Popular LES Principal Ken Silver
At the recent School Board meeting, the Board began a discussion about possibly closing the Lower Elementary School, moving these students to the Upper Elementary School, and moving fifth grade students to the Middle School. As a parent, I am very concerned about the impact on our students of such a significant change, and have many questions about this plan and the reasons for these changes.
If, like me, you’re concerned about the possibility of:
· the LES closing;
· too many children being squeezed into the UES; and
· fifth graders in the Middle School
please join me in voicing our concerns to the School Board members. Parents need to speak up to ensure that the School Board considers all implications of this very big change and places our children’s needs first.
Here’s how you can get involved:
1) Sign the online petition. This will let our School Board members know that parents are concerned and want more information about this very important topic. We would like to present this to the School Board at their next meeting. http://signon.org/sign/new-hope-solebury-lower
2) Send an email to the School Board members sharing your personal opinion about the possible changes. This will be very effective! The email address is: schoolboard@nhsd.org
3) Attend the next School Board meetings on October 22nd and November 19th at 6:30. This topic should be on the November Agenda.
4) Forward this email to as many other parents as possible so we can speak with a louder voice.
The following article provides a few more details from the Board meeting:
http://www.phillyburbs.com/my_town/new_hope/parents-concerned-about-possible-closure-of-new-hope-solebury-school/article_2d2fd70d-b3b4-503e-9f13-d3cb0b9a9952.html
For additional details, view the recent School Board packet on the district’s home page (pages 28-48).
http://www.nhsd.org/cms/lib03/PA01001961/Centricity/Domain/4/2012-10-02%20Board%20Packet.PDF
Thank you for your participation!
Ellen Stiefel & Catherine Savitsky (LES parents)
The cost of maintaining two elementary school facilities and administrative staffs is a gross misuse and mis-allocation of taxpayer funding. Moreover, the property that is the LES could be sold to the township to create park and recreational field space that the township needs and at the same time fund the school district main campus master plan. That campus needs to become compliant with storm water management plan that would stop runoff impacts to the downhill community, and expand athletic fields. These are unfunded facilities priorities that the school board and community have acknowledged as being deficient for at least the last ten years.
I mean… I turned out okay.
This is in address to one of your points. As a 2012 graduate of New Hope-Solebury High School and a member of the last graduating class to attend 5th grade in the Middle School, I see no problem with having the 5th graders move to the middle school. In either case, moving to a new school provides a new learning experience but if the 5th graders were to get the chance to gain more independence and interact with older children, they may grow and mature faster making them healthier teens and adults. As a parent of a 5th grader in a school with older children, you may worry about bullying [which is impossible to eradicate] but in reverse, by coddling the 5th graders and keeping them with the younger students you may be doing more harm than good.
This would just be something for you to consider. Moving your child to the Middle School gives him or her a greater opportunity to mature. Is that such a bad thing?