Pennbrook Middle School
Thursday, November 20, 2014
“F” Day
Cycle 9
School Day 54/Remaining Days 126
This week is American Education Week and Pennbrook Parents are invited to visit their children’s classes today, Thursday, November 20th. You are welcome to come in any time throughout the day to see the great things happening in our classrooms. Please be reminded that this not a time to meet with the teachers and please be respectful of the classroom time.
News from the Café: TODAY, Thursday, November 20th, will be the Thanksgiving Dinner and no other selection will be served.
Applications for new 8th or 9th grade candidates for the National Junior Honor Society will be in homeroom mailboxes today, Thursday, November 20th. To receive an application a candidate must have a cumulative 3.8 GPA. A mandatory meeting will be held in the cafeteria during lunch study TODAY. Please bring your application, pen or pencil and a highlighter to the meeting.
ATTENTION ALL STAFF AND STUDENTS! THE STUDENT COUNCIL FOOD DRIVE FOR MANNA ON MAIN STREET HAS BEEN EXTENDED THROUGH THIS FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 21st! PLEASE CONTINUE TO BRING IN CANNED FOOD ITEMS TO SUPPORT THOSE WHO NEED A HELPING HAND IN THE NORTH PENN COMMUNITY.
Attention all 8th and 9th graders interested in ski and board club,
We will be holding our informational meeting on Monday, November 24th during Lunch Study in the old gym.
Attention all student council members who still would like to order gear for this fall! The second order will be placed next week! Get your forms and money into Miss Pearcey before Thanksgiving break. If you need a form, they can be found outside of room 52.
Volunteer Corps has two winter events coming up at your elementary schools. On Friday, December 5th, Bridle Path is having their Frosty Fest from 6-9pm. 20 volunteers are needed for jobs such as face painting, sno cone making, and cookie decorating. On Saturday, December 6th, Montgomery Elementary is hosting their Holiday Shoppe from 8:30am-12:30pm. 10 volunteers are needed for this. Signups are in the Guidance Office. Please see Mr. Clancy with any questions.
Thursday, November 20th, the DRAGON TEAM will be meeting for ART CLUB from 3-5 p.m.
All students in Miss Seiler’s Homeroom 62 will have their group picture taken at the beginning of lunch on Friday, November 21st. Meet in the bus lobby by 12:45.
The following titles are this year’s nominees for Pennbrook’s “One Book”:
The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan,
Divergent by Veronica Roth, and
The Maze Runner by James Dashner.
In The Maze Runner by James Dashner
Voting will take place this Friday during homeroom.
In The Maze Runner by James Dashner, The Glade is safe; the boys who live there, the Gladers, have enough food and water; they even have formed a community; but Alby, Newt, Chuck, and the others have no memory of life before The Glade and they know that they are prisoners. The Glade is surrounded by a seemingly endless maze. Each morning the gates to the maze open and each evening they close. The Gladers have tried for two years to solve the maze but they are still trapped. When sixteen-year-old Thomas finds himself in The Glade, he is desperate to regain his lost memory and escape but there are more dangers in the maze than Thomas knows and he is going to need help if he is going to survive. If you want to know what happens to Thomas and the others, vote for The Maze Runner tomorrow.
Hey, Pennbrook girls & guys! Do you like to bust a move? Can you do the Dougie like no else? If so, there will be an informational meeting for Pennbrook’s Dance Team on Tuesday, December 2nd in room 62 from 11:25-11:50! Required paperwork can be picked up at that time.
Student Council is sponsoring the following event:
Football Day – Wear your favorite football team’s colors – Friday, November 21st – Red & Blue Day points!
Attention 9th Grade Boys interested in 9th Grade Middle School Basketball, please see Mr. Williams. Your completed PIAA paperwork is due by Monday, November 24th.
9 Boys’ and 9 Girls’ Basketball will be starting Monday, November 24th.
BOWLING TEAM tryouts will be TODAY , November 20th, with two practices the following Monday and Tuesday. All students interested in trying out for bowling must have all their paperwork handed in to the trainers or to the coach.Pennbrook students will be picked up at 3:05 pm from Pennbrookand continue on to the High School, followed by Earl Bowl.
8th grade students interested in applying to North Montco Tech School application in by December 11th to Mr. Clancy. Don’t forget about the Open House Thursday, November 20th from 6-8pm.
Yearbook sales will be held in the bus lobby during all lunches today, November 20th. Bring in your forms and checks. See Mrs. Beard if you have any questions. Students interested in signing up for the yearbook should see Mr. Wright, room 64 or Mrs. Beard, room 56.
Replacement ID’s can now be made by Mrs. Lancia in Guidance for $3.00. Stop by during Lunch Study.
North Penn High School Theatre will present “Once in a Lifetime” on November 20th, 21st and 22nd at 7:30PM. There will also be a special Sunday Matinee on November 23rd at 2:00. “Once in a Lifetime” is a hilarious comedy that takes place during the roaring 20’s. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for students. Please click on the following links for additional information: Play News Release Play Program
Ticket Order Form
Health Suite information for parents: If you need to add a new diagnosis to your child’s medical information on Home Access, please also notify the nurse either in writing or by calling the Pennbrook Health Suite at 215-853-1611.
Please be reminded that students are to be traveling in a counterclockwise rotation after periods 4, 5, 6 and 8 through the hallways.
Please be aware that you can obtain information regarding the Jr. ROTC Program from the High School by clicking on the JROTC/teacher site below:
http://www.npenn.org/site/Default.aspx?PageID=1820
Math Support is available every morning at 7:40AM in room 52. Don’t forget to bring your math book! The math center will be in room 89 during lunch study. All students are welcome. Passes will be given by your homeroom teacher.
Sports
The starting dates for Middle School Winter sports are as follows:
Winter Cheerleading- Tuesday, December 2nd
7/8 Wrestling-Tuesday, December 2nd
9 Boys’ and 9 Girls’ Basketball- Tuesday, November 25th
7/8 Boys’ Basketball-Tuesday, January 6th
Mark your calendars!
Pennbrook:
7/8 Girls Basketball @ Pennview/Dismiss at 2:10
High School:
Bowling Practice to Earl Bowl
For sports information/questions, please call 215-853-1603 or email Mrs.
McConaghy at
IMPORTANT INFORMATION:
To schedule an appointment with Mr. Galante, please call 215-853-1600 or email Mrs. Garifalos at
Dropping Items Off for Students: Students will be paged to come and pick up items ONLY at the following times:
1. End of Period 2 (9:45)
2. During Lunch Study (11:20-11:53)
3. End of Period 7 (2:10)
Also, as per Mr. Galante, no student can be called out of class to pick up an item. Students who are expecting items to be dropped off, are encouraged to stop by Mrs. Behrens’ desk between periods.
Student Absences: All absences should be made by a phone call, note, email or fax. If you have reported the absence to attendance by anyone of these means, you DO NOT have to notify the school in any other way. If your student arrives late, they must present an excuse for tardiness at the attendance office. If a phone call, email, note or fax is not received by the attendance office, the absence will be unexcused.
Email:
(please note that you must have the underscore _ before the PBAttendance when emailing)
Fax: 215-699-0151 Attn: Attendance Office
Call: Mrs. Bowers at 215-853-1602 or the main office at 215-699-9287
Days Absent: When a student is absent for three or more days a request can be made for missed assignments through Mrs. Behrens or Mrs. Bowers by emailing You can also check your student’s teacher’s web page on Pennbrook’s website. Most teachers post their assignments on a regular basis.
Vacation: If going on vacation during the school year please make sure to send a note at least one week in advance to the Attendance Office. If your absence will exceed ten school days, you will need to contact Mrs. Amy Keller, Registrar, at 215-368-0400 to make an appointment to re-register before returning to school.
Student Pickup: For questions or information on picking up your child during the school day, please call 215-853-1601 or email Mrs. Behrens at
Lunch Accounts: Remember to put money into your child’s lunch account. It is very easy with the new program: www.mypaymentsplus.com and follow the on-screen instructions to create an account. There is also a toll free number (1-866-821-0306) that families can call to make payments and check their student’s account, if they do not have access to the internet. There is a charge of 4.75% each time a deposit is made through MyPaymentsPlus. Please note these fees do not go to NPSD, but is the cost of online transactions with MyPaymentsPlus. Families can benefit by this system because it allows you to: make payments using a credit card, debit card or check; check account balances online and via a toll free phone number; auto-pay a student’s account when it reaches a low balance; receive notifications when a student’s account balance is low; view a student account balance 24/7; monitor student purchases to what they are purchasing; inform the cafeteria staff about your child’s food allergies which will enable a computerized reminder system to prompt cashiers to review the student’s purchase for possible reactions.
Visitors: All visitors to Pennbrook are required to show their NPSD staff ID or a driver’s license at our reception desk. If you are coming to an IEP, Team or Teacher meeting or to volunteer, you must show your license and register with our new security system.
Student Illness/Nurse: Students should not be using cell phones to call home when they are ill. Students need to visit the Nurse and the Nurse should contact the parents to come and pick up their student. Please remind your children regarding this rule.
Id Cards are available from Mrs. Lancia in the Guidance Office for $3.00.
Late Bus: North Penn School District runs a late bus every Tuesday and Thursday. Students are picked up from Pennbrook at 5:15PM.
Bus Pass Reminder: In order to ride home with a friend on a different bus, a student must get a bus pass from the main office. Each student must have a note from a parent authorizing the bus pass and must include the names of all students involved, the date and a parent’s signature. If a note is forgotten, only then, can an email be sent in its place by no later than 10:00AM of that day. The email address is . Verbals over the phone are not acceptable. Also, all requests must be made by the end of Lunch Study; which is 11:53. Bus Passes will not be given out after this time. NO bus passes on early dismissal days per Transportation Department.
INFORMATION CHANGES: If the home address, home/cell phone number or guardianship of your child changes, please contact the Guidance Secretary, Mrs. Lancia at or call 215-853-1610.