The new Pennridge School District logo. (Courtesy of the Pennridge School District)
The Pennridge School Board’s curriculum committee Wednesday, April 8 reviewed a proposal to expand personal finance instruction to all grade levels.
The move follows a new state-mandated 0.5-credit high school personal finance course, effective July 1, 2026. While Pennridge is already in compliance with the mandate, the district is seeking to extend personal finance instruction to the K-8 grade levels to prepare students for the mandated high school course, said curriculum supervisor Jenna Vitale.
Under the proposal, elementary students would receive six annual personal finance lessons during library time, while middle school students would receive the lessons during social studies. Lessons will cover personal finance fundamentals, income, spending, saving and investing, risk and insurance and credit, said Vitale.
A vote on the relevant curriculum materials is scheduled for the board’s April 27 meeting, with implementation planned for the 2026-2027 school year.
Cursive comeback
The committee heard an update on Act 2, a new state law mandating cursive instruction in all Pennsylvania schools, effective April 12, 2026. Like most states, Pennsylvania scrapped its cursive writing requirements in 2010 following the adoption of the Common Core Standards, an initiative designed to standardize states’ education requirements.
But in recent years, a growing number of states have been reinstating mandatory cursive instruction, pointing to benefits such as improved brain development, memory, language and fine motor skills and the ability to read foundational U.S. documents like the Declaration of Independence.
At the committee meeting, Dr. Jennifer Bloom, Director of Teaching & Learning, said that the district will embed cursive instruction in its third grade Reading and Language Arts course. A vote on the relevant curriculum materials is scheduled for the board’s April 27 meeting.
Ski and snowboard trip
The student services committee reviewed a proposed ski and snowboard trip to either Western United States or Canada from February 11 to 16, 2027. The trip is limited to approximately 12-21 high school juniors and seniors, with a 4:1 student to chaperone ratio. The district has successfully run the trip for the previous 11 years, excluding the winter of 2021 due to COVID. The board will vote on the trip at its April 27 meeting.
Assistant Superintendent Bradley Palmer also announced an additional staff in-service day on June 11 to make up for the January 26 snow day. The last day for students remains June 9, said Palmer.
This article appears courtesy of a content share agreement between Fideri News Network and The Reporter. To read more stories like this, visit https://www.thereporteronline.com
