Over the last two years sponsors of the School Nutrition Programs including the Lower Moreland Township School District have been operating under a significant number of waivers to provide program operators, children, students, and families with the greatest flexibility to obtain nutritional meals during the unprecedented circumstances caused by the COVID pandemic. These waivers expire no later than June 30, 2022.

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) does not have the authority to extend the

waivers without Congress providing that authority. To date, Congress has not provided USDA

that authority. While many organizations continue to advocate to Congress for this cause, it is

essential to prepare to return the School Nutrition Programs to normal, pre-COVID operations. To that end, the Lower Moreland Township School District presented a food service budget to the Board of School Directors at the April Work Session with the return to pre-COVID 19 rules and regulations. Please note that the District does not have the authority to continue offering free meals unless the waivers mentioned above are extended.

Unless there is an extension of any of the multiple waivers, Household Applications for Free or Reduced Meals will be required to determine free and reduced eligibility for the 2022-2023 school year unless a student is directly certified. By the rules and regulations set forth by the USDA, we cannot accept any applications for the 2022/23 school year until after July 1, 2022. We will be updating the website with the new information and applications after 7/1/22. Additionally, you will be receiving reminders from your School Principals on the upcoming changes with the food service program in the coming months. If there are any questions, please contact our Food Service Director, Logan Myers (lmyers@lmtsd.org) or call 215-938-0270 ext. 6024.

As a part of the ESSER grant, the district implemented Talking Points, a text messaging tool and app that allows for translated communication between administrators, teachers and families. This is an added layer of community building and engagement that had not been achieved through traditional translation methods. All families can select the language to receive messages in and Talking Points offers over 100 languages to choose from! In Lower Moreland, 71% of contacts have selected English as their communication language. Additionally, families in the District have opted to receive messages in Russian, Chinese, Malayalam, Albanian, Hebrew, Korean, Ukranian and Spanish. Since the implementation of Talking Points over 50,000 messages have been sent and received. This includes messages initiated by families, as well as those sent by teachers and administrators. The majority of users receive communications via SMS, however 22% utilize the Talking Points app, which is available on Android and iOS. Because Talking Points engages users in a highly accessible environment, administrators have observed an increase in parental involvement, communication and responsiveness. While Talking Points is used most heavily at Pine Road School, all staff and families K-12 have access to this powerful communication tool. Talking Points was recently highlighted in The Hechinger Report. If you are interested in learning more about Talking Points and other districts' success in using it, you can access the article here.

The Technology Department supports information technology systems and instructional technology programs and practices in the district. Each month, we highlight how our students and teachers engage in 21st Century learning activities. We also share updates on new initiatives and tips and tricks related to devices and technology tools used in the district.

High school student Dalana Deanne Arnwine printed a stamper for Coco Loco on the 3D Printer. She is working on a 3D design independent study and uses the 3D printers in the library for a variety of projects. She made this stamper with an attachment that makes it easier for students to grip. The stamper face could also be changed out to alter the design.

Fourth-grade students are using Fabmaker studio in STEM and Technology. Fabmaker is a 3-D design and digital fabrication software tool developed specifically for use in the classroom. Using the engineering design process, students were introduced to the program by creating designs such as a triangular pyramid and a cube. For their cube project, once the design was complete, students sent it to the cutter, which cut the paper on the specific folds and outlines specified in the design. Other projects will include designing a treehouse and learning how to create a pop-up design.

This month’s video highlights our Lower Moreland Canvas story. Canvas was adopted and implemented over the course of this school year at the secondary grade levels. You can find out how our students and teachers are using Canvas in our video: https://youtu.be/RnChehfZ1ZU

The Lower Moreland Township School District's Special Olympics Unified Track Team, which brings people with and without intellectual disabilities together on the same team, has begun its second season and will compete in the team's first meet on April 7 at home. Following that meet, their next will be May 3rd at Springfield School District. Please join the Office of Student Services, and all of the school district, in wishing them luck in these upcoming competitions. They have been hard at work practicing for this moment and we can’t wait to cheer them on!