Bristol Township School District

Dear Bristol Township School Community,

I hope today finds you well as we move into Spring Break.

As the weather continues to warm up and signs of spring emerge all around us, we know that we are entering into a very exciting part of the school year. This is the time of year when students work on culminating projects that bring together everything they've learned throughout the year, and we prepare for many end-of-the-year events, activities and festivities. Make sure to stay tuned to our communication channels for upcoming information and dates.

This month's smore features news on competitions and conferences, showcases some of our stellar student-athletes, includes highlights from our Music Department, and shares something happening from each building in the "Around Our Schools segment."

Please enjoy and have a wonderful Spring Break!

Sincerely,

Michael Nitti

Superintendent of Schools

Truman Speech and Debate Team leadership represented BTSD at the National Speech and Debate Association national qualifier! Team president Nilufer Bektas and captains Ahmad Gaga and Jacob Geist all qualified to the National Tournament in Richmond, Virginia, to take place after their graduation in June. This win represents their fourth national qualifier this year!

On March 12, Truman HOSA had the opportunity to compete and participate in the HOSA state conference in Hershey, PA. Students were able to perform bronchoscopy on a pig's lungs, explore virtual anatomy and autopsy presentations, and network with other Pennsylvania students with an interest in healthcare professions. The event also hosted multiple colleges from across the state to answer students' questions about their career paths.

Congratulations to two teams from Mill Creek for making it to the Bucks County K'Nex STEM Design Challenge Finals! The fifth-grade students in The Builder Besties and The Bone Crushers will represent BTSD in the finals at the Fab Lab in April.

The students were tasked with designing a section of a factory that produces a product using sustainable practices and reduces food waste.

The Builder Besties (Mila Milburn and Maisy Young) designed a machine to dehydrate vegetable scraps and mix them into cement to create a building material. By using this design, their goal is to limit methane gas, which is created from food scrap waste in landfills.

After discovering the amount of bone waste in meat factories, The Bone Crushers (John Grow, Sofia Rodriguez, Oscar Torres) designed a machine to boil, bake, and grind bones to create bone meal. The students learned that bone meal is beneficial in optimizing nutrients in soil and will assist farmers in growing fruitful crops.

Best of luck to our teams!

Armstrong Middle School held its first Sundae Fun Day to honor its math scholars who earned advanced or proficient on last year's Math PSSA, or showed 10% or more growth from the previous year.

BTSD's Family STEAM Night featured hands-on activities in science, technology, engineering, art, and math. Students discovered real-world applications and careers in a fun, future-focused evening of learning!

Twenty stellar student-athletes have committed to continue their athletic and academic careers at colleges this fall. Athletic Director Tim Monaghan held a signing ceremony to celebrate them all.

Seniors in winter sports nominated a Bristol Township staff member, past or present, who has made a profound impact inside and outside the classroom for Shirt Off My Back!

By awarding a specific staff member, the student recognizes their efforts and contributions. Staff receive a handwritten letter from their nominator, explaining the reasons for the selection, along with a T-shirt featuring the student’s name.

March has been a busy month for the BTSD Music Department! Check out everything they’ve been up to:

Hosted by Centennial School District this year, this event features a select group of Bucks County students who successfully auditioned. This included 6 band and 2 choir students from Truman, 7 band and 2 choir students from Franklin, and 6 band and 4 choir students from Armstrong.

This event honors select students in grades 10-12, who successfully auditioned from Bucks and Montgomery Counties. Tenth graders, Angelina Horne (flute) and Chris Grotz (trumpet) represented Truman High School.

At the District 11 festival, Chris Grotz (trumpet) was selected for the PMEA Regional VI Band, consisting of the Southeastern PA counties (Bucks, Montgomery, Chester, Delaware, and Philadelphia). He performed at the festival at Downingtown East High School and was then invited to audition for the next level, PMEA All-State Band.

Middle school students in the Students in Concert program, funded by the Youth Orchestra of Bucks County, performed in the annual festival on March 17, at Truman High School. This year’s concert featured Dr. Quincy C. Hillard as the conductor. He is currently a composer in residence and is the Heymann Endowed professor of music at the University of Louisiana, Lafayette.

Band students in fifth and sixth grade are selected by teacher nomination for the PMEA District 11 Festival. Hosted at New Hope-Solebury High School, this event brought together students from about 20 schools in Bucks and Montgomery Counties to perform with a guest conductor.

Eleventh-grade student Maggie Guteff is representing the Bristol Township School District in this year’s Bucks IU Student Art Gallery. Guteff’s artwork “Autumn” is a series of three ink drawings that portray different views of the season, featuring the environment, a cottage, and a close-up of nature.

Each year, the Bucks IU Student Art Gallery showcases one piece of art from the County’s 13 public school districts and several nonpublic schools. Guteff attended an art gallery reception on March 26, where the IU celebrated the students and their artwork.

“This piece went through a lot of challenges, and took a great deal of time and late nights to finally complete it,” said Guteff, who created it in her Art 2 class, taught by Emily Pacenski, at Truman High School.

Continue reading...

Over 200 Brookwood, Armstrong, and Truman students marched in the Bucks County St. Patrick's Day parade:

Drummers With Attitude performed at the 'Coldest Night of the Year' fundraiser:

Theatre educator and director Tracey Gatte was interviewed about Truman Drama in PSEA's Voice Magazine! Flip to page 20 in the interactive edition:

Brookwood's Title 1 program partnered with the PTO to host a family engagement night themed “Get the Scoop" on literacy. The event was led by Brookwood’s Title I Interventionists: Aimee Ramos, Karen Madden, and Megan Repko.

Mill Creek students enjoyed a special visit from Truman students, who volunteered to read books in honor of Read Across America. It was a great opportunity for older students to share their love of books while serving as positive role models for elementary readers.

At Franklin's Family Fitness Night, families played and competed in PE games like basketball, volleyball, boxing, and more! It was a great evening promoting a healthy lifestyle and fun ways to stay fit.

On March 11, members of the Armstrong National Junior Honor Society spent the afternoon making over 150 handcrafted cards for the non-profit organization Letters of Love! This organization sends cards to children in pediatric care centers around the country.

Truman's Spirit Night was a huge success, filled with relays, dances, and tons of school spirit as students showcased their skills and teamwork, and ended with a Black Team victory over Gold.

Congratulations to the Foundation of the Arts students of the month, who were recognized at this month’s Board meeting! Each honoree received a certificate and a Barnes & Noble gift card.

Sign up at 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767) or visit RedCrossBlood.org and enter: BTSD to schedule an appointment.

Free Spring Vaccine Clinic for students! Register at https://form.jotform.com/SpringfieldRx/5122026-morrisville-bristol-borough

District Administration
5 Blue Lake Road, Levittown, PA, USA
215-943-3200
https://bristoltwpsd.org/

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