#ThisIsCheltenham
Friday, February 8
In this issue of #ThisIsCheltenham, 41st annual Montgomery County High School exhibition, National Signing Day, a cappella groups perform in sing-off for good causes, senior speedster Bria Barnes races at Millrose Games, need to know info including kindergarten registration and screening, district branding survey closes Sunday and administrative and board committee updates, upcoming meetings / events; and much, much more.
Click for a downloadable version of this week's flyers>
To update your contact information, visit www.cheltenham.org/updatemyinfo. For updates throughout the week, be sure to visit cheltenham.org or the Cheltenham School District Facebook page. If you know someone who would like to receive the weekly news share, direct them to the eNEWS icon at cheltenham.org to register.
Senior Clement Thomas among 10 CHS Students Showing Artwork in 41st Annual County HS Exhibition
Senior Clement Thomas’ mixed media collage “Chaos in the Air” (below) was one of 15 pieces selected to receive opening night special recognition at this week’s 41st Annual Montgomery County High School Students Exhibition at the Montgomery County Community College Fine Arts Center Gallery. In all, artwork from 10 Cheltenham students was included in the exhibition. Featuring work from students at 19 high schools, the exhibition is free and open to the public through March 16. View artwork> | Read more>
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Student-Athletes Max Brown, Marcus Winfield Sign National Letters of Intent
Wednesday morning, seniors Marcus Winfield (bottom with his parents) and Max Brown (top with his teammates) signed letters of intent to play football and soccer, respectively, in college next fall. Winfield, a defensive end, is headed to Delaware State University, while Brown will be attending the University of Mary Washington. Read more>
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A Cappella Groups Perform in Sing-Off for Good Causes
CHS a cappella groups Sons of Pitch and Up the Octave (pictured below) performed at the Rotary Club of Ardmore's 7th annual A Cappella Sing-off in January. Up the Octave performed Ariana Grande's "breathin," a Rihanna mashup including "Stay," "Diamonds" and "Love on the Brain" and closed with "No One" by Alicia Keys. Sons of Pitch sang Michael Jackson's "P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)", "Perfect" from Ed Sheeran and the Pokémon Theme from Jason Paige).
For their participation, each group earned $500 to donate to a charity of their choice. Sons of Pitch selected Autism Speaks, in honor of recently deceased CHS student Danny Link. Up the Octave selected Valley Youth House.
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Senior Speedster Bria Barnes Races at Millrose Games
Ranked No. 7 in the United States in the 300 meters, senior Bria Barnes takes the blocks Saturday, Feb. 9 at 2:24 p.m. for the Millrose Foundation Junior Girls' Invitational 300m at the 112th NYRR Millrose Games, the world's longest-running indoor track and field competition. With a qualifying time of 38.97, the future Iowa State University Cyclone will face stiff competition from runners from across the Eastern Seaboard.
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Week I: Wyncote Elementary in the Running to Win $25K in Fitness Equipment
Wyncote Elementary is finishing its first week of competing to win $25K in indoor and outdoor fitness equipment in the Dannon/ShopRite Project Fit America (PFA) online voting contest. Wyncote will win the equipment by garnering the most votes in online balloting through the end of Februrary at Cheltenham.org/projectfitamerica. Physical Education teacher Paul Scarpato has promised that if Wyncote wins the equipment, he will dye his chest-length beard blue. Votes can be cast once daily per email address, but voters must be at least 13 years old.
The community support for Wyncote from the police, mail carriers, bus drivers, school board members and parents has been overwhelming.
Calendar Reminders
Monthly early dismissals have been moved from the third Wednesday of the month to the second Wednesday of the month. The District has early dismissal on Wednesday, Feb. 13. Schools will dismiss at the following times:
- Cheltenham High School | 1:30 p.m.
- Cedarbrook Middle School | 2:10 p.m.
- Elkins Park School | 2:40 p.m.
- K – 4 Schools | 2:45 p.m.
Schools will be closed and offices will be open on Friday, Feb. 15 for teacher professional development.
Schools and offices will be closed on Monday, Feb. 18 for Presidents Day.
For more events, visit the Cheltenham School District Calendar>
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Kindergarten Registration and Readiness Screening for the Class of 2032
Kindergarten registration and readiness screening for the 2019-20 school year will take place Monday, May 6 through Thursday, May 23 from 8:30 a.m. - 3 p.m. at the Administration Building (2000 Ashbourne Rd., Elkins Park). Due to professional development day, registration will not take place on Tuesday, May 21. Prior to making an appointment, parents/guardians must submit an application via the district's registration portal. Once registration paperwork is submitted, a link will appear to schedule an appointment to bring in the required paperwork and for the child to participate in the readiness screening. Children must be a Cheltenham Township resident to register, and be 5-years-old on or before September 1, 2019, to attend kindergarten this coming school year. For questions or assistance scheduling an appointment, contact CSD Registrar Kate Shevlin at 215-881-6322.
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District Branding Survey Closes Sunday
The Cheltenham School District's branding survey closes Sunday, Feb. 10 at 10 p.m. If you haven't already weighed in, the district would still like to hear from you. CSD is conducting this survey in partnership with The Pennsylvania State University - Abington College with the intent of better understanding the community perceptions of the district. If you live within the Cheltenham School District, your input will be invaluable in efforts to guide communications and branding efforts moving forward. Responses are completely anonymous, and Penn State Abington will generate a summary report of the survey findings. Data will not be used for any other purpose. The survey will take between 4-7 minutes.
To take the survey, visit www.cheltenham.org/brandingsurvey. If you have questions, comments or concerns, contact Kevin Kaufman, CSD Director of Communications, at 215/881-6325. Thank you in advance for your time and consideration.
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Stay Informed: Administrative Updates February 2019
The following information has been collected from CSD administrative departments and reflects updates on key programs, committees, priorities and initiatives. Items specifically related to the progress of Cheltenham’s strategic plan, "Five Pathways, One Destination" are noted along with specific plan pathways. Read updates>
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Stay Informed: Policy Committee
Student expression, dress and grooming, student government, English language development program, Title I parent/family engagement, communicable diseases and immunization, health exam, class rank, graduation requirements, and care of school property/obligation were all on the agenda when the Policy Committee met on Wednesday, Jan. 23. View the presentation> | School Board Policies >
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Voyage 2019 … Taking Flight
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Athletics Schedule
Friday, Feb. 8
Wrestling v. Springfield, 6 p.m. (Senior Night)
Boys Track, Last Chance Meet @ Lehigh University, 6:30 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 9
Boys Track, Track Carnival @ Lehigh University, 10 a.m.
Wednesday, Feb. 13
Diving, Suburban One American Conference Championships @ Upper Dublin
Friday, Feb. 15
Girls Swimming, Suburban One American Conference Championships @ Upper Dublin
Girls Track @ Lehigh University, 6:30 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 16
Boys Swimming, Suburban One American Conference Championships @ Upper Dublin
Wrestling, District 1 AAA Section South tournament @ Interboro, 5:30 p.m.
Boys Diving, District 1 Championships @ North Penn
Saturday, Feb. 23
Wrestling, District 1 AAA Section South tournament @ Interboro, 9:30 a.m.
Girls Diving, District 1 Championships @ North Penn
Friday, March 1
Swimming, District 1 Championships @ La Salle University
Saturday, March 2
Swimming, District 1 Championships @ La Salle UniversityFor more events, visit CheltenhamPanthers.com.
The Community Conversation about the 2019-20 school-year calendar scheduled for Tuesday, Feb. 26 has been postponed due to a conflict with the district's Black History Month celebration. A new date will be distributed in the coming days.
For more events, visit the Cheltenham School District Calendar>
Homework Committee Meeting
This meeting is for all Cheltenham residents. Please RSVP to Maureen Jennis at mjennis@cheltenham.org
Monday, Feb 11, 2019, 10:00 AM
2000 Ashbourne Road, Elkins Park, PA
Regular Legislative Board Meeting
Tuesday, Feb 12, 2019, 07:00 PM
2000 Ashbourne Rd, Elkins Park, PA, USA
Educational Affairs Committee Meeting
This meeting is open to all Cheltenham Township residents.