Gockley’s pet drive is underway. Students may bring in donations of cat or dog food, clean towels or blankets, and pet toys. The items will be donated to animals in need. The collection will end March 10.

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There is no school throughout the district March 11. This will be a professional development day for teachers.

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Under the leadership of Leah Saliby, an eighth-grade English teacher at the middle school, the Snack Pack Pals program was started to help the neediest of children in kindergarten through eighth grade. With Snack Pack Pals, several food items are sent home over long weekends with students who have severe hunger needs, so they have something to eat before they return to school.

More than half of the district’s student population qualifies for the free or reduced-price lunch program. The need is very real and is here in the Whitehall and Coplay areas. Some of these children rely on the breakfast and lunch programs as their only source of nutritious meals.

Saliby is gearing up for spring break, March 24-28. She needs to restock the food that was distributed to students over the Presidents Day holiday. Saliby will need food to distribute by March 17. Her team will assemble the bags March 21.

If you would like to make a food donation, Saliby is most in need of shelf-stable milk, macaroni and cheese boxes, fruit cups and Chef Boyardee cans. Other needed food items include small boxes of cold cereal, fruit cups, applesauce cups, juice boxes/pouches, fruit snacks, packs of cheese/peanut butter crackers, graham crackers, granola bars, individual servings of macaroni and cheese, and microwaveable bowls of Chef Boyardee.

If you would like to help in other ways or have any questions, contact Saliby at salibyl@whitehallcoplay.org. Your help is greatly appreciated.

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Kindergarten registration for the 2016-17 school year is underway. Parents or guardians can begin the registration process by completing the online registration. Log on to the school district’s website, whitehallcoplay.org, and follow the instructions.

To complete the registration, parents or guardians will be given an appointment (April 1-7) to bring their child to Gockley Elementary School to meet with the guidance counselor, principal, school nurse, ESOL teacher and reading specialist for a brief assessment.

The deadline to register students online is March 18. A child must be 5 years old before Sept. 1, 2016.

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The high school Drama Club will be performing “Guys & Dolls” 7 p.m. April 7-9 and 2 p.m. April 10. The performance will be held at Whitehall High School, 3800 Mechanicsville Road, Whitehall.

Tickets are $8 for students and seniors and $12 for adults.

Tickets can be purchased by visiting whitehallmusic.com/guysanddolls or by calling the ticket hotline, 610-437-5081, ext. 93270.

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Visit the Whitehall Coplay School District website, whitehallcoplay.org, for helpful resources for both parents and students.

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Do you have any school news? This column is a compilation of upcoming school events in the Whitehall-Coplay School District. Teachers, administrators, parents, students, coaches, PTSAs, club advisers and any other community members are invited to share their upcoming activities. Email me at jamb87@hotmail.com with Whitehall-Coplay School News in the subject line at least a week before an event.