Neshaminy Update
Neshaminy School District / September, 2023
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Neshaminy elementary students are stepping confidently into Unit 2 of science through pilot programs featuring FOSS and OpenSciEd instructional materials. These high-quality resources align with Pennsylvania’s new STEELS (Science, Technology & Engineering, Environmental Literacy & Sustainability) standards, which emphasize hands-on investigation, real world problem solving, and deep scientific understanding.
Across grade levels, students are thinking and working like scientists and engineers. They ask meaningful questions. They design and carry out investigations. They analyze data. They build explanations using evidence. Instead of memorizing isolated facts, students explore real phenomena and develop understanding through discussion, collaboration, and inquiry.
As implementation continues, we see clear growth in students’ critical thinking, curiosity, and confidence. Classrooms are active and purposeful. Students take ownership of their learning and engage in productive struggle.
This work reflects our commitment to meaningful science instruction. Our students are building the knowledge and skills they need for academic success and for understanding the world around them.
Two beloved Neshaminy teachers, Bill and Barb Epting, were recently memorialized by their four children with a $10,000 donation to the Neshaminy Education Foundation. Jan King, President of the Foundation and Superintendent Jason Bowman, who counted the family as personal friends, recognized and thanked the family for their generosity at the School Board meeting on February 24.
Both Bill and Barb were teachers at the former Neshaminy Middle School. Bill taught English in the district for over 30 years and also coached cross-country and track. Barb, after raising the couple’s four children Patti, Carolyn, Tim and Chris, returned to college and earned a history degree and her teaching certificate. She joined Bill at Neshaminy Middle School as a history teacher. Both Bill and Barb were beloved by their colleagues at Neshaminy, many of whom they counted as their close friends. Both touched the lives of countless students who had the good fortune to encounter them in class or on the athletic field.
Following their rerirement, both were active travelers and volunteers with Habitat for Humanity and the Daughters of the American Revolution. Bill passed away in 2022 and Barb in November 2024. Besides their four children and their spouses, they also had eight grandchildren.
A note from Carolyn accompanying the donation stated, “Please accept this donation in memory of Bill and Barb Epting, who spend their careers in the Neshaminy School District. On behalf of my brother and sisters, we are making this donation to honor them both. We hope these funds will be used to help teachers with classroom expenses. Teachers give so much!”
With the second weather-related snow day of the school year behind us (on Monday, February 23), each additional closure day will now be an asynchronous online learning day. Assignments will be loaded into Canvas by 8:00 am (for high school and middle schools) and 9:00 am (for elementary schools). Teachers will be available for support via Canvas and email between 9:00—10:30 am and 12:30—2:00 pm. Additional information and instructions can be found at the link below.
Neshaminy School District is pleased to offer two rebate programs to help senior homeowners and volunteer firefighters living in the district reduce their property taxes:
The Irene Boyle Senior Tax Assistance Program: The 2025 Neshaminy School District Property Tax Assistance Program begins in January 2026. This program has been created to provide property tax relief to our Neshaminy senior citizens. Homeowners who reach the age of 65 by December 31, 2025, are eligible to apply. For more information please click here.
Volunteer Firefighter Tax Assistance Program: Volunteer firefighters that meet guidelines for service hours and who reside in the district are eligible for a service tax credit rebate. More information and an application form can be found here.
WALDBIESER NOMINATED TO BCIU BOARD
Neshaminy School Board member Jill Waldbieser was nominated to serve on the board of the Bucks County Intermediate Unit #22 (BCIU), beginning July 1, 2026 for a three-year term. The BCIU board consists of representatives from each of the thirteen public school districts in the county. The BCIU serves the needs of schools in Bucks County by providing special education, professional development, technology support, and administrative services. Their office is located in Doylestown, but they operate facilities across the county including Lower Southampton (the former Lower Southampton Elementary School), the former Pearl S. Buck Elementary School and the former Samuel Everitt Elementary School in the Neshaminy area.
- Friday-Saturday, February 27-28: Gym Night at NHS, Gym 3
- Monday, March 2: First day of spring sports at NHS
- Wednesday-Saturday, March 3-7: Carl Sandburg MS musical (see article below)
- Thursday-Saturday, March 4-7: Maple Point MS musical (see article below)
- Thursday-Saturday, March 4-7: Poquessing MS musical (see article below)
- Saturday, March 14, 7:45 am: SAT Reasoning Test, NHS
- Saturday, March 14, 7 pm: Harlem Wizards at NHS Gym 3 (see article below)
- Friday, March 20: Eid El-Fitr, schools closed
- Thursday, April 2 - Friday, April 3: Easter holiday, district closed
- Monday, April 6: Spring break, schools closed
- Wednesday, April 15, 6:30—8:30 pm: STEAM Expo, NHS (see article below)
- Friday, May 8, 7 pm: 6th Annual SUNSet Challenge 2K/5K, Maple Point MS, details at www.sunsetchallenge.org
For updated event and sports information please see the district and school website calendars.
The Harlem Wizards are coming back to Neshaminy on Saturday, March 14! Tickets are now on sale. The Harlem Wizards game is a fundraiser for the Neshaminy Education Foundation, the non-profit volunteer organization founded in 1993 dedicated to supporting innovation in our Neshaminy schools and scholarships for our graduating seniors. The Wizards have been bringing their high-energy, family-friendly brand of basketball "Wizard-ry" to Neshaminy since 2017. The game regularly draws around 1,000 happy fans who fill Gym 3 at Neshaminy High School to see our Neshaminy "Dream Team" of teachers and support staff.
Tickets can be purchased online through the link below or visit the Harlem Wizards website and search for "Langhorne, PA" on their game calendar.
The 2026 Neshaminy STEAM Expo will be held on Wednesday, April 15, 2026 from 6:30 - 8:30 pm at Neshaminy High School. Since it was founded in 2015, this celebration of all things Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math has grown to become one of the most beloved and well-attended educational events in the district and a great night for students and their families.
We are looking for community individuals, businesses and organizations who would like to share their STEAM expertise with the next generation to join the 2026 Expo as presenters. Please contact Melissa Campbell, melissacampbell@neshaminy.org for more information and to sign up.
Registration for the 2026-2027 school year is now open. Parents and guardians of new Neshaminy students should begin the process online by visiting www.neshaminy.org/register. Be sure to use the "Register a Student for Next Fall (2026—2027)" link on the registration page.
Parents and guardians of students entering grades 5 and 9 at the start of the 2026–2027 school year will be asked to review and update their residential and contact information. This routine re-registration process supports accurate student records and helps ensure smooth transitions, appropriate school placement, transportation, services, staffing, and resource planning for the upcoming school year.
The District uses the Home Access Center (HAC) for this process. Families are encouraged to ensure their information in HAC is current and accurate in advance to help avoid access issues when the process launches in March 2026. If you have difficulty accessing your HAC account, please contact your child’s school for assistance.
STUDENT SERVICES
Families are encouraged to visit the district website for information about the following important services and policies:
- Special Education Services
- Gifted Students
- Services for Protected Handicapped Students
- Destruction of Records
- Medical Assistance
- Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)
MEAL ASSISTANCE
Families in need of food assistance can take advantage of the following resources:
The Bucks County Opportunity Council Food Program
721 Veterans Highway
Bristol, PA 19007
Ph: 215-781-2661
🔗 Food Program: https://bcoc.org/food-program/
🔗 Food Pantries: https://bcoc.org/food-pantries/
The Bucks County HUB (“Live” Human Services Directory)
Phone: 215-348-6201
Monday - Friday, 9:00 am - 4:00 pm
The United Way 211 Helpline
Phone: Call 211
REDUCE ILLNESS AND BOOST ATTENDANCE!
During the winter, families and friends spend more time indoors. This can make common illnesses easier to spread. To help reduce illness and keep students in school, please remember these best practices:
- Handwashing: Regular handwashing at home and school helps prevent the spread of many illnesses. Teaching and practicing proper handwashing lowers the chance of germs spreading.
- Respiratory Etiquette: Teach children to cover their mouths and noses with a tissue when they cough or sneeze. Throw used tissues in the trash right away. If a tissue is not available, students and staff should cough or sneeze into their elbow, not their hands. Hands should be washed right after blowing the nose, coughing, or sneezing.
- Vaccinations: Staying up to date with recommended vaccinations is important for preventing illness and reducing the risk of severe disease. School vaccination requirements help protect students from vaccine-preventable diseases. Information about required school immunizations is available at the NSD vaccination website.
CLAIM YOUR KEYSTONE SCHOLARSHIP!
Keystone Scholars provides a $100 scholarship to all children born to PA residents in 2019 and after. This scholarship can be used for your child’s post-high school training and education expenses. For more information please visit https://pa529.com/keystone/. Download a program brochure at the link below.
The 6th Annual SUNset Challenge 2K/5K running race will be held on Friday, May 8 at Maple Point Middle School. Registration is now open - sign up early and SAVE! Early bird discounts apply until February 28. Join hundreds of other Neshaminy families and friends from all around the district for this great evening race. Plus lots of extras including race t-shirts, music, food, giveaways and more. All runners will be chipped and the race digitally timed. Don't miss out on this great Neshaminy race, register today at www.sunsetchallenge.org
Denise Ritter's class at Herbert Hoover ES recently completed and presented its Snow Globe writing projects in front of parents and the principal. Students were required to write a five-paragraph narrative, incorporate transition words, and create a cohesive story within the fantasy genre. Each student demonstrated thoughtful organization, creativity, and strong attention to the writing guidelines. They did an excellent job sharing their work aloud, speaking clearly and confidently for an authentic audience.
Erica Rudnitsky's first-grade class at Albert Schweitzer ES participates in a program called 'Love Makes the World Go Round.' The goal is to collect a postcard, valentine, or a card from all 50 states in the USA. While they haven't reached the goal of all 50 states yet, they are enjoying receiving mail, finding the different states on maps, and getting to learn a little bit about the different states in our country.
The Bucks County Intermediate Unit Fab Lab visited Joseph Ferderbar ES in February, bringing students a variety of fun, engaging technology-related games and activities. The Mobile Fab Lab (fabrication laboratory), one of only 50 in the United States, was created to inspire and encourage students in grades 1-8 to pursue careers in STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, Math) fields. It is housed in a large transit van that transports several carts full of equipment such as a laser engraver, 3D printers (below left with printed items in front), CNC router, vinyl cutters (bottom right), and a variety of robotics equipment. It also has laptop computers and iPads with specialized software programs to control and interact with the equipment. The Mobile Fab Labs visits schools throughout Bucks County for one-week residencies.
Additional Fab Lab visits to other Neshaminy schools are planned for future dates.
On Friday, February 6, the staff and students at Albert Schweitzer ES celebrated Go Red Day for Women, which is the American Heart Association’s (AHA) signature initiative designed to increase women’s heart health awareness, fight against cardiovascular disease—the leading cause of death for women—and serve as a catalyst for change. This national event raises awareness for a healthy heart and encourages women to know their key health numbers (blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar, BMI) and make lifestyle changes. Students and staff were encouraged to wear RED and bring in donations for the Heart Associations. This year the Albert Schweitzer community raised over $450 for this very important cause!
Walter Miller’s Barnes & Noble Bookfair was a wonderful success thanks to their amazing families! Students and their caregivers enjoyed cozy teacher read-alouds, took on a challenging scavenger hunt, and spent time browsing for exciting new books to take home. The highlight for many? Despite the cold weather outside, the Pink Dream Frappuccino, which was an absolute fan favorite inside at the book fair!
101 Dalmatians Core Creek ES
100 days at Herbert Hoover ES
100 days at Tawanka ES
While some of our youngest students celebrated 100 days of the school year in February, some took it a little further and celebrated 101 with a Disney-themed 101 Dalmatians day! 100 Days of School is an opportunity for young learners to practice their counting skills with a variety of fun games.
101 days at Albert Schweitzer ES
101 Dalmatians at Core Creek ES
101 Dalmatians at Core Creek ES
The Hawks with Heart at Herbert Hoover ES kicked off the new year with a successful January meeting focused on spreading kindness and giving back. Members continued their service learning by discussing ways to support nursing homes and learning more about the needs of elderly residents. To put their compassion into action, the group created handmade Valentine’s cards filled with thoughtful messages, which will be shared with seniors to brighten their days. It was a meaningful meeting that highlighted the Hawks with Heart commitment to empathy, service, and community connection.
On Wednesday, February 4, the school celebrated World Read Aloud Day for the tenth year. This event celebrates the importance of reading aloud and sharing stories. Carl Sandburg got LOUD in all subject areas and students experienced the importance of literacy across the curriculum and in their everyday lives, and not just in their RELA classes. Students and staff celebrated in a variety of ways such as guest readers reading a picture book, students made bookmarks, wore pajamas and brought in blankets to get cozy with their favorite books. Teachers read a favorite poem out loud and selected their favorite books and short stories to share with their classes.
Congratulations to 8th Grade Carl Sandburg MS student Kyle Graves, whose original composition was selected for the Pennsylvania Music Educators Association (PMEA) Outstanding Composition Program. His piece titled “Into the North Sea” was selected out of student composers from across the state by a panel of adjudicators based on creativity, playability, technique, and presentation. Kyle will have his piece showcased at the PMEA Annual Conference at the Kalahari Resort and Convention Center in April.
Student council leaders from Poquessing, Maple Point and Carl Sandburg MS attended the Region J Student Council Conference in February, which was hosted by Neshaminy High School this year. This region includes schools from throughout the Philadelphia region. The conference gave the student leaders important skills and an opportunity to exchange ideas that they can use to lead their schools this year and beyond.
On Wednesday, February 18, over 100 Carl Sandburg MS students participated in the school's annual Tower of Power building competition. Each team of students had one hour to construct the tallest tower they could using only the tools and materials supplied - straws, masking tape, scissors. The tallest structure wins - with another award for the team with the best themed costumes. Tower of Power has been a Sandburg tradition for over 25 years.
For weeks, members of the Neshaminy HS MiniTHON team held multiple fundraisers with the ambitious goal of topping last year's record-setting donation to the Four Diamonds foundation. Their efforts paid off as they raised the cards announcing this year's total - $82,428.97 - a gain of over $12,000 from last year - during the final minutes of their MiniTHON celebration in Gym 3 on Friday, May 20. They were helped by the junior version that involved all three Neshaminy middle schools, Mini MiniTHON, which raised $7,107.24 during their event last month.
MiniTHON is the high school version of Penn State University's THON dance marathon which has raised millions of dollars since the 1970's to support pediatric cancer research and patient support. The Neshaminy MiniTHON team organized as series of creative fundraisers over the past several weeks including a raffle to smash a shaving cream pie in the face of several volunteer NHS staff members at the start of the event. Another fundraiser had students donate spare change to "stall" the start of first period for several minutes while all the coins were counted. They held multiple restaurant fundraisers, raffled off donated gift baskets, and recently held a Kids Night Out full of activities for younger kids.
After a stellar season and high school career, Neshaminy quarterback Michael Eckart was selected by the Pennsylvania Scholastic Football Coaches Association from a pool that included teams from the entire state to play in the Big 33 game against Maryland on May 24, 2026. This game has been played each year since 1957 and is so named as the team is made up of the 33 best players in the state as chosen by the coaches.
This year Eckart rushed for 782 yards, passed 2586 yards and scored 10 rushing touchdowns and 32 passing touchdowns for a total of 42. He was a team Captain, voted Most Valuable Player for Offense, named the Suburban One League (SOL) National Player of the Year, and was also named to the SOL National Conference 1st Team Offense and the All-EasternPAFootball 1st Team Offense. He plans to continue his football career in college at East Stroudsburg University.
"I am extremely proud of Michael Eckart and this accomplishment," said Coach Nicholas Felus. "To be selected for this historic game, is a huge honor. He had a tremendous career and an outstanding season. Not only is he a great player, but he is an outstanding person. His strong work ethic added with his leadership qualities are what sets him apart. He is a perfect example of what it means to be a student-athlete. We are looking forward to seeing him play in the Big 33 Game and represent out school."
On February 20, students from 50 high schools visited Neshaminy HS for the PMEA Region 6 Chorus Festival. The group rehearsed for a concert which was presented the next day in Bensalem. The guest director was Dominick DiOrio, a professor of music at Indiana University in Bloomington and the Artistic Director of the Mendelssohn Chorus of Philadelphia.
Congratulations to NHS students selected for the PSEA Touch the Future Show. This prestigious event is the legacy of former astronaut Christa McAuliffe who popularized the phrase "I touch the future. I teach." Selected for NASA’s Teacher in Space program, she aimed to inspire students but tragically died in the 1986 Space Shuttle Challenger disaster. Her legacy focuses on student-centered learning and the vital role of teachers. Participation in this event is a great honor for Neshaminy School District.
NHS students with artworks appearing in this juried show: Haylee Naylor, Giorgi Tamoyan, Sophiia Ivanchuk, Amelia Frain, Vitalina Maksimava, Isabelle Fucanan, Brendan FIsher, Charlize Roberts, Layla Capaldi, Kristyn McCool, Morgan James, Mackenzie Bolli, Alicia Lukyanova-Muzychenko, Mika Junod.
