Every day Methacton teachers and staff members go above and beyond for our children. The past year has been a challenging one, but our teachers and staff rose to the challenge for our kids. Now is our chance to SHARE THE LOVE!

SHARE THE LOVE is an opportunity to show Methacton teachers & staff our love, thanks, and gratitude during Teacher Appreciation Month. Recognize your child's current and former teachers with a SHARE THE LOVE certificate and personal message. New this year, custom messages for each certificate!

https://www.methactonfoundation.org/news.../share-the-love/

Thank you for sharing (and showing) the love!

Seventh Grade students have been working on Gelli printmaking projects. They applied color theory and made their own stencils to create multiple layers for a unique finished artwork!

• PSSA Math: 5/3, 5/4
• PSSA Science (8th Grade): 5/5, 5/6
• Algebra I Keystones: 5/18, 5/19

On Friday, June 3rd, 8th grade students are invited to the Party Barn at Northern Star Farm. There will be music, dance, paintball arcade stations, and hayrides. Please see the attached flyer for details with how to sign up for the event. Hard copies are also available in the main office. Thank you to the Arcola Home and School Association for organizing this opportunity for our students!

Next week is Screen-Free week (www.screenfree.org). We think everyone has heard by now that doctors recommend avoiding screens an hour before bedtime to help children (and adults!) sleep better. But did you know that a healthy childhood depends on a surprising thing: play! Through creative play, kids explore their physical world, build their curiosity, and expand their imaginations. But often, screen-time takes the place of the kind of creative play kids need to thrive. Not only does Screen-Free Week allow people to enjoy time away from news feeds, targeted ads, etc., but it gives families and communities an opportunity to come together.

In addition to the web site mentioned above, here is a link to an article about how too much screen time is harming our teenagers’ mental health and presents five ways parents/guardians can step in and help their teenagers live a healthy digital life:

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/shame-nation/202203/how-screen-time-is-harming-teenagers-mental-health-0

So try to unplug from screen-based entertainment this week and let your imagination run wild!

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

A Math Virtual Helpdesk is available to students who need assistance Monday through Thursday from 7:00 - 8:00 PM. This is a great opportunity for students who need assistance! Please see the attached flyer for details.

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.

Methacton Backpack's Amazon Wishlist

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