The Bulletin Board Newsletter |
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A monthly e-newsletter highlighting the discussions, decisions and business of the North Penn School District Board of School Directors. |
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The North Penn School Board (NPSB) welcomes questions and feedback from the community. To that end, community members may email the entire board at _npschoolboard@npenn.org.
If you would like to contact a specific board member via email or phone, please visit our website to find contact information. |
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Board Members
Tina Stoll, President
Christian D. Fusco, Vice President
Elisha K. Gee, Ed.D.
Jonathan M. Kassa
Wanda Lewis-Campbell, Ed.D.
Timothy MacBain
Juliane Ramić
Al Roesch
Cathy Wesley
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Al Roesch
Term Expiration: 2025
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Dear North Penn Community,
One of the joys of being a North Penn School Board Director is to be able to provide community members with different education programs in our schools, including summer school programs. As someone with a learning disability that attended summer school, I am very proud to be able to bring these opportunities to the community.
Below is a list of the programs and their goals, dates, and cost. The school board and administration are committed to providing a quality education to everyone, including those who may need extra support through our summer programs. Through Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funding, Title III funds, and careful district budgeting, this year we are able to offer most summer programs at no cost to students.
SPARK (Summer Program for Academic Readiness for Knights) is designed to reinforce and strengthen foundational skills in reading and math. Students in grades K-6 who meet the criteria using multiple data points (a tool to monitor student learning to provide ongoing feedback that can help students identify their strengths and weaknesses and target areas that need work) are eligible. The goal of SPARK is to provide Literacy instruction in phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary development, fluency, comprehension, and writing. The program will be held from July 11th to August 4th from 9:00 am to 11:30 am. Through ESSER funding, the program is available at no cost to students.
The Elementary Virtual Enrichment Program is designed for students in K-6 to reinforce and strengthen grade level standards and skills to accelerate learning in all subject areas. There are weekly themed activities designed to reinforce and expand on grade level standards and skills. It includes Freckle, a personalized learning pathway, opportunities for engagement through live Read Alouds, Book Clubs and more! This program will be held in July. Through ESSER funding, this program is free to students.
The Summer Library Program provides access to the North Penn libraries to promote literacy during summer months. This provides students with the opportunity to improve oral, listening, speaking and writing skills through fiction and nonfiction literature. The program is run through designated North Penn elementary libraries and will run from 7/11 to 8/4 from Tuesday to Thursday from 9 to 12 AM. This program is free to students and covered through the district budget.
The Elementary ELD (English Language Development) Summer Program reinforces and strengthens newly acquired English language skills for beginner English students entering grades 1-6. A variety of techniques to improve oral, listening, speaking and writing skills are provided. Students are introduced to nonfiction literature. Teacher lessons are aligned to Pennsylvania Department of Education ELD Standards. The program will run from 7/5 to 7/28 on Monday through Thursday from 9:30-11:30. Through Title III funding, this program is free to students.
Summer School for Students in Grades 9-12 is a credit-recovery program for students eligible to remediate any course they earned a “E” (eligible) that is credit-bearing. Students are able to remediate up to two full credits; any additional remediated credits must be approved by the student’s Home Office. The courses are held online via Edgenuity; there will be in-person support Monday through Thursday from 8:00-11:00 at NPHS. Online support will run Monday through Thursday from 8:00-11:00 as well. The courses and support will run from June 27th to July 28th; there will be a grace period until July 31st to complete outstanding work. Special education case managers will also be assigned to any student with an IEP. This program is free to all students. It will cost the school district approximately $20,000.
Additionally, summer camps are held through the Extended School Care and Community Education programs. Offerings vary from day camps to specialty camps in the areas of sports, music, theater, sciences, art and more. At a nominal cost, these summer programs are open to all ages. More specific information will be available soon.
Through these summer programs, we hope to provide enrichment and learning opportunities to students who need extra support to meet their goals. Any student, regardless of financial need, should have access to the education they deserve.
Sincerely,
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Al Roesch
NPSD Board of School Directors
Term Expiration: 2025
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School Board Meeting Information |
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Meetings of the whole (Finance Committee; Worksession; Action) will be held in person at the Educational Services Center (ESC) located at 401 E. Hancock Street Lansdale, PA 19446 unless otherwise noted. Those who wish to make public comment at these in-person meetings must be present in person to do so. For residents who would like to pre-register to speak during the audience of citizens, please email the school board secretary at skrocksb@npenn.org at least 24 hours before the meeting. These meetings will be televised live and added to the library for later viewing on North Penn Television's (NPTV) YouTube Channel.
Per a state order mandated by Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf's administration, all students, staff, and visitors in both public and private schools must wear masks while in school buildings. The state order can be found here.
Committee meetings (Safe Schools; Facilities and Operations; Policy; and Education, Curriculum and Instruction) will be held virtually in an online format using Zoom, televised live and added to the library for later viewing on NPTV's YouTube Channel. |
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How to Watch Meetings
A recording of this meeting will be available on the district website, the NPTV YouTube Channel, and will air on North Penn Television Comcast Cable Channel 28 and Verizon FIOS-TV Channel 29 for the next three business days at 12:30 pm and 7:30 pm.
How to View Meeting Agendas
Meeting agendas are published the week of the meeting and can be viewed online on BoardDocs. To view meeting agendas, visit BoardDocs and select the "Meetings" tab in the top right corner. From there, find and select the meeting, and then click "view agenda".
How to Participate in Virtual Meetings
Public comment will be available using Zoom. A link to make public comment will be available on our website prior to the start of the meeting.
When it is time for public comment, please use the “raise your hand” feature in the zoom webinar. We will take public comment in order that hands were raised. Please listen for your name when called upon for comment and unmute your microphone.
If you do not have access to zoom, please email your comments to _npschoolboard@npenn.org and it will be included in the board minutes. |
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Meetings in Review
Work Session
January 11, 7:00 pm
Action
January 20, 7:00 pm
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Upcoming Meetings
Work Session
February 8, 7:00 pm, TBD
Action
February 17, 7:00 pm, TBD
ECI Committee
February 1, 6:00 pm, Virtual
Facilities & Operations Committee
January 31, 7:00 pm, Virtual
Finance Committee
February 8, 6:00 pm
Policy Committee
February 8, 5:00 pm, Virtual
Safe Schools Committee
January 31, 5:45 pm, Virtual
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You Could Save Up to $585 through NPSD Property Tax and Rent Rebate Program |
Are you eligible? Do you know someone who is? Learn more and help us spread the word about this program! |
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The Education/Curriculum/Instruction Committee met on January 6, 2022 in a virtual format. At the meeting several members of the curriculum and special education teams presented considerable information regarding the structure of special education and the service considerations regarding special education in NPSD. Components of the presentation included the role of special education assistants and inclusion facilitators, implementation of Universal Design for Learning, and the commitment to continuous improvement.
This was an informational item. There were no action items on the agenda.
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The next ECI Committee meeting will be held on February 1, 2022, at 6:00 pm in a virtual format. |
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Chair:
Dr. Elisha K. Gee
Members:
Christian Fusco, Tim MacBain
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Facilities and Operations Committee |
The Facilities & Operations Committee has not met since the December action meeting. |
The next Facilities and Operations meeting is scheduled for January 31, 2022, at 7:00 pm and will be held in a virtual format. |
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Chair:
Jonathan Kassa
Vice Chair:
Cathy Wesley
Members:
Juliane Ramić,
Tina Stoll
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At the January 11, 2022, Finance Committee meeting the financial reports and monthly budget transfers were reviewed in addition to the following items:
1. Marjorie Scott made a presentation regarding the Extended School Care program including tuition and camp rates for 2022-23. This item appears on tonight's agenda.
2. Kristin Johnson provided a detailed update on the various sources and uses of the Federal COVID-19 stimulus funding.
3. 2022-23 Retirement Rate - The PSERS Board of Trustees certified the employer contribution rate at 35.26% for the fiscal year 2022-23, up from the current 34.94%. This represents a small increase over the current rate. The net impact on the 2022-23 General Fund due to the rate increase is approximately $227,814.
4. Health Care Clinic Design Contract - Mr. Schneider reviewed a proposal from the Schrader Group in the amount of $71,260 for architectural and engineering services for a pre-manufactured structure for the health care clinic. This item appears on tonight's agenda.
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The next Finance Committee meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, February 8, 2022, at 6:00 p.m. There will also be a special Finance Committee meeting on Tuesday, February 15, 2022, at 6:00 p.m. |
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Chair:
Christian Fusco
Vice Chair:
Al Roesch
Members:
Committee of the Whole
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NPSD Educational Foundation |
The Foundation did not meet in January, but in mid-December we approved more than $46,000 in innovative grant funding! From STEM to music to social studies, the projects we are supporting cover a variety of curriculum areas, schools and grades.
Throughout the month of January, annual campaign donations continued to arrive in our mailbox. Thank you to everyone who donated and there will be an update on our results in February.
Next up is the annual Online Auction which will be held May 4th through the 11th. An announcement will be made soon about how you can donate goods and services to this popular event.
The next meeting is on February 9, 2022, at 3 pm.
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Board of Trustees Member:
Juliane Ramić
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The Policy Committee met on January 11, 2022 in a virtual format. At the meeting, the committee continued its policy review work in collaboration with district administration and PSBA. New policies reviewed this month were:
- Policy 220 - Student, Expression, Distribution, and Posting of Materials
- Policy 222 - Tobacco and Vaping Products
- Policy 237 - Personal Electronic Devices
Also, Policy 903 - Public Participation in Board Meetings was brought back to the committee after being revised by the district's solicitor. These four policies are on the the agenda this evening for a first reading by the full Board.
In addition, two existing policies - Policy 5131.2-Use of Personal Electronic Devices and Policy 5131.8-Prohibition on the Use of Tobacco will be repealed when Policy 222 and Policy 237 are adopted by the Board.
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The next meeting of the Policy Committee will be on February 8, 2022, at 5:00 p.m. in a virtual format. |
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Chair:
Christian Fusco
Members:
Al Roesch,
Tina Stoll
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The Safe Schools Committee has not met since the December action meeting. |
The next Safe Schools Committee meeting will be held on January 31, 2022, at 5:45 pm and will be held in a virtual format. |
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Chair:
Jonathan Kassa
Members:
Dr. Wanda Lewis-Campbell,
Cathy Wesley
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