IB Campus Family Newsletter

📝Message From the Principal

Dear IB Campus Families,

This is typically the space where you would see a message from Mrs. Bojda. I'm thrilled to share that she is currently on maternity leave after welcoming a happy and healthy baby boy to the world on September 16th! All are doing well. She will return to SLCS in January, and until that time, I will continue to cover the day-to-day responsibilities of the building principal.

As we complete our first full month of the 2025-26 school year, I wanted to take a moment to reflect on what has been a very strong start to the year. It has been wonderful to see our classrooms filled with students eagerly engaged in learning. Our new students have settled in remarkably well, and our returning students have stepped into roles as leaders and mentors with maturity and enthusiasm. Our teachers have worked tirelessly to create challenging, inquiry-based learning experiences that embody the IB learner profile. The intellectual curiosity on display has been truly inspiring to see on a daily basis.

We are not the only ones who see that there is "something special" about School Lane. For the second year in a row, School Lane Charter School's IB Campus has been named one of the Best High Schools and Best Charter Schools by U.S. News & World Report! Ranked in the Top 10% in Pennsylvania and nationwide, this honor reflects the dedication of our staff, the perseverance of our students, and the trust of our families. We are also thrilled to share that we have once again been named one of the 2026 Best Charter K-12 Schools in Pennsylvania, this time moving up to #2 in their annual rankings!

Thank you for your continued partnership in making School Lane such an exceptional learning community. I look forward to working with you throughout this school year and celebrating the many successes that lie ahead for our students.

All the best,

Jim Munizza

Deputy CEO

10/2/25- School Closed

10/3/25- Staff Professional Development- No School for Students

10/6/25- Drama Production Audition 1

10/7/25- Senior Picture Retakes

10/8/25- Progress Reports Available on PowerSchool

10/8/25- SAT Testing (Grades 11-12)

10/8/25- Drama Production Audition 2

10/9/25- School Picture Retakes

10/9/25- Drama Production Audition 3

10/9/25- Personal Project Parent Meeting- Grade 10- (Virtual Link)

10/10-25- First Friday Dress Down Day

10/18/25- IB Campus Prospective Family Open House- 10:00 AM

10/20/25- School Closed

10/21/25- Skate Night- Grades 9-12

10/22/25- PSAT- Grade 10

10/23/25- Board of Trustees Meeting

10/24/25- Grade 9 Summative Exhibition

10/28/25- Grade 8 Exhibition- Identity

10/28/25- IB Campus Prospective Family Open House- 6:00 PM

10/30/25- Fall Festival- Grades 7-8- 3:15 PM

October 2025- IB Campus Calendar

2025-2026 School Year Calendar

Attendance

Families must contact our Attendance Office via email (attendanceib@schoollane.org) for providing verification (notes or documentation) for each day absent within three (3) days of the student returning to school. An email message with a simple form to complete for the documentation is sent for any student who is absent. A maximum of ten (10) days of cumulative excused absences verified by parental notification shall be permitted during a school year. Students in grades 9-12 must attend school for 990 hours per school year as per state policy to receive course credit. Students who are absent in excess of 19 days (10% of the school year) during one school year are considered at risk for retention.

Transportation

Car Riders

For morning drop-off, families enter the parking lot behind the 3340 building (4th entrance) and drive around to the front entrance. For afternoon pick-up, families will enter the 3340 back parking lot (4th entrance) starting at 3:00pm and wait for dismissal at 3:10pm. For student safety, please do not pick up students on Tillman Drive, at Carrabbas, at Extended Stay America, or on Street Road. Students may not be dropped off in front of 3350 between 7:30-8:15 am and 2:30-3:30 pm. This poses a major safety concern. We need your cooperation with our school policies for arrival and dismissal to keep all students safe.

Yellow Bus

All school districts other than Philadelphia receive transportation from the sending school district. The Code of Conduct does extend to yellow busses and students can face school and transportation consequences for infractions that occur on the school bus and at bus stops.

SEPTA

Students riding SEPTA buses catch the bus routes that stop at Street Rd. and Tillman Dr. Students who are eligible for SEPTA will receive a yearly TransPass through the School District of Philadelphia at the front desk.

Dress Down Days

Whenever SLCS permits Dress Down days, clothing must be school-appropriate and in accord with the SLCS dress code regulations. If a student is not dressed according to school standards and is unable to rectify the dress code issue, then a parent/guardian will be contacted and permitted to bring appropriate clothing to school to rectify the dress code violation.

On Dress Down days:

Ripped jeans are only permitted if there is fabric underneath.
No slides, flip flops, slippers or wheel shoes. Shoes must have a back or back
strap.
Clothing must be free of inflammatory, suggestive, violent, vulgar or other inappropriate writing, artwork or advertisement.
Clothing which may be considered to be disruptive, unsafe or unhealthy within the educational process may not be worn.
Halter tops, tube tops, muscle shirts, backless shirts, midriff shirts, see-through clothing may not be worn.
Outerwear (coats, jackets) may not be worn in class.
Shoulder coverings must be at least two inches in width. Clothing must cover the chest area to ensure that no cleavage is exposed.
Pants must be worn at waist level. Skirts must reach the top of the knee.
No hats, caps, scarves, gloves, or sunglasses may be worn.
No visible undergarments of any kind (If clothing does not cover undergarments, the dress code is violated.)

Student IDs

Every student at SLCS will be assigned a barcoded student ID card for secure access to the IB Campus academic buildings and to purchase lunch/snacks. Students must wear their ID visibly daily and present it upon request by any staff member. Students in grades 7-12 may use a school issued lanyard or use one of their choice, provided it is appropriate and not disruptive to the learning environment.

Due to the upcoming construction project on campus, wearing student IDs is critical for safety

and security. IDs help staff quickly identify students and ensure that only authorized individuals

are in designated areas. Compliance with this policy supports a safe learning environment

during this time.

If a student has lost or has broken an ID a replacement can be purchased for $10.00.

While it is still very early in the current school year, we are already kicking off enrollment activities for the 2026-2027 school year. Upon enrolling new students, we typically ask families how they heard about School Lane. The most common response is word of mouth positive accounts from current School Lane families. We can’t thank you enough for that support in ensuring our enrollment remains strong!

To that end, we wanted to make you aware of upcoming open house events at both campuses taking place during the month of October:

Open Houses: Open Houses provide an opportunity for prospective students and their families to tour our facilities, meet school administrators, interact with staff and teachers, and see our student leaders in action. Our hope is that visitors walk away from Open Houses knowing what makes School Lane unique compared to other schools in the area. Open House events will take place:

Tuesday 10/14/25 at 6:00 PM- Elementary Campus- 2400 Bristol Pike, Bensalem, PA 19020

Saturday 10/18/25 at 10:00 AM- IB Campus- 3350 Tillman Drive, Bensalem, PA 19020

Saturday 10/25/25 at 10:00 AM- Elementary Campus- 2400 Bristol Pike, Bensalem, PA 19020

Tuesday 10/28/25 at 6:00 PM- IB Campus- 3350 Tillman Drive, Bensalem, PA 19020

Those that are interested can RSVP for Open House events here.

In Person Applications for the waiting list and Kindergarten lottery begins on Saturday, November 15, 2025 from 9:00 am to 11:00 am at both campuses.

Online application will open on Friday, January 30, 2026 at 10:00 am. Please note that submission of the online application will put the student on the waiting list after all completed in person applications from November 15, 2025 through January 29, 2026.

Please plan ahead to join us for this important message from an expert in the field of technology. He has been a guest speaker at SLCS for the past few years and stays current about social media apps, parental monitoring options, and suggestions to help your children and our students stay safe online and have a positive digital footprint. The event will be in person in the elementary school cafeteria on Wednesday, 10/29 at 6pm or you could join online using this Google Meet link. We STRONGLY ENCOURAGE all parents to attend as many of the discipline issues we handle on a daily basis are rooted in something that relates to social media.

Trimester 1 Clubs

After school clubs for the 1st Trimester are off to a great start! We have a wide variety of clubs that take place Monday through Thursday. Activities offered this trimester include: Basketball, Mock Trial, Band & Production, Robotics, SAT Math Tutoring, Choir, Yearbook, Art & Crochet, E-Sports, Student Government, Wood Working, Cheerleading, Drama, and Key Club.

Trimester 1 Clubs end at 4:20 each afternoon and students are expected to be picked up promptly at that time or have arrangements to take SEPTA home. Trimester 1 Clubs run through Thursday, November 20th.

Athletics

Our Fall athletics season is off to a great start! Both our Middle School Soccer team, led by Ms. Searer and Ms. Christine, and our High School Soccer team, led by Mr. Meehan, continue to show improvement each game! More Cross Country teams, Middle School led by Ms. Zampirri and High School led by Ms. McHugh, continue to increase their stamina as meets begin to take place.