UDHS Community Update
February 8, 2024
Cardinal Pride
Good afternoon, UDHS Family,
The second marking period has now come to an end and report cards are available on Infinite Campus and Schoology. Please access Infinite Campus to view grades for the first semester and Schoology to see more detailed grade reports to help you get important updates on your child’s progress. We always appreciate your partnership in education.
This week we celebrated National School Counseling Week. Our School Counselors shared an announcement each day about their services and connecting with students. They were out in the hallways during Office Hours with a variety of activities including a College Fair and prize giveaways. The Counseling Department made up of Mrs. Carr, Mrs. Hibbert, Mr. Tadeo, Mrs. Hopkins, Mr. Brown, Mrs. Sachson, Mrs. Zamichieli and Mrs. Ward are happy to be on your team and be a part of your students' journey through their high school career.
Thank you to all who joined us last week for our Program of Studies event. On Friday, the Class of 2028 visited from Sandy Run and rotated through a curriclum fair, course selection guide, and student panel. Finn Anderson, Josh Kim, Julia Ravitz, and Avery Solomon served on the panel and provided great wisdom.
This high school is excited about our annual "March Attendance Madness" competition. This is an attendance competition among the Period 1 Red and Period 1 Gray classes. Each week (bracket style) two classes will go head-to-head to see which class has the highest percentage of attendance. In single elimination, Period 1 classes will progress on an actual bracket until an overall winner is determined at the end of six weeks. The tournament will run from February 12 - March 22. The two winning Period 1 classes will receive a catered breakfast the week after spring break. Thank you to our school-wide PBIS committee for sponsoring this event.
We wish our students and staff traveling on the Spain Exchange program a wonderful trip. Our Cardinals are blessed to go to fabulous places. ¡Buen Viaje!
They gym was packed this week as we held our second annual Unified Basketball game. It was an amazing event that showed what is great about Upper Dublin. In the same week, we saw our Unified Bocce team compete and tomorrow the team will participate in the Special Olympics Cool Schools Polar Plunge at Citizen Bank Park. Thanks to all involved, especially our event organizers Olivia Feldgus, Jenny Oh, Raegan Penna, and Evelyn Stefankiewicz.
Activities
We congratulate the following Thespians on their Superior ranking which qualifies them to compete at the International Thespian Festival this June. We had five additional students who were ranked Excellent in their competitive categories and represented Upper Dublin Theatre. They are Taylor Alleyne, Finn Anderson, Hayden Ryan, Thomas Sirianni, and Paige Teufel. This is an extremely competitive state-level competition and we are proud of all our students who submitted their work. The Superiors are Noa Stein, Lighting Design, Murder on the Orient Express; Maura Hayden, Musical Theatre Solo, "Gotta Get Out" from Ordinary Days; Che Young, Musical Theatre Solo, "In Summer", Frozen; Maisie Williams, Musical Theatre Solo, "Gimmie, Gimmie", Thoroughly Modern Millie; Ayla Diamond, Musical Theatre Solo, "Stars", Open Stay; and Sloan Penner, Musical Theatre Solo, "Raining", Rocky the Musical.
Our jazz band performed at North Penn last week and had some amazing performances. Please be sure to check them out here.
Everybody Cut Loose and join us for a night full of great music and amazing dance numbers as the UDHS theatre proudly presents FOOTLOOSE. Tickets are on sale now at udhstheatre.ticketleap.com/footloose. Performances will be held in the Performing Arts Center with reserved seating so it is highly recommended that you select and order your exact seats via the seating chart. Please email UDHStheatre@udsd.org with any questions. Cardbill program ads are on sale. You can give a special recognition to our amazingly talented cast and crew members via “ShoutOuts” and Personal Ads. You can also support the theatre dept by purchasing a Business Ad promoting your local business to our loyal patrons. Payments and electronic ad submissions are due by February 14. Please see our 2023-2024_Spring Ad Form for more details.
Athletics
We are excited to announce our upcoming Athletic Hall of Fame inductees. Please be sure to read the announcement from Mr. Heiland. His weekly report follows. Our student athletes have made us all proud.
Congrats to Rylee Netter who won the SOL Girls Individual Championship at the 142 lb. weight class on Wednesday at Bensalem. Ally Stentsrom finished in 2nd place in the 124 lb. weight class! Both will advance to districts next weekend. Rylee was also the latest Cardinal Student Athlete Spotlight. Check out the interview here.
Congratulations to our boys and girls basketball teams, who have both won the Liberty Division Championships this year. They are both the top seeds in the upcoming Suburban One League Basketball tournament this weekend. The schedule is below:
- Friday 2/9
- Boys vs. Neshaminy 5:30 PM
- Girls vs. Bensalem 7:00 PM
- Saturday 2/10 (if teams win)
- Boys vs. Abington / Cheltenham 1:00 PM
- Girls vs Lower Moreland / CB East 2:30 PM (2:00 if boys lose Friday)
Our divers led off the Suburban One Liberty Division Championships this past Tuesday. Jillian Fracht finished in 2nd place for the event. Anna Malloy earned a 7th-place finish. Eli Lowenthal-Cales finished 4th for the boys. The swimmers will have their turn to continue their long stretch of dominance this weekend. The boys will look to make it 26 straight league championships, while the girls will look to make it 35 in 36 years.
- Friday 2/9 - Boys Swimming 6 PM
- Saturday 2/10 - Girls Swimming 9 AM
Good luck to our bowlers who will be competing in the SOL American Conference championships next Wednesday at Thunderbird Lanes.
Our track and field programs are winding down their regular seasons this upcoming weekend. It is their last opportunity to qualify for the Meet of Champions or State(s). This weekend the girls are at Lehigh, while the boys are at Lehigh Friday and the 4x800 relay will participate in the Millrose Games on Sunday.
Our boys' wrestling program wrapped up its regular season on Wednesday at William Tennent with a 51-16 win. Dom Powell, Jake Evans, Jaxson Smith, Issac Caldwell, Odin Andrews, & Phil Roll all won by pin. Niko Pittakas, Joe Sirianni, Joe Vitale, & Noah Morganstin also earned points for UD.
The Unified Bocce team closed out their season against Springfield in front of a packed house on Tuesday. Team 1 which consists of Riley Stein, Emma Fricker, Brendan Murphy, Evelyn Stefankiewicz, Evelyn Gallagher, Rebecca Chilton, Tess Malizia, & Raegan Penna finished the day 1-1. They earned a big come-from-behind 3-2 win scoring on the last thrown ball of the match. Team 2 which consists of Abigail Citro, Dakota Mass, Noella Carlo, Erin Seabrook, Lauren Hoffman, Shane Lincow, Sean Rickard, & Stella Klotkowski lost both matches on the day. However, the team did make some progress not only throughout the day but throughout the season.
With Cardinal Pride,
Bob Schultz
Principal
Announcements
Dr. Smith's News from the Nest - Be sure to check out our new district Facebook page and transportation app.
Eastern Center for Arts and Technology -This is a great opportunity for parents of high school students in Eastern Montgomery County to see how EASTERN can give students a competitive edge in college or in a specialized career program. At the Open House parents and students will learn how EASTERN students can earn college credits while still in high school through dual enrollment and articulation agreements and enjoy learning in a hands-on setting. The Open House also offers an opportunity to hear from EASTERN instructors on the business environment that complements students’ high school academics. Many special activities in EASTERN’s career programs are scheduled, and there will be college, industry, and military representatives on hand.
Freshmen, Sophomores and Juniors - Beginning Monday, February 12th, School Counselors will be visiting all Social Studies classes to meet with students individually and review course selections indicated in IC. Students will be able to update and confirm their selections at that time. All students should have a minimum of 7.0 and a maximum of 8.0 credits listed. Parents are able to review those selections as well as in the parent portal of IC in the Academic Planner section. The last day to make changes to course selections is Monday, May 1, 2024.
AP Exam Registration - The final deadline to register for AP exams at Upper Dublin High School is March 8th. Please see this link for details on the AP Exam late registration process and the process for canceling an exam, if needed.
New Student Registration - Online registration is now open for the upcoming school year.
UDHS PTO - Please join us as we welcome our guest speaker Dr. Chang on February 13 at 7pm in the UDHS Library for a discussion about Culminating Projects, Community Study, Senior Disney Trip and ACT 158. Parents and Caregivers of Rising Seniors, and everyone else who might be curious, please join us for an evening of Q&A about all of this and more!
PTO Designer Bag Bingo - Support the UDHS PTO and enjoy a fabulous night of bingo, fashion, and fun at the UDHS PTO Designer Bag Bingo Fundraiser on Friday, February 23. Doors open at 6:30 pm, Bingo Starts at 7:00 pm, at The Mahoney Event Center, 15 Cavalier Drive, Ambler. Bingo Prizes include designers Michaels Kors, Kate Spade, Coach and more. Raffle Items donated by: Adventure Aquarium, ECCO, Expedition Escape, Helium Comedy Club, Kendra Scott, Longwood Gardens, The Philadelphia Eagles, The Philadelphia Flyers, Pittsburgh Steelers, Quintessence Theatre Group, Top Golf, and Very Special Games! Please register by using this form. Proceeds from this event will provide funds for Scholarships, Teacher Breakfasts and Luncheons, and other PTO activities. Contact UDHSPTO@gmail.com with questions.
Water Polo Clinic - Please click here.
UDHS Minithon - Happy Valentine's Day! UDHS MiniTHON's Send Some Love is BACK! Send some sweets to your loved ones for Valentine's Day. Please place all orders by February 12th at 8 pm. All treats will be delivered by February 14th! The proceeds go to the Four Diamonds Fund to help fight pediatric cancer. Place all orders here! For any questions please email @Danielle McNamara or @Jessica Sachson. Everything we do is for the kids!!
Junior Prom - All UDHS members of the class of 2025 are invited to attend the Upper Dublin High School Class of 2025 Junior Prom on Saturday, April 6th. Click this link for the invitation and detailed instructions for purchasing tickets. Don't miss out. The deadline for purchasing tickets is Wednesday, March 6th.
Social Media Safety Presentation on February 29 presented by UDEF - Learn how to keep your children safe on social media. Join us for a special presentation by the Organization for Social Media Safety on Thursday, February 29, at 6:30 PM in the UDHS Forum Room. Click here to learn more and register. This event, along with related student assemblies at SRMS and UDHS, has been made possible thanks to a generous gift to the Upper Dublin Education Foundation.
Roll the Dice for a Cause: Winning Cards Casino Night on March 16 - Don't miss a night of fundraising and fun, hosted by the Upper Dublin Education Foundation and Upper Dublin Township, at the Manor House at Commonwealth. Winning "Cards" Casino Night is all about supporting our community, directly benefiting our schools and local charities. Join us for a night of casino gaming with professional dealers, delicious food and drinks, and incredible prizes and auction items. Bet on an entertaining night of giving back and register now!
UD Celebrate! 2024 Black History Event - The Upper Dublin African American and Black Students and Families committee would like to invite you to join us for a marvelous night of fun, entertainment, shopping and education during our annual UD Celebrate! 2024 Black History Event, held at Sandy Run Middle School on Thursday, February 15 (snow date 2/22).
This is free and open to the public. We ask that all attendees register here.