Tinicum Elementary School, which
includes kindergarten through fifth grade, is located in Pipersville,
Tinicum Township, Bucks County, Pennsylvania. The school has been open
since 1958. Palisades School District serves a rural community of five
townships in Northern Bucks County, encompassing 100 square miles just
north of Doylestown, PA, the county seat. Although rural in
nature, its economy is not agricultural. Many residents work outside the
district in New York, New Jersey, and Philadelphia. Tinicum is one of
three elementary schools, one Blue Ribbon middle school, and one high
school in the district.
Tinicum's staff of 41 full-time and
part-time professionals provides the educational program for 300+
students. Supplemental programs include special education classes, an
Instructional Support Team, Title I reading support, a summer support service, and
an after-school "Meet the Standards" club.
The educational
program is based on our mission to develop lifelong learners and
productive citizens. Our integrated curriculum is designed to align
content, best instructional practices and assessments to standards.
Students are provided with opportunities to explore learning through
foreign language, band, orchestra, musical theater, chorus, art,
technology, and wellness and fitness. Multi-age classes for second and
third grade students allow for developmentally appropriate settings for
students, and community projects provide service opportunities.
Tinicum
holds high expectations for all students who come from a wide range of
socioeconomic backgrounds. Tinicum students celebrate high levels of
academic success as evidenced by fourth grade performance on the New
Standards Reference Exam where 100% of the students met or achieved the
standards with honors in all areas of Reading and Math, and 97% in
Writing Effectiveness. Fifth grade students achieved in the top of the
band for similar schools on the Pennsylvania System of State Assessment
(PSSA).
Parents and community members participate in decision
making and are a vital part of the everyday functioning of the school
programs. Due to its rural location, Tinicum is the center for the
community. The Home and School Association provides a summer camp
program, an after-school activity program (REACH), playground
volunteers, instructional assistance in classrooms, tutoring, a
publishing center for student work, technology instruction and support,
and community development activities. The staff hosts educational and
entertaining Family Nights, workshops for parents, and celebrations of
student performance. Partnerships are established with the Emmanuel
Preschool, the Michener Art Museum in Doylestown, Pennsylvania, and the
International Institute for Restorative Practices. The "Caring Children
Make Caring Choices" format gives students a voice in all of these
activities, and students, staff, parents, and community members pledge
to further the mission of Tinicum to develop a community of lifelong
learners.
Continuous change is the result of our focus on
analysis and interpretation of performance data, a shared commitment,
and a shared leadership. Collaboration among students, faculty,
administration, parents, and community members has resulted in changes
in curriculum resulting in improvement in the performance of all.