Montgomery County Community College (MCCC) will continue to offer its popular Career Transition Workshop for adults who may be thinking about returning to college.
The next workshop will be held on Tuesday, Aug. 5 from 10 a.m.-noon. in the South Hall Community Room at MCCC’s West Campus, 101 College Drive, Pottstown.
The workshop is open to all adults and is free of charge, although pre-registration is requested. For more information or to RSVP, contact Denise Collins at 215-619-7313 or dcollins@mc3.edu.
During the workshop, prospective students will get an overview of the resources available to help them transition into college. Topics include using MCCC’s website and online registration tools, financial aid, assessment of credits for prior learning, stackable credentials, career pathways and job search tools.
After the initial session, MCCC advisors will follow up with participants one-on-one to help them identify programs and pathways that are right for them.
“Our goal is help adult learners be comfortable and successful at the College. We want this to be a place where they can get back on track with their education and transition into new careers,” said Denise Collins, who manages the U.S. Department of Labor Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training (TAACCCT) grant at MCCC.
The grant is helping MCCC to develop a robust Prior Learning Assessment model and stackable credentials for adult students as part of the JobTrakPA framework—a joint initiative of Pennsylvania’s 14 community colleges to train and place underemployed and unemployed residents of the Commonwealth in high demand jobs.
The workshop also connects to MCCC’s participation in the American Association of Community Colleges’ (AACC) Plus 50 Encore Completion Program, which looks to train 10,000 baby boomers for high-demand jobs through 2015.
ArtFusion 19464 will host their fourth annual summer beef and beer fundraiser on Saturday, August 9 from 6-9pm. This year’s event will be held at the ArtFusion studios and gallery at 254 E. High St.
Tickets are $20 purchased in advance. If any are still available, tickets at the door will be $25. Tickets can be bought online athttp://artfusion19464.org/event/2014-beef-and-beer/, in person at ArtFusion, or over the phone by calling 610-326-2506. Guests can choose the beef entrée, or a vegetarian sandwich option.
Victory Brewing Company has once again generously donated their amazing beer for this event. Ice House will be making the hot beef sandwiches and Montesano Bros. will again be creating their amazing side salads and veggie sandwiches. There will be soda and water in addition to Victory beer and homemade desserts to finish off the meal.
Along with enjoying great food and great beer, guests will have the chance to win fun door prizes, try their luck at a 50/50 raffle and bid on silent auction items. Proceeds benefit ArtFusion 19464’s upcoming fall educational exhibit Rainbow Crow and Other Stories. This show will feature artwork inspired by Native American stories.
The non-profit community art center will once again be offering free field trips to local schools in conjunction with this show. Please email info@artfusion19464.org for more information on scheduling a field trip. The Rainbow Crow field trip program is generously sponsored by the Foundation for Pottstown Education.
ArtFusion 19464 is a 501(c)3 non-profit community art center located at 254 E. High St. in downtown Pottstown. The school offers day, evening and weekend classes to all ages. The goal of these classes is to help students develop their creative skills through self-expression and independence. ArtFusion’s gallery hosts rotating shows featuring local artists. The gallery also sells handcrafted, one-of-a-kind gift items. The gallery is open Tuesday through Friday from 10am-5pm and Saturday 10am-3pm. The gallery is closed Sunday and Monday.
Known for offering wages significantly higher than the industry standard, ALDI, the nation’s low-price grocery leader*, will host a hiring event for its stores in Berks and Montgomery counties on Friday, Aug. 1. Opportunities within ALDI include Store Associate and Shift Manager positions.
The hiring event is in support of the ongoing growth of ALDI in the area, offering customers the ALDI brand promise of high-quality grocery items at unbeatable prices.
What: ALDI hiring event for its stores in Berks and Montgomery counties, including Pottstown and Reading, Pennsylvania
Who: ALDI representatives & local residents currently seeking employment opportunities
When: Friday, Aug. 1,8 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Where: ALDI, 297 Armand Hammer Blvd., Pottstown, PA 19464
Positions: • Store Associates – $11.25 per hour
Shift Managers – $15.25 per hour
Job Requirements: • Must be 18 years or older to apply
High school diploma or GED
Must be available to work anytime between 6 a.m. and 11 p.m., Monday–Sunday
Retail experience preferred
Drug screening and background check
Ability to lift 45 pounds
Quick Facts: • ALDI offers employees generous compensation that is considered well above the industry standard
Staff working at least 20 hours a week receive full health insurance, dental coverage and 401K
About ALDI Inc.
A leader in the grocery retailing industry, ALDI operates nearly 1,300 stores in 32 states, primarily from Kansas to the East Coast. More than 25 million customers each month save up to 50 percent** on their grocery bills, benefiting from the ALDI simple and streamlined approach to retailing. ALDI sells more than 1,300 of the most commonly purchased grocery items, primarily under its exclusive brands, which must meet or exceed the national name brands on taste and quality. ALDI is so confident in the quality of its products, the company offers a Double Guarantee: If for any reason a customer is not 100 percent satisfied with any ALDI food product, ALDI will gladly replace the product and refund the purchase price. For more information about ALDI, visit www.aldi.us.
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*According to a survey of more than 6,500 consumers conducted in May 2013 by Market Force Information.
**Based upon a price comparison of comparable products sold at leading national retail grocery stores.
Genesis Housing Corporation is pleased to announce the second annual outdoor movie night will be held on Saturday, August 2nd at the Chestnut Street Park in Pottstown. This year’s movie will be Disney’s Frozen.
Bring your lawn chairs and blankets to the Chestnut Street Park at Washington and Chestnut Streets, Pottstown starting at 8 PM. The event kicks off with Tom Carroll, a free balloon performer, followed by DJ music until dusk and then Disney’s Frozen. The rain date is Sunday, August 3rd.
This Pottstown Neighborhood Program is funded by National Penn Bank through the Neighborhood Tax Credit Program. More information is available by calling 610-275-4357, on our website at www.genesishousing.org and/or via email at info@genesishousing.org.
Since 1994, Genesis Housing Corporation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, has served Montgomery County as a community housing development organization (CHDO) and is dedicated to the development of affordable housing and to the education of consumers on housing and financial issues. Our general activities include the rehabilitation and new construction of homes to improve and stabilize neighborhoods and to provide opportunities for lower income homebuyers to purchase homes at affordable prices. Genesis Housing Corporation also provides monthly classes and individual counseling to help overcome barriers to home ownership, financial education and foreclosure prevention.
For more information about Genesis Housing Corporation and our programs, please visit their website at www.genesishousing.org, email at info@genesishousing.org, visit them on Facebook or call 610-275-4357.
First United Methodist Church at 414 E. High St. will host its second annual “Fire & Ice” event this year on National Night Out, Tuesday, August 5 from 6:00 – 8:30 p.m.
They will be serving Pastor Will’s chili & Rita’s water ice.
There will be a fire truck, fireman, dalmatian, simple craft, fire safety handouts, and experiments for children with a small volcano & snow-making in August!
Come out with the kids and enjoy a this hot-and-cold extravaganza!
The Hill School is holding a girls’ basketball camp next week from Tuesday, June 17 – Friday, June 20. Head coach Sue Repko and former St. Pius X, Phoenixville and PAC-10 Coach of the Year Michele Dunleavy will run the camp with Hill’s varsity team.
Girls entering grades 4-9 are invited to learn more about the game in a fun, positive setting. The camp fee of $235 includes lunch, a t-shirt, option for daily swim, and loads of drills, competitions & prizes, and insider tips on how to up your game!
But instead of mailing your registration, please hold onto it until Tuesday morning, and in the meantime, send me an email a srepko@thehill.org to confirm your daughter’s participation. Thanks!
THERE IS A CHANCE FOR POTTSTOWN SCHOOL DISTRICT TO GET A LARGE GRANT FOR PROGRAMMING RELATED TO THE PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN PARENTS OF YOUNG STUDENTS AND THE SCHOOL DISTRICT. PLEASE COME OUT TO ONE OF THESE COMMUNITY MEETINGS TO SHARE YOUR IDEAS!
The Pottstown School District and its community partners offer many resources for parent/child education and support, so that our students can get a good start academically, socially and emotionally. The Kellogg Foundation has funded the School District with a grant 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 grade 3.
Four community conversations will be held at the end of May (5:30 to 7:30 pm on Tuesday, May 27 at the Pottstown Middle School, Wednesday, May 28 at Connections on High, Thursday, May 29 at Barth Elementary School and from 1-3 pm on Thursday, May 29 at the First Baptist Church). To succeed, we need Pottstown School District parents/caregivers from all social and ethnic groups to participate, to share their ideas, including the kinds of activities they want to participate in and what can be done to help them participate.
What is learned from these conversations will be shared with other community agencies and used in re-designing School District programs.This information will also be used as the basis to apply for a major grant to create programs parents said they want for themselves and for children 10 years old and younger. They key is to get as diverse a group of parents/caregivers to participate in these conversations, and to get as many of them to participate as possible.
Please come out, let’s talk and have your voices heard for our kids…their brighter future. For more info, contact 610-256-6370 or jbennett@pottstownsd.org.
Pre-K through Third Grade Parents/Caregivers in the Pottstown School District, what do you need to help your child succeed? Let’s talk…in a relaxed setting, with a FREE hot meal, raffles, giveaways and childcare.
Join us at any of these community conversations from 5:30 to 7:30 pm on Tuesday, May 27 at the Pottstown Middle School, Wednesday, May 28 at Connections on High, Thursday, May 29 at Barth Elementary School and from 1-3 pm on Thursday, May 29 at the First Baptist Church. For more info, contact 610-256-6370 or jbennett@pottstownsd.org.
For more info, contact:
Jane Bennett
PEAK Community Engagement Coordinator, Kellogg Planning Grant
Pottstown School District, 230 Beech Street, Pottstown, PA 19464
610-256-6370, jbennett@pottstownsd.org
If you are looking for a fun, action-packed skill-building camp for your budding basketball player in grades 4-9, now is the time to sign up for theSkills on The Hill Girls’ Basketball Camp!!
In case you didn’t know, I am the varsity girls’ basketball coach at The Hill School in Pottstown, and I will be running the camp with my sister, Michele Repko Dunleavy. We both have played the game at the high school and college levels and have many coaching years between us. Michele was named PAC-10 Coach of the Year in 1996!
The camp will run from June 17-20, from 9 am – 3 pm. The cost of $235 includes lunch, a t-shirt, and supervised swim daily, in addition to guest speakers, skill-building, and games. Michele and I ran a summer camp at Princeton Day School for 5 years so we are a well-oiled machine! Your daughter will have tons of fun and learn — just what you want from a summer program.
If your son would like to go to hoops camp too, there is a boys’ camp running the same days/times. They will also be teaching younger players – boys and girls – from 1st-3rd grades, so check that out as well if it fits your family’s needs.
The brochure can be found here. It’s got all the info you’ll need to sign up. If you have any questions, feel free to email srepko@thehill.org.
This comes to us from ArtFusion 19464. For quite some time I have been curious about what we know about the Lenni-Lenape in Pottstown. This looks to be an informative, fun, and fascinating way to re-connect with the Native Americans who lived upon and walked this land before us.
Native American Memorial
In 1859, workers clearing a mound in an area on the south side of the borough unearthed skeletal remains and artifacts of an ancestor of the Lenni-Lenape people. Over the next twelve years many more remains and artifacts were unearthed in this area. Many of the remains and items were initially exhibited locally, but over time they have been lost.
In 2000, then mayor Anne Jones headed up a campaign that resulted in the Memorial currently located at the intersection of South Franklin Street and Industrial Highway. The site sits on land generously donated by the family of Mr. Tim O’Conner, owner of Humphrey Flag Company.
The memorial, which was originally dedicated on May 5, 2000, is an acknowledgement and a recognition of the people whose spirits inhabit those grounds. Unfortunately, in recent years, the memorial has been neglected. In an effort to bring new life and attention to this memorial, Ron Williams and Clanmother Star Harbach have organized a re-dedication of the memorial on May 3 and a pow wow on May 3 and 4. Williams says: “The Memorial is my primary objective. The Pow Wow is a way of creating interest. I am hopeful that in time we can do more to make this memorial a local landmark that we can be proud of. It should be a place of cultural awareness. Future plans will include warm weather monthly story-telling circles, new plants representing the indigenous features of the pre-colonial period, a medicine wheel, lighting and a sculpture representing the culture of the Native Americans, for starters.”
The rededication ceremony will begin at 9am on Saturday, May 3 at the site, which is at the corner of Franklin St. and Industrial Highway near the river. Frankie and Johnnie’s has generously offered the use of their parking lot for those who want to attend. Afterwards the festivities will switch to Memorial Park.
The pow wow will take place from 10am-6pm on Saturday and from 10am-5pm on Sunday at the Veteran’s Memorial in Memorial Park. Visitors will be treated to dances from many different tribes. In between the dances, a storyteller will entertain and educate with traditional tales. Guests will be able to shop at different Native American vendors, who will be selling leather crafts, jewelry, beadwork, instruments, wood sculptures, herbal teas and more. Author Gretchen Hardy will be selling signed copies of her book. Buttons& Beads: Lenape Princess Wynonah and the Future President, an historical fiction book illustrated by Zoungy Kligge, takes what is known of these intrepid ancestors and weaves them into one Lenape woman, Wynonah, who becomes their collective voice. A portion of the sales of her book will be donated to the Memorial fundraiser. There will also be an interactive education tent run by Laura and Ron Buckwalterwhere visitors can learn more about the Lenape people. Outside of the main pow wow site, other local groups including ArtFusion 19464 will be set up.
The event will begin with a Grand Entrance and opening ceremony at 12pm on Saturday. Following the opening ceremony, there will be a Veteran’s Dance, where military veterans and those currently serving are invited to participate to honor their service. The dancing will continue until 6pm. At 7pm, group Spirit Wing entertain the community with a free concert open to the public. The pow wow on Sunday will also begin with a Grand Entrance at 12pm. The events that day will end at 5pm.
Clanmother Star will MC the event and Joe Camaho will be whip man for the event, a ceremonial position responsible for lining up the dancers for the Grand Entrance. Medicine Horse Singers will drum for the dancers.
The entrance fee for the pow wow is $5, cash only. Children 6 and under are free. Visitors can park in the Memorial Park lot and at the lot by the Carousel building on King Street. There will be a free trolley running from the Carousel parking lot up to Pottsgrove Manor, where the annual May Day festivities will also be taking place on Saturday.
Please note that the back gate at the Veteran’s Memorial in the park will be closed to the public. All events will run rain or shine.
The organizers and dancers ask that visitors only take pictures when they are told it is allowed, as a matter of respect. Those who do not follow these rules will be escorted from the event.This is a pet friendly event. Well-behaved pets on a leash are welcome, and owners are asked to be courteous and clean up after their pets.
All funds raised during this weekend will go toward establishing an annual celebration and the maintenance and improvement of the monument. The site will be updated to make it a place of learning, with a regular schedule of storytelling and other events that will take place on site. The pow wow will be an annual event, in an effort to continue the recognition of what was lost.
In conjunction with this effort to create the awareness of the Native American contribution to the history of this nation, Representative Mark Painter will also be presenting a resolution in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives on June 2, to recognize this year as the 90th anniversary since Native Americans were granted full United States citizenship. Until 1924, Native Americans were not citizens of the United States, but on June 2, 1924 Congress granted citizenship to all Native Americans born in the U.S. under the Indian Citizenship Act.
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