School Board Elections

Each election is an exciting time for school districts as they prepare to potentially welcome new school board members.

School districts in Pennsylvania are governed by nine elected school board members that volunteer their time for a four year term. The four year terms are staggered so one election will have four open seats and the following election will have five open seats. In the Palisades School District, board seats are divided into three regions based on population (Region 1: Bridgeton and Tinicum, Region 2: Durham, Nockamixon and Riegelsville and Region 3: Springfield). 

So once a Board member is elected, what do they do? 

According to the National School Boards Association, local school boards are elected—or occasionally appointed in the event of a mid-term vacancy —to be leaders and champions for public education in their states and communities.  

In more specific terms the Palisades School Board's key responsibilities are to:

• Set the vision and goals for the Palisades School District
• Adopt policies that govern programs, pupils, employees, finances, property, operations, community engagement and Board procedures
• Adopt and oversee the annual budget
• Engage in negotiations and develop collective bargaining agreements
• Hire and evaluate the superintendent 

Does an effective school board increase student academic achievement?

Yes! Research from The Center for Public Education identified characteristics and habits in high achieving district that were markedly different from boards in low-achieving districts.   

Boards in high-achieving districts:

• maintained a commitment to a vision of high expectations for student achievement and quality of instruction
• maintained a strong shared belief about what is possible for students and their ability to learn, and of the system and its ability to teach all children at high levels
• led as a united team with the superintendent, each from their respective roles, with strong collaboration and mutual trust
• aligned and sustained resources to meet district goals

For a complete list of effective school board characteristics please click here. 

Election Day is November 3, 2015 

For more information on School Boards at the national, state and local level please refer to the following resources:

National School Boards Association (NSBA) 

Pennsylvania School Boards Association (PSBA) 

Palisades School District School Board 

Program Highlight

Palisades Middle School Watershed Integration Program (WIP)

Students in the Palisades School District are engaged in so many exciting learning opportunities! This school year several of my blog post will highlight overall programs, specific classes and extra-curricular activities so you can see what learning looks like at Palisades. 

Recently, Dr. Kate Kieres (Assistant Superintendent) and I visited the Video Production class at Palisades High School, received a crash course in camera work, learned some video lingo and headed to a local stream to film Palisades Middle School WIP students. After we collected the A-roll and B-roll footage (video lingo) our talented student editors created this video (please click here). 

Enjoy!

Welcome Back to Palisades!

As the summer draws to a close, I am looking forward to another school year in Palisades that individualizes and inspires learning for each of our students. This year is very exciting as we embark on another new and innovative Comprehensive Plan for our district. It also marks the 25^th anniversary of educational excellence at Palisades Middle School.

Our new Comprehensive Plan, coupled with the ongoing guidance and direction of our School Board Members, continues to steer our work in helping all students achieve college and career readiness.  I am thrilled to see the excitement surrounding this new plan and am proud to announce the focus areas that have been identified by the 30-plus member Comprehensive Plan Steering Team, which is comprised of parents, students, teachers, administrators, support staff, board members and other leaders from throughout our community.

The focus areas of our new Comprehensive Plan include: 

●     Academic Excellence - We will continue to place strong emphasis rigorous, individualized instruction that leads to high levels of student achievement.

●     Community Engagement - We will continue to pursue avenues to further engage and serve the Palisades Community.

●     Enriching Environment - We will also continue to support and encourage student wellness in the areas of nutrition, physical fitness, social and emotional wellness.

●     Technology Integration - We will continue to support students in developing 21st century skills through emphasis on equipment/infrastructure as well as integration of technology into all of our classrooms.

In the work that we do to support and educate students, the factor with the greatest impact on overall student success is meaningful relationships. Students must have opportunities both in and outside of the classroom to make connections that matter - connections that enhance their growth and development and positively affect their lives.  Connections with teachers, support staff, administrators, parents, other students, community members, coaches and other organizational leaders that are productive and supportive help to enhance the student’s ability to learn in a healthy, nurturing environment.

Through partnerships between district staff and our educational partners, community members, parents and other business leaders, the Palisades School District has been able to provide experiences for students of which we are very proud. Some examples include:

●     Medical Career and Business Pathways with partners like St. Lukes, Bucks County Community College and Inspire Credit Union

●     Cybersonics and First Lego League through our affiliation with F.I.R.S.T. and Carnegie Mellon Robotics Academy

●     Sports, marching band and other extra-curricular activities with the help of organizations like the Sports Boosters, Band Boosters and other parent volunteer groups

●     Odyssey of the Mind, Reading Olympics and Scholars Bowl competitions

●     Fitness Center and Evening School Classes which are open to the public

●     Arts, music and theater programs with partners like Penn State Lehigh Valley, DeSales University and Martin Guitar

●     Gardens and nutrition programs with the help of parents, other interested community members and businesses such as Home Depot

●     After school activities like roller skating, bowling and swimming through the support of our Palisades Community Foundation

●     Vocational/technical programs through our partnership with UBCTS

●     The Strengthening Families Program through the support of Partners in Action for Community Togetherness (PACT) and Upper Bucks Healthy Community Healthy Youth

“Making connections that matter” helps our students to become leaders who are successful contributors wherever their journey takes them in their lives.  I encourage all of our community members – parents, students, staff, volunteers and others – to continue to make connections with and on behalf of our students to assist them in achieving their goals.

Have a fantastic school year!

Elementary Bottle Cap Art Project

School Safety

Last week I shared an FAQ with our school community to address how the Palisades School District and the Community work together to keep our community safe. Please click here to access the FAQs and links to resources. 

Happy New Year!

December 2014

As we close out 2014 and welcome a new year I wanted to highlight several science and technology programs and events occurring in the Palisades School District. 

Upper Bucks County Technical School (UBCTS) Renovations

Yesterday (December 29, 2014) I had the opportunity to tour the UBCTS and see the progress on the renovation project with Jim Hallowell, Palisades School Board Vice-President and UBCTS Joint Operating Committee President and Joe Murphy, UBCTS Supervisor of Buildings and Grounds.

Several programs (including Health and Dental) will be ready to move into their permanent locations in January while others are preparing to move into their swing spaces. It is an exciting time at the UBCTS!

For more information about UBCTS please click here.


Palisades Medical Career Pathway Program - Visit to Temple University/St. Luke's Health Network Medical School

On December 12, 2014, Rich Heffernan, Palisades High School Principal, Monica Losinno, Palisades High School Guidance Counselor, and I visited the Temple University/St. Luke's Health Network Medical School (Bethlehem, PA) with our medical career pathway students. The students learned from Dr. Joel Rosenfeld, Chief Academic Officer for St. Luke's University Health Network's Graduate Medical Education Programs about the medical profession, undergraduate degrees, medical school and residency programs. Students also entered the simulation lab with Josh Onia, Simulation and Standardized Patient Coordinator, to observe how current St. Luke's medical students learn to treat patients through the use of both highly specialized simulation equipment and standardized patients. Thank you St. Luke's for hosting our students!

For more information about Temple/St. Luke's Medical School please click here.

Palisades Middle School - Focus on Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics (STEAM)




At our December Administrator meeting, Palisades Middle School students showcased their work in robotics, mathematics and programming! Two 8th grade students demonstrated Expedition Atlantis - The Robot Algebra Project from Carnegie Mellon's Robotics Academy and the University of Pittsburgh's Learning Research and Development Center. Through this program, students demonstrate mastery of mathematical concepts in order to navigate their virtual robot through various challenges.

In order to launch Expedition Atlantis at PALMS this school year, Palisades' teachers, John Venner, Joel Filling, Jim Beck and Chris Willman attended the Robotics Academy at the National Robotics Engineering Center (Pittsburgh, PA) last summer.

For more information about Expedition Atlantis - The Robot Algebra Project please click here.

For more information about the Robotics Academy summer professional development please click here.

Palisades 6th grade students also showed off their engineering skills by activating the robot they built as members of the First Lego League. Through teamwork and creative problem solving, this first-year team participated in a FIRST Lego League competition in the fall and look forward to many more opportunities to design and program!

For more information about FIRST Lego League please click here. 

I hope you have a wonderful new year and if you have questions about any of the programs we have in the Palisades School District please don't hesitate to contact me at boconnell@palisadessd.org

Happy New Year!