Haverford Happenings

The District celebrated our staff members for their 25 years of dedicated service in education!

Sue Fairman, Building Secretary Lynnewood; Heather Markland, 4th Grade Teacher, Coopertown; Stacey Levin, Art Teacher, Manoa; Anne Kasmer, Art Teacher, Chestnutwold;

Jennifer Coull, 6th Grade Social StudiesTeacher, Middle School, Michael Jones, Language Arts Teacher, High School; Victoria Kelly, Food Services Coopertown; Andrew Shanefield, Music Teacher, Manoa Elementary; Carolynne Wurth, Guidance Counselor, Manoa Elementary; Laurie VanTrieste, Technology Integration Coordinator, Oakmont

On November 7th, students from the high school newspaper, The Fordian, and the yearbook, Greystones, attended the 82nd annual Fall Conference of the Columbia Scholastic Press Association held at Columbia University in New York City. This was the first time the Conference was held in person since 2019. Haverford's student journalists were able to participate in workshops on writing, editing, design, photography, and digital media. It was a wonderful opportunity to interact with students from around the country, share ideas, and explore the Columbia campus.

Front: Miriam Pennock, Kitty Tsukada, Leah Takats, Abby Gondek, and Fordian advisers Sarah Crispin and Gerri Fish. Back: Tiernan O'Neill, Sophia Khan, Rachel Todak, and Hannah Funchion.

Read the newspaper online at thefordian.com

Tim Fallon, a Marine Corps veteran and SJU graduate visited with Coopertown Elementary School students with his Seeing Eye dog, Jupiter. Tim was leading a patrol in Afghanistan in 2010, when an improvised explosive device (IED) detonated in front of him. Tim was blinded by the blast but continued giving orders to the 75 men under his command until the situation was brought under control. Tim has been using seeing eye dogs from The Seeing Eye for over 10 years. The Seeing Eye is a philanthropic organization whose mission is to enhance the independence, dignity, and self-confidence of blind people.

What do YOU want for lunch? That’s the question over 2000 students at Haverford High School were asked. Through “Student Choice”, a new program from foodservice partner Chartwells K12, students can now taste and vote on new additions to their menu.

Student Choice kicked off with a tasting event where students sample a variety of new menu items from different food station options, followed by a voting period where students choose their favorites. The menu that received the most votes will be introduced into the cafeteria and served every day.

These are a few of the menu concepts sampled at Haverford High School:

• Bok Choy: An exciting sensory experience of Asian flavors inspired by celebrity chef Jet Tila
• Big City Barbeque: Regionally and globally inspired BBQ entrees with sides like macaroni and cheese
• Market Fresh: Premium made-to-order or prepackaged salad bar

Congratulations to our high school student-athletes, their families, coaches, and teachers who have supported them. We look forward to watching them with Haverford pride as they compete at the collegiate level.

Students who signed on to compete at the collegiate level include: Sean Boyle, Soccer, Bucknell University; Emalia Carpenter, Basketball, Catholic University; Ben Devitis, Lacrosse, Kenyon College; Caroline Dotsey, Basketball, University of Maine; Morgan Elliott, Track and Field, Richmond University; Shannon Gavigan, Softball, LeMoyne College; Kylie Ingram, Softball, East Stroudsburg University; Sydney Jones, Volleyball, Temple University; Curran Kranick, Lacrosse, Scranton University; Aubrey Leneweaver, Track and Field, University of Pittsburgh; Ethan Mahan, Baseball, University of Rhode Island; Rebecca Patterson, Lacrosse, Scranton University; Quentin Ryan, Cross Country, Columbia University; Alex "Googie" Seidman, Basketball, Catholic University; and Michael Simpson, Lacrosse, DeSales University.

Chestnutwold Elementary School is excited to announce the return of the Conflict Mediation Program, which is back after a few years on hiatus. The program, which has been running since Chestnutwold opened its doors in 2006, is a point of pride for our school.

The Conflict Mediation Program, which is run by Chestnutwold’s school counselors, is open to 4th or 5th-grade students. All students are given the opportunity to apply to the program through written application, indicating why they believe they embody the required Chestnutwold character traits, specifically Respect, Responsibility, Empathy, Trustworthiness, Integrity, and a Positive Attitude in a leadership role.

The conflict mediators attend extensive training, giving up their lunch and recesses to learn how to assist younger students with conflicts at recess. This training instructs the mediators on how to utilize the conflict mediation process to assist younger students to work through minor conflicts.

Donning green pinnies and clipboards, conflict mediators circulate during first, second, and third-grade recesses during their pre-scheduled times. The leadership that these students provide and the support they offer their younger fellow Phoenix, not only reduce the number of conflicts that are brought back into the classroom, but also provide a fantastic learning experience for all involved.

Chestnutwold is thankful to our conflict mediators for their service, commitment, and enthusiasm!

Read more about our Social Emotional Programs in the SEW Newsletter.

Discover Day was a huge success this fall! Over 1,000 visitors came through HHS to experience a day of Science, Math, and Coding fun! The students and teachers organized demonstrations, make-and-takes, and interactive experiences for the elementary students in the district. There were over 20 unique experiences!

Give Me 5! Five Fact about the Celebration:

1. Hanukkah lasts for eight nights, to commemorate how long the holy light burned.

2. There is a candle in the middle of the Menorah, which is used to light the other candles. This is known as the shamash.

3. Traditional Hanukkah foods include deep-fried jelly donuts called sufganiyot and potato pancakes called latkes.

4. The word Hanukkah means "dedication."

5. It usually takes place in December, but the dates change every year as Jewish holidays follow a lunar calendar.

Give Me 5! Five Fact about the Celebration:

1. Christmas trees were first used by ancient Egyptians and Romans. The use of a modern day Christmas tree started in German decorated with fruits and nutes.

2. In Mexico, as well as many other Latinx and Hispanic countries, families celebrate Nochebuena on Christmas Eve, with a huge feast, singing and dancing, and often a piñata for the kids.

3. Christmas is often celebrated as a Christian holiday, but not all cultures celebrate on the same day. In countries with large populations of Orthodox Christians, it is celeberated on January 7.

4. The Christmas song Jingle Bells was originally written to celebrate Thanksgiving, and was called, One Horse Open Sleigh.
   

5. The Christmas wreath is a symbol of love and eternal life.

Give Me 5! Five Fact about the Celebration:

1. Kwanzaa is a celebration of African-American culture and heritage, celebrated by some African Americans and African Canadians.

2. It lasts seven days, around seven main principles: Umoja (Unity), Kujichagulia - (Self-Determination), Ujima (Collective Work and Responsibility), Ujamaa (Cooperative Economics), Nia (Purpose), Kuumba (Creativity), Imani (Faith).

3. Kwanzaa was created by Dr. Maulana Korenga in 1966.

4. The name Kwanzaa comes from a Swahili phrase that means "first fruits of the harvest".

5. Seven candles in a Kinara symbolize the seven principles of Kwanzaa.The candles are different colors; black (unity), green (future), or red (struggle out of slavery).

Online Registration for Kindergarten and grades 1 - 12 for the 2023-2024 school year will begin on Monday, January 9th at 7:00 PM.

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, Registrar, 610-853-5900 x7139, smattox@haverfordsd.net

When severe weather affects school opening, the decision to open or close schools has a big impact on families.
How is the public notified?

We use multiple means to alert parents to weather-related school closings and delayed openings. Our District Notification System (Swift K12) is used to alert parents/guardians via email, phone call and text message. We usually do not activate the system to call parents/guardians after 10:00 PM or before 5:30 AM. If a decision is made in between those times, it will be posted on the district website.

These are additional sources for information regarding weather-related school closings, delays, and emergency announcements.

• District website
• Twitter, Instagram and Facebook @HaverfordSD
• Through the Media - Local television news stations

Procedures for delayed opening and early dismissals can be found here.

The District is planning a test of the notification system next week. More information will be sent to families.

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:

• December 1: Regular School Board Meeting

• December 5: Reorganization Meeting
• December 8: Finance & Facilities Committee Meeting
• December 15: Regular School Board Meeting
• December 19: Policy Committee Meeting

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

Wednesday, December 7, 7:00 pm: 7th & 8th Grade Instrumental Winter Concert

Tuesday, December 13, 7:00 pm: 5th & 6th Grade Instrumental Winter Concert

Wednesday, December 14, 7:00 pm: High School Instrumental Winter Concert

Tuesday, December 20, 7:00 pm: High School Winter Choral Concert

December 26-January 2: Winter Vacation

Monday, December 26: Holiday (Schools & Offices Closed)
Friday, December 30: Holiday (Schools & Offices Closed)

January 2:Holiday (Schools & Offices Closed)

January 3: Schools reopen

2022-23 School Year Calendar

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

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