Mill Creek Magic Messages
News and Updates from Mr. Ortman and Mr. Murtha 11/20/2020
Some Reminders That Mill Creek is a REALLY NICE place!
Photo 1 - a group of our younger students holding the front entrance doors for their classmates. They do it pretty much every day, but we just happened to notice more this week. Thank you to these awesome and kind students!
Photo 2 - An example of the little ways teachers/staff motivate and show caring towards students, epitomized in the "We can do this! XOXO" message at the conclusion of instructions for a recent 5th grade math lesson.
Photo 2 - A wonderful student brought his teacher, who happened to be celebrating a birthday, flowers for the occasion. The gesture/gift was beautifully thoughtful!
Our Kindergarten Students Created Some Turkey Mash-Ups ("Turkeys in Disguise") for the Thanksgiving Holiday!
- Super Turkey?
- Dr. Seuss Turkey?
- Santa Turkey?
- Gritty Turkey?
- Unicorn Turkey?
Health and Safety Reminder - Buses
Important Dates
Wednesday, November 25-Friday, November 27 - Thanksgiving Break (no school)
Friday, December 4 - End of 1st Trimester (early dismissal K-6); Creekers' Code Friday (wear burgundy and silver!)
Thursday, December 10-Friday, December 11 - Parent Conferences, Early Dismissal - Grades 1-6 (no Kindergarten)
Monday, December 14 - AM Kindergarten Attends; PM Kindergarten Conferences
Tuesday, December 15 - PM Kindergarten attends in the AM; AM Kindergarten Conferences occur in the PM
Family Travel Information
As the holidays are upon us and some families are choosing to travel, please understand that Central Bucks School District is adhering to its health and safety plan (aligned with CDC guidelines). As part of that plan, the District follows the COVID-19 Information for Travelers site, which is updated almost daily. Considering this, families who choose to travel should be informed when making that choice.
The site to follow this information is:
https://www.health.pa.gov/topics/disease/coronavirus/Pages/Travelers.aspx
Please know that information on the above site was updated so that, in effect at 12:01 a.m. on Friday, November 20, travel to any state or country outside of Pennsylvania requires a COVID-19 test or 2 weeks of quarantine.
ADDITIONALLY, CENTRAL BUCKS SCHOOL DISTRICT'S HEALTH AND SAFETY PLAN REQUIRES 2 WEEKS OF QUARANTINE FROM SCHOOL FOR THIS TYPE OF TRAVEL REGARDLESS OF WHETHER A NEGATIVE COVID-19 TEST IS OBTAINED.
The District requires quarantine for any locations identified by the Commonwealth, which currently includes all 50 states and all international travel, so as to not infect any other persons should a member of the school District (teacher, support staff, student) have contracted the illness. Central Bucks School District encourages families to be mindful of the fact that when travelling they should avoid these areas. We encourage families to plan ahead, so they are able to plan accordingly if they have to travel to one of the locations on the quarantine list.
Please be advised if you are choosing to travel to a state/country that is on quarantine list your child(ren) will be required to quarantine for a 14 day period, beginning on the date you return from travel. If your child(ren) attend school in-person, they will be permitted to return to the school building for instruction once that 14 day quarantine period has passed.
Home and School Association News and Flyers
HSA NEWS
- HSA is soliciting donations for our annual Holiday Thank You Luncheon for Mill Creek teachers and staff, which is scheduled for December 10. We plan to provide individually wrapped lunches for our amazing/wonderful Mill Creek teachers and staff. Any donation amount you can contribute is greatly appreciated! Luncheon donations can be made by either:
- Through Venmo - @MillCreekHSA
- By making a check out to "Mill Creek Home & School" and sending in to the Mill Creek main office.
- Due to the current circumstances, H&S is not soliciting the usual annual $25 in dues per student. However, H&S will continue to incur some expenses related to items such as yearbook, 6th grade promotion, Unami t-shirts for 6th grade students, and more, so we will gladly accept and appreciate any donations. If you would like to make a donation to H&S, please make the check out to "Mill Creek Home & School" and send in to the main office at Mill Creek. Thank you!
HSA November 2020 Calendar
Principal's Post - A Weekly Note From Mr. Ortman
Happy Thanksgiving from all of us at Mill Creek!!!
While this has been a difficult and unpredictable year, there is still so much to be thankful for... family and friends being at the top of the list. On behalf of the Mill Creek faculty and staff, I would like to wish you all a joyful and safe Thanksgiving! We appreciate your support and cooperation more than you know. We are thankful to be part of such a positive, engaged, and caring community!!!
With kind regards,
Shawn M. Ortman
Principal
From the Desk of Mr. Murtha
Since we won't have a newsletter next week due to the Thanksgiving holiday shortened school week, I wanted to share some Mill Creek related items for which I am thankful as we head into Thanksgiving. I am extremely thankful for...
- Being a part of an amazingly kind and supportive school and greater community.
- The support or our wonderfully dedicated Home and School.
- The resilience of our students, staff, and families during these challenging times.
- The energy and smiles (yes, I can "see" them under masks!) of our students during a time when it's not nearly as easy to bring energy and "wear" smiles.
- The hard work of our incredible Mill Creek teachers and support staff, who simply love their students and make it their mission each day to help them grow and learn.
I encourage everyone to take stock of those things in your respective lives for which it is worth being thankful. I imagine there are many!
Have a wonderful weekend and Thanksgiving next Thursday!
Mr. John C. Murtha
Assistant Principal
Creekers' Code Winners!
Congratulations to our 1st-6th grade students being recognized this week for upholding our Creekers' Code tenets!
- Cooperation
- Respect
- Excellence
- Effort
- Kindness
- Empathy
- Responsibility
- Support
Click on the following link to hear a recording of Ms. Brown recognizing our 11/20/2020 students.
Our in-person winners will be invited to the main office to select a prize. Our virtual winners can stop by Mill Creek during school hours for a prize. These recognized students are:
Instructional Spotlight - Ms. Free (Library)
Thank you Ms. Fee and our Central Bucks library teachers!
Some Additional "Mill Creek Moments" from this Past Week...
Ms. Thomas conducts a Kindergarten read aloud.
Ms. Dixson - a virtual instruction virtuoso!
5th Grade letter art.
Social Emotional Learning
Throughout the year, your child will be provided Home Links that go with several of the Second Step lessons. Home Links are simple, fun activities for you and your child to complete together. They are a great way for you to understand what your child is learning and for your child to show you what he or she knows. As a continued effort to provide families with Social Emotional Learning resources, Second Step offers parents and guardians the opportunity to access the Home Links and other resources online. In order to access these resources, parents and guardians of students in grades K-5 can go to the website, www.secondstep.org, create an account, and then enter the activation code below for the grade level your child is enrolled in. For parents and guardians of sixth graders, please access the website, www.parenteenconnect.org. Thank you for supporting your child in learning the skills that lead to success in school and in life.
District Information About LanSchool Virtual Learning Support
Thank you for your support and patience as we work together to help students continue their education from home during this extraordinary time. We wanted to tell you about one of the solutions we are offering teachers to help support virtual learning: LanSchool Air.
LanSchool Air helps teachers provide instruction and guidance to students outside of the traditional classroom. This solution includes features that:
- Allow teachers to save time by pushing a website to all student devices instantly.
- Offer instant messaging between the teacher and students, giving students the opportunity to digitally “raise their hand” to indicate they’ve finished their assignment or have a question.
- Enable teachers to view students’ screens to ensure they’re staying on track.
- Provide a way for teachers to set restrictions on the websites and apps students can visit during class time.
If you would like more information about LanSchool Air, please visit the website at Lanschoolair.com.
Thank you for all you are doing to keep your children safe and learning.
Contact Information
Mr. Shawn Ortman
Principal
267-893-3600
Mr. John C. Murtha
Assistant Principal
267-893-3600
Mill Creek Elementary School
Email: sortman@cbsd.org
Website: http://www.cbsd.org/Domain/19
Location: 638 Bellflower Boulevard, Warrington, PA, United States
Phone: 267-893-3600
Twitter: @CBMillCreek