Falcon Flash
January 28, 2022
Principal's Message
Stetson Families:
Happy Friday! The weatherman is saying we are getting somewhere between a dusting and 8 eight inches, should be an interesting morning. Either way, I hope you are able to enjoy the time with your family. Please join us in welcoming Mrs. Heather Mazza hmazza@wcasd.net as our new Stetson’s Attendance Secretary. As we concluded the mid-way point of the year, I wanted to take time and review our attendance policy. Given the amount of illness, this season has brought many families are using more sick time than they traditionally have used. Here is a brief overview of the WCASD attendance policy in accordance with PA state law.
- Anyone that arrives at school after 8:05 will be marked TDY (tardy). ET- is an excused tardy and requires a doctor’s note. All other tardies are unexcused even with a parent note
- 8 unexcused tardy = 1 unlawful absence
- Parents are given 10 days of school that they can provide parent notes for an excused absence (PN). They are also afforded 5 family vacation days. These days can be used interchangeably to cover a total of 15 missed days of school. Please send in absence notes (email or paper) the day of or as soon as the student returns. The State provides 3 days before it automatically becomes LAW (unlawful) in our reporting system.
- You can call your student out of school using Stetson’s Attendance Line at 484-266-2710 or email hmazza@wcasd.net to inform us that your child will be absent
- All absences after 15 days REQUIRE a doctor’s note.
- If you are picking your child up early please send in a note with your child indicating include the date, your child’s name, and the time you plan to pick them up, along with your signature
- If you need to pick up your child and did not send a note you must come into the building to sign them out.
Please see our mid-year attendance review for additional details
Have a great weekend (stay warm and safe),
Mrs. Puchalla
Course Selection Information Reminder
- January 26th--Rustin High School launched a course selection video for 8th graders to view on the District website. Video will provide information on the selection process, dates, and major changes in the curriculum guide.
- January 28th--end of 2nd marking period
- February 1st--6th and 7th graders will view a video about the course selection process during Falcon Period
- February 1st--Zoom Parent Meeting for rising 6th and 7th-grade parents at 5:30 pm --link for zoom will come closer to the date
- February 3rd--8th graders will get an in-person visit from RHS teachers and counselors at Stetson to talk about courses in high school
- February 16th--8th graders will get an opportunity for an in-person event at Rustin High School about specific questions on the course selection process (date and location to follow)
**All families and students will be able to select courses/electives during the week of February 14th - 25th. We hope you can review our course offerings and exciting opportunities!
Temporary Camera Access for Absent Students--ends 1/28/22
Please refer back to Dr. Sokolowoski's document for families for any additional information.
Calendar --Look Ahead and Plan
January 31st--Day 4
February 1st--Day 5
February 2nd--Day 6
February 3rd--Day 1
February 4th--Day 2
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
Dress Code Reminder
Please help us in reminding our students to follow our dress code policy. These include crop tops (mid-drift showing), pajama pants, slippers, and wearing hoods inside the school building. Students who continue to violate the dress code will receive a consequence of after-school detention.
A Word From Our Athletic Department
Home Games next week:
1/31 Wrestling vs Fugett
2/2 Boys Basketball vs Lionville
2/4 Boys Basketball vs North Brandywine
As agreed upon by the Ches-Mont League, students will not mask in play but will be required to mask at all other times. Spectators are expected to follow the District’s masking expectations outlined in the health and safety plan and be masked. Student spectators are allowed to attend again starting 1/19/22.
**Call our athletic director Mr. Corcoran about any athletic concerns at 484-266-2725
Library Info
Would you like to VOLUNTEER in the Stetson School Library?
We are always happy to see you!
Please e-mail Dr. Markiewicz at SMSLib@wcasd.net with your availability.
We will contact you soon with a start date.
You will need to have your clearances up to date in order to volunteer.
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.
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.
Nurse's Corner
Thank you for your diligent communication regarding Covid related needs. We will continue to work together while we see the increase in communal positivity.
PTO information
A small thing we can do for our teachers and staff is to provide some treats to show our gratitude. We have lots of open spaces on our teacher snack bowl signup. Please take a look and see if you can help. THANK YOU to all who have already signed up and participated in this act of teacher/staff gratitude and appreciation!
https://m.signupgenius.com/#!/showSignUp/805054aa8a72da7f94-teacher
Save the date for the next Dine & Donate: Wednesday, February 16th, 11:00 am - 8:00 pm
*see attached flyer for more information
Community Information
In the most recent round of data from the PA Youth Survey, 57% of West Chester teens report that they do not feel recognized for hard work. Yet, recognition of hard work is directly linked to a child’s commitment to school which is proven to decrease the likelihood of involvement with law enforcement and use of addictive substances. Recognition of genuine effort from teachers, parents, peers, or other trusted adults helps youth to know their value and has a cumulative positive effect on emotional well-being. WCASD is pleased to partner with West Chester Communities That Care on this initiative that shares concrete tools to build resilience and improve outcomes for youth. (www.wcctc.org/resilience1hs)