Upcoming Community Events & Programs

At a special meeting of the Lower Merion Board of School Directors on Monday, June 22, 2020, the Board approved a Healthy and Safety Plan for Athletics. The plan was developed in accordance with guidance provided by the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) and the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletics Association (PIAA).

The Board's approval of this plan will enable teams to hold voluntary summer practices for fall sports, beginning on July 6, 2020.

All student athletes and their parents/guardians are urged to review the plan prior to deciding whether to participate in athletic activities.

Coaches, Athletics and Activities Directors, and Student Health Services staff will be monitoring plan compliance, behaviors and screening results. Changes to the Plan and/or to health and safety practices may be made as warranted.

Click here to read the plan.

Lower Merion School District will be offering free summer meals for children, starting Monday, June 22, 2020.

Meals will be distributed on Mondays and Tuesdays from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at Lower Merion High School. Please note, the final day for the meal distribution site at Suburban Square will be Tuesday, June 16, 2020.

On Mondays, each child will receive five breakfasts and five lunches. On Tuesdays, each child will receive two breakfasts and two lunches. Pickup is contact-free and masks are required.

The pickup location is in near the pool entrance in the rear of the Lower Merion High School at 315 E. Montgomery Avenue, Ardmore, PA. Follow the signs for the pool. Staff members on-site will direct cars through the pickup process.

Dear LMSD Families,

As promised in my letter two weeks ago, I am writing to provide you with another update on our planning process for a return to school in the fall. Again, I must emphasize that no final decisions have been made about what September 2020 will look like. Earlier today, we received new guidance from the Pa. Department of Education (PDE) and we continue to receive additional new information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Montgomery County Office of Public Health. Despite the rapidly changing guidance, our framework as we look to a safe reopening remains constant:

• LMSD will follow recommendations from the state and federal government, as well as the Montgomery County Office of Public Health to determine when it is safe to reopen schools.
• While taking steps to simultaneously restore and redesign instruction, LMSD will prioritize ensuring the safety and health of students and staff in accordance with medical recommendations and guidelines.
• We will need to prepare for various school start scenarios, as well as future school closure scenarios, ranging from all students being in school to all students learning remotely and hybrid options between the two.
• We anticipate a range of responses from the community regarding any decisions made
• Reopening plans will be subject to continuous review and revision.

The new guidance from PDE indicates that schools may now be allowed to reopen for in-person instruction in the "Yellow" phase as soon as July 1, if certain conditions can be met. This is a change from earlier directives that said schools would not be able to reopen until the "Green" phase. In order to offer any in-person instruction, we need to submit an extensive Health and Safety Plan for PDE review and take numerous additional steps. This work is underway.

We are also reviewing our plans for summer programs, which we had planned to offer remotely. Offering in-person instruction will require significant changes in staffing, facilities usage and other procedures that may not be possible to implement safely by July 1. Therefore, at this time, we anticipate most summer programs will remain remote. However, if we can offer in-person summer learning opportunities, we will and we are working to develop new programming to enable that effort.

Looking ahead to fall, it appears that we will be in the "Green" phase. Our goal remains to safely open schools for in-person instruction to the extent possible, knowing that conditions may change and require a return to remote instruction for certain individuals, buildings or even the entire District for unknown periods of time. As part of those considerations, we are investigating whether we may be able to provide our own LMSD cyber school for students who are unable to attend in-person classes for an extended period of time.

As we as District Administration look ahead, we ask you as parents and guardians to do so as well. Some particular issues will require your support and cooperation and we ask you to begin considering these now:

• Transportation: Transportation will be a challenge, as the recommendation is to limit the number of children on buses. Therefore, we ask parents/guardians to begin to consider how and whether they will be able to transport their own children to school, if they live outside of the walk zones.
• Children's Health: We will also need the support of parents/guardians to ensure that any children who may be exhibiting any symptoms of illness are kept home and to understand that children who arrive at school displaying symptoms will need to be picked up immediately.

Below are brief updates on the work of some of the various subcommittees of our Reopening Task Force:

Health and Safety: This committee has created a six-page working document outlining critical information and decision pathways impacting social distancing (both for buildings and transportation), between-class transitions, building access, PPE acquisition and usage, cleaning and disinfecting, modifying high-risk activities, and nursing considerations.

Curriculum and Instruction: This committee is working on implementing a free summer program available to all students in K-12 help fill gaps and prepare students for the upcoming year. Additionally, they are working on Professional Development for all teaching staff to enable them to implement better tools and methodology for remote learning, including the possibility of an LMSD cyber school option.

Rapid Response: Plans have been made and implementation is underway for students to retrieve personal items from schools and return items (such as textbooks, computers, etc.) to schools and for staff to clean out classrooms for summer cleaning and maintenance.

Facilities and Operational Usage Logistics: This committee is recommending the suspension of facility usage by outside organizations and community groups once buildings reopen to students/staff. Also, they are researching and ordering PPE, sanitizing equipment and protective shields for various locations/personnel. They report that supply chains are disrupted and many products are not available in a timely manner.

Communications/Outreach: In addition to providing this update, this committee organized a (zoom) parent/guardian focus group meeting with the Administration leadership to get feedback and hear concerns about remote learning and the various reopening scenarios under consideration. The focus group included parents/guardians in two-career households, essential personnel, families of students with special needs and representatives from schools across the elementary, middle and high school levels.

Technology: This committee is working on increasing the number of devices available to students and staff, should remote learning need to continue. Supply chain issues plague the technology sector as well and some items such as Chromebooks and MacBooks may not be available in a timely manner. They are also investigating cameras and microphones for classrooms that could allow for synchronous learning from outside the classroom.

Other Reopening Work:

• Polling staff to ascertain availability for possible summer programming
• Ensuring that free meal distribution will continue through the summer
• Ongoing hiring and recruitment
• Communication with the Pa. Department of Education for clarity regarding requirements for the upcoming year
• Meetings with superintendents from other Districts to share best practices, brainstorm, lobby legislators, etc.

Our work will continue, despite the upcoming end of the school year for our students. We will also continue to update you every couple of weeks as we work through the many remaining questions and uncertainties. We hope you and your families are and remain well.

Sincerely,

Robert Copeland
Superintendent

Statement from the Lower Merion School District Regarding the Death of George Floyd

The death of George Floyd in Minneapolis and the subsequent protests remind all of us in the Lower Merion School District that our ongoing work to ensure equity is vital. We mourn with Mr. Floyd's family and friends. We decry the racism that has led to the deaths of far too many people of color, not only at the hands of authorities whose mission should be to protect them, but also due to economic disparity, healthcare inequities and opportunity gaps.

The Lower Merion School District is committed to providing a safe, supportive and inclusive learning environment for all students and employees. We are dedicated to ensuring that every student has equal access to the District's educational programs and activities. We firmly believe that establishing a deep sense of belonging is fundamental to our work. Further, we believe our work is fundamental to building a future for our community and our world, where each individual is equally valued and every person's potential can be realized and fulfilled.

This is a difficult time for our community. Our students and staff members are experiencing a range of emotions, and every one of those emotions is justified. We urge our students to reach out to a trusted teacher or their school counselor. We urge our staff to take advantage of the mental health resources provided by our Human Resources Department. And we urge every member of our community to listen to and support one another.

Inclusivity and Belonging are central to our District's mission and a keystone of our Strategic Plan. LMSD is committed to taking a leadership role in closing achievement gaps and ensuring the achievement of all students through a comprehensive array of programs, strategies and community partnerships. Current efforts include expanded use of student data to identify and support struggling students, intensive staff development programs around cultural proficiency and differentiated instruction, summer enrichment programs, free tutoring programs, minority recruitment initiatives and implementation of other research-based achievement strategies.

The District is a founding member of the Delaware Valley Consortium for Excellence & Equity (DVCEE) and facilitates community and parent engagement around local K-12 issues through the Committee to Address Race in Education (C.A.R.E). The District's minority achievement programs at the high schools (Becton Scholars Seminar at Lower Merion and POWER Scholars at Harriton) further engage, challenge and support minority students in achieving their maximum potential.

We know there is much work to be done and the work is hard. Each of us must look inside to honestly assess how our own shortcomings, viewpoints and actions may – even inadvertently – be contributing to the strife and anger that our friends and neighbors experience. We must practice empathy. We must listen to one another. We must learn from one another. If we do these things, our classrooms (even when they are virtual) and our schools can serve as models for a better world.

Beyond those steps, we urge our community members to vote, both in tomorrow's primary and in the upcoming general election in November. And we urge those who are able to donate to organizations that are working in the pursuit of an equitable and more just society.

Below are links to some resources that parents/guardians may find helpful in discussing these issues with students. Our LMSD principals have also shared a variety of resources with staff and encourage them to discuss these important issues with students.

Supporting Vulnerable Students in Stressful Times: Tips for Parents

Understanding Race and Privilege

Resources for Discussing Police Violence, Race, and Racism with Students

NASP Calls for Action to End Racism and Violence Against People of Color

Discussing Hate and Violence with Children

Helping Students Make Sense of News Stories About Bias and Injustice

Talking to Children About Tragedies and Other News Events

How to Support Your Child's Resilience in a Time of Crisis

Responding to Children's Emotional Needs During Times of Crisis

The tennis courts and tracks at Harriton High School, Lower Merion High School, Bala Cynwyd Middle School and Welsh Valley Middle School will all be unlocked and reopened on the afternoon of Friday, May 15. Grounds staff are out unlocking court and track access gates and removing the temporary "Due to Health Concerns, School Facilities are Closed" signage from these areas only.

REMINDER: Anyone using the tennis courts or tracks must continue to follow all social distancing guidelines.

Many of the measures required to halt the spread of COVID-19 have led children to become isolated from teachers, counselors and others who are mandated to report suspected cases of child abuse or neglect.

In addition, social distancing has limited contact with peers and other trusted confidants. This isolation, combined with increased stresses in the home, make clear the need to provide a resource for those who feel unsafe or who are concerned about the safety of a friend.

According to Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin Steele, "Initially, March saw a decrease of 38.8% in ChildLine referrals in Montgomery County; distressingly, the numbers have plummeted in April, with an overall decrease of 61.5% in ChildLine referrals. These numbers clearly show that youth throughout Montgomery County are at risk now that mandated reporters are not seeing these children outside of the home."

To this end, the Pa. Attorney General's office has repurposed and promoted the Safe2Say app and helpline as a tool available to students to report concerns regarding child abuse. Many schools, students and families are already very familiar with this program, which was created in response to school violence.

Here are the ways you can anonymously report suspected cases of abuse or neglect:

Safe2SaySomething Online

Safe2SaySomething App

Safe2SaySomething Hotline: 1-844-SAF2SAY

Additionally, anyone with a concern about the health or safety of any Lower Merion School District student can share their concerns with a school counselor.

Lower Merion School District has donated much-needed protective equipment to frontline medical workers at Temple University Hospital's Emergency Department.

The District was able fill a car trunk with surplus supplies, including 190 N95 masks, 24 face shields and seven boxes of gloves, which are not being used in schools at this time.

The donation was coordinated by Temple Medical student Nicole Becker Katz and the LMSD Health Services Department.

LMSD's Strategic Plan, "All Forward," provides a framework for a collective, intentional and positive approach to change. Its five aspirational pathways guide us toward continual innovation and transformation to further educational excellence for every student. The District's donation to Temple Hospital is an example of Strategic Pathway #5: A Spirit of Community. To learn more about #LMSDAllForward and the Strategic Pathways, click here.

A Message from Dr. Melissa Gilbert, President of the Lower Merion Board of School Directors

As most of our community are aware, The Lower Merion Board of School Directors is considering how to provide later start times for high school students, as recommended by health professionals, aligned with our strategic plan, and strongly supported by the community. The discussion to move to a later start time for high school students began several years ago in response to research supporting optimal education outcomes for students K-12.

As part of the logistical considerations related to this decision, the District is submitting its Application for Tentative Sketch to Lower Merion Township for a plan to install lights at Lower Merion High School's Arnold Field. Lighting the field will be necessary to enable safe after-school games and practices if later start times are implemented. While there are additional logistical constraints to be addressed, lights on Arnold Field are critical. The plan has been the subject of numerous public meetings:

• Nov. 14, 2019: Work order for the Preliminary Plan Application was discussed by the Lower Merion Board of School Directors Facilities and Purchasing Committee
• Nov. 18, 2019: Work order for the Preliminary Plan Application was approved by the Lower Merion Board of School Directors
• Dec. 12, 2019: Work order for the design work was discussed by the Lower Merion Board of School Directors Facilities and Purchasing Committee
• Dec. 16, 2019: Work order for the design work was approved by the full Lower Merion Board of School Directors
• Feb. 11, 2020: Wynnewood Civic Association Meeting
• March 4, 2020: Community meeting with Wynnewood and N. Ardmore Civic Associations at Lower Merion High School
• March 25, 2020: Project was part of the LMSD Operations Department's budget presentation to the Finance Committee of the Lower Merion of Board of School Directors

This application will be an agenda item at an upcoming Intergovernmental Meeting in May with representatives from LMSD, Lower Merion Township and Narberth Borough, with the exact date and platform still to be determined. We welcome community comment and will continue to identify opportunities for community engagement.

Per Lower Merion Township's procedure, the application will be reviewed at public meetings of the Planning Commission, Building and Planning Committee, and Board of Commissioners. Township residents are able to comment on applications at these meetings. The Township has canceled its May Planning Commission meeting due to the COVID-19 situation. LMSD will share further updates about meeting dates and commenting procedures regarding this application when they are known.

April 6, 2020

Construction Update

Later this week, construction work will resume at the site of the planned Lower Merion School District middle school at 1860 Montgomery Avenue in Villanova. At LMSD's request, the contractors developed and submitted safety plans incorporating current CDC and Department of Health guidelines. LMSD is allowing the contractors to resume work in accordance with those safety plans and the guidelines established by the Pa. Department of Education:

All school district construction decisions should appropriately balance public health and safety while ensuring the continued safety of critical infrastructure. School districts and the contractors must ensure continuance of and compliance with the social distancing and other mitigation measures to protect employees and the public, including virtual and telework operations (e.g. work from home) as the primary option when available, as have been or will be established by the Department of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The work at 1860 Montgomery is related to sitework, including site clearing, the removal of topsoil and rock from the site and eventually the blasting work, about which the immediate neighbors have already been informed. Blasting will occur in accordance with requirements of Lower Merion Fire Department and be monitored appropriately. Resumption of this site work is necessary to maintain the timeline to open the new school in September 2022 to answer the challenge of growing enrollment in LMSD.

In addition to the work at 1860 Montgomery, LMSD contractors will begin work on the shingle roof replacement Merion Elementary School. This work, which was originally scheduled for the summer, will be suspended if and when the school reopens.

Anyone with questions regarding the resumption of District construction work can contact LMSD Project Manager Gary Musial at musialg@lmsd.org.

Lower Merion School District's Information Systems Department will be using the District's seven 3D printers to print headbands for face shields needed by medical personnel working during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The District hopes to produce at least 70 headbands each week, once the all of the printers can safely be brought from the individual schools' maker spaces to the IS Department's offices.

The headbands will be delivered to a team of volunteers working at the Kohelet Yeshiva in Merion, where the plastic shields will be added. So far, the project has supplied shields to the following medical organizations:

• Abington Hospital
• Narberth Ambulance
• Lankenau Medical Center
• Penn Medicine
• Pennsylvania Hospital
• Paoli Hospital
• Doylestown Hospital
• Pottstown Hospital
• Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
• Jefferson Northeast
• Inglis House

To see some photos of the process, click the slide show below:

Lower Merion School District staff have worked throughout the weekend on plans for remote learning during the COVID-19 school shutdown. You can expect to hear more from your teachers and principals Monday about Flexible Instruction Days, which will begin on Wednesday, March 18, 2020.

We are also continuing collect information from families who will need access to the internet and devices in order for students to engage in online learning. If your family needs a device, please call 610-645-1910 and leave a message including the student's name, school, grade and your phone number, so that the District can work to provide your family with a device. Please call this number before midnight tonight.

In addition, we want to make you aware of an offer from Comcast. The company is offering families two months of free internet access through the Internet Essentials program. You can sign up for the program starting tomorrow, Monday, March 16, 2020, by calling 1-855-8-INTERNET (1-855-846-8376) or by going to https://internetessentials.com/

Next, we want you to know that the District is working on a plan to provide meals to students who depend on the free and reduced lunch programs. We hope to send you more information about how we will provide meals tomorrow and we hope to have the meals available starting Tuesday, March 17, 2020.

Finally, a reminder that the purpose of the school closure ordered by Governor Wolf is to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Please follow the recommendations of the CDC, health care experts and Governor Wolf. By staying at home except for essential activities, we can protect our own health and minimize the spread of the virus. Hand washing and keeping a safe distance from others has never been so important.

If you feel ill, even with mild symptoms, you may have been exposed to the virus. Or, you may have the common cold, flu or allergies. If you are ill, avoid contact with others, stay at home and call your health care provider for more direction. If you experience severe symptoms, such as difficulty breathing, call 911 or your health care provider. We can't prevent COVID-19, but we can slow the spread of the disease. A slower spread of the disease avoids overwhelming the health care system and other essential agencies and results in a smaller number of cases over time.

Thank you for your patience, understanding and cooperation as we continue to work through this challenging time as a community.

The Lower Merion High School Flower Show Club earned a First Prize and near-perfect 99 out of 100 points in initial judging of the Arbor class at the 2020 Philadelphia Flower Show. And several students won ribbons for their botanical jewelry creations.

The Arbor display features a garden-to-table wedding theme using lemon trees and herbs. The club purchased the lemon trees from the Philadelphia Horticultural Society after the 2019 Flower Show and joined them together at the tops to form the shape of an Ace.

The club's ingenuity did not end there. When edible white blossoms they had hoped to use in the display were killed by insecticides at the PHS greenhouse, they quickly decided to substitute herbs.

There is another round of judging on Wednesday, but the Flower Show Club isn't resting on its laurels -- they're already meeting with advisor Lynne Freeland to begin planning next year's display.

The theme for the botanical jewelry competition was to create a beach-themed anklet. LMHS students took home first, second, third and honorable mention honors for their creations.

To see a slideshow of images of Lower Merion's Flower Show entries, please click below.

Dozens of LMSD students attended "Jazz and Friends," a family reading event to support trans and non-binary youth. The event took place at Gladwyne Elementary School on February 26, 2020.

Participating families shared dinner and time to socialize before joining to read books that feature gender expansive characters, including "I Am Jazz," "Julian is a Mermaid," "They She He Me: Free to Be!" "Jacob's Room to Choose" and "Red: A Crayon's Story."

Children's Book World provided copies of the books that families could purchase. Students from Harriton High School's GSA helped with the readings and also provided fun craft activities for the participants.

Jazz and Friends reading events are promoted by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation's Welcoming Schools program and the National Education Association.

Lower Merion School District prides itself on Inclusivity and Belonging and was one of the first Districts to adopt a Policy on Gender Expansive and Transgender Students: Ensuring Equity and Nondiscrimination (Policy and Administrative Regulation 259).

To see a slide show of photos from the event, click below:

When Ryder and Cooper Fiske-Kneafsey awoke in the early morning hours of Dec. 28, 2019, they smelled and saw smoke. They immediately ran to awaken their father. When he told them it was probably just exhaust from the dryer vent, they insisted he get up to check it out.

When boys' suspicion was confirmed -- there was a fire in the basement of the family's Merion home -- they made sure that they, their parents and their dog, Sandy, all escaped the home and that the fire department was called.

The Lower Merion Fire Department honored Ryder, who is a fourth grader at Merion Elementary School, and Cooper, who is a sixth grader at Bala Cynwyd Middle School, for their quick thinking at a ceremony in Ryder's classroom on Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2020.

Lower Merion Chief Fire Officer Charles J. McGarvey Sr. praised the boys for remembering what they had learned during Fire Prevention Week. They got everyone out of the home, shutting doors behind them to stop the blaze's spread, and made sure the fire department was called quickly. In addition to giving them a written citation, McGarvey offered them scholarships to attend the LMFD Youth Firefighter Camp this summer.

The boys' parents, Amy Fiske and Dolan Kneafsey, had praise for their sons and also for the firefighters, who not only extinguished the blaze, but also calmed the family's fears and helped them through the aftermath. The family spent about five weeks after the fire in a hotel and is now living in an apartment, as they decide whether to rebuild their fire-damaged home or move elsewhere.

For a slide show of the recognition ceremony and some photos from the fire scene, please click below:

Bala Cynwyd Middle School's theatrical club, BC Applause, will stage "Imaginary," a new musical, March 5-7, 2020, at 7:00 p.m. in the school's Leonard G. Murphy Auditorium.

"Imaginary" is described as an exciting, funny and inspiring musical about the wonder of childhood, the power of imagination and what it means to grow up.

It tells the story of Milo and Sam, friends who spend all of their time together and use their imaginations to transform their world into a place of adventure and excitement.

Show tickets are available at bcapplause.com for $8 presale/$10 at the door.

Click below to watch a slideshow of photos from an "Imaginary" dress rehearsal.

Save the Date! Lower Merion School District will be hosting the 5th Annual Elementary Family STEM Night on April 16 from 6:00-8:00 p.m. at Lower Merion High School.

Please join us for a brand new format and lots of family fun! Registration details coming soon!

• You must be a current resident of LMSD
• Complete the online application (www.lmsd.org/register)
• Schedule an appointment with Central Registration

To be eligible for kindergarten, a child must be 5 years of age on or before September 1, 2020.

For children who will be entering a Lower Merion School District school for the first time in the fall of 2020 as a first grader, the child must be 6 years of age on or before September 1, 2020.

Students currently enrolled in a LMSD kindergarten program do not need to register again for 1st grade. Please visit the LMSD website for more information.

Phone Number: 610-658-3996

All registrations are by appointment only. Interpreter services are available upon request.

The students in Ms. MaryBeth Peterson's 7th grade social studies class at Welsh Valley Middle School didn't just read about the destruction that Hurricane Dorian brought to the Bahamas. They made a big difference for a family who moved to Philadelphia after losing their home and business in the storm.

The students decided that they wanted to help families who had lost so much on the islands where several of them had vacationed with their own families. At first, they thought they'd raise money to donate to the American Red Cross. But then, a representative from the Caribbean Community of Philadelphia and Bahamas Philadelphia Foundation helped them connect to the Simms family. The Simms chose Philadelphia to be near a family member who was already in the city, studying at the University of Pennsylvania.

The WVMS students sold hot cocoa and raffle tickets and held a walkathon to raise nearly $8000 for the Simms. When students learned that a child in the family was interested in science, they obtained passes to the Franklin Institute and donated a slime-making kit. They also collected gift cards, clothing and a big stuffed animal.

On Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2019, the students finally met members of the family and presented them with the money and other gifts. 6abc Action News was at the presentation and is set to feature the students on the evening news. As a thank you, the Simms presented the students with a Bahamian flag.

In their interviews, the students said they didn't want to just collect money, but they also wanted their classmates to understand the longterm impact of the storm on the residents of the Bahamas. And they described how this philanthropic effort made them want to continue help others.

Members of the Simms family said they were not only thankful for the students' generosity, but also very impressed with how the students had organized the fundraisers themselves. And they invited the students to visit them once they are able to rebuild. The emotional presentation ended with a group hug among the students and the family.

To see photos from this memorable afternoon, you can click through the slide show below:

LMSD's Strategic Plan, "All Forward," provides a framework for a collective, intentional and positive approach to change. Its five aspirational pathways guide us toward continual innovation and transformation to further educational excellence for every student. The Welsh Valley students' fundraising work is a student-driven example of Strategic Pathway #5: A Spirit of Community. To learn more about #LMSDAllForward and the Strategic Pathways, click here.

Members of Harriton High School's National Honor Society are helping out some less fortunate families in our community by providing meals just in time for Thanksgiving.

On Monday, Nov. 24, 2019, the students presented 100 dinners along with 100 gift cards for turkeys and numerous boxes of additional food for families served by the Montgomery County Office of Children and Youth.

Michele Kristofco explained that the families who will receive the donated items have been impacted by abuse, poverty and homelessness. She told the students how grateful the recipients are.

Also on hand for the donation were Robert Duarte, Program Office Administrator, and County Commissioner Joseph C. Gale, who also praised the students for their effort to help others.

The National Honor Society at Harriton High School has been running the food drive for many years. Each Advisory class is asked to donate $20 and collect specific non-perishable food items during the month of November.

To see more photos of the students making their donation, click through the slide show below:

LMSD's Strategic Plan, "All Forward," provides a framework for a collective, intentional and positive approach to change. Its five aspirational pathways guide us toward continual innovation and transformation to further educational excellence for every student. The Harriton NHS food drive is a student-driven example of Strategic Pathway #5: A Spirit of Community. To learn more about #LMSDAllForward and the Strategic Pathways, click here.

Ten students from Bala Cynwyd Middle School volunteered at the Special Olympics 5v5 soccer matches this weekend at Villanova University's 31st Annual Fall Festival. Fall Festival is the largest student-run Special Olympics event in the world.

Ms. Baranik, a teacher and soccer coach at the BCMS, said, "During the event, I was especially proud with how the students initiated meeting some of the other athletes. Each student represented BC in a positive manner and several students were complimented for their kindness. it was a wonderful morning."

Great job by our student athletes, embodying our District motto, "Enter to Learn, Go Forth to Serve."

LMSD's Strategic Plan, "All Forward," provides a framework for a collective, intentional and positive approach to change. Its five aspirational pathways guide us toward continual innovation and transformation to further educational excellence for every student. The BCMS students' work is an example of Strategic Pathway #5: A Spirit of Community. To learn more about #LMSDAllForward and the Strategic Pathways, click here.

Lower Merion High School's student body gathered in the Kobe Bryant Gymnasium this afternoon for the annual "Beat Radnor" pep rally, ahead of Saturday's rivalry football game at Radnor High School.

The pep rally featured the introduction of the football and soccer teams and performances by the cheerleaders, dance team, teachers' dance team, and drill team, along with the announcement of the Kings' and Queens' Court.

The pep rally capped off a full week of Spirit activities. The 123rd annual LM/Radnor football game kicks off Saturday, October 12, 2019, at 2:00 p.m.

Click through the slide show below for photos from the pep rally.

Lower Merion High School recently welcomed Remy Duncombe, a representative from the Caribbean Community in Philadelphia (CCP) and native Bahamian, to speak with students about Hurricane Dorian and the catastrophic effects it had on his homeland when it made landfall last month.

Hurricane Dorian was the most powerful tropical cyclone on record to ever strike the Bahamas and is being considered one of the worst natural disasters in the country's history with wind speeds reaching upwards of 185 MPH, ultimately destroying countless homes and communities and displacing thousands of families.

In partnership with Duncombe and the team at CCP, with support from Culture Trust Greater Philadelphia, students at Lower Merion are organizing a Hurricane Dorian Relief Drive as they collect much needed items and donations, which will directly benefit relief efforts in the Bahamas.

Items of need are as follows: baby formula, diapers, deodorant, toothbrushes, toothpaste, toilet paper, hand sanitizer, medical kits, cleaning supplies, flashlights, batteries, insect repellent and feminine products. Donations can be dropped at one of two locations beginning Monday, September 16 through Friday, September 27. If you wish to contribute, items can be delivered to the locations below.

• Lower Merion High School Main Office (located at 315 E. Montgomery Avenue in Ardmore)
• Ardmore Toyota (located at 219 E. Lancaster Avenue in Ardmore)

To learn more about CCP and Culture Trust's Hurricane Dorian relief efforts, click here.

To view a PDF version of the flyer above, click here.