Teacher Appreciation Week
This week we celebrate the all-stars of 2023-2024, our teachers! As part of Teacher Appreciation Week, the Teacher Appreciation Day celebration takes place on the first Tuesday in May each year. Each year, during the first week of May, we take extra time to celebrate the incredible educators who inspire, guide, and empower students every single day. To all the amazing teachers at Spring-Ford and beyond: THANK YOU for your dedication, passion, and unwavering commitment to shaping the future. Your hard work does not go unnoticed, and your impact extends far beyond the classroom walls!

Click here to watch RCTV's Teacher Appreciation Week video.

National School Nurses Day 
Friday, May 8th is National School Nurses Day! School nurses and school health professionals juggle a complex array of medical and social issues, seeing thousands of students, and often on the move all day long. A typical schedule can encompass health care screenings, hearing and vision testing; dealing with home accidents, diseases such as diabetes and asthma, special needs like tube-feeding; and the fallout from mental, emotional, and social problems, including arranging for disadvantaged students to receive breakfast and clothing, and even helping students cope who are homeless or whose parents are incarcerated. For some students, the school nurse is the only healthcare professional they ever see.

Clearing the Air - Vape Prevention Workshop
Kids are wired to try new things. Whether it’s nicotine, THC (cannabis), or “just” flavoring, the current trend, both nationally and locally, is vaping. Along with other risky behaviors, this is something we need to have a conversation about, as parents and as a community that cares. We’ll talk about:

• Ways we can help kids to break away from cultural pressures.
• The teenage brain is built to take risks. How can we encourage smart choices?
• Vaping can involve flavored liquids, nicotine, or THC (cannabis).
• We’ll learn about the implications of each.
• What are the implications of medical marijuana, and the potential for legalized adult use?

WHEN: May 21 at 6:30-8 p.m.

WHERE: Spring-Ford Area High School

REGISTER: Click here to register.

Kindergarten Registration is OPEN!
Welcome, Class of 2037! Registration is opening for incoming Kindergarten and new 1st-grade students! Children living in the Spring-Ford Area School District who will be five years old by August 31, 2024 are eligible to attend school in 2024-2025.

Families registering for Kindergarten will be the first to use Spring-Ford's new online registration system. Returning SFASD families who have already registered at least one student in Spring-Ford and already have a Spring-Ford Skyward account can log into Skyward to start the Kindergarten Registration process. Click here to learn more.

Meet the Instrument Night
Students entering 4th grade for the coming 2024-2025 school can sign-up and learn a Band or Orchestra instrument! On Thursday, May 30th the Music Department is holding Meet the Instrument Night at the 5/6/7 Grade Center. Students will get to try out three instruments of their choice and (Registration is Required by May 26th).

Students must sign up for this event in advance. Click here to register.

Can’t make May 30th? Click here to learn more about Spring-Ford's music program.

If you have any questions, please reach out to Mr. Brett Slifer (Band) bslif@spring-ford.net or Ms. Kylie Sexton (Orchestra) ksext@spring-ford.net

Mental Health Awareness Month
May is Mental Health Awareness Month. Since its inception in 1949, Mental Health Awareness Month has been a cornerstone of addressing the challenges faced by millions of Americans living with mental health conditions. Throughout the month, NAMI actively participates in this national movement, dedicated to eradicating stigma, extending support, fostering public education and advocating for policies that prioritize the well-being of individuals and families affected by mental illness.

Mental Health Awareness Month provides a perfect opportunity to share mental health resources, local programs and initiatives, as well as helpful information that is available for specific populations such as caregivers, youth and young adults and underrepresented communities.

• The NAMI HelpLine is a free, nationwide peer-support service providing information, resource referrals and support to people living with a mental health condition, their family members and caregivers, mental health providers and the public. Call 1-800-950-NAMI (6264), text "HelpLine" to 62640.
• The NAMI Teen & Young Adult (T&YA) HelpLine offers a direct connection with another young person who shares similar experiences and is prepared to offer information, resources, and support to help you move through difficult times to a better place. Call 1-800-950-NAMI (6264), text “Friend” to 62640.
• Experiencing a mental health crisis: Call, chat or text 988 to speak with a trained crisis counselor 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Student Spotlight: FLBA Top Placement
Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) is a high school club of student members preparing for careers in business or who are interested in competing in a business event of choice. In Pennsylvania, roughly 295 active chapters are organized into 27 different regions. Spring-Ford Area High School's FBLA students participate in Region 20.

In December, 34 Spring-Ford FBLA members performed in the Regional Leadership Competition (RLC). They were up against steep competition in Region 20. There are 15 schools in the region, and it is one of the largest regions with a student population.  Depending on the event, it can be difficult to advance, though, not a surprise to the team; 15 of Spring-Ford members placed Top 4 in their event for the Regional Leadership Competition! 

Of the 34 members, those 15 students had the opportunity to advance and compete in the State Leadership Competition (SLC). The State Leadership Competition (SLC) concluded April 9th.  Our students were up against more than 5,000 FBLA members from PA. Of the 15 FBLA members who competed in the SLC, six students placed in the Top 10 in Pennsylvania. Of those six, two students now have the opportunity to compete in the National Leadership Competition (NLC) in Orlando, Florida, this summer! Congratulations to Aarav J. for placing first in Organizational Leadership and to Henry L. for placing second in Securities and Investments. Additional acknowledgment to Alisha S. for placing tenth in Insurance and Risk Management. 

Congratulations, as well, to the full team for a successful year!

Student Spotlight: Luke Ellor
Congratulations to Spring-Ford Area High School Football Player, Luke Ellor, for his inclusion in the 2024 Big 33 team. Luke is the 2nd player in Spring-Ford Rams Football history selected to play in the game.

About the Big 33 Football Classic: Originating in 1957, the Big 33 Football Classic is one of the nation’s finest scholastic All-Star Football Games, currently showcasing Pennsylvania and Maryland’s premier football players. Now into its sixth decade, the Football Classic is often described as “The Super Bowl of High School Football.” It is a game rich in both history and tradition. Many Big 33 Football Classic players and cheerleaders propel to college careers and so many players have successful careers in the NFL. There has never been a Super Bowl played without a former Big 33 player on the roster. Each year, Pennsylvania and Maryland square off in “The Super Bowl of High School Football.”

Message from MCOPH
The Montgomery County Office of Public Health (MCOPH) has seen an uptick in pertussis, also known as whooping cough, throughout the county. Pertussis, also known as whooping cough, is a very contagious disease. It can spread when a person with pertussis coughs or sneezes. A person with pertussis can spread the disease for several weeks unless treated. To protect yourself and others from getting sick, take action to help prevent the spread of respiratory illnesses, like pertussis:

• Avoid close contact with sick people: Avoid close contact with people who are sick. When you are sick, keep your distance from others to protect them from getting sick too.
• Stay home when you are sick:  It is important to stay home when sick for at least 24 hours after you no longer have a fever or signs of a fever without the use of fever-reducing medicines.
• Cover your coughs and sneezes: Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing or sneezing.  It may prevent those around you from getting sick.
• Wash your hands often:  Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. Use at least a 60% alcohol-based hand sanitizer if soap and water are not available.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth: Germs can be spread when a person touches something that is contaminated with germs and then touches his or her eyes, nose, or mouth.
• Clean and disinfect: Clean surfaces and objects that are touched frequently, including desks, doorknobs, railings, computer keyboards, phones, and toys.
• Staying up to date with your vaccinations: Vaccines help your body create protective antibodies that help it fight off infections. By getting vaccinated, you can protect yourself and avoid spreading preventable diseases to other people in your community.

If you think that your child has been exposed to pertussis or develops cold symptoms that include cough, contact their healthcare provider.

McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act
In 1987, Congress passed the Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Assistance Act, (subsequently renamed the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act) to aid homeless persons. The Act defines the term "homeless children and youths" as individuals who lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence. The Act explicitly includes within the definition of "homeless children and youths" those who are "awaiting foster care placement." On December 10, 2015, the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) was enacted amending McKinney-Vento. This Basic Education Circular (BEC) explains the categories of children who are "homeless" and entitled to the protections of the federal law. Click here to learn more.