N.O.P.E. Recap: Raising Healthy Families

The following post features the highlights from the N.O.P.E. (Narcotic Overdose Prevention Education) presentation on January 22 at DASD. It is being shared on behalf of the district’s Safe Homes Initiative.

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As elementary school parents, it’s easy to tell ourselves that we have many years before we have to start worrying about the rising rate of accidental narcotics overdoses and addiction problems in today’s youth.  However, it is important to remember that there are things that we can do NOW to reduce our children’s risk of being tempted into making the wrong choices, and teach them to step up and do the right thing, even if it seems hard or scary.

The link below shares some tips that will help you start preparing your elementary school child to navigate the waters of middle school, high school, and beyond when they get there.

Please see the Recipe for Preventing a Narcotics Overdose flyer to find some of the ingredients and steps that we can use to raise healthy families and a generation of heroes. Working together, we can start to see less stories of sadness and more stories of courageous young people.

This post was provided by the DASD’s Safe Homes Initiative. For more information check out these web resources.

• https://www.facebook.com/DowningtownSafeHomes
• https://www.facebook.com/DowningtownAreaCTC
• http://dtownctc.org/safe-homes/

Six Quick Questions (say that 5 times real fast)

As we continue to plan for the remainder of this school year and think ahead to next year, the SCHSA will be sending out a series of short surveys to gain your feedback on a variety of topics related to the things that the Home and School Association does throughout the year.

Here is the link to our first [SURVEY] of six simple Yes/No questions. It should take just a few minutes.

This survey is intended to get a gauge of your interest in the “Savings For You” programs that we offer throughout the year. You may recall seeing the KidStuff Coupon books come home in the fall or the information about discounted Wawa Shorti certificates during the holidays. These programs, along with a few others, are a courtesy that we extend to our families as a way to help you save some money on the things that you are already going to buy. Some of these programs raise a small amount of funds for the SCHSA, while others give back very little, if any at all.

We want to hear from you…
Do you or would you continue to support these programs as a way to save some money on these products/services?

We thank you, in advance, for taking the time to share your thoughts.

Are there little Sharks in your Family? Kindergarten Registration is next week

Do you have a child who will be entering a DASD Kindergarten in the fall (2015-2016)?  If so, here are a few things you need to know:

• Contact the office of the school your child with be attending and make an appointment for registration.  Appointments will take place March 2 through 6 and take approximately 10 minutes. Your child will not need to be present.
• Complete all the required registration paperwork – you can obtain a packet from the school office, or print the materials from the DASD website (click here then read/scroll down).
• Collect the noted materials found on the list at the link noted above (Child’s Original Birth Certificate; Your Driver’s License; Proof of Residency; Physical dated within one year; Immunization Records) and have those with you for your registration appointment.

Mark your calendar for Thursday, May 7 (9:30-10:30 am or 1:00-2:00 pm) for you and your child to attend Kindergarten Round-Up at school.

Shamona Creek Phone: (610) 458-8703

(Please feel free to share this email with friends/neighbors who may find this information helpful)

‘Jump Rope for Heart’ Gets Hopping This Week

Jump Rope for Heart, a national heart healthy fundraising event, celebrates more than 25 years of teaching kids the importance of a healthy heart by supporting the American Heart Association’s research for heart disease and stroke. Families are encouraged to “Live Heart Healthy” by modeling good nutrition and physical activity. Your efforts can truly make a difference.

DID YOU KNOW?

• Your heart is the strongest muscle in your body.
• Your body has six quarts of blood, which circulate through your body three times every minute.
• In one day’s time, your heart pumps blood 12,000 miles through your body. That’s four times the distance across the United States from coast to coast.

Parents are invited to support the students during Shamona Creek’s Jump Rope for Heart event, which will take place between February 19 and 26 during Physical Education classes.

DETAILS

• Students will attempt to break school-wide Jump Rope records during class.
• All students will participate, so no parent signatures are necessary.
• Fundraising is always voluntary, never mandatory.
• If you choose to raise funds or contribute*, then your student will receive a chance to win the “Fitness Basket” for every $50 raised. This is in addition to the Jump Rope for Heart prizes and DUCKS! ($100 = 2 changes, etc.)
• The homeroom that raises the most money will win the school’s “Heart Trophy,” which is currently in Mrs. Dortone’s 5th grade classroom as last year’s winning class.
• Fundraising envelopes, which were sent home with your children earlier this month, should be returned to their PE class before February 26. (Check those bookbags for a pink paper with a Jump Rope for Heart envelope.)

* You can also create your own online fundraising site at www.americanheart.org/jump. The envelope that was sent home also contains more detail.

Happening Tonight! A Big Topic for Modern Families: Social Media, Messaging & Youth

All DASD parents are invited to join in a conversation about living with technology and reconnecting with your kids. There will be a meeting tonight – Thursday, February 12 at 7 pm – at the Marsh Creek Sixth Grade Center.

Michael Blanche, MSS, LCSW, a counselor specializing in adolescents and young adults will be the guest speaker. He is well known for his insightful presentations that address the real-world challenges facing adolescents and young adults. He will share his observations about how our kids are being impacted by social media, the “misinformation highway,” the availability of substances, and more.

He will be joined by Jonathan Blow, DASD Technology Integration Coordinator, and Kristie Burk, DASD’s Ivy Academy Director. (Kristie is also a Shamona Creek mom.)

The goal of the meeting is to help parents navigate the damaging messages children are receiving and the overexposure to media and technology. The conversation will also include ways to encourage a healthy balance with technology.

All are welcome to attend. No RSVP required.

RSVP for Pizza Bingo B-4 all the Seats are G-0 N-3

The SCHSA invites you to enjoy a fun-filled family event: PIZZA BINGO!  

Date: Friday, February 27
Time: 6-8 pm
Doors open at 6 pm.
Pizza served at 6:15 pm.
Bingo begins at 6:45 pm.

Important: This is a limited seating event and will be first come, first served Please RSVP before February 20.

A little competition among family and friends, along with dinner and raffles are sure to be memories your family will cherish forever. Bingo card packs are $4 each and must be purchased in advance to reserve a table for your family. Pizza will be $12 and also must be pre-ordered.  You are invited to bring a peanut/nut-free dessert for your family to share and drinks will be available for purchase that evening.

To reserve your table and preorder your pizza/bingo cards, you must complete the ORDER FORM and return it to school in an envelope marked “PIZZA BINGO” by FEBRUARY 20. All checks payable to SCHSA.

Your Bingo cards, raffle tickets and pizza orders will be waiting for you at the door on the night of the event.

Volunteers are needed for this event. If you are interested and available, please contact the organizers.

Questions:  Contact Ann Durkin or Mary Sperling.

Let’s get ready to … BOX TOP!

The challenge has been issued! It is a good old fashioned Box Tops for Education throw down.

WHICH homeroom class will win the Box Top Challenge? Will it be your son’s? Will it be your daughter’s?

Only time will tell, but we do know this … you need to clip it to win it!

How does our Box Top challenge work?
Cut Box Tops for Education labels off eligible products. Check the expiration date, and then send in your Box Tops to your child’s homeroom teacher between February 9 until the end of the school day on Friday, February 20. The winning class will be announced on Wednesday, February 25.

>>> Here’s a handy dandy tally sheet to make the reams of Box Tops easier to count. { PRINT: Box Top Collection Sheet }

What’s the big prize?
Each student in the class with the most Box Tops collected per student will win 15 Spring Fair game tickets. Also, the winning teacher will receive a $15 Target gift card.

Why, oh why, do we collect Box Tops?
Collecting Box Tops is a fun and easy way to raise money for our school. For every Box Top we submit, Shamona Creek earns $.10. So far this year, we have earned $1,284! Our goal for the school year is $2,000 and we can only achieve that with a little help from our parents.

So, sharpen your scissors and be on the look out for that Box Top logo on a variety of food packaging that you probably already have in your pantry. Start your Box Top collection now and send them in with your sons and daughters between February 9 and 20. May the best Box Toppers win!

Click here for more details about Box Tops for Education and products that participate in the program.

The LOVE Tree will be filled with heartfelt words

In November, the students filled the school’s giving tree with hundreds of stars and shared everything for which they were thankful. They filled the entire tree!

In this month of Valentine’s, the students have been asked to write what they LOVE. Did your child send in their completed heart? If so, what did they say was most important to them?

It’s not too late to return those hearts to their homeroom teachers and have their sweet thoughts fill the tree once again.

The Superbowl is over, but the ‘Souper Bowl’ is not

Downingtown’s 5th grade students are taking part in a district-wide “Souper Bowl,” which ends this Friday, February 6.

The purpose of this cooperative activity is to help others. Fifth graders are encouraged to bring in a can of soup or a food item (see below) to be placed in the boxes outside their classrooms. When finished, all the items collected from all schools will be taken to the Lord’s Pantry in Downingtown to help others. The collective goal is 1,800 cans!

All food items should be brought to school by this Friday. Here are the types of items that the Lord’s Pantry tries to keep in stock. Please feel free to choose anything from the list.

BEVERAGES
Coffee
Juice

BOXED GOODS
Spaghetti, Pasta or Rice
Macaroni & Cheese dinner
Instant Potatoes
Breakfast Cereal

CANNED GOODS
Spaghetti Sauce
Fruits
Vegetables
Tuna
Ham
Chicken
Stew and Pasta Meals
Soup
Beans

MISCELLANEOUS
Peanut Butter & Jelly
Sugar
Flour
Oil
Pancake Mix & Syrup