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The Board of the Neshaminy Education foundation is pleased to announce the winners of the 2022 Grant Program. Each year, the NEF offers the opportunity for any Neshaminy staff member to apply for the grants which vary from $750 for individual projects to $3000 for school-wide projects. The purpose of the program is to "foster innovative programs, activities and ideas in Neshaminy schools." Since 1993, the Foundation has donated hundreds of thousands of dollars towards materials, resources and programs that are generally not funded by the regular school budgets and meet those criteria.
Last year's winners included take-home literacy materials for English Language Learners, materials for a mural project at Neshaminy High School, materials for autistic and emotional support programs, and technology to support an Entrepreneurship Club at Poquessing Middle School.
This year the NEF received 18 applications, and awarded the following grants totaling $13,360:
- Sarah Wells, Tawanka ES: Flexible sensory seating for first grade students, $1530
- Nancylin Cochran, Joseph Ferderbar ES: Flexible sensory seating for kindergarten, $718.29
- Yazmine Adamson, Albert Schweitzer ES: STEM Picture Books that Inspire Makers, $741.18
- JoEllen Exner, Albert Schweitzer ES: Life Skills & Motor Skills activities, $229
- David Wert & Dom Foti, Poquessing MS: Laser fabrication machines, $1500
- Albert Lykon & Spencer Waybrant, Carl Sandburg MS: Laser fabrication machines, $1500
- Russell Boop & Nathan Manthey, Maple Point MS: Laser fabrication machines, $1500
- Tammi Razzano, Maple Point MS: Mural art project for exterior of MPMS library, $2000
- Jim Murray / NHS chemistry teachers, NHS: molecular model kits, $1642.50
- Rachel Clemens & Sheila Royds, NHS: Organic chemistry molecular modeling kits / AP Biology & Honors Biology II, $2000
Links to lists of grants awarded in past years can be found at the NEF website, www.neshaminy.org/nef.
Back in 1964, right around the same time that the Beatles made their US debut, Neshaminy staged their production of The Music Man, the classic Meredith Willson Broadway hit. Described in that year's NHS yearbook as, "Spectacular, stupendous, insurmountable," the show "filled the auditorium to capacity with an anticipating audience, anxious to view the product of months of travail by the Music Department. The result was fabulous -- 'better than Broadway' was the reaction of one gentleman. And it truly was." The production was directed by Theodore Kloos, the legendary choir director and namesake of the auditorium.
The show is scheduled to return to Neshaminy on February 2-5. This year's production is directed by Kristin Nichols, herself a proud Neshaminy graduate and heir to a music department educational lineage that dates back decades. The show will feature two casts and six performances. Cast lists and ticket information can be found at www.neshaminy.org/musical.
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SCHOOL BOARD RECOGNITON MONTH
January is School Director Recognition Month in Pennsylvania. Did you know that all of our School Board members are volunteers? They not only attend meetings twice a month, but also participate in committee meetings, workshops, training sessions and meet with community members to hear and discuss their concerns. They are responsible for critical decisions regarding budgets, facilities, curriculum, safety and hiring. Each is elected to a four-year term for the one of three regions in the District where they live. If you see one of them around in our community, please thank them for their dedication to the students , educators and taxpayers of Neshaminy!
TENTATIVE NESPA AGREEMENT
The School Board will consider a tentative five-year agreement with the Neshaminy Educational Support Professional Association (NESPA) at their January 24, 2023 Board Public Meeting. The agreement was approved by the NESPA membership at a meeting on Friday, January 6, 2023. The previous contract expired on June 30, 2022. If approved, the new contract would become retroactively effective from July 1, 2022, and expire on June 30, 2027.
The agreement covers roughly 500 Neshaminy positions such as instructional, hallway, playground and cafeteria aides; bus drivers; food service workers; custodians; maintenance and grounds; technology services and clerical staff. A summary of the agreement terms can be found here.
UPCOMING MEETINGS
The next Public Meeting will be held in the District Board Room at Maple Point, Tuesday, January 24, 2023, 7pm. The February Board Public Work Session is scheduled for Tuesday, February 14, 2023, 7pm in the District Board Room at Maple Point. The meeting agenda and livestream video link can be found at www.neshaminy.org/meetings.
COMMITTEE MEETINGS
Board committee meetings are open to the public and are a good opportunity to discuss specific programs and projects with committee members in a less formal, more conversational setting than the full Board meetings. The following committees will meet during the school year:
- Facilities & Planning Committee
- Educational Development Committee
- Business Operations Committee
- Policy Committee
The full schedule of meetings for the 2022-2023 school year can be found at the following link: 2022-2023 Committee Meeting Schedule
All committee meetings are held in the District Board Room at Maple Point unless otherwise noted. The public is invited to attend and participate in Board and Committee meetings. All meeting times and locations are subject to change due to unforeseen circumstances; please check the District website www.neshaminy.org for any updates.
The popular Neshaminy STEAM Expo is set to return to Neshaminy High School on Wednesday, March 29, 2023. This celebration of all things Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math draws hundreds of families from elementary and middle schools across the District for an evening of demonstrations, hands-on activities, displays, games and interactive presentations from community organizations and businesses as well as many of our teachers and students.
If you or somebody you know works for and/or is involved with an organization that would like to provide demonstrations and/or activities for our kindergarten – 6th grade students during this event, we want to hear from you! Please contact David Geanette at dgeanette@neshaminy.org or call 215 809-6515 for more information and to sign up.
Our past community presenters have included art and science museums, nature centers, engineering companies, authors, colleges, coding/computer science businesses, health/medical industries, first responders, private art studios, manufacturing companies, tech-oriented businesses, wide variety of scientists (including food and sports science) and musicians (science and technology in creating music) and more.
Foundation celebrating 30th anniversary with a fund drive
The Neshaminy Education Foundation was formed as part of the District's Strategic Plan in 1993. Education foundations are uniquely poised to support school districts as independent non-profit 501(c)(3) entities able to fundraise, solicit and accept donations, endowments and memorials in support of programs and scholarships for the schools they are linked to. The NEF is managed by a volunteer Board of Directors, and provides funding for an annual classroom grant program and four scholarships for graduating Neshaminy HS seniors.
Remember poring over the old World Book or Britannica Encyclopedias for a research project when you were a kid? They were useful at the time but were limited in how much information they could supply, and in a fast-moving world became outdated long before most people could afford to buy new ones. Now our Neshaminy students have access to a wide variety of information resources, tailored for their age group and updated with current information (not to mention new media such as videos and interactive features. Students can access these resources through the Clever app on their Chromebooks 24/7, or in our School Library Media Centers.
During the first week of January, Ms. Jackson’s fourth-grade class at Herbert Hoover ES hosted Mrs. Maguire's second-grade class to demonstrate and explain the fourth-grade constellation projects. The students did an excellent job explaining the projects (which light up!) and what they mean.
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Congratulations to six Neshaminy HS artists who are represented in the Phillips Mill Youth Art Exhibition this year! This show is held in the historic Phillips Mill in New Hope and includes art from area high schools. The exhibition will be open to the public on weekends from January 29 through February 19. Students Monica Davis, Christina Vala, Dan Hansbury, Sarah Knight, Alexa Landman, Kyler Nelson were chosen by NHS art teachers Terry O'Neill, Hara Zefran, and Justin Bursk to participate.
It's almost time to part the Red and Blue! Preparations for the 2023 Neshaminy High School Gym Night are well underway. Practices began on January 11, the murals are being painted at two area locations, and props constructed all over the District. This year's Gym Night will be held on Friday and Saturday, March 3 and 4 and the theme is "Working for the Weekend." We can't wait to see what our students come up with!
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On January 6, Neshaminy HS held its Student of the Month Ceremony for December. The focus for this edition was the Math and Family and Consumer Science Departments. Eight students were honored along with one student who was previously honored by the Feasterville Rotary Club. In this surprisingly emotional ceremony held in the Black Box Theater, in front of the students, their families, administrators and teachers, the teachers that nominated each student spoke about the qualities that made their student stand out, and the students themselves had the opportunity to talk about the impact that their teachers had on their lives. The ceremony ended with a new addition - three teachers (pictured above with Mr. Garstka: English teacher Chris DiCicco, science teacher Jessica Baranoski and retiring music teacher Mike Lipton) were chosen for a new Teacher of the Month honor from nominations submitted by over 800 NHS students.
