Friday, November 21, 2025
Friday, November 21, 2025
Let's Connect!
Thanksgiving shines bright as our community gathers, connections deepen, and gratitude brings us closer. We are going to unplug during the upcoming break, so there will be no social media posts next week and no issue of the Patch on Friday, 11/28/25.
We’re sending our warmest and very best wishes a week early: may your time be filled with peace, joy, good company, lots of rest, and all the delicious moments that make this season special. Gobble gobble!
Enjoy this week's edition of the Patch.
Following is a handful of photo highlights from recent events and activities. THANK YOU to Christmas City and our parent photographers and friends who share these photos for the newsletter every week. It would not be possible without you. You are appreciated! (Click or tap on an image to stop the carousel. Use the arrows to go forward and back at your own pace.)
Your guide to timely information in the Palisades School District.
Help a Palisades community child in need this season. The Holiday Giving Tree, with tags and gift wishes, will be set up in the high school lobby from December 1st through December 12th.
Please return the gift, wrapped and with the tag attached, to the high school by December 12th. If all of the gift tags are taken, gift cards are always welcome. Gifts will be distributed to families the week of December 15th.
If you would like to make a donation before the tree is up, please visit the Palisades Community Foundation website here. PCF is collecting donations for holiday giving to families in our community and donations of any size are appreciated.
Thank you, in advance, for your generosity, to the Kids for Kindness Club at PHS for setting up and decorating the tree, and to the Palisades Community Foundation for their generous gift card donations.
On Tuesday, November 25th, the Palisades School District will host a Blood Drive and a Community Vaccine Clinic at Palisades Middle School, located at 4710 Durham Road, Kintnersville.
Blood Drive details:
12:30-4:30pm
To make an appointment for the Blood Drive, please call 1-800-RED-CROSS (1-800-733-2767) or visit RedCrossBlood.org and enter: palisades
Vaccine Clinic Details:
11:00am-4:00pm
Covid and Flu vaccines available
Open to all students, staff, faculty and community members (if insured, bring your card)
See the flyers for additional details.
Find out what's happening in our schools! The Palisades School District is comprised of three elementary schools (Durham Nockamixon, Springfield, and Tinicum), Palisades Middle School, and Palisades High School.
This week, Chef Brad and our partners at Whitsons brought an exciting, pedal-powered smoothie station to the elementary school cafeteria!
Using a specially designed stationary bike with a blender attached, students pedaled their way to positive energy (yes—real electricity!), teamwork, and a boost of well-being as they created their own healthy, delicious smoothies.
It’s a perfect blend of fun, wellness, and sustainability — hop on, pedal for under 30 seconds, and you’re sipping a smooth, yummy treat!
This morning, Friday 11/21/25, our 11th and 12th grade students, and all Theater students, got to experience and explore the power of Shakespeare’s "Macbeth" (studied in all English 12 classes), build connections to characters, and enjoy the thrill of live theatre at Palisades High School.
PA Shakespeare Festival's WillPower Tour, now in its 25th year, is a fully professional touring production complete with set, costume, and sound designs. The tour includes an 85-minute performance of Macbeth and a post-performance talkback with the actors.
On Monday evening at the high school, some of our very talented students took to the stage to perform at our fall Coffee House at the high school. Look for upcoming dates and join us for a great night out!
Thank you to our students for their wonderful performances and to Mr. Hong for his incredible support!
Thank you to Kim Brucato-Reilly for the photos!
Congratulations to all of our fall sports teams on an amazing season. A special shout-out to all of our senior athletes and marching band members (see photos)! We wish you all the very best in your future endeavors! You. Are. Rockstars.
Our winter sports program is now underway. Be sure to come out and support our Wrestling and Basketball teams. Our Boys' and Girls' Basketball teams have their first games this weekend.
You can find a complete calendar of upcoming PSD athletic events here.
Let's Go, Pirates!!
Coach Koenig, his staff, and the Varsity Players will lead the 2-hour camps over four Sundays. Open to all youth ages 1st grade through 7th grade.
Times: 10:00am until 12:00pm (over four separate Sundays)
Location: High School Gold Gym
Dates: January 11 & 18th (General Camp); February 1st & 8th (General Camp with Pitchers & Catchers)
Cost: $100 per camp (per player) or $150.00 for all 4 weeks (per player)
What to Bring: Hats, Gloves, Bats, Helmets, Water Bottle
All proceeds from the camp go directly to the Palisades High School Baseball Boosters, which supports both the High School & Jr. High School Baseball Programs. If you have any questions, contact Coach Alkhas at ralkhas@palisadessd.org
To sign up, you can scan the QR code, click on the link here or download the form in PDF format here.
Work has begun to rename the Palisades High School fitness center as "The Ed Ruisz Sports Performance Center." Edward Wayne Ruisz, a beloved, retired Palisades teacher and coach, passed away peacefully on October 1, 2025 at the age of 70. You can read his obituary here.
Ed began his career as a high school social studies teacher at Palisades High School, where he found his calling as a brilliant educator and beloved football and track and field coach who touched the lives of hundreds of students over his storied 35 year career. Ed left a lasting legacy at Palisades, both in the classroom and on the athletic fields.
Several former student athletes, alumni and coaches met recently with school district administrators and Palisades Community Foundation board members to recommend renaming the fitness center in his honor.
Funding for the renovation is underway primarily by those who initiated the project but donations are being accepted through Palisades Community Foundation. Checks can be made payable to PCF or donations can be made online at www.palisadescommunityfoundation.com. Please add ED RUISZ to the memo so that they know where to direct the funds.
A spring 2026 ribbon cutting ceremony is anticipated.
Information in this section will be particularly helpful for those who have students in our schools.
Palisades families, here’s your chance to recognize an outstanding teacher! The Citadel Heart of Learning Award celebrates educators who inspire, motivate, and make a meaningful difference in students’ lives.
If you know a teacher who goes above and beyond, please submit your nomination here: Citadel Heart of Learning
Let’s celebrate the incredible teachers who make our school community so special!
From Nov. 10 to Nov. 23, the Bucks County Free Library will be running a Virtual Library Card Drive for the Palisades School District! You will be able to register your child for a library card right from home and your child will receive their brand-new Bucks County Free Library card at school. Your child's library card will be good at all seven branch libraries. You are invited to browse the large collections of books, audiobooks, movies, board games, and magazines that you can borrow, all for free.
Ready to register your child for a library card? Here's how:
Click on this link to go to the online library card application for students: https://buckslib.org/school-outreach-library-card-application/
Enter the password: SchoolLibr@ryc@rd2025
If you have more than one child, fill out a separate application for each child. Students ages 14+ can fill out their applications themselves. Your application(s) will be received at the library and your child(ren)'s library card account(s) will be set up. You'll get an e-mail with the account information as soon as the account is ready and you can start using it right away, even before you have the physical card. After the drive has ended, your child will receive their physical library card at school.
We hope you enjoy the many resources the public library has to offer your child and your family!
Thank you for your support in making attendance a priority.
When your child is absent for illness or other reasons, a signed excuse must be returned to school within three days of the absence, or it will automatically be classified as an unexcused absence. You must call the absence line at your child’s school the morning of the absence before school starts. Excuse notes may be emailed to the building secretary. Legitimate reasons for a student’s absence include: illness, quarantine, recovery from an accident, required court attendance, death in the family, observance of a religious holiday, and family educational trips with prior approval of the principal. All other reasons for absence are considered unexcused. For additional information about our attendance policy, please see Policy 204 in BoardDocs for more information.
The Palisades School District will continue to provide a free breakfast for all students this school year. The PSD offers many great choices for lunch. A complete lunch can include: fruit, vegetables, meat or meat alternative, bread, roll or crackers, and/or a milk. To be considered as a meal, all lunches must include fruit or vegetables. All lunch menus are posted online here.
The cashless POS system speeds up the service lines by providing a debit account for student purchases, eliminating the need for students to handle cash during meal service times. You may pay by a check payable to Palisades Food Services, 20 School Drive, Kintnersville, PA 18930 or manage the account funding via the SchoolCafe app or online at www.schoolcafe.com.
Links to recordings from the most recent Regular Board and Committee Meetings can be found below. Clicking on these links will redirect you to our PSD Stream channel on YouTube. You can find a complete Board and Committee Meeting Schedule on our website.
Disclaimer: Palisades School District is not responsible for statements made by those in attendance at the meeting. Rebroadcasting/reproduction of the audio recording is strictly prohibited unless prior written permission is obtained from the Superintendent or designee.
There is always a lot going on in our community. In this section, you can find out how to get involved this week!
Disclaimer: Flyers and information presented in this section are provided by organizations in the general community. Palisades School District is not responsible for the content or accuracy of any information included in these submissions, and shall not be responsible for any decisions made based on such information.
The winter season is fast approaching and driving conditions can become challenging. We care deeply about the traveling public’s safety, especially when it concerns the safety of our school students.
Please keep in mind the following recommendations from the PA Department of Transportation:
1. Keep the vehicle in good condition in accordance with the Pennsylvania School Bus Driver’s Manual Pre-Trip inspection.
2. Keep windshields, driver’s side windows, passenger doors and mirrors completely clear at all times. Inspect tires for tread wear and correct inflation, and use tire chains when acceptable.
3. Set a regular speed, and drive slower than the posted speed limit or what you would normally drive in dry conditions, especially in inclement weather. When driving on snow or ice covered highways, judge the effect of traffic and temper- ature on road surface friction by noting whether other vehicles are skidding. Remember, bridges freeze before the road surface.
4. SLOW DOWN. Just because the posted speed limit is 40 mph, it doesn’t mean you have to drive that fast. Remember, the speed limit is an indication of maximum safe speed during optimal conditions. 5. When following a snowplow truck, stay back 200 feet.
Thank you for your efforts to keep our students safe this winter.
Our social worker and school counselors have been discussing ways to support families who may be experiencing food insecurity due to financial challenges or recent changes to SNAP benefits. They have compiled a list of local food resources, which is attached below. We encourage families and community members to review and share this information—sometimes we may not realize who might be in need of a little extra support. Click this link to view the list here.
For those looking to make a monetary donation, the Bucks County Opportunity Council, Inc. is one of the lead anti-poverty organizations in Bucks County. Their website for donations can be found here.
FreshConnect Bucks County provides FREE, fresh produce to our residents facing hunger. They deliver in the PALMS parking lot on the 1st and 3rd Thursday of every month from 11:00am to 12:00pm. Registration is required.
You can find the application and additional information here.
United Way shared that PECO is offering a one-time assistance program that provides up to a $500 credit toward your electric and/or natural gas bill. It’s designed for people who may not qualify for other programs— but still need help. Find out more on United Way's website here: https://www.uwbucks.org/pecohelp/
See below for flyers from community organizations. (Click or tap on an image to stop the carousel. Use the arrows to go forward and back at your own pace.)
If you would like to have information covered in the Patch, please send it to patch@palisd.org by Wednesday before its publication on Friday. If you don't currently subscribe to the Patch but would like to receive it via email, please sign up here.