Bensalem News and Notes

We hope this newsletter provides you with helpful information. Please visit our website, www.bensalemsd.org, for important information throughout the school year. Under the "About Us" tab, you will find the annual school calendar, monthly calendars, school phone numbers, and more. The "Parent/Students" tab has valuable information on Attendance, Community Resources for Families, Sapphire Community Portal (SCP), and the Student/Parent Handbook, just to name a few.

Our Home & School/Parent Teacher Groups are a wonderful resource for sharing information about our schools. Please visit your school H&S/PTG webpage and remember to look for their annual membership drive.

Also included below are the wonderful activities and events that took place over the summer, as well as the first day of the new school year.

We are happy to announce that all students attending a Bensalem Township School District school are able to enjoy breakfast and lunch at no charge again this school year. No application needed!

Again this year, Brighter Bites (BRB) will be providing fruits and vegetables to families at our elementary schools. BRB is a nonprofit that creates communities of health through fresh food with the goal of changing behavior among children and their families to achieve long-term health. Since 2012, Brighter Bites has provided over 60 million pounds of produce and millions of nutrition education materials to more than 1 million individuals (including teachers) in Austin, Bakersfield, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, New York City, Phoenix, Salinas, San Antonio, Southwest Florida, and the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan area. BRB expanded to the Greater Philadelphia area in February 2025.

Bensalem Township School District is dedicated to the well-being of our students, staff, and families in order to foster a safe and healthy learning environment. In line with this commitment, we have partnered with Care Solace to provide additional support for our community’s mental health needs.

Care Solace connects individuals with mental health care providers and substance use treatment centers. Their Care Companion™ team is available 24/7, year-round, to swiftly link you with thoroughly vetted providers in your area.

Care Solace is available at no cost to you. They connect you with providers who accept all forms of medical insurance, including Medicaid and Medicare, and offer sliding scale options for those without insurance. All information entered into the Care Solace tool is confidential and securely stored.

For more information, go to www.bensalemsd.org/caresolace.

We're excited to announce that our school district is transitioning to Eureka Math2 for all students in grades K-5! This new resource, built upon the highly-regarded Eureka Math program from Great Minds, is designed to provide a deeper and more cohesive understanding of mathematical concepts. This transition was a necessary step to ensure our students are receiving the most effective and up-to-date math education. Eureka Math2 places a greater emphasis on conceptual understanding, problem-solving, and a coherent progression of topics across all grade levels. This approach helps students build a strong foundation, connecting new ideas to what they already know, and prepares them for success in future math courses. The program also offers more resources for both teachers and families to support student learning at home. We believe this change will significantly benefit your child's mathematical development and cultivate a lifelong appreciation for the subject.

For more information about our Eureka Math2 program, please visit their website by clicking here.

Beginning on June 23rd, children 18 and younger enjoyed delicious free breakfasts and lunches provided by the Bensalem Township School District Food Service Department. Meals were served in the cafeteria at Belmont Hills, Cornwells, Faust, Valley, Shafer, and Snyder. Our two “Owls on the Go” Summer Lunch Buses traveled throughout Bensalem and stayed at each of the 8 stops for 30 minutes.

Again this summer, students and staff came together as part of the school district’s Extended School Year Program. Students had a great summer reinforcing skills and participating in fun activities like “Superhero Day” and various Olympic celebrations. Thank you to the staff, custodians and administrators at Belmont Hills, Faust, Shafer and Snyder for the support they provided throughout the program. Also, a special thank you to our transportation team for all they did to ensure students were able to safely participate in critical programs throughout the summer months.

Two BHS members of Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) qualified and attended the FBLA National Competition at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, CA from June 27 to July 3. This is the first time BHS students have competed at this National Leadership Conference. Jay Kamdar and Jeet Patel (BHS FBLA President) attended the competition with over fourteen thousand students from across the United States. Congratulations to Jay for placing in the top ten for Business Management. Jeet was awarded a Presidential Honor for his commitment at the conference.

On August 7th, Master Sergeant Shawn Worthen (Bensalem High School Leadership Studies - Marine Instructor), was honored at the Marine Corps Training and Education dinner and banquet in Arlington, VA and presented with his award as Marine Corps JROTC Instructor of the Year.

Dr. Lee and Bensalem High School Senior Marine Instructor, Colonel David Mills (USMC - Ret) were in attendance, as well as MSgt Worthen’s family. There are approximately 500 Marine Corps JROTC instructors in the country so this is a tremendous accomplishment. Congratulations!

Five days of New Teacher Orientation took place on August 11-14 and August 18. After opening remarks and welcome by Dr. Lee, the new teachers were introduced to all district level administrators and principals. They received information from Human Resources Director, Mr. Langowski, Safety/Security Coordinator, Ms. Ridge and Bensalem Emergency Management provided Safety Procedure information and training. Teaching and Learning Director, Dr. Minnigh, Supervisors, Dr. Bourque and Mr. Allen, along with the Special Education Team and Mrs. Gale reviewed our Curriculum and Programs to ensure that they are prepared to begin their career in Bensalem. Additionally, BTEA president George Daka talked about permanent teacher certification. Our new teachers were excited to meet their students on August 25th and look forward to a great year!

On August 20th, BTSD staff members kicked off the 2025–2026 school year with our annual convocation. The BHS Owls Ambassadors clapped in our staff as they arrived. In the auditorium, the BHS marching band entertained and energized the crowd as each school mascot joined in the fun. After Dr. Lee welcomed everyone back for a fantastic year, he introduced guest speaker Phil Martelli. What a great morning!

On August 22nd, our elementary staff welcomed the Class of 2038 and their parents/guardians for orientation. The kindergarteners were excited to meet their teacher, listen to a story, and take a ride around the block on a school bus.

On August 25th, we welcomed our students back to school. They eagerly entered their schools to begin the 2025-2026 school year and were excited to see their school mascot and pose for a picture. Special thanks to Mayor DiGirolamo, Bensalem Police and Bensalem Fire Rescue for joining us as we welcomed our students! We are excited for a new school year filled with learning, growth, and great memories!

Location: 3000 Donallen Drive, Bensalem, PA, USA
Phone: 215-750-2800
Facebook: facebook.com/BensalemTownshipSchoolDistrict
Instagram: bensalem.school.district