West Chester Area School District

Dear WCASD Community,

February is the “I love” month! The start of this month is a great reminder for us to pause and consider all of the things and people that we love. This focus will help us to see through a different lens, a lens of gratitude and appreciation.

This is also the perfect time for me to share how much I love our WCASD community! I love our community of learners, our deep commitment to doing what’s best for all students, our partnership with our families, and I love how you’ve embraced me in this new role. Thank you all for being an integral part of what makes us great and for sharing your love with us!

Not only is February the “I love” month, it’s also the second month of the new year. While we are accustomed to setting goals and priorities in January, this month offers an opportunity to check-in on our progress and review how we’re being intentional about making small steps to accomplish key priorities. As a district, we are taking this time to check-in on the major goals outlined in our WCASD Comprehensive Plan. We are taking stock of where we are so that we can celebrate what we have already accomplished and understand the areas where we need to press forward.

I hope you will join me this month in continuing to see, smile, and succeed!

To make sure that you don’t miss a moment of the WCASD events and activities, check out the list of upcoming events in our Celebrate the Arts Flyer.

Important Dates:

February: Black History Month | Career and Technical Education Month

February 2: School Board 101 | 6:00 p.m.

February 6-10: National School Counseling Week

February 13: Pupil Services Committee Meeting | 6:30 p.m.

February 13: Education Committee Meeting | 7:00 p.m.

February 14: Valentine's Day

February 15: Kindergarten 101 | 6:30 p.m. - Virtual

February 15: High School Course Selection Night | 6:30 p.m. at Each High School

February 16: WCAEF Business Breakfast Round Table

February 17: Half-Day Dismissal for All Students, Afternoon Teacher Inservice

February 20: Presidents' Day | Offices and Schools Closed

February 21: Property & Finance Committee Meeting | 6:30 p.m.

February 22: Middle School 101 | Virtual

February 27: School Board Meeting | 7:00 p.m.

We hope you will take a moment to learn a little more about the WCASD's Substitute Superintendent, Dr. Kalia Reynolds, and the core elements that guide her leadership.

To read a recent Daily Local News interview with Dr. Reynolds, click Dr. Kalia Reynolds Interview!

As part of Fern Hill Elementary’s Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS) reward for 3rd through 5th Graders, PBIS winners got to make and bake dog treats for the SPCA. In addition to help from staff, the winners were assisted by amazing 5th Grade Student Council members.

Student Council volunteers then delivered the treats to the SPCA along with donations that they collected as a school community and spent time with the furry friends.

Last month, Henderson High School received its charter and designation as a Key Club group through the Kiwanis club. The Key Club is an international service organization whose core values are leadership, character-building, caring and inclusivity.

Congratulations to these student members on being sworn in and receiving their Key Club pins!

Thank you, Aiden and Brooklyn, for your wonderful report on all of the events, activities, and learning experiences taking place at Penn Wood Elementary School. Note, neither Aiden nor Brooklyn have seen a real bear in the wild, but they love their Penn Wood Bear Mascot!

In recognition of School Director Appreciation Month, our WCASD School Directors received a special piece of artwork from our East, Henderson, and Rustin High School students as well as a personal thank you note. Thank you again to our School Board!

The West Chester East Girls Basketball Team held their 7th Annual PINK Game this month. Over $1,000 was raised to donate to Unite for Her; a nonprofit organization focused on supporting the health and wellness of those with breast and ovarian cancer.

The team hosted halftime shooting contests, raffled gift baskets, and held a bake sale during the game to fundraise for the cause!

The energy, or Benergy, at Fugett Middle School was incredible recently as students and staff heard from speaker, Ben Hartranft!

Ben is an adult with Autism who shares his education, work and life experience through public speaking to encourage Autism acceptance and awareness. Our students especially loved hearing about his work in roller coaster parks and with the Philadelphia Eagles!

In collaboration with #WCASD technology department staff, teachers, and the school librarian, Peirce Middle School students got a unique view of the world during their World Geography classes. While we can't quite see it, these Virtual Reality headsets brought the lessons to life!

The WCASD course selection process has officially begun for the 2023-24 school year! Course selection and information nights offer families insight into the course selection and transition process and provide an opportunity to receive answers to important questions about the coming year.

We also like invite families to attend information sessions on Wednesday, February 15, at each of our high schools for high school course selection and a Middle School 101 Parent Information Night on Wednesday, February 22.

Visit our website for access to our online course guides, the secondary course selection launch video, resource guides and more helpful information.

As we continue further into the winter weather season, please remember that in the event of inclement weather the WCASD will communicate any weather impacts via email, call, text, our website and on social media.

Additionally, you can access our Frequently Asked Questions regarding Flexible Instruction Days (FID) at: www.wcasd.net/FID.

Hillsdale Elementary held a schoolwide buddy event where students read the book Just Help! by Sonia Sotomayor, an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, and then participated in a challenge to develop an invention that could help others in their school or community.

Check out their creative brainstorming and the unique ideas they came up with!

We just can't get enough of celebrating Rustin High School's Head Football Coach, Mike St. Clair!

Check out his interview with NBC10 after being named the Philadelphia Eagles' nominee for the Don Shula NFL High School Coach of the Year Award by clicking the photo of Coach St. Clair.

Thank you to the West Chester Rotary Club for their extremely generous donation of grant money for students in need!

In addition to the money already donated to assist WCASD students with back-to-school supplies in the beginning of the year, almost $1,000 in grant money was presented to Tricia Alston and Suzanne Simmons for student supplies.

Miss West Chester University, Julie Stinson, spent a morning at East Goshen talking to kindergarteners about her leadership positions on campus, participating in community service, and supporting her platform – Inspire Through the Arts: Music and Arts Education. Students enjoyed some fun music and asked great questions!

Last month included a very special concert at Rustin High School. The Rustin Choral Concert featured not only Rustin's exceptional singers and BSU students, but also the Stetson 8th grade Chorus and Select Chorus.

Musical tributes included a recognition of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and a beautiful performance of the anthem, Lift Every Voice and Sing.

Henderson teachers and students competed against each other on the game show, the ClassH-Room!

Henderson students Zach, Aleesha, and Preston battled it out against Mrs. Jackson, Mr. Kernaghan, and Dr. Linton. Check out which team was declared the winner on the ClassH-Room video!

The students in this video are from the House of Hope Charity Concert, which is a 13-year tradition at West Chester East High School. Each year, they raise thousands of dollars for Home of the Sparrow, a local non-profit that helps women facing homeless in Chester County, through a concert that features student musicians.

They are inviting fellow WCASD students to audition for House of Hope! This is a great opportunity to expand opportunities for performance and appreciation of student musicians while also supporting a great cause. If your child loves music, performing, and making new friends, they should consider auditioning for this wonderful cause!

Auditions will be on February 7, 8, and 9, in the West Chester East High School Orchestra Room. Please reach out to ehshouseofhope@gmail.com with any questions!

Tickets for the event will go on sale on Saturday, March 4, 2023 at 9:00 a.m. and the event will be held in the East High School Gym on Friday, March 24, 2023, at 7:00 p.m. We cannot wait to see you there!

5th graders from all four of Fugett Middle School's elementary feeder schools (East Goshen, Exton, Fern Hill, and Glen Acres) visited the middle school to learn about the music opportunities available to them. Hosted by the Music Department, the visit include a tour of the 6th grade wing, music and art wing, a video presenting the four music class options, and performances from the Fugett Orchestra, Jazz Band, Chorale, and 6th Grade Chorus.

What a musical and magical way to learn, get excited for middle school, and make new friends!

While we don’t want to rush all of the great things happening this spring, we also know that the next school year will be here in the blink of an eye!

Now is a great time to get started on the kindergarten registration process so that you and your family receive important information, event invitations, and get a sense of your child’s school all before they even walk in the building. Our elementary schools will be hosting orientation sessions and assessing incoming students from late May to early June.

To complete registration quickly and easily, gather the following documents before starting a new registration:

• Birth certificate

• Immunization records

• Two proofs of residency – one must be the mortgage statement, lease or deed and the second can be a current utility bill, cable bill, etc.

Please note that the nurse's office will need the latest physical and dental exam, though these items can be turned in after registration.

To register:

1. Go to the district website and select New Student Registration.

2. Select Register for the 23-24 School Year. Please note, registrations cannot be complete without the documents listed above.

3. Once you submit the enrollment you may not revisit the form. Please be sure you have included all necessary documentation before making your submission.

Did you know that volunteering is linked to overall happiness? In fact, research from the National Institute of Health has found that “participation in voluntary services is significantly predictive of better mental and physical health”. Yet, according to the PA Youth Survey, less than one-quarter of teens in our area report they have volunteered in the last 12 months.

To connect with your community, see your value in the world and maybe even find a passion, check out these resources from the West Chester Communities That Care to Get Started Volunteering Today!

The WCASD is offering free memberships to Smart Social’s Very Important Parent (VIP) Program for all parents and guardians of students attending a school in the West Chester Area School District.

Josh Ochs and his team created this program to help parents and guardians understand the numerous social media apps, which ones are safe, which ones to avoid, and how to help their children create a safe and positive digital presence. Through newsletters, live events, and a library of on-demand videos, families learn how to successfully navigate popular social media apps and support their children in becoming capable and aware digital citizens whose social media choices reflect their bright futures.

We hope you will take advantage of this membership opportunity, which is completely free through the WCASD until July 31, 2023. Follow the links below to learn more and sign up today:

1. Visit https://smartsocial.com/westchester to create an account.
2. Get access to all of the courses and sign-up for live events at https://smartsocial.com/members

Some of the valuable resources and courses you can access with your membership include:

• Smartphone and Social Media Agreement Class
• Navigating TikTok
• Navigating Instagram
• Navigating YouTube
• Navigating Snapchat
• Navigating Fortnite, Overwatch, Call of Duty & Other Violent Video Games

• Navigating Roblox, Minecraft, & Other Non-Violent Video Games
• Navigating College Readiness on Social Media Networks

The West Chester Area Education Foundation (WCAEF) is an independent non-profit organization created to attract private resources exclusively for the benefit of students in the West Chester Area School District. The Foundation's mission to supplement creative, meaningful, real-world experiences ensures that each year WCASD students and staff are able to participate in engaging field trips, projects, career exploration and more!

If you are interested in learning more about the Foundation and how you or your business can become involved, click the button below.

At various times throughout the year, community members may request a review of instructional materials or books related to the WCASD. When this occurs, the Superintendent can create a committee to review the material in question. Parents and community members are an important part of the committee and review process.

If you would be interested and willing to serve on review committee if the need should arise, we encourage you to complete a brief interest form by clicking the blue button.

Did you know that the WCASD offers a Senior Tax Reduction Incentive Volunteer Exchange Program designed to assist Senior Citizens with the burden of Real Estate Taxes? In return for volunteering their services through this program, senior citizens may be entitled to a rebate of property taxes in accordance with the guidelines outlined on our Senior Tax Reduction Incentive Volunteer Exchange Program webpage.

Before applying to the program, we encourage those interested to review the attached brochure below and the guidelines on our website.