A message from the Superintendent of Schools
Dear Students, Parents/Guardians, Employees, & Northwestern Lehigh Community ~
It’s hard to believe that we are nearing the holiday season and have completed the year's first quarter. During my visits, it has been great to see our classrooms full of engaged learners, students busy participating in activities and active on the sports fields. Our students continue to amaze me with their kindness, academic rigor, and talents in the classroom and on the field or stage.
Our dedicated staff continues to educate and support students every day. As we approach time for conferences, please make an appointment with your child's teacher, if you have not done so already. In partnership with you is how we do our best work in education.
Jennifer L. Holman, Superintendent of Schools
Below you will find the following news updates from the Fall:
- Welcome to our new Director of Operations, Sean McKenna
- Welcome to Chief Birosik
- District Calendar
- Soup with the Superintendent
- Sapphire Notification System
- Closing or Delaying School for Inclement Weather
- Lunch Reminders
- Middle School Project
- Northwestern Lehigh Educational Foundation
- Become an Instructional Assistant
- Become a Bus Driver
- Employment Opportunities
Welcome to our new Director of Operations
We would like to welcome Mr. Sean McKenna to the Northwestern Lehigh School District as the new Director of Operations.
Message from the Director of Operations:
I would like to take a moment and introduce myself to the Northwestern Lehigh families and community. My name is Sean McKenna and I am the new Director of Operations for the Northwestern Lehigh School District.
I cannot tell you how thrilled I am to finally be here and start this new chapter of my career.
I come to Northwestern Lehigh with 30 plus years in the Facilities and Maintenance Industry. I have 15 years experience in K-12 education facilities with the last eight of them working for the Bethlehem Area School District as the Buildings and Grounds Supervisor. During my time with the BASD I was in charge of the overall maintenance and safe operation of 22 schools and 4 other support buildings.
I would like to thank the Board of School Directors for the opportunity to be the next Director of Operations for the Northwestern Lehigh School District. I would also like to thank all the faculty and staff I have met already for the warm welcome I have received. I look forward to meeting and serving all in the community and becoming part of the Northwestern Lehigh Family. I again would like to say thank you to you all.
Sean McKenna, Director of Operations
New Police Chief
Congratulations to Kevin Birosik on his new role as Police Chief for the Northwestern Lehigh Police Department
Message from the Chief:
As of July 1, 2023 I have been named The Chief of Police for the Northwestern Lehigh School District.
Prior to being named the Chief of Police, I have been serving the School District as a School Police Officer since the Department's inception in 2018. I retired in 2018 from the City of Allentown Police Department with 22 Years of Service. During my service in the City of Allentown I was assigned to the Patrol Division, Vice and Intelligence, and was a member of our Emergency Response Team.
I look forward to continuing to Protect, Prevent, and Connect with all of you and will strive and continue to build on the stellar reputation of the Northwestern Lehigh School District and Northwestern Lehigh School Police Department.
Chief Kevin Birosik
District Calendar Information
- November 17: Early Dismissal for Elementary (K-5)
- November 20, 21: Early Dismissal for MS/Elementary (K-8)
- November 22: Early Dismissal (K-12)
- November 23, 24, 27: Thanksgiving Holiday - No School
- December 22-January 1st: Winter Holiday - No School
Sapphire Notification System
The Sapphire Notification System is the District's communication system and lets us notify you by using the contact information you provide in the Sapphire Community Portal.
Be sure to keep your contact information up to date throughout the year to ensure you receive all notifications.
Closing or Delaying School for Inclement Weather
One of my least favorite responsibilities as Superintendent of Schools is making the decision regarding school delays or cancellations. And yet, given the geographical location of our school district, inclement, wintry weather will always be a seasonal challenge.
Once a decision is made regarding a delay, cancellation, or use of a Flexible Instruction Day (FID), we will send a message via Sapphire Notification System to all of our families and employees. When we have a two-hour delay, AM LCTI students do not attend LCTI.
Please make sure your phone and email contacts are set up accurately in the Sapphire Notification System to receive messages from the school.
Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.
2023-2024 School Lunch Reminders
Breakfast is free for all K-12 students
Elementary - $2.90, MS - $3.05, HS - $3.30
All students deemed eligible for reduced-priced meals will receive free lunches for the 2023-2024 school year
We are proud to offer SchoolCafe, a safe and secure way for parents to make online payments to their children's cafeteria accounts, see purchase history, and apply for free/reduced meals.
All lunch menus are posted to Nutrislice and can be accessed by going to https://nwlehighsd.nutrislice.com/ or downloading the free mobile app. Nutrislice provides families the ability to view daily menu items, plan for dietary restrictions, and much more.
For general questions please contact Evelyn Parodi, Director of Food and Nutrition
parodie@nwlehighsd.org or 610-298-8661 ext. 1255
Middle School Project
As you may already be aware, our Middle School has gone through an energy savings renovation project this Summer. Classrooms received new paint, flooring, lighting, and HVAC. New outside doors were installed as well as lighting, and a new sign at the entrance. The renovations are projected to save the district $10.2 Million Dollars.
Northwestern Lehigh Educational foundation
The Northwestern Lehigh Educational Foundation is a registered 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that supports the educational goals of the Northwestern Lehigh School District. It is an independent organization that relies on funding through donations from businesses, parents, district residents, Northwestern Lehigh Alumni Association, and friends. These funds are used to support educational programs that might not otherwise be funded.
Visit their website for more information or to find out how you can help!
Become a Bus Driver
Northwestern Lehigh is seeking Bus Drivers for the 2023-2024 school year!
As you may be aware, there continues to be a bus driver shortage that has strained school district transportation departments nationally, and unfortunately, Northwestern is not immune from it. We continue to struggle to recruit drivers to transport our students over our 100-square-mile district.
- Van Driver (regular route): $18.13/hour
- Bus Driver Rate (regular route): $27.69/hour or approx.
- $152.29/day depending on the route
- No Weekends
- Summers Off
Substitute Bus & Van positions available too!
If you know of anyone who would be interested in driving a bus or van, please strongly encourage them to apply
Join our tiger team!
We are hiring for a number of positions including instructional assistants, bus & van drivers, and substitutes.
Complete an application online today!
Board of Directors
Todd Hernandez, President
Todd Leiser, Vice President
Joseph Fatzinger, Treasurer
John Casciano, Secretary
Willard Dellicker
Becky Hite
Lauren Hunsicker
Rachael Scheffler
Jennifer Senavaitis
John E. Freund III, Esq., Solicitor
Northwestern Lehigh School District
6493 Route 309
New Tripoli, PA 18066
610.298.8661
Northwestern Lehigh School District is an equal opportunity education institution and will not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin/ethnicity, sex, disability, age, religion, creed, ancestry, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, or pregnancy in its activities, programs, or employment practices as required by Title VI, Title IX, and Section 504. For information regarding civil rights, grievance procedures, or information regarding services, activities, and facilities that are accessible to and usable by disabled persons, contact the Director of Human Resources (Title VI Coordinator, Title IX Coordinator, and Section 504 Coordinator) at 6493 Route 309, New Tripoli, PA 18066 or 610-298-8661.