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Dear Community,
Over the last couple of months, district administration has been busy refining a proposed final budget for the 2017-2018 school year. Over a series of finance committee meetings, we have presented information regarding projected expenditures and revenues for next year. We are still months away from the adoption of a final budget and many questions remain to be answered in this time.
What we do know for certain is that the board approved a resolution in November to not exceed the Act 1 Index of 2.5 percent, meaning that taxes cannot be raised more than 2.5 percent for the 2017-2018 school year. We also know that we have rising costs in many areas including Public School Employees Retirement System (PSERS), health care benefits, debt service for principal and interest payments on school construction bonds, diesel fuel for school buses, charter school tuition and new curriculum.
However, there are still a lot of unknowns as we develop the budget, such as what subsidies we will receive from the state, the impact of real estate assessments, and whether our taxing capability will change due to the proposed House/Senate Bill 76, The Property Tax Independence Act.
Salaries and benefits, which combined are about 78 percent of our annual operating costs, are other areas difficult to project since we are currently in the midst of negotiating new contracts with the North Penn Education Association (NPEA) and the North Penn Educational Support Professionals Association (NPESPA), of which both groups comprise the bulk of our staff. Since January, we have met several times with representatives from both organizations and I believe talks are going well. We have more negotiation sessions planned and I am hopeful that we can come to agreements soon.
In the coming weeks we will be firming up the budget and I encourage you to attend our school board meetings to be part of the process. The budget that we are preparing must be a reflection of what this community holds dear, a quality education at an affordable price.
Sincerely,
Curtis R. Dietrich, Ed.D.
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North Penn High School Theatre Presents:
April 26, 1:00 pm
April 27, 28 & 29, 7:30 pm
April 30, 2:00 pm
NPHS Theatre and Thespian Troupe 5464 are excited to announce their spring musical,
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor® Dreamcoat (Megamix) the (almost) first musical collaboration of Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber that has delighted generations of audiences April 26 through 30 at NPHS.
The story revolves around Joseph (Francis Burk, senior) favored by his father, Jacob (Jonathan Klaus, senior) who bestows on his beloved son a "coat of many colors." Already jealous of their brother Joseph, Jacob's 11 other sons (Matthew David Krise, Ryan Maloney, Liam McKee, Daniel Wescoe, seniors; Parth Aurora, Kieran Bates, Jacob Cousart, Steven Kendikian, juniors; and Paul Klemmer, Jay Patel and Ben Vaughese, sophomores) plot to get rid of Joseph, eventually selling him into slavery while convincing their father that a wild animal has killed him.
Taken to Egypt, Joseph is sold to one of Pharaoh's ministers and soon proves himself invaluable to his master, Potiphar (Tom Schmids, senior) until Potiphar's wife (Catherine Winner, senior) also favors Joseph. Finding himself falsely accused and in prison, Joseph earns a reputation as an interpreter of dreams. His successful predictions are told to Pharaoh (Andrew Bozzelli, junior) who is troubled by his own bad dream. Joseph correctly predicts seven years of plenty and seven years of famine for Egypt, becoming Pharaoh's right-hand man storing grain for the future. The years of famine arrive, and so do Joseph's starving brothers. What will Joseph do? Ignore the brothers who bullied him? Or extend mercy?
Click "Read More" for ticket information.
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Families are reminded that the snow day taken on Thursday, February 9 will be made up on Wednesday, April 12 and the snow day taken on Tuesday, March 14 will be made up on Thursday, April 13. This is in accordance with the revised 2016-2017 school calendar that was approved on February 16 and communicated to families on February 17. Any additional snow days will be made up in this order: June 9, May 16 and April 17. Click here to view the complete calendar.
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2017 Summer Camps for Kids
Now Open for Registration!
It may be cold outside but summer will be here before you know it! Keep your kids busy this summer with NPSD's Community Education Summer Camp Programs. From cooking classes and sports camps to science labs and Lego robotics, there's something for everyone this summer!
To register in person, please visit the Community Education Department Monday through Friday from 8am-4pm at the Educational Services Center, located at 401 E. Hancock St. in Lansdale.
For more information, please call the Community Education office at 215-853-1028 or 215-853-1029.
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North Penn School District Celebrates Read Across America
On Thursday, March, students throughout North Penn celebrated Read Across America in honor of Dr. Seuss' birthday! York Ave Elementary welcomed local celebrity readers including NPSD Superintendent Dr. Curt Dietrich, Lansdale Police Sergeant Dean Miller, NPSD School Board member Ed Diasio, Lansdale Mayor Andy Szekely and many others to share their favorite Dr. Seuss stories with students.
Click here to see more photos!
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Community Conversations with Dr. Dietrich
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The NPSD is excited to once again offer its families and community members the opportunity to speak one-on-one with Superintendent Dr. Curtis Dietrich. Community Conversations, a series of informal meetings with the district's superintendent, gives attendees the opportunity to talk freely about the important issues involving NPSD schools.
The next session is scheduled for Wednesday, April 26 from 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at the NPSD Educational Services center, located at 401 E. Hancock Street in Lansdale.
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In August 2016, the NPSD School Nutrition Services Department changed its online cafeteria payment system to a portal called SchoolCafé. SchoolCafé allows parents the ability to make payments and view their balance at any time. New users can register their students on the new payment system using their student's name and ID number.
SchoolCafé allows parents to:
- View student cafeteria account balance(s) and purchases.
- Receive low balance email notification messages.
- Monitor student purchases.
- Utilize a convenient mobile app for parents on the go
- Make secure online payments anytime, anywhere (for a small convenience fee).
- Set up hassle-free automatic payments for each student.
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March NPSD Board of School Directors Meetings
March 7 Work Session Meeting Cancelled
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
[email protected].
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North Penn High School Hosts Academic Pennsylvania State Decathlon and Takes 1st Place
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Approximately 15 schools from around PA competed at NPHS on Friday, March 3 and Saturday, March 4 as North Penn proudly hosted the Pennsylvania Academic Decathlon (PAAD) State Competition and took 1st place as Pennsylvania State Champions.
This win earned North Penn the right to represent Pennsylvania at the United States Academic Decathlon (USAD) National Finals in April in Madison, Wisconsin. North Penn has been PAAD state champions eight times since they began competing and were state champions most recently in 2013, 2014 and 2015. North Penn placed second in the state last year and competed in the USAD Online National Finals for Large Schools.
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North Penn High School Hosts Revamped College & Career Fair, "Next Steps"
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North Penn High School proudly presented an innovative, newly-developed event focused on college and career planning for students and families on Tuesday, March 7 called "Next Steps."
In the past, NPHS has held a traditional college fair on a Tuesday evening in March. With the Pennsylvania Department of Education putting an emphasis on Chapter 339, K-12 College and Career Planning, NPHS has partnered with the North Penn Alumni Association, community members and local businesses to revamp the event to take a closer look at the variety of "Next Steps" that students may be interesting in taking after high school.
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North Penn Pledges to Show Respect
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Students and staff in the NPSD pledged to show respect by celebrating a nationwide campaign supported by Special Olympics and Best Buddies on March 1, which is designated as a national awareness day to "Spread the Word to End the [R] Word."
According to the Special Olympics, "The R-word is the word 'retard(ed)'. Why does it hurt? The R-word hurts because it is exclusive. It's offensive. It's derogatory." The Spread the Word to End the Word movement was established in 2009 during the Special Olympics Global Youth Activation Summit at the 2009 Special Olympics World Winter Games. The Spread the Word to End the Word movement was created by youth with and without intellectual disabilities.
On Wednesday, March 1, staff at Gwynedd Square Elementary School, NPHS and the Educational Services Center celebrated the national awareness day by wearing T-Shirts which were available for purchase that read "North Penn Pledges to Show Respect."
NPHS senior Greg Gilrain was determined to take the campaign a step further at the high school.
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North Penn Welcomes Back '83 Alum and United States Air Force String Ensemble
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The North Penn School District proudly welcomed class of '83 alum Deborah Volker and the United States Air Force (USAF) String Ensemble on March 28 and 29 for a collaborative project between orchestra students throughout North Penn, the Arcola Middle School Orchestra from Methacton School District and the USAF String Ensemble.
 As part of grant funded by the North Penn School District Educational Foundation and the Methacton School District Educational Foundation, members of the USAF Strings worked with orchestra students from Penndale Middle School and North Penn High School (NPHS) on Tuesday, March 28 and Wednesday, March 29 during classes and lessons during the school day. Coordinated by elementary orchestra teachers Michelle Cohen and Sonya Hoffman, the ensemble members also visited A.M. Kulp and Knapp elementary schools to perform for orchestra students on Thursday, March 30.
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Inglewood Second Graders Journey Back in Time for Living History Museum
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 More than 85 second grade students at Inglewood Elementary School took a journey back in time on Thursday, March 2 as they participated in Inglewood's annual Living History Museum.
A tradition which dates back more than 15 years at Inglewood, this year's event included four classes of second grade students. Students were assigned to select a famous person in history to research and write a report about which would be shared with other students, staff and family visitors at the Living History Museum. They were challenged to take on the persona of their famous person which added to the excitement of the day. Students worked diligently on their research for approximately three weeks and were very eager to share their findings. Students were supported with resources including but not limited to the current social studies curriculum, featured biographies, pebblego.com, brainpopjr.com and more.
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North Penn Celebrates National Breakfast Week
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To encourage more families to take advantage of the healthy choices available with school breakfast, North Penn schools recognized National School Breakfast Week during the week of March 6 through 10.
Busy weekday mornings make it a challenge for families to find time for a healthy breakfast. However, US Department of Agriculture data show that more students are starting their day with a nutritious breakfast in their school cafeterias.
The National School Breakfast Week (NSBW) campaign theme, "Take the School Breakfast Challenge," reminded the entire school community that school breakfast provides a healthy, energizing start to the day for students. Students were encouraged to "Take the School Breakfast Challenge" from March 6 through 10 with special menus, decorations, cafeteria events and more. North Penn families were also invited to join their students for breakfast during this exciting week. On Tuesday, March 7, students and families at Inglewood Elementary School were joined by PA State Representative Kate Harper for breakfast at 7:45 a.m. Festivities continued on Thursday, March 9 when Oak Park Elementary students and families dined with special guest PA State Representative Robert Godshall.
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York Avenue Students Read to Furry Friends
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York Avenue Elementary School proudly welcomed a special furry guest on Thursday, March 9 as part of an innovative project spearheaded by ESL teacher Mrs. Stephanie Levitt which focuses on improving reading and social skills of students by incorporating the use of reading therapy dogs.
Beginning in the 2016-2017 school year, York Avenue partnered with Therapy Dogs International and Alliance of Therapy Dogs to bring volunteers with their trained therapy dogs to the school. Mrs. Levitt had previously worked with therapy dogs and approached Principal Lori Hoch about bringing a such a program to their school. Following Mrs. Hoch's approval, Mrs. Levitt worked to partner with the above agencies and develop an innovative program with the therapy dogs to the students at York Avenue.
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North Penn High School Engineering Students Celebrate National Engineers Week
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The NPHS Technology Education and Engineering Department celebrated National Engineers Week by hosting a variety of workshops for students on Friday, March 3.
National Engineers Week is the week in February which encompasses George Washington's actual birthday, February 22. It is observed by more than 70 engineering, education and cultural societies, and more than 50 corporations and government agencies. The purpose of National Engineers Week is to call attention to the contributions to society that engineers make. It is also a time for engineers to emphasize the importance of learning math, science and technical skills.
The NPHS Tech. Ed. and Engineering Department partnered with the American Society of Civil Engineers Younger Member Forum (ASCE YMF) to bring educational opportunities to engineering students at North Penn.
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North Penn Rocks their Socks for Down Syndrome Awareness Day
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In honor of World Down Syndrome Day on Tuesday, March 21, many schools throughout the North Penn School District NPSD participated in a "Rock Your Socks" spirit day, organized by the Montgomery County Down Syndrome Interest Group (MCDSIG).
Students and faculty were encouraged to wear their most colorful, spunky socks in celebration of people with Down syndrome (DS) and their unique differences that make our world brighter. People all around the world celebrated!
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North Penn Students Perform Well at Regional Odyssey of the Mind Competition
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Ten student teams from the North Penn School District NPSD competed in the Southeast Pennsylvania Odyssey of the Mind (OotM) Regional Competition on Saturday, March 4 at Pennsbury High School East and West in Fairless Hills, PA.
OoTm is a creative problem-solving program. Teams of seven students select a problem, create a solution and present their solution in a regional tournament. Teams that place in the regional competition advance to States and those who place at States advance to World Finals. At this ultimate competition, over 800 teams from across the United States and around the globe compete to be crowned World Champions. 20 teams will be awarded this honor.
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North Penn High School Hosts Back By POPular Demand FCS Fashion Show
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North Penn High School Fashion Merchandising students hit the runway on Thursday, March 16 at 9:00 a.m. to model their original creations at the NPHS Back By POPular Demand Fashion Show in the NPHS Auditorium.
Over the last 18 years, the Family and Consumer Science (FCS) Fashion Show has grown into a huge production and one of the most popular assembly programs at NPHS. Led by teachers Joelle Townsend and Diane Galaton, the FCS Department at North Penn puts on an outstanding show which displays the fashionable dresses, tops and even full outfits created by Fashion Merchandising students at NPHS.
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North Penn Boys and Girls Basketball Players Selected to Participate in Philadelphia All Star Labor Classic
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 NPHS seniors Sam Carangi, David Guiliani, Jess Huber and Irisa Ye are gearing up for a game that gives back at the 30th Anniversary All Star Labor Classic (ASLC) on Sunday, April 9 at 10:30 a.m. at Philadelphia University.
The ASLC is a high school basketball fundraiser sponsored by Philadelphia's Organized Labor, that has raised over $2 million to benefit Blossom Philadelphia and high school athletes. Proceeds from the ASLC will benefit Blossom Philadelphia supporting programs and services to help serve children and adults with a spectrum of diseases.
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March 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 March.
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North Penn March News Update
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Meeting the Needs of All Learners:
NPSD In-Service 3/27
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Just a Little off the Top - Clean Cut Way to Fight Childhood Cancer
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To see more from NPTV, check out
our
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