Quakertown Community High School

July 27, 2026

Dear Quakertown Community High School Students and Parents/Guardians:

The past few weeks have been busy at the high school as we prepare to welcome our students back on Monday, August 31, 2026. We deeply value the strength of our community and encourage you to stay connected with the school throughout the year.

This letter covers everything you need to get ready for the first day. Please read through it, take care of the action items that apply to your student, and reach out to your student's house if you have questions — contact information is at the end.

Administrative Team Update

We are pleased to welcome back Dr. Adam Dinney, who returns to Quakertown Community High School as our 11th Grade House Principal for the Class of 2028. Dr. Dinney spent the 2025-2026 school year serving our students at the Sixth Grade Center and will be a familiar face to many of our students. We are glad to have him back, and look forward to the partnership he will build with the Class of 2028 students and families.

Our returning administrative team includes Ms. Helen Conroy (9th Grade, Class of 2030), Mr. Mike Bolinsky (10th Grade, Class of 2029), and Ms. Kelly Lannutti (12th Grade, Class of 2027), along with Mr. Ed Brun, Coordinator of Student Management, and Mr. Juan Soto, House Principal for The Academy at Quakertown, Aspire, and Cyber Programs.

Dates to Put on Your Calendar

Schedules

Individual student schedules will go live the week of Monday, August 3, 2026, and can be accessed through PowerSchool once made public. Please review your student's schedule, as changes may have occurred over the summer.

·       How to Create a Parent Portal Account

·       PowerSchool Student and Parent Sign In

Due to the large number of requests and classes being fully scheduled, we are unable to accommodate change requests based on preference. If you notice a scheduling conflict, please report it using the Student Schedule Conflict/Error Report form. Please note that requests for lunch period changes cannot be honored; lunch periods are determined by the 4th-period classroom.

Official QCHS Bell Schedules are posted on our website.

Chromebooks for Incoming 9th Graders

*During the week of Monday, August 3rd - Friday, August 7th, Ninth Grade Chromebook distribution will only take place on Wednesday, August 5th and Thursday August 6th.

Please note that chromebooks cannot be picked up at orientation.

Regular hours: Monday through Thursday, 7:00 AM - 3:15 PM, now through August 28. Stop by any time during these hours; no appointment is needed.

Extra dates for families who can't make regular hours:

• Monday, August 17 — 4:00 PM to 7:00 PM

• Friday, August 21 — 7:00 AM to 3:15 PM

• Monday, August 24 — 4:00 PM to 7:00 PM

• Friday, August 28 — 7:00 AM to 3:15 PM

Before you come, please make sure the old Chromebook is:

·       Cleaned

·       Free of stickers

·       Accompanied by its charger

A replacement charger costs $20 if the original has been lost, and all outstanding obligations must be paid before a new Chromebook can be issued.

Device insurance: Our Accidental Damage Protection provider is School Device Coverage. Please sign up online — coverage is purchased directly through School Device Coverage, as QCSD does not collect payments. Wait until your student has received their new device before purchasing.

AP Boot Camp

Incoming ninth-graders planning to take AP Human Geography are invited to AP Boot Camp, August 4-6, from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM in Room D100 at QCHS. The three days focus on team building, time management, AP-level reading, and note-taking — the habits that make a college-level course manageable. Students will have time to ask questions and work on their summer assignments, and students who have already taken the course will be on hand to share their experience. Questions may be directed to Sean Burke (sburke@qcsd.org).

College Application Boot Camp

No push-ups or marching involved — just a chance for seniors to get started on college applications or make real progress on them. Mr. Eric Gozzard, our Future Readiness Coordinator, will be in the QCHS Library on August 4, 5, and 11, working with small groups of 15 students or fewer.

This is a work session, not a presentation, so students should come ready to work. What to bring:

·       A school and/or personal laptop

·       A list of at least 2-3 colleges they plan to apply to

Advance sign-up through SignUpGenius is required for all participants. Please enter through the main office doors and head to the library.

Questions may be directed to Mr. Gozzard at egozzard@qcsd.org. You can also follow the Future Readiness Center on Instagram at @QCHSFutureReadiness or visit the Future Readiness website.

Summer Assignments

Summer assignments are posted here. Students new to the district who do not yet have a Chromebook can pick up a printed packet at the main office during summer office hours — please call (215) 529-2060 in advance so we can have it ready.

Fall Sports

Football and golf begin Monday, August 10, with football holding Heat Acclimatization. All other fall sports begin Monday, August 17.

Family ID must be complete by August 6 for football and golf, and by August 13 for all other fall sports. Students joining a team also need a current PIAA physical form, available outside the Athletic Office at the High School and on the QCHS physical forms page.

Student Parking

Parking information is available in the main office. Passes cost $20 and are issued on a first-come, first-served basis as available. Parking passes will be issued only to students who have no outstanding obligations.

·       Seniors: may purchase beginning August 24 (this date may be moved up)

·       Juniors: applications open after September 14

·       Sophomores: no passes will be issued

The front parking lot is reserved and assigned for specific reasons only. Ticketing begins during the third full week of school.

Cell Phone Expectations

Research consistently shows that having a phone within reach during class works against learning, and we are committed to classrooms where students can focus. Our expectations apply to staff as well as students — teachers keep their own phones put away during class time.

How it works during the school day: when the bell rings, phones go into the classroom phone pocket or a backpack — not a pocket or on the desk — and stay there until class is dismissed. All devices are on silent. Students may use their phones during non-instructional time. If a student leaves the room during class, the phone stays behind. Teachers may occasionally build a phone into a class activity, in which case it is used for that activity only.

Accommodations continue. Students with an IEP, a behavior plan that allows for music, or a medical condition they monitor with a phone may continue to use their device for those purposes. Students learning English may use their phones for translation.

If expectations aren't met, consequences build in steps: a verbal warning first, then a one-hour detention with a parent or guardian picking up the phone at the end of the day, then a two-hour detention with a parent meeting to retrieve the device, then a day of in-school suspension, and finally a five-day turn-in at the front office, with the student dropping the phone off each morning and collecting it each afternoon. Refusing to hand over a phone, or disrupting class over the expectations, is referred to administration directly — teachers do not physically take a device from a student.

Please read the full QCHS Cell Phone Expectations with your student before the first day. The document also includes research and resources for families who want to think more about phone use at home.

Student Health Services

Requirements for physical and dental exams, immunization records, and medication at school are outlined on our Student Health Services page. If your student will need to take any medication during the school day — including over-the-counter medication — please review the medication procedures before the first day, as paperwork must be on file in advance.

A Few More Items

New Student Orientation is Tuesday, August 25, from 5:30 PM to 6:30 PM.

Open House is Monday, September 14, from 6:00 PM to 7:30 PM — an in-person evening at the high school to meet teachers and hear about curriculum and classroom expectations.

Supply lists: there is no school-wide supply list. Individual teachers will share what students need for their courses on the first day of school.

Bus assignment letters will be sent to families in mid-August.

Reporting an absence: instructions are under Attendance Information on our website.

Who to Contact

QCHS is organized into grade-level “houses.” Each house has a House Principal, a School Counselor, and a House Administrative Assistant, and stays with your student's class through graduation. Your student's house is the first stop for questions about academics, attendance, scheduling, and day-to-day concerns. If you aren't sure who to ask, start with your House Administrative Assistant — they can point you in the right direction quickly.

Building Administration

Dr. Mattias van ’t Hoenderdaal, Building Principal  |  (215) 529-2062  |  mvanthoenderdaal@qcsd.org

Ms. Megan McGinty, Admin Assistant to the Building Principal  |  (215) 529-2062  |  mmcginty@qcsd.org

9th Grade — Class of 2030

Ms. Helen Conroy, House Principal  |  (215) 529-2212  |  hconroy@qcsd.org

Mr. Owen Breininger, School Counselor  |  (215) 529-2073  |  obreininger@qcsd.org

Ms. Judi Devlin, House Administrative Assistant  |  (215) 529-2068  |  jdevlin@qcsd.org

10th Grade — Class of 2029

Mr. Mike Bolinsky, House Principal  |  (215) 529-2123  |  mbolinsky@qcsd.org

Ms. Patty Sabol, School Counselor  |  (215) 529-2065  |  psabol@qcsd.org

Ms. Arlene Taylor, House Administrative Assistant  |  (215) 529-2069  |  ataylor@qcsd.org

11th Grade — Class of 2028

Dr. Adam Dinney, House Principal  |  (215) 529-2138  |  adinney@qcsd.org

Ms. Brenda Roth, School Counselor  |  (215) 529-2070  |  broth@qcsd.org

Ms. Roxanne Brandis, House Administrative Assistant  |  (215) 529-2268  |  rbrandis@qcsd.org

12th Grade — Class of 2027

Ms. Kelly Lannutti, House Principal  |  (215) 529-2063  |  klannutti@qcsd.org

Ms. Erica Henry, School Counselor  |  (215) 529-2199  |  ehenry@qcsd.org

Ms. MacKenzie Baver, House Administrative Assistant  |  (215) 529-2156  |  mbaver@qcsd.org

The Academy at Quakertown, Aspire & Cyber Programs

Mr. Juan Soto, House Principal  |  (215) 529-2152  |  jsoto@qcsd.org

Mr. Andy Scappaticci, School Counselor  |  (215) 529-2074  |  ascappaticci@qcsd.org

Athletics & Activities

Mr. Brian Laiacona, Director of Athletics and Activities  |  (215) 529-2079  |  blaiacona@qcsd.org

Ms. Jennifer Banas, Administrative Assistant  |  (215) 529-2078  |  jbanas@qcsd.org

Student Management, Post-Secondary Planning & Main Office

Mr. Ed Brun, Coordinator of Student Management  |  (215) 529-2168  |  ebrun@qcsd.org

Mr. Eric Gozzard, Future Ready Counselor  |  (215) 529-2071  |  egozzard@qcsd.org

Ms. Teresa Plumley, Administrative Assistant  |  (215) 529-2066  |  tplumley@qcsd.org

Please enjoy the last few weeks of summer. I look forward to seeing all of you very soon.