Neshaminy's Back to School profile.
Renovations on time, on budget
This year, administrators said they’re working on implementing a writing program for all grade levels.
By RACHEL CANELLI
A brand new two-story classroom wing will be opening at Neshaminy High School to begin the school year. The building includes new desks and flat screen televisions. Crews will continue to work on another new two-story wing for science, which should be equipped with new labs and updated tools by the spring, officials said.
The Middletown school is more than halfway through a major construction and renovation project, which is adding more than 250,000 square feet to accommodate 2,800 students, including ninth- graders who will move there from the middle schools next year, administrators said.
The whole $82 million project, which remains on time and on budget, is expected to be finished in September 2009. The district borrowed $77 million to fund it, officials said.
Elsewhere in the district, officials said they’re implementing a literacy framework for kindergartners through first-graders this year, and including a writing program in all grades, according to spokeswoman Sandra Costanzo.
Meanwhile, Neshaminy Middle School, which recently closed, received the Bronze Level National Recognition Award from the Alliance for a Healthier Generation for its health initiatives. The Middletown building was one of 43 schools in the country and the only school in the state to receive the recognition. Former President Bill Clinton and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation presented the honor to the school’s former principal, Karen Wychock, administrators said.
The Neshaminy School District serves more than 9,000 students in 13 schools throughout Middletown, Langhorne, Langhorne Manor, Penndel, Hulmeville and Lower Southampton. The district employs more than 1,500 people and has adopted a $190 million annual budget, officials said. For information, visit www.neshaminy.k12.pa.us.
WHO’S WHO IN THE SCHOOLS
Superintendent:
Paul J. Kadri, 215-809-6500
Assistant Superintendent:
Louis T. Muenker, 215-809-6606
Director of elementary education:
Jacqueline Rattigan, 215-809-6510
Director of secondary education:
Geeta A. Heble, 215-809-6510
Principals:
Tawanka Learning Center: Joann Holland, 215-809-6240
Neshaminy High: Alex Menio, 215-809-6100
Maple Point Middle: Mark Collins, 215-809-6230
Poquessing Middle: Ronald Sayre, 215-809-6210
Carl Sandburg Middle: Dawn Kelly, 215-809-6220
Pearl Buck Elementary: Paul Mahoney, 215-809-6300
Samuel Everitt Elementary: Andre Modica, 215-809-6320
Joseph Ferderbar Elementary: Judy Brown, 215-809-6370
Oliver Heckman Elementary: Brian Kern, 215-809-6330
Herbert Hoover Elementary: Karen Wychock, 215-809-6340
Lower Southampton Elementary: Matthew Walsh, 215-809-6350
Walter Miller Elementary: Joan Chak, 215-809-6360
Albert Schweitzer Elementary: Stephanie Miguelez, 215-809-6380
School board:
Joseph Blasch, Kim Koutsouradis, Irene Boyle, Susan Cummings, Richard Eccles, Frank Koziol, William Spitz, Ritchie Webb and William O’Connor. The board meets on the second and fourth Tuesdays of the month at 7 p.m., except in July and August. The board does not normally meet in July. It meets on the fourth Tuesday in August. Work sessions are held in the administrative boardroom of the Maple Point Middle School in Middletown. To reach the school board, visit www.neshaminy.k12.pa.us and follow the links.
2008-09 SCHOOL CALENDAR
Sept. 3, first day for students Sept. 30, Rosh Hashana, no school Oct. 1, Rosh Hashana, no school Oct. 9, Yom Kippur, no school Nov. 4, Election Day, no school Nov. 11, Veterans Day, district closed Nov. 26-28, Thanksgiving holiday Dec. 24-31 Christmas recess Jan 1-2, Christmas recess Jan. 19, Martin Luther King Jr. Day Feb. 16, Presidents Day Feb. 25, no school Apr. 6-10 Spring recess May 19, Election Day, no school May 25, Memorial Day June 11, graduation June 19, last day for students
FAST FACTS ABOUT NESHAMINY
2007 Average SAT Scores: Verbal — 499
Math — 511
Writing — 490
Average teacher salary: $81,480
AP courses: 12
Student/teacher ratio: high school, 14 to 1; middle, 12 to 1; elementary, 14 to 1
Cost per student: $15,680
2008 Adequate Yearly Progress status: did not meet AYP goal
Partnerships with businesses:
more than 500 community partners
Information provided by the Neshaminy School District
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Dunford: The Next Day
Here's an interesting item from today's BCCT. It's just a continuation of the Emperor's "Iknowaguy" style of bringing in cronies. His track record so far in "Iknowaguy" transactions is not impressive. Kudos to Gloria Heater for her suggestion, but the vote is 5-4 with Hellmann, Radosti, Mihok, Worob, and Buckman approving the Bristol guy.
Let's move this meeting along.
Business manager resigns
The embattled business manager of the Morrisville School District tendered her resignation Tuesday, effective Oct. 18.
Reba Dunford has been with the district for four years.
Superintendent Elizabeth Yonson said it was with regret that she accepted the resignation. “Reba Dunford is an excellent business administrator. She restructured the business office and made it more efficient. She is an important member of my team and I will miss her.”
Dunford, of Montgomery County, said Wednesday she has found a new position closer to home.
“I am really sad to leave all of the great staff at Morrisville. I have enjoyed working with the administration and other employees.”
Dunford and Yonson have been the subject of heated and often public criticism from the new school board majority. Softspoken Dunford sparred openly at times with school board President Bill Hellmann in recent budget work sessions in which Hellmann presented his own budget drafts.
In June, the board reduced the length of Yonson’s contract from five years to three despite her protest.
Yonson indicated she would advertise to fill Dunford’s position, but school board member Gloria Heater has suggested to Hellmann that the position be filled temporarily through the Bucks County Intermediate Unit. In an e-mail to the board, Heater surprised minority members by indicating Hellmann had discussed with her a specific permanent candidate, referencing “[Hellmann’s] guy in Bristol.”
Whoever that might be has not been disclosed.
Let's move this meeting along.
Business manager resigns
The embattled business manager of the Morrisville School District tendered her resignation Tuesday, effective Oct. 18.
Reba Dunford has been with the district for four years.
Superintendent Elizabeth Yonson said it was with regret that she accepted the resignation. “Reba Dunford is an excellent business administrator. She restructured the business office and made it more efficient. She is an important member of my team and I will miss her.”
Dunford, of Montgomery County, said Wednesday she has found a new position closer to home.
“I am really sad to leave all of the great staff at Morrisville. I have enjoyed working with the administration and other employees.”
Dunford and Yonson have been the subject of heated and often public criticism from the new school board majority. Softspoken Dunford sparred openly at times with school board President Bill Hellmann in recent budget work sessions in which Hellmann presented his own budget drafts.
In June, the board reduced the length of Yonson’s contract from five years to three despite her protest.
Yonson indicated she would advertise to fill Dunford’s position, but school board member Gloria Heater has suggested to Hellmann that the position be filled temporarily through the Bucks County Intermediate Unit. In an e-mail to the board, Heater surprised minority members by indicating Hellmann had discussed with her a specific permanent candidate, referencing “[Hellmann’s] guy in Bristol.”
Whoever that might be has not been disclosed.
Don't whine, get involved in kids' education
From CNN. There's a lot of good, sound information here. When the kids bring home that mountain of "parent homework" next month, take some time to read it completely. Fill out the PTO application too. Get involved.
By Roland S. Martin, CNN Contributor
Editor's Note: Join Roland S. Martin for his weekly sound-off segment on CNN.com Live at 10:30 a.m. ET Wednesday. If you're passionate about politics, he wants to hear from you. Martin, a nationally syndicated columnist and Chicago-based radio host, is the author of "Listening to the Spirit Within: 50 Perspectives on Faith" and "Speak, Brother! A Black Man's View of America." Please visit his Web site.
Don't whine, get involved in kids' education
(CNN) -- Today was my first day in elementary school.
My wife and I have been married seven-and-a-half years and we don't have any children. But two weeks ago, we persuaded one of my three sisters to send her four girls -- ages 9, 7 and twin 4-year-olds -- to Chicago, Illinois, so we could take care of them and get them caught up academically.
I take seriously my role as a godfather and uncle. For a lot of folks, being a godfather is all about a ceremony and giving gifts on birthdays and Christmas.
But if you remember the admonition of the priest or pastor, the purpose of a godfather is to stand in the gap for the parents when they are unable to do so. That has surely been the case in my family. The consequence of drama in a marriage has left the two older nieces behind academically.
So we decided that it's time for them to be in a stable environment , immersed in academics. That's what took me to the nearby Chicago public school.
As I filled out the paperwork and looked through the folder provided by the school, I came across a variety of forms: for a school fundraiser at a restaurant, a raffle, and an application to join the school's Parent-Teacher Association.
For me, there is nothing more important than that PTA application.
In a world where the two presidential candidates spar over education funding, merit pay for teachers and whether vouchers are a good idea, a lot of folks spend their time complaining. They talk about failing schools and what administrators should be doing, and how teachers don't care like they did back in the day.
I'm sure you've heard the complaints before.
Trust me, I get it when folks say schools need more funding. But I also remember a conversation a few years ago on the syndicated television show America's Black Forum. Education advocate Jonathan Kozol was arguing that the issue is money, and Ohio's Wilberforce University president, the Rev. Floyd Flake, said that is just one of the critical elements.
Flake, a former congressman who runs his own school in New York, asked why schools in Washington, D.C. can spend more than $10,000 per child and kids fail, yet his New York school was spending $5,400 at the time and more than 75 percent were passing.
Kozol argued that one reason was Flake's charisma as a leader, but Flake contended -- and I agree -- that success is related to a nurturing environment where parents are mandated to take an active role in their child's education.
I thought of this in May during a conversation on my Chicago radio show with Rufus Williams, president of the Chicago Board of Education. A lot of parents called in, angry with the Chicago school system because they didn't find out until graduation that their child would not graduate because of failing scores.
The phone lines lit up and they bombarded Williams with all kinds of insults.
He promised to get them answers. The next day, he had them.
Apparently, parents were sent reminders during every report-card period when their child was at risk of failing.
But the parents couldn't say the dog ate the sheet before it came through the door. The parents had come to the school themselves to pick up the cards, and the warning was attached.
So the real deal was that these parents were informed of their child's poor classroom performance, but chose to overlook it.
Guess what? The phones were silent. Oh how the truth hurt.
The reality is that whether it's the 390,000 kids in Chicago public schools, or millions across the country, no school can educate the next generation alone. It requires committed teachers, but also informed and active parents who are willing to make sacrifices.
It would have been easy for my wife and me to live in our empty nest, take get-away trips on the weekend, or save a ton of dough and retire early. But there was no way I could sit back as those four girls were denied even a fighting chance at a great education so they could live their lives to the fullest.
One of my first questions was related to the dates of the parent-teacher conferences. I wanted to plug them into my Blackberry immediately. Those sessions are a priority. I can guarantee you the teachers will know me by name, and not just because I'm on CNN or WVON Radio.
See, I had good role models: my parents. They didn't go to college and have six-figure jobs. They simply cared about the education of their five children.
So, the nation's children are preparing for another school year. The parents must do the same thing.
My nieces begin September 2. We guardians and parents need to get our minds right, and make the decision now whether we are going to be those who work for solutions or those who just whine about the deficiencies.
Show up on the first day and do not make it your last. There is no greater gift you can provide your children, nieces, nephews or grandchildren than your full attention to their educations. As the United Negro College Fund has said for years: A mind is a terrible thing to waste.
By Roland S. Martin, CNN Contributor
Editor's Note: Join Roland S. Martin for his weekly sound-off segment on CNN.com Live at 10:30 a.m. ET Wednesday. If you're passionate about politics, he wants to hear from you. Martin, a nationally syndicated columnist and Chicago-based radio host, is the author of "Listening to the Spirit Within: 50 Perspectives on Faith" and "Speak, Brother! A Black Man's View of America." Please visit his Web site.
Don't whine, get involved in kids' education
(CNN) -- Today was my first day in elementary school.
My wife and I have been married seven-and-a-half years and we don't have any children. But two weeks ago, we persuaded one of my three sisters to send her four girls -- ages 9, 7 and twin 4-year-olds -- to Chicago, Illinois, so we could take care of them and get them caught up academically.
I take seriously my role as a godfather and uncle. For a lot of folks, being a godfather is all about a ceremony and giving gifts on birthdays and Christmas.
But if you remember the admonition of the priest or pastor, the purpose of a godfather is to stand in the gap for the parents when they are unable to do so. That has surely been the case in my family. The consequence of drama in a marriage has left the two older nieces behind academically.
So we decided that it's time for them to be in a stable environment , immersed in academics. That's what took me to the nearby Chicago public school.
As I filled out the paperwork and looked through the folder provided by the school, I came across a variety of forms: for a school fundraiser at a restaurant, a raffle, and an application to join the school's Parent-Teacher Association.
For me, there is nothing more important than that PTA application.
In a world where the two presidential candidates spar over education funding, merit pay for teachers and whether vouchers are a good idea, a lot of folks spend their time complaining. They talk about failing schools and what administrators should be doing, and how teachers don't care like they did back in the day.
I'm sure you've heard the complaints before.
Trust me, I get it when folks say schools need more funding. But I also remember a conversation a few years ago on the syndicated television show America's Black Forum. Education advocate Jonathan Kozol was arguing that the issue is money, and Ohio's Wilberforce University president, the Rev. Floyd Flake, said that is just one of the critical elements.
Flake, a former congressman who runs his own school in New York, asked why schools in Washington, D.C. can spend more than $10,000 per child and kids fail, yet his New York school was spending $5,400 at the time and more than 75 percent were passing.
Kozol argued that one reason was Flake's charisma as a leader, but Flake contended -- and I agree -- that success is related to a nurturing environment where parents are mandated to take an active role in their child's education.
I thought of this in May during a conversation on my Chicago radio show with Rufus Williams, president of the Chicago Board of Education. A lot of parents called in, angry with the Chicago school system because they didn't find out until graduation that their child would not graduate because of failing scores.
The phone lines lit up and they bombarded Williams with all kinds of insults.
He promised to get them answers. The next day, he had them.
Apparently, parents were sent reminders during every report-card period when their child was at risk of failing.
But the parents couldn't say the dog ate the sheet before it came through the door. The parents had come to the school themselves to pick up the cards, and the warning was attached.
So the real deal was that these parents were informed of their child's poor classroom performance, but chose to overlook it.
Guess what? The phones were silent. Oh how the truth hurt.
The reality is that whether it's the 390,000 kids in Chicago public schools, or millions across the country, no school can educate the next generation alone. It requires committed teachers, but also informed and active parents who are willing to make sacrifices.
It would have been easy for my wife and me to live in our empty nest, take get-away trips on the weekend, or save a ton of dough and retire early. But there was no way I could sit back as those four girls were denied even a fighting chance at a great education so they could live their lives to the fullest.
One of my first questions was related to the dates of the parent-teacher conferences. I wanted to plug them into my Blackberry immediately. Those sessions are a priority. I can guarantee you the teachers will know me by name, and not just because I'm on CNN or WVON Radio.
See, I had good role models: my parents. They didn't go to college and have six-figure jobs. They simply cared about the education of their five children.
So, the nation's children are preparing for another school year. The parents must do the same thing.
My nieces begin September 2. We guardians and parents need to get our minds right, and make the decision now whether we are going to be those who work for solutions or those who just whine about the deficiencies.
Show up on the first day and do not make it your last. There is no greater gift you can provide your children, nieces, nephews or grandchildren than your full attention to their educations. As the United Negro College Fund has said for years: A mind is a terrible thing to waste.
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