North Wales School Bulletin
December 11, 2023
From The Principal's Desk
Greetings North Wales Families,
Thank you to our North Wales Home and School Asociation and parent volunters for another successful event featuring our holiday shops last week.
Happy Hanukkah to our school community. This week we are collecting non-perishable items for our American Legion Food Drive. If you are able to send in items, we would greatly appreciate it. Just a reminder as the temperatures are dropping, and students are wearing jackets to please place their name inside in their jackets. This will help us return clothing items to your student if they arrive to our Lost and Found.
Our spirit days this week are 12/12-12/15. Please take a look at the themed days for this week.
As always, we thank you so much for being a part of the North Wales family!
Warmly,
Ms. Kenney
Principal
Important Dates To Remember
Dec. 4-20: American Legion Canned Food Drive ( We will collect non-perishable items)
Dec. 7-15: Hanukkah- Chag Sameach!
Dec. 19: YA/NW Band Concert with Choral Groups @ NW 7pm
Dec. 20: Report Cards Issued
Dec. 22: Early Dismissal 12:30pm
Dec. 25-Jan 1: Winter Break
Jan. 2: First Day Back to School- Pajama Day
Weekly Schedule
Tuesday - Day 3
Wednesday - Day 4
Thursday - Day 1
Friday - Day 2
Literacy Update For The Week
Wit and Wisdom Tip of the Week
Our new core ELA program is Wit and Wisdom; this program is a knowledge building program.Vocabulary and Oral language are key components used to move students along the continuum of reading. Vocabulary and Oral language skills are embedded within this resource.
Vocabulary plays an important part in learning to read. Beginning readers must use the words they hear orally to make sense of the words they see in print. Kids who hear more words spoken at home learn more words and enter school with better vocabularies. This larger vocabulary pays off exponentially as a child progresses through school.
The Reading Rockets website discusses the importance of vocabulary development and ideas for home strategies. Follow this link to learn more.
Cultural Highlights Of The Week
December Holidays
Hanukkah ( Dec. 7-15)
Hanukkah is one of the most joyous of Jewish holidays. The Jewish festival of lights, called Hanukkah, is celebrated around the world today. But the inspiration for the holiday dates back thousands of years in what is today the country of Israel. Hanukkah starts on the 25th day of Kislev, the ninth month of the Hebrew calendar. (It’s also called the Jewish calendar and is used to track religious dates.) Because this calendar follows the lunar (or moon) cycle, the holiday begins on a different date each year on the calendar you use the most, which is based on the sun cycles. Usually, Hanukkah starts in late November to mid-December.
To kick off Hanukkah last week, our wonderful school nutrition services team, led my Mrs. Morgan made sugar cookies for staff and students!
Counselor's Corner
American Legion Canned Food Drive
Beginning Monday, Dec. 4th, North Wales Elementary will be participating in the American Legion Canned Food Drive to help families in need right here in our North Wales area.
Students are asked to bring in non-perishable food items until Wednesday, Dec. 20th and place them in the box in their classroom. Food will be collected and then distributed to families that are in need in North Wales.
Your generosity will be greatly appreciated!
Upcoming District Family Events
Invitation for LGBTQIA Families to attend the Rainbow Connection
Wednesday, December 13th 6:30-7:45 PM
This session is open to LGBTQIA family members and students in North Penn School District and will be facilitated by Lauren Shive from PFLAG Souderton/North Penn. This gathering is designed to connect families, provide a space to discuss experiences and share ways we can support families and students within our school district.
To ensure the safety and confidentiality of those in attendance, interested family members will receive information about the location once they RSVP.
Home and School
Home and School Information
On behalf of Home & School - Welcome to the new school year!
Whether it's your first year here, or your last, you are a part of this strong community. And we want to help make sure you have all the latest info on our events planned for this year - Popsicles on the Playground, Sports Night, Trunk or Treat, School Store, Teacher Appreciation, Color Run, VIP Dance, Cereal Box Knock Down, Class Field Trips, Assemblies, and more!
Can you spare 5 minutes for Home & School?
Contact Form - keep in touch with H&S and Homeroom Grownups this year!
HundredX Fundraiser - help us raise funds at zero cost in just 2 minutes!
Volunteer Interest - let us know if you want to know more about how you can get involved!
Pre- K Counts
PreK Counts
Montgomery County Intermediate Unit just opened up two Pre-K Counts classrooms within the North Penn School District, in Bridle Path and Montgomery Elementary Schools. Each class will have 20 pre-school students between the ages of 3-5 years old whose families are income eligible (falling under the 300% poverty guidelines). The MCIU Pre-K Counts classes have a certified teacher and a teacher assistant. The program is a full-day program where breakfast, lunch and an afternoon snack are provided at no cost to the families. While our philosophy is play-based, our goal is for each student to be academically, socially and emotionally prepared for success in North Penn School District kindergarten classrooms. Our MCIU Pre-K Counts teams not only consist of the teaching staff, but also Family Engagement Workers to help families navigate school requirements, attendance regulations, information about community resources available, and when the time comes, to register for North Penn Kindergarten. If you have any questions or would like to apply for your student (must have turned 3 before Aug 31), please reach out to prekcounts@mciu.org.
Friendly Reminders
Office Hours Reminder
We would like to remind you of our school office hours, which are from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM, Monday through Friday. During these hours, our dedicated staff members are available to assist you with any inquiries or concerns you may have.
For any inquiries or messages after 4:00 PM, we kindly ask that you leave a voicemail message on our school's main phone line. Alternatively, you can send an email to the appropriate staff member, and they will get back to you as soon as possible.
Thank you for your understanding and cooperation. We appreciate your partnership in ensuring the success of our students.
SMARTWATCH/CELL PHONE REMINDER
Please note, cell phones should be in silent mode or turned off and stored in bookbags throughout the day. Smartwatches should not be used to make calls, send messages, or take photos/videos during the school day. Also, note the school is not responsible for lost, stolen, or damaged personal electronic devices. Our school team will be reminding our students of these expectations regarding personal devices.
We thank all of our families for their continued support and cooperation in limiting disruptions to the classroom.
Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions or concerns.
Sandy- Our Therapy Dog is Back!
I would like to introduce you to Sandy, our North Wales’ therapy dog!
Please click on the link to learn more about Sandy- Sandy Our Therapy Dog
If you would not like your child to interact with Sandy in any way, please complete this Google form or let your child’s teacher know.
Arrival/Dismissal Procedures
Parent Volunteers for the Library
We are looking for volunteers to assist in the library. If you are interested in helping out and you have your current clearances, please complete the google form below.
North Wales Elementary
Website: https://northwales.npenn.org/
Location: 201 Summit Street, North Wales, PA 19454
Phone: 215-699-4471
Twitter: @NWelementary