Hello Marsh Creek,

I hope that everyone is enjoying the beautiful weekend. Our schools will be closed for students on Monday, March 10th, as our district has a Professional Development day scheduled for staff. This week our staff and students officially kick off our Marsh Madness program, offering incentives and rewards for students that elect to participate in this fun and educational program designed to build their skills and confidence in Math and ELA. This first week, the focus for our students will be Mathematics! Please see below for more details related to our annual Marsh Madness event. Below, our families can also find directions related to clearing our students' technology fees through the district's Pay Schools Central site. We appreciate our families ensuring that all technology obligations are addressed as we move into the Spring. For those students and families that would like to assist the Downingtown Community Education Foundation (DCEF), they will be hosting a fundraiser on Friday, March 21st. Elementary school Principals and Teachers will be taking the basketball court to challenge the Harlem Wizards. For anyone that would like to support the DCEF, or just watch their Principals embarrass themselves a bit, please consider joining us for this fun evening! I am looking forward to seeing the kids return to Marsh Creek on Tuesday!

Thank you for all of your time and support this school year. I hope that everyone has an amazing week!

-Matt

Monday - 3/10

• No School for Students - Professional Development

Tuesday - 3/11

• C - Day

Wednesday - 3/12

• D - Day

Thursday - 3/13

• E - Day

Friday - 3/14

• F - Day

Important Upcoming Dates

• Thursday 3/13 - HSA Meeting - Library - 6:00 pm
• Friday 3/21 - DCEF Harlem Wizards Fundraiser (more info below)

Here at Marsh Creek, we believe that Mathematics and English/Language Arts play a pivotal role in shaping the cognitive abilities, problem-solving skills, and overall literacy of our children. Mathematical and language literacy are invaluable skills that will benefit our students throughout their lives. While these subjects can sometimes be challenging, we wanted to create a fun and engaging way for students to practice their skills and build confidence in themselves.

This month, our amazing Math and ELA teams will be introducing students to an intervention and enrichment program called Marsh Madness. This initiative is designed to enhance students' mathematical and literacy skills while fostering excitement for learning! Through spiraling review of previously learned concepts and providing enrichment opportunities using the IXL program, students will have the chance to earn tickets as they complete assigned skills and activities. These tickets can be redeemed for prizes of their choice, similar to earning tickets at an arcade. As students complete their skill sheets, they can ask their teachers and parents to initial their work before submitting them to their Math or ELA teacher to collect their tickets.

We are grateful for the collaborative efforts between our teachers and parents in creating an environment that fosters a love for learning and academic success in both Mathematics and English/Language Arts. A huge shoutout to our incredible parents and HSA for their generous donations, which have allowed us to offer a wide assortment of exciting incentives for our students! Your support has been instrumental in making this event a success.

Our teams will also be competing to see who can earn the most tickets, with a grand prize winner announced each week. Marsh Madness kicks off with a week of Mathematics before switching to ELA skills the following week. Stay tuned for more updates as our students take on this exciting challenge!

Outstanding Technology Fee Obligations

All student technology fees have been updated through our District's PaySchools site. We ask that students clear all obligations prior to the conclusion of each school year. All fees can be viewed and cleared through the following link:

https://www.payschoolscentral.com/

Please log into your Pay Schools Central account to see the amount that is owed.

Please be reminded that the district’s ability to maintain and repair student devices is dependent on the collection of fees.

While we cannot, and never would prohibit students from participating in curricular activities, we can prohibit students from participating in non-curricular activities with unpaid fees. On the following webpages the full details of our 1:1 program including fees and repairs costs are available publicly.

Students eligible for free and reduced lunches have tech fees waived, however, you may incur repair costs. Thank you so much for your support!

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!

Hey Narwhals! Over the next few weeks, we will be providing test taking tips here. These tips can help you be successful in 6th grade and beyond. Read below and let’s become great test takers this marking period!

Cartwheel is a trusted mental health partner to schools, offering helpful free resources to parents and guardians such as articles, podcasts and webinars like this one: Social Media and Youth Mental Health. Check it out as well as lots of other great resources on their website!

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. Our next meeting is scheduled for 6:00 pm, March 13th here at the Marsh Creek Library. 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.

Check out our students Hannah and Scarlett from the Yearbook Club in their video below!

2025 Yearbook Sales Are Open – Order Now Before They Sell Out!

Don’t miss out on your chance to order a copy of the 2025 Marsh Creek 6th Grade Center Yearbook! It’s the best way to capture memories of this year’s events, classmates, and friends.

Order now to guarantee your yearbook! We always sell out, and once they're gone, they’re gone! Ordering ahead also avoids last-minute stress. Be sure to note the date of your purchase. Keep your confirmation email handy!

How to order:

• Go to https://www.balfour.com/

• Create an account and place your order. Yearbooks cost $30 (pre-order price)

• Make sure you know your child’s Advisory Teacher’s name

• Save your confirmation email as proof of purchase

Pre-orders are open NOW through March 31, 2025

• After that, any remaining copies will be sold IN PERSON at the end of May, on a first-come, first-served basis. No email or phone requests to hold yearbooks will be accepted.

Secure your copy today and avoid missing out on this keepsake!

For questions, contact:

Lee Ann Allen (lallen@dasd.org)

Becky Leister (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

Outstanding Technology Fee Obligations

All student technology fees have been updated through our District's PaySchools site. We ask that students clear all obligations prior to the conclusion of each school year. All fees can be viewed and cleared through the following link:

https://www.payschoolscentral.com/

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.

Did you know that next year ALL kindergarten students will have full day instruction? Due to recent board approval, all Downingtown elementary schools are providing full day Kindergarten to all Kindergarten students. Visit this website for more information: https://www.dasd.org/departments/teaching-and-learning/full-day-k-implementation. Registration is now open.

Dear Narwhal Families,

Want to unlock the mystery of middle school? Looking to gain new tools and strategies to improve communication and understanding with your 6th grader?

We are very excited to announce that by popular demand, the Strengthening Families Program for Parents and Youth Ages 10-14 is returning! Offered exclusively to our DASD families, this free program provides lots of fun, interactive activities to engage your family. While your child learns how to deal with peer pressure, stress, and all the other challenges that middle school can bring, you will have the opportunity to:

• Share and connect with other caregivers
• Discover what to expect as your child experiences the changes and growth that accompany adolescence
• Gain strategies to better support your child in navigating middle school

Please take a look at the flyer to learn more about this exciting DASD community! Registration closes on March 1, and space is limited. Register today to secure your spot!

UNITY DAY- March 28th 2025

Downingtown Unity Day!

Mark your calendars! Unity Day will take place on Friday, March 28, 2025. It will be a day dedicated to celebrating the power of community and the strength found in belonginess, empathy, kindness and respect. Our goal is to unite students and staff across the district to embrace differences and reinforce the importance of compassion and understanding.

We encourage everyone—students, staff, and teachers—to wear blue and gold on Unity Day as a symbol of solidarity. Let’s transform our schools into vibrant displays of unity and pride! Throughout the day, we will capture moments from each building to showcase how our collective efforts bring this vision to life.

School Climate and Student Engagement Team is back in March!

Next SCSET Meeting will be March 31st at 3:45pm

Check out our Student Life Committee Page: https://www.dasd.org/departments/student-relations-and-school-climate/student-life

Join our team by contacting JBrown@dasd.org.

Culture Fest 2025

The 3rd Annual Culture Fest is back on and rescheduled! Mark your calendars for May 22nd from 5-8 PM at Marsh Creek Sixth Grade Center!

We would love for you to join us again and be part of this wonderful event! Your participation has made a huge impact in the past, and we’re excited to have you back to help us celebrate the vibrant diversity of our community!

FREE & OPEN to all Downingtown Area School District (DASD) students (K-12) and their families! While registration is encouraged, this event is designed to be accessible to everyone.

🔗 Pre-register here: Culture Fest 2025 Registration

We can't wait to celebrate with you!