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It seems that in the blink of an eye, here we are, nearly halfway through the school year. Before you know it we will be writing 2019 on our checks, well for those of us who still use checks. With this mid-point upon us, I felt it time to communicate about the progress being made toward our implementation of a full-day kindergarten (FDK) program for next school year.
Since the board approval of full-day kindergarten this past September, a dedicated staff of nearly 50 people have been planning and setting the stage for our implementation next school year. Since September, various committees have been rigorously working on staffing, curriculum, scheduling, materials, professional development, communication, inclusive practices, social/emotional strategies and registration.
Our curriculum staff have been revising the scope and sequence for all curricular areas in kindergarten with an effort of creating the balance between academics and social-emotional skills. Creating classroom environments that focus on developmentally appropriate learning experiences is critical for our young learners. Students will have increased opportunities to engage in purposeful play to learn the objective of the lesson with this hands-on approach. Research has shown that this instructional strategy improves executive functioning skills, develops creativity, increases language comprehension and fosters empathy. Transitions, routines and building a classroom community are but a few areas of focus for our social and emotional committee.
Centralized registration for full-day kindergarten will begin on February 25 and run through the month of March. Please click here for more information on our registration process, needed documents and how to schedule an appointment. In addition, four general overview sessions on full-day kindergarten will be offered May 9 at 2 and 6:30 pm at Gwyn-Nor Elementary School and May 30 at 2 and 6:30 pm at Nash Elementary School. Information about school-level orientations will be provided to families once the details have been finalized. Further information on the full-day kindergarten program can be found here.
Although work on FDK has been a focus this fall, there is much work being done throughout the school district on other important topics as well. In this issue of E-Matters you can read about the CARE Symposium and Community Forum on Building and Renovation Needs that were held recently. Both community input sessions will help set the course for North Penn School District (NPSD) for years to come. Related to that, the school board approved NPSD's Comprehensive Plan for the years 7/1/2019 through 6/30/2022 which you can find here.
And while the efforts described above are at the district level, the core of what we do is occurring every day throughout all of our buildings. From teaching children how to read, to coaching our athletes to victory, to driving students safely home in challenging weather, NPSD staff are the key to this school district's success. And we could not be as excellent as we are if it wasn't for the support we receive from parents, community members and school board directors. Together we make NPSD a premier school district in the state.
During this holiday season, I would like to say thank you to everyone for their part in NPSD's success and wish this great community a wonderful 2019.
Sincerely,
Curtis R. Dietrich, Ed.D.
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Many families wish to show their appreciation to a special teacher, principal or support person who makes a difference in their child's life by offering a small gift during the holiday season. While our staff greatly appreciates these genuine gestures of thanks, please consider giving a gift that keeps giving long after the holidays are over - a donation to the NPSD Educational Foundation.
Click here for more information and donation form.
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Happy Holidays from
Dr. Dietrich and NPSD
The holidays are upon us! As always, NPSD students helped Dr. Dietrich to create the annual Holiday Message. "Each year, I am amazed by the talent of our students and our art teachers who encourage their creativity!" said NPSD Superintendent Dr. Curt Dietrich.
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Give your recent grads or long-time alum the perfect gift this holiday season! Short & Long Sleeve T-Shirts and Hoodies are available in navy blue and gray. Orders will be available for pick-up at the NPSD Educational Services Center beginning Wednesday, December 19.
HURRY, SALE ENDS FRIDAY, DEC. 7!
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Snow is bound to hit NPSD this winter! When the weather outside is frightful, NPSD Superintendent Curt Dietrich is very busy consulting with various school district departments, other school districts and weather outlets to assess conditions and whether school needs to be delayed, dismissed or cancelled. It is not an easy job.
On snowy mornings, Dr. Dietrich (if he sleeps at all) is awake for a conference call before 5 am. It is NPSD's hope that school delays and closings will be decided and posted via district communication channels by 5:30 am. In some challenging situations, that may not happen but the decision is always made as soon as possible.
it is important to note that district communication channels are always updated first. For the most accurate, up-to-date information, we recommend the following in order:
- Tune into North Penn Television (NPTV) on Comcast Cable channel 28 and Verizon FiOS channel 29 for the fastest information concerning delays and closings.
- Download the NPSD mobile app to receive notifications on your mobile phone. The NPSD Mobile App is available for Apple and Android devices.
- Visit the main page of our website, as closing/delay information will always be posted in the "Important Announcements" section.
- "Like" NPSD on Facebook or follow NPSD on Twitter to see posts about closing/delay information.
- Local radio and television stations are also notified but NPSD cannot guarantee the timeliness of their posting of the information. The WNPV 1440 AM school closing number for NPSD is 303.
In situations when schools are dismissed early, all of the above-mentioned communication tools are used in addition to using the emergency messenger system. Because of this, it is very important to keep your contact information up to date with your school's office and on Home Access Center.
For more detailed information about inclement weather notification, turn to your 2018-2019 Activities Calendar.
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Did you know NPSD has a monthly live program that all students and staff watch at the same time? Community members can watch live too the last Tuesday of every month at 10:00 am on our
YouTube Channel.
This month's issue features Grandparents Day at Knapp, the Inglewood Timberwolf Trot, 21 Things, #thewhy and much more!
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Monday, January 14; 12 pm to 1 pm
NPSD Educational Services Center
401 East Hancock Street, Lansdale
NPSD and NPSD Superintendent Dr. Curt Dietrich are excited to once again offer families and community members the opportunity to speak one-on-one about important issues involving NPSD schools. Community Conversations, a series of informal meetings, gives attendees the chance to talk freely with Dr. Dietrich and share their concerns and suggestions for the North Penn School District.
All North Penn community members, whether they have children in North Penn schools or not, are invited to attend these informative Community Conversations with Dr. Dietrich.
Space is limited and seats fill up fast!
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NPSD Board of School Directors Meetings
To view agenda attachments and minutes from past meetings, please click here.
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The school store is now online!
Stock up on all your NPHS apparel by ordering online. To visit the School Store's website, please click
here.
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Stay up to date with the latest news, events and highlights from North Penn School District |
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In an effort to improve communications, the district has created "Say What" to provide people with a place to get answers to questions and to address rumors and inaccurate information that sometimes circulates throughout the community.
Click on the logo
to check out NPTV's
media library. New content
added daily!
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We want to hear from you! If you have a suggestion for a story idea or have comments, please email
andreykm@npenn.org.
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Dr. Dietrich's Superintendent's Student Council
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Last month, Dr. Dietrich visited North Penn High School (NPHS) for the Superintendent's Student Council November meeting where he was joined by students in grades 10 through 12. During this meeting, Dr. Dietrich was able to speak with students about curriculum, teacher support, student interaction, extracurricular activities and much more. The district thanks these stellar students for their feedback about what it's like to be a student at NPHS in the North Penn School District.
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NPHS Receives National Recognition from Special Olympics for Achievements with Inclusion
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NPHS, a Special Olympics Pennsylvania Unified Champion School, hosted a special banner presentation to acknowledge NPHS' national recognition for its outstanding efforts to provide inclusive sports and activities for students with and without disabilities.
According to Special Olympics, 2018, only 132 schools nationwide achieved national banner recognition, including just one in 2017 and four in 2018 for Pennsylvania.
NPHS received this honor as a result of meeting national standards of excellence in the areas of inclusion, advocacy and respect, which places it be among a select number of schools to receive this distinction. The special school assembly included a small program featuring cheering students, athlete and Unified Partner testimonials, guest speakers, a banner unveiling and more.
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Symposium on Race and Ethnicity Makes an Impact
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NPSD held a Conversation Around Race and Ethnicity (CARE) Symposium to begin a dialogue to support greater engagement of NPSD's diverse families and community members. More than 150 community members, parents, staff and students attended the evening event on November 29 at Penndale Middle School.
The objectives of the meeting were:
- to share information on North Penn's diversity and the cultural proficiency efforts;
- to gain feedback, insight, and ideas from parents, students and community members on their experiences with diversity in North Penn (where we are excelling and where we need to improve); and
- to solicit feedback from the community on the NPSD Cultural Proficiency Plan.
After opening remarks, participants broke into groups to discuss the NPSD Cultural Proficiency Plan and its four main goals: Reducing the Achievement Gap; Reducing Disproportionality in Special Education and Discipline; Recruiting and Retaining a Diverse Workforce; and Student, Family and Community Engagement. Led by NPSD staff, the small groups discussed the plan's goals in deeper detail and participants provided feedback regarding general issues/concerns.
More information on the NPSD Cultural Proficiency Plan, the CARE Symposium and how you can be involved can be found
here.
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NPSD Parent Recognized by PA Association for Gifted Education for Outstanding Contributions
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The 2018 Distinguished Parent Award is given to a parent whose contribution to gifted education has been exemplary. The Pennsylvania Association for Gifted Education (PAGE) announced that Diane Kortz, parent of a son and a daughter in the North Penn School District, was named PAGE's 2018 Distinguished Parent of the Year.
Diane is a member of NPSD's Gifted Task Force, the Home and School Association, Coordinating Council and has serviced for a number of years as a president of PAGE affiliate, the North Penn Association for Gifted Education.
"Diane is passionate about caring for all children and dedicated to helping them reach their full potential, " said Donna Mower, NPSD Secondary Gifted Department Chair.
Donna Mower and Juliet Matje, NPSD Supervisor of Special Education who oversees Gifted, accompanied Diane to the PAGE conference in Pittsburgh, PA, where Diane received her award. It is a true honor to have Diane be part of our community as someone who is always collaboratively working with the district to improve Gifted Education at North Penn.
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Gwynedd Square Elementary School
Honors Local Veterans
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Gwynedd Square Elementary School invited the community to join them in honoring local heroes and celebrating Veterans Day.
Students and staff were joined by members of local retirement communities and the Veterans of Foreign Wars. "Our goal was to provide a wonderful celebration recognizing the service of our Veterans," said principal Bill Bowen, a fellow veteran.
The program featured the NPHS Junior Reserve Officer Corps as they presented the colors and performed various displays to honor prisoners of war and those missing in action, as well as echoing taps. Students from the Gwynedd Square chorus and band underscored the event with patriotic songs.
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NPHS Student-Athletes Sign Letter of Intent
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Congratulations to the NPHS seniors who signed letters of intent last month for colleges and universities for the 2019 fall semester! For a full list and more information about these student athletes,
click here.
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Three New Administrators Appointed
by NPSD Board of School Directors
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NPSD welcomed three new member to the family following approval by the NPSD Board of School Directors at the action meeting held in November. Congratulations to Lynne B. Millard, Principal of Oak Park Elementary School; Kristin Johnson, Assistant Director of Business Administration; and Christina S. Carter, Principal of A.M. Kulp Elementary School.
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Community Forum Addresses
NPSD Building and Renovation Needs
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Community members crowded the Pennbrook Middle School Auditorium on November 13 to hear about and give input regarding NPSD building and renovation needs. The community forum served as an opportunity for those in the room and those watching online to review the condition of current buildings, plans for renovations and the costs associated with the work.
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NP vs. LC Thanksgiving Day Alumni Flag Football Game
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Thank you to our alumni participants, volunteers and community members who came out to the fourth Thanksgiving Day Alumni Flag Football Game!
The North Penn community kicked off Thanksgiving with a new spin on an old tradition, as the stands at North Penn High School's Turf Stadium were filled with bundled-up community members in support of their favorite Knights and Crusaders of the past.
We welcomed back more than 100 alumni football players from both North Penn and Lansdale Catholic from the class of 1970 all the way to the class of 2018. North Penn Marching Knights Alumni Band members rocked the stands while North Penn Cheerleading Alumni rallied from the sidelines to support our Knights!
This year's game was a nail biter, with the closest score throughout each quarter that we've seen thus far. But in the end, Lansdale Catholic took home the title for the fourth year in a row with a final score of 34-31.
Thank you to all of the volunteers, participants and our community for once again making this event such a huge success!
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STEM Empowerment Starts with Inclusion
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Today's technologies provide vast opportunities to improve the educational experiences of all students. At NPSD, access to general education for students who require more support-such as those with autism and intellectual disabilities-has been at the center of our education mission for the last decade.
A group of NPSD students set out to build a tool that would allow a peer to communicate more easily-and learned valuable lessons about equity in the process.
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North Penn News Update from NPTV
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North Penn Television (NPTV) students produce updates on what was happening around the NPSD during the month of November.
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| NPHS Students Rock the Vote |
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| Community Knight with the NP Marching Knights |
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