PENNSBURY SCHOOL DISTRICT • FALLSINGTON, PA • DECEMBER 2011 with the Pennsbury Education Foundation, to reach Across the DISTRICT every type of learner across the lifespan and to touch people’s lives by focusing on education, health and family safety in the 21st century. We understand that UNITED WAY CAMPAIGN RAISES education does not begin or end in the classroom. FUNDS FOR LOCAL AGENCIES Visit www.thinkfinity.org to learn more.” The 2011 Pennsbury United THANKSGIVING-RELATED GENEROSITY Way campaign concluded on ABOUNDS IN PENNSBURY November 30th. Gratitude is extended to the new Pennsbury Holiday giving initiatives within our own school donors who contributed this communities begin in earnest each year in November, year for the first time, as well as to our continuing and this year was no exception. While great care donors who, year after year, provide critical support is taken to maintain confidentiality, nurses and for the work of important local agencies here in counselors in each school work with other professional Bucks County. Thanks also to the 2011 United Way staff, administrators, and students to enhance the committee members – Beth Brody, Tammy Leimer, holidays for the neediest families in our schools, as well and Jennifer Schlosberg – and to Pennsbury Social as for others in our community and around the world. Workers Kelly White and Stacey Gerstenblith for stepping up in support of the campaign this year. Eleanor Roosevelt Elementary School conducted a two-week Thanksgiving food drive for 24 needy VERIZON FOUNDATION FUNDS CYBER-BULLYING PREVENTION A $10,000 grant from the Verizon Foundation was recently awarded to the Pennsbury Education Foundation to fund a comprehensive cyber-bullying prevention program at the middle school level. The newly-developed program, to be piloted at William Penn Middle School, will be executed in partnership with the Bucks County Peace Center. “Verizon is proud to improve the quality of life for youth and families in Lower Bucks County by empowering the community with innovative tools and resources,” said Daniel J. Reavy, Director of The families and staff of Eleanor Roosevelt Elementary School External Affairs for Verizon Pennsylvania. “We’re offered generous donations of food supplies to brighten the investing in programs, such as our partnership Thanksgiving holiday for local families in need. PENNSBURY SCHOOL DISTRICT • FALLSINGTON, PA • DECEMBER 2011 1 superintendent’s report • KEVIN J. McHUGH, Ed.D. families in the Roosevelt school community. PTO Committee held special events to collect money to community service chairperson, Kim Michalak, supplement Thanksgiving baskets and Christmas worked with Student Council teacher advisors, gifts. Food baskets were distributed to more than 30 Donna Horner and Liz Seitz, and school nurse, Pat Walt Disney families in need at Thanksgiving time. Marseglia, to coordinate this effort. The Charles Boehm Middle School Student Edgewood Elementary School’s Thanksgiving Council conducts a Thanksgiving food drive each food drive was organized on behalf of the year for about 25 of the school’s neediest families. Children’s Home Society. This year, Edgewood This year, students, teachers and parents donated a was able to provide full Thanksgiving dinners variety of food items, and teachers Michelle Meehan for 60 families, twice the number of families fed and Lynn Gordon, with the assistance of the Charles last year. In addition, the Edgewood Student Boehm Student Council, gathered the items, Council donated $500 for the purchase of turkeys to shopped for necessary supplements, and created complete the baskets. Thanksgiving food baskets for these families. Quarry Hill Elementary nurse Nancy Kazanjian Pennwood Middle School students, faculty, and coordinated a similar effort for 15 families in Quarry staff celebrated their thanks and “paid it forward” Hill’s school community. While the teachers, PTO to others in the community again this year. The parents, and Student Council provided turkeys, Student Council organized a food drive to assist each grade level contributed a different type of families in need, while faculty and staff collected food to ensure a variety in the food baskets. Ms. money for gift cards to help families purchase Kazanjian also included Thanksgiving-related word turkeys and other perishable goods for the holidays. search puzzles and children’s games in each basket. In mid-November, Student Council representatives, along with teachers Jacquie Medaglia and Michelle The staff of Walt Disney Elementary School has Becknell, organized the food donations and gift been collecting money, food, and other items to cards into baskets to be picked up by the families. make the holidays a bit more joyful for some of their “This was the second food drive organized by families. Members of the school’s Holiday Giving Pennwood this fall, and we saw an overwhelming outpouring of generosity from our students, faculty, and staff,” said Principal Patricia Steckroat. The students of the William Penn Middle School National Junior Honor Society held their annual Food for Friends Thanksgiving food drive in November. Through the combined efforts of the students, faculty and staff, along with the PTO, enough food was collected to feed each of 25 William Penn families a complete Thanksgiving dinner. The teacher coordinators for this initiative included Denise Dugan, Isabel Latch, and Barbara Handloff. In addition, extra food donations were delivered to the food pantry in Fairless Hills to help other families. The William Penn Kindness Club, Walt Disney Elementary teacher Joe Michelin and many of with sponsors Patti Kinard and Carol Kelly, helped his colleagues assisted with gathering Thanksgiving dinner to prepare the baskets with the NJHS students. supplies for families in the school community. 2 DECEMBER 2011 • PENNSBURY SCHOOL DISTRICT • FALLSINGTON, PA superintendent’s report • KEVIN J. McHUGH, Ed.D. self worth and community, although many of them are either homeless, or working poor who cannot make ends meet, or the elderly who don’t have enough retirement funds to afford necessities. So we not only help in November, but also every month through the year!” PENNSBURY HIGH SCHOOL PRESENTS A WONDERFUL LIFE A Wonderful Life will be presented at the PHS East Auditorium at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, December 16 and Saturday, December 17. This is a musical version of William Penn Middle School students in the NJHS partnered with Frank Capra’s holiday film classic, It’s a Wonderful students in the school’s Kindness Club to pack Thanksgiving Life, and the plot is faithful to the original storyline. dinner supplies for families in the William Penn community. The musical version is set in the mid-1940s and the costumes, make-up and set design will reflect this Pennsbury High School foreign language teacher time period. Make merry with this surprisingly Debbie Weston shares that the high school’s Bible stirring musical featuring over 75 cast members, the Fellowship Club headed up the annual creation of PHS theater orchestra, and a complete technical crew generous Thanksgiving baskets for more than 25 of over 200 people (comprised of students, teachers Pennsbury families in need, with help from the Red and parents), as they take a trip to Bedford Falls to Cross Club, led by teacher Anthony Barth. “We present Raposo and Harnick’s musical production, A provide food for an entire dinner for each family, Wonderful Life. Pennsbury’s East campus is located with home-made desserts created by the Catering at 705 Hood Boulevard in Fairless Hills. Ticket Club, with teacher Randa Martenis. The FCCLA, prices are $15, $10 and $7. To reserve tickets, contact: working with advisors Peggy Lehnen and Gayle [email protected]. Gould, also provided games, centerpieces and toys for the families.” Many students reported that they felt very good about this volunteer effort, according to Ms. Weston, who also extended “a huge thanks” to all of the clubs and teachers who assisted. PHS Family and Consumer Sciences teacher Gayle Gould shares that FCCLA has undertaken a project with St Paul’s Episcopal Church in the Pinewood section of Levittown. The students are providing support for a program called Food With Friends on the second Tuesday of each month. “About 12 of our members signed up to go out and help set up, serve and clean up after the meals at the church,” said Ms. Gould. “All of the food that is served has been donated by businesses in the community; nothing is paid for. But the best part of this event is that the PHS students Chris McHugh (left) and Kelsey Hubsch students are encouraged to sit, eat and converse with play lead characters in this year’s musical theater the guests. This helps to give the guests a sense of production, A Wonderful Life. PENNSBURY SCHOOL DISTRICT • FALLSINGTON, PA • DECEMBER 2011 3 superintendent’s report • KEVIN J. McHUGH, Ed.D. Roosevelt, Physical Education teachers Maryanne AN IMPORTANT SAFETY MESSAGE Sprout and Bryan Rittler have initiated an FROM PENNDOT intramural flag football program for students during recess. Through these teachers’ volunteer efforts, In an effort to enhance safety on Pennsylvania students are able to participate in structured athletic roads, Governor Tom Corbett recently signed two games during the school day. measures into law that affect drivers of all ages. One law changes the Vehicle Code involving graduated MAKEFIELD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL driver licensing requirements, passenger restrictions for junior drivers, and passenger restraint laws. The This fall, a total of 15 Makefield girls in grades other law prohibits drivers from using an Interactive three through five elected to attend an after-school Wireless Communication Device (IWCD) to send, activity called Girls on the Run. Participants were read or write a text-based communication while his divided into two teams. One team was coached or her vehicle is in motion. The new teen driver by School Counselor Laurie Bloom and teachers and seat-belt rules take effect on Dec.