Opportunity To Be Involved

To: Interested Community Members, Teachers, Administrators
From: Dr. William J. Gretzula
Re: Study Councils
Dated: September 23, 2009

Bensalem Township School District (BTSD) is ready to begin the process of studying for future action a number of existing initiatives. We seek volunteers to serve on various study councils, charged with researching and making recommendations regarding the following topics:

1. World Languages: Currently, we enjoy an interesting mix of world language opportunities for our high school students. Also, students at the middle school level have the opportunity to take Spanish I over the course of seventh and eighth grade. Students at the elementary school level were exposed to Spanish in third grade. It was anticipated the program would expand to fourth grade for the 2009- 10 school year; however, the elementary program was suspended due to the loss of our highly qualified teachers. The committee’s charge will be to review BTSD’s past and current implementation and to make recommendations for a district-wide World Language program that best prepares our students for the interconnected world in which they will make their way.

2. Full Day Kindergarten: BTSD is in the third year of piloting full day kindergarten (FDK) with one section of 17 students in each of our six elementary schools. This committee’s charge will be to review the District’s past and current implementation and to make recommendations for the future of the Bensalem kindergarten experience.

3. English as a Second Language (ESL): Bensalem Township has witnessed changing demographics particularly over the past five years. Subsequently, BTSD’s ESL population has grown from 80 students to approximately 400 students over the same time period. While BTSD is proud of the services it provides to students in need of ESL support, it is anticipated that it will need to be proactive to offer ESL support to future students of the District. This committee’s charge will be to research and make recommendations for an ESL program that meets the needs of all identified students in their school of residence.

4. Gifted Education: BTSD desires to challenge and support all learners as they determine their personal definition of success. The Bensalem community has been engaged in a year-long discussion regarding the best way to meet the needs of students identified of being in need of gifted education. Gifted Support looks different at each level. This committee’s charge has been to research and make recommendations for the future of the Bensalem Gifted Education Program.

All committees will begin work in October 2009 and will complete their work by March 2010. Interested in serving? Contact Susan Harder at the District Office, (215) 750-2800, Ext. 4100 by Friday, October 2, 2009.

Board appoints temporary principal at Faust

Board appoints temporary principal at Faust

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School board adopts ‘responsible contractor’ resolution

School board adopts ‘responsible contractor’ resolution

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School Board Reminder

Our scheduled meeting of the board from last week will be held tomorrow night.  To see the agenda click here.  To see a copy of our agenda go to http://www.bensalemsd.org/, go to the "Our District" tab and then go into "School Board Information".  When the page opens you can look on the left hand side for the agenda items.

Also, please do not forget the school board meetings can be viewed on Comcast channel 28 and Verizon FiOS channel 32.

PhillyBurbs.com: Seniors warned of pension bubble

PhillyBurbs.com:  Seniors warned of pension bubble

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Pre-Schoolers Invited to BHS

From the Bensalem Township Website: (to sii it on the web go to http://www.bensalemsd.org/bensalemsd/cwp/view.asp?A=3&Q=301682)

Pre-Schoolers Invited to BHS


Registrations for pre-school classes at Bensalem High School are currently being accepted. These classes are part of the Child Development Course offered by the Family and Consumer Science Department at Bensalem High School. The high school students gain knowledge and skills working with pre-school children. There is no charge for participation and the pre-school is not designed to serve as a day care center for working parents.

The children will attend approximately 60 days of preschool running on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday beginning in late October and ending in May. As in years past, there will not be a mid-winter break. The morning class begins at 9:30 a.m. and ends at 11:00 a.m. The afternoon class is from 12:40 p.m. to 2:10 p.m. Enrollment is open to children who will be four (4) years of age by August 31, 2009. Registration must be made by a parent or guardian and will close as soon as each class limit of twelve (12) is met. To ensure a space for your child, please register early. Children must live in the Bensalem Township School District and parents may not be employed by the school district.

NOTE: The preschool will operate on the high school schedule. If there is no school for the high school students, there will be no preschool. There is NO district transportation.

To register or to obtain more information, contact Mrs. Jerilyn Bowler, preferably by email at jbowler@bensalemsd.org or by phone at 215-750-2800, Ext. 3028. Bensalem High School is located at 4319 Hulmeville Road, Bensalem, PA.

PhillyBurbs.com: Gretzula's rise faster than expected

PhillyBurbs.com: Gretzula's rise faster than expected

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PhillyBurbs.com: Schools surviving budget impasse

PhillyBurbs.com: Schools surviving budget impasse

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President's Address to the Students

The following is a letter put out by our Superintendent regarding the President's address set for tomorrow at noon. This letter will be posted on the website (http://www.bensalemsd.org/) first thing tomorrow morning:

BENSALEM TOWNSHIP SCHOOL DISTRICT
Dorothy D. Call Administrative Center
3000 Donallen Drive Bensalem, PA 19020

William J. Gretzula, Ed.D. Telephone: 215-750-2800; ext. 4100
District Superintendent E-Mail: wgretzula@bensalemsd.org

September 7, 2009

Dear Members of the Bensalem Township School District Community,

President Obama will address the school children of America in a live broadcast on CSPAN at 12:00 p.m. on Tuesday, September 8, 2009. The webcast will also be available at http://www.whitehouse.gov. I am sending this communication in an effort to answer questions that have arisen throughout our community.

Last week, school districts in Pennsylvania received information from the United States Department of Education and the Pennsylvania Department of Education on how to access the President’s address. I forwarded this access information to our building Principals to share with our teachers so they could consider the instructional value of the address. This was not a directive, but rather an extension of an educational opportunity for classrooms.

The President’s remarks have been posted on the White House website. Much like the mission statement and core beliefs of Bensalem Township School District (BTSD), President Obama plans to recognize the following:

• Students should be challenged to work hard and be supported by the entire community including adults who students can trust;
• Students have a personal responsibility to accomplish their personally developed goals or personal definitions of success;
• Second chances are important for student learning; and
• Students should be engaged in learning activities in, and beyond, the classroom.

Though the intent of the message seems appropriate for our students, the timing of the address presents problems for live presentation to our students. Many students will not be able to see the address at that time of day. As a result, BTSD intends to maintain a regular school routine. The following directives have been issued to our staff:

• Elementary classrooms will not view the President’s speech live during the 12:00 broadcast time. Parents are encouraged to view the message at home in the evening with their children as a re-broadcast or at the http://www.whitehouse.gov/ website. Teachers may choose to show excerpts of this speech at a later time, if, after review, they believe it connects appropriately to the content for their classroom.
• In Middle School and High School classrooms, teachers will have discretion to view this message with their class during the 12:00 broadcast if there is a connection to the curriculum content of that course. Archival copies will be available to staff who may wish to use the address at a later time for courses that have a direct connection to the content of the speech. No student will be compelled to view the address. Parents are to be informed if parts of the address are used in the classroom.

Welcome back to classes at Bensalem Township School District. We look forward to an exciting 2009-10 school year!

Tuesday, September 8th and Next Board Meeting

The next scheduled board meeting will be moved to Wednesday, September 16th, 2009.

For those of you who are concerned about the President's speech on Tuesday, all I can say is to call your children's school to find out what each school is doing. I have not been given an answer as to how this is going to be handled. This morning I did receive an e-mail from a parent who had contacted their child's principal. From what I can tell, Valley Elementary will not be showing the speech on Tuesday.

Phone numbers for each school can be found by going to www.bensalemsd.org. Choose your school from the drop down and then choose the administration tab.

If I find out more in the mean time I will post an update.