Hello Marsh Creek,

I hope that everyone is enjoying their weekend. We want to wish a Happy Mother's Day to all of our Narwhal mothers, and say thank you for allowing us to support your students here at Marsh Creek. I hope that you get to enjoy a a fantastic Mother's Day with your loved ones, and thank you for all that you do, every single day! Thank you to all of our families that came out to support our students this week during the annual Art Show, as well as our two Chorus Concerts. I want to thank our amazing teachers for all of their hard work and support of the arts this Spring, as we all had the chance to enjoy the talents of our students. Thank you Mrs. Roth, Mrs. Marsden, Mrs. D'aries and Dr. Weiss for all that you did to host these awesome events last week! There a number of important dates coming up throughout May and early June, so please take a look at the section below to see all that is occurring here at Marsh Creek in the near future. This week's newsletter also contains a wealth of information related to community events and opportunities taking place throughout Downingtown, so be sure to take a look at all of the options available to our families this Spring and Summer. Thank you for allowing us to work with your students, and I hope that you and your family have an amazing week!

-Matt

Monday - 5/13

• Lionville and Downingtown Middle School Sports Presentations - During Student Lunches

Tuesday - 5/14

• Aimsweb Assessments - Following an Alternate Morning Schedule
• BLUE House Band Rehersal - After School

Wednesday - 5/15

• GOLD House Band Rehersal - After School

Thursday - 5/16

• POD Pride Pancake Breakfast for Students
• Orchestra Rehersal - After School
• Aidan's Heart Foundation CPR Training - After School

IMPORTANT UPCOMING DATES

Saturday 5/18 - Frankie Knowles Celebration of Life

Monday 5/20 - Orchestra Concert

Wednesday 5/22 - BLUE House Band Concert

Thursday 5/23 - GOLD House Band Concert

The following information is being shared on behalf of the Knowles Family.

A celebration of life for Frankie will be held at his school, the Marsh Creek 6th Grade Center, at 489 Dorlan Mill Road Downingtown, PA 19335 on Saturday May 18, 2024. Rick and Erica will greet guests starting at 11am. Formal celebration will begin at 1pm.

Frankie liked comfy clothes. Please honor him and dress casually. Team Frankie shirts are encouraged.

This will be an informal event. All ages and abilities are welcome.

As students enter middle school, DASD places 7th-graders in math class based on their present readiness to access specific grade-level content. The district’s traditional math progression places students who completed Math 6 into Math 7, and students who completed Accelerated Math 6 into Accelerated Math 7 - which covers half of 7th grade and all of 8th grade content. For families who believe their child has the ability to accelerate through that recommended progression, omitting the next grade-level’s math course, DASD permits those students to take an above-grade-level content assessment to demonstrate their readiness to skip the recommended math course, and to advance to the next sequential course.

This process allows students to demonstrate that they have the requisite skill level to “skip” a course and still be successful in the next sequential math course. Their score on this assessment in conjunction with their PVAAS projection to advanced, and Aimsweb Plus end of year benchmark score will be used to determine their readiness to succeed in the desired accelerated course.

Students will take the placement assessment at Marsh Creek Sixth Grade Center during the week of May 20th. If you would like your child to take the test to SKIP the next course in their progression, please complete the registration form linked below.

Should you have any questions or concerns, please contact Mrs. Mainello (bmainello@dasd.org).

On Tuesday May 14th, we will be administering the AimswebPlus Spring benchmark for Reading and Math. This benchmark is completed on the Chromebook so please remind your child to come to school with a fully charged device.

AimswebPlus is a universal screening, progress monitoring, and data management system that supports Response to Intervention (RTI) and tiered instruction. AimswebPlus uses brief, valid, and reliable measures of reading and math performance for grades K-12, which can be generalized to any curriculum. Although not graded, AimswebPlus efficiently screens all students, identifying those at risk for academic failure and enabling early intervention. AimswebPlus progress monitoring helps determine the effectiveness of interventions, and whether students are progressing sufficiently to meet year-end goals. Average national percentile scores are considered to fall between the 25th and the 75% percentile. A report with your child’s benchmark scores will be uploaded into the Infinite Campus Backpack this Spring.

We are excited to share that a team of four students from Marsh Creek participated last week in VEX IQ Worlds level competition in Dallas. This team comes home with Create Award in the Design Division.

Congratulations to The "Snowbirds": Anya Thakkar, Shrita Bolla, Srinitha Vemuri and Samika Nettem!

For VEX IQ World competition 2024, there were 422 teams participating from 76 different countries.

From eastern Pennsylvania only two teams earned their spot in middle school level VEXIQ worlds competition.

Here's what the team’s hard-work resulted in...

1. Create Awards - Middle School level Design Division at Vex Worlds VEX IQ Competition
2. Design Award - at the Eastern Pennsylvania State Level Competition
3. Sportsmanship Award - at Eastern Pennsylvania event
4. Judges Award - at Eastern Pennsylvania event

Congratulations to our Narwhal Band members who performed the National Anthem at the Wilmington Blue Rocks this month. It was an amazing performance. All of the students represented Downingtown with Pride and Excellence! Great Job!

Attention Marsh Creek Band Families: The Spring Concert Series is around the corner! Please click the link below for a full calendar of Rehearsal and Concert Dates.

More Heart Heroes Needed!

There are 10 open spots for Thursday's CPR certification course! Aidan's Heart Foundation and Good Fellowship Training Institute will offer a class this Thursday, May 16th beginning at 3pm and ending promptly at 5:15pm. Students who are registered will be dismissed early from 12th period to report to the library. This class is intended for students who would like to participate in Aidan's Heart club activities at DMS and LMS to help make our community safer. Registrants will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis. Please use the attached link to let us know that your child is interested: https://forms.gle/y47Xo1jbK2FkGUYLA. We will be in touch to confirm registration by Monday evening.

This past January, Aidan's Heart Foundation trained over 1,000 of our Narwhals in the basics of using CPR and an AED to restart a heart, bringing the total trained to over 10,000 in 10 years! Please support Aidan's Heart Foundation to help the organization continue teaching life-saving skills, placing AEDs and screening young hearts in our community. Sign your family up or donate to support the 12th annual 5K for Aidan J. Run & Walk for Heart-Safe Communities on Saturday, June 15th on the Struble Trail! Details can be found through the link below:

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.

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, now that warmer weather is here, make sure you are getting outside to enjoy some sunshine! Did you know that being outside in the sun for just 5-10 minutes can increase your levels of Vitamin D? Vitamin D has lots of benefits! So put down those phones, step away from the screens and get outside, Narwhals!

Check out these community resources!

A great 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!

Attention Parents and Guardians: Online yearbook sales ended on March 31st. Fortunately, we still have yearbooks available for sale. Remind your child to listen carefully to the morning announcements to learn when the yearbooks will be on sale again. (Date TBD). They will be sold on a first-come, first-served basis for $30. We cannot reserve any books at this point. Thank you for your understanding.

Any Questions? Please contact:

Mrs. Leister at rleister@dasd.org.

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.

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.

There is still time to join MC Cultural Connections Club! Sign Up Here -

MC6 Cultural Connections Club Interest Form

“We are more alike, my friends, than we are unalike.” ~ Maya Angelou

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.

◽️ Save the Date: May 20th, 6pm

◽ Venue: West Auditorium, Downingtown Area School District

We are honored to welcome Ruth Kapp Hartz to the Downingtown Area School District on May 20th at 6pm in the West Auditorium. Ruth's journey is one of resilience, courage, and hope, and her story is one that will undoubtedly inspire and educate all who hear it.

Ruth Kapp Hartz's early years were marked by the unimaginable horrors of the Holocaust. As a four-year-old hidden child in southern France, Ruth had to assume the identity of "Renee" to conceal her Jewish heritage from the occupying forces. Sheltered by an ordinary French farm family and later taking refuge in a small Catholic convent, Ruth faced constant danger as informants threatened to reveal the presence of Jewish children to the authorities.

Despite the harrowing circumstances, Ruth's family miraculously survived the war and returned to Paris. Ruth's resilience and determination led her to pursue higher education, eventually earning a degree in Biochemistry from Sorbonne University. In 1958, she embarked on a new chapter in the United States, where she built a life.

Join us on May 20th at 6pm as Ruth Kapp Hartz shares her remarkable journey of survival, resilience, and the enduring power of hope. This event promises to be a testament to the strength of the human spirit and a reminder of the importance of bearing witness to history.

Don't miss this extraordinary opportunity to hear Ruth's story firsthand. Admission is free, and all are welcome to attend. Mark your calendars and spread the word. We look forward to seeing you there!

Link to register: Click Here