Shrek: The Musical at Pottsgrove Middle School

Blogger's Note: The following was provided by Pottsgrove Middle School.

"Shrek: The Musical," will be performed at Pottsgrove Middle School starting on March 16.

Shows are Thursday, March 16, Friday, March 17 and Saturday, March 18.

All shows begin at 7 p.m. and tickets are $8.

For more information, call 610-326-8243.

Let's Talk: Social and Emotional Learning

Blogger's Note: The following was provided by the Pottstown School District.

Did you know that children have a better chance of success in and out of school when they have healthy social and emotional relationships with others?

Did you know that it takes just one healthy relationship to make a difference in a child’s life? 

Well, the good news is that all of this is true and much more. The Pottstown School District recognizes the benefits of these facts and is doing something to make a difference.

A 2017 Spring Let’s Talk Community Conversation Series has been planned in each of the four elementary schools to address parents’ concerns on “Helping Our Children Grow Socially and Emotionally.” 

This year, the Pottstown School District introduced a Social and Emotional Learning Curriculum in volunteer classrooms. The plan is for all class rooms to participate during the 2017-2018 school year for grades Pre-K to 9th. 

The conversations will begin to share how the social and emotional program will benefit ALL students and allow parents the opportunity to learn what is happening in the schools and how they can use parts of the program at home while providing their own input.

Here's a video the school district produced to tell you a little more.

The Let’s Talk series will not only allow parents a time to talk with other parents but will allow families to enjoy a FREE meal and have opportunity to win FREE prizes while their children participate in an entertaining show. 

FREE childcare and Spanish interpreters will be available at each school for these fun filled and informative events. The Let’s Talk conversations are FREE and available to families in the Pottstown School District and will be held at:

• Elizabeth B. Barth Elementary March 16, 2017 5:30 to 7:30
• Lincoln Elementary March 27, 2017 5:30 to 7:30
• Rupert Elementary March 28, 2017 5:50 to 7:30
• Franklin Elementary March 30, 2017 5:30 to 7:30

The Our kids...Their Future or Let’s Talk conversations are supported by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and the University of Pennsylvania Penn Project for Civic Engagement. 

The grant has enabled the school district to work with the community-particularly families, as well as the local agencies and community leaders who serve them to determine how the home school partnership can be strengthened, to find out what can be done to increase family participation and to improve support for ALL children’s growth and development from birth through elementary school.

For more information and to learn more, please contact Valerie Jackson, PEAK Community Engagement Coordinator at 610-256-6370, vjackson@potstownsd.org or visit www.pottstownschools.org.

Putting the (Medical) Pot in Pottstown

I would be lying to pretend that the big story from last night's borough council meeting was NOT a proposal to establish a medical marijuana growing facility in the 700 block of Queen Street.

It was.

And chances are, you already read all about it my story in The Mercury here, so I won't be repetitive here in the blog. (I mostly wanted to use that headline...).

But there were a few other things of interest that happened, so let's talk about those.

First, Council President Dan Weand finally got his numbers about new jobs in the borough.

Some of you will recall that his goal for 2016 was 100 new "living wage jobs" in the borough. And it looks like at least part of that goal was accomplished.

Using tax figures from Portnoff Associates -- figures that were evidently not easy to get -- Weand reported that in 2015, the borough had 10,440 jobs and 2,777 of them were held by borough residents.

In 2016, Pottstown had 11,716 jobs, of which, 2,846 of were held by borough residents.

That means the year-over-year increase was 1,276 additional jobs, 69 of them held by borough residents. Now how many of them were "living wage jobs?" Well that, apparently is a mystery for the ages.

But given that Weand is running for reelection this year, you won't be surprised to know he took a victory lap anyway. "I think that's pretty impressive. I had not realized we had grown so much," he said.

Also of interest is Council Vice President Sheryl Miller's crusade to lower the 10 percent late fee for late water and sewer bills -- something which she has announced she has personal experience resenting.

Arguing that the fee is over the top -- most utilities charge a 1 or 2 percent late fee, she said -- Miller wants it lowered and some people on council, Dennis Arms and Joe Kirkland, seem inclined to agree. More on that next month, apparently.

During his report, Borough Manager Mark Flanders announced that police and codes officers will team up through September, visiting borough residents systematically, finding out what their problems are, identifying some, then returning for follow up.

That means if your house has code violations, and they get spotted during these walks, you will get a grace period of about two weeks to take care of them before a citation gets issued.

Flanders said this will be an ongoing enterprise.

And finally, as the meeting wound down, Arms, recalling past glories of The Digital Notebook, asked a question the notebook asked in 2015 -- Why Do We Need Wards?

That post, written when both Ross Belovich and Arms were running for the Democratic nomination for the Fourth Ward seat, noted that if everyone ran at large, both could have been candidates for council.

Arms said with petitions circulating and local elections coming up, its a good time to talk about it. "I know I get calls from people in other wards," he said.

Anyway, on to the Tweets:

Getting Your Financial House in Order for Free

Blogger's Note: The following was provided by Genesis Housing Corp.

Warmer weather is coming soon and there has never been a better time to “Spring Clean” your credit.

Learn the best ways to reduce your debts. Learn how to improve your credit scores. Make good decisions with your money. Learn what they never covered when you were in high school!

Genesis Housing Corporation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit community development corporation, will hold FREE classes covering those subjects on Wednesday evenings, March 15th, March 22nd and March 29th from 6 to 8 p.m. at the YWCA Tri-County building, 300 King Street, Pottstown, PA 19464.

Register for free classes at www.genesishousing.org.

The classes are designed to help to:

• Understand Credit -- Information on credit scores, improving your scores, re-establishing credit and dealing with debt. (Wednesday, March 15, 2017).
• Money Management – Information on preparing realistic budgets that are more than just monthly bills, prioritizing spending in tough times and understanding how current spending impacts your future financial options (Wednesday, March 22, 2017).
• Home Buying Basics -- Understand the home buying process – what lenders require, types of mortgages, selecting good lenders and realtors, Agreements of Sale, home inspections and first- time homebuyer grant programs (Wednesday, March 29, 2017).

Nikki Holcroft, an award winning and certified housing counselor, will teach the classes. 

Holcroft has more than twenty-five years experience working as a housing counselor, mortgage banker and community lender. 

Holcroft has worked with Genesis Housing Corporation since 2001 and teaches monthly classes on credit, money management and the home buying process. Holcroft also provides individual housing counseling sessions to help clients achieve their financial goals. 

Holcroft has worked with families to restructure their mortgages, avoid foreclosures and reduce their debts.

Registration can be made online at www.genesishousing.org or by calling Genesis Housing Corporation at 610-275- 4357. 

The Pottstown classes are funded, in part, by BB and T Bank through the PA Neighborhood Tax Credit Program. Additional funding was provided by Montgomery County.

Genesis Housing Corporation’s housing counseling programs provide free classes and individual counseling helping over 10,000 clients. 

Monthly classes focus on topics not taught in regular school including understanding credit, credit repair, money management, saving plans, grant programs and understanding the home buying process including selecting a realtor and finding the best mortgage.

Since 1994, Genesis Housing Corporation has served Montgomery County as a 501(c)(3) non-profit community development corporation and is dedicated to the development of affordable housing, the revitalization of neighborhoods and educating consumers on housing and financial issues. 

Genesis Housing Corporation is approved by PA Housing Finance Agency (PHFA) and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for housing counseling. 

Genesis Housing Corporation is an approved agency for many programs including the Montgomery County First-time Home Buyers Program and the Norristown First-time Home Buyers Program. 

In addition, Genesis Housing Corporation has developed affordable housing by rehabilitating vacant homes, developing apartments and by building new housing for income eligible families. Genesis Housing Corporation also renovates existing owner-occupied homes for eligible households for the Montgomery County Homeowner Rehab Program.

For more information on Genesis Housing Corporation programs, call 610-275- 4357 or visit www.genesishousing.org or on Facebook (www.facebook/GenesisHousing).

A Douglass (Mont.) Blog Post About Nothing

Photo by Evan Brandt

State Rep. Marcy Toepel, R-147th Dist., addresses the Douglass (Mont.) Township Supervisors meeting Monday night, but she had nothing to report.

In a meeting reminiscent of the "Seinfeld" episode where George and Jerry pitch a TV show about nothing, the Douglass (Mont.) Supervisors had little to discuss Monday night.

State Rep. Marcy Toepel, R-147th Dist., was home from Harrisburg and stopped in, but what did she have to report?

Nothing.

Township Solicitor Bob Brant?

Nothing, (although one wag in the audience asked aloud how much that will cost us.)

Public Works Director Michael Heydt?

Nothing.

Boy was this going to be a short meeting, and it was.

There was something of consequence, however.

Josh Hagadorn, the engineer from Gilmore Assoc., announced that bids for the new public works building are out on the street.

The board rejected the first set of bids at the Feb. 21 meeting. The new bids will be opened on March 27.

The board also voted to hire Bob Dries, the part-time zoning and inspections supervisor to be the township's construction supervisor at a rate of $45 per hour.

Supervisors Chairman Anthony Kuklinski said the township has budget $900,000 for the project and "we will pay for it out of general funds and it will not cause a tax increase."

Dries said the project will take between four to five months to complete. It will be built at the same location as the current facility, 108 Municipal Dr., which will be demolished.

Here are the Tweets from the meeting:

Free March 12 Lecture at Hopewell Furnace Explores the Lonely Lives of the Forgotten Charcoal Colliers

A collier's work was lonely and took place in the woods.

Blogger's Note: The following was provided by Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site.

Who were the Colliers? What did they do? Where and how did they live?

These and other questions will be explored as the Friends of Hopewell Furnace host local historian Spencer Claypoole’s presentation on the lifestyles of these famous charcoal making men and women. 

The free program will begin at 2 p.m. in the Hopewell Furnace Conference Center on Sunday, March 12.

Three hundred years ago iron was first produced along the Manatawny Creek in Pennsylvania. 

Charcoal is a key ingredient. Colliers created that charcoal in the Pennsylvania wilderness of today’s Berks and Chester counties. 

For most of the year, Colliers lived in remote areas of the woods. The rest of the time they lived in houses some of which stand today in North Coventry.

Claypoole will help provide insight into what that life was like.

A member of the North Coventry Township Historical Commission for over 25 years and chairman since 2000, Claypoole is also a member of the Board of Supervisors. 

In 2012 the Owen J. Roberts Education Foundation gave Claypoole its Community Service Award. 

And in 2016 The Chester County Historical Preservation Network, of which Spencer was a past member, awarded him the Jane L.S. Davidson Award for historical preservation. 

Spencer holds a Masters degree in social work and has worked for close to 40 years with the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania during which time he wrote and gave talks on the importance of local history to the growth of our nation.

Established in 1994, the Friends of Hopewell Furnace is the official non-profit fundraising arm of Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site. A 501(c)3 citizen organization, its mission is to support the preservation, maintenance and programs of Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site. 

Donations to the Friends may be tax deductible according to the rules set by the Internal Revenue Service. For more information visit the Friends web site at www.friendsofhopewellfurn.org.

While at Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site visitors are encouraged to go into the village, tour the buildings and learn about iron making and why Hopewell Furnace is important to our nation’s history. 

Open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday, the park is located five miles south of Birdsboro, PA, off of Route 345. 

For more information stop by the park's visitor center, call 610-582-8773, visit the park's web site at www.nps.gov/hofu, or contact the park by e-mail at hofu_superintendent@nps.gov.

Kid's Author 'Chips' In for Read Across America Day

Photos Courtesy of West Pottsgrove Elementary School

Children's author Kathy Miller brought along her friend Chippy the Chipmunk for a visit to West Pottsgrove Elementary School on Read Across America Day.

Blogger's Note: The following was provided by West Pottsgrove Elementary Principal Terri Koehler

March 2 has become a big deal at West Pottsgrove Elementary School. 

March 2 is the birthday of beloved children’s author Dr. Seuss and is now celebrated in many schools as Read Across America. 

Green Eggs and Ham was on both the

reading menu and eating menu.

This year we were pleased to have award-winning author, Kathy Miller, join us for our celebration. 

Ms. Miller uses nature photography as the basis for her children’s stories about Chippy the Chipmunk. During her presentation Ms. Miller showed the children how she takes the photos, what makes a good photo and shared how the children could use a photo to “find their stories.” 

Ms. Miller also talked about wild birds and showed an example of how chipmunks build their burrows underground. Chippy the Chipmunk even made an appearance and greeted the children as they exited the assembly. 

Following the assembly, we hosted a lunch with Ms. Miller for the top readers in each classroom. 

During the lunch the children got to learn more about the work Ms. Miller does to build her stories. Following the lunch, Ms. Miller then spent the afternoon meeting with the students that had purchased her books and took time to autograph each and every one!

In addition to Ms. Miller’s visit, there were many more things going on in the building to celebrate reading and Dr. Seuss, including a choice of green eggs and ham for lunch! 

Students, teachers and parents all Read Across America on March 2.

There were classroom activities, special mystery readers and our second grade students read to our kindergarten students. 

It was capped off in the evening during our family night at the book fair. This was more than an opportunity for families to shop the book fair, West Pottsgrove believes in using this an opportunity to foster our love of reading and literacy with our families. 

Adopting a camping theme, West staff, volunteers, Terri. Minotto, Julie. Farris and Breanna Flora gathered children around a “campfire” and shared stories about camping. 

Following the stories, there were camping inspired crafts led by Christine Reisner, Jean Randall, Leah Quigley and Mrs. Tomaselli. Mrs. Harrison, building reading specialist, planned and organized all of the activities and events for the day. 

 The author visit and special lunch were made possible through the generosity of the West Pottsgrove PTA.