Lion's Pride
Dr. Lentz's Monthly Update
LES/UES
LES - Sandra Markle Author Visit
The LES welcomed author Sandra Markle, virtually, to talk about her "What If" Animal Series. Students loved the fact that her books combined the fun of fiction, "What if you had animal teeth?", with the fascinating facts of non-fiction in all of her stories. Students enjoyed asking Ms. Markle questions such as, "When did you decide to become an author?" and "Where do you get your ideas for writing new stories?" A special thanks to Mrs. Rader and our Literacy Committee for organizing this special event.
MS
School-Wide Positive Behavior Interventions & Support Program
This year the Middle School has implemented the School-Wide Positive Behavior Interventions and Support Program. This program has been in place at the LES and UES for several years and we are now expanding it to the MS. This program will enhance the school community at the MS and train students in the expectations in the school and provide positive reinforcement for students making the right decisions.
HS
Chamber Orchestra Performs at PASA/PSBA Conference
Our Chamber Orchestra under the direction of Mr. Nick Wehr was selected to perform at the PASA/PSBA conference in Hershey on October 17, 2019. The group was selected from all of the musical groups across the State who applied. We are very proud of their accomplishment. They served as excellent ambassadors for our school district and music program.
UES Students at Trunk or Treat
Local Police Officer Participating at Trunk or Treat
Trunk or Treat Volunteers
Points of Pride
New Faces in New Hope-Solebury
This year we welcomed two new administrators to our New Hope-Solebury Team. Mr. David Francella is our new Chief Operating Officer and Mr. Todd Conn is our new Director of Operations. Mr. Francella is the former comptroller and tax collector from Trediffryn Easttown School District. He served in the business department of Downington School District in additon to working in the corporate sector. Mr. Conn is the former Director of Operations of the Reading School District. He served in the operations department of numerous school districts and municipalities. Both have been excellent additions to our school district team.
School District News and Updates
No Place for Hate
Our school district has implemented the No Place for Hate Program this year to enhance student understanding and appreciation of diversity. Each school has established a committee which is focusing on programs and initiatives which will be held throughout the school year to expand student understanding of different religions and cultures. Our first program for this year was a visit by renowned author, Matt de la Pena who shared his books and talked to the students about his personal experiences with diversity. The program was very well received by all our students.
District Revitalization Project
Our district revitalization project is nearing its completion. The two remaining projects, Field 9 and the Rain Water Basin have been completed. We are finishing a few minor components of the projects, but once they are completed the project will be complete. We are now in the process of reviewing the projects recommended by the Facilities Condition Assessment completed in 2018-2019 school year to develop a Facilities Management Plan to address the identified projects. The projects involve infrastructure projects including electrical work, HVAC, roofing and other maintenance projects which were not addressed in the district revitalization and total near eleven million dollars.
Facility Projects
This summer our school district worked to complete several critical projects. At the high school, boilers which were in need of significant repair were replaced and the guidance office was renovated. At the middle school, lighting in library was replaced in addition to carpeting being replaced. Signage was placed throughout the campus to assist visitors and guests to locate critical buildings on campus. All projects were provided from in the 2019-2020 school district budget.
Tennis Courts
In the Spring of 2019 we were informed that our tennis courts were no longer functional and the repairs which had been completed in the 2017-2018 school year were no longer effective. An assessment was completed by an engineering firm which determined that the courts needed to be replaced. Throughout the summer and fall, we have been working with our contractor to replace the tennis courts and are anticipating that they will be available for students and the community to use in the Spring of 2020.
Comprehensive Plan
Every three years, the school district is required to complete the comprehensive planning process. Through this process, the district is able to examine its current practices, curriculum and programs to determine its strengths and needs for the next three years. We are beginning this process in the 2019-2020 school year. As part of this process, we have surveyed our parents, community, staff and students. This information will help to inform the process of identifying the strengths and needs of our school district. Additionally, we will be having a committee which will work to develop a plan for our school district which will chart the priorities for the district for the next three years. We will be keeping you informed about the process throughout the school year.
Board Docs
This year our School Board decided to move our school board meetings to the Board Docs system to streamline content from our meetings and make the materials provided during Board meetings easier to access. The content of the Board meetings will now be attached in the section of the Board meeting where it is presented. This should assist everyone in locating materials quickly for their reference and also following along during our Board meetings.
ALICE Drills
As you may recall, we implemented the ALICE intruder drill protocols for our school district in the 2018-2019 school year. We conducted several lock-down and evacuation drills with our students last year to ensure that our students, faculty and staff were familiar with the protocols and able to respond to an emergency situation. We will be having two ALICE evacuation drills again this year at all of our schools. The first drill took place on October 2, 2019 for the main campus and November 7, 2019 for the LES. Through these drills we work to ensure that all of our students are familiar with our procedures for emergency situations and are ready to act should the need arise. We provide training to our students for other types of drills as well, such as file drills and weather emergency drills.
School Board & Committee Updates
At the October 24, 2019, Board of School Directors Meeting the following items were approved:
- Facilities Matters including Memorandum of Understanding with Johnson Controls to develop a Preliminary Business Case Analysis, approval of overnight trip and Skepton Construction Change Order.
- Finance Matters including Treasurer's Report, payment of bills and budgetary transfers. Approval of BCIU Agreement for IDEA Disproportionality, ELA Extra Services Agreement, 2019-20 Homestead/Farmstead Agreement with BCIU, and a Resolution regarding Bonds.
- Human Resource Matters including resignations, transfers, appointments, extra duty responsibilities and leaves of absence.
- Policy Matters including approval of the following Policies:
- 004 - Membership
- 201 - Admission of Students
- 204 - Attendance
- 208 - Withdraw from School
- 209 - Health Examinations/Screenings
- 707 - Use of School Facilities
- 808 - Food Services
Non-Substantive Changes to Policies
- 103 - Nondiscrimination in School and Classroom Practices
- 104 - Nondiscrimination in Employment/Contract Practices
- 121 - Field Trips
- 901 - Public Relations Objectives
- 902 - Publications
- 903 - Public Participation in Board Meetings
- 904 - Public Attendance at School Events
- 904.1 - Public Behavior at School Events
- 905 - Citizen Advisory Committees
- 906 - Public Complaints
- 907 - School and Classroom Visitors
- 908 - Relations with Parents
- 909 - Municipal Government Relations
- 910 - Community Relations
- 913.1 - District Approved Distribution of Written or Electronically Transmitted Information
- 915 - Booster Clubs and Parent Organizations
- 915.1 - By-Laws of Booster Club or Parent Organization
- 915.2 - Booster Club or Parent Organization Officer Affirmation
- 915.3 - Template Budget
- 915.4 - Approval Form For Unbudgeted Purchases, Donations, and/or Contributions of Items, Equipment, Materials, Money in Excess of $2,000
- 915.5 - Designated District Logos
- 916 - Volunteers
- 918 - Title I Parent Involvement
- 919 - District/School Report Card
Board Members presented their Committee Reports and Liaison Reports regarding the Bucks County Intermediate Unit, Middle Bucks Institute of Technology and the Pennsylvania School Boards Association.
New Hope-Solebury School District
Email: clentz@nhsd.org
Website: www.nhsd.org
Location: 180 West Bridge Street, New Hope, PA, USA
Phone: 215-862-2552