Greetings from Lower Moreland Township School District… It’s hard to believe that we have already reached the halfway point in the 2018-2019 school year. In our continuing effort to keep our school community and the Lower Moreland community informed about the many wonderful events taking place, I invite you to bookmark our district webpage https://www.lmtsd.org/ that houses our “Upcoming Events” calendar. Most recently, Lower Moreland Township School District hosted its K-12 Chorus Concert. Singers from all three of our schools’ choirs filled the high school auditorium with music and joy as they held their first ever all-district choir event. Many other events and concerts will be taking place in the coming weeks. I invite you to be a part of our wonderful lineup of student events. We will be hosting a Community–Budget Presentation event on Feb. 12, a High School Debate League event on Feb. 13, and a Murray Avenue/High School Strings Pop Festival on Feb. 14 to name a few upcoming events. Please join us for what are sure to be very informative and entertaining events in LMTSD.

Prior to the winter break, LMTSD conducted a comprehensive needs assessment in order to assist in developing a five-year strategic plan later this school year.

A survey was administered to all stakeholders in order to collect data in four areas: Communication/Climate, Facilities/Resources, Instructional Practices/Support, School District Services/Leadership. Results stemming from stakeholder surveys and themes generated from focus groups can be found here. These results, along with many other points of district data, studies and research will help inform our district's strategic planning process this spring. otta

Business (Mr. Mark McGuinn, Business Manager):

The Lower Moreland Township School District installed solar panels at all three schools in the 2011/12 school year. Working with a specialized architecture firm in New Jersey, the District

Superintendent’s NEWSLETTER Scott Davidheiser, Ed.D.

February, 2019

District News:

LMHS students gave Red Lion Gym a fresh coat of paint as part of the Martin Luther King Day of Service.

At Pine Road Elementary School, students and staff helped to sort donated items as part of their MLK Day of Service project.

received an $851,000 grant from the Department of Community and Economic Development to help with the project that totaled $2,900,000. With the advent of the solar panels, and in conjunction with the building management systems running in each building, the District achieved energy savings ranging from 10% at the high school to 80% at the elementary school in the first year of implementation. Over the past 7 years, the district has saved hundreds of thousands of dollars (approximately $300,000 per year comparing totals from before the installation of the solar panels - 2010/11 school year). In addition to energy savings, the District tracks solar renewable energy credits (SRECS) achieved each month and has worked with an energy broker to sell these energy credits on the solar energy market. Being licensed to sell credits in Pennsylvania and Ohio, the District has received $57,360.69 in revenue over the years in alternative, non-traditional revenue in an effort to help to find new ways to fund the educational initiatives of the school district. For more information and to view each schools’ solar output through the Deck Monitoring System, please click here.

8th Graders at Murray Avenue School made fleece tie blankets to donate to Foster Angels on Earth, Inc.

Curriculum, Instruction & Assessment (Mrs. Julien Drennan, Director of Curriculum and

Instruction): Please click here to see the exciting initiatives going on in the area of curriculum and instruction.

The LMHS Girls Basketball Team won their Division Championship on February 5.

Human Resources/Public Relations (Mrs. Cheryl Galdo, Esq., Director of HR/PR)

In 1995, the Lower Moreland High School Hall of Fame was formed to honor those Lower Moreland High School graduates who have excelled in their chosen careers, community service or personal accomplishments. Also eligible for inclusion are those who are not alumni but who have contributed significantly to the Lower Moreland Township School District. In April, a new class of Inductees will be included in the Hall of Fame. They are:

Merle Geiger, Class of 1985, District/Community Volunteer, Past President/Co-President of the

PTA at all three schools Dina Gusovsky, Class of 2005, Emmy-nominated writer

at Late Night with Seth Meyers

Dr. Barry Lefer, Class of 1985, Program Manager of the

Tropospheric Composition Program, NASA

Dick Rapson, Friend of the Lower Moreland Lions, Retired Lower Moreland High School teacher, Cross-Country Coach

The Hall of Fame members will be visiting the High School to speak to students about their experiences and for a reception in their honor. To see a list of past Inductees, please click here.

Murray Avenue 8th Grade Gifted Students won two awards at the Future City Competition.

Murray Avenue students enjoyed their annual ski trip to Bear Creek Mountain.

Technology (Dr. Jason Hilt, Director of Technology): The Technology Department supports information technology systems and instructional technology programs and practices in the district. Below is a snapshot of some exciting and innovative activities at each building provided by technology council members. Pine Road: Fifth grade students recently completed their earth science unit with weather and atmosphere projects. Students chose how to showcase their learning. Final projects included creating presentations and stop motion videos using Google Slides. Students also chose the Discovery Education Board Builder and used green screen apps to piece together images, videos, and music to create weather reports.

Murray Avenue: The Murray Avenue library is home to some of the most exciting and innovative activities in the district. The library makerspace provides students with the opportunity to design and print prototypes using 3D printers and a 3D laser printer, experience virtual reality expeditions, develop coding skills using tablets and robots, and explore creative ways to solve problems with a variety of tools and media. To keep up with all of the current maker projects follow @MurrayMakers on Twitter.

Students in Bob Barnhart’s Algebra I class are utilizing one of the new interactive flat panels. Students can graph equations on the flat panel using digital ink while classmates simultaneously Collaborate and interact with the flat panel using their Chromebooks.

High School: Students collaborated to create a video using the online WeVideo platform that showcases student use of the IHT Spirit Heart Rate monitors in Deborah Lawlor's physical education class. The devices help to create a personalized learning opportunity with an

emphasis on student ownership and real time feedback. Teachers empower their students through the use of this technology and use the data to determine the effectiveness of the fitness program. Click here to view the video: High School Video.

LMHS Student Nicole Castor was honored by the PA Soccer Coaches Assoc.

Special Education (Mr. Frank Giordano, Director of Special Ed./Student Services):

In order to assist families with obtaining much needed, and often hard to find, resources for mental and behavioral health needs outside of the school environment, the Office of Student Services and Special Education maintains a list of local resources that can be shared with parents upon request. The list is shared with our School Counselors, School Psychologists, and building Principals and is ever-changing. It is updated as the resources in our community change, as new resources become available, and as our office is made aware of them. If you feel your child is in need of outside resources and don’t know where to turn you can contact his/her School Counselor who can provide you with contact information for an appropriate resource based upon your child’s needs. For more information about Student Services, please click here.

Lower Moreland Township School District • 2551 Murray Avenue • Huntingdon Valley, PA 19006