Let's Save Halloween

It has been a tough week for North Penn area kids, their parents, and their neighbors. To be sure, we were spared the worst of Superstorm Sandy's wrath. Yet, there are families in our community right now without heat and electricity and many of our streets and parks are unsafe due to fallen trees and power lines. Some of our schools will be cancelling the planned Halloween parties and parades for this year. With several of our local schools still without power at this time, it is likely that more cancellations will occur.

I don't envy the borough and township supervisors who are being asked for answers and decisions regarding whether to postpone trick-or-treating tonight. Nor the school officials who are faced with similar decisions. Some neighborhoods in our area have been ravaged while others look just as they did on Sunday.

Most of our local boroughs and townships have refrained from making a call about tonight's festivities. Others have suggested proceeding with great caution. One has requested that families wait until Saturday night to trick-or-treat, though rumors suggest not all residents will follow that advice. It is a bit confusing and it has kept me and the local news outlets pretty busy today as we try to stay on top of the latest declarations.

But, I have a suggestion... If we can all agree as a community, for the sake of our children, to answer the door with a smile and a piece of candy or other treat, whether it be tonight or Saturday night, I believe we will have saved Halloween.

As adults, it is easy to forget how fun it once was to dress up and traipse around the neighborhood in the dark in hot pursuit of delicious candy (often on a school night, woo woo!). Let's do our part, regardless of whether we agree with their parents' decision to let them go out tonight or Saturday night, and help make this a Halloween to remember - for how fun it was. Its as simple a treat and a smile. :)

School Readiness Program Expands to North Penn

The Parent-Child Home Program (PCHP), an evidence-based school readiness program that has been in existence for nearly 50 years and is administered locally by Friendship House, is expanding into the North Penn and Souderton areas! This in-home visitation program is for families who are struggling with some factor which places them at risk, such as low-income, low level of education, teen parents, single parent, and/or a developmental delay of the child. Counselors work with the parent/caregiver to show them how to encourage their toddler's development and prepare him/her to be successful in school, thus increasing rates of graduation for participants. In addition to the many educational and developmental benefits that result from participating in the program, families are allowed to keep the new toys or books that are given to the child during the sessions, as well. 

More information about the PCHP program can be found on the Friendship House website. General information about the Parent-Child Home Program, which is available at various locations across the country and internationally, can also be found at Parent-Child.org.

Interested families may contact Julie Berry, Coordinator, and Stacy Dori, Regional Director at 610-327-2200). The year-long program begins this month, so interested families should call as soon as possible!

When Was Your Last "Great Date Night"?

When Was Your Last "Great Date Night"?

Can you remember?... Or have you, like many parents, put your love life on the back burner? Do you have any fun plans for this weekend? How about next?

If you haven't carved out a night for Mom and Dad in a while, here's a great reason to do so next Friday night...

Singer, songwriter and humorist Mark Cable will be in town next Friday night, October 19th at 7:00PM at Christ United Methodist Church in Lansdale. Mark is an accomplished guitarist and singer whose everyday-life songs and off-the-wall sense of humor have stirred audiences across the U.S. to laugh, to cry, and to think about the things in life that matter most. He's released 17 CD's and been touring full-time for over 25 years.


Tickets are just $20 per couple and can be purchased at the door or in advance from Nathan Snyder (215.527.5075) who, himself, is a local parent of two young children. All attendees are asked to bring along a share-able dessert to contribute to the dessert buffet.

Learn more about Mark Cable and the "Great Date Night" at www.MarkCable.com.

New Charter School Proposed for NPSD - Info Meeting Tonight!

Two local teachers, Naomi Rodriguez and Kim Siar, seek to create a new charter school for the North Penn School District. The school, which will require approval by the NPSD school board, will offer tuition-free education to children in grades K through 5 and will also include an on-site preschool and daycare (which will require tuition).

This effort is not associated with Montgomery Flex, the charter school that applied to the school board last year, though Ms. Rodriguez says "We have heard a lot about them since starting this project!"

The team will have to apply to the school board by November 15th in order to open in August 2013. After submitting their application, which they hope to do within the next few weeks, a hearing will be held by the school board to determine whether they will approve or deny the application.

Ms. Rodruigez shared that "In order for the school board to approve our charter application we need to show that parents and community members want to have the choice to go to our school. We have had a pleasantly surprising response from community members and even our own current and past administrators already. We have been working hard in our own districts and seeing the results. So when we started talking about the idea, things just started coming together on their own. It is truly amazing! We are taking a huge leap together, as we are still both teaching, to create the ideal space for children to learn - one we would want for our own kids (in fact, two of my children will be attending our school-my third will be in middle school with Kim's daughter)."

You can learn all about the eNG philosophy and the courses to be offered at their website, www.engcharter.org.

"Right now we are just getting the word out so that parents who share our vision and philosophy know we are here. We need pre-enrollments to show the school board that children will want to come to our school (it's obligation free)" says Rodruigez. "We have some more public meetings coming up. We will be at the Lansdale Library at 7:30pm on September 26 and Oct. 4 and at the North Wales Library at 7:30pm on Oct. 4."

Bus Anxiety? Have No Fear...K-Day is Here!

Yay! Its time for another "K-Day"! Not familiar with this fun NPSD tradition? Read on to decide whether this event is for you. 

My kids and I have attended K-Day in the past and we all enjoyed it. Not only was the movie interesting and, more importantly, very informative, but the ride around town was really fun, too. Our tour included a stop at the bus garage at NPHS and, as a parent, it was funny to hear the older siblings on our bus cry out "Oh look! Its one-thirty-nine!" or "Yay! Bus twenty-seven!" as if they were talking about old friends.


Here is what NPSD has to say about K-Day:

NPSD Transportation Department Holds K-Day Event for Kindergarten and First Grade Students and their Families

For the 13th consecutive year, the North Penn School District (NPSD) Transportation Department is holding its annual K-Day event! More than 500 students are expected to participate in this wonderful program, which is designed to ease the anxiety that kindergarten and first grade students (and their parents) who have never ridden the bus before sometimes experience when they take that first ride on the big yellow bus. Kindergarten and first grade students from surrounding non-public and private schools are also encouraged to attend. No reservations are necessary. Participants will be invited to explore the bus and even sit in the driver's seat while NPSD bus drivers explain school bus facts and safety information. Then, if they wish, parents, students and their siblings will be invited to take a seat for a short ride around the neighborhood. The exciting day will wrap up with a safety video, safety education regarding the "danger zone" around the bus when loading and unloading and the distribution of information regarding bus tags, bus schedules, emergency phone numbers and day care locations. This year’s program will take place on Thursday, August 9, Thursday, August 16 and Thursday, August 23. There are two bus departure times for each date - 9 and 11 a.m. Please practice being on time for your stop and be prompt. The event will once again be held at Walton Farm Elementary School, located at 1610 Allentown Road in Lansdale. (Editor's Note: If you've never been to Walton Farm, have no fear, you will see the buses right away and the entrance to the auditorium (for the movie) is easy to find, as well.) Participation in K-Day is voluntary and does not preclude the safety training that occurs in all 13 of the district's elementary schools each fall.