Pennsbury Elementary Students Take Part in Open Houses

Falls Township eight-year-old twins Ralphene and Ralphena Barpoh both felt a little better after getting a chance to visit their new third-grade classrooms at Oxford Valley Elementary School Tuesday afternoon.

The twins were among hundreds of other students and parents across across all of the Pennsbury School District’s elementary buildings who had the opportunity to visit their school the day before classes began and see their new classroom.

“Some of the kids gets the nervous nellies,” third-grade teacher Sue Makler, a 39-year Pennsbury teacher, said. “Today is nice and gives them a change to settle down.”

Students throughout the school went to their new classrooms, met their teacher and look for friends, who they hoped would be in their class this year.

Jen Robbins showed her five-year-old daughter, Ava, around her kindergarten classroom and met her new teacher.

“We love [the open house],” Robbin said. She added that Ava had already met a new classmate and was looking forward to her first day.

Principal Fran Nitkin said many of the school’s 420 students come with their parents and use the open house to find out where there classrooms will be.

For the 29 students coming to Oxford Valley from the shuttered Village Park Elementary School, librarian Jen Dillon will be a familiar face. The former Village Park librarian said she saw students from her last school on Tuesday.

Most of Village Park’s reading collection was transferred over the summer to Oxford Valley’s Dr. Patricia Johnston Library.