jasmin Manalili, Flute

Erick Muller, Violin

Luca Pellegrini, Percussion

Vincent Saiz, Bass Clarinet

Riha Thakuria, Flute

Pennsbury High School

Reggia Acierto, Clarinet

Casey Alexander, Percussion

Quinn Catalano, Trombone

Simon Couchoud, Oboe

Charles Darrington, Euphonium

John Darrington, Trombone

Adam Dombrowski, Violin

Max Donaghy, Clarinet

Naima Doraisswamy, Violin

Gabe Fuentes, Percussion

Abigail Greenberg, Percussion

Bradley Hill, Trumpet

Noah Howington, Trumpet

Emily Huang, Bass

Zack Malinoff, Tenor Sax

Hope Massey, French Horn

Will McKeever, Tuba

Quinn Milliken, French Horn

Anuja Nanavaty, Clarinet

Sophie Oleynick, Percussion

Cooper Pauliks, Trombone

Elyse Perez, Flute

Emily Sryfi, Violin

Dominik Vyvleck, Trombone

Olivia Wund, Flute

On March 21, PHS hosted nine area high schools at the Pennsbury Jazz Festival. The Pennsbury Jazz Ensemble and Pennsbury Concert Jazz Band were on exhibition.

Bravo to all of our outstanding musicians!

Following a rigorous audition process, seven Quarry Hill Elementary students and five Pennwood Middle School students were accepted into the OAKE (Organization of American Kodaly Educators) National Children's Choir and the National Youth Choir! The twelve students traveled with Mrs. Stephens, the vocal music teacher at Quarry Hill Elementary, to attend the national conference in Jacksonville, Florida, from March 15 - 19. The students worked with acclaimed director Marianna Parnas - Simpson in vigorous rehearsals each day and performed for teachers, families, and friends at the Florida Theater in an incredible evening performance on Saturday, March 18 with young musicians in each choir from all across the United States!

Congratulations to the following students on an outstanding job!

Moriah Ahia

Sheliya Ahia

Sophia Chionchio

Sierra Cohen

Sidney Lowry

Mia Madon

Sienna Pabers
Olivia Prentice

Samantha Prentice

Elsa Ruland

Rylee Titlow

Annabelle Whitlock

"The Organization of American Kodály Educators has a mission to support music education of the highest quality, promote universal music literacy and lifelong music making, and preserve the musical heritage of the people of the United States of America through education, artistic performance, advocacy and research." - www.oake.org

At Eleanor Roosevelt Elementary, the Ladybugs from Mrs. Behrle's kindergarten class learned about the religious holiday Ramadan and how it is celebrated. The students created lanterns to honor the holiday and to help support the students in the school who are fasting during this special time.

Ramadan is the Arabic name for the ninth month in the Islamic calendar. It is considered one of the holiest months for Muslims and is marked by a period of fasting from dawn until sunset.

Fourth and 5th-grade students from Afton, Makefield, Oxford Valley, and Quarry Hill participated in the 2023 STEM Design Challenge at the BCIU's Fab Lab in Warminster on March 24. Students were tasked with identifying an environmental issue and developing a solution. Teams used K'Nex to build a prototype that supported their solution. The teams were judged on their creativity, teamwork, design, presentation, and overall challenge success.

Congratulations to the team from Quarry Hill, who won the award for Most Environmentally Friendly!

Amanda Qu won First place in Informative Speaking at the 2023 Pennsylvania High School Speech League (PHSSL) State Tournament for the second consecutive year. The tournament was held at Bloomsburg University on March 11 & 12.

Other winners included:

Daniel Kim, 2nd Place - Humorous Interpretation

Michael Davis and Meghan Crohe, 3rd Place - Policy Debate

Swathi Bodduluri, 5th Place - Congress, Senate

Michael Lynott, 5th Place - Commentary Speaking

In addition, other finishers included: Alexa Johnson and Andrew Prasanth, Merit Speakers - Congress, House; Catherine Potgieter, non-advancing Semi-finalist - Humorous Interpretation; Kierstin Lee, non-advancing Semi-finalist - Dramatic Interpretation; and, Jyotirmai Kadiyala and Aswika Janga, non-advancing Semi-finalist - News Broadcasting.

In overall tournament rankings, Pennsbury Speech and Debate placed 3rd Overall, 3rd Place in Debate, and 5th Place in Speech. Over 78 schools with over 459 entries competed in this year’s tournament.

Recently, Manor Elementary held their Celebration of the Arts night. This year's theme was Pet Portraits. Mrs. Brody’s Pre-K through 5th-grade student artists all created their own unique pet portrait to be put on display for the show.

Mrs. Brody chose Pet Portraits as the theme because of its connection to their school-wide “Manor Strong” Positive Support Plan, in which the school collects donations to give back to the community. The specific charities chosen were Tiny Paws and Don’t Bully Us animal rescues. Many families attended this fun night filled with amazing artwork!

On March 21, Pennsbury joined others around the world in celebrating World Down Syndrome Day. Students and staff wore crazy and mismatched socks to commemorate the day and raise awareness to advocate for individual rights, inclusion, and respect for people with Down Syndrome in our schools, community, and around the world.

The date for World Down Syndrome Day, being the 21st day of the 3rd month, was selected to signify the uniqueness of the triplication (trisomy) of the 21st chromosome which leads to Down Syndrome.

Walt Disney Elementary School students explored the art of Bucket Drumming with Leon Jordan from Musicopia. Students learned about the historical and cultural contexts of different genres of music, percussion instruments, rhythms, and drumming techniques through this highly interactive school assembly. Thanks to the Pennsbury Arts Foundation for making this assembly possible.

"Musicopia’s mission is to provide equitable access to music education and enrichment, encouraging self-confidence, global awareness, dedication and joy in Pre-K to 12th grade students and their communities." - www.musicopia.com

Recently at Quarry Hill Elementary, building substitute teacher Michael Burnett received a creative surprise from one of his 4th-grade students. Mr. Burnett is known around the school as the resident sneakerhead. One day, a particularly artistic 4th-grade student named Quentin Rowe approached Mr. Burnett and asked if he could design a custom pair for him. Quentin made his design come to life by using paint markers on an all-white pair of sneakers, and the results were phenomenal!

Makefield Elementary School raised over $300 for the Multiple Sclerosis Foundation with this year's Lucky Charms Breakfast, a beloved school tradition. Mrs. Klinkner, a former Makefield teacher, started the tradition over 20 years ago. She and her husband returned again this year to help with the breakfast. Nearly 400 students enjoyed a magicially-delicious breakfast on St. Patricks Day and helped support a worthy cause!

The students and teachers at William Penn Middle School had a great time celebrating Pi Day on Tuesday, March 14th during their lunch period. WP's amazing Math Specialist, Ms. Marisa McGettigan, organized a "pi-eating" contest to celebrate the mathematical sensation of Pi. All of the student participants had a chance to compete with their teachers and administrators for prizes and bragging rights.

Students at Charles Boehm Middle School celebrated Pi Day in a fun way. Some students who earned enough PRIDE points got the chance to playfully "pie" staff members! PRIDE points are part of Boehm's school-wide Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (SWPBIS), which emphasizes creating positive, predictable, equitable, and safe learning environments for all students.

Set up shop and refresh your child's wardrobe at no cost by swapping gently worn clothing! This event is FREE to all Pennsbury families! Click here to reserve your table! Questions? Email Patty Kropp at pkropp@pennsburysd.org.

Come out on Sunday, April 30, for a healthy, fun, family day in support of Pennsbury School District PTOs! Click the link below to sign up. All proceeds benefit Pennsbury PTOs and the non-profit, Pennsbury Kids.

The Pennsbury Parent Academy (PPA) is a series of educational programs and presentations offered to Pennsbury parents and guardians to support school success and continued home-school partnerships. The PPA program includes monthly, live in-person and/or virtual programming on a variety of topics to promote parent and guardian community engagement, such as:

• Mental Health & Wellness
• Supporting School Success
• Social Media & Internet Safety
• Diversity & Inclusion

Visit our website for recordings of recent presentations.

On Thursday, March 23, Pennsbury High School held a virtual presentation about NCAA Eligibility. A recording the presentation is available. Please click here to view the presentation on the PHS Athletics website.

Click here to register.

Click here for more information.

The Pennsbury Scholarship Foundation is now accepting applications for the 2023-24 school year! All PHS seniors planning to attend college/trade school can apply, and PHS graduates can apply each year they are in school! Click here for more information and to apply.

TMA Bucks Community Traffic Safety Program is hosting its 3rd annual Teen Safe Driving ROADeo. This FREE event is open to all high school students in Bucks, Chester, Delaware, and Montgomery Counties. The event is designed to keep teens safe on the roadway through education, interaction, and fun. Click the link and sign up today!

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.

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, April 20 at 1:00 p.m. If you are interested in attending, please fill out this interest form.

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.

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)

Click here to visit the Pennsbury School District's E-Flyers Page.

These flyers represent current or ongoing announcements of interest to Pennsbury students and their families that emanate from local community organizations, sports leagues, scouting groups, and other non-profits. Browse through our gallery!

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.

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).

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 $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"!

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