The MLK Day of Service presents an opportunity to bring a meaningful service project to Arcola. Socks tend to be the number one requested item by individuals experiencing homelessness. We have been collecting donations of men's athletic/crew socks in 8th period Advisory classes. On January 17th, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, student volunteers will come to Arcola to create Sock Rolls, a pair of socks rolled with a granola bar and a pack of crackers and finished off with a ribbon and a tag from the student. The Sock Rolls will be donated to The Giving Tree. Thank you for your contributions!

Students can sign up in their 2026 or 2027 Google Classroom. They will find it on the front page of the stream.

The Methacton School District is once again partnering with the GIANT Company on a special school program to help support our students. From now through February 28, 2022, GIANT customers can “ROUND UP AT THE REGISTER” to support the Methacton Backpack Program. Customers at the local GIANT can “round up” their grocery total at the register and the cumulative total of all the “spare change” donated will go into a fund for the Methacton School District. Last year, this fundraiser awarded more than $6,600 to the Methacton Backpack Program.

Spirit Days for January

• Friday, January 21st - School Spirit
• Friday, January 28th - Flannel Day

• Dr. Gravinese, the High School Principal, sent a special message to all 8th grade families outlining the scheduling process, specific to their 8th grade student(s).

• On January 31, High School counselors and administrators will provide a scheduling presentation to all eighth grade students at Arcola.

• January 31: 8th grade parents are invited to the high school cafeteria from 3:00 - 5:00 to ask any department specific question of the department coordinators.

• February 28: eighth grade Arcola students will participate in the course selection process with the assistance of Arcola and High School counselors and administrators.

The Methacton Backpack program is up and running in each of our buildings and serves district families in need with supplemental food and non-food items. This program helps create food stability for breakfast and lunch when our students are not in school. Weekly, the program sends home a bag of breakfast, lunch, and snack items for the weekend and holiday breaks for students in Kindergarten through 12th grade. Families who qualify for free/reduced meals are eligible to participate in the Backpack Program. Please contact the school counselor if you would like to register your child for the Backpack program.

In order to continue to sustain the program please consider contributing and donating items to the program. Items can be donated directly to the school or you can place an order through Amazon and ship it directly to our school from the Amazon page.

https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/Y75GZGW6DXNJ?ref

Please remember to select, “No Weekend Delivery.”

What items can I donate?

Individual Serving Food Items

· Single serving boxes of milk (shelf-stable/not refrigerated)

· Mini cereal boxes

· Canned soup (cans with “pop tops”)

· Oatmeal Packs or cups

· Applesauce and fruit cups

· Chef Boyardee, Hormel, Dint Moore Meals, etc.

· Easy Mac Cups

· Cracker packs

· Sweet snacks: Fruit snacks, pudding, granola bars, individual bags of cookies, etc.

· Salty snacks: pretzel packs, goldfish crackers, popcorn, etc.

· 100% juice boxes

January is a big month for our 8th Grade students as they begin the process of thinking about what classes they would like to take in high school. The North Montco Technical Career Center (www.nmtcc.org) is a great option for students interested in the construction trades, cosmetology, hospitality, engineering/manufacturing, agriculture, power and transportation, or visual communication careers. Eighth Graders will have an opportunity to take a field trip to North Montco on January 21. On January 24, they will hear from the high school counselors regarding the scheduling process and be introduced to the various electives available to them in 9th Grade. That same day, they will also attend a detailed presentation given by a number of high school teachers on the electives available to them. All of these programs are in preparation for our 8th Graders to choose their 9th Grade courses in February!

On Tuesday, April 12, 2022, Arcola Intermediate School will host our annual STEAM Day, a school-wide event designed to promote the importance of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, plus show how the Arts support STEM fields.

We are in need of presenters who are willing to share information about their careers in an interactive manner with the goal of helping students see the connection between school and work and how STEAM subjects are integral to many careers. Our goal this year to have our presenters in-person at Arcola, although we may end up asking you to participate in a series of Zoom sessions instead if things change due to the pandemic.

Speakers can come for a half day or a full day of thirty minute presentations to small groups of students. If you or someone you know might be interested in being part of this meaningful experience, or to register to present, please check out the Arcola STEAM Day page at STEAM Day Information Page. Or contact Mark Mueller at 610-489-5000 x30220 or by email at mmueller@methacton.org.

Finally, attached to this newsletter is the January issue of Parents Still make the difference!, a newsletter focused on helping you improve your student’s success in school. Also attached is the January issue of Daily Learning Planner, a list of daily topics that will also help your student do well. We hope you enjoy both!