Salisbury Middle School is sponsoring a Strengthening Families Program for families of current fifth and sixth graders. Salisbury Township School District, in cooperation with the Penn State Extension and Valley Youth House, is holding the program to help students make good choices as they enter middle school and the teen years and families develop skills to help their children.

The students learn how to communicate and make good choices, while the parents get information on what to expect in the coming years and also the chance to connect and talk to other parents going through the same thing.

There are seven Wednesday sessions running April 2 through May 21. A free family dinner is served 5:30 p.m. and the program begins 6 p.m. Free childcare is also provided for younger siblings. This year the program is being held in the Harry S Truman Elementary School cafeteria. For more information or to register, call Michael Dorward, middle school guidance counselor at 610-791-0830, ext. 3532. Space is limited, so register soon.

SMS is hosting a family bingo night 6:30 p.m. March 28, free to Salisbury families. All students and siblings are welcome, but must be accompanied by an adult. Drinks and snacks will be available for purchase. Eight games will be played and the winners will receive a $10 Target gift card.

PSSA's are upon us once again. The math and reading portion will start March 25 for all students in grades three through eight. The writing portion will start April 7 for all fifth and eighth graders. Get all your kiddies to bed at a decent time so they are well rested and at their best to focus and concentrate on the testing.

The Salisbury School District Music Association is holding a Perkins pie fundraiser. If you are interested in purchasing a pie (they come right in time for Easter), there is an order form on the Salisbury High School website under school news.

Western Salisbury Elementary is holding a spring concert for grades one and two 7 p.m. April 2.

For those ambitious people who have started their spring cleaning, if you are looking for somewhere to deposit clothes that no longer fit because you lost so much weight this winter, or the clothing kids have outgrown, Bon- Ton on Lehigh Street is collecting clothes for Goodwill. For every item you donate, you will get a coupon for 25 percent off almost anything in the store. So, clean out your closets, make a donation to a worthy cause and get a deal on some new duds to fill up all that empty space.

I am so very happy to look out at my yard and no longer see white. This was a long, hard winter, but spring is finally on its way.

"No winter lasts forever; no spring skips its turn." Hal Borland