Narwhal Newsletter
November 12th, 2023
Hello Marsh Creek,
As we approach the Thanksgiving break, our students will continue to rehearse for the upcoming winter music performances after school. Parent/Teacher Conferences are scheduled for November 20th and 21st, and contained in this week's newsletter are directions related to the sign up process for our conferences this year. Additionally, you will find a link below to the PA Climate Survey for families to complete as a part of our ongoing efforts to gather community feedback related to you and your family's experience in our school. This information will assist us in offering the greatest experience possible for our students, so we thank you in advance for your willingness to provide your feedback. Thank you for allowing us to support your student, and I hope that you and your family have an amazing week!
-Matt
This week at Marsh Creek - Week of November 12th
Monday - 11/13
- Orchestra Rehearsal - 3:30-4:25pm
Tuesday - 11/14
- BLUE House Chorus Rehearsal - 3:30-4:25pm
Thursday - 11/16
- GOLD House Chorus Rehersal - 3:30-4:25 pm
Notable Upcoming Dates
- November 20th - Parent/Teacher Conferences
- November 21st - Parent/Teacher Conferences
Parent-Teacher Conferences
The faculty and staff of Marsh Creek 6th Grade Center look forward to welcoming you to our annual Fall Parent-Teacher Conferences. Conferences will be offered on the following days during the following blocks of time:
Monday November 20th: 1:50pm-4:30pm; 6:00pm-8:00pm
Tuesday November 21st: 8:00am-11:00am; 12:30pm-3:30pm
Conferences with your student’s teachers will be held by appointment only.
This letter provides instructions on how to sign up electronically for a conference with your student’s teachers. If you do not have access to the internet or need to make an appointment via phone, you may follow the directions below for contacting the main office.
Please use the following link to schedule an appointment for your conference:
https://www.ptcfast.com/schools/Marsh_Creek_6th_Grade_Center_1
Once you click the link, you will be prompted to select a conference with a teacher and click “submit”. You will then be prompted to enter your student’s name, your name, phone number and an email address. This will generate an email to your account with a link that will allow you to select a conference time. Once you select a conference time, you will be able to register for additional conferences with other teachers, and, for families with multiple children at Marsh Creek, you will be able to add another child to your account. After selecting an appointment time, an email will be automatically sent to the teacher and your appointment will be reserved. An email will also be sent to your account confirming the times you have chosen and provide a link that you may use if you wish to change your appointment at a later date.
If you are unable to schedule a conference online, please call the main office at 610-646-0080 and an appointment will be made for you. While we are offering this service to ensure that all parents have the ability to sign-up, we urge you to please use the online scheduler if at all possible. If you need to schedule by phone, please have the teacher’s name and available times ready to share with the office staff and they will work to assist you.
A Day at Marsh Creek
Our students completed murals to commemorate Veterans Day
Students get the opportunity to have some outdoor fun during their Advisory time!
Our students get to spin the Pod Pride wheel during their lunch time!
PA Climate Survey
This year, Downingtown Area School District (DASD) will use the Pennsylvania Climate Survey (PA Climate Survey) to gain valuable insights into our school climate and to make meaningful improvements in DASD. The PA Climate Survey is conducted by the Pennsylvania Department of Education Office for Safe Schools (PDEOSS), and replaces last year’s YouthTruth survey.
Your input is essential. The brief survey is open to all families, staff and students (grades 3-12) and we would greatly appreciate your participation. Survey completion time is 3-5 minutes, and it is available in both English and Spanish. Students will also be provided with the opportunity to complete the PA Climate Survey on Monday, November 20th.
Parent/Guardian Survey Link: https://bit.ly/3r2q9oF
2023-24 Yearbook Sale
Order your child’s 2023-2024 Marsh Creek 6th Grade Center Yearbook online at www.balfour.com. Click on Shop My School and enter our school name. Then click on the icon for Yearbook Products and Ads. You will need to enter your child’s name and grade. Then select your child’s Advisory teacher. Yearbooks cost $30 and will be delivered to students at school during the last week in May. Order now before they are all sold out!
Any Questions? Please contact:
Mrs. Allen at lallen@dasd.org or Mrs. Leister at rleister@dasd.org.
Amphitheater Update
The Downingtown Community Education Foundation (DCEF) and our District are partnering together to provide innovative educational opportunities for our students. Construction on the new Amphitheater/Outdoor Classroom on the Marsh Creek campus is well underway. Our families and staff may continue to see increased activity on campus, primarily to the left side of our building as we arrive at Marsh Creek. We will continue to provide updates throughout the duration of the project.
Pod Pride Update
Our bus #25 students and Ms. Kim enjoyed “Donuts with your Driver” this week! Dr. Barr commended the students for their positive bus behavior and encouraged them to keep up the good work. Ms. Kim addressed the students as well and thanked them for being positive role models for the younger students on the bus. Congratulations again to our Bus of the Month, bus #25!
Also, for the month of November, we are going to mix up our positive behavior incentives and let students choose which type of prize they want to win! There are 8 large buckets outside the Library that we are collecting tickets in all month long. Students get to decide what they want to try to win. Thanks to our Kindness Ambassadors for helping choose amazing prizes for this fun event! Winners will be picked during the announcements on November 30th!
Mental Health Awareness
As part of our district and community's efforts to increase Mental Health awareness, and to reduce the stigma around discussing Mental Health for students, we will be providing lessons and supports in the coming weeks designed to teach students about this topic, and encouraging them to seek help and support if needed.
For the fifth straight year, we are using a program called SOS (Signs of Suicide). The program teaches students about this difficult topic and encourages them to seek help. It is delivered during a single lesson in Health class. SOS has been used by thousands of schools over the past few decades. Studies have shown that it effectively teaches students about depression and suicide while reducing the number of students’ self-reported suicide attempts.
Through the program, students learn:
• that depression is treatable, so they are encouraged to seek help
• how to identify depression and potential suicide risk in themselves or a friend
• to ACT (Acknowledge, Care and Tell a trusted adult) if concerned about themselves or a friend
• who they can turn to at school for help, if they need it
We encourage you to visit http://www.sossignsofsuicide.org/parent for information on warning signs for youth suicide, useful resources, and some of the key messages students will learn.
Community and Family Support - Backpack Boost Program
This program provides supplemental nourishment for our students. Participating students receive a bag of non-perishable food items every Wednesday, which will be distributed in a discreet and caring manner by our staff. Click on the flyer below to complete the confidential form so that we can help in any way that we can.
Counselor's Corner
Greetings from the Marsh Creek Counseling Department! We will use this area to keep you in the loop with updates from our department as well as helpful resources throughout the year. Please do not hesitate to contact us with any questions or concerns. We are here to help!
Narwhals, as we start this new marking period, let’s focus on our time management habits. Managing our time not only helps us to be more productive but it also helps decrease stress! Check out these tips!
Check out this local resource! Communities That Care offers groups, blogs and podcasts to support parents and guardians in the Downingtown area.
Click here for more information.
Please encourage your child to check out the Marsh Creek Counseling Department Schoology course. It’s filled with lots of great resources including stress management strategies, study skills, directions for how to check your grades and more!
As always, reach out if you need anything!
Marsh Creek Book Fair
The Book Fair is coming to the Marsh Creek Library. Find all the details on our fair website.
We need volunteers! Check out our Sign-up Genius page.
Want to help students in need? Donate to the Book Fairy eWallet to grant book wishes!
Family Nights are before each Chorus Concert (11/28 and 11/29; 6-7pm)
Student Online Registration
A friendly reminder to please complete the annual online registration for your student(s) for the 2023/2024 school year. This registration provides updated health information, permission for over-the-counter medication administration by our school nurse, as well as district consents and emergency numbers. Ensuring that we have accurate demographic, health and contact information for your child directly impacts our ability to best serve our students. Additionally, it is an essential piece to ensuring student safety.
· Here is the link for you to login to the Infinite Campus parent portal.
· Here is the link to the directions, if you need them.
· Need assistance? Contact us here.
Clubs and Intramurals
Below is a link to the Activities page on our Marsh Creek website, which has been updated with all information that students and parents will need to engage in our extracurricular programs. It contains information related to the options available this year, as well as information related to Activity Fees, and the Activity Shuttle Bus. Students can work with our teachers to pick up information and to express interest in the activities offered this Fall.
Cultural Connections Club
Join MC6 Cultural Connections Club!
The CCC will allow students to get together once a month for group discussions, activities, leadership opportunities, and games. It will be a fun way to make new friends while celebrating diversity and strengthening our connection to the school community.
Our first meeting will be on Monday, November 20th during 12th period.
If your student is interested in joining the MC6 Cultural Connections Club, they can sign up here - MC6 Cultural Connections Club Interest Form
“We are more alike, my friends, than we are unalike.” ~ Maya Angelou
Marsh Creek Home and School Association (HSA)
Thank you to our HSA for all that they have done this year to support our students and staff! We are so lucky to have a wonderful team of parents willing to help Marsh Creek. If you are interested in participating in our HSA this year, please consider joining us for future meetings. If you would like to contact our HSA to find other ways to support our students and school, please feel free to contact them at marshcreekhsa@gmail.com.
Turkey Trot - 2023
Overcoming Adversity with Philadelphia Eagles Sydney Brown
The Downingtown Area School District (DASD) is honored to host Philadelphia Eagles Safety Sydney Brown for an enlightening session on homelessness awareness as part of Homelessness Awareness Week. The event will take place on November 14th at 6:00 PM in the Downingtown High School West Auditorium. During the event, Sydney will share his story of overcoming adversity and achieving success against all odds. He will engage with the audience, answering questions and providing valuable insights into his journey. At the conclusion of the session, attendees had the unique opportunity to meet Sydney, take photographs, and have memorabilia signed.
$20 per person to have an item signed and photograph.
A Night With The Lenape Community
In line with this commitment, the Department of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) at DASD will be hosting "A Night with the Lenape Community" on November 27th at 6:00 p.m. via Zoom. The event will feature Adam DePaul, a respected member of the Lenape Nation of Pennsylvania, who also holds the positions of Story keeper and Coordinator of the Rising Nation River Journey. DePaul is a co-curator of the Lenape Cultural Center in Easton, PA, and the exhibit "Existing Artistry, Enduring Presence: The Lenape Nation of Pennsylvania" at Temple University.
Register Here: https://downingtown-area-school-district.ticketleap.com/a-night-with-the-lenape-community/details
Supporting Refugee Students & Families
The Downingtown Area School District (DASD) is excited to announce a special virtual event featuring celebrated author Moustafa Bayoumi. This online training session, titled "Supporting Refugee Students and Families," is scheduled for November 28th at 3:45 PM during the Cultural Equity Task Force (CETF) meeting.
Moustafa Bayoumi is a distinguished author known for his highly acclaimed work, "How Does It Feel To Be a Problem?: Being Young and Arab in America" (Penguin). This groundbreaking book has received prestigious awards such as the American Book Award and the Arab American Book Award for Non-Fiction. An accomplished journalist, Bayoumi also serves as a columnist for The Guardian, with his writing featured in prominent publications like The New York Times, New York Magazine, The Daily Beast, The Nation, CNN.com, The London Review of Books, The National, The Chronicle of Higher Education, The Progressive, and many others. His essay "Disco Inferno" was even included in the collection "Best Music Writing of 2006" (Da Capo). Bayoumi has garnered attention from media outlets worldwide, including The Wall Street Journal, The Chicago Sun-Times, CNN, FOX News, Book TV, National Public Radio, and more.
Register Here: https://downingtown-area-school-district.ticketleap.com/supporting-refugee-students-and-families/details