School Newsletter - Shamona Creek Elementary School

Dr. Susi's "Week at the Creek" Updates

2024-2025

April 3rd, 2025

Good Afternoon, Shamona Creek Families!

Here are some updates for this Week at the Creek:

COIN FUNDRAISER for EAGLES FOR AUTISM FOUNDATION

We are just starting our annual Eagles for Autism Foundation Fundraiser again this year. You may remember that we had visitors from the foundation and from the Eagles here last year after SC won the Coin Challenge for DASD! If you have spare change, this is a great organization to donate to. The bin will be in the lobby for our students to donate. Please see attached flier for more details.

NEWS FROM HSA:

THANK YOU TO ALL VOLUNTEERS WHO HELPED WITH THE GLOW DANCE!

Our HSA Board’s 2-year term is coming to an end this spring, which means we in need of a new Board. We will be hosting an HSA Meeting next Monday, April 7^th, at 6:30 pm in the MPR for anyone who may be interested in volunteering or joining the Board. Even if you do not want to take on a board position, consider attending the meeting. We could use any help that you are willing to give!

If you are interesting in attending Monday’s meeting to be a part of the board OR if you are interested in being a part of the board but unable to attend, please fill out this google form: https://forms.gle/2YDe7cZ8yd7EuZm36

Do you already enjoy volunteering at school events and planning & collaborating with others? If so, then consider being a part of the team who makes the fun at Shamona possible! All our HSA Board positions are opening come June of 2025, and we are looking for a group of parent volunteers to step into these open roles.

So come and join us and become a part of the team that helps create core memories for our Sharks during these early years! And don't forget, you can always grab a friend to share the work and join as co-positions!

Should you have any questions on any of the positions, feel free to email those questions to ShamonaCreekHSA@gmail.com

Yearbooks are on sale!

Purchase one today:

https://shamonacreekhsa.ptboard.com/formvw?store=5272&form=10

DASD SUMMER SPORTS CAMPS:

DASD Sports Programs host a variety of different camps over the summer. As soon as I get the information from these programs, I will forward to you. Please see this link for the information we have at this point:

DASD Spring & Summer 2025 Sports Opportunities

DASD CALENDAR:

Here is the link to the 2024-25 School Year District Calendar: 24-25 DASD Calendar

SOCIAL MEDIA:

Facebook: Shamona Creek Elementary

Instagram: @dasd_sc

X: @DASD_SC

Have a great week!

Dr. Susi

March 25th, 2025

Good Afternoon, Shamona Creek Families!

Here are some updates for this Week at the Creek:

Reading on the Reef

Our Shark School is making a splash with a new "Reading on the Reef" program! Thank you for all of the donations. Our students have been reading in the morning before school every day!

ESARS (2^nd trimester)

Our Elementary Standards Achievement Reports (ESARs/report cards) are available in the Infinite Campus Parent Portal. Look in the “documents” tab.

DRAMA CLUB—Finding Nemo Information

Admission Tickets for Finding Nemo, JR Evening Performance are now available to purchase! Join us on April 10th at 6:30pm. Doors open at 5:45pm.

Admission is $3 per ticket and tickets are available to purchase now through Thursday, April 10th at 11am.

Purchase Admission Tickets Here:

https://shamonacreekhsa.ptboard.com/formvw?store=5272&form=14

We are also excited to raffle off VIP Seats in the first 2 rows for our show. We will have two winners: One will win 4 Front Row Seats and the other will win 4 Second Row Seats for the evening performance of Finding Nemo, JR.

The Virtual Raffle for VIP Seats will go live on Monday, March 31st. We will accept entries until Monday, April 7th at 8pm and will draw both winners on Tuesday, April 9th. You must still purchase admission tickets to attend the performance. This raffle is only for the VIP seating and does not include admission to the show.

Purchase VIP Seats Raffle Tickets Here:

http://shamonavipparkingraffle.betterworld.org/giveaways/vip-seats-finding-nemo-jr-first

Spring Book Fair

Our Spring Book Fair is right around the corner. The Book Fair starts April 7^th, during your child’s Library day, and ends on April 15^th right before Spring Break! We will have a Family Night on April 8^th 5:30 to 7:30 and we will be open after the evening production of Finding Nemo on April 10^th. Because of your support during our Fall Book Fair we were able to purchase over $5,000 in new books for our Library!! We are working hard to update our collection and entice our students to become lifelong readers. We have a suggestion box and the students are excited to have input in our collection of books. I have attached links to our schedule, our flyer with eWallet directions and a link to volunteer during your child’s Book Fair time. As always, thank you for your support! -Janet Savastio

Book Fair Volunteer Link

Book Fair hours and classroom times

eWallet directions

NEWS FROM HSA:

Let's GLOW Crazy!! Tickets for Shamona Creek's Glow Dance on March 28th from 6pm to 8pm are on sale now through March 28th at 12pm.

This special GLOW themed dance is for all Shamona students and their favorite grownup (s). Dress in your favorite glow gear - the room will be filled with black lights and colors so anything neon or white is great to really glow! All students must be accompanied by an adult to attend the dance.

**Due to capacity limits for our multi purpose room, this dance is limited to SHAMONA STUDENTS ONLY and 2 ADULTS per family. For example: If your family has 3 students at the school currently, those students can invite 2 grown ups total as their favorite people to join them for this special night. If you have 1 student at Shamona, that student can invite 2 grown ups only as their favorite people for this special night.

Tickets include complimentary bottled water.

Purchase Tickets HERE: https://shamonacreekhsa.ptboard.com/formvw?store=5272&form=13

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!!

We need your help to transform the multi purpose room into the most epic GLOW DANCE and to make sure the night of the dance runs smoothly. Remember, the more volunteers involved, the more special we can make this event for our students.

**We specifically need volunteers to help with cleanup on Monday, 3/31. We cannot have the dance without these specific volunteers so please consider volunteering.

Volunteer Here: https://shamonacreekhsa.ptboard.com/sgnvw?signup=bc4d9c79-3cb2-462c-9852-94da5bcd31b0~s.9223370296075745648

If you signed up to drop off decorations, please drop them off in the lobby by Thursday, 3/27 at 4pm. Make sure all your decorations are labeled with your name. You will also receive the items back after cleanup on 3/31.

If you volunteer for setup or cleanup, please note the different days and times needed. Thank you for your help!

We look forward to this special event for our Shamona Creek Students!

Yearbooks are on sale!

Purchase one today:

https://shamonacreekhsa.ptboard.com/formvw?store=5272&form=10

DASD SUMMER SPORTS CAMPS:

DASD Sports Programs host a variety of different camps over the summer. As soon as I get the information from these programs, I will forward to you. Please see the two attached.

DASD CALENDAR:

Here is the link to the 2024-25 School Year District Calendar: 24-25 DASD Calendar

SOCIAL MEDIA:

Facebook: Shamona Creek Elementary

Instagram: @dasd_sc

X: @DASD_SC

Have a great week!

Dr. Susi

March 7th, 2025

Good Afternoon, Shamona Creek Families!

Here are some updates for this Week at the Creek.

Reading on the Reef

Our Shark School is making a splash with a new "Reading on the Reef" program! We’re creating a communal book cart where students can catch a good book and read before school. But we need your help to stock the reef with great reads! Our needs include: Picture books, chapter books, and graphic novels Engaging non-fiction books Popular series and student favorites.

Barnes & Noble Night

We had another fun filled family night at our annual Barnes & Noble event. It’s a great night to bring our families and friends together and it gives us an opportunity to showcase our Band, Chorus, Strings, Hype Squad and Student Council. A big thank you to everyone who donated their time to making this such a fun and successful yearly event!! The library just received a gift card valued at $400.49 from Barnes & Nobles for our participation!! Home & School also had a very nice turnout at Snap Pizza! Thank you, Janet Savastio

NEWS FROM HSA:

Let's GLOW Crazy!! You are invited to Shamona Creek's Glow Dance on March 28th from 6pm to 8pm.

Join us for a special GLOW themed dance for all Shamona students and their favorite grownup (s). Dress in your favorite glow gear - the room will be filled with black lights and colors so anything neon or white is great to really glow!

Buy tickets now and take advantage of the early bird special pricing through Sunday, March 16th. After March 16th, tickets will be full price. Tickets include complimentary refreshments.

Purchase Tickets HERE: https://shamonacreekhsa.ptboard.com/formvw?store=5272&form=13

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!!

We specifically need volunteers to monitor the doorways and halls during the dance to help keep the students safe. We cannot have the dance without these specific volunteers so please consider volunteering for one of those sessions.

Volunteer Here: https://shamonacreekhsa.ptboard.com/sgnvw?signup=bc4d9c79-3cb2-462c-9852-94da5bcd31b0~s.9223370296075745648

If you sign up to donate decorations, we will reach out to you directly to see what they are specifically and if we can use them. You will also receive the items back after the dance.

If you volunteer for setup or cleanup, please note the different days and times needed. Thank you for your help!

**Due to capacity limits for our multi purpose room, this dance is limited to SHAMONA STUDENTS ONLY and 2 ADULTS per family. For example: If your family has 3 students at the school currently, those students can invite 2 grown ups total as their favorite people to join them for this special night. If you have 1 student at Shamona, that student can invite 2 grown ups only as their favorite people for this special night.

We look forward to this special event for our Shamona Creek Students!

Yearbooks are on sale!

Purchase one today:

https://shamonacreekhsa.ptboard.com/formvw?store=5272&form=10

Please see the attached flier from the Downingtown Community Education Foundation regarding the upcoming Wizards game, including how to purchase tickets!

DASD Sports Programs host a variety of different camps over the summer. As soon as I get the information from these programs, I will forward to you. Please see the two attached.

Here is the link to the 2024-25 School Year District Calendar: 24-25 DASD Calendar

SOCIAL MEDIA:

Facebook: Shamona Creek Elementary

Instagram: @dasd_sc

X: @DASD_SC

Have a great week!

Dr. Susi

February 21, 2025

Good Afternoon, Shamona Creek Families!

Here are some updates for this Week at the Creek.

The science fair committee needs your help! We are looking for 1 or 2 parents who would be interested in helping chaperone at the Chester County Science Research Competition on March 12^th from 9:30 - 1:30. Your responsibilities would include:

Guide students to the restrooms and snack area
Help maintain an orderly and safe environment
Help ensure all participants follow safety guidelines
Support our budding scientists with encouragement

Be ready to get some steps in! Please note, chaperones will need to be a neutral party, meaning they should have no knowledge of the competition. All chaperones must have the following clearances on file:

PA State Police Criminal Record Check (Act 34)
PA Child Abuse History Clearance (Act 151)
FBI Criminal Background Check (fingerprinting)

If you are interested in helping as a chaperone, please email Lynn McLaughlin at Lmclaughlin@dasd.org.

SOUPER BOWL COLLECTION

Our SC 5^th grade students collected 242 cans of soup to donate to the Lord’s Pantry. Thank you for our families for supporting our collection!

HSA Updates:

A big thank you to everyone who contributed to our Teacher Appreciation Souper Bowl lunch! It was a big success and the teachers and staff loved it.

And thank you to all of the performers and attendees at the talent show. We were impressed by all of the talented Shamona Sharks and are already looking forward to next year!

Yearbooks are on sale!

Purchase one today:

https://shamonacreekhsa.ptboard.com/formvw?store=5272&form=10

A big THANK YOU to this year's Shark Sponsors!

To learn more about those businesses who are proud Shark Sponsors, please click here:

https://shamonacreekhsa.ptboard.com/school/cm?mid=4628

DASD SUMMER SPORTS CAMPS:

DASD Sports Programs host a variety of different camps over the summer. As soon as I get the information from these programs, I will forward to you. Please see the two attached.

DASD Preschool Outreach Programs:

Please see the attached flier on upcoming preschool outreach programs.

Please see the attached flier from the Downingtown Community Education Foundation regarding the upcoming Wizards game!

Here is the link to the 2024-25 School Year District Calendar: 24-25 DASD Calendar

SOCIAL MEDIA:

Facebook: Shamona Creek Elementary

Instagram: @dasd_sc

X: @DASD_SC

Have a great week!

Dr. Susi

February 3rd, 2025

Good Afternoon, Shamona Creek Families!

Here are some updates for this Week at the Creek.

Friday 2/7:

SPIRIT DAY: This Friday will be Eagles/NFL Spirit Day! Students are invited to wear Eagles gear/Green or the color of gear from their favorite NFL team.

SOUPER BOWL COLLECTION

Our 5^th grade students are getting ready for the Souper Bowl, which is a district -wide service project completed by our 5^th grade students. It is an easy opportunity for fifth graders across the district to participate in a charitable activity that benefits our community. This is a canned food drive donates food to the Lord’s Pantry. Last year, fifth graders collected over 4,500 cans. Let's keep it up!

NEWS FROM HSA:

It's that time of year again! The Super Bowl and the Souper Bowl are right around the corner! Please sign up to spoil our teachers and staff here:

https://shamonacreekhsa.ptboard.com/sgnvw?signup=bc4d9c79-3cb2-462c-9852-94da5bcd31b0~s.9223370298918292112

Short on time, but still want to help? You can make a cash donation here:

https://shamonacreekhsa.ptboard.com/formvw?store=5272&form=9

And the Shamona Creek Talent Show is happening Friday, February 7th at 6 pm. Get your FREE tickets to watch our talented performers here:

https://shamonacreekhsa.ptboard.com/formvw?store=5272&form=8

DASD CALENDAR:

Here is the link to the 2024-25 School Year District Calendar: 24-25 DASD Calendar

SOCIAL MEDIA:

Facebook: Shamona Creek Elementary

Instagram: @dasd_sc

X: @DASD_SC

Have a great week!

Dr. Susi

February 3rd, 2025 (Pizza Bingo)

Good Afternoon, Shamona Families!

We’re so excited Pizza Bingo is coming Friday, February 21st. Tickets are on sale now! This event WILL SELL OUT due to the capacity of the room, so GET YOUR TICKETS TODAY.

Doors open at 5:30 pm and bingo begins at 6:00 pm.

You must purchase one bingo pack for each attendee. Each bingo pack includes 5 rounds. You can also purchase additional packs to increase your chances of winning.

PLEASE NOTE:

Seating is “open style” so please plan to make room, snuggle up, and meet your fellow shark families.

Be sure to bring your own NA-beverages/snacks/paper products & utensils.

Pizza is for pre-order only. There will be no pizza sold the night of the event.

There will also be a bake sale to support the Shamona Creek Student Assistance Fund.

Click here to purchase bingo tickets, pizza, and raffle tickets:

Click here to donate to the bake sale:

https://shamonacreekhsa.ptboard.com/sgnvw?signup=bc4d9c79-3cb2-462c-9852-94da5bcd31b0~s.9223370300563721077

Have a great evening,

Dr. Susi

January 22nd, 2025

Good Afternoon, Shamona Creek Families!

Here are some updates for this Week at the Creek.

CHANGE IN SPIRIT DAY. We are postponing teachers/students look alike day to a later date. This Friday will be Eagles/NFL Spirit Day! Students are invited to wear Eagles gear/Green or the color of gear from their favorite NFL team.

News from Home and School:

We're excited to announce that the Shamona Creek Talent Show is coming Friday, February 7th! See the attached flyer and click here to sign up:

https://shamonacreekhsa.ptboard.com/formvw?store=5272&form=5

Save the date for Pizza Bingo on Friday, February 21st!

DASD CALENDAR:

Here is the link to the 2024-25 School Year District Calendar: 24-25 DASD Calendar

SOCIAL MEDIA:

Facebook: Shamona Creek Elementary

Instagram: @dasd_sc

X: @DASD_SC

Have a great week!

Dr. Susi

January 9th, 2025

Good Afternoon, Shamona Creek Families!

Here are some updates for this Week at the Creek:

Just a reminder that our morning drop-off car line ends at 8:55 AM. If you are planning to drop off your child, please have them here by that time. If you arrive after 8:55, you will need to park and walk your child into the school. Please do not drop off your child in the carline if there is no adult standing outside (8:30-8:55), as the doors are locked after that time.

We are currently having an issue with an increased use of smart watches throughout the school day here at SC, most likely because many students received a smart watch as a holiday gift. Students are not permitted to use their smart watch during the day to text or make phone calls, just like we do not allow students to have access to their cell phones during the school day. If a student needs to call home for any reason, we have phones in every classroom and they can do so with the assistance of their teacher. Teachers are reinforcing this in the classroom and if the watch is repeatedly misused in the classroom, then we will ask the student to leave it in their backpack. Thank you for reinforcing this with your child.

We are opening up the Shark Shop again in a few weeks. Sign-up to help at the Shark Shop using this link:

Get ready for Shamona Creek’s Annual Community Night at Barnes and Noble, Monday, January 13th from 6:00- 8:00 PM. Please join our Student Council, Teachers, and Hype Squad in supporting our Chorus, Orchestra, and Band!!! Come hungry, Snap Pizza is donating 33% of sales back to our Home & School!!! If you decide to eat at Snap Pizza, please bring the Snap Coupon with you!! We hope to see you there!!! Please see additional information attached.

Our 5^th grade students are getting ready for the Souper Bowl, which is a district -wide service project completed by our 5^th grade students. It is an easy opportunity for fifth graders across the district to participate in a charitable activity that benefits our community. This is a canned food drive donates food to the Lor the more food we as a fifth-grade team can donate to Lord’s Pantry. Last year, fifth graders collected over 4,500 cans. Let's keep it up! Please see the attached flier for more information.

News from Home and School:

https://shamonacreekhsa.ptboard.com/formvw?store=5272&form=5

Save the date for Pizza Bingo on Friday, February 21st! See the attached flyer.

Please see the attachment for information on DARC programs that will be offered at SC this Spring.

Here is the link to the 2024-25 School Year District Calendar: 24-25 DASD Calendar

SOCIAL MEDIA:

Facebook: Shamona Creek Elementary

Instagram: @dasd_sc

X: @DASD_SC

Have a great week!

Dr. Susi

December 17th, 2024

Good Morning, Shamona Creek Families!

Here are some updates for this Week at the Creek:

INCOMING KINDERGARTEN OPEN HOUSE:

Districtwide full-day kindergarten is coming to DASD in fall of 2025! Please click the link below to register to visit SC on Wednesday, January 8^th from 4:00-4:45 to learn more about Downingtown Area School District’s full-day kindergarten program. In addition, please see the attached documents regarding full-day kindergarten.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScndUo7GNlfLk82wM1D-J0q-bnONasq-0m_YJaaUcuUTzLQKA/viewform?usp=sf_link

PRESCHOOL OUTREACH PROGRAM:

The next event, Books & PJs, preschool families can choose to join us on Monday, January 6 at Shamona Creek Elementary or on Tuesday, January 7 at Pickering Valley Elementary for some interactive read-aloud stories. All the details can be found in the attached flyer if you would please consider sharing it with your families.

WINTER RECESS GUIDELINES:

Anytime it is 25 degrees or above (with wind-chill included), the playground is relatively clear, and there is no precipitation, we will have outdoor recess. Children should wear coats, hats, and gloves to go outside during the cold weather.

We will have indoor recess anytime the temperature falls below 25 degrees, actual temperature or with wind-chill. We appreciate your cooperation in sending your child to school dressed properly for the outdoors.

ANNUAL BARNES AND NOBLE NIGHT:

Get ready for Shamona Creek’s Annual Community Night at Barnes and Noble. January 13th 6:00- 8:00. Please join our Student Council, Teachers, and Hype Squad in supporting our Chorus, Orchestra, and Band!!! Come hungry, Snap Pizza is donating 33% of sales back to our Home & School!!! We hope to see you there!!!

FROM OUR LIBRARIAN:

Shout out to everyone who made this Fall Book Fair a success! We will receive over $5,600 from Scholastic, which will go directly back into the library. Through a Home and School donation and Share the Fair funds, every child received a book and trinket. We were also able to purchase over 20 hardback books from the fair. Plus, an additional 10% profit will automatically be added to our Spring Book Fair. Thank you!!! – Janet Savastio

STUDENT COUNCIL:

The Shamona Creek Student Council thanks all of our SC families for your donations during our Thanksgiving Food Drive. Please see the attached documents to see who benefitted from this amazing drive. Also, in January, the Student Council will be collecting Peanut Butter and Jelly for Martin Luther King Day.

DOWNINGTOWN WEST YOUTH LACROSSE CLINIC:

Please click the link below if you would like to register your child for a youth lacrosse clinic held at Downingown West gymnasiaum. This clinic is open to students in grades 1-8 and is run by the DWHS Varsity Girls Lacrosse coach Emily Ernest.

Downingtown West Girls’ Lacrosse Youth Clinic:

https://forms.gle/Sf4dWMwnimUiukvZ7

SPIRIT DAYS:

12/18 - Grinch Day

12/19 - Snowman Day

12/20 - Pajama Day

LOST AND FOUND:

Over the holiday break, we will be donating any lost and found items that have not been claimed.

DASD CALENDAR:

Here is the link to the 2024-25 School Year District Calendar: 24-25 DASD Calendar

SOCIAL MEDIA:

Facebook: Shamona Creek Elementary

Instagram: @dasd_sc

X: @DASD_SC

Have a great week!

Mrs. Fiske

December 9th, 2024

Good Afternoon, Shamona Creek Families!

Here are some updates for this Week at the Creek:

INCOMING KINDERGARTEN OPEN HOUSE:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScndUo7GNlfLk82wM1D-J0q-bnONasq-0m_YJaaUcuUTzLQKA/viewform?usp=sf_link

WINTER RECESS GUIDELINES:

HOLIDAY GIFT COLLECTION:

Help spread holiday cheer at the Creek! Your generosity will brighten the lives of our Sharks and their families regardless of any challenges they may be facing. If you would like to donate to the 2024 Holiday Gift collection, please deliver your new unwrapped gift or gift card to the school lobby by Friday, December 13th. Be sure to include the Child Number on the gift and/or card.

Happy Holidays!

Please review the available slots below and click on the button to sign up:

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C084BA4AA2CA4F4CF8-53208105-2024?scrlybrkr=43f4296d#/

STUDENT COUNCIL:

The Shamona Creek Student Council thanks all our SC families for your donations during our Thanksgiving Food Drive. Please see the attached documents to see who benefitted from this amazing drive. Also, in January, the Student Council will be collecting Peanut Butter and Jelly for Martin Luther King Day.

DOWNINGTOWN WEST YOUTH LACROSSE CLINIC:

Please click the link below if you would like to register your child for a youth lacrosse clinic held at Downingtown West gymnasium. This clinic is open to students in grades 1-8 and is run by the DWHS Varsity Girls Lacrosse coach Emily Ernest.

Downingtown West Girls’ Lacrosse Youth Clinic:

https://forms.gle/Sf4dWMwnimUiukvZ7

WINTER CONCERT:

Just a reminder for families with students in our music program that our band, orchestra, and chorus concert is on Thursday, December 12 @ 6:30 pm.

SPIRIT DAYS:

12/16 - Holiday Headgear Day

12/17 - Holiday Sweater Day

12/18 - Grinch Day

12/19 - Snowman Day

12/20 - Pajama Day

LOST AND FOUND:

Over the holiday break, we will be donating any lost and found items that have not been claimed.

DASD CALENDAR:

Here is the link to the 2024-25 School Year District Calendar: 24-25 DASD Calendar

SOCIAL MEDIA:

Facebook: Shamona Creek Elementary

Instagram: @dasd_sc

X: @DASD_SC

Have a great week!

Mrs. Fiske

December 3rd, 2024 (Holiday Shop)

Please read the following information from the Shamona Creek HSA.

The Reindeer Lane Holiday Gift Shop is coming to Shamona Creek December 9th - 13th with exciting gifts for the entire family!

Students will have the opportunity to choose from more than 100 different gift items ranging in price from .25 to $20. These gifts have been chosen with quality in mind, and are both popular and useful.

Each student will shop once with their class. Please see the attached schedule to view when your student(s) will be shopping.

There will be a make-up shopping day on December 13th for those students who may be absent during the week. The shop will also be open the evening of December 11th from 5 to 6:30 pm.

A "Gift List" budget envelope will be sent home with your student and should be filled out and returned to school along with cash or check made payable to Shamona Creek Home and School Association. You may also purchase an online gift voucher, please visit:

http://reindeerlane.com/voucher.php for your child to use for purchasing gifts the day they shop. If you send a check, please leave the amount blank (you will set your child's spending limit on the envelope.)

Please note: there is a $1.50 convenience fee for using an online voucher and there is a $10 minimum for the vouchers. Families must purchase one voucher for each child.

We are looking forward to this event and can’t wait to experience the holiday season through the eyes of our sharks!

WE NEED YOUR HELP! If you would like to volunteer with the shop, there are plenty of spaces left and this event will not be successful without volunteers.

Please sign up here:

https://shamonacreekhsa.ptboard.com/sgnvw?signup=bc4d9c79-3cb2-462c-9852-94da5bcd31b0~s.9223370306109367616

December 2nd, 2024

Good Afternoon, Shamona Creek Families!

Here are some updates for this Week at the Creek:

ESARS:

First-trimester report cards/ESARs are available on Friday, December 6th in Infinite Campus/Parent Portal in the backpack

STANDARD-BASED GRADING:

The purpose of grading is to communicate student performance, the indicator should represent what a student knows and is able to do. Grading is based on PA State Standards, so we call this Standards-Based Grading. The focus is on learning progress, where the Indicators of Success reflect your child's understanding and growth, rather than just a final score based on accumulated points. We have four indicators for grade-level standards, and our proficiency scale is a range of 1-4:

1-Limited progress towards the standard
2-Approaching the standard
3-Meets the standard
4-Exceeds the standard

Your child will engage in a variety of assessments. Assessments are not only “tests” and “quizzes.” An assessment can be informal - a small group discussion with whiteboards - or more formal, such as a Unit Test in Math. All types of assessments help measure your child’s proficiency towards, or mastery of, each grade-level standard. Here are some types of assessments we will do this year:

Classroom activities and discussions
Quizzes and tests focused on specific skills
Projects, experiments, and hands-on activities
Observations of your child's learning behaviors and participation

One other point to note about grading is that assessment grades and report card grades communicate different information. Assessment grades are communicating performance on what has been taught. Report card grades communicate progress towards end-of-year standards.

Receiving a "3" on an assessment indicates that your child showed mastery of the standards assessed on that task. Report cards communicate mastery of the end-of-the-year standards which may include items that extend beyond the assessments that are scored and sent home.

Teachers determine the final proficiency score for a standard by considering a body of evidence including performance on assessments, classwork, and observations of student learning. Teachers will share more information at conferences, but in the meantime, take a look at the DASD website on elementary grading at this link: https://www.dasd.org/departments/teaching-and-learning/elementary-assessment-and-grading

FULL-DAY KINDERGARTEN OPEN HOUSE:

Districtwide full-day kindergarten is coming to DASD in the fall of 2025! Please click the link below to register to visit SC on Wednesday, January 8^th from 4:00-4:45 to learn more about Downingtown Area School District’s full-day kindergarten program.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScndUo7GNlfLk82wM1D-J0q-bnONasq-0m_YJaaUcuUTzLQKA/viewform?usp=sf_link

WINTER RECESS GUIDELINES:

HOLIDAY GIFT COLLECTION:

Happy Holidays!

Please review the available slots below and click on the button to sign up:

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C084BA4AA2CA4F4CF8-53208105-2024?scrlybrkr=43f4296d#/

HSA:

Reindeer Lane Holiday Shop

We are very excited that Reindeer Lane Holiday Shop is coming to Shamona Creek December 9 - 13. This is the perfect way to bring holiday fun and excitement to our school. Our students will experience the joy of shopping for family and friends from the safety of their own school.

More information about shopping will be coming soon, but right now we need volunteers! This week of shopping will not be possible without your help.

We recommend choosing a volunteer time slot for your student's grade, but not their teacher. Most students will be shopping for their family and will want the gifts to be a surprise.

Please sign up here:

https://shamonacreekhsa.ptboard.com/sgnvw?signup=bc4d9c79-3cb2-462c-9852-94da5bcd31b0~s.9223370306109367616

SCHOLASTIC BOOK FAIR:

Message from our Librarian

Wahoo!! Our Fall Book Fair is open!!

The Book Fair will be open to the students from Thursday, November 21^st – Thursday, December 5th^th. We will also be open during conference times and the night of Fin’s International Cultural Heritage Night.

Fin’s International Cultural Heritage Night

Thursday, December 5^th 5:30 – 7:30 (Fin’s International Cultural Night starts at 6:00)

Parent Volunteer Sign-Up for Book Fair

Schedule for Student's Classroom Shopping Days

E-wallet Setup We also accept good old cash!

In addition, The newest Dog Man book- Big Jim Begins will arrive on December 3^rd. Please let Mrs. Savastio know if you would like her to put a copy on hold for you or your child.

Email jsavastio@dasd.org

Hard Cover $15.89 (including tax)

See the attached picture for the book cover.

CULTURAL HERITAGE DAY AND FIN’S INTERNATIONAL FAMILY NIGHT@SC:

Help us celebrate our diverse cultures at Shamona Creek by attending Shamona Creek's Cultural Heritage Day and Fin's International Family Night, both taking place on Thursday, December 5th. This is a change from previous years' events which took place in the spring.

WINTER CONCERT:

Just a reminder for families with students in our music program that our band, orchestra, and chorus concert is on Thursday, December 12 @ 6:30 pm.

SPIRIT DAYS:

12/5 - Wear blue/purple or something from your culture

12/6 - Shamona Creek Spirit Wear

12/16 - Holiday Headgear Day

12/17 - Holiday Sweater Day

12/18 - Grinch Day

12/19 - Snowman Day

12/20 - Pajama Day

LOST AND FOUND:

Over the holiday break, we will donate any lost and found items that have not been claimed.

THE SHARK SHOP:

We are opening up the Shark Shop again in a few weeks. Shop our Amazon Wishlist to help us stock the shop!

Shark Shop Amazon Wishlist-

https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/HQ0X3J2N0OY4?ref_=wl_share

DASD CALENDAR:

Here is the link to the 2024-25 School Year District Calendar: 24-25 DASD Calendar

SOCIAL MEDIA:

Facebook: Shamona Creek Elementary

Instagram: @dasd_sc

X: @DASD_SC

Have a great week!

Mrs. Fiske

November 19th, 2024

Good Afternoon, Shamona Creek Families!

Here are some updates for this Week at the Creek:

CONFERENCES:

Please see the attachment to sign-up for for Parent-Teacher Conferences that are taking place next week.

STANDARD-BASED GRADING:

1-Limited progress towards the standard
2-Approaching the standard
3-Meets the standard
4-Exceeds the standard

Classroom activities and discussions
Quizzes and tests focused on specific skills
Projects, experiments, and hands-on activities
Observations of your child's learning behaviors and participation

TURKEYS AND GIFT CARDS FOR THANKSGIVING:

Thank you for helping to ensure all our Shamona Creek families can savor a special holiday meal together, despite the challenges they may be facing. We are still in need of turkeys and gift cards. Please review the available slots below and click to sign up if you’re able to donate a turkey or gift card.

Turkeys may be dropped off at the school November 18-21.

Gift cards to Giant or Target may be dropped off at the school November 7-21 (place gift cards in a sealed envelope labeled "Thanksgiving Meal Donation").

In addition, please see the attached food drive flyer for ways to support families this season.

Please review the available slots below and click on the button to sign up:

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C084BA4AA2CA4F4CF8-52424442-turkeys?scrlybrkr=1c8d6abd#/

HOLIDAY GIFT COLLECTION:

Happy Holidays!

Please review the available slots below and click on the button to sign up:

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C084BA4AA2CA4F4CF8-53208105-2024?scrlybrkr=43f4296d#/

HSA:

Reindeer Lane Holiday Shop

More information about shopping will be coming soon, but right now we need volunteers! This week of shopping will not be possible without your help.

We recommend choosing a volunteer time slot for your student's grade, but not their teacher. Most students will be shopping for their family and will want the gifts to be a surprise.

Please sign up here:

https://shamonacreekhsa.ptboard.com/sgnvw?signup=bc4d9c79-3cb2-462c-9852-94da5bcd31b0~s.9223370306109367616

SCHOLASTIC BOOK FAIR:

Message from our Librarian

Wahoo!! Our Fall Book Fair is just around the corner!!

Conference Day Book Fair Times

Monday, November 25^th 2:00 – 4:00 pm and 6:00 – 7:30 pm
Tuesday, November 26^th 8:00 am – 3:00 pm

Fin’s International Cultural Heritage Night

Thursday, December 5^th 5:30 – 7:30 (Fin’s International Cultural Night starts at 6:00)

Parent Volunteer Sign-Up for Book Fair

Schedule for Student's Classroom Shopping Days

E-wallet Setup We also accept good old cash!

CULTURAL HERITAGE DAY AND FIN’S INTERNATIONAL FAMILY NIGHT@SC:

Help us celebrate our diverse cultures at Shamona Creek by participating in Shamona Creek's Cultural Heritage Day and Fin's International Family Night, both taking place on Thursday, December 5th. This is a change from previous years' events which took place in the spring.

We are looking for students who would like to participate in our international assembly during the day by dancing, playing an instrument, sharing a language, or telling a traditional story.
We are looking for families who would like to share their culture during the nighttime event from 6:00-7:30. Ideas for hosting a table include sharing food, clothing, games, crafts, or sports. We also invite performers from the daytime assembly to perform at the family night.

Please sign up to participate in either or both events using this link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScOInaCMiXu9f1qzZAa8QQsVARV2aBLuhiCkaCZqXKqmvddbA/viewform

LOST AND FOUND:

Attention Parents: When you come in for conferences, please take a moment to check the lost and found in the lobby. It’s overflowing with jackets, water bottles, and other items waiting to be reunited with their owners. Thank you for helping us clear it out!

THE SHARK SHOP:

We are opening up the Shark Shop again in a few weeks. Sign-up to help at the Shark Shop using this link:

Shark Shop Volunteer Sign-Up-

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/9040A48A5AD28A5F58-51008826-shark

Shark Shop Amazon Wishlist-

https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/HQ0X3J2N0OY4?ref_=wl_share

DASD CALENDAR:

Here is the link to the 2024-25 School Year District Calendar: 24-25 DASD Calendar

SOCIAL MEDIA:

Facebook: Shamona Creek Elementary

Instagram: @dasd_sc

X: @DASD_SC

Have a great week!

Mrs. Fiske

November 4th, 2024 (Student Led Conferences)

Good Morning, 4th and 5th Grade Parents:

I am reaching out to share with you that we will continue to implement Student-Led Conferences again this year in Grades 4 5. Our school-wide parent teacher conference sign-ups will go out this week, so I wanted parents to be aware of our format for 4th and 5th graders when scheduling. Student-Led Conferences require parents, teachers, and students to be present in-person. We implemented this model for the last 4 years with great success and received lots of positive feedback from students, parents, and teachers.

The Student-Led Conference (SLC) model is centered around our students, who will be present and actively leading their own parent-teacher conferences. SLC’s will utilize the same time frame as our traditional conference model which are currently scheduled for late November, but will have our 4th and 5th grade students at the table leading the conversation.

There are a few reasons why we have shifted to this model. First and foremost, a shift to SLCs reinforces a component of our DASD and SC instructional vision: Student Agency. Increasing Student Agency in our school allows for students to have ownership, voice, and choice in their own learning. Additionally, we believe that this model will allow for our students to reflect on their progress, set goals for the future, and give them an opportunity to develop their presentation and communication skills. As adults, we all know how important these skills will be for our students’ futures.

The traditional parent-teacher conference model has been around for many years and has not really evolved over time, despite the increase in technology and communication tools that have been implemented in schools over the past decade. Parents now have immediate access to their child’s progress using our parent portal and can communicate with teachers whenever needed via phone or email without having to wait for a parent conference. The traditional parent/teacher conference model focuses on what parents already know about student progress based on the tools that parents have access to at all times. Parents should also be assured that teachers will contact parents by the middle of the trimester if there are any concerns with student progress. We will not wait until the end of the trimester to discuss concerns.

Moving to the SLC model is going to require our teachers to work with our students to reflect, prepare and practice for their conferences. The entire process will be a learning opportunity for our students. Our team is prepared to guide the students and provide feedback to them so that they are prepared. At the end of the conference, there will be time scheduled for the teacher and the parent to give feedback to the student as part of the process. Most importantly, SLCs should be a positive experience for the student. Even if the student reflects on an area of needed improvement, if the student is sharing that information, that should be celebrated. Ownership of learning is the ultimate goal.

Additional Details:

We will be sending out SLC parent sign-ups this week. PLEASE NOTE THAT SLCs WILL BE HELD IN PERSON.

Because our students will spend time preparing for the SLCs, we highly encourage parents to schedule a conference.

Just like in the traditional model, teachers will be seated with parents and will help to guide your student if needed.
Teachers will dedicate time to allow students to develop their presentation for you and to practice their presentation.
Teachers will provide feedback to students while preparing for the SLC.
SLC time slots will be 15 minutes.

Resources to understand more about SLC’s:

Click here to see an overview of SLC’s.
Click here for an example of SLC’s in 4th grade.
Click here for an example of SLC’s in Kindergarten.

We look forward to partnering with you in order to make this a positive experience for both you and your child.

Sincerely,

Dr. Susi

October 23rd, 2024

Good Afternoon, Shamona Creek Families!

Here are some updates for this Week at the Creek:

FIRST RESPONDER’S DAY—VOLUNTEERS NEEDED:

If you are a first responder (EMT, fire fighter, police officer, or flight attendant) and would like to participate in our First Responder's Assembly on October 28, 2024 at 9:15 am, please sign up using the link below. Contact Mrs. Maguire (jmaguire@dasd.org) or Ms. Cummins (scummins@dasd.org) with questions.

In an effort to create life-long memories and encourage school spirit, we are inviting all students to be festive on Thursday, October 31^st. Students can wear costumes, dress like a book character, wear orange/black or fall colors. All students who chose to participate should come to school dressed in costume. To keep everyone safe, students may NOT bring fake weapons or any other accessories.

Our ANNUAL FALL FESTIVAL PARADE is scheduled for October 31^st at 1:45 pm. Families are invited to attend. This is an outside event. If there is inclement weather, we will communicate the change of plans that morning. More details on the parade route, etc. will be coming soon.

Families may attend the parade, however, in order to maintain security/safety in the building, we will not be inviting all families into the classrooms for class parties. The classroom parties have pre-planned volunteers.

We're excited about the 4th Annual Shamona Creek Trunk or Treat! We need you to make this event a success. You can help by:

Signing up to volunteer
Signing up to decorate a trunk
Signing up to trick or treat
Signing up to donate candy or money toward candy

Click here to volunteer:

https://shamonacreekhsa.ptboard.com/sgnvw?group=&signup=bc4d9c79-3cb2-462c-9852-94da5bcd31b0~s.9223370308594804741

Click here to sign up to decorate a trunk, trick or treat, and donate candy:

https://shamonacreekhsa.ptboard.com/formvw?store=5272&form=2

Veteran's Day is Monday, November 11, 2024. Shamona Creek is hosting our annual assembly at 9:15am that morning to honor our Veterans! We would like to honor the Veterans that are special to our staff and students at Shamona Creek! If you are a Veteran and/or know a Veteran that you would like to have honored out our assembly, please have them complete the Google Form below. We will be in touch with details a week prior to the assembly with more details. If you have questions, please e-mail Jessica Maguire at jmaguire@dasd.org or Susan Cummins at scummins@dasd.org.

We are opening up the Shark Shop again in a few weeks. Sign-up to help at the Shark Shop using this link:

Shark Shop Volunteer Sign-Up-

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/9040A48A5AD28A5F58-51008826-shark

https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/HQ0X3J2N0OY4?ref_=wl_share

Shamona Creek spirit wear is on sale now! Check out the fun new designs and order by October 25th.

Aimsweb Fall Benchmarking results and letters are uploaded into Infinite Campus (parent portal) backpack for parents to view.

Please see the attachment for information on Watch Dogs for this school year.

TURKEY TROT

Please see the attached flier for more information on our Annual Turkey Trot.

DASD CALENDAR:

Here is the link to the 2024-25 School Year District Calendar: 24-25 DASD Calendar

SOCIAL MEDIA:

Facebook: Shamona Creek Elementary

Instagram: @dasd_sc

X: @DASD_SC

Have a great week!

Dr. Susi

October 21st, 2024 (Holiday Support)

Good Afternoon, Shamona Families!

Please complete the form below if you are interested in receiving a Thanksgiving meal and/or holiday gift support for your family.

https://forms.gle/GwhhCLKBMZVTvUjb8

If you are interested in donating to this support program, please be on the lookout for more information on how you can contribute.

Thanks so much!

Dr. Susi

October 14th, 2024

Good Morning, Shamona Creek Families!

Here are some updates for this Week at the Creek:

TIME SENSITIVE--A NIGHT AT THE MOVIE TAVERN—"THE WILD ROBOT”:

You may remember that a few years ago, our whole school read The Wild Robot together. Our school team thought it would be fun to go to the movies to see it on Tuesday, October 15^th @ 6:30 pm at the Movie Tavern in Exton. Mrs. Savastio was able to reserve one theatre for us. Some of our staff members are going and we would love to fill the theatre with students and families. There are limited seats and it is first come, first serve. If you are interested, book now! Please see flier attached for more details.

FIRST RESPONDER’S DAY—VOLUNTEERS NEEDED:

It is time for our annual pumpkin decorating contest! Please see the attached flier for more information.

HALLOWEEN

TRUNK OR TREAT:

We're excited about the 4th Annual Shamona Creek Trunk or Treat! We need you to make this event a success. You can help by:Signing up to volunteer

Signing up to decorate a trunk
Signing up to trick or treat
Signing up to donate candy or money toward candy

Click here to volunteer:

https://shamonacreekhsa.ptboard.com/sgnvw?group=&signup=bc4d9c79-3cb2-462c-9852-94da5bcd31b0~s.9223370308594804741

Click here to sign up to decorate a trunk, trick or treat, and donate candy:

https://shamonacreekhsa.ptboard.com/formvw?store=5272&form=2

INDIAN HERITAGE DAY

We need parents to organize our annual Indian Heritage Day which takes place in November. If you are interested in joining the planning team, please reach out to Mr. Justin Brown (jbrown@dasd.org) OR Dr. Susi (msusi@dasd.org).

VETERAN’S DAY:

Veteran's Day is on Monday, November 11, 2024. Shamona Creek is hosting our annual assembly at 9:15am that morning to honor our Veterans and we would like to honor the Veterans that are special to our staff and students at Shamona Creek! If you are a Veteran and/or know a Veteran that you would like to have honored out our assembly, please have them complete the Google Form below. We will be in touch with details a week prior to the assembly with more details. If you have questions, please e-mail Jessica Maguire at jmaguire@dasd.org or Susan Cummins at scummins@dasd.org.

VETERAN'S DAY 2025 SIGN-UP LINK

THE SHARK SHOP:

We are opening up the Shark Shop again in a few weeks. Sign-up to help at the Shark Shop using this link:

Shark Shop Volunteer Sign-Up-

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/9040A48A5AD28A5F58-51008826-shark

Shark Shop Amazon Wishlist-

https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/HQ0X3J2N0OY4?ref_=wl_share

SHAMONA CREEK SPIRIT WEAR STORE:

Shamona Creek spirit wear is on sale now! Check out the fun new designs and order by October 25th.

https://tuttlemarketing.chipply.com/ShamonaCreek/store.aspx?eid=326947

DASD CALENDAR:

Here is the link to the 2024-25 School Year District Calendar: 24-25 DASD Calendar

SOCIAL MEDIA:

Facebook: Shamona Creek Elementary

Instagram: @dasd_sc

X: @DASD_SC

Have a great week!

Dr. Susi

October 9th, 2024

Good Morning, Shamona Creek Families!

THANK YOU for your support of the Annual Fin’s Fun Run. Our students had a great time while raising money for our Home & School Association. We appreciate all of your support! A huge thank you to our HSA and parent volunteers for making it such a memorable day for our students and staff.

Here are some updates for this Week at the Creek:

TIME SENSITIVE--A NIGHT AT THE MOVIE TAVERN—"THE WILD ROBOT”:

FIRST RESPONDER’S DAY—VOLUNTEERS NEEDED:

First Responder's Day Sign Up Link

PUMPKIN DECORATING CONTEST

It is time for our annual pumpkin decorating contest! Please see the attached flier for more information.

HALLOWEEN

FALL FESTIVAL PARADE

Our ANNUAL FALL FESTIVAL PARADE is scheduled for October 31^st at 1:45 pm. Families are invited to attend. This is an outside event. If there is inclement weather, we will communicate the change of plans that morning. More details on the parade route, etc. will be coming soon.

INDIAN HERITAGE DAY

We are in need of parents to organize our annual Indian Heritage Day which takes place in November. If you are interested in joining the planning team, please reach out to Mr. Justin Brown (jbrown@dasd.org) OR Dr. Susi (msusi@dasd.org).

DASD CALENDAR:

Here is the link to the 2024-25 School Year District Calendar: 24-25 DASD Calendar

SOCIAL MEDIA:

Facebook: Shamona Creek Elementary

Instagram: @dasd_sc

X: @DASD_SC

Have a great week!

Dr. Susi

September 24th, 2024

Good Afternoon, Shamona Creek Families!

I hope you had a great weekend. Here are some updates for this Week at the Creek:

We are getting excited for our Annual Fun Run on Friday, September 27^th! This is our largest Home & School Fundraiser of the year. Our HSA helps to fund field trips, student activities, and projects around the school!

Fin's Foam Run is this Friday, September 27th! The Spirit Week calendar is attached and includes the Fun Run schedule. Families are encouraged to come cheer for their Shark runners.

Please park at the 6th grade center and do not bring dogs.

As a reminder, the Spirit Week schedule is:

- Tuesday: Sunglasses Day

- Wednesday: Crazy Hair Day

- Thursday: Hat Day

- Friday: Run!

We are still working to reach our fundraising goal so if you have not already done so, please donate HERE.

Thank you as always for your help and support. All Fins In!

A big THANK YOU to this years Shark Sponsors!

To learn more about those businesses who are proud Shark Sponsors, please click here:

https://shamonacreekhsa.ptboard.com/school/cm?mid=4628

We are opening up the Shark Shop again in a few weeks. Sign-up to help at the Shark Shop (Week of 9/30) using this link:

INDIAN HERITAGE DAY

DASD CALENDAR:

Here is the link to the 2024-25 School Year District Calendar: 24-25 DASD Calendar

SOCIAL MEDIA:

Facebook: Shamona Creek Elementary

Instagram: @dasd_sc

X: @DASD_SC

Have a great week!

Dr. Susi

September 12th, 2024 (Fun Run)

Good Afternoon, Shamona Creek Families:

It is time for our annual FUN RUN, which is our largest Home & School Fundraiser of the year!

HERE IS A MESSAGE FROM OUR HOME & SCHOOL ASSOCIATION:

Our annual SHAMONA CREEK FUN RUN is our largest fundraiser and it happens in the fall of each year. The money raised for the HSA from the Fun Run helps to fund special events for our students and families, field trips, and projects around the school.

Click HERE to check out all of the great things we were able to accomplish last year because of your generous donations!

To make this fundraising event fun for our students, we will be having a grade level competition like we have in previous years. Your child learned about the grade level competition on Tuesday. Like last year, we will be awarding the grade with the highest amount of $ donated with an awesome prize during a school-wide celebration assembly. Each student from the winning grade will have the opportunity to try to participate!

In the grade level competition, we paired up a few grades/classes to make the numbers of students in each grade equal. The following classes are being combined due to numbers for the grade level competition: Kindergarten AM and Grade 2, Kindergarten PM and Grade 1.

In addition to the winning grade, the top 10 students who raise the most money for the Fun Run will also get recognized at the assembly!

We are excited for our students to attend the Fun Run on September 27^th! The schedule of the run (including more details) is attached to this email. Parents are welcome to attend.

Click HERE to donate to the FUN RUN today!

We have also attached a letter for students to send to family and friends. You can use the template to share via text, email, or post on social media! Thank you, in advance, in advance for your support of the Fun Run and the Shamona Creek HSA.

-The Shamona Creek Home & School Association

Interested in becoming a 24-25 Shark Sponsor?!?

If so... your local business could be promoted here!!:

https://shamonacreekhsa.ptboard.com/school/cm?mid=4628

September 9th, 2024

Good Afternoon, Shamona Creek Families!

I hope you had a great weekend.

Here are some updates for this Week at the Creek:

DOGS @ SC

Having dogs here during the school day brings an extra complication to student arrival and dismissal procedures. We have many students who are fearful of animals, and it is a safety concern for all. Moving forward, please do not bring dogs on the school property during the student day (including student arrival in the AM and student dismissal in the PM) or during any outdoor school activities (i.e. Field Day, Fun Run, Trunk or Treat, etc.) before or after school hours. Thank you for your understanding and for helping to keep our students safe.

A MESSAGE FROM HOME & SCHOOL:

Our first Home and School Association meeting is this Thursday, September 12th at 6:30 pm in the library. All are welcome and encouraged to attend. All attendees will be entered into a raffle to win an amazing basket valued at $600 generously donated by Sarah Shafer and Milk Made Skincare. See you there!

THE SHARK SHOP—VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!

We are opening up the Shark Shop again in a few weeks. Sign-up to help at the Shark Shop (Week of 9/30) using this link:

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/9040A48A5AD28A5F58-51008714-shark

Amazon Wishlist- https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/HQ0X3J2N0OY4?ref_=wl_share

SCHOOL PICTURE DAY:

Please see the attached flier for more information on school pictures and how to order. School Picture Day is scheduled for September 18, 2024.

Please see the website for more information on ordering meals. Here is the direct link for more information: DASD Food Services Link

-ARAMARK BREAKFAST

Breakfast will be provided free for the 24-25 school year.
Breakfast does not require a pre-order.
Students may enter the cafeteria starting at 8:30 a.m.
Students will be encouraged to finish eating so they are prepared to start the instructional day at 9:00am.

-ARAMARK LUNCH

ALL families are required to pre-order a lunch or send students in with a packed lunch each day.
NEW this school year: Aramark student lunches require an online order by midnight the night before.
Set up an account and order at this link: https://www.payschoolscentral.com/

DASD CALENDAR:

Here is the link to the 2024-25 School Year District Calendar: 24-25 DASD Calendar

SOCIAL MEDIA:

Facebook: Shamona Creek Elementary

Instagram: @dasd_sc

X: @DASD_SC

Have a great week!

Dr. Susi

September 3rd, 2024

Good Morning, Shamona Creek Families!

I hope you had a great long weekend. Here are some updates for this Week at the Creek:

Please have car signs visible for our staff in carline. If you need additional car signs for your family, please email Mrs. Conway (lconway@dasd.org). Please stay in your car during both drop off and pick up.

DOGS @ SC

FOOD SERVICES:

Please see the website for more information on ordering meals. Here is the direct link for more information: DASD Food Services Link

-ARAMARK BREAKFAST

Breakfast will be provided free for the 24-25 school year.
Breakfast does not require a pre-order.
Students may enter the cafeteria starting at 8:30 a.m.
Students will be encouraged to finish eating so they are prepared to start the instructional day at 9:00am.

-ARAMARK LUNCH

ALL families are required to pre-order a lunch or send students in with a packed lunch each day.
NEW this school year: Aramark student lunches require an online order by midnight the night before.
Set up an account and order at this link: https://www.payschoolscentral.com/

SCHOOL TIME CHANGE REMINDER FOR 24-25:

Just a reminder that our school start times have changed for this school year. The student day will now begin at 9:00 AM (previously 8:50). Students can still be dropped off at 8:30 AM. The student day now ends at 3:35 PM (previously 3:30).

A MESSAGE FROM HOME & SCHOOL:

Our first HSA Meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, September 12^th at 6:30 pm in the library. All are invited to attend.

DASD CALENDAR:

Here is the link to the 2024-25 School Year District Calendar: 24-25 DASD Calendar

SOCIAL MEDIA:

Facebook: Shamona Creek Elementary

Instagram: @dasd_sc

X: @DASD_SC

Have a great week!

Dr. Susi

August 30th, 2024

Good Afternoon, Shamona Creek Families:

We have had an awesome first week of school! Today, our students spent the day learning about our school-wide Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS) Program. As part of this program, our teachers spent time teaching and modeling our school-wide expectations of being respectful, responsible and safe in each environment of our school. We also had a school-wide assembly to explain how we recognize all of the FINTASTIC choices our students make at school each day.

Ask your child to tell you about what they learned today! This is a great opportunity to have conversations about making good choices, citizenship, kindness, and responsibility at school.

Have a great long weekend. We will see everyone on Tuesday!

Dr. Susi

2023-2024

April 30th, 2024

Good Morning, Shamona Creek Families:

Here are a few announcements for this Week at the Creek!

Kindergarten Registration:

Calling all incoming Kindergarten Families! Now is the time to register if you have a child who will be in Kindergarten at Shamona in the fall. We have events planned in May and June for our incoming Kindergarten students. Don’t miss out on these events!

Friendship Bracelets:

Our student council is sponsoring a school-wide project to create friendship bracelets and spread some kindness to other DASD students. Please see the attached flier on how to help us with this project.

One Book, One School:

On Friday, April 19, our school began our 4th annual One School, One Book program! The One School, One Book program is designed to create a shared reading experience within a single elementary school community. Each year, a different chapter book is chosen, and every staff member receives a copy to read with our students to promote and enrich the shared reading experience. This year Shamona Creek will be reading the classic story, Charlotte’s Web, by E.B. Web.

Reading to children helps them to listen better and longer, to build bigger vocabulary, to understand concepts better, to empathize with characters, to feel positive about both books and learning – and much more. When an entire school reads the same book, the buzz and excitement around the book augments these benefits. Reading a book together brings the added joy of building and expanding a sense of community among students, parents, teachers, staff – and beyond.

We are so excited to go on this reading journey with our Sharks! Attached to this email, please find a Home Discussion Guide with chapter summaries and questions to facilitate conversations with your child(ren) about the book. We hope that you enjoy hearing about and discussing the book with your child(ren) at home!

Shark Shop Sign-Ups:

We could use some parent help for next week’s Shark Shop!

Parent Sign-Up (Week of 5/6-5/10)-

Amazon Wishlist- https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/HQ0X3J2N0OY4?ref_=wl_share

PSSA Testing Dates:

Students in grades 3, 4, and 5 participate in PSSA testing each year in Math, Reading and Science (Grade 4 only). Here are the testing dates for this year:

Math Dates: Mon. 4/29 and Tues 4/30

Science Dates (Grade 4 only): Wed 5/1 and Thurs 5/2

There are many sports camps and programs for elementary students running throughout the summer. I will continue to share the fliers as I receive them. Please check the email attachments each week. I have attached a few to this email.

Here is some additional information about a spring opportunity for our students:

Key Details:

Who: Girls in grades 3-5
What: Downingtown East Girls Basketball Spring Clinics
When: Every Monday from April 15th to May 20th, 6:15 PM - 7:30 PM
Where: Pickering Valley, Uwchlan Hills, East Ward, Lionville Elementary, Springton Manor, Shamona Creek.

All necessary information, including registration details, can be found in the attached flyer and Google Form.

DASD Calendar:

Here is the link to the 2023-24 Shamona Creek Calendar: https://sc.dasd.org/scnews-events/sccalendar

Have a great day!

Dr. Susi

April 16th, 2024

Good Morning, Shamona Families:

Here are some updates for this Week at the Creek!

Kindergarten Registration:

Fin’s International Family Heritage Night:

Fin’s International Night is scheduled for this Thursday, April 18^th from 6:00-7:30 pm.

This is an amazing event in which your whole family can participate! Share your family’s heritage and be part of the fun. We are looking for families that want to:

Create a display of your family’s country of origin or of how your family celebrates a holiday
Bring a dish with the recipe to share from your culture
Share a craft from that tradition
Dress up for the evening in traditional clothing or clothing to represent your country
Share a traditional game
Share a performance of a cultural dance or talent

Please sign up to attend or to share here: Fin's International Family Heritage Events Sign Up

Are you planning to attend Fin's International Family Heritage Night and need an easy dinner idea?! Look no further! Liberty Union has graciously offered to host our Shamona Creek Sharks for a Dine & Donate to ease your mealtime burden on Thursday April 18th! All Phone-In Takeout Orders & Dine-In Checks will have 15% of the proceeds donated back to Shamona Creek! So, stop in and grab a quick bite before heading up to the school for some amazing insights into our fellow sharks histories and cultures! Please see attached flyer.

Eagles for Autism Coin Challenge:

Our students have been participating in a Coin Challenge Fundraiser in honor of Autism Awareness Month. We are paired with Bradford Heights Elementary and together are competing against the other elementary schools in DASD. All proceeds will be donated to the Eagles for Autism Foundation. Tomorrow (4/17) marks the end of our Coin Challenge, so students have one last day to bring in spare change!

Home & School Association News:

Our Spring Fair is scheduled for April 26th from 5:30-7:30 pm at SC. We absolutely cannot pull off this event without parent volunteers. We are still in need of quite a few volunteers for the event. We have short time slots available so you can volunteer and still enjoy the event with your family.

Please click here to volunteer:

https://shamonacreekhsa.ptboard.com/sgnvw?group=&signup=cFXKKv5lRF6I7oERnYrd23N___52CVaGJX___nFQySsw

Buy wristbands (required for entry) and raffle tickets here:

https://shamonacreekhsa.ptboard.com/formvw?store=4388&form=15

Thank you for helping make this event a success. All Fins In!

PSSA Testing Dates:

Students in grades 3, 4, and 5 participate in PSSA testing each year in Math, Reading and Science (Grade 4 only). Here are the testing dates for this year:

Reading Testing Dates: Mon. 4/22 - Wed 4/23 - Thurs 4/24 (** No testing on Tuesday)

Math Dates: Mon. 4/29 and Tues 4/30

Science Dates (Grade 4 only): Wed 5/1 and Thurs 5/2

**Please be mindful of these dates when planning appointments, early dismissals, late arrivals, etc.

DASD Sports Camps for the Spring & Summer:

Here is some additional information about a spring opportunity for our students:

Key Details:

Who: Girls in grades 3-5
What: Downingtown East Girls Basketball Spring Clinics
When: Every Monday from April 15th to May 20th, 6:15 PM - 7:30 PM
Where: Pickering Valley, Uwchlan Hills, East Ward, Lionville Elementary, Springton Manor, Shamona Creek.

All necessary information, including registration details, can be found in the attached flyer and Google Form.

DASD Calendar:

Please note that school will be closed next week for spring break. Here is the link to the 2023-24 Shamona Creek Calendar: https://sc.dasd.org/scnews-events/sccalendar

Have a great day!

Dr. Susi

April 9th, 2024

Good Afternoon, Shamona Families:

I hope you had a great weekend. Here are a few announcements for this Week at the Creek!

Families, I wanted to thank you for your generous support during this year’s Book Fair. Through Scholastic, we have earned over $6,000 to pour back into our library. I am especially excited because we have a suggestion box that the students have been filling up with book requests! In addition, we added 16 hardback copies that are pictured above to our library during the Fair just through your round ups to the nearest dollar! Once again, we thank you, the library is truly the hub of our building and everyone benefits from an enhanced library!! – Janet Savastio

Fin’s International Night is scheduled for Thursday, April 18^th from 6:00-7:30 pm.

This is an amazing event in which your whole family can participate! Share your family’s heritage and be part of the fun. We are looking for families that want to:

Create a display of your family’s country of origin or of how your family celebrates a holiday
Bring a dish with the recipe to share from your culture
Share a craft from that tradition
Dress up for the evening in traditional clothing or clothing to represent your country
Share a traditional game
Share a performance of a cultural dance or talent

Please sign up here: Fin's International Family Heritage Events Sign Up

Home & School Association News:

Home and School Meeting this Thursday, April 11th at 6:30 via Zoom:

Click https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87513555454?pwd=MlBHcWdNSEkvamNmL3JtZHdyR2tlQT09 to start or join a scheduled Zoom meeting

Yearbooks! There is still time to order a yearbook for your student(s)! Please visit the link below by Friday, April 12th purchase:

https://shamonacreekhsa.ptboard.com/formvw?store=4388&form=10

PSSA Testing Dates:

Students in grades 3, 4, and 5 participate in PSSA testing each year in Math, Reading and Science (Grade 4 only). Here are the testing dates for this year:

Reading Testing Dates: Mon. 4/22 - Wed 4/23 - Thurs 4/24 (** No testing on Tuesday)

Math Dates: Mon. 4/29 and Tues 4/30

Science Dates (Grade 4 only): Wed 5/1 and Thurs 5/2

**Please be mindful of these dates when planning appointments, early dismissals, late arrivals, etc.

DASD Sports Camps for the Spring & Summer:

Here is some additional information about a spring opportunity for our students:

Key Details:

Who: Girls in grades 3-5
What: Downingtown East Girls Basketball Spring Clinics
When: Every Monday from April 15th to May 20th, 6:15 PM - 7:30 PM
Where: Pickering Valley, Uwchlan Hills, East Ward, Lionville Elementary, Springton Manor, Shamona Creek.

All necessary information, including registration details, can be found in the attached flyer and Google Form.

DASD Calendar:

Please note that school will be closed next week for spring break. Here is the link to the 2024 Shamona Creek Calendar: https://sc.dasd.org/scnews-events/sccalendar

Have a great day!

Dr. Susi

March 18th, 2024

Good Afternoon, Shamona Families:

I hope you had a great weekend. Here are a few announcements for this Week at the Creek!

The Shark Shop: The shop is open every 2 weeks during lunch periods for grades 1-5, and in the am/pm for our Kindergarten classes. Students can save the Fintastic Choice cards that they earn as part of our school-wide Positive Behavior Interventions & Supports (PBIS) program and trade them in for items at the shop. We plan to open the shop again during the second week of April and would love to have some parents help us with it. Any parents who volunteer need to have clearances on file in the office.

Here is a link to sign up for the week of 4/8-4/12:

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/9040A48A5AD28A5F58-48617942-theshark

We have also created an Amazon wish list for families who may want to contribute to the Shark Shop. Thank you to everyone who has donated so far! Here is the wish list link:

https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/HQ0X3J2N0OY4?ref_=wl_share

Family Heritage Events @ SC---DATE CHANGE FOR EVENING EVENT:

Thank you to everyone who has expressed interest in our Family Heritage Events. We have changed the date for our evening event, Fin’s International Night.

Our Heritage Performance Assembly will still go on as scheduled this Wednesday, March 20^th at 1:45 pm.

We are changing the date of our evening event, Fin’s International Night, originally scheduled for March 20^th. We have many families who are observing Ramadan on that date so we have chosen a new date where anyone who wants to participate will be able to do so. The new date will be Thursday, April 18^th from 6:00-7:30 pm.

Fin’s International Family Heritage Night: This is an amazing event in which your whole family can participate! Share your family’s heritage and be part of the fun. We are looking for families that want to:

Create a display of your family’s country of origin or of how your family celebrates a holiday
Bring a dish with the recipe to share from your culture
Share a craft from that tradition
Dress up for the evening in traditional clothing or clothing to represent your country
Share a traditional game
Share a performance of a cultural dance or talent

Please see our flyer for Fin's International Family Heritage Events Flyer

Please sign up here: Fin's International Family Heritage Events Sign Up

Home & School Association News:

Thank you to all our families who helped to organize and host Pizza Bingo! It was a great evening for our students.

Innovation Lab:

Mrs. Schwab is here this week with our DASD Innovation Lab! Ask your child about it!

PSSA Testing Dates:

Students in grades 3, 4, and 5 participate in PSSA testing each year in Math, Reading and Science (Grade 4 only). Here are the testing dates for this year:

Reading Testing Dates: Mon. 4/22 - Wed 4/23 - Thurs 4/24 (** No testing on Tuesday)

Math Dates: Mon. 4/29 and Tues 4/30

Science Dates (Grade 4 only): Wed 5/1 and Thurs 5/2

**Please be mindful of these dates when planning appointments, early dismissals, late arrivals, etc.

DASD Calendar:

Please note that school will be closed next week for spring break. Here is the link to the 2023-24 Shamona Creek Calendar: https://sc.dasd.org/scnews-events/sccalendar

THIS FRIDAY, March 22^nd, is DASD UNITY DAY! PLEASE WEAR BLUE AND GOLD TO SHOW YOUR SCHOOL AND DISTRICT SPIRIT!

Have a great day!

Dr. Susi

March 7th, 2024 (Incoming Kindergarten Information)

Good Morning, 2024-25 Shamona Creek Kindergarten Families!

On behalf of our teachers and staff, I would like to officially welcome your family to Kindergarten at Shamona Creek Elementary School for the Fall of 2024. I know I may be biased, but I truly believe that Shamona Creek is the greatest school on Earth! I am so excited for you to begin your child’s elementary school experience with us. Believe it or not, we are already super busy here preparing for our newest Kindergarten students to begin school here in August.

I am reaching out to you today to share some information about two events we have planned for incoming Kindergarten students in May 2024: Kindergarten Preview/Open House and Kindergarten screenings. I have attached a flier to this email with information, dates, times, and sign-up links for both of those programs. The flier will also be posted on our school website. Our goal is to make your child’s transition to Kindergarten as smooth as possible, and our incoming Kindergarten programs are specifically designed with that in mind.

On the second flier I have attached, you will find information about our Kindergarten Jumpstart Program, which is a one-week summer program sponsored by the Downingtown Community Education Foundation (DCEF). This will be held the week of August 5th-9th. If you are interested in having your child attend Kindergarten Jumpstart, this flier is just a “Save the Date” for now. As soon as I have registration information available, I will forward it on to you.

If you have any additional questions, please feel free to reach out to Mrs. Gasser in our main office (mgasser@dasd.org or extension 26001).

We are very excited to meet our new SHARKS in the weeks and months ahead!

Have a nice evening,

Dr. Susi

March 5th, 2024

Good Afternoon, Shamona Families:

I hope you are having a great week. Here are a few announcements for this week at the Creek!

The Shark Shop: The shop is open every 2 weeks during lunch periods for grades 1-5, and in the am/pm for our Kindergarten classes. Students can save the Fintastic Choice cards that they earn as part of our school-wide Positive Behavior Interventions & Supports (PBIS) program and trade them in for items at the shop. We opened the shop two weeks ago and it was a huge hit with our students. We plan to open the shop again during the first week of March and would love to have some parents help us with it. Any parents who volunteer need to have clearances on file in the office.

WE ARE STILL LOOKING FOR VOLUNTEERS FOR THIS WEEK! Here is the Sign-Up Genius link for parents to volunteer at The Shark Shop during the week of 3/4.

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/9040A48A5AD28A5F58-48027968-theshark

We have also created an Amazon wish list for families who may want to contribute to the Shark Shop. Thank you to everyone who has donated so far! Here is the wish list link:

https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/HQ0X3J2N0OY4?ref_=wl_share

Shamona Creek’s annual Book Fair is right around the corner! The Book Fair will be open to the students March 12^th – March 20^th. I have attached the Book Fair Schedule so that you know what day your child will shop. If you would like to volunteer to help with the book fair please click the volunteer link below, (you can also look at the classroom buying times link if you want to sync your volunteer time with your child’s time.) We will also be open for 2 family nighttime slots. We will be open:

Friday, March 15^th4:30 – 6:00 (before Pizza & Bingo which starts at 6:00)
Wednesday, March 20^th5:30 – 7:30 (Fin’s International Night starts at 6:00)

There are also two attachments to this email:

One attachment is our Book Fair Flyer with important information and a hyperlink that takes you directly to scholastic to set up an eWallet for your child if you wish. We will also accept good old cash!
- If you choose the eWallet option there are aeasy directions where you can share a link with extended family if they would like to add money to your child’s eWallet ( there is a Scholastic default that suggests $30, that is only a default your family can add any amount that they wish)
One flyer is eWallet and Share the Fair
- The QR Code ON THE BOTTOM of the Share the Fair information takes you to an eWallet that you can donate to Share the Fair to ensure that every student walks out with a book or another item from the book fair. If you choose to donate to Share the Fair, again ignore the suggested $30 default and only donate what you are comfortable donating (if there are any funds left at the end of the book fair we can use the remaining balance to purchase books for our library)

Here are some other additional important links regarding the Book Fair:

Book Fair Parent Volunteer Link

Classroom Buying Days

eWallet Flyer

Book Fair Flyer

Read Across America Spirit Week:

Please see the attached schedule for Spirit Days this week at Shamona!

We are excited to host Fin's International Family Heritage Events on March 20th! Shamona Creek is looking for families who will help share your traditions with others without leaving SHAMONA CREEK!

Fin’s International Family Heritage Night. This is an amazing event in which your whole family can participate! Share your family’s heritage and be part of the fun. We are looking for families that want to:

Create a display of your family’s country of origin or of how your family celebrates a holiday
Bring a dish with the recipe to share from your culture
Share a craft from that tradition
Dress up for the evening in traditional clothing or clothing to represent your country
Share a traditional game
Share a performance of a cultural dance or talent

Heritage Performance Assembly. We are looking for students to perform during school.

Performance ideas for during the day include, but are not limited to:

Dancing
Singing
Playing instruments

A big thank you to everyone who volunteered and attended the Winter Dance, it was a great success!

Please join us for our next Home and School Meeting in the library TONIGHT, Tuesday, March 5th at 6:30 pm - we will be brainstorming ideas for the Spring Fair - all are welcome!

Pizza Bingo is BACK this year as "The Eras Edition"! Join us Friday, March 15th at 6 pm for the fun

Come early and peruse the Book Fair in the Library from 4:30-6PM (note that Bingo doors will not open until 5:30pm)

Please visit this link and scan the QR code for tickets:

There will also be a bake sale at Pizza Bingo to benefit the Student Assistance Fund, please click here to participate:

Here is the link to the 2023-24 Shamona Creek Calendar: https://sc.dasd.org/scnews-events/sccalendar

Have a great day!

Dr. Susi

February 7th, 2024

Good Afternoon, Shamona Families:

I hope you are having a great week. Here are a few announcements for this week at the Creek!

Souper bowl (student collection): Our 5^th grade students will be accepting soup donations for the annual Souper Bowl. Please see the attached flier for more information.

Breakfast Program: Just a reminder for all parents that breakfast is free for students this year. Students can go straight to the cafeteria for breakfast in the morning if they would like eat here.

Home & School Association News:

SUPER BOWL FOR TEACHERS

To show the teachers and staff of Shamona Creek how "Souper" we think they are, we will be treating them to a "Souper Bowl Friday" lunch in the staff lounge on Friday, Feb 9th. Please sign up here:

https://shamonacreekhsa.ptboard.com/sgnvw?signup=cFXKKv5lRF6I7oERnYrd23N___52CVaGJX___nMCUw5t

SUPER BOWL SQUARES

Our HSA Super Bowl Squares fundraiser is live in PT Board. A little blurb from the form about the fundraiser:

Welcome to the Shamona Creek HSA "Box Contest" for SuperBowl XVIII. Each box is $25! This Fundraiser is an online squares contest created for free at Super Bowl Pool Site. There will be 4 winners. Prizes listed below:

1st Quarter Winner $75 Halftime Winner $125 3rd Quarter Winner $100 4th Quarter Winner $200

All you need to do is select the number of squares you would like to purchase in the form on PT board, add to cart, and checkout. We will add your name to the squares and publish the grid the day of the Super Bowl.

Here is the link to the form: https://shamonacreekhsa.ptboard.com/formvw?store=4388&form=7

FAMILY DANCE

Save the date!

Join us February 23rd from 6-8 pm for a special winter themed dance for all Shamona students and their favorite grownup(s). Dress in your favorite Winter White out or Winter Sparkle attire. Buy tickets now and take advantage of the early bird special through Friday, February 16th. Get your tickets before the price increases.

Tickets include complimentary refreshments and there will also be an arts and crafts/game room area for those that need a break from dancing.

Due to capacity limits for our multipurpose room, this dance is limited to SHAMONA STUDENTS ONLY and 2 ADULTS per family. For example: If your family has 3 students at the school currently, those students can invite 2 adults total as their favorite people to join them for this special night. If you have 1 student at Shamona, that student can invite 2 adults only as their favorite people for this special night.

Click here to purchase tickets:

https://shamonacreekhsa.ptboard.com/formvw?store=4388&form=9

Click here to volunteer:

https://shamonacreekhsa.ptboard.com/sgnvw?group=&signup=cFXKKv5lRF6I7oERnYrd23N___52CVaGJX___nK-zNEj

DASD Calendar:

Here is the link to the 2023-24 Shamona Creek Calendar: https://sc.dasd.org/scnews-events/sccalendar

Have a great day!

Dr. Susi

January 31st, 2024

Good Morning, Shamona Families:

SUPER BOWL SQUARES

Our HSA Super Bowl Squares fundraiser is live in PT Board. A little blurb from the form about the fundraiser:

1st Quarter Winner $75 Halftime Winner $125 3rd Quarter Winner $100 4th Quarter Winner $200

Here is the link to the form: https://shamonacreekhsa.ptboard.com/formvw?store=4388&form=7

FAMILY DANCE

Save the date!

Tickets include complimentary refreshments and there will also be an arts and crafts/game room area for those that need a break from dancing.

Click here to purchase tickets:

https://shamonacreekhsa.ptboard.com/formvw?store=4388&form=9

Click here to volunteer:

https://shamonacreekhsa.ptboard.com/sgnvw?group=&signup=cFXKKv5lRF6I7oERnYrd23N___52CVaGJX___nK-zNEj

SC Calendar:

Here is the link to the 2023-24 Shamona Creek Calendar: https://sc.dasd.org/scnews-events/sccalendar

Dr. Susi

January 29th, 2024

Good Afternoon, Shamona Families:

I am touching base today about DRAMA CLUB Pick-Up for this week. If your 3rd, 4th or 5th grade student participates in Drama Club, please read this email in its entirety so that you are informed of our new procedures beginning tomorrow, Tuesday 1/30.

As I am sure you are already aware, the volume of cars arriving at SC for Drama Club pick-up is causing quite a traffic congestion on both Moore & Dorlan Mill Roads. We have over 150 students participating in Drama Club, which is a testament to how awesome the experience is for our students, but the volume of cars at pick-up makes it a challenging situation for all. Overall, we have more students in this pick-up than we have ever had, even during a regular school day dismissal.

Moving forward, we are going to make a few adjustments to pick-up times and procedures.

3^rd Grade Pick-up will now be at 4:50 PM. If you have a 3^rd grader with an older sibling in 4^th or 5^th grade, they may stay until the second pick-up time, but all other 3^rd graders will be dismissed through the regular 3^rd grade carline at 4:50.

4^th & 5^th Grade Pick-Up will now be at 5:15 PM. If you are picking up a 4^th or 5^th grader, please do not arrive until 5:10 at the earliest, as we are anticipating that 3^rd grade pick-up will take approximately 15-20 minutes.

Here are a couple of additional points that will help our teachers who are dismissing students:

Only parents of walkers should approach carline (at the loading dock). Please do not park and walk up to the line to get your child, as it distracts the teachers trying to dismiss students and causes delays/safety hazards with people walking through the carline.
Parents should remain in cars.
Have car signs on display on windshield.
If you can possibly get home by exiting our driveway turning right, please do so as it will help with traffic exiting the driveway and also at the light.

Thank you for your patience as we work to improve our process and ensure the safety of our students. We will be monitoring our pick-up over the next week or so to see if additional adjustments are needed, and I will be back in touch with you regarding pick-up if we need to make more changes.

Thank you,

Dr. Susi

January 24th, 2024

Good Morning, Shamona Families:

Here are a few announcements for this week at the Creek:

Souper bowl: Our 5^th grade students will be accepting soup donations for the annual Souper Bowl. Please see the attached flier for more information.

Home & School Association:

Our HSA Super Bowl Squares fundraiser is live in PT Board. A little blurb from the form about the fundraiser:

1st Quarter Winner $75 Halftime Winner $125 3rd Quarter Winner $100 4th Quarter Winner $200

Here is the link to the 2023-24 School Year District Calendar: https://www.dasd.org/news-events/district-calendar

Dr. Susi

January 9th, 2024

Good Morning, Shamona Families:

I hope you had a great weekend! Here are a few announcements for this week at the Creek:

MLK Day of Service at SC: Our student council has organized a “Day On” instead of a day off, to celebrate and honor MLK day on Monday, January 15^th. Please see the attached flier for more details on how to sign up and give back to our community.

Souper bowl: Our 5^th grade students will be accepting soup donations for the annual Souper Bowl. Please see the attached flier for more information.

WEST Basketball: The West Basketball program will be offering a clinic this coming Monday, January 15^th, in honor of MLK day. Please see the attached flier for more details and sign-up information.

DCEF Winter Programs: Please see attached flier for more information on after school clubs that will be offered at SC for the next few months.

Home & School Association:

Join us this Thursday, January 11th at 6:30 pm to discuss planning for the Winter Dance (2/23) and Pizza Bingo (3/15). The meeting will be at Revival Pizza (240 Windgate Drive, Suite A7, Chester Springs) Complimentary caesar salad, garlic knots, and assorted pizza will be generously provided. Please RSVP below if you plan to attend so Revival can have a rough head count. Look forward to seeing you there!

RSVP link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSccUvHmAwPbMVH6BbLlVOdCnXY-09af6tMZXIAxjIZeaUEEEQ/viewform

DASD Calendar:

Here is the link to the 2023-24 School Year District Calendar: https://www.dasd.org/news-events/district-calendar

Have a great day!

Dr. Susi

December 4th, 2023

Good Afternoon, Shamona Creek Families!

I hope you had a great weekend! Here are a few announcements for this week at the Creek:

Parents’ Night Out Fundraiser:

Please see attached flier for Parents’ Night Out this Friday, December 8^th, from 5:30-8:30 pm. The proceeds of this fundraiser will benefit Mr. Chris’s Family (Kari’s Krew) and our Home & School Association. It should be a fun night for our students. Our teachers have some awesome activities planned! Sign-up information is on the flier.

Winter Concert:

Just a reminder for families with students in our music program that our band, orchestra and chorus concert is next Thursday, December 14 @ 6:30 pm.

DASD Calendar:

Here is the link to the 2023-24 School Year District Calendar: https://www.dasd.org/news-events/district-calendar

Have a great day!

Dr. Susi

November 14th, 2023

Good Morning, Shamona Creek Families!

Here are some updates for this week at the Creek!

Our annual Turkey Trot is scheduled for this Friday, November 17^th, during Phys Ed classes. Please see the attached fliers for more details.

Parent-Teacher Conferences are scheduled for the week of November 20^th. If you would like to schedule a conference with your child’s teacher, please use this link to sign up.

https://ptcfast.com/schools/Shamona_Creek_Elementary

Grades 4 & 5 Parents: Please see my previous email from earlier this week about Student-led Conferences. When signing up for a conference, please sign up for a time that your child can be present.

As the holiday season approaches, many are finding it difficult to meet all the needs of providing for families. We are fortunate to live in such a caring and generous community that would like to give back. Please complete the form below if you are interested in receiving holiday gift support for your family. Your responses will be kept confidential and will only be received by Mrs. Hoffmann, the school counselor. If interested, please complete by Friday, November 17th. Thank you!

https://forms.gle/thQYbQQ98dohbS1w9

Our Star-Spangled Sharks Club and Student Council are running a collection for the Veteran’s Hospital. Please see flyer attached for more information.

Save the date for SC Barnes and Noble night! This year, we will host B & N night on Thursday, November 30^th. See the attached flyer for more details.

Our Watch Dogs Program will begin in November. We are looking for dads to sign up! Please see the attached PDF for information on what clearances are needed to be a Watch Dog, as well as how to sign up.

Our next HSA Meeting is scheduled for tomorrow, November 15^th at 6:30 pm in the library! All are invited.

Reminder for all families that beginning of the year tech fees are now due.

Please see flyer/form attached. We have SC magnets for sale in our main office.

Here is the link to the 2023-24 School Year District Calendar: https://www.dasd.org/news-events/district-calendar

Have a great day!

Dr. Susi

November 3rd, 2023 (Conferences)

Good Morning, Shamona Creek Families:

Parent-Teacher Conferences are scheduled for the week of November 20^th. If you would like to schedule a conference with your child’s teacher, please use this link to sign up:

https://ptcfast.com/schools/Shamona_Creek_Elementary

Grades 4 & 5 Parents: Please see my previous email from earlier this week about Student-led Conferences. When signing up for a conference, please sign up for a time when your child can be present.

Have a great day,

Dr. Susi

November 1st, 2023

Good Afternoon, Shamona Creek Families!

I hope you are having a great week! Here are some updates for this week at the Creek!

VETERAN’S DAY ASSEMBLY:

Our Veteran’s Day Assembly has become one of our most favorite traditions here at SC! We would like to invite veterans who are relatives or friends of our students/families to honor at our annual Veteran’s Day Assembly. If you have ever attended this assembly, you know what a special event this is! It is even more special when the veterans are connected to our school. The assembly will be held on Friday, November 10^th at 9:30 am. If you or a family member/friend are a veteran and interested in being honored at our assembly, please use this link:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeChtOMPcf0zqsPVWtwdBn-REy-aLtHs55rW5nXlRCy6Yc1ww/viewform

VETERAN’S DAY WALL OF HEROES:

If you have a family member or friend who is a veteran, consider adding them to our Wall of Heroes! I have attached the form, and we have paper copies here at school as well.

VETERAN’S DAY COLLECTION:

Our Star-Spangled Sharks Club and Student Council are running a collection for the Veteran’s Hospital. Please see flyer attached for more information.

BARNES & NOBLE NIGHT:

Save the date for SC Barnes and Noble night! This year, we will host B & N night on Thursday, November 30^th. See the attached flyer for more details.

PICTURE RETAKES:

Picture retake day is scheduled for November 13^th in the morning. If your child needs a retake, please be sure to return their original pictures to school that day. If your child missed picture day due to an absence, please be prepared to have your child’s picture taken that day. You can still go online to www.mylifetouch.com to order pictures. The school picture day ID is EVTBDSNH8.

WATCH DOGS:

HOME & SCHOOL ASSOCIATION:

Thank you to all our families who have contributed to our FUN RUN!

Our next HSA Meeting is scheduled for November 15^th at 6:30 pm in the library! All are invited.

TECH FEES:

Reminder for all families that beginning of the year tech fees are now due.

INDIAN HERITAGE DAY:

Our Annual Indian Heritage Day is scheduled for November 9^th. We are looking for parents to help assist in the planning and in facilitating the day of the event. If you are able to assist, please reach out to our parent coordinators, Amrutha Gopinath (amrutha.gopinath@yahoo.com ) and Deepthi Oruganti (deepthioruganti@gmail.com ). Our SC team could use your help to make this an amazing day for our students.

SC MAGNETS:

Please see flyer/form attached. We have SC magnets for sale in our main office.

DASD Calendar:

Here is the link to the 2023-24 School Year District Calendar: https://www.dasd.org/news-events/district-calendar

Have a great evening!

Dr. Susi

October 26th, 2023

Good Morning, Shamona Creek Families!

I hope you are having a great week! Here are some updates for this week at the Creek!

VETERAN’S DAY ASSEMBLY:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeChtOMPcf0zqsPVWtwdBn-REy-aLtHs55rW5nXlRCy6Yc1ww/viewform

VETERAN’S DAY WALL OF HEROES:

If you have a family member or friend who is a veteran, consider adding them to our Wall of Heroes! I have attached the form, and we have paper copies here at school as well.

VETERAN’S DAY COLLECTION:

Our Star-Spangled Sharks Club and Student Council are running a collection for the Veteran’s Hospital. Please see flyer attached for more information.

BARNES & NOBLE NIGHT:

Save the date for SC Barnes and Noble night! This year, we will host B & N night on Thursday, November 30^th. See the attached flyer for more details.

WATCH DOGS:

HALLOWEEN:

In an effort to create life-long memories and encourage school spirit, we are inviting all students to be festive on Tuesday, October 31^st. Students can wear costumes, dress like a book character, wear orange/black or fall colors. All students who chose to participate should come to school dressed in costume. To keep everyone safe, students may NOT bring fake weapons or any other accessories.

FALL FESTIVAL PARADE:

Our ANNUAL FALL FESTIVAL PARADE is scheduled for October 31^st at 1:45 pm. Families are invited to attend. This is an outside event. If there is inclement weather, we will communicate the change of plans that morning. Please see the link below for more information, including the parade route.

**Families may attend the parade, however, in order to maintain security/safety in the building, we will not be inviting all families into the classrooms for class parties. The classroom parties have pre-planned volunteers.**

Here is the link for additional information: Shamona Fall Festival Information

HOME & SCHOOL ASSOCIATION:

Thank you to all our families who have contributed to our FUN RUN!

Our next HSA Meeting is scheduled for November 15^th at 6:30 pm in the library! All are invited.

TECH FEES:

Reminder for all families that beginning of the year tech fees are now due.

INDIAN HERITAGE DAY:

SC MAGNETS:

Please see flyer/form attached. We have SC magnets for sale in our main office.

DASD Calendar:

Here is the link to the 2023-24 School Year District Calendar: https://www.dasd.org/news-events/district-calendar

Have a great day!

Dr. Susi

October 25th, 2023

Good Evening, Shamona Grades 3-5 Families:

I am reaching out to you this evening to inform you of a few changes that you will see this first trimester on your child’s parent portal, specifically under the ELA section.

As you may already know, our teachers plan instruction and assess student progress using the PA state standards, and our report card (ESAR) is designed to inform parents on progress made toward reaching end of year standards in every subject area. The standards are numbered and defined by skill/content area. (Example: Standard 1.2 Reading Information Text)

Here are a few changes you will see regarding 3^rd, 4^th and 5^th grade ELA in the parent portal for the first trimester:

Any Word Recognition assessment that evaluates your child’s progress of 1.1 Foundational Skills (i.e., vocabulary, spelling, word study) will be entered into Infinite Campus as a Formative Assessment (a graded assignment that is not averaged into the student’s final grade but is used to inform the teacher on a student’s progress/instruction).

Traditional percentage grades will not be entered in Infinite Campus for any assessment that connects to 1.2 Reading Informational Text, 1.3 Reading Literature, and 1.4 Writing standards.

Assessments will be sent home so you can see your child’s growth over time, as they progress through 1.2 Reading Informational Text, 1.3 Reading Literature, and 1.4 Writing standards.

A final grade of a 4, 3, 2 or 1 (will be entered into your child’s report card for 1.2 Reading Informational Text, 1.3 Reading Literature, and 1.4 Writing standards.

Report card grades will be based on the progress your child has made towards mastery of 1.2 Reading Informational Text, 1.3 Reading Literature, and 1.4 Writing standards during the trimester.

Teachers are prepared to answer any questions that you may have about these changes at conference time and can also answer any questions you may have about your child’s progress at any time. I am always available to answer your questions as well, so please do not hesitate to reach out.

Have a great evening,

Dr. Susi

October 19th, 2023 (Watch dog)

Good Afternoon, Shamona Creek Families!

I hope you are having a great week! Here are some updates for this week at the Creek!

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeChtOMPcf0zqsPVWtwdBn-REy-aLtHs55rW5nXlRCy6Yc1ww/viewform

If you have a family member or friend who is a veteran, consider adding them to our SC Wall of Heroes display! I have attached the form, and we have paper copies here at school as well.

Our Star Spangled Sharks Club and Student Council are running a collection for the Veteran’s Hospital. Please see flyer attached for more information.

Trunk or Treat is scheduled for the evening of Tuesday, October 24^th. The rain date October 26^th. Please visit the HSA website for more information and see the attached flyer.

Here is the link for the Signup on PTBoard for Trunks, trick or treaters and candy donations:

https://shamonacreekhsa.ptboard.com/formvw?store=4388&form=5

https://shamonacreekhsa.ptboard.com/sgnvw?group=&signup=cFXKKv5lRF6I7oERnYrd23N___52CVaGJX___nTaGHm_

Save the date for SC Barnes and Noble night! This year, we will host B & N night on Thursday, November 30^th. See the attached flyer for more details.

Our ANNUAL FALL FESTIVAL PARADE is scheduled for October 31^st at 1:45 pm. Families are invited to attend. This is an outside event. If there is inclement weather, we will communicate the change of plans that morning. Please the link below for more information, including the parade route.

Here is some additional information: Shamona Fall Festival Information

Reminder for all families that beginning of the year tech fees are now due.

Please see flyer/form attached. We have SC magnets for sale in our main office.

Is someone in your family a first responder? We will be celebrating First Responders Day on October 26th and we are looking for parents and community members to join us in an assembly. If you are a nurse, health care provider, EMT, fire fighter, or police officer, we would love to honor you at our assembly. The assembly will be at 9:00 am about 45 minutes long. Please use this link to sign up and participate:

FIRST RESPONDER'S ASSEMBLY SIGN-UP

Here is the link to the 2023-24 School Year District Calendar: https://www.dasd.org/news-events/district-calendar

Dr. Susi

October 11th, 2023

Good Morning, Shamona Families!

We are in the final days leading up to our FUN RUN!!! The FUN RUN at Shamona has historically been our HSA’s biggest fundraiser, and the funds raised allow our HSA to provide awesome opportunities/resources for our students.

Here are a few messages from HSA:

Here is a video from our students about the FUN RUN and what we do with the funds we raise: https://youtu.be/HHYWxpzamkI?feature=shared

Friday, October 13, 2023

Rain Date: Monday, October 16, 2023

Our goal is to raise $20,000 for SC’s HSA. If every Shamona student raises just $20, we will meet our goal!
This money is used for spaces around the school, activities for our students, field trips, school events throughout the year, and much more.

Donate Here: CLICK HERE TO DONATE FOR FUN RUN

Attached is a template for your student to share with family and friends requesting donations in addition to the bracelets with QR code.
Please remember to check with employers for matching gift programs.
SCHSA is a 501(c)(3) organization and all donations are tax deductible.

Yes! Families are encouraged to come cheer for their Shark runners. Please park at the MC 6th grade center.

What is the schedule for the day of the Fun Run? **PLEASE NOTE: These have been updated and do not match the handout.

Below are the correct times:

9:10 to 9:40 am: AM Kindergarten classes
10:15 - 10:45 am: Grades 1 and 5 (separate tracks)
1:15 - 1:45 pm: Grade 4
1:45 - 2:15 pm: Grade 2
2:15 - 2:45 pm: Grade 3 and PM Kindergarten (separate tracks)

Spirit days for the rest of the Week of the FUN RUN

Thursday, 10/12: Dress Like Your Favorite Star (sports, entertainment, etc.)
Friday, 10/13: Shamona’s Galaxy Fun Run! Teachers will hand out t-shirts in the morning. Please have your child wear sneakers.

Shamona Creek Home & School Association

October 10th, 2023

Good Afternoon, Shamona Creek Families!

I hope you are having a great week! Here are some updates for this week at the Creek!

Please see the attached form for information regarding our annual pumpkin decorating contest!!! There a few days left to participate!

Please see flyer/form attached. We have SC magnets for sale in our main office.

Is someone in your family a first responder? We will be celebrating First Responders Day on October 26th and we are looking for parents and community members to join us for an assembly. If you are a nurse, health care provider, EMT, fire fighter, or police officer, we would love to honor you at our assembly. The assembly will be at 9:00 am about 45 minutes long. Please use this link to sign up and participate:

FIRST RESPONDER'S ASSEMBLY SIGN-UP

We kicked off our largest HSA fundraiser, Fin’s Galaxy Fun Run, this week! Students brought home a bracelet yesterday with the donation code on it. Here is the site to donate: CLICK HERE TO DONATE FOR FUN RUN

Our Fun Run is scheduled for this Friday, October 13^th.

Fun Run Spirit Week reminders:

Wednesday, 10/11: Neon Day
Thursday, 10/12: Dress Like Your Favorite Star (sports, entertainment, etc.)
Friday, 10/13: Shamona’s Galaxy Fun Run! Teachers will hand out t-shirts in the morning to students.

Here is the link to the 2023-24 School Year District Calendar: https://www.dasd.org/news-events/district-calendar

Dr. Susi

September 29th, 2023 (Science Fair)

Dear Shamona Creek 4th & 5th grade families,

I am writing to you today to share information regarding our Shamona Creek Science Fair. As you may have heard from your child, the Shamona Creek Science Fair will be run by Mr. Anton Ocepek and student director Anthony De Spirito. Our 4th and 5th grade students were able to meet Mr. Ocepek and Anthony in June and again today for our Science Fair Informational Meeting.

Mr. Anton Ocepek is a proud Shamona Creek alumni and Downingtown graduate who teaches Chemistry and Physics at the STEM Academy. His experience in science fairs includes judging, paperwork review, project approval, fair administration and directing science fairs for the past six years with Bucks County Science Fairs, Chester County Science Fairs, and Pennsylvania Junior Academy of Science (PJAS). This year, he is excited to serve as the fair director for Shamona Creek Elementary and the Downingtown STEM Academy in addition to his commitments at Pickering Valley Elementary.

Anthony De Spirito is a senior at the STEM Academy and has been a part of the district for over 8 years. He is very interested in the sciences and wishes to share and foster that interest with as many students as possible. He enjoys hiking, reading, and rowing and is very active in the DASD community. He is very excited to help encourage young students to discover science, and serve as the student director of the Shamona Creek Science Fair.

We are excited to announce the date of the Shamona Creek Science Fair on Monday, January 8th, 2024.

Interested participants should join the Schoology course using the code: 8H4B-KWNJ-W98GW. All of the required documents and timelines are listed in that page. Please also see the attached flyer for more information.

The Shamona Creek Science Fair will be available to all 4th & 5th grade students. We encourage all students to participate as it is a great opportunity for students to learn about science, explore their interests, and showcase their creativity.

For more information please email Mr. Anton Ocepek at aocepek@dasd.org or Anthony De Spirito at 24adespirito@student.dasd.org.

Thank you for your time and hope to see you at the Shamona Creek Science Fair!

Sincerely,

Dr. Susi

September 29th, 2023

Good Morning, SC Grades 3, 4, and 5 Families: As you already know, as part of our Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) efforts to provide targeted support to our students, we administer a universal screener to students to determine their proficiency in math and reading three times each school year. To further support our MTSS model, several years ago we also began administering a third universal screener for students in grades 3, 4, and 5 to provide targeted support for students with behavioral and emotional needs.

The BASC-3 Behavioral and Emotional Screening System (BASC-3 BESS) offers a reliable, quick, and systematic way to determine behavioral and emotional strengths and weaknesses of children and adolescents in preschool through high school.

The screener will be administered to students in Grades 3, 4, and 5 sometime between October 16th – November 20th.
The screener should take no longer than 15 minutes for children to complete.

The universal screener provides a score of normal risk, elevated risk, or extremely elevated risk for each student and identifies instructional recommendations. We expect all students to have some level of risk across their elementary career. However, we will contact families if a student’s self-assessment score is categorized as overall elevated or extremely elevated. We will work as a school team to identify interventions to appropriately support the needs of each specific student. Currently, we are implementing class meetings, teacher check-ins, weekly social-emotional lessons, monthly guidance lessons, targeted small group instruction, and individual check-ins when appropriate with the school counselor, prevention specialist, and behavior specialist. If you have any questions about the assessment or your child’s participation, please do not hesitate to reach out to Dr. Susi or Mrs. Hoffmann, our school counselor. Melanie Susi

September 28th, 2023

Good Afternoon, Shamona Creek Families!

I hope you are having a great week! Here are some updates for this week at the Creek!

Please see the attached form for information regarding our annual pumpkin decorating contest!!!

SC CAR MAGNETS:

Please see flyer/form attached. We have SC magnets for sale in our main office.

We have many club opportunities for students this fall at SC. You may have seen our club sign-ups already, as teachers have been sending them out, but here are the sign-ups in case you missed them: SC CLUB SIGN-UPS

You should have received Lifetouch Picture Day order forms. Our Shamona Picture Day is scheduled for this Friday, September 29^th. Ordering is completed online at www.lifetouch.com and the picture day ID is EVTZH49GP.

We are currently in the process of completing our AIMSWeb Benchmarks for all students in grades K-5 in both Reading and Math. As soon as the benchmark results are ready and uploaded to the backpack on the parent portal, we will send out communication to families.

Our Fun Run is scheduled for October 13^th.

***NEW*** Please scan and email ALL Doctor or Dentist notes to Lisa Conway (lconway@dasd.org). We are working toward going as paperless as possible.

Please enter ALL attendance in PickUp Patrol. This includes late arrivals, early dismissals and absences.
If you are not registered for PickUp Patrol and you cannot find the original registration email, please email Lisa Conway (lconway@dasd.org) and she will resend you the Welcome email to register.
If you are planning a family trip, please be sure to turn in the Request Form for Educational and Family Trips, no less than 2 weeks prior to the dates of trip. You can email the completed form to Lisa Conway (lconway@dasd.org).
Per School Board Policy No. 204, a maximum of ten (10) days of cumulative lawful absences verified by parental notification shall be permitted during a school year. All absences beyond ten (10) cumulative days or three (3) or more consecutive days shall require an excuse from a licensed practitioner of the healing arts.

Calling all Shamona businesses - we would love to sponsor you!

Did you know that our sharks rely on generous donations from our community to support field trips, activities, special events, assemblies, school furnishings, and much more?

This year we are reaching out and looking for help from anyone within our Shamona community who owns a business, in hopes that you’ll swim on in and join our sharks as a sponsor of our school!

To show our appreciation of your support, businesses will receive free marketing and advertising throughout the entire school year, during all Shamona events both online and onsite. So not only is your donation tax deductible, but your business will be promoted throughout our community all while helping to give our kids a spectacular year!

Please see the attached flyer and don’t wait to reach out - the deadline to have your logo included on our all-weather outdoor sponsorship banner is October 1st!

Thank you for your support.

Here is the link to the 2023-24 School Year District Calendar: https://www.dasd.org/news-events/district-calendar

Dr. Susi

September 26th, 2023

Good Morning, Shamona Families!

Please see the message below from our Home and School Association regarding Fin’s Galaxy FUN RUN:

We are so excited to kick off our largest and most important fundraiser for Shamona Creek! You should have received a paper copy of the attached letter from your teacher but here are all of the details so you don't miss anything important!

Friday, October 13, 2023

Rain Date: Monday, October 16, 2023

Our Fun Run is our largest and most important event of the year when it comes to fundraising.
Our students remember this day as one of their best Shamona memories.
All students will receive a Fun Run T-shirt and bracelet with a QR code to receive donations.
100% of donations directly support Shamona Creek Elementary programs.

Our goal is to raise $20,000 for SC’s HSA.
This money will be used to have a new mural painted in the school library and to create more outdoor learning space.
The HSA also uses funds for teacher/staff appreciation, assistance with field trips, and school events throughout the year.
This year we will have a grade level competition where the grade who raises the most money will have the most epic prize!!

How can family and friends make donations?

Donate Here: CLICK HERE TO DONATE FOR FUN RUN
We will be sending an email with a template for your student to share with family and friends requesting donations in addition to the bracelets with QR code.
Please remember to check with employers for matching gift programs.
SCHSA is a 501(c)(3) organization and all donations are tax deductible.

Yes! Families are encouraged to come cheer for their Shark runners. Please park at the MC 6th grade center.

What is the schedule for the day of the Fun Run? **PLEASE NOTE: These have been updated and do not match the handout. Below are the correct times:

9:10 to 9:40 am: AM Kindergarten classes
10:15 - 10:45 am: Grades 1 and 5 (separate tracks)
1:15 - 1:45 pm: Grade 4
1:45 - 2:15 pm: Grade 2
2:15 - 2:45 pm: Grade 3 and PM Kindergarten (separate tracks)

Spirit days for the Week of the FUN RUN

Monday, 10/09: Out of this World Hair Day
Tuesday, 10/10: PJ Day
Wednesday, 10/11: Neon Day
Thursday, 10/12: Dress Like Your Favorite Star (sports, entertainment, etc.)
Friday, 10/13: Shamona’s Galaxy Fun Run! Teachers will hand out t-shirts in the morning.

Shamona Creek Home & School Association

September 21st, 2023

Good Afternoon, Shamona Creek Families!

I hope you are having a great week! Here are some updates for this week at the Creek!

You should have received Lifetouch Picture Day order forms. Our Shamona Picture Day is scheduled for September 29^th. Ordering is completed online at www.lifetouch.com and the picture day ID is EVTZH49GP.

We are currently in the process of administering our AIMSWeb Benchmark Testing for all students in grades K-5 in both Reading and Math. As soon as the benchmark results are ready and uploaded to the backpack on the parent portal, we will send out communication to families.

We are currently kicking off our largest HSA fundraiser of the year, Fin’s Galaxy Fun Run! Students brought home a paper copy of a letter about the Fun Run earlier this week, and we will be sending out additional information via email this week.

***NEW*** Please scan and email ALL Doctor or Dentist notes to Lisa Conway (lconway@dasd.org). We are working toward going as paperless as possible.

Please enter ALL attendance in PickUp Patrol. This includes late arrivals, early dismissals and absences.
If you are not registered for PickUp Patrol and you cannot find the original registration email, please email Lisa Conway (lconway@dasd.org) and she will resend you the Welcome email to register.
If you are planning a family trip, please be sure to turn in the Request Form for Educational and Family Trips, no less than 2 weeks prior to the dates of trip. You can email the completed form to Lisa Conway (lconway@dasd.org).
Per School Board Policy No. 204, a maximum of ten (10) days of cumulative lawful absences verified by parental notification shall be permitted during a school year. All absences beyond ten (10) cumulative days or three (3) or more consecutive days shall require an excuse from a licensed practitioner of the healing arts.

A Message from our HOME & SCHOOL ASSOCIATION:

Calling all Shamona businesses - we would love to sponsor you!

Did you know that our sharks rely on generous donations from our community to support field trips, activities, special events, assemblies, school furnishings, and much more?

This year we are reaching out and looking for help from anyone within our Shamona community who owns a business, in hopes that you’ll swim on in and join our sharks as a sponsor of our school!

Please see the attached flyer and don’t wait to reach out - the deadline to have your logo included on our all-weather outdoor sponsorship banner is October 1st!

Thank you for your support.

Spirit Days:

Please see the attached Spirit Day calendar for Shamona Creek. We may add some days as the year goes on, but wanted to give you an overview of what we are planning.

Please see the attached flier for more information on after-school programming for students in Grades 1-5 provided by the Downingtown Community Education Foundation. PLEASE NOTE—The FLYER IS ON THE SECOND PAGE OF THE ATTACHMENT.

DASD Calendar:

Here is the link to the 2023-24 School Year District Calendar: https://www.dasd.org/news-events/district-calendar

Social Media:

Facebook: Shamona Creek Elementary

Instagram: @dasd_sc

Twitter: @DASD_SC

Dr. Susi

September 11th, 2023

Good Afternoon, Shamona Creek Families:

Here are some updates for this Week at the Creek…

Please see the attached Spirit Day calendar for Shamona Creek. We may add some days as the year goes on, but wanted to give you an overview of what we are planning.

Calling all Shamona Shark Families!

Have you had an idea for an event for Shamona Creek you know your kids would love? Do you wish we had more of “this” and more of “that” in terms of activities and events for our students at our school? Tuesday night is your chance to be heard!

Please join us as we go over the HSA goals for the 23-24 school year, the events we have planned, and the ways you can get involved.

All are welcome! See you Tuesday, September 12th at 6:30 pm in the library!

If you have not already done so, please sign up for PT Board, the website the HSA uses to communicate with you:

https://shamonacreekhsa.ptboard.com

Here is the link to the 2023-24 School Year District Calendar: https://www.dasd.org/news-events/district-calendar

Facebook: Shamona Creek Elementary

Instagram: @dasd_sc

Twitter: @DASD_SC

Have a great evening!

Dr. Susi

September 1st, 2023

Good Afternoon, Shamona Creek Families:

Ask your child to tell you about what they learned today! This is a great opportunity to have conversations about making good choices, citizenship, kindness, and responsibility at school.

Have a great long weekend. We will see everyone on Tuesday!

Dr. Susi

August 27th, 2023

Good Afternoon, Shamona Creek Families!

We are excited to see all of our students tomorrow morning!

Here are some updates for this FIRST Week at the Creek…

Time Sensitive—PICK UP PATROL

We will be using Pick Up Patrol (PUP) again this year for changes in pick-up, early dismissals, late arrivals, and absences. We will NOT be using scattendance@dasd.org. If you already registered for PUP last year, you will still need to log in and update your child’s default transportation plan for this year. If you are new to Shamona or did not log in last year, you were sent an email directly from PUP. PLEASE GO INTO PUP TODAY IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY DONE SO AND UPDATE YOUR CHILD’S DEFAULT TRANSPORTATION PLAN.

If we do not have updated default pick up plans by the morning, we will assume your child is riding on the bus. Please see the attached letter for more information.

Carline Reminders:

Our official school day starts promptly at 8:50 am. Students can begin entering the building at 8:30 am. Parents dropping off students should follow the car line and wait to drop students until your car is pulled up near the adults outside (close to the playground). Please do not let your child out on the sidewalk in front of the school.

Dismissal begins at 3:30 pm each day. Please follow our carline procedures and wait in the carline. Please do not park and walk up to the carline, as it becomes a safety issue in our school parking lot. Parents picking up children from school should have their car tag on their windshield. We will be supplying these for all families during the first week of school. Until you receive the car tag, please have a paper with your child’s first and last name. This helps to ensure our carline moves smoothly.

For our new families, here is a video from a few years ago that explains our carline drop off and pick up procedures: https://youtu.be/lpQ6C8kNgFU

If you are walking to school to pick up your child, please meet them at the flagpole. There will be a teacher there waiting with your child.

Transportation:

Transportation assignments were sent last week via email. All transportation will also be available on the parent portal. Call our main office if you have any questions.

Food Services:

Please see the website for more information on ordering meals. Here is the direct link for more information: https://www.dasd.org/departments/food-services

School Supply Lists:

School supply lists by grade are available on our website at this link: https://sc.dasd.org/scresources/scbackpack/school-supplies-teacher-letters

DASD Calendar:

Here is the link to the 2023-24 School Year District Calendar: https://www.dasd.org/news-events/district-calendar

A Message from our Home and School Association:

Who would love to have a VIP Parking spot at Shamona Creek for the entire 23-24 School year?! The Home and School Association is so excited to have a one-time raffle to start to raise money for Shamona Creek with a donation of some of the proceeds to Mr. Chris and his family!

The raffle is LIVE NOW and will end TONIGHT at 8pm.

You can buy tickets virtually through the link below ($5 per ticket, or 5 tickets for $20).

http://shamonavipparkingraffle.betterworld.org/giveaways/vip-parking-spot-at-shamona-cree

Our HSA will select a winner on the first day of school!! GOOD LUCK!!

Social Media:

Facebook: Shamona Creek Elementary

Instagram: @dasd_sc

Twitter: @DASD_SC

Looking forward to seeing all of our SHARKS tomorrow!

Have a great evening!

Dr. Susi

2022-2023

May 17th, 2023

Good Afternoon, Shamona Creek Families!

Here are some updates for this Week at Shamona Creek...

Please continue to send students to school with beach towels! Thank you!

A few messages from our Home & School Association:

Attn 5th grade parents: Want an easy way to show your pride for your graduating shark? Yard signs are now available for purchase! You can order “Goodbye Sharks, Hello Narwhals” of "Congratulations 5th Grade Graduate" signs directly from our printer at https://www.bullseyeprint.com/schoolsigns.html

Ordering from 1st Day School Supplies guarantees you the exact supplies your child needs for the start of the school year, with only the brands you trust and respect like Ticonderoga, Crayola, Elmer's and Clorox. Plus, you're going to save up to 30% over shopping at Target, Walmart or even on Amazon!
So, what are you waiting for? Buy early and save this year with 1st Day School Supplies.

Order at https://1stdayschoolsupplies.com/kits.php?sid=92129&utm_source=92129&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=repfwd5

Join us for our last Home and School Meeting on Wednesday, May 24th at 6:30 in the Library. We will be electing next year's board and thanking all of our amazing volunteers! See you there!

From our Nurses:

If your child has a food allergy, please update this form for next year:

SC Allergies - Google Forms

If your child has medication(s) at school, please make arrangements with the nurse to pick them up before dismissal on the last day of school. Controlled substances and epi-pens MAY NOT be sent home with students. Inhalers and over-the-counter medications WILL BE sent home with students on the last day of school unless you contact the nurse’s office to pick them up.

Per district policy, any medication left in the nurse’s office will be discarded.

Kindergarten Registration: 2023-24 Kindergarten Registration is now open on our SC website. If you have a child entering Kindergarten in the fall, please complete your registration as soon as possible. We have many upcoming events planned for our incoming class and the information only gets sent to families with completed registration.

Please save the dates for our Fall 2023 Back to School Nights/Open Houses:

Monday, August 21^st, 6-7pm: Kindergarten
Tuesday, August 22^nd, 6-7pm: Grades 1 & 2
Wednesday, August 23^rd, 6-7 pm: Grades 3-5

SCHOOL CALENDAR: Here is the link to our SCHOOL CALENDAR https://sc.dasd.org/scnews-events/sccalendar?cal_date=2023-01-01

Have a great week!

Dr. Susi

April 27th, 2023

Good Afternoon, Shamona Creek Families!

Here are some updates for this Week at Shamona Creek...

SPIRIT DAY TOMORROW: Wear Blue for the District-wide event “A Day Without Hate.”

A message from our Literacy Specialists, Mrs. DiCecco and Mrs. Saska:

On Monday, April 24^th, our school began our 3rd annual One School, One Book program! The One School, One Book program is designed to create a shared reading experience within a single elementary school community. A chapter book is chosen, and every staff member receives a copy to read with students to promote and enrich the shared reading experience. This year Shamona Creek will be reading The Mouse and the Motorcycle. Your child(ren) may have already shared with you that Ralph S. Mouse came to visit us at school last Thursday morning to announce the book’s title!

In addition to reading the book, there will be a number of activities for our students including opportunities to win prizes here at the Creek. A Spirit Week calendar and Parent Discussion guide was sent home with your child during the week of April 17. In case you missed them, they are also attached to this email. Please make sure to ask your child(ren) about The Mouse and the Motorcycle and the adventures of Ralph S. Mouse throughout the story.

A few messages from our Home & School Association:

Spring Fair is coming! This year's Spring Fair is scheduled for May 7th, from 2:00 to 5:00pm. The afternoon will be filled with games, activities, food, and some amazing raffle baskets!

Wristbands and Raffle Tickets are now on sale. Be sure to order yours!

https://shamonacreekhsa.ptboard.com/formvw?store=2854&form=33

In order to make Spring Fair a success, we need volunteers! Please consider donating 90 minutes of your time- you will earn 2 free raffle tickets and help the kids have a great day in the process!

https://shamonacreekhsa.ptboard.com/sgnvw?group=&signup=4Cr_VzB6SuS_WVdFus8KLHN___5_MbVX23___nhv287t

The Yearbook wants to hear from the Sharks!

This year's yearbook theme is "Fin's Trip Across America" and we want to hear from the kids. Please share this survey with them and send us a picture of your student on their favorite vacation to shamonacreekyearbook@gmail.com !

https://shamonacreekhsa.ptboard.com/formvw?store=2854&form=32

Please save the dates for our Fall 2023 Back to School Nights/Open Houses:

Monday, August 21^st, 6-7pm: Kindergarten
Tuesday, August 22^nd, 6-7pm: Grades 1 & 2
Wednesday, August 23^rd, 6-7 pm: Grades 3-5

SCHOOL CAlENDAR: Here is the link to our SCHOOL CALENDAR https://sc.dasd.org/scnews-events/sccalendar?cal_date=2023-01-01

Upcoming Sports Programs for Students are attached! Downingtown West Boys Basketball, Downingtown East Softball and Downingtown East Baseball are all hosting spring and summer programs for elementary students. See fliers for more information.

Have a great rest of the week!

Dr. Susi

April 19th, 2023

Good Evening, Shamona Creek Families!

Here are some updates for this Week at Shamona Creek...

COIN CHALLENGE/Fundraiser: Shamona Creek raised a total of $1026.67 for the Eagles for Autism Foundation. Thank you to our families for the donations!

A few messages from our Home & School Association:

Spring Fair is coming! This year's Spring Fair is scheduled for May 7th, from 2:00 to 5:00pm. The afternoon will be filled with games, activities, food, and some amazing raffle baskets!

Wristbands and Raffle Tickets are now on sale. Be sure to order yours!

https://shamonacreekhsa.ptboard.com/formvw?store=2854&form=33

https://shamonacreekhsa.ptboard.com/sgnvw?group=&signup=4Cr_VzB6SuS_WVdFus8KLHN___5_MbVX23___nhv287t

The Yearbook wants to hear from the Sharks!

https://shamonacreekhsa.ptboard.com/formvw?store=2854&form=32

Just a reminder to all families that there is no school this Friday, April 21^st.

Please save the dates for our Fall 2023 Back to School Nights/Open Houses:

Monday, August 21^st, 6-7pm: Kindergarten
Tuesday, August 22^nd, 6-7pm: Grades 1 & 2
Wednesday, August 23^rd, 6-7 pm: Grades 3-5

SCHOOL CALENDAR: Here is the link to our SCHOOL CALENDAR https://sc.dasd.org/scnews-events/sccalendar?cal_date=2023-01-01

Have a great rest of the week and weekend!

Dr. Susi

March 14th, 2023

Good Morning, Shamona Creek Families!

Here are some updates for this Week at Shamona Creek...

FROM OUR HOME & SCHOOL ASSOCIATION: The Shamona Creek Spring Spirit Wear Sale starts today! Choose from hundreds of designs and garments that are delivered to your home in days! You'll save 25% off the entire site! New product lines include Nike and Adidas! Shop at https://1stplace.sale/81050.

Tickets are still available for Fin's Family Dance on March 24th! Order yours while you still can! https://tinyurl.com/FinsFamilyDance

YouthTruth Survey: Our YouthTruth Survey is now open for families. We appreciate the feedback from our families. Here is the Parent Survey Link (open February 27th-March 24th). The survey should only take about 15 minutes.

SC Showstoppers Drama Club: Our SC Showstoppers Drama Club has been working hard gearing up for their big show- The Lion King Kids. Click on this link The Lion King Kids Save the Date for info about our show and how you can run an ad in our playbill!

Downingtown Community Ed Foundation (DCEF): The DCEF is sponsoring the Harlem Wizards again this year. See attachment for more details.

SCHOOL WIDE SPIRIT WEEK: Please see the attached Spirit Week Schedule for this week!

SCHOOL CALENDAR: Here is the link to our SCHOOL CALENDAR https://sc.dasd.org/scnews-events/sccalendar?cal_date=2023-01-01

Have a great week!

Dr. Susi

February 28th, 2023

Good Morning, Shamona Creek Families!

I hope you enjoyed the long weekend!

Here are some updates for this Week at Shamona Creek...

FROM OUR HOME & SCHOOL ASSOCIATION:

HSA's next meeting is March 1st 6:30-8:00 at Revival Pizza! We will be working on plans for Spring Fair, so if you are interested in helping or are just interested in getting more involved, please join us for dinner!

Fin's Family Dance is coming! Tickets are on sale NOW- get on the VIP list by ordering early and receive a special glow gift for each student.

https://tinyurl.com/FinsFamilyDance

Early Bird Pricing for the 22/23 Yearbook ends Tuesday, Feb 28th. Books will be $25 after that, so be sure to order yours today.

Not sure if you ordered yet? Look under "View Cart" for a list of all your HSA purchases!

https://tinyurl.com/earlybirdbook

Springtime is right around the corner, and with it comes LOTS of school spirit days! It's a good time to refresh your spirit wear. This week youth and adult size ombre hoodies are on sale in the spirit wear store!

https://1stplace.sale/81050

YOUTH TRUTH SURVEY: Our YouthTruth Survey is now open for families. We appreciate the feedback from our families. Here is the Parent Survey Link (open February 27th-March 24th). The survey should only take about 15 minutes.

Downingtown Community Ed Foundation (DCEF): The DCEF is sponsoring the Harlem Wizards again this year. See attachment for more details.

SCHOOL WIDE SPIRIT WEEK: Please see the attached Spirit Week Schedules for February and March.

INTERNATIONAL FAMILY HERITAGE EVENTS: We are excited to add TWO exciting events to our calendar this year. Shamona Creek is looking for families who help us SEE THE WORLD without leaving SHAMONA CREEK! See the sign-up link below!

We are looking for families that want to get involved:

Create a display of your family’s country of origin or of how your family celebrates a holiday
Bring a dish with the recipe to share from your tradition
Share a craft from that tradition
Dress up for the evening in traditional clothing or clothing to represent that country
Share a traditional game
Share a performance of a cultural dance or talent

We are looking for students to perform in an assembly

Performance ideas include, but are not limited to:

Dancing
Singing
playing instruments

International Heritage Dance Night and Assembly Signup

PICK UP PATROL: This is a friendly reminder to please use PickUp Patrol to report ALL absences and changes to your student’s dismissal plans. PickUp Patrol saves us a great deal of time here in the office and reduces interruptions in our classrooms—most importantly, it helps us ensure that all our students are safely dismissed to their correct after-school destinations.

If you have not registered yet, please contact the school so that we can send you a registration email.

INTRAMURALS: Please see the attachment for more details on intramurals for grades.

SCHOOL CALENDAR: Here is the link to our SCHOOL CALENDAR https://sc.dasd.org/scnews-events/sccalendar?cal_date=2023-01-01

Have a great week!

Dr. Susi

February 21st, 2023

Good Morning, Shamona Creek Families!

I hope you enjoyed the long weekend!

Here are some updates for this Week at Shamona Creek...

FROM OUR HOME & SCHOOL ASSOCIATION: Pizza Bingo is February 24th and Tickets are now on sale!! Order your tickets, pizza, and raffle tickets while you can! This year’s raffles include two different summer camps!

https://tinyurl.com/ep38hsah

If you are interested in donating treats to the Pizza Bingo Bake Sale, which contributes to the Student Assistance Fund, please sign up below

https://tinyurl.com/5frvxwhe

Yearbooks are on sale! Order yours now to enjoy Early Bird pricing!

https://tinyurl.com/2jxec98m

Spring is on its way, and we are ready! Save $10 on all Adidas Polos in the Spiritwear Store through Sunday. Visit https://1stplacespiritwear.com/collection/81050/?style=Polo

Our new App is ready for download to your device! Search for “ptboard app” in the Apple App Store for iOS and the Google Play Store for Android! The app is tailored to Parents, making being in the know easier than ever. Now you can easily:

View Announcements and Volunteer Signups
Check out any Forms that are open, pay directly through the PTBoard App and register for activities
Check the Calendar for Upcoming Events
View the Student Directory
Submit photos to the yearbook in Docs & Photos
Make sure you turn on notifications so you never miss an event!

Thank you to everyone who donated to the Souper Bowl lunch! You truly outdid yourselves!

Please take a look at the HSA Website or App for volunteer opportunities for Pizza Bingo, Family Dance, and Spring Fair!

Www.shamonacreekhsa.pboard.com

SOUPER BOWL 5^TH GRADE SERVICE PROJECT: Our 5^th graders collected 214 cans to donate to the Lord’s Pantry! Thank you to everyone who donated to this annual district-wide service project!

SCHOOL WIDE SPIRIT WEEK: Please see the attached Spirit Week Schedules for February's Read Across America Week and March.

We are looking for families that want to get involved:

Create a display of your family’s country of origin or of how your family celebrates a holiday
Bring a dish with the recipe to share from your tradition
Share a craft from that tradition
Dress up for the evening in traditional clothing or clothing to represent that country
Share a traditional game
Share a performance of a cultural dance or talent

We are looking for students to perform in an assembly

Performance ideas include, but are not limited to:

Dancing
Singing
playing instruments

Please see the attachment for sign up links!

NEWS FROM ART: There are some really fun contests open to Shamona Students. All the information and more about what is going on in the art room can be found here: Art Studio News. Emails asking for volunteers for clay will be coming out soon.

5^th grade only: Build a House, Build a Dream
K-12: Doodle for Google
5^th-12^th: Imagine a Clean Energy Future

If you have not registered yet, please contact the school so that we can send you a registration email.

SCHOOL CALENDAR: Here is the link to our SCHOOL CALENDAR https://sc.dasd.org/scnews-events/sccalendar?cal_date=2023-01-01

IF YOUR CHILD IS MISSING ITEMS, PLEASE STOP BY THE LOBBY AND CHECK OUR LOST & FOUND. THERE ARE LOTS OF JACKETS, LUNCH BINS, ETC.

Have a great week!

Dr. Susi

February 8th, 2023 (Pick Up Patrol)

Good Afternoon, Shamona Creek Families!

We are excited to share that we will soon be using a system called PICKUP PATROL (PUP) here at Shamona Creek. PUP is a convenient and easy-to-use mobile app/link that will allow you to notify the school office when you need to make a change to your child’s regular dismissal plan. Instead of having to call the office or send an email, you can notify us quickly, right from your computer, phone or mobile device. You can also report student absence or late arrivals.

Attached you will find more information on this program. On Friday, February 10^th, you will receive another email from me with directions on how to set up your account. We will begin using PUP on Tuesday, February 14^th.

Have a nice evening,

Dr. Susi

February 7th, 2023

Good Morning, Shamona Creek Families!

Here are some updates for this Week at Shamona Creek...

From Our Home & School Association:

To show the teachers and staff of Shamona Creek how "Souper" we think they are, we will be treating them to a "Souper Bowl Friday" lunch in the staff lounge on Friday, Feb 10th.

We have a few spaces left for soup, so if you haven’t already, please use the link below to sign up to make a crockpot of soup for our amazing staff. https://tinyurl.com/yv88bf37

Pizza Bingo is February 24th and Tickets are now on sale!! Order your tickets, pizza, and raffle tickets while you can! This year’s raffles include two different summer camps! https://tinyurl.com/ep38hsah

Yearbooks are on sale! Order yours now to enjoy Early Bird pricing! https://tinyurl.com/2jxec98m

We have some very exciting events coming up at Shamona Creek! Our events are always successful with more volunteers and help from our amazing Shamona Families. Please take a look at the HSA Website or App for volunteer opportunities for Pizza Bingo, Family Dance, and Spring Fair!

Www.shamonacreekhsa.pboard.com

View Announcements and Volunteer Signups
Check out any Forms that are open, pay directly through the PTBoard App and register for activities
Check the Calendar for Upcoming Events
View the Student Directory
Submit photos to the yearbook in Docs & Photos
Make your you turn on notifications so you never miss an event!

Www.shamonacreekhsa.pboard.com

Souper Bowl 5^th Grade Service Project: Our 5^th graders are currently participating in the annual district-wide service project, the Souper Bowl, collecting cans of soup for the Lord’s pantry. Please see the attached flier for more details. Our 5^th graders would appreciate your support!

SC Kid’s Heart Challenge: Please see the attached flier for more details on how to donate to this great cause!

Save the date for our International Family Heritage Events. See attached information.

SCHOOL WIDE SPIRIT WEEK: Please see the attached Spirit Week Schedule!

SCHOOL CALENDAR:

Please note that next Thursday, February 16^th is a 1:30 Early Dismissal Day. Friday, February 17^th is now a snow make up day and will be a full student day of school. Monday, February 20^th is a teacher in-service day and there will be no school for students that day.

Here is the link to our SCHOOL CALENDAR https://sc.dasd.org/scnews-events/sccalendar?cal_date=2023-01-01

Have a great week & GO EAGLES!

Dr. Susi

January 30th, 2023

Good Morning, Shamona Creek Families!

Here are some updates for this Week at Shamona Creek...

From Our Home & School Association: To show the teachers and staff of Shamona Creek how "Souper" we think they are, we will be treating them to a "Souper Bowl Friday" lunch in the staff lounge on Friday, Feb 10th.We need our wonderful parents to help us! Please sign up for a donation of soup (in a crockpot with a ladle, please!), sides, dessert, or beverage. Thanks for your support!! https://tinyurl.com/yv88bf37

Our brand new App is ready for download to your device! Search for “ptboard app” in the Apple App Store for iOS and the Google Play Store for Android! The app is tailored to Parents, making being in the know easier than ever. Now you can easily:

View Announcements and Volunteer Signups
Check out any Forms that are open, pay directly through the PTBoard App and register for activities
Check the Calendar for Upcoming Events
View the Student Directory
Submit photos to the yearbook in Docs & Photos
Make your you turn on notifications so you never miss an event!

Www.shamonacreekhsa.pboard.com

Souper Bowl: Our 5^th graders are currently participating in the annual district-wide service project, the Souper Bowl, collecting cans of soup for the Lord’s pantry. Please see the attached flier for more details. Our 5^th graders would appreciate your support!

SC Kid’s Heart Challenge: Our Kid’s Heart Challenge begins in a few weeks. Please see the attached flier for more details on how to donate to this great cause!

SCHOOL WIDE SPIRIT DAY: Friday, February 10^th, wear green, wear Eagles gear, or wear your favorite team’s gear to celebrate the Super Bowl!

SCHOOL CALENDAR:

Here is the link to our SCHOOL CALENDAR https://sc.dasd.org/scnews-events/sccalendar?cal_date=2023-01-01

Have a great week,

Dr. Susi

January 23rd, 2023

Good Morning, Shamona Creek Families!

Here are some updates for this Week at Shamona Creek.

Home & School Association: Thank you to all who attended our HSA meeting last week. Please continue to visit our new HSA website for updates on HSA events: shamonacreekhsa.ptboard.com

SC Kid’s Heart Challenge: Our Kid’s Heart Challenge begins in a few weeks. Please see the attached flier for more details on how to donate to this great cause!

SCHOOL CALENDAR:

Here is the link to our SCHOOL CALENDAR https://sc.dasd.org/scnews-events/sccalendar?cal_date=2023-01-01

Have a great week,

Dr. Susi

January 10th, 2023

Good Afternoon, Shamona Creek Families!

Here are some updates for this week at Shamona Creek!

Home & School Association: Our next HSA Meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, January 18^th at 6:30 pm in the SC Library. All are invited to attend! Please visit our new HSA website for updates on HSA events: shamonacreekhsa.ptboard.com

CARLINE SIGNS:

As you are aware, we use signs during carline with family names on them. The car signs serve as an extra security measure for our school team, and having signs displayed helps our carline to run more efficiently. We kindly ask that families display car signs when picking students up in carline. If you are new to Shamona Creek OR need a new car sign, please use this link to fill out a form: https://forms.gle/YxZZ2AwhQKzWws29A

SCHOOL CALENDAR:

Here is the link to our SCHOOL CALENDAR: https://sc.dasd.org/scnews-events/sccalendar?cal_date=2023-01-01

***Please be reminded that we have an early dismissal (1:30 pm) tomorrow, Wednesday, 1/11/23.

Have a great week!

Dr. Susi

January 4th, 2023

Good Afternoon, Shamona Creek Families!

HAPPY NEW YEAR! I hope you had a wonderful holiday break. Here are some updates for this week at Shamona Creek!

CARLINE SIGNS:

After School Programming through DCEF:

Downingtown Community Education Foundation is offering some after school winter clubs at Shamona Creek Jan. 9 through March 6 3:30-5:30pm. The cost is $165.

SOLVE THE MYSTERY-grades 3-5, Mondays, Learn forensic science, collect evidence to solve the mystery. You are the detective!
ANIMAL ADVENTURES-Grades 1 & 2, Tuesday, Focus on ELA skills - reading, comprehension, research, presentation and writing while learning about animals, insects and habitats.
CODING- grades 1& 2, Mondays, Develop problem solving and thinking skills and learn the concepts of computer coding
STOP MOTION FILM MAKING -grades 3-5, Thursdays, Create a storyboard, choose sets, characters, and effects to create your own movie

Use the link below to register for DCEF programs: https://campscui.active.com/orgs/DCEDF#/selectSessions/3230939/filter/location=952401

DWest Basketball Clinic: Please see the attached flier for more information on a basketball clinic for boys and girls on MLK Day.

SCHOOL CALENDAR:

Here is the link to our SCHOOL CALENDAR: https://sc.dasd.org/scnews-events/sccalendar?cal_date=2023-01-01

Have a great week!

Dr. Susi

December 12th, 2022

Good Afternoon, Shamona Creek Families!

Here are some updates for this Week at Shamona Creek...

Home & School Association: Thank you to all who attended our HSA meeting. Please visit our new HSA website for updates on HSA events: shamonacreekhsa.ptboard.com

Calling all Bakers!

HSA is asking for baked good donations for the Winter Concert Bake Sale on December 15th. If you are busy making holiday treats and are willing to donate some for the event, please see the sign up here:

https://shamonacreekhsa.ptboard.com/sgnvw?group=&signup=4Cr_VzB6SuS_WVdFus8KLHN___5_MbVX23___nsg0sZC

Winter is here and the SHAMONA SPIRIT STORE has you covered! Stop by the website and check out the amazing selection of hoodies, hats, and sweatpants. Here is the link for the store:

https://1stplace.sale/81050

Congratulations to the WINNERS of this year’s yearbook cover contest, Alistair Au and Sofya Seraya! Their artwork will be displayed as the front and back covers of the book. Thank you so much to all of our talented 5th graders who participated in this year’s contest. Their art work makes the yearbook truly one of a kind.

Winter Concert: Just a reminder that our annual winter chorus, band, and orchestra concert is this Thursday, 12/15 @ 6:30 pm. Student performers should be here at 6:00 pm. Our HSA will be selling baked goods and desserts at the concert as a fundraiser!

Spirit Days: Next week is holiday spirit week at the Creek! Here is the schedule for our upcoming days of fun…

Monday, 12/19: Sport Jersey and Hat Day - Represent your favorite sport

Tuesday, 12/20: White Out Day - Wear white, dress like a snowman or wear something with snowflakes

Wednesday, 12/21: Winter Character Day- Dress like Santa, the Grinch, Elf, a reindeer or any of your favorite winter characters from books or stories. Be creative!

Thursday, 12/22: Holiday/Ugly Sweater Day - Wear your favorite holiday gear or Ugly Sweater.

Friday, 12/23: Pajama Day - Cozy up with your favorite PJs!

SCHOOL CALENDAR:

Here is the link to our SCHOOL CALENDAR https://sc.dasd.org/scnews-events/sccalendar

Have a great week!

Dr. Susi

November 28th, 2022

Good Morning, Shamona Creek Families!

I hope you all had a very happy Thanksgiving. Here are some updates for this Week at Shamona Creek!

Home & School Association: Thank you to all who attended our HSA meeting. Please visit our new HSA website for updates on HSA events: shamonacreekhsa.ptboard.com

ESARs/Report Cards: Report cards will be available for parents in the parent portal (Infinite Campus) on December 9^th.

SHAMONA CREEK STUDENT COUNCIL-SHARK BITES SERVICE PROJECT UPDATE:

Thank you to everyone who donated to our Shark Bites project. Our student council members were able to purchase items for the Veterans Hospital in Coatesville, and delivered the items last week. The fundraiser was a great success and a great experience for our students!

SCHOOL CALENDAR:

Here is the link to our SCHOOL CALENDAR https://sc.dasd.org/scnews-events/sccalendar?cal_date=2022-10-28

Have a great week!

Dr. Susi

November 14th, 2022

Good Morning, Shamona Creek Families!

Here are some updates for this Week and next week at Shamona Creek!

Home & School Association: Our next HSA Meeting will be this Wednesday, 11/16, at 6:30 pm in the library. All are welcome to attend! Please visit our new HSA website for updates on HSA events: shamonacreekhsa.ptboard.com

SCHOOL CALENDAR:

Here is the link to our SCHOOL CALENDAR:

https://sc.dasd.org/scnews-events/sccalendar?cal_date=2022-10-28

Have a great week!

Dr. Susi

November 11th, 2022

Good Afternoon, Shamona Families:

Please see the message below from our school counselor, Mrs. Hoffmann:

Shamona Creek Holiday Family Support

Please click on the link below if you are interested in learning more about how your family might benefit from our Family Holiday Giving Program.

If you are interested in receiving support for the holidays, please complete the form by Wednesday, November 16^th.

https://forms.gle/iTNab315fyyTjS217

If you have any questions, please contact Mrs. Hoffmann at ehoffmann@dasd.org or 610-458-8703.

Have a good afternoon,

Dr. Susi

October 28th, 2022 (Watch Dogs)

Good Afternoon, Shamona Creek Families:

We are excited to kick-off our Watch D.O.G.S. (Dads of Great SHARKS) program again this year at Shamona Creek. Through this program, our Shamona dads have the opportunity to spend one day here at school.

All volunteers must have clearances to be a Watchdog. If you are in need of clearances, please sign up for a later date to allow time for you to receive them.

Please see the attached PDF. All information on clearances and sign-up links are included, as well as an overview of the program/schedule.

Have a great day,

Dr. Susi

October 28th, 2022

Good Afternoon, Shamona Creek Families:

In honor of National School Safety Week and National First Responders Day today, we had a special assembly this morning to celebrate First Responders. All of the first responders who attended today were relatives of Shamona students. Our students learned that there are all different types of First Responders, however, all have the same goal of keeping people safe.

Later this morning our students participated in an emergency drill. Here are Shamona, we have many different types of drills, occurring at least once or twice each month. To maintain the integrity of our school safety plan, we intentionally do not share specific emergency plans with our community.

Many parents have often asked me in the past few months how we explain different types of drills to our students. When explaining drills, we keep our explanations very general in nature:

1. We use drills to practice what to do in an emergency. There are lots of different drills we practice for all different types of situations.

2. Even though these emergencies would most likely never happen, it is important for us to have a plan and practice because we have a lot of people here in the school that need to know what to do in an emergency situation.

3. The most important thing a student can do in a drill situation or in an emergency is stay quiet and listen to the directions given by adults/teachers.

I am sending those points to you today so that if your child was to ask about our safety drills at home, you can use our language and main points to reinforce the message.

Thanks,

Dr. Susi

October 25th, 2022

Good Afternoon, Shamona Creek Families!

Here are some updates for this Week and next week at Shamona Creek!

THANK YOU to everyone who donated to the FUN RUN. We are keeping the link open until the end of the week.

Home & School Association: Thank you to all who came out to our first HSA Meeting. Please visit our new HSA website for updates on HSA events: shamonacreekhsa.ptboard.com

Veteran’s Wall of Honor:

In addition to our assembly, our Student Council and Star Spangled Shark clubs like to honor our veteran relatives/friends on a wall of honor that is displayed in our school. If you or someone in your family is a veteran, and you would like to honor them on our Wall, please print and submit the form attached to this email. You can even include a photograph! Please submit to Mrs. Kondracki on or before 10/27. The clubs will be decorating the school for Veterans Day.

AIMS Web Benchmark Testing: Parents should have received an email from DASD Pupil Services regarding AIMSWEB testing and reports. We administer benchmark assessments 3 times per school year. We have heard that some of the reports are still in the process of being uploaded by our tech department. As soon as I hear that it is rectified, I will send something out to parents. To access your child’s AIMSWeb results, go to the backpack on the parent portal. For directions to access your child’s backpack, click here.

Barnes and Noble Night: Save the date for SC Barnes and Noble night! This year, we will host B & N night on Thursday, December 1^st. More information coming soon!

WATCH DOGS: We are looking to begin our Watch Dogs program in the month of November. Please be on the lookout for more information coming this week in a separate email.

SCHOOL CALENDAR:

Here is the link to our SCHOOL CALENDAR https://sc.dasd.org/scnews-events/sccalendar?cal_date=2022-10-28

Have a great week!

Dr. Susi

October 25th, 2022 (Conferences)

Good Afternoon, Shamona Creek Families:

Parent-Teacher Conferences will take place in November.

As we have done in the past few years, we are using one link and one system for scheduling conferences school-wide. This will help parents who are scheduling more than one conference for multiple children to be able to coordinate times.

4th and 5th Grade Parents, please schedule your conferences at a time when you know your 4th/5th grader can be present. If it is during the school day when they are here, we will have them step out of class to attend.

Here is our SC link to schedule: https://ptcfast.com/schools/Shamona_Creek_Elementary

Have a great evening,

Dr. Susi

October 20th, 2022

Good Afternoon, Shamona Families!

Tomorrow is our FUN RUN! Our students are super excited. Each student will be receiving a fun run T-shirt for participating. Please send your child to school wearing sneakers.

We are still collecting donations, which directly benefit our Home & School Association. Here is a message from our HSA with some information on how donations are used here at SC:

https://youtu.be/wcKZ5WLlMqw

Here is the link to donate:

https://shamonacreekhsa.ptboard.com/formvw?store=2854&form=8

Have a great evening!

Dr. Susi

October 17th, 2022

Good Afternoon, Shamona Creek Families!

Here are some updates for this Week and next week at Shamona Creek!

THIS WEEK KICKS OFF OUR ANNUAL FUN RUN! STUDENTS RECEIVED INFORMATION LAST WEEK AND BROUGHT HOME INFORMATION TO PARENTS. I HAVE ALSO ATTACHED THE INFORMATION TO THIS EMAIL. LOOKING FORWARD TO OUR FUN RUN ON FRIDAY!

Home & School Association: Thank you to all who came out to our first HSA Meeting. Please visit our new HSA website for updates on HSA events: shamonacreekhsa.ptboard.com

Please see the attachment for the October dates for dine arounds/feeding frenzies at Iron Hill. Mention SC HSA and 20% of your bill will be donated back to our Home & School Association!

Annual Veterans Day Assembly:

As we have for the last few years, we would like to invite veterans who are relatives or friends of our students’ families to honor at our annual Veteran’s Day Assembly. If you have ever attended this assembly, you know what a special event this is for our students, staff and veterans! It is even more special when the veterans are connected to our school. The assembly will be held on November 11^th at 9:45 am. If you or a family member/friend are a veteran and interested in being honored at our assembly, please use this link:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeChtOMPcf0zqsPVWtwdBn-REy-aLtHs55rW5nXlRCy6Yc1ww/viewform

Veteran’s Wall of Honor:

AIMS Web Benchmark Testing: Parents should have received an email from DASD Pupil Services regarding AIMSWEB testing. We administer benchmark assessments 3 times per school year. To access your child’s AIMSWeb results, go to the backpack on the parent portal.

For directions to access your child’s backpack, click here.

Barnes and Noble Night: Save the date for SC Barnes and Noble night! This year, we will host B & N night on Thursday, December 1^st. More information coming soon!

WATCH DOGS: We are looking to begin our Watch Dogs program in the month of November. Please be on the lookout for more information coming soon. We will be sending it out in a separate email later this week.

SCHOOL CALENDAR:

Here is the link to our SCHOOL CALENDAR https://sc.dasd.org/scnews-events/sccalendar?cal_date=2022-10-28

Have a great week!

Dr. Susi

September 28th, 2022

Good Evening, Shamona Creek Families!

Here are LOTS of updates for this Week at Shamona Creek...

Spirit Wear: Our HSA is excited to share a new link for spirit wear this year. The online store will remain open all year. Here is the link: 1stplacespiritwear.com

You can search for Shamona Creek Elementary on the search page. All Spirit wear orders will be shipped directly to your home.

India Heritage Month: We are looking for some SC parent volunteers who would be willing to collaborate with our DASD Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) team to organize our 2nd annual India Heritage Celebration. This event will be held in different capacities across all district buildings in November.

The focus of the celebration is for all 3rd grade students to experience Indian culture and traditions through engaging stations/activities.

We had such wonderful parent support last year with our event and look forward to recruiting the same support for our program again this year!

If you would like more information or are interested in volunteering/supporting the event at SC, please email Justin Brown @ jbrown@dasd.org

Thank you for your support!

Home & School Association: Thank you to all who came out to our first HSA Meeting last week. Please visit our new HSA website for updates on HSA events: shamonacreekhsa.ptboard.com

Please see the attachment for the October dates for dine arounds/feeding frenzies at Iron Hill. Mention SC HSA and 20% of your bill will be donated back to our Home & School Association!

A Message from our School Counselor: Please see the attached newsletter from Mrs. Hoffmann, our school counselor!

Student Clubs:

We are getting ready to begin many of our student clubs for the year. Most of our fall clubs are for students in grades 4 & 5. Please be sure to check the grade levels for each club prior to registering your child.

Students participating in extra curricular clubs are required to pay a ONE TIME per year $25 activity fee per child. Band, Orchestra, and Chorus are included in this. The fee only needs to be paid once and students can participate in multiple clubs/activities using that one-time fee. To pay your activity fee, please go to www.payschoolscentral.com. This is the same website used to fund student lunch accounts. If you do not have an account, you will need your child’s school ID number to create an account. ID numbers can be found in the parent portal.

Star Spangled Sharks Club: This club is for 4^th and 5^th graders and helps to organize community service projects and school events. Join star spangled sharks! Here is the form to sign up: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSef32m-if3e5ny1wg59iMt28n7D6t2XM_yEkH2AKU-VHl28sA/viewform

Morning Broadcast Club: Calling all 5^th graders! Are you interested in doing the morning broadcast LIVE for the whole school to see? If you are, here is the link with more information and to sign up! https://forms.gle/AaNQ8irzUJXofvBU7

Make It and Take it Crafts Club: This is for students in grades 4 & 5. Students will meet on D Days at 8:00 in Ms. Moore’s fifth grade classroom. This club is for students who enjoy making quick, fun seasonal crafts using paper, glue, paint, and other mediums. After they “make it”, students will “take it” home to enjoy. An activity fee applies to this club. Enrollment is limited to 20 students.

Please sign up using this Google form link: https://forms.gle/daA6Jj8zJ3yg5Znm8

Orchestra:

3^rd grade-Classes begin on September 28 and are held on C DAYS. Sign up here: https://forms.gle/M4znqzScA1CaCPmS7

4^th and 5^th grade-Classes begin on September 16, Rehearsals begin on September 27 and are held on B DAYS. Sign up here: https://forms.gle/D9AiVddrYCMA87gr6

Downingtown Community Education Foundation Programs: Please see the attachment for the different programs/age groups that will be offered through the DCEF at Shamona Creek this Fall.

REVIEW 360- STUDENT SURVEY (GRADES 3, 4 & 5)

As part of our Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) efforts to provide targeted support to our students, each year we administer a universal screener to students to determine their proficiency in math and reading.

If you recall, several years ago we began administering a third universal screener for students in grades three through five in order to provide targeted support for students with behavioral and emotional needs.

The screener will be administered to your child during Health or I-design class with Mrs. Hoffmann between October 6th and October 14th.

The screener should take no longer than 15 minutes for children to complete.

The universal screener provides a score of normal risk, elevated risk or extremely elevated risk for each student and identifies instructional recommendations. We expect all students to have some level of risk across their elementary career. However, families of any student's self-assessment score that is categorized as overall elevated or extremely elevated, will be contacted.

We will work as a school team to identify interventions in order to appropriately support the needs of each specific student. Currently, we are implementing class meetings, teacher check-ins, weekly social-emotional lessons, monthly guidance lessons, targeted small group instruction and individual check-ins when appropriate with the school counselor, prevention specialist and behavior specialist.

If you have any questions about the assessment or child’s participation, please do not hesitate to reach out to Dr. Susi or Mrs. Hoffmann.

Here is the link to our SCHOOL CALENDAR: https://sc.dasd.org/scnews-events/sccalendar?cal_date=2022-10-28

Have a great evening,

Dr. Susi

August 30th, 2022

Good Afternoon, Shamona Creek Families!

It was great to see our students back at Shamona yesterday!

Here are a few updates for this week at Shamona Creek...

Transportation & Parent Pick-up:

If you are changing your child’s transportation plan after the school day begins, please call the main office BY 2:00 PM. Calling the office will help to ensure that the teachers receive the message prior to dismissal.

***Our afternoon carline/parent pick-up area is for current Shamona Creek students only. For safety reasons, we cannot accommodate 6^th grade center students. We have communicated this with MC6GC as well. Parents who are picking up in both locations will need to drive through the carline at both schools.

Breakfast and Lunch Information:

Students will need to pre-order meals again this year. Please click here to access the 2022-2023 K-5 School Meal Program Update to find out more about cost of student lunches and how to access your child’s account.

Please see the Health and Phys. Ed NEWSLETTER!

Have a great week!

Dr. Susi