The Weekly Update 4/17/2026

We are thrilled to share some exciting news with our Tawanka Elementary School community—Tawanka has been selected as a winner of the Philadelphia Phillies’ Phanatic About Reading contest this year!

As part of this incredible honor, we will be welcoming a very special guest to our school—the one and only Phillie Phanatic! On Monday, May 4th, our students will take part in a fun-filled, whole-school assembly where the Phanatic will entertain us while a featured book is read aloud. This is a unique and memorable experience that celebrates the joy of reading in a truly unforgettable way.

We are so proud of our students for their enthusiasm and love of reading, which helped make this achievement possible. A big thank you also goes out to our teachers and staff for fostering a strong reading culture every day.

We can’t wait to celebrate together—get ready for lots of laughter, excitement, and reading fun!

Over the next two weeks, our outstanding 3rd and 4th grade students will be taking the PSSA exams. April 21st, 22nd, and 24th are dedicated to the English exam and April 28th and 29th will be the math exam. We want to take a moment to celebrate our students and the incredible effort they consistently demonstrate. Year after year, our students rise to the challenge, showing perseverance, focus, and a commitment to doing their best. We are so proud of their hard work and the growth they continue to make.

We also extend our sincere thanks to our dedicated teachers, who work tirelessly to prepare every student for success. Their thoughtful instruction, encouragement, and unwavering support make a meaningful difference in helping students feel confident and ready.

Families play an important role as well, and there are several simple ways to support your child at home during this time. Ensuring your child gets a good night’s sleep, eats a healthy breakfast, and arrives at school on time can set a positive tone for the day. Encouraging a calm and positive mindset, practicing reading and basic math skills, and limiting screen time before bed can also help students feel more prepared and focused.

Together, as a school community, we are confident that our students will continue to shine. Thank you for your ongoing support!

Some of our outstanding staff and students were sharing what they have been learning about at the recent STEAM expo at Neshaminy High School.

The District Art show is Wednesday May 20th and Thursday May 21st at the High School in Gym 1 from 6:00 to 8:00. Come see the beautiful works of art on display!

We have finally been able to take a breath from the fantastic talent show. Check out the slide show through the link below to see some of the pictures from the fun and exciting night!

Looking for an unforgettable experience your kids will be talking about or weeks? Join us on May 20th at 5:30pm for the "SO Lit Gameshow" - an exciting, high-energy event packed with literacy, laughter, friendly competition, and awesome prizes! This high-tech production will ignite a love for reading through trivia, music, and fast-paced challenges for the whole family. You won't want to miss this! See the flyer below for more information.

Our yearbooks are on sale now! Save money by ordering before May 8th. See the flyer below for more information

Help us raise funds for the 4th grade move-up party by purchasing tickets for the chance to “pie” Mr. Palmer and other Surprise Tawanka Staff!

Summer is fast approaching and a sweet treat helps beat the heat. A Rita's discount card makes it all the sweeter. See the flyer below to purchase a discount card to help fund The End of Year 4th Grade Celebration.

Four diamonds is hosting a color run on April 26th to raise funds to conquer childhood cancer. See the flyer below for more information.

Tawanka Elementary School proudly celebrated Autism Acceptance Week with a variety of meaningful and engaging activities for our students and staff. As a school that is home to six autistic support classes, we are committed to promoting acceptance, understanding, and inclusion each and every day.

Throughout the week, students participated in assemblies, informational talks, and interactive displays designed to highlight the strengths and perspectives of individuals with differences. These experiences encouraged thoughtful conversations and helped build empathy across our school community.

At Tawanka, we believe that everyone belongs. Autism Acceptance Week served as a special reminder that our differences make us stronger, and that by supporting one another, we truly are all in this together.

We welcomed Benergy and his high energy presentation. Ben is an adult with autism and is an amazing advocate for acceptance and awareness. Ben met with all of our students at Tawanka and shared his message in a great and profound way. If you would like more information about Benergy, please visit the website below.

Friday we welcomed the Together We Dance Foundation and their special guest...Swoop from the Philadelphia Eagles. The message of the Together We Dance Foundation is all about inclusivity and accepting differences amongst individuals. We learned about being great friends and including everybody. We finished it off with some big group dancing!

Thanks to the sales of t-shirts we were able to generously donate $1,000 to Puzzle Pieces Squared. Puzzle Pieces Squared is a local autism advocacy foundation that provides supports to families with individuals with autism. Thank you to everyone that generously purchased a shirt this year! For more information about Puzzle Pieces Squared, please visit the website below.

Below you will find a slideshow of pictures from the week. From assemblies to spirit day, Tawanka really showed up to recognize our inclusive environment.

We are entering broken season as Carol loves to say. If your child has a broken or damaged appendage and requires an exemption from Phys Ed or Recess, please send in a note to the nurse!

If you are cleaning out your closets and have gently worn clothes that might be too small for your children, our nurses are always accepting donations. These donations go towards kids who have accidents, spills, or get sick and need a change of clothes. Please consider donating some of your small clothing to our school community.

Please email calexis@neshaminy.org; ddisandro@neshaminy.org or kmccellan@neshaminy.org call with any questions or concerns 215-809-6316 school fax 215-809-6353

Mr. Blaydon and Mrs. Atwater’s buddy classes, also coined Blaywater, got together to measure each other’s heights! We then plotted our heights on our picture graph.

Mrs. Carnila's Class is stretching their math brains.

Third grade completed their I-Ready March Madness competition! We celebrated with a pizza party. Congratulations to all participants and winners.

Mrs. Blaydon's class was one of the highest participating classes to purchase an Autism Awareness t shirt! Thank you to Mrs. Rothman & Mrs. Rogbeer for our popsicles!

Mr. Finkel's class won the popsicle reward for buying the most Autism Acceptance shirts in 4th grade!

Our 4th graders have worked hard for the past 5 years and now we want to reward them with a great move-up ceremony. The planning committee is next meeting on 4/29 in the evening. Please keep an eye out for information.

Place your order for move up day shirts by May 1st. See the flyer below.

Math Challenge is a program we participate in where students see how they can do on different types and levels of math problems. Run by the AE Teacher, Mrs. Morecz.

Feel free to explore with your kids!

Math Challenge Link - Neshaminy Elementary Schools(opens in new tab)

Students are learning about patterns and space.

The next meeting of the PTO is May 6th at 7:00 at Tawanka. Please consider joining us to find out about exciting events going on here at Tawanka.

The Title I Program Annual Review and Planning Survey is part of our annual review of Title I programs at both the school and district levels and will also help guide planning for the 2026–2027 school year. Your input is important and will be reviewed to help guide decisions and improvements for the 2026–2027 school year. Please complete this survey by April 30, 2026(opens in new tab). As a thank you for your participation, you may choose to enter a drawing for prizes in Section 10. Winners will be selected after the survey closes.

For questions about your child’s school, please contact your child’s school principal.

For questions about the District’s Title I program, please contact Lauren Steflik (lsteflik@neshaminy.org).

All families should review and update their information in the Home Access Center (HAC) by FRIDAY, APRIL 17. See the pdf below for more information.

• Philly Phanatic - Wear Phillies gear on 5/4

SCHOOLS WILL BE CLOSED ON.......

• Election Day 5/19 - No School
• Memorial Day 5/25 - No School