News from the NPSD Board of School Directors

The board of school directors and I work with district administrators to engage community members in discussions about our school district whether it is a new policy, budget issue or change in curriculum. From our school board meetings to Community Conversations with Dr. Dietrich, we value community member's input and feedback about the functioning of the school district.

In a few weeks, we will again meet with the community to discuss an important issue to our students and staff. On Monday, March 10 parents, guardians and community members are invited to attend a community forum explaining the North Penn School District assessment program. District administrators will explain our assessment program and the benefits it provides our students and staff. The evening will also allow time for a Question & Answer session with Dr. Dietrich and other administrators.

Assessments provide a way to measure a student's growth or mastery of the curriculum and skills taught. It provides the students and parents with feedback on the knowledge and skills their student attained as a result of instruction. Our teachers and staff members' constant review of data allows us to ensure that every child performs at, or above, grade level and is challenged to reach peak performance levels. This collaboration between parents, students and teachers ensures that our district continues to be a top-notch school district in the state.

The forum will be held on Monday, March 10 from 7 to 8:30 p.m. in the North Penn High School Auditorium. Click here for more information about the Forum. I hope you will join us on March 10.

Sincerely,

Vincent Sherpinsky

President

NPSD Board of School Directors

NPSD Board of School Directors Approves Changes to the 2013-2014 School Year

Due to two days missed in mid-February NPSD is adding two instructional days to the calendar as follows:

Monday, April 21, 2014 will now be an instructional day for students. It was originally a day off for students and staff.

Wednesday, June 18, 2014, will now be the last day of school. The original last day for students was Tuesday, June 17, 2014. June 18 will be an early dismissal for all students and June 17 will be a full day.

NPHS Graduation is moving to Wednesday June 18, 2014.

If additional make-up days are needed in the future Thursday and Friday, June 19 and 20 will be used.

As a reminder, these changes are in addition to revisions made to the calendar due to previous snow days. These upcoming changes are below:

Monday, March 31, 2014 will be a full instructional day for NPHS and middle school students. It will be an early dismissal day for elementary students, providing time for a limited number of elementary school parent/teacher conferences. This day was originally a day off for all students.

Wednesday, April 16, 2014 will now be a full day of instruction for all students. It was previously an early dismissal day for elementary, Northbridge and NPHS students and a full day for middle school students including sophomore orientation for 9th graders.

Thursday, April 17, 2014 will now be an early dismissal day for elementary, Northbridge and NPHS students. Middle school students will have a full day of school including sophomore orientation for freshmen.

Tuesday, May 20, 2014 (Election Day) will now be an instructional day for students. It was originally a day off for students and an in-service day for staff. Please note that district administration and school staff will work with the board of elections to ensure the safety of our students on this day. Measures include deploying extra security staff and changing the location of polling sites within the schools.

NPSD thanks parents, staff and students for their cooperation and understanding as we adjust the calendar. The negative impact on instruction and student achievement caused by the loss of these days is a serious concern to NPSD. Mastery of grade level content, Keystone Exam proficiency, PSSA proficiency and Advanced Placement results are at risk if our students do not receive the appropriate instructional time to succeed. NPSD staff members also need adequate time to prepare students. After considering all options, NPSD administration feels that adding days back into the calendar sooner rather than later is best for students.

Please watch North Penn Television (Comcast 28 and Verizon FIOS 29) and log onto www.npenn.orgfor further changes to the calendar in the event of snow days.

School Board Denies Charter

At this month's meeting the school board unanimously denied an application from the Collaborative North Penn Charter School to open a charter school in NPSD.

Based on a thorough review of the written materials submitted by the applicant, as well as questions and responses recorded at the public hearing held in December, the Board denied the application on the following grounds:

Failure to demonstrate a capability to provide comprehensive learning experiences to students.

Failure to adequately identify a physical facility in which the charter school would be located. The application contained inadequate details regarding the potential lease arrangements.

Failure to demonstrate that it is prepared to meet the needs of students with disabilities.

Failure to provide adequate evidence of how it will provide liability and other appropriate insurance.

Failure to demonstrate sustainable support for the charter school plan by teachers, parents, other community members and students.

The Collaborative North Penn Charger School does have the option of appealing the decision with the state.

Bridle Path/Montgomery Elementary Select Strings Ensemble Receives Recognition

During the February 20 action meeting of the NPSD Board of School Directors, board members had the privilege to honoring the Bridle Path/Montgomery Elementary Select Strings Ensemble.

The Select String ensemble traveled to Chicago, IL to perform at the Midwest Clinic International Band and Orchestra Conference. The ensemble, which was invited to perform by audition, is the only elementary orchestra ever to be invited to perform during the 67 year history of the conference. This is the second time the orchestra has performed at this prestigious conference, the first time was in 2008.

The Midwest Clinic International Band and Orchestra Conference is the largest and most prestigious music conference in the world. The conference, which is held in Chicago, IL each December, is attended annually by more than 16,000 participants representing all 50 states and 30 foreign countries. The Midwest Clinic exists for educational purposes exclusively; to raise the standards of music education; to develop new teaching techniques; to disseminate to school music teachers, directors and supervisors and others interested in music education, information to assist in their professional work; to examine, analy ze and appraise literature dealing with music; to hold clinics, lectures and demonstrations for the betterment of music education; and in general to assist teachers and others interested in music education in better pursuing their profession. In addition to the Bridle Path/Montgomery Select String Ensemble, performances were given by forty outstanding musical organizations from around the world.

The Bridle Path/Montgomery Select String Ensemble is comprised of 30 students in fourth through sixth grade from Bridle Path and Montgomery Elementary Schools, who are auditioned from among the 120 members of the Bridle Path/Montgomery Orchestra. Their director is Mr. Ralph Jackson. Congratulations to these students and Mr. Jackson on their achievements!

Education/Community/Policy Committee Report

At the Education/Community/Policy meeting on Monday, February 10, several topics were on the agenda.

One topic considered for action pertained to changes to the 2013-2014 school calendar as a result of lost instruction days due to snow. Consequently, several days not originally scheduled for instruction have been changed to instructional days. In addition, one instructional day and four teacher in-service days have been added at the end of the school year.

The committee also reviewed a proposal to adopt the novel The Book Thief by Markus Zusak for seventh grade Honors Plus (HP) students. This novel is intended to provide a challenging literary text for HP students. It is rich with literacy techniques, depth of plot, historical connection and cross-curricular content and will provide students the opportunity to develop reading analysis skills necessary for the PSSA and Keystone exams.

Also, the committee reviewed a request to apply for the Keystone STARS grant program for Hatfield Elementary School. These grant awards are available from the Department of Public Welfare for child care programs that participate in the Keystone Stars Program which is Pennsylvania's program to improve the quality of child care. This voluntary program recognizes regulated child care providers who exceed state health and safety standards. Hatfield Elementary School is eligible to receive a grant in the amount of $4,725.

An update on Concurrent Enrollment and Dual Enrollment was provided to the committee. North Penn High School has Concurrent Enrollment arrangements with Montgomery County Community College, Penn State University-Abington, Arcadia University and Gwynedd Mercy College. All of these schools, except Montgomery County Community College, offer a significantly reduced tuition for the seniors who participate in the program. Dual Enrollment courses are taught in the Business and Family Consumer Science (FCS) departments at the high school in affiliation with Gwynedd Mercy and Montgomery County Community College.

The committee also received updates on curriculum in several content areas at both the elementary and secondary levels. Curriculum that is aligned to PA Core Standards is being developed and implemented.

The next ECP Committee meeting will be on Monday, March 10 at 5:30 p.m.

Finance Committee Report

The Finance Committee met on Monday, January 27 and discussed the highlights of the finance committee, focusing on the signs of economic recovery on local revenue items.

Items recommended for a work session/action meeting included an increase of fees for Extended School Care for both the summer program and school year program. The committee approved the proposed rates.

Robert Schoch, director of business administration, distributed a list of projects and stated that the estimated total exceeded the amount available in the Capital Reserve Fund. The committee approved the preparation of bids for the list. Mr. Schoch also distributed a budget progress report. The committee approved preparation of the preliminary budget with the parameters discussed in the progress report for approval during the February 11 work session.

Ed Furman of Maillie, Falconiero and Company, the district's local auditor, presented the draft audit and noted that is in finial typing and review.

Finally, Mr. Schoch explained the three options for the collection of the Delinquent Taxes and indicated that a request for proposals (RFP) could be issues in the next six months to obtain details proposal including fees, the process used and the impact of the tax payers.

The next meeting of the Finance Committee will be on Monday, March 31 at 6:30 p.m.

Safe Schools Committee Report

The Safe Schools Committee met on January 24 and discussed several important topics.

Ray Wilson, Safe School Coordinator, detailed emergency plan updates, additional C.L.A.S.S buttons from Montgomery County Emergency Dispatch Center, evaluation of and training for emergency drills and police department running trainings in our schools.

John Strobel, manager of Support Services, reported on the status of the new cameras at North Penn High School, the new security fencing project at the high school and some new potential safe school projects.

The next meeting of the Safe Schools committee has been scheduled for Tuesday, March 4 at 6:30 p.m. at the Educational Services Center.

Support Services Committee Report

The Support Services committee met on Monday, January 27 and discussed several ongoing projects and upgrades throughout the district.

John Strobel, manager of Support Services was happy to report that Inglewood Elementary School's additions and renovations are substantially complete. Punch lists are being completed by all contractors. The final design of Hatfield Elementary School's additions and renovations have been completed. Specifications are being prepared and the project will go out to build this month.

The committee also discussed additional work on gas regulators for the natural gas conversion project and reported on the status of the North Penn High School camera upgrade and security fencing project.

The Performance Contacting RFP results were discussed and the committee members agreed to allow the administration to work with three vendors to see if a proposal would lead the district to an investment grade audit of the project. This will be discussed further at the next meeting on Monday, March 31 at 6 p.m. in the Educational Services Center.

NPSD Educational Foundation Committee Report

The NPSD Educational Foundation met on Wednesday, February 12 and received updates on some of the grants and started working on several upcoming fundraisers.

Eleventh grade Honors English students participated in Lit-Fest. Lit-Fest, which was funded by the Foundation, is a celebration of American Literature covered in the junior year curriculum. Lit-Fest has several components including a dramatic reading contest, artwork presentations and a knowledge bowl. The students had a great time.

The Foundation trustees also approved two new positions on the board. Penndale students Erin Huebner and Taylor Young will serve as student liaisons on the Foundation's board. They will work to promote the Foundation among the students in the district and provide a fresh prospective to the board.

The Foundation will be holding a spring Charity Luncheon on Saturday, March 8 at Bonefish Grill. Tickets are $30 per person and include a wonderful tasting of Bonefish's delicious menu. This is the first time the Foundation will be having a luncheon at Bonefish Grille and the Foundation is so excited to be working with such a fine restaurant. Tickets can be purchase on the Foundation's website or through Christine Liberaski.

Please save the date for the annual golf outing which will be held on August 18 at PineCrest Country Club. The Foundation trustees are also working on formalizing an official plan for recruiting Educational Improvement Tax Credit (EITC) participants.

These fundraising events and programs are so vital to the Foundation's success because it allows them to reach their mission of supporting innovative projects in the district. The Foundation granted over $28,000 this year through 53 different grants. The grant application will open in the next coming weeks. This will be for the 2014-2015 school year.

Any questions about the Foundation can be directed to Christine Liberaski at the ESC.