Dear Community,

It has been a wonderful start to the school year as we welcomed more than 13,000 students to our schools, with just under 1,000 of them being our first-ever class of full-day kindergarten students! As I am making my way to all 13 elementary schools and seeing our youngest learners, I am filled with great pride in how we planned and implemented this full day program, and the progress and growth I am already seeing in our kindergarteners.

I am also aware that not all things go as planned, no matter how detailed the preparation. Earlier this month, the North Penn School District (NPSD) Board of School Directors rejected bids for the renovations of Crawford Stadium at North Penn High School (NPHS). The project is now delayed but we are hopeful we can begin work in June 2020 immediately following commencement. 

The board weighed many factors in the decision, including the great need for improvements to the facility, increased costs over original estimates, project timeline and the resignation of our director of facilities, a position that is integral to the project. In the end the board and administration feel rebidding the project is the best way to go. With the bids coming in over original estimates, there is no guarantee but costs may decrease based on a new, longer construction timeline of June 2020 to June 2021. And we hope to appoint a new director of facilities within weeks who can hit the ground running on the preparation work needed at Crawford Stadium and at Knapp Elementary School where major renovations will also begin in the summer of 2020. 

Renovation plans for Crawford Stadium have not changed. Major improvements are needed to make the stands handicapped accessible, the bathrooms capable of servicing thousands of visitors and the field usable as we change it from grass to turf. For many years now, the soil conditions of the field have been such that it is often not even used by our teams, forcing us to use neighboring facilities. A new turf field will allow more teams and community groups to use Crawford Stadium.

We want people excited and engaged in the upcoming stadium work, for it is a center point of this great North Penn community. More information will be shared soon on how you can get involved.

Sincerely,
      
Curtis R. Dietrich, Ed.D.  
Superintendent, NPSD
dietricr@npenn.org  
 
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NPSD Board of School Directors Meetings


To view agenda attachments and minutes from past meetings, please click here.  


The school store is now online!

Stock up on all your NPHS apparel by ordering online. To visit the NPHS School Store's website, please click  here.

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NPHS Student Accepted to National Hispanic Recognition Program

NPSD is proud to honor NPHS senior Polux Garcia for recently being recognized as part of the National Hispanic Recognition Program by the College Board.

The National Hispanic Recognition Program (NHRP) recognizes approximately 5,000 Hispanic/Latino students each year from among the more than 400,000 juniors who take the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT®). As with the National Merit Scholarship Program, NHRP uses the junior year PSAT/NMSQT as the qualifying test. It is a great honor to receive this award and student recipients are encouraged to add this accomplishment to their college applications. Some colleges look upon this award to identify students with academic potential, which may lead to admission or scholarship opportunities. 

Polux Garcia was notified of his eligibility to apply for the NHRP last spring. The invitation came as a result of Garcia meeting requirements including a 3.5 GPA or higher and scoring in the top 2.5% among Hispanic and Latino PSAT/NMSQT test takers in the region.

To learn more, visit  www.collegeboard.org/nhrp.
Innovative Flexible Learning Spaces at Gwyn-Nor Elementary School Recognized in Dedication Ceremony

As NPSD continues to move in the direction of personalized learning pathways to support student learning, Gwyn-Nor Elementary School recently celebrated the dedication of its newly created flexible learning spaces. Dignitaries including NPSD administrators, school board members and Gwyn-Nor Home and School Association officers visited each new learning space and had a chance to experience its benefits first-hand alongside students and staff at Gwyn-Nor.

Spearheaded by principal Dr. Deborah McKay, the goal of Gwyn Nor's flexible learning spaces is to encourage collaboration, digital literacy, critical thinking and problem-solving that many believe schools need to teach to help students thrive in today's world.

Click here to read more.
NPSD Educational Foundation
Seeks Input from Community
The NPSD Educational Foundation has engaged Match Nonprofit Consulting to guide its strategic planning process and we want your input as a key constituent during this important phase for our organization.

Please take 5-10 minutes to complete the following questionnaire by Friday, November 1.
 
Please be candid. The information you provide is anonymous. Your feedback is very important to us and will help inform our strategic plan. 
 
*Important note regarding the survey: The best thing to do is complete the survey at one time. Once you have completed the survey, please proceed to the last "Thank You" page to save your responses. (If you need to return to the survey, you must be on the same computer with cookies enabled). 

Questions? Please contact Barbara Gomes at  barbara@matchnpc.com. 

Thank you in advance for your participation, the foundation appreciates your time and input!

Click here to take survey.
Solider and NPHS Grad Visits Brothers at School for a Surprise Homecoming

NPHS Class of 2015 graduate and U.S. Navy AD3 Matthew Shultz surprised his two brothers after a two year deployment on the USS Ronald Reagan stationed in Iwakuni, Japan. Matt's first stop was at Penndale Middle School where he snuck up behind his brother, 8th grader Adam Makaron, in his exploratory technology class. After that, Matt and his family headed over to Oak Park Elementary School. Sixth grader Ben Makaron thought he was posing for a class photo in the gym when Matt suddenly appeared behind the curtains on stage. At both schools, there wasn't a dry eye in the house!

Welcome home AD3 Matthew Shultz, and thank you for your service!
Now Accepting Nominations for
North Penn Knights of Honor
 

NPSD is now accepting applications for the next class of North Penn Knights of Honor.

In November of 2018 in the North Penn High School (NPHS) Auditorium, three outstanding individuals were inducted into NPSD's Knights of Honor Hall of Fame. NPSD is now in search of our next class of honorees. For information, guidelines and nomination application, please visit www.npenn.org/knightsofhonor. Nominations are due by October 25, 2019. The induction ceremony for selected honorees will be held Friday, March 6, 2020.

Two Assistant Principals Appointed by NPSD Board of School Directors

The  NPSD Board of School Directors appointed two new assistant principals at its action meeting on September 19, 2019 to fill recent vacancies promptly for the new school year. The appointments include a current NPSD employee and a newly hired professional who will bring their expertise to North Penn schools.

Click here to read more.
29 NPHS Students Earn Commended Recognition in National Merit Scholarship Program

NPSD is proud to recognize 29 NPHS students who were named as commended students in the 65th Annual National Merit Scholarship Program.

High school students enter the National Merit Program by taking the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT®)-which serves as an initial screen of approximately 1.5 million entrants each year-and by meeting published program entry and participation requirements.

Out of the 1.5 million students who took the qualifying test, approximately 50,000 are being recognized as "Commended Students" for their exceptional academic promise. Selected commended students placed among the top five percent of high school seniors in the country who took the PSAT/NMSQT® in 2018.

Click here to read more.
NPSD Schools Celebrate National Walk to School Day


Four NPSD elementary schools proudly "walked the walk" on Wednesday, October 2 in support of International Walk to School Day.
 
Students, staff and families at General Nash, Hatfield, North Wales and York Avenue elementary schools joined thousands of schools across 40 countries in walking and riding their bikes to school along a designated route. Local police departments and NPSD security also lent support by supervising the day of the event.

Click here to see more photos.
NPSD Prepares to Launch New Website 

It's almost Autumn and the changing leaves remind us how good it feels to let things go! That said, this fall we'll be launching a new website that will look a little different than what users are used to seeing. Keep an eye out for this fresh new look in the coming weeks. We can't wait to show you what we've been working on! 
North Penn News Update from NPTV 
North Penn Television (NPTV) students produce updates on what was happening around the NPSD during the month of September.


North Penn News Update
North Penn News Update


An Inspiring Queen
An Inspiring Queen


Reading is FUNdamental
Reading is FUNdamental