Falcon Flash
November 22, 2021
Principal's Message
Hello Stetson Families,
I wanted to take a moment this week to say thank you for supporting our school community. When we work together to support our student's academic, social and emotional success, great things happen and life lessons are gained.
Thanksgiving dinner provides me with the opportunity to pause during what feels like a very busy year to remember to be appreciative for all we have. It is a holiday tradition of togetherness and gratitude. Although it only comes once a year, every day should be a day of thanks. I hope you enjoy this treasured time with your family this week!
With deepest gratitude,
Mrs. Puchalla
Calendar --Look Ahead and Plan
November 22nd--Day 1
November 23rd--Day 2-- *1/2 day for students (parent/teacher conferences)
November 24th--NO SCHOOL for students (parent/teacher conferences)
*Reminder to all parents entering the school building for an in-person conference, must wear a mask. Thank you for continuing to support our district health and safety plan.
November 29th--Day 3
November 30th--Day 4
December 1st--Day 5-- *7/8th grade Band Concert at RHS @ 7 pm
December 2nd--Day 6
December 3rd--Day 1
Daily bell schedule
Falcon Period Schedule--Tuesday and Thursday
Technology concerns--If technical issues arise, please use the following resources:
Tech Support @ Home – WCASD website with important information:
- Schoology Support
- Laptop Support
- Additional Resources
- Schoology Parent & Student Support
If there is an issue with your 1:1 device please email SMS tech_support@wcasd.net
IMPORTANT
Attendance concerns
Late Arrival and Early Dismissal Procedures
Early Dismissal Procedure
- Please send a signed note in with your student on the morning of the desired early dismissal. Your student should bring that note directly to the office upon arrival to receive a pass to leave class at the appropriate time.
- Early dismissal is considered leaving prior to the end of the student day more than 60 minutes early.
Late Arrival Procedure
- Students are considered late to school after 8:05 am. Students are required to be in homeroom at this time. All late arrivals must check-in at the office/late table to receive a pass.
- A tardy is defined as a minimum of one minute of lateness to school.
- Eight (8) tardies to school and/or early dismissals will be considered one (1) unlawful absence in grades K-8.
Dismissal/Drop off Procedures
- Drop off is between 7:30 am - 8:05 am
- Student pick-up is between 2:50-3:10 pm.
- ALL cars MUST loop up to Starkweather and loop around before entering the Stetson car line loop
- Staff members entering campus during the drop-off window will be permitted to make the left turn into the parking lot without looping up to SWE.
- It is vital to follow this procedure as we have experienced 202 traffic causing on-campus gridlock and delaying the start of the school day.
- Please allow ample time for drop off to avoid tardies
- When students arrive at school between 7:30 - 7:50 am, they will remain in one location until the first bell rings at 7:50 am.
- 6th grade will remain in the cafe
- 7th/8th grade will remain in LGI
- Students arriving after 7:50 am will report directly to homeroom
- Students will be considered late to school if they arrive AFTER 8:05 am
- Please use the crosswalk to pick up your child from the parking lot, safety is important to us! **We prefer that you use the car dismissal line for safety purposes!
- Thank you for being respectful to our staff on duty with all traffic procedures!
- We recognize that the traffic light turning left can get backed up at times. There is another option--proceed straight through the light and make the first left on Gilpin Drive. This will lead you back to 202 Northbound traffic (goes around the apartment complex).
- Good News--PennDot has finally approved a green arrow for turning left onto 202N after dismissal/drop off. The timeline for this to happen is after the new year so please be patient because some relief is on the way.
Spelling Bee Winners 2021
Congratulations to Alexandra Han (#15) for winning first place in the SMS Spelling Bee contest held on Thursday, November 18th. The second-place winner was Elliot Behrens (#7). It was a job well done by all spellers! Thank you to Mr. Stolzeer who organized the event and Mr. Carpenter who was our judge. Best of luck to Alexandra when she moves on to the next level at the Chester County Spelling Bee competition in February!
Scholastic Book Fair Coming Soon!
Our Scholastic Book Fair will take place Dec 6 to 10, and will include an online Fair!
(Please be aware that items purchased through the online fair may have delayed shipping)
Check out the Fair website for more information.
https://www.scholastic.com/bf/stetsonmiddleschool
The website includes volunteer time slots and set up for an eWallet for your child
Your child’s Reading and English teachers may also have a classroom eWallet for classroom library books!
Students will visit the fair with their English class.
*Note: We are also open before the 6th-grade concert on Monday, Dec 6.
Thank you for your support!
Drama Club info
Our Stetson Drama Club had a few performances last weekend. We wanted to let our students know that we were proud to see them back on stage! Great job to all students involved in the making of our show, All Together Now.
A BIG Thanks to our musical directors, Mrs. Ellis, Mrs. Melfi, and Sarah Vogan for organizing and leading our students in this fun performance! The audience enjoyed the show.
A Word From Our Athletic Department
Winter sports for 7th and 8th graders, Basketball and Wrestling, has arrived.
**Call our athletic director Mr. Corcoran about any athletic concerns at 484-266-2725
WRESTLING
Any 7th and 8th graders interested in joining the wrestling team, please see Mr. Fad with any questions afad@wcasd.net
Winter Sports info for BOYS Basketball
Boys' basketball tryouts will take place on Friday, December 3 (7th grade only, first cuts); Wednesday, December 8 (8th grade only, first cuts); and Thursday, December 16 (both teams, final cuts). Tryouts will run from 3:00-5:45 pm each day. Everyone trying out must have a valid PIAA physical uploaded to Family ID as well as a baseline concussion test. Questions? See Mr. Stolzer in room C104 or email him. pstolzer@wcasd.net
Ineligibility
It is Stetson’s mission to help all students maintain passing grades, however, if a student is failing two or more academic subjects, or one academic subject, and two unified arts classes, they will be placed on our ineligibility list. Students who are on the ineligibility list are unable to participate in any extracurricular sport/activity. A report is generated every Thursday to determine eligibility status for the following week.
Falcon Flyer--School Newspaper
Stetson’s Student Newspaper Club has published the first issue of the 2021-22 Falcon Flyer. Congratulations to all of our student writers, artists, and page designers. Please take a few minutes to read their work! An online edition of the Falcon Flyer is available on the Stetson homepage.
The Falcon Flyer meets on Wednesdays from 3:00-4:00 in Room B106. New members are always welcome to join. Contact Mrs. Claffey for more information. cclaffey@wcasd.net
Interested in Art?
The Stetson Art Club is open to all students who share a common interest in the creation of art. Art Club promotes imagination, creativity, and art production. We focus on materials and projects that go beyond what you would do in a regular art class. Students are able to experiment with various art materials in a personalized, open, and exploratory manner. Art Club is both a studio and community service-oriented activity.
We will meet in room D110 every Wednesday, from 3-4:30 pm.
Peer Respect in school
Respect is not just something that makes us feel good and positive but it is an important element of life in the present time. Respecting someone can never be something negative. Moreover, it maintains a good relationship and understanding between two persons. Everyone deserves respect and should also respect other people in our school.
A reminder that our personal cell phones are not permitted to be used during school hours in the educational setting. Please review the policy below with your student.
Social Media --What Can Parents Do?
It is important to be aware of what your kids do online. Parents need to find a balance of being aware and snoop which can alienate them and damage the trust you built together. The key is to stay involved in a way that makes your kids understand that you respect their privacy but want to make sure they are safe. Tell your kids that it's important to:
- Be nice (treat others with respect)
- Think twice before hitting enter (posting personal/private info)
- Follow the "WWGS" (What would grandma say) rule
- use privacy settings
- don't friend strangers
Stetson PTO Information
Thanks to all who have volunteered to join the PTO this year! We will be contacting you as soon as we get a meeting scheduled.
We have a few spots left to donate food for parent-teacher conferences on Tuesday. Please see the signup for all the details:
https://m.signupgenius.com/#!/showSignUp/805054aa8a72da7f94-teacher1
More PTO information can be found on our website: www.wcasd.net/domain/936
PTO Dine and Donate November 18th
Thank you to all families that came out to the Salty Cow last week! We appreciate your support!
Stetson Spirit Wear Sale!
The Stetson Middle School Spirit Wear shop is open again, just in time for holiday gifts! Shop local, show your school spirit, AND support the PTO at the same time! Items will be available for students to pick up during lunch on Tuesday, December 21, and Wednesday, December 22. If purchasing items as a gift you may want to consider the option to mail them directly to your home. The spirit wear store will be open for orders until Sunday, November 28. Happy Shopping!
PE Uniforms are also available through this sale!