This week, we kicked off our annual program that highlights National Reading Month in March. The program is designed to help you, your family and friends increase the amount of reading materials at home. In addition, each purchase made through the program provides the school with additional funding!

It's easy! Students register, create an avatar, and send 10 emails to family & friends! That's it! Every student that participates will receive a prize!

This weekend is the last chance to register and send emails, and the last prizes will be distributed on Monday - so don't wait! *Flyer below with details.

A big thank you goes out to the PTO and donors for our yummy soft pretzels on Valentine's Day!

On Thursday, 2/24 students and staff alike participated in Wild West Day by dressing up in their favorite western gear! So much fun!

There were 95 students who participated in Math Challenge #9. The teachers with the highest participation were: Ms. Wells, Ms. Wendling, and Ms. Atwater. Great job!

Math challenge #10 began on 2/18 & is due March 2nd.

For the answer keys for previous challenges or to print Math Challenge #10, please click here: https://www.mathinaction.org/neshaminy-sd-elementary.html

If you have not done so already, we highly recommend obtaining and submitting your clearances in order to volunteer for any future school related activities (field trips, mystery readers, etc.) Clearances are good for 5 years from their issue date. Click below for more information.

We want to hear from you on how we can improve our dining program! The survey is available from February 22nd - March 18th. Take the survey together with your student!

Reminder: Families should still apply for the Free and Reduced Meal Program even though breakfast and lunch is free this year.

2021-2022 Free & Reduced Information

• All school meals (breakfast & lunch) will be free of charge to all students, regardless of family income, during the 2021-2022 school year.
• Optional snack items might be available in some schools, and can be purchased using your School Cafe account.
• Families who might be eligible for the Free & Reduced meal program during a normal school year are still encouraged to apply. Acceptance to the Free & Reduced program could make your family eligible for additional unrelated benefits during the school year (see below).
• If you apply for the Free & Reduced program and are not accepted, your student(s) will continue to receive free school meals during the 2021-2022 school year. There is no risk in applying.

To apply:

1. See if your family meets the income eligibility guidelines here.
2. Download the application instructions here.
3. You can apply online by logging into your School Cafe account.
4. Or...you can download and print the 2021-2022 Free & Reduced application here. After filling it out, return the form to your child's school Main Office.

If you need assistance, the Main Office staff at each school can help in completing the Free & Reduced application.

Do you have questions about this application or the Free & Reduced program at Neshaminy? Call Angelique DeFeo at 215-809-6542.

These Kindergarten students were teaching BeeBots to spell sight words by coding them to travel to each letter. First they planned their path using forward, backward, turn right, and turn left cards. Then they programmed the robots. Then they debugged the code to fix any errors in the program. Through this process the students learn coding skills, but they also learn planning skills and perseverance!

Dr. Potter came to Mrs. Neff's class to teach us more social emotional learning skills.

We learned to be patient and that we have a connection with each other and that we care.

In order to celebrate Black History Month, the students in Mrs. Banks' class learned about three different inventions from African Americans. The children had to come up with an invention on how to wash a giraffe. The giraffe is too tall to reach so they needed to think of creative ways to clean the giraffe.

First Graders in Mrs. Wendling’s Class practiced math facts and cooperation by playing math games.

They also created collections of 100 items and then checked a friend's collection. They found it was easiest to count by groups of 10!

Students worked diligently to revise their personal narratives this week.

After reading Enemy Pie by Derek Munson, we learned a valuable lesson that we should give others a chance. You never know who could end up being your best friend! We then worked in pairs to weave a delicious pie. We defined what friendship is, what friendship has, and what friendship needs.

On Valentine's Day, Mrs. Phillips' and Ms. Wells' classes participated in a gallery walk set up by Mrs. Cozza. The theme was hearts and the students listed adjectives to describe different heart pictures as they rotated around the pod.

Mrs. Phillips’ WIN group worked on their mental math with a Valentine’s theme.

Students on the East Coast Team in room B206 won lunch in the cafeteria for being responsible Tawanka Eagles!

In Social Studies, students have been learning about famous Americans that have made a difference in other's lives. In addition, Mrs. Davis's class learned about the first Americans. They each chose a different Native American tribe, read about them, and wrote an informational report on their culture.

We love to see the growing names on the boards! Congratulations to the following students for joining the third grade i-Ready Clubs:

25 Math Club

Hansa

25 Reading Club

Dan

50 Reading Club

Sofia, Cameron, Anna

50 Math Club

Emily, Robert, Angelina, Aisha, Evan, Zelda

Keep up the great work, Tawanka Eagles!

The students in Ms. McHugh's class are part of the USPS Pen Pal Project. They have been busy preparing letters to send to their pen pals in Forest Park, Illinois.

The 4th graders continue to play kickball as their second intramural sport. So far the RoughRiders, Lumberkings, Space Cowboys, and Hot Rods have each won a game!

Officer Zaffino joined kindergarteners in creating symmetrical hearts. They are learning all about the warm and cool colors.

Second graders are working on creating paper weavings. They are turning them into owls.

Meet Miss Allison! The students all know her already since she has been a recess aide for the last year and a half at Tawanka. More recently she has been filling in as a long term substitute office clerk. You will hear her cheerful voice on the phone and see her smiling face in the office. We are happy to have her help!

Registration for the 2022-2023 school year is now open. Families are encouraged to register their new students as early as possible to ensure that they are able to attend their neighborhood school. Registration is done online here: https://www.neshaminy.org/register. Once completed, a member of the Central Registration staff will contact you to make an appointment to complete the process in-person.

Safety of all students and staff is a top priority at Tawanka, so we have strict safety procedures in place. A reminder of the following:

Building Entry: All visitors must scan their driver's license or state issued ID at the kiosk in the front vestibule and wait for entry. This is required at every visit, or access will be denied.

Early Dismissals: Please notify the teacher if your child will be picked up early. If being picked up by someone other than a parent/guardian, please specify who will be picking up your child. Students will only be released to individuals listed on the emergency card, but the office must be notified prior to pick-up. Students must be signed out in the main office. Again, driver's license or state issued ID is required to pick up a student. We strongly encourage early dismissals be no later than 3:00 pm.

The next PTO meeting will be Wednesday, March 2nd @ 10 am. We hope to see you there!

Thank you to everyone who purchased tickets for our Winter Raffle. We appreciate your support! Drawing will be held on Monday, February 28th and winners will be notified. GOOD LUCK!!!

Don't forget, you can support the PTO while you shop! Market Day, Box Tops for Education, and the RiteAid Rx Fundraising program are great ways to help, and so easy! For more information, please click the link below!