Falcon Flash
May 3, 2021
Principal's Message
Hello Stetson Families,
Happy May! I hope you all got the opportunity to enjoy the beautiful weather this weekend. We filled your inbox with PSSA and Keystone testing information last week so we are bringing you the Falcon Flash Monday Edition. Thank you for taking the time to read our communication and newsletters. We are excited to be planning fun end-of-the-year activities for each grade level. All end of the year activities will take place during school hours and our Stetson cyber and remote students are welcome to join in person. Some of these activities include field day, distribution of yearbooks, Rita's Water Ice truck, and many more social opportunities for our students.
Our school is continuing to follow CCHD guidelines. Therefore, our end-of-the-year awards ceremonies will be virtual and students will view (both live and recorded) from their advisory classrooms. We continue to have a no guests policy during school hours so our families will have to enjoy virtually from their homes. We will communicate all video links at the conclusion of the ceremony for families to enjoy and view at their convenience.
We sent home information last week regarding PSSA and Keystone testing dates and opt-out information. If you have any further questions, please send them to our Stetson testing coordinator, Mrs. Stephen at estephen@wcasd.net.
This week we celebrate National Teacher Appreciation Week, May 3- May 7. Our teachers have worked hard to make sure our students get what they need this year whether they are learning from home or in person. Please take a moment sometime this week to say thanks for all they do for our kids!
Thanks for your time and attention in reading this week's edition!
Have a great week,
Mrs. Puchalla
Calendar next week (Including Cyber students)
May 3rd--Day 6 PM (periods 5-8)
May 4th--Day 1 AM (periods 1-4)
May 5th--Day 1 PM (periods 5-8)
May 6th--Day 2 AM (periods 1-4)
May 7th--Day 2 PM (periods 5-8) *Wear Pink today!
Technology concerns--As technical issues arise during remote learning, please use the following resources:
Tech Support @ Home – WCASD website with important information:
- Schoology Support
- Laptop Support
- Additional Resources
If there is an issue with your 1:1 device please email SMStech_support@wcasd.net
Upcoming Important Dates for PSSA Testing
Refillable Water Bottles Stations
8th Grade Parent Information
Attention 8th-grade parents: A fellow parent is organizing the purchase of a lawn sign to celebrate our children moving on to Rustin HS. If you would like to learn more, please contact Elizabeth Montgomery-Lewis at elizmontgo@comcast.net or check out the google form for additional details and pictures https://forms.gle/HTA7eVu1wpUxa5n1A
PLEASE DO NOT send any money or orders to the school. The orders are due by May 12th. Thank you!
Car line Concern
In order to keep our carline moving please do the following:
- listen/follow our staff members or police officers on duty outside
- unload students at cone sites (all the way around the bend)
- Please have your child unload once you enter the cone zone
- have students be ready to exit with books/gear in a timely manner
- Students are not permitted to walk through our parking lots, please do not park and expect your child to cross through moving traffic.
- Handicapped parking is reserved for our handicapped students/parents ONLY
- NOTE--please consider exiting straight onto Orvis (if going southbound) when exiting our campus
- NOTE--please consider going straight (over 202) and take left onto the ramp back to 202N (across from daycare)
Thank you for cooperating with our traffic procedures. We enjoy seeing your smiles, waves, and family dogs!
Nurse's Corner
We would like to share how we determine which students to contact trace and quarantine.
When we learn of a positive Covid case, we determine the date of symptom onset and/or positive Covid test date. From there, we look at the class schedule/lunch/bus/sports (if applicable) of the positive case. Although students are 3 feet apart, we contact trace 6 feet as per the Health Department Guidelines.
Please understand that only the person in direct contact with the positive case needs to quarantine (not the whole family) unless the close contact develops symptoms or tests positive.
Quarantine Timeline:
- Date of exposure= Day 0.
- Close contacts can test day 5 or after.
- With proof of a negative test, close contacts can return to in-person learning and sports/activities after day 7.
- If close contacts chose not to test, they can return to in-person learning and sports/activities after day 10.
There may be situations in which a close contact occurred with multiple positive cases, which may alter the timeline to test. We communicate that information to you as quickly as possible to avoid multiple tests.
Intramural information--6th Graders
6th-grade intramural Track will begin on May 5th and last till May 21st. Track practice will run from 3:00 until 4:15. Please have a ride home by 4:20 pm. During intramurals, students will learn the fundamentals of track and field. Please wear comfortable clothes and sneakers. Each student should bring a water bottle to practice. If interested please sign up using the following link. For additional information email David Loescher (dloeschervelazquez@wcasd.net) or students may stop by A108 with any questions.
Contact Mr. Corcoran at wcorcoran@wcasd.net with any additional questions.
Any interest in cheerleading next school year?
We are looking for competition and sideline cheerleaders. No experience necessary to join. Tryouts will be coming up this May!
Spring Sports Information--7th and 8th grade
Spring sporting events will begin the week of April 26 and run until May 14. Here is some important information to be aware of:
* One-way busses will be provided, Stetson Middle School for all-away sporting events. In some cases, the busses will depart before the end of the academic day.
* Parents of remote students are also encouraged to drive their children to the sporting event. However, we ask that the student-athlete be at the opponent's school by 2:50.
* Rides home will be from the opponent's school.
* All games will be local this year: Fugett, Peirce & Great Valley. There will not be a return bus to Stetson. Coaches will provide parents with approximate pick-up times for away events.
* Due to the disparate numbers of participants normal game rules may be modified.
For attending the sporting events, we are requesting that parents follow these guidelines if they wish to attend the event:
* Each student-athlete is permitted to have a maximum of two (2) people attend a sporting event.
* All spectators must wear a mask when attending a sporting event & practice social distancing.
We appreciate your cooperation and thank you for your patience and support this challenging year!
Contact Mr. Corcoran at wcorcoran@wcasd.net with any additional questions.
Sports Game Schedule
- Monday, May 3rd:
- 8th-grade baseball FUGETT @ STETSON
- 8th-grade softball FUGETT @ STETSON *CANCELLED
- Boys lax: FUGETT @ STETSON
- 7th-grade baseball STETSON @ FUGETT
- 7th-grade softball STETSON @ FUGETT
- Girls lax STETSON @ FUGETT
- Tuesday, May 4:
Girls Track GREAT VALLEY @ STETSON
- Wednesday, May 5:
Boys Track GREAT VALLEY @ STETSON
- Thursday, May 6:
- 8th-grade baseball GREAT VALLEY @ STETSON
- 8th-grade softball GREAT VALLEY @ STETSON
- Boys lax: GREAT VALLEY @ STETSON
- 7th-grade baseball STETSON @GREAT VALLEY
- 7th-grade softball STETSON @GREAT VALLEY
- Girls lax STETSON @GREAT VALLEY
Eligibility Information for extra curricular school sponsored activities
We are very excited about resuming our spring sports program next week. Now that we have begun, we must also implement the district’s extracurricular eligibility policy. See the policy by clicking the link here http://go.boarddocs.com/pa/wche/Board.nsf/goto?open&id=9Z3GMN447E5E Students who are failing 2 or more core subjects or 1 core subject and 2 or more Unified Arts classes, will be considered ineligible to participate in sports or activities the FOLLOWING week. You will receive notice of this via email.
**SPECIAL NOTE--3rd marking period report cards will be finalized on Monday, April 19th, and will decide ineligibility for a 15 day period. Any student who has a grade below 70 in 2 or more academic classes or an academic class and 2 or more Unified Arts classes will be ineligible from April 19 through May 7. 4th marking period ineligibility will begin with grades from April 21 and will be effective the week of April 25 through May 1.
Attendance Info
Effective 3/29/21, all 5 days a week students are required to learn in-person unless they are given prior approval by the school nurse (mczerpak@wcasd.net) or the Principal (mpuchalla@wcasd.net). Students who remote in without permission will be marked absent regardless of their virtual attendance. An absence note will need to be submitted within 5 days.