Dragon Blast
Mary C. Howse Elementary School
From the Principal
Dear MCH Parents:
It certainly has been an interesting last 5+ months. With that said, we are about to embark on something historical - the first ever virtual school opening. While not what we expected, or experienced ourselves as children, we have to do our very best to look at this as an opportunity to succeed. And, it will happen...in time.
You all should have heard from your child's teacher by now. If you have not, please let me know asap!
IPADS - Everyone (except 2) should have an IPAD, or at least been contacted by us that your IPAD has arrived here at MCH (as of 12:45 today, 8/28). Thank you for your patience! Not only did we have over 630 to give out here, the district had over 5,000 to set up for all elementary students and did so in just under a month! Next up, classroom materials - I will send a reminder but look for an email by September 3rd - we should have everything ready to pick ups to start on Friday, September 4th.
While there have been a lot of changes (classroom teachers listed below) here at Mary C. Howse, I wanted to share some additional news:
Mrs. Grecco (5th grade) - her and her husband were blessed with a baby girl on August 7th - Charlotte!
Mrs. Hoban (Cyber, but previous 2nd grade MCH) is expecting her 2nd child in mid-September
Mrs. Kane (1st grade) - is expecting her 3rd child in October
Mrs. Orth (special ed.) - is expecting her 2nd child in November.
For those that may have missed this in a previous communication:
Mrs. Keefe - will be our 5th grade long term substitute (for Mrs. Grecco)
Mrs. Raws - 5th grade teacher
Dr. Alba - 3rd grade teacher
I will allow them to introduce themselves to their children and parents.
Stay safe, healthy and happy (sane) - we got this! Have a great weekend!
Dr. Cat
Accessing your Child's Learning Management Platform
Grades K-2:
The West Chester Area School District is currently using Seesaw in its kindergarten, 1st, and 2nd-grade classrooms. With the help of Seesaw, teachers empower students to create, reflect, share, and collaborate. To get ready for the first day of school, please review the following Seesaw document (English/Spanish).
To access Seesaw, you will need your child's Home Learning Code. Your child's teacher will email this code by the end of the week. During the first week of school, your child's teacher will also share an invitation to join the Seesaw Family App. Through the Family App, you can view and comment on your child's e-portfolio throughout the school year.
Grades 3-5:
Students in grades 3-5 will be using Schoology. As a family, please review the Getting Ready for Day 1 videos to preview the tools your child will be using throughout the school year.
To access Schoology, you will need your child's district username and password. This information was included as a secure attachment within an email sent through School Messenger on Monday, August 24th. To access the secure attachment, you need your child's Student ID number. The ID number can be found in the Parent Portal or on your child's last report card. If you need further support or assistance with accessing this attachment, please contact your child's school, or email the district's Help Desk at helpdesk@wcasd.net.
Lastly, if you are the parent of a student in grades 3-5, please join Schoology Parent Access to view student work (Directions: English/Spanish.)
We are excited to welcome our new families and our returning families to Remote Learning 2.0 for the 2020-2021 school year. Our commitment to providing a quality education for our students remains stronger than ever - whether online or face-to-face. We appreciate your support of our schools and look forward to a successful school year!
What is Working at Home?
A Video from Ms. Noone - our guidance counselor
Current Classroom Teachers
1st grade - Mrs. Kane, Mrs. Conner and Mrs. Skalski
2nd grade - Ms. Forbes, Ms. Dougherty, Mrs. Seese and Mr. Jacobus
3rd grade - Ms. Cotellese, Ms. Leary, and Dr. Alba
4th grade - Mrs. DeCicco, Ms. Verrichia, and Ms. Flynn
5th grade - Mrs. Powers, Mrs. Keefe and Mr. Raws
Positive Praise
NURSE'S NOTES
Hello MCH families,
As members of the Penn State Healthy Champions program, we receive regular updates and ideas for taking care of ourselves and our families. This month the program focused on staying healthy at home. A link to the program ideas is below. Enjoy!
https://prowellness.childrens.pennstatehealth.org/healthy-activities-to-do-at-home/
How can we help others?
Parent Portal
Use the link below to access the parent portal page:
http://home.wcasd.net/pages/West_Chester_Area_SD/ForParents/Parent_Portal
On the page, there is written documentation (English and Spanish,) as well as videos (English only) that walk parents through how to set up your parent portal account, how to access grades and set alerts, how to view the online report card, how to check attendance, etc. There is even an app for your phone if you prefer.
Please call the office for your child’s user name and password if you do not have the information that was provided to you at the beginning of the school year.
Keeping in Touch
· Please bookmark our school website. This is where we post many updates, school newsletter, supply list, pictures and our parent/student handbook. It can be found at: https://www.wcasd.net/Domain/661
·
· Mary C. Howse Webpage - https://www.wcasd.net/Domain/661
o See MCH School Tour link in upper right hand corner
· Twitter – Follow - @MCH_Elem - you’ll receive updates once you are a follower.
· Youtube – Mary C. Howse – found here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCveR39XTwn8AgmiOVqA6GZA
· MCH PTO Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/mchpto/ - be sure to become a follower to receive updates when changes occur.
Parent Resources
How to Help Kids Deal with School Closings and Cancelled Plans
Community Bulletin Board:
For activities offered around West Chester, see:
http://home.wcasd.net/pages/West_Chester_Area_SD/Community_Bulletin_Board/Other
Our Mary C. Howse School Pledge
I pledge
To be the best that I can be
Respect myself and others
Make safe choices
And take responsibility
For my learning and behavior
Contact and Additional Information
Email: scatrambone@wcasd.net
Website: http://www.edline.net/pages/mary_c__howse_elementary_schoo
Location: 641 West Boot Road, West Chester, PA, United States
Phone: 484-266-1302
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mchpto/
Twitter: @SteveCat19