District Newsletter

The annual data presentation, delivered at the LMTSD Public Board Meeting on December 16, 2025, is now available. For a quick review, this brief video provides a substantive overview of the content.

Framed by our strategic plan, this presentation highlights the significant collective progress we have made toward our vision: "LMTSD delivers a nurturing and empowering learning environment, in which student growth is celebrated and supported." It also establishes a strong foundation for our continuous improvement efforts moving forward.

Thank you for your ongoing commitment to our students!

Behind every great student, dedicated teacher, and thriving school is a team of leaders working tirelessly behind the scenes.

This School Board Appreciation Month, we want to say a massive THANK YOU to our Board of School Directors. These dedicated volunteers spend countless hours in meetings and advocating for our children’s future. Their vision and commitment make the Lower Moreland Township School District a better place to learn and grow.

Hello, Lower Moreland Community! We, the Student Representatives [Izabella Philip and Yuki Wu] for the 2025-2026 school year, are excited to share with you the School Climate updates from the month of December for Pine Road, Murray Avenue, and Lower Moreland High School.

During the days leading up to winter break at Pine Road, students had a ton of fun participating in "Winter White Out" spirit day, holiday parties, and the annual holiday sing-along. The staff even participated in "sELFie" by finding paper elves of themselves around the school! Pine Road is also planning another pillar assembly for the month of January as well!

Murray Avenue held an assembly teaching students about showing kindness and empathy in their lives. The assembly was led by "Mr. Ty" and included a laser show! Murray Avenue students and staff closed off an amazing season of winter concerts. The Orchestra, Band, and Choir students all delivered performances to a packed house!

Finally, the Lower Moreland High School's Ukrainian Student Association hosted its "Bonnets for Babies of the War" campaign. Students packed donations for infants in Ukraine and were featured in the Huntingdon Valley View. We are incredibly proud to have students taking initiative for a good cause. The Orchestra, Band, and Choir students and teachers all had wonderful concerts during the winter season as well! We also had the Polar Pop Event for our Unified Track Team! Staff volunteers raised money to get either a water balloon or beach pail poured over them at the, notably very cold, football field.

The safety of our students and staff is our top priority. We are writing to inform you of a new state requirement, Act 44 of 2025, which took effect on January 6, 2026.

This law requires all Pennsylvania school districts to notify parents, guardians, and employees within 24 hours if an incident involving a weapon occurs on school property or at a school-sponsored event.

Key points to remember:

• Transparency: You will receive a notification via our primary communication channels (email/text) within one day of any such incident.

• Privacy: In accordance with federal FERPA laws, these notifications will not include names or identifying information of any students involved.

• Response: This mandate does not change our immediate emergency protocols. Our first priority remains contacting law enforcement and ensuring the immediate safety of our campus.

We remain committed to maintaining a secure and transparent learning environment. Thank you for your continued support.

In accordance with Pennsylvania School Code, a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) or CPA firm must annually audit the district. The district pays for this audit. The audit is an examination of the districts’ financial statements by an independent, external person(s) to ascertain whether or not the district-prepared financial statements fairly represent in material (significant) respects its financial position and operations. The auditor offers an opinion on this matter.

The audit for the 2024/25 school year was completed by the audit firm, Maillie LLP., which specializes in school district auditing. The 2024/25 audit was presented at the December 16, 2025 Meeting for the Board of School Directors to review and then voted upon to accept the report.

From January 1 through March 31, everyone who shops at GIANT, MARTIN’S, and GIANT Heirloom Market stores will be invited to “round up” their bill to the closest dollar. The funds raised will support the Feeding School Kids Campaign. Customers can also give by converting their CHOICE Rewards Points to donations in the GIANT app. Our district looks forward to partnering with The GIANT Company to fight childhood hunger.

The district is implementing a new computer system that will allow for more efficient processing and tracking of volunteer clearances and their expiration dates. Known as the Comply system, new volunteers will be asked to create an account on this platform and upload the necessary documents. Existing volunteers will receive reminder emails, starting six months before their clearances need to be renewed. Clearances and the Mandated Reporter Training need to be renewed every five years.

Here are instructions for accessing the Comply system.

As we move into the winter months, Lower Moreland is preparing for the annual WIDA ACCESS for ELLs assessment. This is an important time for our multilingual learners to showcase their growth and progress in English language proficiency.

What is the WIDA ACCESS Assessment?

WIDA ACCESS stands for Assessing Comprehension and Communication in English State-to-State. It is a federally mandated assessment administered to students in Kindergarten through Grade 12 who have been identified as English Language Learners (ELLs).

The test is not a measure of academic knowledge in specific subjects, such as Math or Science. Instead, it measures a student's ability to communicate effectively in English within a school setting. The assessment covers four language domains:

• Listening: Understanding spoken English in social and academic contexts.

• Reading: Comprehending written English text.

• Speaking: Producing oral English to communicate ideas.

• Writing: Expressing thoughts and information in written English.
  
  

Purpose and Impact in Pennsylvania

In Pennsylvania, the Department of Education uses WIDA ACCESS scores for several vital purposes:

• Measuring Progress: It helps teachers and families see how much a student's English skills have improved over the past year.

• Guiding Instruction: Results help our educators tailor their teaching strategies to meet the specific linguistic needs of each student.

• Program Placement: Scores are a primary factor in determining if a student is ready to exit the English Language Development (ELD) program.

• Accountability ensures our district meets state and federal requirements to provide high-quality support for all students.
  
  

WIDA ACCESS Testing Dates: January 5, 2026 – February 20, 2026

During this window, our schools will schedule specific days for each grade level and domain. Most students in Grades 1–12 will take the assessment online, while Kindergarten students and those requiring specific accommodations will use paper-based versions.

How Can Families Help?

You can support your child by ensuring they are well-rested and arrive at school on time during their scheduled testing days. Most importantly, remind them that this test is simply an opportunity to show how much they have learned!

If you have any questions regarding the WIDA assessment or your child’s English language services, please contact your school’s ELD teacher or Scott Cole, the Director of Teaching, Learning, and Community Engagement at scole@lmtsd.org.

The Ukrainian Students Association Club of Lower Moreland High School packaged donations on Friday, December 12, that they collected for infants in Ukraine. These donations of baby books, bottles, pacifiers, and clothing were collected as part of their Bonnets for Babies of the War Campaign. The donations have been shipped to Lviv, Ukraine. 6ABC filmed a segment for Action News, which can be seen here.

LMHS Staff Member, Elena Pitulec, is the Club's Sponsor, and LMHS Senior Victoria Zalipsky is the Club's President.

This year, the Lower Moreland Township School District will once again be operating an in-district Extended School Year program. As always, the IEP team for each child will make a determination as to his/her need for Extended School Year based upon a variety of factors including regression and recoupment of IEP goals. Revisions to IEPs will be made as necessary. The program will run from July 6th to August 6th, Monday through Thursday from 9:00 AM-12:00 PM and will operate at all three school buildings. More details will be forthcoming as we calculate our final numbers of students who are eligible and will be attending. All parents of eligible students will receive a letter from the Office of Student Services, after February, with additional information.

Congratulations to Lower Moreland High School's D1 Valorant e-sports team for winning 1st place and the D2 team for winning 2nd place in this year's PIEA Fall Conference Final that was held at DeSales University!

In December, members of the district's leadership team attended a workshop at Montgomery County Intermediate Unit focused on the strategic integration of AI in K-12 education. The session provided valuable insights into both the opportunities and the necessary guardrails for AI use in a school environment.

Key areas of focus included:

• Using Gemini for Education to improve daily workflows and understanding Gemini-specific admin console and security features.

• Streamlining productivity by consolidating tech platforms and optimizing efficiencies

• Using Gemini in the Classroom, including new tools like Notebook LM and Deep Research.

• Classroom Management capabilities using Class Tools, making lessons more engaging and managing students more efficiently.
  
  

The information presented during the session will help refine our AI implementation and guidelines to ensure safe adoption of AI.

Dennis H. Best, Ed.D.

Superintendent of Schools

Email: dbest@lmtsd.org
Website: www.lmtsd.org
Location: 2551 Murray Avenue, Huntingdon Valley, PA, USA
Phone: 215-928-0272