Upcoming Community Events & Programs

What: Feel like you could use a night out without the kids? Parents' Night Out is an entertaining evening for children ages 4-11 filled with lots of fun activities, including board games, open gym, arts & crafts, movies and more, as LMHS staff and student volunteers supervise the event!

When: Saturday, December 14 from 5:30-9:00 p.m.

Where: Lower Merion High School (315 E. Montgomery Avenue in Ardmore). Drop-off and pick-up at the Main Entrance to LMHS on Montgomery Avenue.

Cost: $30 for 1 child; $45 for 2 children; $55 for 3 children; $5 for each additional child.

For an additional $5 per child, we've got dinner covered! If you are interested in this dinner option, you can drop off your kids at 5:00 p.m. for pizza and drinks!

Parents must fill out the online registration and consent form available here.

Payment is due upon arrival on December 14. Cash or check is accepted. Please make checks payable to LMHS. Financial assistance is available. Walk-ups are welcome, but parents/guardians must complete the registration and consent form upon arrival. A light snack will be provided before the movie.

Questions or concerns? Please contact Carla Rehak (rehakc@lmsd.org) or Alli Mellet (melleta@lmsd.org).

The Ardmore Avenue Community Center (AACC) is holding a Holiday Toy Drive! Donations will be accepted through December 20, 2024.

Help the AACC spread joy this holiday season to children in our community by donating new, unwrapped toys, books or clothing for kids ages 2-13!

Gift Cards for teens (ages 14-18) are also appreciated.

Drop-Off Locations are as follows:

• Ardmore Avenue Community Center
  • 122 Ardmore Avenue in Ardmore
  • Monday-Friday, 1:00 – 7:30 PM
• Lower Merion Township Public Safety Building
  • 71 E. Lancaster Avenue in Ardmore
  • Anytime
• Lower Merion Township Administration Building
  • 75 E. Lancaster Avenue in Ardmore
  • Monday-Friday, 8:15 AM – 4:30 PM
• Lower Merion Township Libraries
  • Any of the six LMT Library Locations
  • Visit respective library websites for hours

You generosity is appreciated! For more information, call 610-896-7256.

Registration is now open for the Next Level Sports Winter Basketball Season, which will run January through March 2025!

Financial aid is available for those who qualify. Email Joni@NLSports.org for the financial aid application.

Register your child(ren) for the season here today!

Looking for something fun to do this winter?

Lower Merion Township Parks and Recreation offers a variety of programs for boys and girls of all ages. Classes for adults are also available.

For more up-to-date information regarding programs, please visit www.lowermerionrec.com.

Winter registration is now open and classes are filling up quickly. Register Now!

Programs on offer include:

• Bricks 4 Kidz LEGO®
• David Broida Tennis
• US Sports Institute Basketball
• Shining Knights Chess
• R5 Sports Soccer
• Mad Science
• Dungeons and Dragons
• Royal T Tennis
• Built By Me STEM Robotics
• GeoVentures
• Rhythmic Gymnastics
• Soccer Shots
• Quadball/Quidditch
• Medical Me
• Abrakadoodle Art
• VAC Cooking
• Play-Well TEKnologies LEGO®
• Kids Look Listen Create Music/Art
• Universal Rackets Pickleball
• YOGA206, Bone Boost (Virtual)

Financial aid available to qualified Lower Merion Township residents.

The Lower Merion High School baseball team will be hosting a series of Fall Saturday Baseball Clinics for children in grades 2-6 beginning on November 9, 2024!

Learn directly from the seasoned coaches and players of the Aces' baseball team!

Clinic Dates:

• November 9, 2024
• November 16, 2024
• November 23, 2024
• December 7, 2024
• December 14, 2024

The clinics will be held at AFC Fitness Bala, which is located at 601 Righters Ferry Road in Bala Cynwyd.

Cost is $65 per session. Sign up for five, but only pay for four! Financial assistance is available.

Scan the QR code in the thumbnail image to register!

Questions? Contact quinnc@lmsd.org.

Riverbend Environmental Education Center will host their annual Adopt-a-Tree event on Saturday, November 2, 2024, from 10:30 a.m. to noon!

Join us with your friends and family to adopt and plant trees at Riverbend!

Activities:

• Planting trees in beautiful spaces!
• Learn about types of trees!
• Play nature games!
• Make connections!

REGISTER HERE!

The Riverbend Environmental Education Center is located at 1950 Spring Mill Road in Gladwyne.

Does someone in your family need a coat? Get in touch about our COAT GIVEAWAY!

We have coats for kids & adults!

Email us at lowermerioncares@gmail.com.

You’re Invited to Join LMSD’s Committee to Address Race in Education (CARE)

All members of the Lower Merion School District community – students, parents and guardians, staff and residents – are invited to join LMSD’s Committee to Address Race in Education (CARE).

LMSD recognizes the value and necessity of engaging all community members in our efforts to provide a high-quality education to all students. CARE was formed in 1997 in order to forge school-community partnerships and opportunities to work collaboratively toward this goal. 

CARE meets monthly from October through May each year. Meeting dates for the remainder of this calendar year are listed below. Meetings are held in the Lower Merion High School library from 4:00-5:30 p.m. 

• October 23, 2024
• November 20, 2024
• December 18, 2024

To be added to the mailing list for CARE meeting reminders, please click here and enter your email address.

The Lower Merion High School boys lacrosse team and Ashbee Lacrosse are hosting a 90-minute clinic at Lower Merion High School's Arnold Field. Players of all experience levels will receive instruction from players and coaches from the Aces’ lacrosse team. All proceeds benefit the LMHS Boys Lacrosse team.

When: Sunday October 6th from 11:00 a.m - 12:30 p.m.

Where: Lower Merion High School @ Arnold Field

Who: Children in grades 3-8

All experience levels are welcome!

Cost: $50/player

REGISTER HERE!

Financial aid available, if needed. Please contact lmlaxbooster@gmail.com.

In need of help with math class? The "Main Line Math Project" is here to help!

Talented mathematicians from Harriton High School will be offering free tutoring sessions every Sunday from noon to 2:00 p.m. at Ludington Library. The program begins on October 6, 2024, and will run through May 18, 2025.

For more information about the Main Line Math Project, click here!

Residents of Lower Merion and Narberth wishing to make donations to support the Lower Merion School District may choose to donate to the following Community Partners:

The Education Foundation of Lower Merion (including the Sean Hughes Memorial Fund)

The Lower Merion Township Scholarship Fund

A Better Chance Lower Merion

Individual Home and School Associations

School buses are about to return to the roads for the start of another school year. Please keep our students safe and abide by Pennsylvania's School Bus Stopping Law.

• When you meet or overtake a stopped school bus with red signal lights flashing and stop arm extended, you MUST STOP.
• When you approach an intersection where a school bus is stopped with red signal lights flashing and stop arm extended, you MUST STOP.
• You MUST STOP at least ten (10) feet away from the school bus.
• You MUST WAIT until the red lights have stopped flashing and the stop arm has been withdrawn before moving.
• DO NOT MOVE until all the children have reached a place of safety.

The penalties if convicted of violating Pennsylvania's School Bus Stopping Law include:

• $250 fine
• Five points on your driving record
• 60-day license suspension

For more information, review Pennsylvania's School Bus Stopping Law Fact Sheet.

Financial Help for Families to Connect to the Internet

The Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) will allow many American households to reduce their internet service costs by up to $30/month.

There are three different ways to qualify, and you'll be able to take advantage of this benefit if you meet any one of them.

• The first category is income — specifically, whether the money you make annually is at or below 200% of the federal poverty level. For an individual, that would be $27,180. For a couple (or any household of two), the total is $36,620. For a family of four, that total rises to $55,500. The full income chart is available here.
• Second, you'll also qualify if you or someone else in your household is a beneficiary of assistance programs including Medicaid, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), the Veterans Pension and Survivors Benefit, and more.
• Finally, you're also eligible if you've already met the criteria for an existing low-income program from a local internet provider in your area.

If you'd like to claim this benefit for your family, you can start the process right here.

Which internet service providers are participating?

• Allo Communications
• AltaFiber (and Hawaiian Telecom)
• Altice USA (Optimum and Suddenlink)
• Astound
• AT&T
• Breezeline
• Comcast
• Comporium
• Frontier
• IdeaTek
• Cox Communications
• Jackson Energy Authority
• Mediacom
• MLGC
• Spectrum (Charter Communications
• Starry
• Verizon (Fios only)
• Vermont Telephone Company
• Vexus Fiber
• Wow! Internet, Cable, and TV

For more information about this service, click here.

LMSD can also help qualifying families get connected through the Comcast Internet Essentials program. For information about LMSD's Internet Essentials Program, call or email Anna O'Hora in the School and Community Relations Department at 610-645-1977 or ohoraa@lmsd.org.

Swimmers and divers are invited to join the Lower Merion Aquatic Club! This announcement is geared towards students ages 5-18 ranging anywhere in skill level from developmental to competitive.

Learn more at: www.Lowermerionaquaticclub.com

Lower Merion Aquatic Club is a registered non-profit, 501(c)(3). Financial assistance is available.

For more information please contact: LMACheacoach@gmail.com.

The federal government's Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) has been extended until May 2022. The average SNAP benefit increased by $36.24 per person.

SNAP maximum allotments (benefit amounts) are updated each year based on the cost of the Thrifty Food Plan in June and take effect on October 1. The Thrifty Food Plan is the cost of groceries needed to provide a healthy, budget-conscious diet for a family of four.

For more information about SNAP, click here.

To visit the Narberth Community Food Bank website, click here.

Foster relationships. Link to resources. Advocate for you. Connect with you.

Do you need help and don't know where to start?

We can help you:

• Navigate the human services system
• Better understand services available to you
• Make referrals to organizations that will best address your needs

We can help link you to resources:

• Services for seniors
• Mental health services
• Drug & alcohol services
• Employment
• Child care
• Housing
• Food
• And more!

Hours: 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday

Phone:610-278-3522 (FLAC)

• Navicates are able to assist by phone or email to maintain everyone's safety at this time.

Free service for Montgomery County residents. Language Line services available. Learn more here.