Aerial photo of North Penn High School, center, with district transportation garage at top center, North Montco Technical Career Center at top left, and former WNPV Radio site at top right, as seen in NPTV video “NPHS – A Building By Community.” (Screenshot of NPTV video)
From bus practice to picnics, families prepare for the first day on Aug. 27
The final weeks of summer in the North Penn School District will be anything but quiet as families, teachers, and staff prepare for the return of more than 12,000 students to classrooms on Wednesday, Aug. 27.
In true North Penn fashion, the lead-up to opening day is packed with events designed to make the transition smoother, whether you are a kindergartner stepping onto a bus for the first time, a seventh grader learning a new schedule, or a high school sophomore navigating the vast halls of North Penn High School.
Riding into the new year
The preparation starts early this month with K-Day bus practice at Gwynedd Square Elementary School. On Thursday, and again Aug. 12, and Aug. 14, incoming kindergartners can climb aboard a school bus for a short ride, helping them get comfortable before the real thing on Thursday, Aug. 28.
Each date offers two sessions — at 8:30 a.m. and 10 a.m. — and parents are encouraged to bring their cameras for that first big “school bus smile.”
For many families, Aug. 18 to 27 will also bring the arrival of the district’s School Activities Calendar and Back-to-School Newsletter in the mail — a North Penn tradition that includes key dates, event details, and resources.
Schedules, schedules, schedules
A flurry of schedule releases will land on Wednesday, Aug. 20 via Infinite Campus:
That same evening at 7 p.m., the Extended School Care Virtual Parent Meeting will be held via Zoom for families using the district’s before- and after-school programs.
Orientation days and open houses
Tuesday, Aug. 26 will be a big day for transitions:
Kindergarten Orientation follows on Aug. 27 from 9 to 10:30 a.m., giving the district’s youngest learners a chance to meet their teachers and classmates before their first full day on Aug. 28.
The big day
When the first bell rings on Aug. 27, grades first through 12th will start the school year across the district’s 18 schools, each with slightly different start and dismissal times. '
Bridle Path and Walton Farm elementary schools will welcome students at 8:30 a.m. and dismiss at 3 p.m., while all others, such as Hatfield and York Avenue, start at 9:10 a.m. and dismiss at 3:40 p.m.
Middle schools begin at 8 a.m. and dismiss at 2:55 p.m., and North Penn High School kicks off the day at 7:21 a.m. and ends at 2:12 p.m.
As the district makes its final preparations — from updating bus routes to readying classrooms — the community’s energy is shifting from lazy summer afternoons to the excitement of a fresh academic year. And in just three weeks, the North Penn School District will be buzzing once again.
