Hello Marsh Creek,

I hope that everyone is having a great weekend. Students have a short week this week, as Monday the 20th will be an early dismissal, while our teachers conduct Parent-Teacher conferences. There will be no school for students on Tuesday and Wednesday due to the Thanksgiving break. Below you will find a link to the PA Climate Survey for families to complete as a part of our ongoing efforts to gather community feedback related your family's experience in our school. This information will assist us in offering the greatest experience possible for our students, so we thank you in advance for your willingness to provide your feedback.

As we start the Thanksgiving break, we want you to know how grateful that we are for the opportunity to teach and assist our students this school year. We are truly thankful to play a role in the lives of our district's families, and especially at this time of year, want you to know how proud that we are to support the students from all corners of our wonderful community. We hope that you all get to enjoy time with friends and family, and from our Marsh Creek family to yours, wish you a very Happy Thanksgiving!

-Matt

Monday - 11/20

• Early Dismissal for Students
• Turkey Trot
• Parent-Teacher Conferences

Tuesday - 11/21

• NO SCHOOL FOR STUDENTS - THANKSGIVING RECESS
• Parent-Teacher Conferences

Wednesday - 11/22

• NO SCHOOL FOR STUDENTS - THANKSGIVING RECESS
• Teacher Professional Development

Thursday - 11/23

• THANKSGIVING RECESS

Friday - 11/24

• THANKSGIVING RECESS

Notable Upcoming Dates

• November 28th - BLUE House Chorus Concert
• November 29th - GOLD House Chorus Concert

On Monday, in honor of the Thanksgiving holiday, our staff will be taking our students outside for a lap around our Learning Trail as part of our Turkey Trot.

If possible, we are encouraging students to bring a canned good to school to donate to the Food Pantry, but it is optional and not require to participate in the Turkey Trot.

This year, Downingtown Area School District (DASD) will use the Pennsylvania Climate Survey (PA Climate Survey) to gain valuable insights into our school climate and to make meaningful improvements in DASD. The PA Climate Survey is conducted by the Pennsylvania Department of Education Office for Safe Schools (PDEOSS), and replaces last year’s YouthTruth survey.

Your input is essential. The brief survey is open to all families, staff and students (grades 3-12) and we would greatly appreciate your participation. Survey completion time is 3-5 minutes, and it is available in both English and Spanish. Students will also be provided with the option to complete the PA Climate Survey on Monday, November 20th.

Parent/Guardian Survey Link: https://bit.ly/3r2q9oF

Our school is hosting a Pajama Day on December 1st to help the kids at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP)!

Why We Participate
The time for innovation and breakthroughs is now. CHOP is on the cusp of life-changing discoveries for children. They are transforming the well-being of children and creating healthier communities throughout Philadelphia and across the world. We are raising money because we want to help make today's innovative ideas, tomorrow's realities.

How You Can Help
Consider supporting us by making a tax-deductible donation as we say YAY to Pajama Day. Please click the link below.

MC6GC is seeking gift card donations to spread some holiday cheer to our Marsh Creek families in need this holiday season. If you would like to contribute to our drive, MC students can drop off donated gift cards to their first period teacher, or to the MC Counseling Office through Monday, December 18, 2023. The most requested gift cards from families are for Target, Walmart, Giant and ACME. Gift cards in denominations of $10 or $20 are very much appreciated. We thank you for your kindness and generosity this holiday season!

Order your child’s 2023-2024 Marsh Creek 6th Grade Center Yearbook online at www.balfour.com. Click on Shop My School and enter our school name. Then click on the icon for Yearbook Products and Ads. You will need to enter your child’s name and grade. Then select your child’s Advisory teacher. Yearbooks cost $30 and will be delivered to students at school during the last week in May. Order now before they are all sold out!

Any Questions? Please contact:

Mrs. Allen at lallen@dasd.org or Mrs. Leister at rleister@dasd.org.

The Downingtown Community Education Foundation (DCEF) and our District are partnering together to provide innovative educational opportunities for our students. Construction on the new Amphitheater/Outdoor Classroom on the Marsh Creek campus is well underway. Our families and staff may continue to see increased activity on campus, primarily to the left side of our building as we arrive at Marsh Creek. We will continue to provide updates throughout the duration of the project.

For the month of November, we are going to mix up our positive behavior incentives and let students choose which type of prize they want to win! There are 8 large buckets outside the Library that we are collecting tickets in all month long. Students get to decide what they want to try to win. Thanks to our Kindness Ambassadors for helping choose amazing prizes for this fun event! Winners will be picked during the announcements on November 30th!

As part of our district and community's efforts to increase Mental Health awareness, and to reduce the stigma around discussing Mental Health for students, we will be providing lessons and supports in the coming weeks designed to teach students about this topic, and encouraging them to seek help and support if needed.

For the fifth straight year, we are using a program called SOS (Signs of Suicide). The program teaches students about this difficult topic and encourages them to seek help. It is delivered during a single lesson in Health class. SOS has been used by thousands of schools over the past few decades. Studies have shown that it effectively teaches students about depression and suicide while reducing the number of students’ self-reported suicide attempts.

Through the program, students learn:
• that depression is treatable, so they are encouraged to seek help
• how to identify depression and potential suicide risk in themselves or a friend
• to ACT (Acknowledge, Care and Tell a trusted adult) if concerned about themselves or a friend
• who they can turn to at school for help, if they need it

We encourage you to visit http://www.sossignsofsuicide.org/parent for information on warning signs for youth suicide, useful resources, and some of the key messages students will learn.

This program provides supplemental nourishment for our students. Participating students receive a bag of non-perishable food items every Wednesday, which will be distributed in a discreet and caring manner by our staff. Click on the flyer below to complete the confidential form so that we can help in any way that we can.

Greetings from the Marsh Creek Counseling Department! We will use this area to keep you in the loop with updates from our department as well as helpful resources throughout the year. Please do not hesitate to contact us with any questions or concerns. We are here to help!

Narwhals, this time of year is a great reminder to make sure we have an attitude of gratitude! There is always something to be thankful for! Read below for some simple ways to practice gratitude. Try one today!

Check out this local resource! Communities That Care offers groups, blogs and podcasts to support parents and guardians in the Downingtown area.

Click here for more information.

Please encourage your child to check out the Marsh Creek Counseling Department Schoology course. It’s filled with lots of great resources including stress management strategies, study skills, directions for how to check your grades and more!

As always, reach out if you need anything!

The Book Fair is coming to the Marsh Creek Library. Find all the details on our fair website.

We need volunteers! Check out our Sign-up Genius page.

Want to help students in need? Donate to the Book Fairy eWallet to grant book wishes!

Family Nights are before each Chorus Concert (11/28 and 11/29; 6-7pm)

A friendly reminder to please complete the annual online registration for your student(s) for the 2023/2024 school year. This registration provides updated health information, permission for over-the-counter medication administration by our school nurse, as well as district consents and emergency numbers. Ensuring that we have accurate demographic, health and contact information for your child directly impacts our ability to best serve our students. Additionally, it is an essential piece to ensuring student safety.

· Here is the link for you to login to the Infinite Campus parent portal.

· Here is the link to the directions, if you need them.

· Need assistance? Contact us here.

Below is a link to the Activities page on our Marsh Creek website, which has been updated with all information that students and parents will need to engage in our extracurricular programs. It contains information related to the options available this year, as well as information related to Activity Fees, and the Activity Shuttle Bus. Students can work with our teachers to pick up information and to express interest in the activities offered this Fall.

Join MC6 Cultural Connections Club!

The CCC will allow students to get together once a month for group discussions, activities, leadership opportunities, and games. It will be a fun way to make new friends while celebrating diversity and strengthening our connection to the school community.

Our first meeting will be on Monday, November 20th during 12th period.

If your student is interested in joining the MC6 Cultural Connections Club, they can sign up here - MC6 Cultural Connections Club Interest Form

“We are more alike, my friends, than we are unalike.” ~ Maya Angelou

Thank you to our HSA for all that they have done this year to support our students and staff! We are so lucky to have a wonderful team of parents willing to help Marsh Creek. If you are interested in participating in our HSA this year, please consider joining us for future meetings. Our next HSA meeting has been scheduled for THURSDAY DECEMBER 7th, at 6:30 pm in the Marsh Creek Library. If you would like to contact our HSA to find other ways to support our students and school, please feel free to contact them at marshcreekhsa@gmail.com.

In line with this commitment, the Department of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) at DASD will be hosting "A Night with the Lenape Community" on November 27th at 6:00 p.m. via Zoom. The event will feature Adam DePaul, a respected member of the Lenape Nation of Pennsylvania, who also holds the positions of Story keeper and Coordinator of the Rising Nation River Journey. DePaul is a co-curator of the Lenape Cultural Center in Easton, PA, and the exhibit "Existing Artistry, Enduring Presence: The Lenape Nation of Pennsylvania" at Temple University.

Register Here: https://downingtown-area-school-district.ticketleap.com/a-night-with-the-lenape-community/details