Dear School Community:

February may have started with the return of snowy, winter weather, but the achievements of our students are keeping spirits high. Both our young women's and men's basketball teams are heading into the playoff season. Tommy Walsh, on the men's basketball team scored his 1,000th point, which is another record for Jenkintown. Carolyn Keim, a senior in Eastern Center's Design, Photography and Illustration program, received a first place medal at the regional SkillsUSA competition, and will soon head to the state level to compete. The High School Interact Club is holding a canned soup and food drive for the Loaves and Fishes Food Cupboard. Our Home & School Association has some fun events coming up - a Valentine's Day hot chocolate party, the Gertrude Hawk candy sale, and Skate Night in early March. It's proving to be a busy, wonderful winter and spring is right around the corner!

Warmly,

Dr. Megan O'Brien, President

Mr. Chad Evans, Supervisor of Educational Planning at the Bucks County Intermediate Unit, gave an overview of the work done by the 2024-2027 Comprehensive Plan Committee. The committee was made up of 30 parents, teachers, students and district administrators. The Comprehensive Plan report is available for review at the link below. The Pennsylvania Department of Education requires the following plans to be posted for a 28-day public review session. We appreciate any feedback you may have. Comments or suggestions may be sent to Superintendent Dr. Jill Takacs via email at takacsj@jtowndrakes.org.

Ms. Michelle Glennon, Director of Special Education and Pupil Services, and Dr. Chris Jahnke, Elementary School Principal presented on the Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS) framework currently being used by the district.

Mr. Tom Roller, High School Principal, presented on the Differentiated Supervision Model used district wide for teacher performance evaluation and professional development.

The Board held a property committee meeting at 6:30pm. Mr. Mike Nickerson gave an overview of potential building maintenance projects, and upcoming work over the summer break.

At the Board combined work session and business meeting on Monday, February 12th, the Board reviewed and approved only the agenda items and reporting provided in BoardDocs, including the following:

• Adoption of the MCIU 2024-25 Budget
• Approval of a contract with Trapani Communications
• Approval of the agreement with the MCIU for the PowerSchool/Level Data system

All items can be reviewed in detail at Agenda - 250 West Avenue | Jenkintown, Pennsylvania 19046 | 215-885-3722 BoardDocs® LT

On Wednesday, February 14th, our teachers and staff took a deep dive into some fantastic professional development topics, and we just had to share the buzz with you all! You can click on the title above to see the list of topics our faculty and staff could choose from.

The budget process for the 2024-25 academic year is in its early stages. Ms. Karen Ovington, our business manager, will provide ongoing updates at our future board meetings.

March 4th through March 8th - Read Across America Week

Monday, March 11th, 6:30pm - Curriculum Committee Meeting

Monday, March 11th, 7:00pm - School Board Work Session

Thursday, March 14th and Friday, March 15th - Parent Teacher Conferences

March 14th, March 15th, March 16th, 7:30pm - Jenkintown Theatre Arts presents Alice by Heart

Monday, March 18th, 7:00pm - School Board Business Meeting

Alice by Heart is a musical with music by Duncan Sheik, lyrics by Steven Sater, and a book by Sater with Jessie Nelson, in which a young girl takes refuge in a London Tube station during WWII and confronts grief, loss, and love with the help of her favorite book, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Click on the poster image for ticket information.

We would like to thank Mr. Jim Cummins for revamping the district calendar on the district webpage. Events | The School District of Jenkintown (jenkintowndrakes.org) Please take a moment to check it out!