Good morning Marsh Creek,

I hope that everyone is enjoying their weekend! It is hard to believe that we have reached the midpoint of our First Marking Period. Please continue to check Infinite Campus for all updated grades, and please reach out to our teachers or team if we can help assist your student in any way. For those that are having trouble accessing Infinite Campus, see our Counselor's Corner section of this newsletter, as we have included directions on how to access the resource. This week's newsletter contains a great deal of information related to all that is occurring at Marsh Creek and around the district. We were sad that we were not able to gather together this past week for our Annual Culture Fest, but we will look for an opportunity to host this fabulous event during the Spring if possible. As a reminder, all schools and offices will be closed this Thursday in observance of Rosh Hashanah. As always, thank you so much for allowing us to work with your family this year.

Have a fantastic day,

Matt

Monday - 9/30

• A Team Paradise Farm Trip
  

Tuesday - 10/1

• A Team Paradise Farm Trip
• Summer Adventure Trip Parent Meeting - 6:00 pm - Marsh Creek Library (or via Zoom) See Flyer Below for more details

Thursday - 10/3

• School Closed – Rosh Hashanah
  

Important Upcoming Dates

• Monday and Tuesday 10/7 and 10/8 - D Team Paradise Farm Trip
• Thursday and Friday 10/10 and 10/11 - G Team Paradise Farm Trip

In September and October, each interdisciplinary team will be traveling to Paradise Farm Camp, a local educational facility over two consecutive days. Students, teachers and administrators will participate in hands-on, outdoor, learning and team building experiences. The program is designed to facilitate team-building, resiliency and environmental awareness. Getting to know one another as a team and in small groups by working through different team challenges improves the all too important skills of cooperation, communication, and trust. Guardians will receive information from your child’s team in the upcoming weeks

Below is information that will be communicated to our families by each team prior to students attending the trip:

Our students will be taking a field trip to Paradise Farms Camp, located at 1300 Valley Creek Road in Downingtown throughout the months of September and October. This camp affords students the opportunity for outdoor education through a variety of activities that develop leadership and team building skills. The entire trip will be outside even if it is raining.

Parents will need to drop off students at Paradise Farms between 8:15 am and 8:30 am at the Paradise Farms gymnasium and pick up students at 3:00 pm at the Paradise Farms gymnasium. Carpooling whenever possible is encouraged. Teachers and staff members will be on-site to direct you to this area. If you are unable to drop off and/or pick up your child, there will be a limited amount of bus transportation available to and from Paradise Farms. Students who ride the bus will arrive later and leave the trip earlier so that our busses can accommodate school district arrival and departure from our other schools.

The cost of this trip is $40.00 per student. All payments must be made in PaySchools Central, the same system used for all district fees. Please note that if the payment option is not visible now it will be shortly, thank you for your patience. This fee covers all camp programs. Students need to bring lunch each day. You can also order a boxed lunch from the cafeteria that will be brought to Paradise Farm. If you select the option to order lunch on the permission slip, your child will complete the form at school.

We will go to Paradise Farms RAIN OR SHINE, so students will need to dress appropriately according to weather conditions. Old shoes or sneakers are the best type of footwear. For student safety, NO SANDALS, FLIP FLOPS, OR OPEN TOED SHOES OF ANY KIND ARE PERMITTED.

As part of our district and community's efforts to increase Mental Health awareness, starting the week of October 7th, the BASC-3 Behavioral and Emotional Screening System (BESS) assessment will be administered for Marsh Creek students. This assessment is provided to DASD students, and helps us to identify those that may be in need of support. This assessment should take approximately thirty minutes or less.

Information about the BESS :

• The BASC-3 Behavioral and Emotional Screening System is designed for schools to screen for a variety of behavioral issues that can lead to adjustment problems.
• It assesses a wide array of behaviors that represent both behavioral problems and strengths.
• It uses a Total Score on the report that is a reliable and accurate predictor of a broad range of behavioral, emotional and academic problems.
• It explores indexes that identify responses that may be overly negative or inconsistent.

Should results of the assessment indicate a need for interventions, our counseling team would share those recommendations with parents. If you would like to opt your student out of this screening assessment, please complete the opt-out form linked below.

To support your child’s math development, we offer a range of opportunities for students to receive extra help when needed. We understand that every student learns at a different pace, and our goal is to provide personalized support to ensure all students can thrive in math.

Math Support and Intervention Programs

• Before and After School Tutoring: We offer math tutoring/support sessions before and after school to provide additional help for students who may need more time and practice to master key concepts. These sessions are led by our experienced math teachers and are open to all students.
• Morning sessions: Thursday mornings from 8:00 AM – 8:50 AM
• Afternoon sessions: Tuesday afternoons from 3:35 PM – 4:35 PM

Students are encouraged to attend regularly if they need extra help or have specific questions about homework or classwork.

• Additional (in school) Support: During the school day, we offer targeted intervention programs for students who have been identified as needing additional support. These sessions may take place during math class in a small group setting or as pull-out sessions during our elective periods on a rotating basis, where students work in small groups with a math interventionist. Teachers and staff closely monitor student progress and will notify parents if their child is recommended for intervention. These sessions focus on reviewing foundational skills, reteaching concepts, and providing individualized support to help students succeed.

• Math Extensions: Our Math Extensions program is available for students who require extra help to enhance foundational skills necessary for future success in math. Should your child need additional direct math instruction to help remediate or develop foundational skills, they will have access to the program on a consistent basis in lieu of an encore class.

We are committed to working together with you to support your child’s success in math. If you have any questions or would like more information about our math support programs, please don’t hesitate to reach out to your child’s teacher or our school’s office team.

Thank you for your continued partnership in your child’s education!

School pictures are ready!

To order, log in to your account on mylifetouch.com or create an account using your student's student ID number.

All families can also log on and order a FREE Digital SmileSafe card.

More about the Smilesafe program here.

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!

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!

Narwhals, we are halfway through the 1st marking period! We suggest you get in the habit of checking your grades once a week. Doing this regularly will help you stay on track with your assignments. See below for directions!

Communities that Care of Greater Downingtown offers many great parent resources including a Parent to Parent: Building Connections support group which starts October 1st. Check it out here!

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 links below to complete the confidential form so that we can help in any way that we can.

Click here to enroll in Backpack Boost

Haga clic aquí para inscribirse en Backpack Boost

Thank you to all of our families for their willingness to support our Marsh Creek HSA this year as they work with 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. If you are interested in volunteering with our wonderful HSA team this year, please complete the interest form linked below.

The most frequent damage to a Chromebook is a cracked screen. Follow these tips to avoid damage.

• Always carry a Chromebook closed. Never hold a Chromebook by its screen and always use two hands to carry the device.
• If carrying the device from classroom to classroom, hold the Chromebook close to your chest much like a hug.
• Be sure to set a Chromebook on a flat surface during use and avoid slanted, uneven surfaces which could lead to the device sliding off and dropping to the floor.

For more tips about protecting your device, and information related to getting a protective case for your device, click the following link to our technology page. Thank you for your assistance!

https://www.dasd.org/departments/technology/11-technology-initiative/chromebook-care

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 year. All information related to our clubs and activities will be communicated on Schoology.

Happy Hispanic Heritage Month

Hispanic Heritage Month is a time to honor the rich histories, cultures, and contributions of Hispanic and Latinx communities in the United States. At DASD, we recognize and celebrate this month to highlight the diverse backgrounds and achievements of our Hispanic students, staff, and families. By acknowledging the impact of Hispanic heritage, we foster an inclusive environment that values diversity and empowers all voices within our district.

The parent meeting for the Summer Adventure Trip to Bryce Canyon and Zion National Park will be held at Marsh Creek Sixth Grade Center’s Library on Tuesday, October 1st at 6:00pm. There will also be a zoom option at the same time: https://dasd-org.zoom.us/j/97932075590. Please join us in person or via Zoom to learn more about our awesome summer adventure. Can’t make it? The Zoom will be recorded and available after the meeting.

We are reaching out for your support of the 4th Annual Downingtown

Unites 5K and Fun Walk on Sunday, October 13, 2024 at Downingtown

West High School. In an effort to unite our community, the Downingtown

West Field Hockey and Cross-Country teams organize this event to

promote awareness of mental health issues and access to mental health

services in and around the Downingtown community.

This clinic will provide a high-energy, fun, competitive learning environment focusing on the fundamentals of basketball—drills, games, and competition. D-East basketball t-shirts will be awarded to the winning 3v3 team!!

Click on the link below to access the Clinic Flyer.