Wrightstown Ravens' News
September, 2017
Mrs. Beth A. Fox, Principal
729 Penns Park Road
Wrightstown, PA 18940
(215) 944-2306
(215) 944-2397 (FAX)
From the Principal's Desk
Dear Wrightstown Families,
It gives me great pleasure to welcome you to a new school year! There is nothing more exciting than the start of something new; the beginning of an adventure! Students wait all summer for the reveal of their homeroom assignment, teachers prepare their classrooms with anticipation to meet their new students, and all the pieces somehow fall into place to ensure the building is ready for opening on day one! There is no denying that the level of energy leading up to the start of a new school year provides rewards you won’t find in any other profession! For that, we as educators are most grateful! The WES Team values our Wrightstown Family and looks forward to the journey of learning with you and your children! Home and School communication and collaboration are key! Let’s continue our strong partnership to provide the most meaningful school experience for our students!
On behalf of the staff I wish you a great school year! Please let us know how we can help in any way! All my best for a successful 2017-18 school year!
Sincerely,
Beth A. Fox
Principal
Our Newest Wrightstown Ravens
Highlights for September
- Tuesday, September 5th - FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL
- Thursday, September 7th - Back to School Night (see information below)
- Tuesday, September 12th - PTO Back to School Picnic - 6:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.
- Wednesday, September 13th - 3rd & 4th Grade Instrument Recruitment Assemblies/ PTO Back to School Picnic RAINDATE - 6:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.
- Tuesday, September 19th - PTO Meeting at 7:30 p.m. in the Art Room
- Thursday, September 21st & Friday, September 22nd - NO SCHOOL
- Friday, September 29th - NOVA iSmart Presentation to 4th Grade
New Immunizations Requirements
Please click on the important link below regarding our new immunization requirements.
https://www.crsd.org/cms/lib/PA01000188/Centricity/Domain/8/Immunization%20Letter%20May%202017.pdf
Welcome to our New Families!
Welcome New Staff to Wrightstown Elementary
Mrs. Kristin Mangan - K & 4th Grade Special Education Teacher (Mrs. Matteo's Maternity Leave)
Miss Amanda Parker - 1st Grade Special Education Teacher
Ms. Jennifer Leachko - Certified School Nurse
Mrs. Jennifer McFillin - 4th Grade Gifted Support Teacher
Ms. Melissa Miguelez - Art Teacher
Ms. Rebecca Lichtner - Librarian
Mr. Keith Crowell - Librarian
Ms. Katelyn Ortendahl - Physical Education Teacher
Mrs Shanyn Heubeck - ELD (English Lang. Dev.) Teacher
Mrs. Susan Keen - IST Teacher
Art Teacher- Ms. Melissa Miguelez
Ms. Miguelez has been teaching in the district since 2013. A Council Rock grad herself, she loves the daily opportunity to serve her own community. In addition to teaching in the elementary school she enjoys spending her time working as a portrait artist, reading historical non-fiction, and playing volleyball!
Nurse - Ms. Jen Leachko
Hello Everyone!
I’m so excited to be joining the staff at Sol Feinstone and Wrightstown Elementary Schools as the Certified School Nurse! My name is Jennifer Leachko (Leech-coe), but I prefer to go by Jen. I’ve lived locally in the Bucks County area since I was a child – attending Bucks County Community College for my Associate’s degree in nursing before pursuing my Bachelors at Ohio University and my Certification in School Nursing at Eastern University. I’ve worked in the school, residential camp, and homecare settings as a nurse and have run children’s wellness programs at gyms.
In my free time, I enjoy spending time outdoors with my one-eyed Catahoula Leopard Dog, Gunner. I’m an avid hiker and enjoy most lake activities. I attend group fitness classes regularly and try to cook one new recipe a week.
I can’t wait to get to know you all. I know Dana was awesome at this position, and I’m happy to be following her footsteps. I’m eager to join the Council Rock community, and I thank you for the warm welcome that I’ve already received!
See you soon,
Jen
ELD Specialist - Mrs. Shanyn Heubeck
Shanyn Heubeck is excited to join the WES family. She has been employed with Council Rock since 1996, teaching in elementary buildings throughout the district. Over the years, Shanyn has enjoyed educating students in Kindergarten, 1st Grade, 3rd Grade, and Humanities. In 2011, she joined the English Language Development (ELD) team, and continues to support English learners in Kindergarten through 6th grade. In addition to WES, she also works at Newtown Elementary and Sol Feinstone Elementary. Shanyn is a proud graduate of Council Rock and lives in Washington Crossing with her husband and three children.
4th Grade Gifted Support Teacher - Mrs. Jen McFillin
I am so excited to be teaching the 4th grade gifted class at Wrightstown this year! I spend the rest of my time teaching the gifted classes at Richboro Elementary. My Council Rock teaching career started in 1999 at Richboro Elementary, where I taught 6th, 4th and 2nd grade. Additionally, I taught 2nd and 3rd grade at Hillcrest Elementary, Kindergarten at Newtown Elementary, and 3rd grade gifted at Sol Feinstone Elementary.
This year, in the 4th grade gifted class, we will learn about Pennsylvania history and the regions of the United States. I love to incorporate STEM and technology projects into my lessons, and strive to make learning a fun and engaging experience. I look forward to meeting my students and their families next week!
Librarian - Ms. Rebecca Lichtner
Hello parents, my name is Rebecca Lichtner and I will be one of two librarians this year at Wrightstown. I have both my Undergrad and Masters degree in Library Science and have a passion for connecting kids with books. I have taught in Council Rock on and off for 6 years. For the past three years I have been the librarian at Rolling Hills and am looking forward to getting to know the students and staff at Wrightstown.
Librarian - Mr. Keith Crowell
Mr. Crowell has been a Librarian at CRSD for 4 years and is very eager to start at Wrightstown Elementary school. He has been a librarian for more than a decade in other area school districts too. Through his love of literature and technology, he brings passion and excitement to the library media program. Mr. Crowell loves athletics and the Arts but most of all he loves his family and his dog. He cannot wait to meet all of you this upcoming school year.
Physical Education - Miss Katelyn Ortendahl
Hello, I am Miss Ortendahl, and I will be teaching Physical Education at Wrightstown Elementary on Fridays. I attended the Council Rock School District myself from Kindergarten through 12th grade, and it was always a goal of mine to come back and teach here! I attended Penn State University and graduated in 2008. I had an exciting opportunity to be a Penn State Cheerleader at all of the home football and basketball games.
My first teaching job was located in Delaware, but I knew my dream was to come back to Council Rock. This is my third year teaching within the district. I am at Rolling Hills and Wrightstown this year.
I spend my summers working and relaxing with family and friends in Bethany Beach, Delaware. Other hobbies of mine are running, reading, teaching fitness classes, and being outdoors.
I am looking forward to meeting the, students, and parents of Wrightstown this year!
Back to School Night
Thursday, September 7th
Kindergarten - 2nd Grade - 6:00 p.m. - 6:45 p.m.
3rd & 4th Grade - 7:00 p.m. - 7:45 p.m.
Available Specialists will be in the APR from
6:15 p.m. - 7:15 p.m. so that you can see the different programs that we offer!
PTO Back to School Picnic
When: Tuesday, September 12th
Where: WES Playground
Time: 6:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.
Let's kick off the school year with a playground party! Please join the PTO at the Back to School Picnic behind the school! Feel free to bring a blanket and brown bag dinner to eat on the grounds. The RAINDATE for this event will be Wednesday, September 13th!
Instrument Recruitment Assembly
Wednesday, September 13th
3rd Grade at 9:30 a.m. & 4th Grade at 10:00 a.m.
3rd and 4th grade parents are cordially invited to attend the Instrumental Music Recruitment Assembly on Wednesday, September 13th to help their child choose a music instrument to study for the upcoming school year. 3rd grade students can choose the violin, viola or cello. 4th grade students can choose the violin, viola, cello, upright string bass, flute, oboe, clarinet, alto saxophone, trumpet, French horn, trombone, baritone or percussion.
Being part of the band or orchestra can be fun and a wonderful learning experience. I hope you will encourage and support your child to try a musical instrument this year!
~Mrs. Betty Hintenlang
Nut Free Classrooms
Bookworm Challenge
Don't forget to finish up your Bookworm circles for Wrightstown's Longest Bookworm challenge! Can we make a bookworm around the WHOLE school??? Check out the link for more information!
https://www.crsd.org/cms/lib/PA01000188/Centricity/Domain/1957/Bookworm%20challenge.docx
Literacy Corner by Mrs. Etgen
Welcome back! For those you of you who do not know me, my name is Mrs. Etgen and I am proud to be the Literacy Specialist and Gifted Support teacher at Wrightstown this year. What I love best about my role at Wrightstown is that I get to work with all the teachers and students in every grade! I hope that you had a fabulous summer and are as excited as I am to be back at school!! Wrightstown has an amazing challenge going on and it is to build the largest bookworm! We have all been reading books over the summer, and as soon as school begins we will begin to see how far this bookworm will reach around the school. If you need some more information, this link may be helpful: https://www.crsd.org/cms/lib/PA01000188/Centricity/Domain/1957/Bookworm%20challenge.docx
Stay tuned for some exciting reading events this year, such as Book-It and our Reading Camp In! We will also be using our CREF grant money to Skype authors and other experts throughout the year. Please feel free to contact me via email petgen@crsd.org, if you have questions about your child's reading or need book recommendations. I am looking forward to an amazing year of reading, learning, and discovery!
Counselor's Corner with Mrs. Jachimski
I hope your summer was full of adventure and relaxation! I had a very enjoyable break with my family. I watched my daughters (2nd and 5th grade) compete together on the swim team at the Richboro Swim Club, and we also spent time as a family in Sea Isle City, NJ.
I now have renewed energy and am eager to dive into the new school year! It is hard to believe that this is my fourth year as the school counselor at Wrightstown Elementary School.
As a reminder, here are some of the services I offer as your school counselor:
Individual Counseling: One on one counseling is designed to help students gain a better understanding of themselves or others, define goals, or resolve conflicts. Students sometimes ask their teacher to meet with me, but referrals are also made by parents and teachers. Individual counseling with students is most successful through collaboration with parents and teachers.
Small Group Counseling: Some groups are formed by grade level and others include students sharing a common concern. Some examples include adjusting friendship skills, emotion management, and building self-confidence.
Classroom Guidance Lessons: This is an excellent way for me to build relationships with all students! Various topics include conflict resolution, handling emotions, diversity, cooperation, and bullying prevention. Discussions also include how these areas tie into the school wide positive behavior support program: 7 Habits of Happy Kids
Please don’t hesitate to contact me at any time! Have a great school year!
Nancy Jachimski
School Counselor
(215) 944-1846