What’s New This Year In Pennsbury

Provided by the Pennsbury School District: 

The Pennsbury School District will open its doors for approximately 10,500 students on a staggered schedule as in past years. Beginning on Wednesday, August 31st, grades 1-5 in the elementary schools, grade 6 in the middle schools, and grade 9 at the high school will have their first full day of school. Then on Thursday, September 1st, grades 1-12 will report to school. This staggered opening will allow for full-day orientations for the incoming 6th and 9th grade students as they begin the school year in new buildings.

Kindergarten Orientation

All Kindergarten students will be accompanied by their parents or guardians on August 31st to attend a one-hour orientation session. These students will be divided into Groups A and B and attend school for the next two days in a staggered fashion. Group A will attend Kindergarten for a full day on Thursday, September 1st, while Group B remains home. On Friday, September 2nd, Group B Kindergarteners will attend school for the full day while Group A students will remain home. On Tuesday, September 6th (following Labor Day on the 5th), ALL Kindergarten students will report to school together for the entire day.

Following is a brief summary of what’s new in Pennsbury this year:

New Principal in Place

At the public Board meeting held on August 4, 2016, the Pennsbury Board of School Directors appointed Reginald A. Meadows to be the next Co-Principal at Pennsbury High School. Mr. Meadows, who will be based at PHS East, joins PHS West Co-Principal, Lisa Becker, in this leadership role. Having served as an Assistant Principal for nearly nine years on both the East and West campuses of the high school, Mr. Meadows possesses a broad familiarity with the School District.

“Mr. Meadows has had many opportunities to assess the systems in place at the high school and was able to articulate clear strategies to ensure and improve effectiveness and efficiencies,” said District Superintendent William J. Gretzula, Ed.D. “Equally important, Mr. Meadows has established positive professional and respectful relationships with all stakeholders in the Pennsbury community.” He also noted that “parents praised Mr. Meadows for his approachability and responsiveness. He exudes supportive accountability in all his actions and his commitment to PHS. We are proud to see Mr. Meadows grow and advance in his leadership journey.”

Mr. Meadows and Ms. Becker both report to Dr. Gretzula and Assistant Superintendent, Donna M. Dunar, Ed.D. Responsibilities of a PHS Co-Principal include general administration of the school, staff evaluation and supervision, the development and evaluation of the educational programs, and organization of student activities. The Secondary Principal is also responsible for directing the work of Assistant Principals, counselors, and other instructional and support staff to ensure an efficiently-managed organization. Additional responsibilities include implementation of safety procedures, attending IEP meetings, and overseeing alternative school operations.

“I am honored and humbled to begin serving as the new Co-Principal at Pennsbury High School and look forward to working in partnership with Lisa Becker as building leaders,” said Mr. Meadows. “I am excited to be working with dedicated teaching and administrative professionals and I eagerly look forward to providing a quality education for the students of Pennsbury. I am truly grateful for this opportunity.”

While serving as Assistant Principal at Pennsbury High School, Mr. Meadows assisted in day-today activities of building management, including teacher observations, coordination of the Science and Social Studies departments, student discipline, IEPs, and assisting with interviews for professional and support staff. He also planned and implemented the master class schedule. In addition, Mr. Meadows was assigned by the Superintendent to serve on multiple District-wide study committees. Prior to being appointed Assistant Principal, Mr. Meadows taught Social Studies to high school students for eight years.

Mr. Meadows holds a Master’s Degree with distinction in Educational Administration from Rider University and a Bachelor of Arts Degree in History and Secondary Education from The College of New Jersey.

Curriculum Update

In the Spring of 2016, the School Board approved an overhaul of the Pennsbury elementary mathematics curriculum with the adoption of Everyday Math 4 (McGraw Hill/Chicago Math). Features and benefits of the program include: hosted Family Fun Math Nights to promote activities that help students and parents become activity engaged in the math program; an online student resource package that also helps parents follow along on a unit by unit basis; plus student games and math manipulatives that help to raise rigor in the classroom.

“Everyday Math 4 helps us to focus on the four C’s,” said Assistant Superintendent, Donna M. Dunar, Ed.D. “These include critical thinking, collaboration, communication, and creativity; when combined, these elements help to elevate a program to maximize success.” Aligned to the PA Core Standards, Everyday Math 4 is the most researched program on the market today, according to Dr. Dunar. The guiding question asked by the curriculum renewal leadership team was, “How can teachers produce mathematically-powerful students who can solve problems and communicate their understanding to others?” The Everyday Math 4 program was selected after extensive outside research and visits to exemplar school districts in Pennsylvania.

On Primary Election Day in April, Pennsbury teachers participated enthusiastically in staff development opportunities for the new Everyday Math 4 program for grades K-5. Divided by grade levels at two locations, faculty members worked with District facilitators and representatives from McGraw Hill Education to become more familiar with the text materials as well as the math manipulatives that students use for hands-on activities as part of this new curriculum. Three summer workshops on Everyday Math 4 were also attended by Pennsbury’s elementary teachers, with added focus on the technology side of the program for all elementary teachers on August 30th. To learn more about the Everyday Math 4 program, see the FAQs posted on the Pennsbury homepage under “What’s New?”

LYFT Pennsbury Character Award

In conjunction with Pennsbury’s ongoing character education initiative, special presentations will once again be made at the second School Board meeting every month to spotlight students who embody specific character assets at the elementary, middle, and high school levels. This recognition program, called the LYFT Pennsbury Character Award, is a partnership effort that joins the School District with the LYFT Community Coalition. LYFT is an acronym that represents all four Pennsbury municipalities joined together – Lower Makefield, Yardley, Falls, and Tullytown. The first recognition will highlight students who stand out for their “Responsibility.” The award will be given at the October 13th Board meeting. Nominations will be accepted throughout the month of September. To learn more about this recognition program, call LYFT at (215) 949 1660 x 104, or email timp@uwbucks.org. To obtain a nomination form, contact Sherwood Taylor at staylor@pennsburysd.org.

Technology Improvements

During the summer months, the Technology Department deployed over 3,000 Chromebooks at the elementary level. The department is currently completing the installation of interactive boards in all K-5 math classrooms. Upgrades are being made in other areas, as well. “In the last two years, the District has seen a huge increase in the use of internet bandwidth,” said Kevin Dorsey, Director of Technology. “This resulted in the need for an upgraded internet connection to over 1G with plenty of room to grow.” All secondary students will be provided with District email accounts that will be used only for communication among students and District staff.

Based on the Board’s approval of a new content management system for the District website and all 14 school sites, work is now underway across the District to develop a user-friendly web presence for Pennsbury that will be unveiled later this year.

Pre-K Counts Program Continues

A grant-funded, pre-school program for three- and four-year-old children is continuing this year in the Pennsbury School District thanks to a joint effort between Pennsbury and the Morrisville YMCA. Known as the Pre-K Counts Program, these classroom sessions are being offered on a half-day basis, five days each week, for the full school year. Funded entirely by the Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL), Pre-K Counts is open to children of families in Bucks County who meet eligibility guidelines. Children must be three or four years old by September 1st to participate. Spearheading this effort in Pennsbury is Walt Disney Elementary School Principal, Laurie Gafgen. “The Pre-K Counts Program benefits our community’s youngest learners to prepare them for a successful kindergarten experience,” said Ms. Gafgen. “We utilize a creative curriculum and certified teachers to help these children build skills needed for kindergarten. Ms. Gafgen welcomes calls from community residents who may be interested in learning more about the Pre-K Counts program. She may be reached at 215-949-6868, ext. 20815.

Pennwood Renovation

Begins An extensive, District-wide facilities study in 2015 determined that Pennwood Middle School was the Pennsbury building most in need of renovation. Built in 1951 and expanded in 1972, this landmark structure is now undergoing its first major physical improvements in 65 years. Following Board approvals on June 9th that named the major contractors on the job, this two-year renovation project got underway during July 2016.

What once served as Pennsbury’s first high school on Makefield Road is now one of three middle schools housing grades 6-8 on a single campus. The engineering firm of Remington, Vernick & Beach, which conducted the facilities study for the School Board, also gathered data on vehicle and pedestrian traffic on the middle school campus. The outcome resulted in the planned relocation of the main bus dock at Pennwood as well as the overall re-routing of traffic patterns among all three middle schools to improve safety for bus, car, and pedestrian traffic.

Among the specific improvements planned for Pennwood are the relocation of the main office and nurse’s suite to the Makefield Road entrance, which is a security upgrade. The school’s natatorium, no longer needed for curricular purposes, has been demolished and will be replaced with classroom space. The new bus dock for student drop-off and pick-up will be relocated to that southwestern corner of the building, as well. Student lavatories, locker rooms, and other areas will be renovated to meet ADA requirements, while improvements will be made to the HVAC system, the boilers, roof, windows, lighting, and electrical system, among other items. The sloped auditorium will also be renovated.

The total cost of the project is $44 million, which includes construction and fees for such “soft” costs as engineering, architectural services, construction management, and permits. In July, the state announced that the Pennwood project would receive a $2 million grant to be applied against the overall project cost once the facility achieves Gold LEED certification (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) through the Green Building Certification Institute.

“Our thanks go to D’Huy Engineering, Inc., which acted on behalf of the School District in submitting the grant application for the funding from the Commonwealth Financing Authority,” said Pennsbury Business Administrator, Dan Rodgers. “The grant will be received once Gold LEED certification is achieved, so this clearly is our goal. We appreciate the state’s overall support of the Pennwood renovation project as well as the assistance of our local legislators and the Lower Makefield Township Supervisors in obtaining this grant.”

To follow the progress of the Pennwood renovation as it continues over the next two years, visit www.pennsburysd.org > Schools > Pennwood Middle School > Renovation News for the Principal’s Blog by Principal Elizabeth Aldridge as well as links to news stories related to the project.

Transportation Safety

In a continuing partnership between the School District and law enforcement, area police departments will be monitoring local traffic closely this year to ensure that vehicles are not passing Pennsbury school buses when students are entering, disembarking, or walking in the road nearby when buses have stopped. To accomplish this task, police officers from the four Pennsbury municipalities of Falls, Lower Makefield, Tullytown, and Yardley may either follow District buses in patrol cars — or, from time to time — ride on buses to determine if motorists are stopping at safe distances when the buses’ overhead red lights are activated.

Food Service in Pennsbury

Nationwide, all schools participating in the National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program are required to offer meals that meet nutrition standards set by the USDA. The number one priority of Pennsbury School District’s food service program is to provide high quality, delicious, and nutritious food.

Pennsbury’s provider of dining services – The Nutrition Group – offers a wide variety of fresh fruits and vegetables, light and fat-free dressings, and whole grains. More information about The Nutrition Group is available online at www.pennsburysd.org > Food Services.

Pennsbury parents and guardians continue to have the capability to provide online payment for their students’ cafeteria transactions as well as to view their child(ren)’s meal/snack selections and add comments or restrictions online. Please visit www.schoolcafe.com (formerly www.parentonline.net) to access this system. In addition, the School District encourages all parents and guardians whose students qualify for free and reduced meals to apply online at www.paschoolmeals.com

School Day Schedule

Elementary school students in grades K-5 will start at 9:00 a.m. and be dismissed at 3:40 p.m.

At the secondary level, orientation sessions are scheduled for students on the first day of school, as follows:

All three middle schools: The school day at this level ordinarily begins at 8:10 a.m. with daily dismissal at 2:55 p.m. August 31st, however, ONLY 6 th grade students will report to school at the usual start time. On the following day, students in grades 6-8 will all attend during normal school hours.

Pennsbury High School: Normally, the high school day begins at 7:20 a.m. and ends at 2:15 p.m. On August 31st, ONLY 9th grade students will report to school at the usual start time. On the following day, all students in grades 9-12 will report at the normal starting time and be dismissed at 2:15 p.m.