Superintendent

August 19, 2026

Dear Parents and Guardians,

I hope this letter finds you well and that you are enjoying the remaining days of summer with your family. The start of a new school year is always filled with excitement and anticipation, and we are eager to welcome your children back for the 2026–2027 school year on Monday, August 24.

Throughout the summer, our faculty, staff, and administration have been hard at work preparing our schools for another successful year. From curriculum development and professional learning to technology enhancements, facility improvements, and safety preparations, a tremendous amount of work has taken place to ensure our schools are ready to welcome students back.

I’m excited to share some highlights as we enter a new academic year:

Curriculum and Instruction

This year, we are excited to begin the implementation of Innovamat Thinking Math, following extensive planning and preparation throughout the summer. Our Curriculum, Instruction, and Educational Technology Department has worked closely with district and company leaders to prepare our teachers and ensure a successful implementation. We have also finalized curriculum and assessments for new secondary business and technology courses and continued our work to develop
high-quality, standards-aligned curriculum across the district.

We continue to thoughtfully expand the use of educational technology, including artificial intelligence, Merlyn Mind, and other instructional tools designed to enhance teaching and learning. Our focus remains on ensuring that technology is used purposefully to support engaging, high-quality learning experiences for our students.

Student Supports and Future Readiness

Supporting the academic, social, emotional, and mental well-being of every student remains central to our mission. Through our continued partnerships with community organizations and service providers, we remain committed to ensuring students have access to the resources and support they need to succeed both inside and outside the classroom.

We are also proud of our continued commitment to college and career readiness. Northern Lehigh once again achieved a 100% Career Standards Benchmark rate in all reported grade bands. This marks the fourth consecutive year for Slatington Elementary and the High School and the fifth consecutive year for the Middle School. Beginning this year, Pennsylvania’s revised Career Education and Work Standards will further strengthen instruction in career exploration, employability skills, career planning, and workforce readiness.

Our partnership with Lehigh Carbon Community College also continues to create new opportunities for our students. This year, eight Northern Lehigh students have been accepted into the inaugural Medical Assistant Certificate Program, which will allow them to become eligible for entry-level employment as medical assistants following graduation and completion of the program.

Technology Enhancements

At Peters Elementary School, we are transitioning from a one-to-one Chromebook model to a shared classroom cart model. This change reflects our commitment to intentional, targeted, and purposeful technology integration for our youngest learners. Our goal is to ensure technology enhances instruction while maintaining an appropriate balance of hands-on learning, collaboration, and foundational skill development.

Facilities and Extracurriculars

Following last year’s completion of the baseball and softball complex renovation, Bulldog Stadium has undergone an exciting transformation this summer. Improvements include a brand-new track surface and synthetic turf field, upgraded parking lot lighting, final installation of the new fully interactive scoreboard, and a new wrap on the concession stand.

At Northern Lehigh High School, the second phase of flooring replacement has also been completed, along with additional painting throughout hallways and classrooms. Across the district, our custodial and maintenance teams have been busy deep cleaning our buildings, assembling and distributing new furniture, and completing numerous other projects to ensure our schools are clean, safe, welcoming, and ready for students.

We are grateful to the Northern Lehigh Educational Foundation and its generous sponsors, Rentschler Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram and Krise Transportation, for making the new Bulldog Stadium scoreboard possible.

Safety and Security

The safety of our students and staff remains one of our highest priorities. Throughout the summer, every member of the Northern Lehigh School District Police Department participated in advanced crisis mitigation and emergency response training. Members of the department also provided safety training to district employees as part of our ongoing commitment to maintaining safe, secure, and welcoming schools for every student, staff member, and visitor.

Enrollment

As we welcome students back, we are also excited to greet the newest members of the Northern Lehigh family. As of early August, 82 fully registered kindergarten students will make up the Class of 2039. This is one of our smaller incoming kindergarten classes in recent years, and we will continue to monitor enrollment patterns as we plan for the future of our schools.

As you prepare your children to return to school, please remember the importance of re-establishing school-year routines. A few helpful tips include:

• Set a morning routine early: Practicing consistent wake-up times and morning routines can help ease the transition back to school.
• Organize school supplies and backpacks: Having everything ready ahead of time reduces stress and helps children feel prepared and excited for the first day.
• Encourage open conversations about feelings: Some children may feel anxious or uncertain about returning to school. Encourage them to share how they are feeling and remind them that our teachers and staff are here to support them.
• Establish consistent bedtime routines: Returning to an appropriate school-night sleep schedule before the first day can make the transition much easier.
• Monitor your child’s social media access and usage: Please remain aware of your child’s online activity and encourage responsible digital behavior. Doing so can help prevent conflicts that begin online from affecting students during the school day.

For those of you with children who ride our buses and vans, please allow some flexibility with pick-up and drop-off times during the first several days of school as routes settle into a consistent pattern. We also ask that you review appropriate and safe behavior with your child while riding district transportation.

As we begin the 2026–2027 school year, I am truly grateful for the continued partnership between our schools, families, and community. The success of our students is strengthened by the support and involvement of our families, and I look forward to all that we will accomplish together this year.  Thank you for entrusting us with the education, growth, and well-being of your children. We are excited to welcome our students back on Monday, August 24, and I wish every member of the Northern Lehigh family a safe, successful, and rewarding school year.

Sincerely,
Dr. Matthew J. Link
Superintendent