PSSA Testing Dates:

Tuesday, April 28th and Wednesday, April 29th - Math 

Thursday, April 30th and Friday, May 1st (8th grade only) - Science

Other Important Dates:

Wednesday, April 29th - Jazz and Modern Band Night held at SHHS

Friday, May 8th - 8th Grade Dance

Week of May 11th - Book Fair

Friday, May 15th - SHMS Music at Dorney Park (8th grade ensembles, Cantabile, Ellington, and Signature Strings ONLY)

Monday, June 1st - 6th grade trip to Camp Arrowhead

Tuesday, June 2nd - 7th grade trip to Main Event

Monday, June 8th - SHMS Music to Hidden Hollow Swim Club

Tuesday, June 9th - 8th Grade Hershey Park Trip

Thursday, June 11th - 8th Grade Bridge Crossing

Be well-rested, eat a good breakfast, stay calm, and charge your chromebook. You got this!

Please sign up to make the 8th Grade Dance a success. The students cannot wait to celebrate on Friday, May 8th. Please consider making a contribution for the event. The dance will be held in the gym and it will be a Hawaiian/tropical Island theme. 

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/60B0949AAA62CA75-63405885-8thgrade

HSA Positions Available for 2026-2027

We are now in the process of looking for volunteers for next year's HSA board. Many current members have agreed to continue in their positions, but of course several 8th grade parents are moving onto high school. The following committee chairs are open!

Secretary - Member of the HSA executive committee. Records notes during the monthly meetings and posts them to website for members to review. Responsible for weekly newsletter to families. 

Career Day - Help organize Career Day for students by soliciting volunteer speakers, snacks/drinks and surveying students

Web Sponsors & Fundraising - Seek out web sponsors and other fundraising opportunities such as dining out at restaurants 

Bowling Night Raffle Baskets - Seek donations and create raffle baskets to support 8th Grade Bowling Night for service project

Sports Concessions Coordinators - Purchase concession items such as candy, chips, drinks and pretzels to sell during the winter sports season. This would involve setting up on days when there are home games for basketball and wrestling. 

For questions on any of these positions, please contact the co-chairs at shmshsa.chairs@gmail.com

Remember to save the date for the Spring Fine and Applied Arts Nights.

Tuesday, May 5th - 8th grade ensembles and Cantabile

Thursday, May 7th - 7th grade ensembles and Signature Strings

Tuesday, May 12th - 6th grade ensembles

Please sign up to help with the SHMS Book Fair! A big shout out to Ms. Kahn who ensures our students have access to high quality print reading materials that excite and engage them! Make sure to sign up during your child's Language Arts class if you want to see them!

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/30E0C4AA5AF2DA02-63521185-middle

Support an SHMS Outdoor Classroom through Delco Gives!  

We hope to meet our goal by the end of the school year so next year's middle school students can enjoy hands‑on, outdoor learning beginning in the fall. A gift of any size increases our chances of earning additional bonus dollars, so your participation truly makes a difference. Please consider supporting the SHMS Outdoor Classroom through Delco Gives May 6–7, and help bring this exciting new learning space to life!

Support Foundation for Wallingford Swarthmore Schools on Delco Gives delcogives.org

Dr. Johnston will be holding community conversations on April 28th at 9 AM and 6 PM in Room B226 at SHMS. There will be some time dedicated to discussing technology in the classroom.

The spring sports schedule can be found at https://47726.digitalsports.com/.

This Week's Rehearsal Schedule (Highlighted Days are PSSA Days)

Monday: 7^th Band (7:10-8am) and Ellington Jazz (2:30-3pm)

Tuesday: 6^th Band (7:10-7:40am) and Basie Jazz (2:30-3pm)

Wednesday: 8^th Band (7:10-7:40am) and NO ELLINGTON JAZZ (performance that night!)

Thursday: 7^th Band (7:10-8am ON STAGE) and NO MORE BASIE JAZZ

Friday: 6^th Band (7:10-8am)

This Week's Lesson Schedule

Monday: 7^th Band Make-Up Lessons

Tuesday: 6^th Band

Wednesday: 8^th Band

Thursday: 7^th Band

Friday: Beginners

WSSD Jazz & Modern Band Night - Wednesday, April 29^th @ 7pm

Please join us for a night of jazz and modern rock music in the SHHS Auditorium on Wednesday! The night will feature the MS Basie and Ellington jazz bands, the HS Panther Jazz Band, the High School Sax Quartet and the MS and High School Modern Band programs. It's always a really fun night! We hope to see you there!

Anyone who has a child participating in a WSSD music program is a member. Please join to hear more about this year and next! The meeting will be held in the SHHS Band room on May 4th at 7:30 PM.

Please consider donating to the WSMA end of year appreciation gifts for our district music teachers. The deadline is June 5th. 

There are aquatic clinic opportunities for 6th and 7th graders at SHHS.

There are swim opportunities at SHHS available to current 8th graders.

Any 8th graders interested in trying out for the SHHS Marching Band Bandfront should attend clinics and tryouts in May. 

Registration is now open for the WSSD Summer Music Program. The program has some BIG changes this year! It is open to chorus, strings, and band students - both in and out of district. It's a great opportunity to keep kids playing and singing, all while making new friends and hearing new music!  Check out the flyer below and make sure to sign up!

Please join us on Thursday, May 21st at 7 pm in the middle school library for our next Home and School Meeting of the year.  ALL are welcome to attend!  Dr. Matsanka will be there to give school updates and answer any questions and we will also hear updates from our grade reps and committee chairs. Expect meetings on the third Thursday of the month. 

In order to volunteer for events and activities at SHMS (concessions, musical, dances, book fair, etc.), ALL volunteers need their clearances on file with the school district. Please submit these now, as opportunities come up quickly and it's good to have them in place now. If you are unsure of your status, please contact Heather Fili at hfili@wssd.org

You can find what clearances you need to submit here.

SHMS HSA Website, Student Directory, & Online Store

Please check out the HSA web page! In addition to getting up-to-date information on activities, all families have FREE access to the online Student Directory (you must set up an account). The HSA offers the Directory at no cost to our families thanks to our website sponsors. Important: The email address families use to log in to MTK must be the same as the primary email address contact in PowerSchool. The Directory team recently completed a mid-year update of student/family contact information. If you are having trouble accessing the Directory or wish to change whether your family's contact information is displayed, please email Jennifer Griffin (jensgriffin@gmail.com - parent volunteer) or Derrick Clements (dclements@wssd.org - WSSD staff member in the registration office).

SHMS HSA website and directory*: https://shmshsa.membershiptoolkit.com

Online Store: https://shmshsa.membershiptoolkit.com/store

*For safety, you need an account to access the directory.

Do you have a business or know someone who would like to become a sponsor helping fund all of the great activities that the Home and School support? This is a great opportunity to reach over 1,000 parents in the community.  

For $150 the sponsorship includes a banner ad featuring the sponsor's logo on our SHMS HSA home page.  This clickable logo will lead the reader to the respective business website. The ad will remain on our website for the entire 2025-2026 school year.  

Families who may be interested in partnering their organizations with our HSA as a website sponsor can find more information on our MTK homepage. https://shmshsa.membershiptoolkit.com/assets/05203/SHMS_25_26_Corporate_Sponsorship_Letter.pdf

Please contact Jennifer Griffin with any questions at  jensgriffin@gmail.com

Dear WSSD Community Stakeholders,

We’re excited to share some important news about the future of our schools. On June 18, the Wallingford-Swarthmore School District Board of School Directors approved the scope for the district’s comprehensive long-range capital plan that will guide investment in our facilities for years to come.

An overview of the plan is attached and can be accessed through the following link. We encourage you to take a look and help share it through newsletters, on social media, or in conversations with neighbors so more members of our community can stay informed.

This plan focuses on three big goals:

• Keeping our schools warm, safe, and dry for all students and staff.
• Making sure our buildings are the right size to support today’s enrollment and future growth.
• Creating spaces that meet the needs of our educational programs so every student can thrive.

The plan was shaped through several years of study, community input, and a careful look at our enrollment projections, building conditions, and overall capacity.

You can learn more about the WSSD Capital Plan here.

Thank you for your continued partnership and support of our schools.

Warmly,

Rachel Riley

Communications & Community Relations Liaison

Wallingford-Swarthmore School District

Office Phone: 610-892-3470  ext. 1108

Cell Phone: 610-389-1136

Communications Office

@strathavenmshsa

@SHMS Info+

@Strath Haven Class of 2032

@Strath Haven Class of 2031

@SHHS Class of 2030