Welcome to Walter M. Senkow Elementary

Walter M. Senkow Elementary is committed to fostering a respectful community of learners, to strive for continuous improvement and growth. We will fulfill this mission with our dedication to the academic, social, and emotional growth within a safe and caring learning environment.

The Walter M. Senkow School was established in August of 2005. The Senkow School evolved out of a need and responsibility to reduce the enrollment at the overcrowded Bywood Elementary School. Although the Upper Darby School District “School Capacity Task Force” investigated and pursued various sites within Upper Darby Township during a study period of nearly two years, no site was more perfectly suited or able to be opened in such short time as the current home of Senkow Elementary, formerly known as St. George’s Elementary School in Glenolden.

The school is named in honor of Walter M. Senkow, a former Upper Darby School Board member who served our district for 43 years. He was the longest continuous active school board member in the state of Pennsylvania. In addition, he also served on the board of the Delaware County Intermediate Unit. His nearly half a century of commitment to and caring for the children of the Upper Darby School District alone (not to mention his many other accomplishments) was reason enough to name the school after him. The building was officially dedicated to him in a ceremony at the school, on October 7, 2005.

The students who attend the Walter M. Senkow School are students who were previously bussed to Bywood School from the two far ends of the school boundaries, the 69th Street area and the Drexel Plaza area near Lansdowne Avenue and Garrett Road. Five busses deliver the nearly 300 students to Senkow Elementary each day. The school is proud to maintain the ethnic and cultural richness that was exhibited at Bywood School. In addition, the small school size allows much more personal interaction and the establishment of a true family atmosphere.

The classroom teachers at the Senkow Elementary maintain a high standard in educational practices and expectations. The school continues the daily practice of “Morning Meeting” and the Responsive Classroom philosophy to maintain a community of caring and respect for one another. Through the assistance of terrific support staff, such as a instructional coaches, a reading specialist, special education teachers, English as a Second Language teachers, a school social worker, and a school psychologist, Senkow Elementary has a wealth of support for its students and staff. 

Senkow Elementary continues to work diligently at developing a Home and School Association to help promote activities and initiatives to enhance the educational and social opportunities for growth for our students. We look forward to your interest in becoming a part of this effort to encourage our students, your children, to be life-long learners.

Please become a member in this important effort to provide opportunities for Senkow Elementary to grow as a community by contacting the school office at (610) 957-5114.