District Newsletter

May 2025

From the District

The first full week of May is annually Teacher Appreciation Week, a time when we get to express our deepest gratitude for all that they do for our school community. Their dedication, passion, and unwavering commitment to our students make a profound difference every single day.

Dr. Dennis Best, Superintendent

Dear Lower Moreland Families,

We are pleased to announce a revision to the end-of-year academic calendar for the 2024-2025 school year.

Due to recent changes in state legislation (Act 56), the Lower Moreland Township School District can adjust the calendar. On December 14, 2023, Governor Shapiro signed HB 1507 into law, which amends the School Code to allow districts to base their school term on 180 instructional days or specific instructional hours (900 hours for elementary, 990 hours for secondary). Lower Moreland Township School District meets the hourly requirement.

As a result, the last day for students in the 2024-2025 school year will now be Monday, June 16, 2025. This day will be an early dismissal for all students. This adjustment also means the district will not need to make up the two inclement weather days used during the school year.

We hope this information is helpful as you plan for the end of the school year. Please contact your child’s principal with any questions regarding end-of-year events.

LMHS on The ClassH-Room

The ClassH-Room is a trivia-based game show for local schools. Each episode features three students and three teachers from the same school competing against each other.

On March 22nd, the LMHS teams taped their show, which was subsequently aired on Wednesday, April 30th. You can watch the episode here.

Trip to Altitude Trampoline Park

The students from the classrooms of Ms. Cerruti (LMMS), Mrs. McCaffrey and Mrs. Coleman (LM High School), Mrs. Juliano, Ms. Grant and Ms. Soulsby (Pine Road) enjoyed a "jump session" at Altitude Trampoline Park in Feasterville. 43 students (K-12) and 26 staff members took to the trampolines for two hours of fun and excitement! Students and adults were "all smiles"!

Pine Road Elementary Art Show

Students at Pine Road showed off their artistic creations to their families and friends at the Art Show, organized by Art Teacher Ms. Tara Drissel (pictured here).

Student Representatives to the Board of School Directors

Hello, Lower Moreland Community! We, the Student Representatives [Mia Dubin and

Edona Selamaj] for the 2024-2025 school year, are excited to share with you the latest updates

regarding the School Climate at Pine Road, Murray Avenue, Lower Moreland Middle School,

and Lower Moreland High School.

At Pine Road, students welcomed author Matt Phelan, who spoke to students and staff

during a school-wide assembly! It was a very exciting day, which brought smiles to everyone’s

faces as he shared his experiences and engaged the audience with stories about his work.

Students were inspired by the opportunity to meet a real author and learn more about the creative

process behind making books!

Next, at Murray Avenue, Mr. Stroup informed us that, “Thanks to the generous support

of our PTA, the Echo Dance team from New York City came to perform for Murray Avenue for a

full school assembly. The performers put on an amazing light and dance show while delivering

messages of anti-bullying, respect, and supporting each other!”

Additionally, at Lower Moreland Middle School, students are very busy nearing the end

of the year, wrapping up learning new and exciting information. Ms. Dilks states, “Seventh-grade

social studies classes have spent the past few weeks learning about South Asia. Students have

learned about the geography of the region, early civilizations, religions that originated in South

Asia, and the path to independence. Students analyzed primary and secondary resources, used AI

to chat with Gandhi, and worked on the process of a Document-Based Question (DBQ). Students

are creating a cereal box research project about the topic that interests them the most during the

South Asia unit. After the break, the students will be studying East Asia.”

Lastly, at the high school, students from World Literature and World History classes and other students who signed up to attend walked to the Middle School auditorium to hear a presentation from Holocaust survivor, Ronnie Breslow. This assembly, which was had over 400 students in the audience, was immensely powerful and a transformative experience. We are incredibly grateful for the rare opportunity to hear her story!

Business Office (Mark McGuinn, Business Manager)

During the April 2025 regular School Board Meeting, the Lower Moreland Board of Directors approved the base lunch prices for all schools. They are as follows:

School Price

Pine Road $2.60

Murray Avenue $2.75

Middle School $2.75

High School $3.60

These prices are the same as the current school year and are for the regular, base lunches. As the school year concludes for 2024/25, our website will be updated with new 2025/26 information. In a survey on Montgomery County school districts, the pricing structure for Lower Moreland schools was among the lowest in the County.

Please visit the Food Services page the District's website for information for the new school year after the current school year concludes. Information on the site will include free/reduced meals information and applications, as well as other useful food service information.

LMHS Literary Magazine

The 2025 LMHS Literary Magazine, All About U, is available here.

Curriculum & Community Engagement (Dr. Julie Henrich, Assistant Superintendent/Scott Cole, Dir. )

Dear Lower Moreland Families,

We deeply value our partnership with you in educating the children of our district. Your input is crucial as we strive to enhance everyone's school experience. We've partnered with Panorama Education to gather your valuable feedback and conduct annual surveys. Please be assured that Panorama safeguards your privacy, and all responses are kept confidential.

Family Survey:

We invite you to participate in a brief online survey. It should take only a few minutes to complete and will provide invaluable insights into your perspectives. You can access the survey between April 22, 2025, and May 7, 2025, using a computer, tablet, or smartphone by visiting:

https://surveys.panoramaed.com/lmtsdpa/2123795769/surveys

Food Services Receives a Donation

Food Services was able to raise $8,361.62 from Giant's Feeding School Kids Program to use toward eliminating negative student lunch account balances due to hardships, providingfree meals, updating kitchen equipment and supplies, and sending home extra meals and snacks for after-hours and the weekend.

6th Grade Drama Club Production

The Murray Avenue 6th Grade Drama Club recently captivated audiences with their enthusiastic and engaging production of "Moana Jr." The students dedicated considerable time and effort to rehearsing their roles, learning songs and choreography, and bringing the beloved story of Moana to life on stage. Their performance showcased not only their burgeoning acting talents but also their teamwork and commitment to creating a memorable theatrical experience for the school and wider community. The vibrant costumes, creative set design, and heartfelt performances contributed to a truly enjoyable rendition of this popular musical.

Nominations for Cast Members of Mama Mia

The district is proud of the whole cast and crew in the LMHS' production of Mamma Mia. Mrs. Leah Abramson, the Director, was recently notified that the “Dynamos” (Adrienne Nicastro, “Donna”, Alyssa Gottesman, “Tanya”, and Vivienne McGarrigle, “Rosie”) were nominated for a Philadelphia Independence award!

The Independence Awards recognize outstanding achievements in high school theater in the Philadelphia region. Over 20 awards are given in both performing and non-performing categories.

Special Education and Student Services (Frank Giordano, Director)

Each May, National Speech-Language-Hearing Month provides an opportunity to raise awareness about communication disorders and the role of American Speech- Language Hearing Association members in providing life-altering treatment.

The Office of Student Services would like to highlight the importance of the services provided by our Speech Pathologists and Hearing Support Teacher in the school setting and thank them all for the work they do to support our students with speech and hearing needs. Thank you to:

Speech Pathologists:

Courtney Benner

Danielle Koellner

Maria Bishop

Hearing Support Teacher:

Christina Stokes

Technology (Prakash Patel, Director)

In April, PSSA testing took place at Pine Elementary, Murray Avenue, and Lower Moreland Middle School. The technology department actively supported this effort by partnering with building staff. To ensure smooth testing, a tech team member was stationed at each school, providing immediate access to extra resources, including chargers and spare Chromebooks.

Lower Moreland Township School District

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