Dear Methacton Families,

As we head into the winter break, please know that we will return to in-person instruction beginning Monday, January 3, 2022.

I also want to inform you of a change related to masking that will begin next month.

The Board of School Directors have approved a change to the District’s Health and Safety Plan to allow for a mask optional indoor environment for students, staff and visitors. This change is dependent upon Methacton Community (Lower Providence Twp. + Worcester Twp.) transmission rates. Below is a chart to explain the masking optional parameters and notices that will be provided to students and families.

MASK OPTIONAL PARAMETERS
Methacton Community Transmission Rate	Arcola & High School (grades 7-12) and non-student buildings	Elementary & Skyview (grades K-6)
Requires Methacton Community Transmission rates to be below 100 per 100K Incidence Rate OR 10% Positivity Rate for 2 consecutive weeks - see rates here	Optional masking available beginning January 31, 2022 so long as Transmission Rate Requirements are met	Optional masking available beginning February 28, 2022 so long as Transmission Rate Requirements are met

Notice of masking status (required or optional) will be posted to the district website dashboard starting January 28, 2022. An email communication to students and parents will occur following 2 consecutive weeks where the Methacton Community (Lower Providence Twp. + Worcester Twp.) transmission rate meets the Montgomery County Department of Health defined High Level (see chart below).

Additionally, we are reminding parents/guardians that they can now choose for their child to return to in-person instruction or choose online instruction for the second semester. If you have any questions with regards to changing your child’s instructional method, please contact your child’s building principal.

++++++++++++++++++++++++

In other news, we will resume our Alumni Spotlight feature in the New Year. If you are a Methacton graduate who would like to be featured or you would like to nominate a Methacton graduate, please fill out the form here. Now let’s take a look at some of the outstanding events and achievements that took place across the district in December.

Arrowhead Elementary School

During library lessons, students at Arrowhead participated in an Hour of Code in celebration of computer science! As you can see in the video above, students applied their STEM skills to create coding playgrounds using Ozobots which were generously provided through Methacton Education Foundation. Students in grade four are also learning to code using the website Kodable. As part of our Arrowthon Fundraiser, we began our Principal of the Day Awards! Students help Dr. Aaron Roberts with morning and afternoon announcements, take a seat in the principal's chair, and assist with the building check! In the photos above, you'll find Mr. Sam Kane on duty as Principal of the Day! 

 

Eagleville Elementary School

Thank you Eagleville students and staff for donating food items to the Lt. Patty Simons Food Drive! Our Eagleville community joined together to contribute over 1,050 food items! The Student Council even assisted in loading the donations to be transported to families in need. 

Eagleville Elementary celebrated the season with an Ugly Sweater Day! Staff posed in their finest ugly sweaters for photos. The photos were then hung up and students voted for the "best" dressed.

 

Woodland Elementary School

Woodland Elementary is celebrating the number of days we've been learning at school! We dress for the decades on each milestone reached. On the 60th day of school, students and staff proudly wore 60's attire. On the 70th day of school, we all dressed in outfits from the 70's! Check out this fun slideshow to see more pictures.

Throughout the past month, Woodland fourth graders have been learning how to write plays. In the video above, see the wonderful play this fourth grade class put on as a culminating activity to their unit!Woodland third graders started a pretzel drive to help local families in need. During the month of December, we raised over $800 to donate! What an amazing experience and a marvelous way to give back during the holidays.

 

Worcester Elementary School

On Friday, December 3rd, Worcester students participated in a Pajama Day Fundraiser to benefit The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. Students were invited to wear pajamas to school and bring an optional donation. Worcester raised over $2,000! Thank you to our Worcester community for working together to give back during the holidays. 

In the beginning of December, Worcester Home & School Association held their Holiday Workshop! Students were able to purchase holiday gifts for their family members and friends. It was exciting to see what students picked out as gifts! Thank you to all of our parents who volunteered, we could not have had this event without you!

 

Skyview Upper Elementary School

On December 14th, Skyview students held their Winter Concert. It was a wonderful performance by our 5th and 6th grade band, orhcestra, and chorus!

Skyview celebrated a Day of Service this month. Students heard from a variety of community members and collaborated in creating cards for patients at Einstein Medical Center.

Skyview Home & School Association is hosting Winter Parties for students just in time for the holidays!

 

Arcola Intermediate School

 

Members of the National Junior Honor Society teamed up with Arcola's Toys for Tots club and No Longer Bound Development Center for a toy drive. They collected new, unwrapped toys for children ages three to fourteen. The collection concluded on Thursday, December 16th and was a great success! Thank you to all who donated!

 

Arcola has a Giving Tree! We are collecting gloves, hand warmers, and foot warmers for the Norristown Hospitality Center.

 

 

The Arcola Winter Concert was held on Tuesday, December 7th at 7:00pm. The band, chorus, and orchestra performed in the Arcola audistorium. It was an excellent show!

 

Methacton High School

Candyland came to the high school! MHS culinary classes and FCCLA decked the halls and prepared some delicious appetizers and cookies for Methacton teachers! Students worked together to prepare 95 dozen cookies and 35 different appetizers.

 

Rachel Steele designed the "save the date" for the 2022 MHS Art Show! Join us April 8th and 9th in the MHS library.

 

 MHS teacher, Karen Reed-Maher, has recently made early mornings more entertaining at the high school. During her morning duty of greeting students, Karen poses a "Question of the Day". Some of her most recent questions include, "What makes you happy?", "What's your favorite holiday movie?", and "Are you a dog person or a cat person?". Students who answer the Question of the Day also receive a piece of candy. Thank you Karen for helping to light up the hallways with early morning smiles!

 

 

MHS Theatre Company had over fifty students try out for their spring show, The Spongbob Musical! Between cast, crew, and pit, this dynamic musical performance will be put on by over fifty Methacton students! Don't miss the performances on February 24th, 25th, & 26th at 7:00pm.

 

During a faculty meeting, the MHS jazz choir surprised staff with a holiday flash mob! Students danced and sang to "All I Want for Christmas Is You". Thank you Liz Francisco and the jazz choir for brightening the day of Methacton staff and for getting everyone in the holiday spirit!

 

MHS Student Council collected food to support Methacon families in need. Donations were added to backpack supplies and packed into nineteen pantry boxes for our families. There was such a generous amount of donations that the Student Council has remaining items which will be donated to local food banks. The top donors were Dave Adoff and AJ Maida's homerooms. Great job and thank you to everyone who donated! 

MHS staff also donated a total of twenty Thanksgiving meals for area families in need.

 

Congratulations to MHS Orchestra freshman cellist, Matthew Chung! Matthew is the Concerto Competition winner for the Bucks County Symphony Orchestra.

 

Congratulations to Jack Bender for finishing in fourth place during the Regional History Bowl Competition! Jack competed against students from all over the country including New York, Florida, Arizona, Washington state, and more! Jack now qualifies to be a contestant in the National History Bowl Competition. In Spring 2022, he will be joined by peers from across the nation in Washington DC to compete. 

Dear Methacton Families,

As we approach this Thanksgiving holiday, I believe it is an appropriate time to reflect on the many things that we can be thankful for.

As a school community, there is nothing more important than the collaboration among our highly-skilled and caring staff and our parents. This collaboration -- a partnership of sorts -- is founded through a common desire to want, and work towards, the very best opportunities and preparation for our children’s future. I ask that the members of our school community take a moment to reflect on this collaboration and, where you see it appropriate, send a thank you email and express your gratitude. This type of staff/parent relationship is unique and is a large part of what makes us Methacton strong!

In terms of showing thanks and appreciation of others, the Methacton School District has provided the Award of Excellence each month for deserving staff and has now begun recognizing alumni that make us Methacton Proud.

In celebration of excellence in our school and community, we should also keep in mind our local fire and police departments and our local elected officials for giving of themselves to protect and serve. When you see one of these providers, stop and thank them for all that they do and wish them a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday.

While this last sentence should be first – make time for your family – press pause on the daily routine hustle, and do the things that allow you to reconnect with your children and loved ones (no cell phones, please), break bread and reflect on all that we have and are thankful for.

This month’s episode of the Community Conversations video series celebrates the importance of creating a sense of community. For this episode, I sit down with Nicole Berical, Principal of Skyview Upper Elementary School. Watch the video here.

Now let’s take a look at some of the outstanding events and achievements that took place across the district in November.

Arrowhead Elementary School

In collaboration with Arrowhead Home & School, Arrowhead Elementary honored our veterans on Thursday, November 11th. 

 

For the first time in TWO years, Arrowhead held our Book Fair.Arrowhead Student Council sponsored Operation Gratitude. Students were encouraged to bring in their leftover Halloween candy which was then donated to our local veterans and current military personnel as a way of thanking them for their service to our country. We are so proud of our students, school, and community!

 

Eagleville Elementary School

Eagleville students and staff showed up in red, white, and blue style to honor our nation's veterans on November 11th.

We celebrated American Education Week!Our students did such a wonderful job during Eagleville's Read-A-Thon that they earned a popsicle party!

 

Woodland Elementary School

During the first week of November, many Woodland families celebrated Diwali. Check out this amazing dance video performed by Woodland 4^th graders!

Here is another example of our amazing Woodland students singing a song of Diwali.

Woodland students brought in their leftover candy to donate to veterans and current military personnel. Woodland student council was able to donate FIVE full boxes of candy!

Our Woodland family honored Veterans Day on November 11^th. Woodland Home & School helped create an amazing presentation to honor veterans who are related to our Woodland families and friends.  Not only was this an educational video, but it also was extremely heartwarming for many Woodland family members.

November 15^th was the 50^th day of school! Students and staff dressed in 1950’s gear. Every day over announcements, Dr. Euker provided facts about events happening in the fifties.  Did you know that both NASA and Disneyland originated in the fifties? Alaska and Hawaii became states in 1950, too! An ice cream cone cost 13 cents and fast food became popular in the fifties. Woodland can’t wait until the 60^th day of school!  What will the staff wear for the 60’s?

The week of November 15^th was American Education Week. Woodland staff joined together to create a tribute to all the learning and teaching that happens in our special school. Look at the energy and positivity that all staff and students exhibit in this video! Woodland is truly a place to grow, learn, and dance!

 

Worcester Elementary School

Worcester collected pictures of veterans who are related to our families. These pictures were placed in our lobby area for all to view. We created a special video to honor these veterans which includes a patriotic song by our fourth grade students. Additionally, our fourth grade chorus shared a patriotic song with their entire grade.

Worcester students had a great time at our Fall Festival classroom parties. Our homeroom parents did a fantastic job organizing games, crafts, and activities. It was a fun day for all!

Worcester held our annual Walk-A-Thon fundraiser on November 3^rd. Our donations are still being calculated, but we hope to meet our goal of $8,000! The students had a fun time walking, all while raising money for our school.

 

Skyview Upper Elementary School

 

In honor of Veterans Day, fifth graders created acrostic poems and learned about our nation's brave veterans.

Throughout the month of November, Skyview students and staff practiced our drills. We were impressed with everyone's teamwork which allowed us to carry out our drills swiftly and accurately!

Check out the video Skyview principal, Nicole Berical, made in celebration of American Education Week!

 

Arcola Intermediate School

Arcola held a virtual program to honor those who served for Veterans Day. Students took an active role in the filming and production of the program. Thank you again to our veterans and The Patriotic Order Sons of America Washington Camp #523 for their service and participation!
Auditions for the spring musical, Xanadu, Jr., took place on November 17 and 18.  The turnout was high, and the students were terrific by all accounts. 

November 19 marked the end of American Education Week, a time to honor the public education system and those who serve our students. A brief video was created to show a little of what our teachers do at Arcola. Thank you!

Methacton High School

The Methacton High School Theatre Company put on our first live performances in almost TWO years! We had over fifty cast and crew members for both our Fall Play, The Dining Room, and our Fundraiser, All Together Now! Many of these students performed in both shows.

 

Alice Liang and Hana Nouaime are the 2021 State Champion Doubles team for tennis!

 

The varsity field hockey season came to a close at the state semi-finals against Emmaus. They had an amazing season!

 

Art students learned about and engaged with the art of Steve Tobin.

 

Darren Brady, 12^th grade, qualified for the 2021 All-National Honor Ensembles for orchestra.

 

The National Honor Society inducted forty new members. Sponsors Gabby Winters and Lianne Dacri, and NHS officers, Michael Willen, Claire Ferrance, Irene Biju, and Misa Kasparcova, put together a beautiful evening for the students.

Dear Methacton Families,

I am so proud of all we have accomplished in these first few months of the school year. And it is all because of the contributions of our students, families, and staff! Thank you for creating the positive momentum that will propel us into future!

The Methacton School District has enjoyed a tradition of excellence with a state ranking as high as 11 and an average state ranking of 71 over the past 17 years. The district’s strategic plan will specifically target improving rank by 25 places as one of the plan’s two goals. Using the measures associated with the US News and World Report, Niche, and School Digger, the goal is to meet this mark in two of the three most commonly found rating systems over the next five years. While we have once again earned the honor of our high school being among the top high schools nationally by US News, our strategic planning process is all about how we can make things even better.

Given the strategies implemented in curriculum, we have seen an increase in rank over last year of +9 in the US News and World Report, +7 in Niche, and +14 in School Digger.

As a method to making improvements, the strategic planning focus groups kicked off their first meetings on October 21, 2021 with over 200 registered participants including students, teachers, staff, parents, and community members. They held initial discussions that focused on the development of new opportunities for a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) Academy to highlighting the strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities in each of the following areas: Student Growth/Achievement, Instruction, Staff Development, & Technology; Pupil Services; Communication; Student, Staff, Community Experience;  Safety/Facilities/Infrastructure; Athletics/Clubs & Activities; and Financial/Human Resources. Additional meetings are planned and committee reports are due by December 10, 2021.

The second goal of the plan is to increase student, staff, and community experience by 25 percent from the baseline results gathered via the surveys administered in October of this year. The Student, Staff, and Community Experience focus group have been reviewing the results. The survey results are planned to be posted by the end of November on the district’s strategic planning website.

The administration will review the reports from the focus groups and prepare a plan for the Board and public in February 2022.

In other news, I invite you to watch this month’s episode of the Community Conversations video series. Dr. Matt Walsh, Director of Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment, shares some way families can inspire children to have a Love of Literacy. Watch the video here.

Now let’s take a look at some of the outstanding events and achievements that took place across the district in October.

Arrowhead Elementary School

On Wednesday, October 6^th, Arrowhead students showed up in style (and brought some dance moves) in celebration of Fall 2021 Picture Day!

As you can see, nothing is more fun than picture day in elementary school! @Methacton pic.twitter.com/0fIbdqTQCJ

— Dr. Aaron Roberts (@DrAaronRoberts1) October 6, 2021

Students and families helped raise over $30,000 during our Arrowhead Arrowthon event! This year’s theme was Kindness Matters. Students pledged acts of kindness during this Good-Deeds-A-Thon. To celebrate reaching our goal, students were treated to a DJ and the Kona Ice Truck.

Progress is being made on our new Arrowhead building! Check out the video below to see the main entrance, administrative offices, and framing for future classrooms.

 

Eagleville Elementary School

In Art class, the students of 4H learned about and designed new copper tubing. We discussed how tubes are used to move liquids here in our building. This activity holds a special interest because they can see the tubing going into the new and updated portions during this time of construction.

 

Charlie Mullen is being recognized as an Outstanding Safety Patrol Member! Honorees are good role models, exceptional rule followers, strong leaders, and consistently set good examples.

 

Eagleville Read-A-Thon ran from October 4^th through October 22^nd. Students worked hard to raise a total of $18,365 and read a total of 69,118 minutes! Not only will Dr. Harmer be dressing as a hot dog, but he will also be camping out overnight in Eagleville’s outdoor classroom in the spring. The kindness and generosity we've seen from the Eagleville community has been amazing!  We are extremely appreciative of our students, families, and staff that made this such a fun and educational fundraiser. Great job Eagleville students!

Woodland Elementary School

 

This was a great month at Woodland!  Teachers have been hard at work “Building Our Future” with the students. Check out the fun bulletin board activities they have done.

Woodland had our Read-A-Thon! Home & School sponsored this event from Get Movin’ last year and it was so amazing that they decided to do it again! Students recorded their reading minutes and had friends or family members sponsor them. Last year Woodland made $14,000 for school activities. This year's goal was $15,000. Within the first two days, we were up to nearly $10,000! We surpassed our goal and raised more than $16,600 with a total of 57,939 minutes read! The winning classroom at each level gets to choose which spirit day the whole grade will do on October 29^th.  Some ideas floating around are Rock and Roll Our Reading, Disney Day, Blast from the Past, or Animal Day. We can’t wait to share the pictures from this day!

Here are two videos made by the teachers to excite the students about reading:

First graders had so much fun this month.  We had a visit from the fire department and had a whole day dedicated to pumpkins and fall.

Worcester Elementary School

 

Interested students designed a cover page for our Home and School Student Directory as part of an art contest. Check out the contest winner’s drawing!

Worcester had our Cardboard Challenge on Friday, October 15. It was great to see families working together to create something using cardboard and recycled items. Mrs. Cherry, our librarian, runs this activity annually in conjunction with our Home and School Association. We had about 35 families attend!

Former Worcester student, Avery Barber, revitalized our school garden for his Eagle Scout project. We appreciate all of the effort that Avery put into this project!

Skyview Upper Elementary School

Our Skyview Strong Fundraiser has kicked off! Students are working toward classroom, team and building goals to help build community. Some of the amazing prizes include a school-wide spirit days, a 30-minute recess for the entire school, and an outdoor faculty tricycle race! The fundraiser will culminate with a celebration of our success called Skyview Strong Day!

 

Skyview had a contest to officially name our Hawk mascot. Everyone meet Hank!

Skyview students and families participated in a fun hayride and corn maze this month at Olszonowski’s Farm!

Arcola Intermediate School

 

Arcola gave a warm welcome to their new principal, Mr. Michael Bourdreau!

We are thrilled to be hosting the MCIU Pre-K Counts Program with Ms. Alyssa Armagost! The Pre-K Counts Program delivers high-quality pre-kindergarten programs to 257 age-appropriate children at no cost to income eligible families in Montgomery County. The program is up and running and doing fabulous!

Arcola’s Mallon Planetarium welcomed back elementary field trips! All second and third grade students visited the planetarium throughout the month of October. Planetarium Director, Mr. Adam Chantry, was thrilled to teach them all about the phases of the moon!

Methacton High School

 

(Art by Sarah Schafer)

(Art by Rachel Steele)

On Saturday, October 9th, the following two art students were accepted into university art programs after sharing their work with university representatives at Philadelphia’s National Portfolio Day event. Congratulations!

Sarah Schafer: Moore College of Art and Design & Kutztown University (The Apple & Cat Clock)

Rachel Steele: Kutztown University & Tyler School of Art and Design (Interior Shelving & Art Girl)

Senior, Melinda Jin, participated in the Pennsylvania School for Excellence in the Agricultural Sciences Program, formerly a Governor’s School at Penn State. With a competitive application process, the program is designed to provide rising senior high school students an expansive overview of the diverse fields of agricultural science and natural resources in the university setting. Melinda attended core agricultural and environmental courses and researched a topic related to insecurity in a targeted country (as part of the World Food Prize Foundation). In her research paper, Melinda examined climate volatility related to food insecurity in Lesotho. Melinda presented her findings and proposed solutions during the Pennsylvania Youth Institute in July 2021 and was not only awarded as a “Borlaug Scholar”, but also, was selected to represent the PA Youth Institute at the World Food Prize Foundation’s Global Youth Institute.

Dr. Karey Kochenour, MHS Assistant Principal, has been invited to be on the Advanced Placement 2021-2022 Principal/Coordinator Advisory Panel.

These first few weeks of school have been amazing!

Students have returned in person!!! The feeling in the classrooms and hallways is electric! The buildings are filled with such positive energy and excitement that it brings much needed normalcy to our lives.

As parents, you recognize this from the feedback you receive from your child at the end of each day. I feel this from the feedback that I get from parents as I welcomed you back during the recent meet the teacher nights. It was really good seeing and speaking with you all. To see the huge turnout of parents shows your commitment to your child and to this school community. I was appreciative of all the positive feedback from parents regarding the work that our teachers are doing and how their child(ren) are enjoying being back in school.

So – THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!

The feeling that your children get each and every day and the feeling that you get when you visit our school stems from the culture that our building principals have led and our staff have embraced. The nurturing environment in each of our schools provides the best opportunity for your child’s success.

Together, our staff provides a healthy, safe, engaging, supported and challenging school environment and one that provides a distinct advantage for your child(ren). 

The culture within our schools and our school community allows for a true partnership among parents, teachers and staff to support all children in their academic and social/emotional growth. Thank you to our principals for being our culture leaders! Thank you to our staff for building strong relationships with our students! We have tremendous appreciation of our parents and community for their continued support.

In this month’s episode of the Community Conversations video series, Dr. Deb Euker, Woodland Elementary School principal, helps outline the importance of School Culture. Watch the video here.

Our Methacton students – past and present – achieve so many things that make us proud every day. Another alumni who makes us Methacton Proud is Miriah Rutledge – MHS ’09. Read her Alumni Spotlight profile here.

Now let’s take a look at some of the outstanding events and achievements that took place across the district in September.

Arrowhead Elementary School

Check out the progress being made at the new Arrowhead building! In the following video you will see the future main entrance, the gymnasium area, the gym stage, the administration area, and future classrooms.

Mrs. Hobson’s class read the book, If I Built a School, by Chris Van Dusen. Then, using their amazing STEM skills, they built their own versions of new school buildings!

The Arrowhead Home & School Committee welcomed back our students and teachers with some superb signs for their first day of school!

 

Eagleville Elementary School

Mrs. Kraus, Mx. Shuey, and Mrs. DiRenzo spruced up the hallways at Eagleville! During construction, our teachers added some temporary inspiring artwork to the walls to make everyone’s walk to class more fun.

In support of our 2021-22 school year theme, Building Our Future, Eagleville teachers arrived to the first day of school in construction gear!

Eagleville students and teachers are already utilizing our outdoor classrooms for some fresh air and sunshine! 

 

Woodland Elementary School

September was all about the start of the new school year and the beginning of our 2021-22 school year theme, Building Our Future! Woodland decorated bulletin boards and wore construction hats to celebrate.  We are all excited about the opportunities that will occur this year!

Woodland was thrilled to have our in-person ice cream social! Over 120 families came out to enjoy Zwahlen’s ice cream and catch up with old Woodland friends.  Families brought camping chairs and set up anywhere on the fields or black tops.  Everyone was conscious and respectful of the social distancing guidelines put in place.

In honor of September’s Patriot Day and Constitution Day, students and staff completed activities that fostered pride in our country. The whole school wore red, white, and blue on both days! Dr. Euker also sent a video on both days to all families subscribed to her newsletter.

 

Worcester Elementary School

On the first day of school at Worcester, students were welcomed by teachers dressed as construction workers, ready to “Build Our Future”!  Additionally, the State Police from the Skippack Barracks were there to welcome our students.

Parents volunteered their time and joined us in the cafeteria and library. It was great to see our children’s parents back inside Worcester!

Worcester welcomed parents back to school on September 13^th during Back to School Night! Our teachers did an excellent job presenting information about Methacton School District, Worcester, and our student’s curriculum.

 

Skyview Upper Elementary School

To kick off Start with Hello Week, Skyview students participated in an empathy project that empowers students to end social isolation. Our students created posters during their lunch time to help spread the word. The posters are exhibited throughout Skyview in 50 different languages!

Skyview students are holding a gently used shoe drive to help support our community and those in need of additional shoes. This drive helps support our project around empathy as we think about “walking in someone else’s shoes”.

We are beginning to recognize students who have been Pillar-ific! We are excited to continue this Skyview weekly tradition and look forward to recognizing students who show they are trustworthy, respectful, responsible, fair, caring and are good citizens!

Arcola Intermediate School

We are off to a fantastic in-person start at Arcola!

State Representative Joe Webster visited Arcola! Rep. Webster and our students had an informative conversation about Constitution Day and Citizenship Day. Our students learned about the important role The Constitution plays in American citizen’s daily lives. Rep. Webster also shared about his personal experience working for the US Air Force at the Pentagon on September 11th, 2001.

As part of our 2021-22 school year theme, Building Our Future, everyone at Arcola is working hard on building connections! Forming quality connections allows us to cultivate a positive school culture and flourishing community at Arcola.

 

Methacton High School

Cathy Denshaw was selected to the Teacher Advisory Council for the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia! Ms. Denshaw will work with the leaders of the museum and +100 teachers across the country to promote the great in person and virtual programs at the museum. She will be virtually connecting her AP US Government classes to some of the programs at the museum. These programs involve constitutional experts, judges, politicians, and political media experts!

The MHS Theatre Company has started rehearsals for our fall play, The Dining Room, which will be performed November 11^th through 13^th. We have 30 cast members and we are working on building our technical crew over the next few weeks. Our first read-thru was Monday, September 13^th. It was amazing to have everyone in the auditorium again to kick off what promises to be a memorable season!

We have 11 National Merit Semi-Finalists representing Methacton High School! Congratulations students!

Our Freight Farm is being delivered soon! Our student and teacher team is anxiously awaiting the arrival to be able to dig into getting this amazing program started.

Our Art Department hosted Painting with a Snack during orientation. They also hosted an art critique from The Savannah College of Art and Design to review student portfolios.

Orientation back to school was a great success! Students enjoyed getting to know their teachers and classmates during the first few days of school. Students picked opportunities that sounded fun to them—ping pong, flag football, corn hole, can jam, jumbo tricycles, painting with a snack, swimming, and trivia were just a few of the choices available to students.

==

Sincerely,

Dr. David Zerbe

Superintendent of Schools

WELCOME BACK TO SCHOOL… and welcome back to Community Conversations – a monthly report from Dr. David Zerbe, Superintendent of Schools.

This year, we have added two new features to the Community Conversations series – a video segment that will feature teachers, administrators and members of the public discussing, with me, matters of importance to them, the district and our community. See our first segment on the “Whole Child Approach” here. The second new feature is our Alumni Spotlight segment that touches on an alumni who has made us Methacton Proud. Our inaugural inductee is Michelle Konkoly – MHS ’10. Read her profile here.

Our theme this school year is “Building Our Future”. While we kick this school year off by going “back to our future” – in terms of getting back to in person instruction and getting back to some level of normalcy – we also continue to move forward, despite the challenges of the pandemic. We have our sights set on educating, nurturing, and supporting your child(ren) today, tomorrow, and well into the future.

The most important aspects of a community school relationship is one that connects a shared vision, a shared plan, and a shared set of expectations so that each child, each parent/guardian, each staff member, and each community member can make their contributions to the greater good and can relish in being part of that success.

In an effort to best ensure that we continue to meet those expectations and needs and to move the district forward, we need your input.

Our goals to increase favorable constituent feedback and increase District ranking are at the forefront of a Strategic Planning process that will unfold this October. We will be calling upon you to share your experiences, your opinions, and your feedback in all that we do. This planning process is valuable to our path forward – in realizing our vision. More is to come on the strategic planning efforts – see the timeline posted here.

Our teachers are ready to welcome your children with open arms to help build strong student-teacher relationships, create positive mindsets and a lifelong love of learning. I look forward to seeing parents/guardians at the back to school nights. So let’s build our future – TOGETHER!

Here is a short video to kick off the new 2021-2022 school year.

Dear Methacton Families,

I hope you and your family are doing exceptionally well! As we approach this Memorial Day weekend, let’s all take a moment to remember the true meaning of Memorial Day. It is an opportunity for each of us to remember and honor those who have given the ultimate sacrifice while serving in the military, while serving our country, and while serving to protect our freedoms and liberties.

In addition, this weekend unofficially marks the beginning of summer. While there are about 3 weeks of school remaining -- I just want to thank our students, families, staff and community for everything you’ve done to make this an extraordinary year!

A few other important notes:

• The 2021-2022 school year will be in-person. All K-12 students will automatically be scheduled for Monday-Friday in-person learning. Parents/Guardians seeking an online alternative should read the 2021-2022 Instructional Guide prior to completing the required Online Learning Request Form in the PowerSchool Parent Portal between June 1, 2021 through June 7, 2021.
• May is Mental Health Awareness Month. It is important for all of us to maintain our health and wellness. We have complied some mental health resources that you can review here.

Now let’s take a look some of the outstanding events and achievements that took place across the district in May.

---

DISTRICT-WIDE

The month of May was a celebratory one across the school district. We celebrated Teacher Appreciation Week, which began May 3rd through May 7^th. To end that week, members of the Board and the Methacton Administration surprised the staff at each building with a water ice celebration at lunchtime. Our school community also stepped up in a big way to show their support of our teachers through the Methacton Education Foundation's SHARE THE LOVE campaign, which raised more than $5,000 for Methacton Schools. We thank our teachers for all they do to prepare the next generation of learners and for sharing their talents with our school community today – and every day!

The district hosted a surprise awards ceremony to celebrate the nursing department on May 12, which was also School Nurse Day. Our school nurses are: Kelly Benarick, Joni Cosgriff, Annette Cramer, Jodi Lattanze, Valerie Lozinak, Kimberly McDonald, Cheryl Peiffer, Mary Thomas, and Kathy Thompson.

Our nurses were each presented with awards for EXCELLENCE IN NURSING and certificates of appreciation for their extraordinary efforts during these extraordinary times. Mrs. Peiffer, the district's Nursing Services Coordinator, received the Leadership Award for Excellence in Nursing.

Skippack Pharmacy held a vaccine clinic for those 12 and older at Methacton High School on May 26. More than 160 people were vacinnated during the clinic. A special THANK YOU goes to all of our nurses, and adult and student volunteers who worked together on this very successful event.

Methacton’s 3rd and 4th Grade musicians performed in their Virtual Spring Concert on May 26. Watch: https://youtu.be/3jEaDH1lU4s.

ARROWHEAD

Thank you to the Arrowhead Home and School, along with Elmwood Park Zoo, for planning and hosting this year's Arrowhead “Maskerade”. The event was held for former Arrowhead (current 5th grade) students as well as our 3rd and 4th graders. The weather, festivities, and food were perfect. As you can see from the photographs, everyone had a wonderful time. What a great evening!

Arrowhead celebrated Teacher Appreciation Week with a delicious lunch provided by the Arrowhead Home and School.

We’re getting a clearer picture of the new Arrowhead Elementary. Steel beams were put up this month and we can really start to see the building outline. The video below captures some of the steel beam installation taking place: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=75wn6mgd7MU

EAGLEVILLE

 Congratulations to Cameron Polen and Natalia Cordero for receiving Citizenship Awards from State Representative Joe Webster in recognition of their outstanding contributions to the Eagleville School and Community.

Our Eagleville Home and School recognized our teachers with a little treat every morning during Teacher Appreciation Week.

Our school nurse, Annette Cramer, was recognized along with the other Methacton School Nurses during National School Nurse Day.  Mrs. Cramer has done such a fantastic job keeping our school safe during an exceptionally tough year. https://youtu.be/e6u9J61x8Qk

In honor of Arbor Day, our Environmental and Art clubs held a tree planting ceremony https://youtu.be/PathshkZxg8

WOODLAND

May was a busy month at Woodland.  We hosted our second annual virtual variety show.  We had about 70 acts submitted.  The community has enjoyed watching the diverse talents of Woodland Students.  Teachers are also playing videos of their students during the school day.

Click Here!

During Teacher Appreciation Week, the Woodland Staff enjoyed a hot lunch of Mexican food from our Home and School, Rita’s water ice from the Methacton School Board, and many certificates for “Show the Love”.

With our focus on kindness, our fourth graders made this book reading to share with all Woodland Families.  What an important message!

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1F0qnDnC_xLQfxEcVUcKgvLDKl0zY0r6n/view

Each of our grade levels have created a special dance.  These videos were created by the students but put together by Mrs. Engler, Woodland’s music teacher.  This month it was our kindergarteners who danced! https://youtu.be/opxuJy04J8c

WORCESTER

This month, Worcester’s Home and School Association provided many special treats for Teacher Appreciation Week.  The staff enjoyed raffle baskets donated by parents and local businesses, and concluded the week with a delicious lunch.  Teachers and staff also enjoyed talking with Mrs. Perdue while enjoying their delicious water ice.

Many students enjoyed the nice May weather and some teachers even took their teaching outside.

This month we also welcomed back virtual students that came to school to take their PSSAs.  It was great to see our online students!

 Worcester Staff was treated to a yoga/meditation session.  The session was taught by an Aim High Studio instructor onsite at Worcester.  It was a relaxing and fun time for all of us!

 Mrs. Santucci taught her Challenge students about Chromatography.  They predicted what color inks are used in different color markers.  The result was beautiful!

Worcester’s first grade classes are growing bean plants!  Students are wondering how tall their plants will grow!

SKYVIEW

Skyview Environmental Club Courtyard Clean Up

 

The Skyview Environmental Club, under the direction of Mrs. Leslie Kulp, worked in the Skyview courtyard this month. Students weeded the flower beds and planted perennial flowers.

Fifth Grade Social Studies Virtual Field Trip

This year, 5th grade Social Studies classes have participated in virtual field trips to the Museum of the American Revolution. Sessions have included Thinking Like a Historian and Women in the American Revolution.

Mrs. Kim Nominated for Citadel Heart of Learning Award

 

Mrs. Cynthia Kim, 6th grade teacher on Team USA, was nominated for the Citadel Heart of Learning Award by her student, Tyler Panetta. This award aims to recognize local teachers who show dedication in and outside of the classroom.

Welcome Mrs. Berical

 

Skyview welcomed Mrs. Nicole Berical as Principal on Monday, May 24th. Mrs. Berical comes to Methacton with leadership experience in the North Penn School District. She takes over the T.R.R.F.C.C Skyview community from Mrs. Melissa Gorla who has moved to the district office as Supervisor of Secondary Education.

ARCOLA

Shout-out and special thanks to:

• The Arcola office staff - Sophie, Caroline, Aimee and Kathy for all your preparation for our staff and students on all testing days.
• Our virtual families/students: It was wonderful to see all of you on site at Arcola, great job!
• Arcola staff for staying the course and being present for all of our students!

The Arcola Orchestra and Arcola String Ensemble recently hosted their Spring Concert in a virtual venue. Their hard work was clearly on display as our student-musicians put on a lovely show. Click the link to listen: audio; program.

MHS

Grab your tickets for the Methacton High School Theatre Company’s presentation of “Urinetown – The Musical”. Show dates are May 27, 28, and 29. Tickets are available for streaming: https://www.showtix4u.com/event-details/50702.

Special recognition goes out to the Theatre group seniors. Pictured L-R (Top Row): Julia Brady, Jackson Fisher, Maria Coyle, Jordan Kaminski; (Bottom Row): Lindsey Reid, Paige Brady, Thy Nguyen, LJ Paone.

Playbill: https://www.playbillder.com/show/vip/Methacton_High_School/2021/Urinetown_The_Musical_93906

Presenting the 2021 Methacton High School Art Show: https://bhall12268.wixsite.com/my-site-1​

The senior class had an amazing time at their senior celebration! Thank you to the Kleckner family for hosting us at Linfield National Golf Course. The students had a wonderful time celebrating with classmates with food trucks, yard games, a comedian, balloon artist, and caricaturist. We extend our sincere thanks to Mrs. Fabrizio and Mrs. Alderfer, and to the Post Prom for their help in making this such an amazing night.

---

OUTSTANDING WORK, Methacton! Have a safe and healthy Memorial Day weekend!

Sincerely,

Dr. David Zerbe

Superintendent of Schools

Dear Methacton Community,

I hope that this message finds your family and you doing well!

Next week is Teacher Appreciation Week – which means, there is a unique opportunity for parents and students alike to share their appreciation for the extraordinary efforts that their teachers have made this school year. One way to do this is through the “SHARE THE LOVE” campaign sponsored by the Methacton Education Foundation. Share the Love is an opportunity to show Methacton teachers & staff our love, thanks, and gratitude during Teacher Appreciation Month.  Recognize your child's current and former teachers with a “SHARE THE LOVE” certificate and personal message here. 

While the Instructional Plan for next school year has been approved by the Board of School Directors, with a clear focus on in person 5 day per week instruction, the district continues forward with several other important matters organized under the 5 tenets of the Whole Child including:

Implement Full Day Kindergarten (Healthy Tenet) Expansion of inclusive practices at Elementary Schools (Healthy Tenet) Front Entrance Construction at Eagleville Elementary School (Safe Tenet) Revisit Rachel's Challenge Program (Safe Tenet) Revisit Strategic Plan with renewed community input (Engaged Tenet) Ongoing revision to curriculum and assessments and rigor aligned to eligible content (Engaged Tenet)

Master Schedule modifications at 5/6 level to support student achievement and growth in Mathematics (Supported Tenet) Implement STEM Innovation Labs -Hydroponic Farm and Methacton CSI (Challenged Tenet) Further develop our partnership with Junior Achievement with focus on financial literacy/career exploration (Challenged Tenet)

While I share with you just a few of the matters already underway, you can find the full report provided to the Board in March 2021 here. Furthermore, I will be engaging the broader community in helping the district revisit our strategic plan in October 2021. In preparation for that endeavor, I will be issuing several communications over the next several months outlining the structure and specifics of how students, parents, staff, and community can get involved.

And now, please enjoy some highlights from our Methacton Schools during the month of April.

ARROWHEAD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

Thank you to Arrowhead Home and School for weeding, mulching and planting flowers along the Arrowhead flowerbeds.

 

Arrowhead Home and School provided students with new recess equipment, kick balls, footballs, Frisbees, etc.

EAGLEVILLE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

Rolling Thunder came to Eagleville on Friday, April 16^th to collect over 750 letters that our students wrote to Veterans thanking them for their service. 

Mr. Dale has been making the rounds in the Eagleville classrooms helping teachers and students learn and use various technological tools such as Book Creator and Jamboard.  The students have created some wonderful and engaging projects using the platforms.

We were thrilled to welcome back even more students on Monday, April 12^th to in person learning.  For some students, it was truly like their first day of school!

WOODLAND ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

Many Woodland families celebrate Holi, a Hindu holiday which celebrate colors, birth, and goodness.  Here is some of our students who submitted dances for Holi:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lhbQsNKef1w

This is a dance done by first graders and put together by music teacher, Mrs. Engler:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NJz6U9Xp1Lo

Woodland spent a month talking about the importance of choosing kindness every day.  You could find kind messages embedded in all grades daily activities.  Here is a book our fourth graders read together about kindness: https://youtu.be/MTGVp_VoBfs

Woodland had their second family sing along with Eagleville and Worcester (https://youtu.be/vSyFvJh66UE).  It was an amazing event! 

Check out the duo below between Mrs. Engler and Woodland’s very own Recess Rock:

Duo:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DjPX7B-52FM

WORCESTER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

Worcester Library students listened to Mo Willem's Naked Mole Rat Gets Dressed and then dressed Wilbur up themselves!​

On Friday, April 16^th, Worcester Staff (Sharon Evans, Kit Markle, Dana Hyman, Stephanie Cohen and Judy Macy) presented Rolling Thunder with 280 cards for our Veterans.  These cards will be distributed to local VA Hospitals in the area to spread good thoughts, kindness, thanks and appreciation.  Rolling Thunder has been working with Worcester over the past few years to support our Veterans. Mike Mackin, father of Cole in 3^rd grade, serves as the leader in the regional Rolling Thunder organization.

SKYVIEW UPPER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

Skyview Career Day

Skyview held its annual Career Day on April 30.  The keynote presenter was Stefanie Fee. She’s a former Field Hockey Olympian and now an entrepreneur.

Autism Awareness

Pictured above is a great homeroom-based art project to show how we all fit together!

Outdoor Band Rehearsal

Mrs. Bugosh, Skyview Band Director, organized outdoor rehearsals for both 5th and 6th grade band ensembles. Check out the video of 5th grade: https://youtu.be/KdkKqLit6V0

Kindness...Pass it on!

Skyview counselor, Beth VanBuren, coordinated with The Giving Tree, which is a local non-profit organization whose mission is the charitable education of children. Skyview is participating in the Kindness Program, which is a pay it forward initiative. Children from other schools have assembled kindness kits filled with construction paper, markers, colored pencils, stickers and templates for making cards. Skyview students are now making cards for hospitalized children, senior citizens, first responders, homeless individuals and the US military. Once the cards are completed, Skyview will return them to The Giving Tree for distribution. This activity was offered as an option for all homerooms. Pictured below is Mrs. McCarthy’s 6th grade homeroom participating in this activity.

6th Grade begins Astronomy Unit

Mr. Chantry is bringing his knowledge and creativity to our students as he co-teaches with the Skyview staff. Recently classes were outside experiencing a model of the solar system - created to scale using the front of the building (see photo below.)

Virtual Field Trip

Earlier this month, the 5th grade social studies class attended a virtual field trip to the American Revolution Museum.

ARCOLA INTERMEDIATE SCHOOL

Staff spotlight is on our ARCOLA TEACHERS as we proudly honor the work they do daily!

We are working on next steps and planning for 2021-22. This includes tours and preparations for all students!

Shout-outs to:

Our school administrative assistants as we celebrate them and ALL that they do for us:

• Sophie Noblit
• Kathy Sicilia
• Caroline Deininger
• Aimee Stratton
• Donna Knarr

Special thanks to:

Our security staff as they work daily to keep us all safe on campus - Officer Tom Momme is our leader!

Mr. Ben Horn and his efforts in our café and his extra effort with our Pre-K Counts students (see photo above).

METHACTON HIGH SCHOOL

 

Special recognition to Lucy Wang who won the Bronze Medal in the 10th grade Delaware Valley Science Fair and is now eligible to move on to the International Science and Engineering Fair, held virtually next month.  Lucy worked with college faculty in a BSL1 laboratory at Rutgers University and focused on colitis cells in mice.

Caitlyn Lipton, an advanced painting and drawing student at MHS has been awarded a Talent Award from Albright College for her excellence in art. She plans to study art education next year. Take a look at her art work: https://caitlipton02.wixsite.com/portfolio/copy-of-photography

 

The Methacton High School Warriors Performance Group, also known as WPG, kicks off their Annual WPG Spring Show and Celebration on Friday, April 30th at 7:00pm. Tickets are available for the FREE online virtual viewing, April 30-May 9. Online donations are welcome, and all proceeds will be donated to our service project philanthropy, Laurel House. For tickets and to make a donation, go to https://www.showtix4u.com/event-details/50829.

Madame Nickerson’s students enjoyed meeting Matt Bunczk - MHS ‘98.  He works as a professional translator of French & German documents.  In Zoom meetings, the students asked him questions about his work, the difference between being an interpreter and a translator, what it was like to study in Quebec and France, and learned about his work teaching English in a college in Senegal.  It was a great opportunity for students to see how languages can be used outside of the classroom!

The BSU hosted a Tree Planting Celebration earlier this month. It was a beautiful ceremony honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

The Electric Car Club gave virtual presentations about renewable energy to the 3rd and 4th grade classes at Worcester and Woodland Elementary schools and were also a part of Temple University's Virtual Earth Day.  You can see it on Temple’s website: https://ambler.temple.edu/research/earthfest/celebrating-earth/conservation-education​

Congratulations to the Methacton Cheerleading team for placing 7th at the PIAA State Championship!

 

Mrs. Hall’s art students have partnered with Lower Providence Township to Reimagine Ridge Pike. Her students have worked tirelessly to put together reimagined space as part of the township’s comprehensive plan.  The art reveal will be May 10^th, from 3:30pm-6:00pm in the high school cafeteria. The public is welcome to come and check out the amazing work by our students!

 

Congratulations to Freshman Ryan Phan for placing 2^nd in the Montgomery County’s Opioid Billboard Competition. His work will be featured on bus stops and posters around the county for at least four weeks, beginning in June. Ryan will also be recognized at the Montgomery County Commissioner’s Meeting on May 20, 2021. As a finalist in the competition, he was awarded a $150 Amazon gift card.

It is wonderful to see the all of the outstanding accomplishments by our students and staff. Keep up the GREAT WORK!

Sincerely,

Dr. David Zerbe

Superintendent of Schools

 

Dear Methacton Community,

I hope your family and you are doing well. As we all prepare for the upcoming spring break, I ask that you take this opportunity to relax and spend time with your family. Before we break, please allow me to point out a number of important matters on the horizon and to share a number of school and district-wide events that truly empowers, encourages, and inspires us all to – Learn, Lead and Succeed – Together.

As we leverage the tenets of the whole child in our decision-making, my administration and I will be recommending to the Board of School Directors at the May 2021 voting meeting to approve the implementation of full-day kindergarten to begin with the 2022-2023 school year. The implementation of full-day K provides value to STUDENTS - by providing more time to develop their academic abilities and improve their social, emotional, and behavioral skills; provides value to PARENTS - who work outside their home with better support for their children by limiting disruption within the day and allowing for focused and independent learning; provides value to TEACHERS - with additional time to develop stronger teacher/student relationships critical for the development of the whole child; provides value to the DISTRICT - with a geographically comparative market position to attract new families; and provides value to the COMMUNITY - with opportunities to continue to prosper in a diverse and exemplary community-centered environment.

Following the spring break, you will begin to receive communications from my office with respects to the tenets of the whole child as a means to create a collective understanding of these five tenets to drive our decision making.

My team and I continue preparations for next school year. While we are certainly going to recommend that students in K-12 attend in person 5 days per week, we recognize that some students may need an online option. In an effort to provide the most effective and efficient educational program for students, we will be sending out an information survey to parents with children currently in grades 8-11. The final plan for next year will be first presented at the Education Committee of the Board scheduled for May 4, 2021, with parent selection for 2021-2022 school year to follow on or about May 6, 2021.

The Arrowhead Elementary School construction project continues with the most of the earth work having been completed and the building pad is now being prepared. The Eagleville Elementary School HVAC renovation is underway with work in the hallways being completed in the evenings. The Eagleville front entrance construction will begin right around the end of the school term.

Here's a look at some of the awesome activities and accomplishments that have taken place this month:

DISTRICT-WIDE

Methacton Family Sing Along

Methacton’s elementary music teachers hosted another live Family Sing Along on March 26. Watch: https://youtu.be/vSyFvJh66UE

Music in Our Schools Month Celebration-Mix Tape

Did you know that March is also known as Music in Our Schools month? It is special celebration that has been going on for over 35 years and it showcases all the wonderful music programs in schools across the country. We celebrated our musicians throughout the month by sending out videos featuring our students and posting them on the district website as well. To kick off the celebration, we’ve posted a MixTape featuring band students from all four of the K-4 elementary schools! They selected their favorite song to play on their instrument and prepared it for your enjoyment! https://flipgrid.com/+miosm

Youth Art Month

In celebration of Youth Art Month, we asked K-12 students, “Why is art important?” and they answered with a stunning display of the visual arts. Special thanks to the Methacton Art Department for curating this presentation. http://ow.ly/2gY350E08vR

ARROWHEAD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

 

We held our annual Arrowhead Science Fair virtually on Friday, March 5th. Our students and families were also treated to a live animal show. Thank you to the Arrowhead Home and School for organizing, planning, and coordinating the Science Fair. It was awesome!  Each science project was amazing and makes Arrowhead so proud! All participants will receive a certificate, ribbon and small prize for entering a project.  Click on the link below to see the Arrowhead Student Flipgrid Science Fair Projects: https://flipgrid.com/18ec8431

 

Grade 4 students participated in a special virtual Bingo night sponsored by the Arrowhead Home and School.  The kids and families had a blast getting their Bingo Prizes.

Students participated in Read Across America during the first week in March. We celebrated reading with special dress down days.  One day was hat day.  The photo below shows one of our 4th grade students, Tyson Ranieri, displaying his favorite hat. 

 

EAGLEVILLE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

 

AAA Safety Virtual Assemblies

This month, students participated in virtual assemblies with AAA discussing safety. They stressed the importance of being safe at home, on the bus, in school and even on vacation. Third and Fourth grade learned a lot more about bus safety to help them to be prepared to apply to be a safety patroller next year, or to continue doing a great job this year!

 

Twinkle Twinkle Little Star -Enjoy Our Elementary Performers

Here is a music video that features six band students, two of which are 4th graders at Eagleville. The kids each recorded themselves playing at home to a steady beat click track and then Mrs. DiRenzo was able to compile the videos into one. Many hours later, she was able to finally save the finished product. We’re incredibly proud of these kids! Especially because they all learned how to play their instrument strictly in a virtual setting. Please click the link below to enjoy the performance: https://www.wevideo.com/view/2091043360  

 

Signs of Life Walk

Art Club and Environmental Club members spent their first meeting going on a Signs of Life walk and enjoyed the last of the February snow. Students were excited to spot Downy Woodpecker, Blue Birds, Blue Jays, Cardinals, Red-Tailed Hawks, Crows, and Turkey Vultures. Tracks in the snow were made by deer, fox, rabbit, mice and dogs. After our walk, students used the snow and frozen ice as a canvas to create temporary snow paintings.

 

WOODLAND ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

Woodland has been focusing on kindness.  Parents sent in happy pictures of their families.  Mrs. Engler put this video together to emphasize the love and kindness can change the world. https://youtu.be/pdUzqnGffWo

Check out the kindness dance video created from our second graders:  https://youtu.be/11L49tOgSoo

This is how our third graders remind us to be KIND: https://youtu.be/rv7t59fAW1U

Over 80 students submitted a science fair project virtually.  Check out all these projects on our Science Fair Website.  Go to a specific grade level to find all submissions.  https://sites.google.com/methacton.org/woodlandsciencefair/virtual-science-fair

On March 26, 2021, the Methacton Electric Car Club gave two virtual presentations to the 3rd grade students (40 students in each presentation) at Woodland elementary school. The electric car club members gave a 40-minute presentation about what the club is about, how renewable energy toys work with demonstrations and then played a Kahoot game where the winner received a renewable energy toy. It was a great success. We are going to give three more presentations to the 4th grade class next month at Worcester Elementary school.

WORCESTER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

 

Week of Reading at Worcester

Worcester’s One Book, One School program was presented during the work of March 1-5 in conjunction with Read Across America Activities.  The book chosen was The Energy Bus for Kids by Jan Gordon.   Every child in the building listened to a prerecorded reading of this book presented by key staff members from around the building.  Each day a different Energy Bus Rule was presented in every classroom:  Create a Positive Vision, Fuel Your Ride with Positive Energy, No Bullies Allowed, Love Your Passengers, and Enjoy the Ride.  Each day featured  a different spirit theme…Wear bright colors, Wear your favorite hat, Wear your Worcester colors proudly, Wear red, and Bring your favorite book to school today.                                                

It Takes a Village

Communication is an important part of any elementary school and it’s always a good thing to be able to advertise happenings.  With all the recent snowy weather and normal wear and tear our school’s marquee was down and out for the count!  But, with the help of our facilities department, new plexiglass was installed and a fresh coat of paint administered and our marquee was back in action.  Special thanks to Home and School volunteer, Kate Cifelli, and President Valerie Burkart for their help with this endeavor.                                               

Fun Days at Worcester Elementary

There was a sea of green everywhere you looked on March 17, 2021 as children and staff greeted each other with a cheery ‘Top of the Morning’ in an enthusiastic celebration of St. Patrick’s Day.

SKYVIEW UPPER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

MATH MADNESS at Skyview

Skyview is using data to drive instruction in a fun, engaging activity. Mini-lesson refreshers based on skills identified through item analysis of the mid-year benchmark were incorporated into a three-week Math Madness tournament at Skyview.  Each week there was a new activity based on a different standard/skill. Teams advance based on the highest percentage of participation in activities, but everyone competes through the end of the tournament -- win or lose.  All teams are eligible for an incentive prize raffle.

ROCK YOUR SOCKS at Skyview

On Monday, March 22, 2021, Skyview celebrated Rock Your Socks Day - in recognition of World Down Syndrome Day.

Skyview Career Day - Call for Presenters

Skyview Career Day is being planned for Friday, April 30. We are searching for energetic community members to share information about their occupations with our students.  As we share post-secondary options with students (2 year college, 4 year college, military, work, trade school), we would like representation from ALL fields. New this year, presenters will have the opportunity to share a pre-recorded video (approximately 15-20 minutes) OR schedule a live zoom session.  Those interested in participating may sign up here.

ARCOLA INTERMEDIATE SCHOOL

What a great week at Arcola as we welcomed back many students on site on March 15th!It was nice to see so many faces that certainly make the building alive and full of energy.

Arcola Staff spotlight is on our health department. They are incorporating movement and mindfulness into classes. Here we are in the gym and will be heading outside when weather breaks! PE time is also full of exercises that all can do- such as Tabata!

Our custodial staff is going above and beyond by helping us clean and keep our building safe daily.

METHACTON HIGH SCHOOL

The MHS Academic Decathlon Team competed in the Pennsylvania Academic Decathlon State Championship.  Over the past 4 years of qualifying for States, MHS has made a steady climb up the final rankings, earning a 7^th place finish at States this year.  Additionally, this year marked a large increase in the number of medals won by MHS students in individual events:  11.  In the past four years, the greatest number of medals earned by MHS students at any given State Championship was 4.

We commend these students for their diligence and hard work.  7 of the events (math, history, literature, economics, science, music and art) involve learning content contained in Resource Guides that are 80-120 pages long… each!  (The other 3 events in the decathlon are speech and interview (which were cancelled this year) and essay.)  This year’s theme was “The Cold War”.

Varsity Division

Kylie Trankle:  Bronze – Essay, Bronze – Art, Bronze – Econ

Seth Huff:  Gold – Econ, Gold - Science                      

Scholastic Division

Emma McGrath

Ethan O’Brien

Devesh Posa

Honors Division

Sung Cho:  Bronze – Music, Gold – Essay (Perfect score!)                     

Angela Lian: Gold – Math, Gold – Econ

Irene Biju:  Bronze – Art, Bronze – Econ

Starting in April, our senior students will be highlighted in a Senior Spotlight on Twitter and Facebook. We are so happy to honor their accomplishment and we look forward to celebrating with them at graduation.

PIAA Boys Swimming State Championships - Congratulations to Tommy Gibbs (grade 11) on a strong finish at the State Championship Meet! Tommy finished 14th in the state in the 100 yard butterfly with a time of 51.69.

The Methacton High School Varsity Cheerleaders qualified for the PIAA State Championship and are headed to Hershey. The Championships are scheduled for Saturday, April 10, 2021.

Over 75 students are participating in the “Ridge Pike Challenge”- a partnership with Lower Providence Township; our students are redesigning part of Ridge Pike between Trooper Rd and the township building, as part of LP’s comprehensive plan.  The reveal of our student work will be May 10^th.

 

Class Sponsors Gina Fabrizio and Heidi Alderfer have been hard at work planning the Senior Celebration. The event is set for May 21 and the Class of 2021 has begun selling tickets. Planning an event of this scale is difficult enough in normal years, but in a pandemic, it makes it exponentially more difficult. Mrs. Fabrizio and Mrs. Alderfer continue to go above and beyond for our school and trying to make a safe and fun night for our seniors. Thank you Mrs. Fabrizio and Mrs. Alderfer!

North Montco Technical Career Center

Article: Virtual and Hybrid Instruction at Its Best for High School Welding Students

Congratulations to the following NMTCC students representing Methacton in Skills USA Competition results!

Name	Place	Skill	Grade	School
Cameron Steiner	1	Diesel Equipment Technology	11	ME
Addison Zick	2	Automotive Computer Estimating & total loss evaluation	9	ME
Jason Bruton	2	Architectural Drafting	11	ME
Thomas Damiani	3	Welding Fabrication (team)	12	ME

 

WAY TO GO, Methacton! Let’s keep up the GREAT work when we return in April!

 

Sincerely,

Dr. David Zerbe

Superintendent of Schools

Good Afternoon Methacton!!!

Sun is shining! Snow is melting! So get outside and enjoy the weather…but first please read this:

1. BIG SHOUT OUT TO… our support staff, teachers, and administrators on the implementation of the blended learning 4/1 program. We have 64 percent of our K-6 student body in person 4 days per week with an all virtual Friday. Reminder that the 7-12 4 day per week program deadline for selection is Sunday, February 28 at noon.
2. COVID-19 Assurance Testing is conducted each Friday in each school beginning with Eagleville and the High School on February 26. Bus Drivers and Food Service workers have access starting March 2 with a roll out in all schools in the next two weeks. This is just another way to help keep things safe!!!
3. The Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion kick off meeting was held on February 17, 2021. We had 113 participants and received approximately 85 applications for the 30 open DEI District Committee spots. Follow our progress.
4. Planning is already under way for next school year. I will be providing the Board with a plan in May for the model. I will share that the only reasonable pathway forward to realizing a more traditional in-person experience is through changes to the distancing requirements. The current medical community recommendation of 6 feet is likely to be reduced/relaxed as more people get vaccinated, we continue with assurance testing, we maintain masking and the other health and safety measures. We will have our first discussion on the matter at the Education Committee meeting of the Board scheduled for March 2, 2021 beginning at 6:30PM. To join us, please go here: https://www.methacton.org/Page/584
5. While we have to continue to manage COVID-related matters, my team and I are actively focused on the future of Methacton. As such, I will be sharing a 2-year plan keeping to our mission and the vision to ensure an exceptional Methacton School District experience for all. I will be presenting this plan at the April 20 working session of the Board of School Directors. This plan will include a revival of the strategic planning process with community-wide stakeholder input/focus groups, etc., some new programs and services with focus on the whole child.

 

Now Let’s Take a Look At Some Truly Amazing Work:

ARROWHEAD

Arrowhead Celebrates Doctor Seuss’ Birthday

Each year for Doctor Seuss' birthday, our Arrowhead Home & School and Arrowhead Teachers provide each student with a new book! The RIF (Reading is Fundamental) Program is one of our favorite events each year.

Arrowhead’s 3rd Annual Kindness Project

Students created hundreds of handmade cards that were delivered to residents at Providence Place at the Collegeville Inn and The Landing at Collegeville. They also donated word search games, puzzles and adult coloring books for residents to enjoy. https://youtu.be/b_ZCHOX8mfc

Arrowhead Students and Staff Recently Celebrated “100 days of School!”

EAGLEVILLE

School Safety Patrol

The Eagleville Elementary School Safety Patrol (pictured above) is still going strong! Thirty-two dedicated students have attended virtual meetings to learn about leadership skills while attending school virtually until they were able to attend school in person. When returning to school, safeties had some new duties including reminding peers to social distance, wear masks and use hand sanitizer. We appreciated the addition to their uniform of Safety Patrol Masks provided by AAA. Safeties that attend school virtually were still able to help by making posters to hang around the school and make some video reminders of safe behaviors to share at morning announcements for the school. Not even a pandemic can stop the safety patrol from keeping our students safe!

New this year, the Franklin Mint Credit Union came to visit 3rd graders in Mrs. Wittenberg's class virtually for a trip they missed last year. During this exciting exploration of careers with money, students were able to learn more about earning, spending, saving and sharing money. They also had a special visitor, Sister Bear from the Bernstein Bears (pictured above).

For Black History Month, Mrs. Kraus and second grade students were drawing tools to honor Jacob Lawrence (pictured above left) who often included tools working in his art.

3rd graders learned about the Art of Harlem Renaissance Painter Aaron Douglas and created their own art in his style. Pictured above are students experimenting with Paint Kwik Sticks….they LOVED THEM!

Mrs. Coghlan and a third grade student collaborated together to create a musical YouTube video of a song-tale frequently shared in music class: "There Was a Man And He Was Mad" https://youtu.be/pv4D3UZJZqo

WOODLAND

Woodland's music teacher Andrea Engler, creates these amazing dance videos starring Woodland students and staff.  Here is her latest creation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y-CpQ0lXBnU​

Woodland First Grader, Aahana Gupta, has been making cards for senior citizens on various occasions!  Aahana’s name and pictures have been featured in the Times Herald!
Read it here: https://www.timesherald.com/news/optimist-club-sponsoring-valentines-for-meals-on-wheels-clients/article_0afa1000-5d00-11eb-a16b-535e7475fa18.html

Aisha Vadassery, first grader, wrote a question about coronavirus and it was picked up by NBC Nightly News to be featured on their show “NBC Nightly News: Kids Edition!” Link for show episode and Aisha’s question is at 9.35 minute mark:  https://youtu.be/zWLPjM-b0YY

Woodland is hosting its first virtual Science Fair on 3/12/21.  Students are creating one-minute “teaser” videos to be played over morning announcements!

WORCESTER

Worcester was thrilled to welcome nearly 80% our students to 4 day in person learning earlier this month. Our virtual students are also staying engaged during their classes at home.

 

February 25^th  was a Celebration Day at Worcester Elementary School as Principal Feeley announced the winners of February's Wolf of the Month commendations. This commendation is bestowed upon a hard-working student who shows kindness, is a good friend, follows school rules, shows leadership and is a role model to others.  Five of our 7 winners are pictured above with Mr. Feeley. Congratulations to these outstanding Worcester students.

SKYVIEW

Black History Month at Skyview

The Skyview community has celebrated Black History Month this February with a variety of activities. In addition to subject-area based activities, students have volunteered to research and create presentations on famous Black Americans to be included as video announcements to the school community. Here are examples of their videos:

https://youtu.be/7F0XhETbtrg (Ruby Bridges)

https://youtu.be/YZcbPhbPw2g (Maya Angelou)

https://youtu.be/LKwxBng92Pg (Kobe Bryant)

During the first week of March our volunteers will be sharing famous Black females in honor of the start of Women’s History Month. Students will also be tasked by Mrs. Gorla, Ms. Otero, Mrs. Hadrick and Mrs. VanBuren to listen to Amanda Gorman’s poem, “Talking Gets Us There” and reflect on the spoken word piece.

Have you ever driven on the Skyview/Arcola campus and witnessed the deer in the field? Methacton High School Student Melinda Jin created a display for Skyview (pictured below) after attending the Wildlife Leadership Academy last summer.

Kindness – pass it on! Mrs. VanBuren, 5^th grade counselor, connected with the Lower Providence Optimist Club to have students make Valentine’s Day cards for the Meals on Wheels program. Many thanks to our students who volunteered to spread kindness to our community!

ARCOLA

Giant Surprise

On February 9^th, Giant Food Stores in Audubon surprised the cafeteria staff with balloons, a cookie tray and a thank you card to recognize them for all of the hard work that goes into feeding our students during the pandemic. On February 8^th the Arcola/Skyview staff prepared, packaged, and distributed 4,000 meals during their weekly curbside distribution! The cafeteria teams at each school building also received balloons, a cookie tray, and a thank you card as well! We congratulate them on their recognition. Thank you to Chris Koch (Store Manager) and Megan Giuliano (Asst. Store Manager of Customer Experience) of GIANT Food Stores in Audubon for selecting Methacton School District in their campaign to recognize local heroes doing great things in the community.

Arcola Planetarium

On February 18^th, Mr. Adam Chantry, Arcola’s Mallon Planetarium Director, invited everyone to tune in to watch the livestream of the landing of the Mars 2020 Perseverance rover.  Participants were invited to ask Mr. Chantry questions during the landing via chat.

Arcola’s Kudos

• 8th grade English students are actively engaged in a research paper project. Students are doing amazingly well on note taking, as they gather research about an individual of their choice who has somehow impacted society.  Students are taking comments and feedback and are growing in their note-taking skills! Way to go!
• Arcola News Journal - WOW to the amazing group of students running our show this year and keeping us informed.
• Nurse Cosgriff is truly assisting and doing an exceptional job keeping us all safe and informed.
• Tara Eison is the Arcola rep for the DEI Leadership team - thank you!
• 7^th grade teacher Katlin McKeon started a teacher rejuvenation room to help support staff, keep them motivated and find ways to seek balance.

METHACTON HIGH SCHOOL

Five Methacton High School students (pictured above) representing the Class of 2021 have been named Finalists in the prestigious National Merit Scholarship Program. They are: Alec Chang, Claire Chen, Jeffrey Gong, Angela Li, and Tam-My Pham. Finalists compete for $2,500 Scholarships. They are evaluated on their academic record, accomplishments, and potential for success in rigorous college studies among other criteria.

Congratulations to Methacton High School Junior Nicole Timko! She scored her 1,000th career point during the Warriors’ February 9, 2021 basketball game against PJP. Nicole is the second junior in the school’s history to earn this milestone as a Lady Warrior.  Girl’s Basketball Coach Craig Kaminski netted his 300^th career win on February 17th when the Warriors defeated Upper Perk.

STEM Innovation Lab check presentation (pictured above) – The Methacton Education Foundation has gifted MHS $220,000 to fund two innovative new STEM labs: a hydroponic freight farm and a forensic and biochemistry lab. Thank you to the Methacton Education Foundation, Ambler Savings Bank, and J.P. Mascaro & Sons for the financial support, and to Mr. Savitz, Mr. Walton, Mrs. Murray, Mrs. Palmer, Mrs. Griffith and Ms. Alveranga for their time, efforts and creativity and for making this project a reality!

Bruce Outland has been invited for the third year in a row to be a Question Leader at the AP Chemistry Reading through College Board - a tremendous honor!

MHS Virtual Art Gallery - MHS Art Department has put together an amazing online gallery highlighting our students’ art successes and achievements. Thank you to our art department for putting this together for us! Methacton High School Virtual Art Gallery

The Class sponsors are hard at work putting together events in the spring for the student body. Details to follow in the coming weeks!

Methacton High School Senior and Black Student Union President Steven Cadogan represented Methacton High School at State Representative Joe Webster’s virtual town hall, “Making American History and Honoring Black Legacies” on February 25. The virtual forum served as a springboard for ongoing conversations about equality and equity and for expansion of educational opportunities that more thoroughly and honestly cover our nation’s diverse history. Watch here: https://www.methacton.org/Page/753

The Methacton Backpack program continues to provide bi-weekly weekend meals and snacks to families through our snack backpack program. Volunteers Gabby Winters and Liz Drummond have organized this amazing program and have given out hundreds of bags to families this school year. In addition to food, the program distributed winter coats in December, held an MLK Day of Service Food Drive in January, and will be distributing toiletries in March.

Sophomore Christopher Groff broke the pool record in the 100 Backstroke with a time of 52.74 seconds.

Sophomore Christopher Groff, Junior Dylan Phan, Junior Tommy Gibbs, and Senior Jan Perez-Bonilla broke the pool record in the 200 Medley Relay with a time of 1:38.21.

What OUTSTANDING news to wrap up the month!

 

Sincerely,

Dr. David Zerbe

Superintendent of Schools

Dear Methacton Community,

I hope that this message finds you and your family you doing well. The Methacton School District, like all school districts in the Commonwealth, has had a challenging year navigating the pandemic. The uncertainty, fear, politics, science, health and safety, emotions and (add your own words here) are real and have played a part in how each of us have responded and how each of us see the pandemic, the associated risks and challenges.

However, even during all of these challenges, there have been so many amazing accomplishments, some extraordinary events, and a growth in all of us as a community.

As an example - The Arcola Connection Club, on January 15 assembled one hundred sock rolls for the homeless as part of the MLK Day Sock Roll Challenge sponsored by The Giving Tree, and how about Arcola’s National Junior Honor Society annual "Reading to First Graders" service activity to continue this extraordinary cross-generational learning activity.

With the leadership of our Athletic Director, Dr. Paul Spiewak and the extraordinary support from the Board of School Directors, a health and safety plan was implemented allowing coaches, student athletes and parents an opportunity to continue with pre-season and in-season workouts and competitions. Compared to a number of school districts across our region, Methacton student athletes and activity participants (band and clubs), from day one of the school year, have enjoyed access to extra-curricular activities.

Skyview Upper Elementary established a Virtual Mentor Program 8^th period where Methacton High School student volunteers support Skyview students with homework, classwork, and general study habits. Led by school counselors and teachers at the high school and Skyview, we are seeing encouraging results with the implementation of model of support.

Character Counts week (October 19-25) saw Skyview students take part in producing a digital flag contest with student-designed flags now on display in the building. Winners were Grace Krelovich and Anushka Chandrate. Their designs are below:

Skyview’s Shaun Permar was honored by the College Settlement Camp on November 7, 2020 with The Dave DeRosa Outdoor School Award, for his efforts related to working with students and promoting and coordinating the Outdoor School experience.  Skyview staff and former students created a congratulatory video.

The Daily Bread Food Pantry met with Skyview students to share the mission and operation of their organization. Food donations were gathered and delivered. Students created cards of appreciation for frontline staff at Einstein Hospital.

Mrs. Amy Eraydin, Reading Specialist, created an 8^th period book club providing students who do not typically read on their own time the opportunity to read novels in a small social setting. Love To READ!!!

The Methacton Theatre Company had a hugely successful fall play entitled “The Laramie Project” on January 14, 15, and 16 that incorporated 30+ high school students in the cast. This was the first-ever streamed play conducted by the students that sold nearly 200 tickets for the viewing.

A huge congratulatory shout out to all the Instructional Assistants and Personal Care Aides - they have done outstanding work this school year supporting our students and staff in the in-person and virtual environment.

The R.E.A.C.H clinicians have been providing both in-person and virtual therapy for our students who participate in this program as well as providing valuable resources for our building administrators, staff and families to support our students during challenging life events. 

Worcester Elementary will be celebrating World Read Aloud Day (February 3) via social media with guest authors from all over volunteering their time to virtually meet with students to share and discuss their books.

School counselor Shannon Snyder, and reading specialist Jen Slater introduced the book, The Energy Bus for Kids, to students at Worcester Elementary School as part of the “One Book, One School” initiative in celebration of Read Across America week. 

Parent volunteer Dr. Risa Roland, is sponsoring this year’s Girls on the Run program virtually.  In collaboration with three additional volunteers, thirteen 3^rd and 4^th grade girls are registered to participate in this exciting virtual event.

Methacton High School Sophomore Aidan Samsel participated in the Bethesda Project where Philadelphia community members pay $25 for volunteer artists to draw their home. The event took place over the month of November in celebration of National Hunger and Homeless Awareness Week.  All proceeds go to feed the homeless in neighboring communities in Philadelphia.

Leadership by the High School Student Council in conjunction with the class sponsors of each class, hosted a drive-in Homecoming at the facility in Oaks where carloads of MHS students and families watched the Homecoming football game projected on the big screen. Halftime festivities included members of the Homecoming Court parading through the parking lot in open air Jeeps followed by the crowning of the Queen and King. A most remarkable and memorable activity.

A Woodland Elementary kindergarten student won a poster contest on MLK initiated by the Lower Providence Police Department.  She received an award by Chief Michael Jackson for her response to "What does equality look like to you?"   She created a poster about all humans being friends regardless of what they look like.

Teachers across the district are producing videos celebrating our good work and using video’s to help with the learning process. Mrs. Engler, music teacher, created this video with kindergarten students:  https://youtu.be/FnG-YVbcRj0

Given tremendous obstacles, the High School administration and teaching staff were able to provide the PSAT to students in grades 11 and 10. On the same day, students in grades 9 and 12 participated in virtual presentations with guest speakers on topics including financial literacy, entrepreneurship, the trades, human resources and employability, workplace etiquette, and stress management.

The Methacton Education Foundation has generously pledged funding for the incorporation of the program “Uncharted Learning” in the MHS Entrepreneurship class. Many good things are on the horizon at the high school.

MHS Senior Patrick Li was selected to the National Association for Music Education All Eastern Concert Band. Patrick completed a series of rigorous and competitive auditions to be chosen for this prestigious honor.

Michelle Stead, special education teacher at Arcola, is making extraordinary efforts in supporting her students this year.  She collaborates with students, parents, teachers, and the support staff to ensure everyone is working toward the same goals.​​

The high school and Arcola have updated their digital hall pass system to accurately record the list of students on premise each day and leverage it as an additional mitigation strategy.

Arrowhead Elementary grade 2 students and families shared their multicultural holiday traditions via zoom across the entire grade level.

Arrowhead Home and School is leading the 3^rd annual Kindness Project where students will make Valentine’s Day cards to brighten the day of residents from 3 Senior Living Centers in Collegeville!  Slideshow of this to come…

The Arrowhead staff collected 83 pounds of food, personal care items, and cleaning supplies for the Daily Bread Food Pantry. Staff have been donating to the Daily Bread for the past 4 years.

The class sponsors and the class of 2021 officers have launched the Methacton class of 2021 Instagram page.  They are working in conjunction with administration on a senior outdoor event to occur in May (details to come).  Furthermore, yard signs are in the works to be created and distributed to our senior students/families.

Methacton’s Paul Lepre worked with the life skills autistic support program students to do a monthly kindness challenge and the kids painted “You Rock” rocks and distributed them to staff.

Eagleville held their Methacton Family Sing-A-Long and the 4th grade band and orchestra have assembled a small Winter celebration. The students have worked very hard over the past several months preparing and we are excited to share the Winter celebration with Mrs. Basalik-Arrowhead Orchestra Director, Mrs. DiRenzo-Arrowhead, Eagleville, Woodland, & Worcester Band Director, and Mx. Shuey-Eagleville, Woodland, & Worcester Orchestra Director. As an annual tradition, Eagleville honors our Eagleville Veterans virtually this year: https://youtu.be/-Jvw9fwEeW8

Maybe I got carried away in this message. Maybe I just wanted everyone to know that there are so many amazing accomplishments, extraordinary events, and a growth in all of us as a school community. We always have a lot of hard work ahead of us. Still we can be proud and appreciative of all that we have accomplished and the opportunities that lie ahead.

Keep up the good work and thank you Methacton Community for your continued support and commitment.

Sincerely,

Dr. David Zerbe

Superintendent of Schools