From the Desk of the Superintendent

Dear SDST Staff and Families,

As the month of October comes to a close, I am grateful for the beautiful nature that surrounds us, the activity that our students have been engaged in throughout the past four weeks, the dedication of our staff each day, and the support of our community. Some have noted that this month did not include a single half or full day off for the first time in many years, and I recognize the commitment and sustained attention the schedule demanded of each of us! With daylight savings and November upon us this weekend, I hope we will all look forward to many school, community and family celebrations as the holiday season arrives in the coming weeks. I also hope that you find our district newsletter informative, and I look forward to seeing you at one of our many upcoming events as we transition from fall into winter!

Sincerely,

MaryJo Yannacone, Ed.D.

Superintendent

Email: maryjo_yannacone@sdst.org
Website: sdst.org
Location: 1901 Paper Mill Road, Oreland, PA, USA
Phone: 2152336000

In this edition, I will provide updates on the following:

• School Calendar Reminders
• School Board Information and Updates
• National Principals Month
• STMS in the News
• Cybersecurity Awareness Month
• Zero Eyes Detection Software
• District Facilities Assessment Report
• Academic Achievement and Student Performance
• Spartan Spotlight on SDST Values: Growth Mindset

• Family Information Series
• Equitable Practices
• Technology Resources for Parent Access to Student Information
• EEHSP, Secondary HSP, MPA
• Springfield Township Education Foundation
• Employment Opportunities in SDST and Montgomery County

Upcoming Events in SDST, including:

• Veterans Day
• Ruby Bridges Walk to School
• American Education Week

Our staff will be participating in professional development on Tuesday, November 3rd. As a result, all schools will be closed that day. We encourage all families to model good citizenship and get out and vote!

• Monday, November 23: K12 Early Dismissal; K-8 Conferences 12pm-3pm; HS PD 12pm-3pm
• Tuesday, November 24: No School for Students; K12 Conferences 8am-3:30pm
• Wednesday, November 25: No School for Students; Staff PD Flex Day
• Thursday, November 26: Schools and Offices Closed; Thanksgiving Holiday
• Friday, November 27: Schools and Offices Closed; Thanksgiving Holiday
• Monday, November 30: Schools and Offices reopen

The month of October included several Committee meetings worthy of note. To view meetings in their entirety, please visit the School Board tab and select View Meetings.

Academic Affairs, October 13th

Dr. Johnston, Dr. Lutz, Mrs. Schrage and building leaders presented recent data on student achievement.

Property, October 21st

Ms. Green, Mr. Wattley, and Mr. Bray presented information on our Stop-Arm Bus Pilot, the Middle School project and ongoing capital projects. Representatives from CMTA/ICS, our capital management firm, presented the initial findings of their district facilities assessment.

Upcoming Meetings

Property - Monday, November 9th, 4:00pm (virtual)

• We will review and discuss options for improvements to the bus depot and alternative fuel sources for transportation.

• We will present the annual audit for fiscal year 2025-2026 and discuss early planning for the 2027-2028 district budget.

General Board Meeting - Tuesday, November 19th, 7:00pm (hybrid)

Springfield Township High School celebrated Homecoming 2026 with outstanding Spartan pride. From spirited performances by our cheerleaders and marching band to the excitement of Friday night football, students, families, and staff came together to celebrate this special tradition. Congratulations to our Homecoming Court and thank you to everyone who helped make the evening memorable!

We are grateful for the leadership, caring, and dedication of our school principals across the district! National Principals Month exists to celebrate, advocate, and recognize wonderful school leaders, whose contributions are vital to the success of our schools and community. Thank you to these professionals, who take great care to ensure that our staff, students and families are supported and challenged each and every day!

This year we have welcomed new members to our team of school leaders, including Dr. Andrew Kuhn at Enfield, Mr. Ian Hammond at STMS, and in a new role, Dr. Meghan Markle at STHS! Please take a moment to recognize and thank our fearless leaders at each of our schools!

Earlier this month we received a terrific announcement from U.S. News and World Report on the ranking of our Middle School as measured by their publication, using available data on standardized testing in math and reading proficiency. This year our MS ranked #103 out of 1,258 public middle schools in PA, or the top 8% of all K-8 middle schools in PA. We recognize that there are many important measures of success worthy of our attention, and are happy to report this good news to you!

On October 9th we celebrated the grand opening of the newly renovated and expanded STMS. The event was attended by our entire student body and staff at the middle school, as well as representatives from Springfield Township, CHA Consulting, Schrader Group, Snyder Hoffman, JBM Mechanical, and Bracy Construction. In addition, Representative Napoleon Nelson and Senator Art Haywood spoke and presented a check for $500,000 towards the project’s costs from the RACP grant funding program.

Thank you to our middle school administrators, operations team, technology team, and central office administrators who contributed to the planning and execution of the project for the past four years. While we have a number of items yet to be completed over the next two months, we are in the home stretch and very happy with the results!

Click below for simple habits to protect yourself and your family online.

In an ongoing commitment to the safety and well-being of our students, staff, and community, we would like to announce the implementation of ZeroEyes, an industry-leading, AI-powered visual gun detection platform.

The software transforms the district’s existing digital security cameras into a proactive digital defense system. ZeroEyes utilizes advanced computer vision to scan video feeds for visible, brandished firearms. If a weapon is detected, an alert is instantly sent to the ZeroEyes Operations Center (ZOC), which is staffed 24/7/365 by trained military and law enforcement veterans.

Once a human analyst verifies the threat—a process that takes only 3 to 5 seconds from the initial detection—an alert is dispatched directly to local emergency services and district administrators. These alerts provide crucial, real-time intelligence, including the shooter’s physical description, weapon type, and precise location within the school building.

The district selected ZeroEyes due to its proven track record and focus on privacy. The software does not utilize facial recognition, voice recording, or biometric tracking, ensuring that student and staff privacy remains fully protected. Furthermore, the mandatory human-in-the-loop verification eliminates false alarms caused by everyday objects like tools or toys, preventing unnecessary school lockdowns and panic.

ZeroEyes is the only AI video weapons detection system to hold a U.S. Department of Homeland Security SAFETY Act Designation, meeting the highest national standards for anti-terrorism technology.

Installation is complete and implementation is currently underway across district campuses, layering seamlessly over existing security infrastructure. For more information regarding the district’s comprehensive safety plans and technologies, please visit our Safe Schools webpage, or contact Supervisor of Campus Safety, Mr. Steve Chinta, at steve_chinta@sdst.org.

At the October 21st meeting of the Property Committee, capital improvement management firm CMTA/ICS, under the leadership of Mr. Doug Taylor, presented their comprehensive assessment of all facilities and systems across our schools, fields, offices, and buildings. The report was commissioned last year by the Board of School Directors to determine the needs present to maintain and improve safety, functionality, and design in all aspects of our facilities.

The next steps for our district administration are to prioritize the stated needs and develop a revised and updated plan for addressing various items, and then to receive approval from the members of the Property Committee to move forward. Once that is accomplished, the administration will explore funding options, including grant funding where available, and bring specific approvals to the Finance Committee of the Board for their review and recommendation to the full Board for vote at upcoming meetings.

The presentation of the facilities assessment report may be viewed by accessing the October 21st Property Committee meeting on our website or viewing the presentation slides.

On October 13, 2026, instructional leaders from the district office and school administrators presented an overview of student academic achievement to the Board of School Directors’ Academic Affairs Committee. This annual presentation provides the Board with updates on student performance across key indicators and highlights both areas of progress and opportunities for continued growth.

Dr. Johnston and Dr. Yannacone shared results from multiple measures of student achievement, including preliminary results of English Language Arts and Mathematics on the 2026 PSSA and Keystone exams, PSAT and Pre-ACT results, and district graduation rates. The presentation included three-year trend data from the 2025–2026 school year and the two preceding years. Results were analyzed for overall student performance as well as for students experiencing economic disadvantages. Each building principal and district director also reviewed their specific goals and strategic priorities for the year ahead, focusing on student learning and staff professional development.

To view the full presentation and accompanying slide deck, please visit the Academic Affairs Committee recording.

This month we are choosing to highlight the value of holding a growth mindset in our work with students, staff and the community. This means we are striving to foster an environment where we embrace challenges, learn from mistakes, and believe that everyone can continuously learn, adapt, and improve.

We re grateful to have the opportunity to foster this approach to lifelong learning across our schools and offices, as presented in this slide presentation provided at the October 20th meeting of the Board of School Directors. Check it out!

The Office of Support Services is pleased to share our Fall 2026 quarterly resource aimed at supporting families and helping them connect with community services.

• Climate and Culture: Expand access and engagement of students in educational and extracurricular programs with the goal of improving belonging data for all subgroups of students, with emphasis on those who have reported the lowest belonging results across surveys over the last four years.
• Staff Development: Faculty will utilize research-based strategies that have the greatest impact on student achievement and belonging, as defined by PDE’s Common Ground Framework.
• Student Achievement: Utilizing intervention periods across our schools, raise the achievement level of students on standardized assessments using strategies promoted through PDE’s Common Ground Framework.
• Accessibility and Inclusivity: Utilizing intervention periods across our schools, raise the achievement level of students on standardized assessments using strategies promoted through PDE’s Common Ground Framework.

Belonging Surveys to Be Administered Next Month!

Once again, the district will be administering belonging surveys to students and families across the district. Student Belonging surveys will be administered at school to all Kindergarten through 12th grade students during the week of November 16, 2026. Family surveys will be sent directly to parent/guardian emails on November 16, 2026 and devices will be available for use to complete the surveys during conferences the week of November 23, 2026. As in the past, a modified survey is available for students with special education needs. This will be the first year that we administer the survey to our K, 1 and 2 students and we look forward to learning more about their sense of belonging at school.

ERDENHEIM BOOK FAIR

Thank you to everyone who volunteered their time to help at the Erdenheim Book Fair! Students and Staff had a great week shopping at the fair and we appreciate all of the families from both Enfield and Erdenheim who joined us for Family Night. This year, we highlighted Scholastic's Share the Fair program. Share the Fair is a giving program that empowers families, schools, and communities to support students who need help buying books. The donations that we received this year helped over 30 students purchase a book at the Fair.

TRUNK OR TREAT

Our 6th Annual Trunk or Treat event was a great success! New this year was a Sensory Friendly event geared towards the Special Education families at Enfield and Erdenheim. The event was held in the Enfield gym and included decorated tables for families to trick or treat at as well as crafts, snacks, and sensory stations for the kids. At our outside Trunk or Treat event, over 400 kids visited 31 creatively decorated trunks. Families enjoyed games and snacks and bid on our various raffle baskets. Thank you to all of our Trunk Decorators and the volunteers from the Interact Club for their help with this event!

FALL POP UP SHOP / PIZZA KIT FUNDRAISER
Thank you to everyone who submitted orders for our Spirit Wear Fall Pop Up Sale and our Pizza Kit Fundraiser. Spirit Wear purchased in our Fall Pop Up will be available for pick up in late November. Pizza Kits are still available to order through Wednesday, October 28 and will be available for pick up on Monday, November 2 at Enfield from 4:30-6pm.

GENERAL MEETING

Our next General Meeting will be held on Thursday, November 5 at 6:30pm in the Erdenheim Library and on Zoom. We will hear reports from the Enfield and Erdenheim Principals as well as EEHSP Committee Chairs and Treasurers. We will also review our upcoming events schedule, vote on candidates for open positions (Co-VP of Fundraising and Co-Communication Director, Messaging), and open the discussion to the public for any ideas or concerns. General Meetings are open to all EEHSP members.

All parents and/or guardians of Enfield and Erdenheim students, as well as staff at each school, are members of EEHSP.

PRETZEL SALES
Our annual 5th Grade Fundraiser is back and pretzel sales open November 6! Students can order a fresh soft pretzel to be delivered to their classroom on select Fridays during the school year. Orders must be submitted by Wednesday, November 18; pretzel deliveries start on Friday, November 20. All proceeds from this fundraiser benefit the 5th Grade Activity Fund.
NOTE: Financial Assistance is available through EEHSP's Spartans Care Fund. Please contact your school social worker for support.

Middle School Pretzel Sales every Friday at dismissal - $1 each (cash and tap to pay available).
Middle School Halloween Dance - Friday 10/30 at 6pm.

If you would like to be part of this effort, please send a message with your contact information to: SpringfieldSecondaryHSP@gmail.com.

We welcome parents, guardians, teachers, and students from the middle school and high school community to reach out to us to join this effort. Every voice matters!

The Springfield Township Education Foundation (STEF) would like to share information with you about the organization’s mission and purpose. Please visit their website to learn more about how you can

• Honor a Teacher

• Volunteer

• Make a Donation

For SDST Staff

• To establish payroll deduction in support of STEF, please complete this form and submit it to Cara Green, Business Administrator.

Our schools and district will honor our veterans and first responders on November 6th and 11th in recognition of Veterans Day. We are grateful for your service to our community and country! Recognition events will take place in each of our schools and will be communicated through each Building Principal's weekly newsletter!

Our students will once again commemorate Ruby Bridges' bravery and encourage our students to be changemakers in their schools and communities! Students and staff are asked to wear purple and walk in honor of Ruby Bridges on Friday, November 13th! High school students are encouraged to walk to school, middle school students will walk at lunchtime, and students at Erdenheim and Enfield will walk around their respective schools during the school day. Thank you to the MPA and EEHSP for sponsoring this annual event!

November 16th -20th is American Education Week! During this week we celebrate our schools and the many professionals who make them successful! Celebrations will take place in each of our schools and will be communicated through each Building Principal's weekly newsletter!