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