I hope everyone had a great holiday and a happy new year! In terms of weather, 2018 has certainly been off to a challenging start. Due to last week's weather and road conditions which resulted in missing two days of school, student make-up will occur on June 11 and June 12. Also per the school calendar, any additional days will be made up on June 13 and June 14.

Another big question we are getting, and rightfully so,  is "will graduation move?" This is the biggest day of the year for us and for those families with graduating seniors. As of right now, we have not made a decision regarding graduation and as such it remains tentatively scheduled for Thursday, June 7. As we know, winter has basically just begun. If there are additional student days lost, the date of graduation will have to be closely examined. We will make the final decision by April 1.

I have been asked lately why North Penn School District (NPSD) does not build "snow days" into the calendar. Indeed we do. We build these dates into the end of the school year. The feedback we have gotten over time is this is better than taking away other dates throughout the school year. Of course, the feedback is far from unanimous and we continue to remain open to input regarding future calendars.

With all of the snow and ice that we've experienced over the past week, I want to commend our staff for their hard work through the winter months. During snow days, NPSD facilities staff members are at the frontline of the storm, working round the clock to clear the parking lots and sidewalks at all 20 of our buildings. I invite you to join me in saying thank you for all that they do. I'd also like to thank the transportation department for not only ensuring the safety of our students to and from school, but also for their help in clearing snow and ice from more than 125 buses and making sure vehicles are warmed up and ready to go before the sun comes up during inclement weather.

In the hours leading up to a forecasted winter storm in the North Penn area, I am very busy consulting with various NPSD departments, neighboring school districts and weather outlets to assess conditions and decide as to whether school needs to be delayed, dismissed or cancelled. It is not the favorite part of my job!

On snowy mornings, I wake up at 4:00 am to start the decision-making process. It is our district's goal to have school delays and closings decided and posted via district communication channels by 5:30 am.  There are times when we may initially call a two hour delay in order to see how conditions are progressing, so always be sure to monitor our website and media  outlets throughout the morning. It is important to note that district communication channels are always updated first. You can read about the various places to find this information in the information in the box next to this letter.

As always, the safety of our students and staff is our top priority. I'd like to thank our families, students and staff for their flexibility and cooperation in the schedule changes we've had over the last week and a half. It is my hope that we have seen the last of disruptive weather here in the North Penn area for the 2017-2018 school year. But, I will be surprised if that is the case!