PAW PRINT PRESS
September 2023 Edition
Welcome Back!
Welcome to the 2024-2025 school year! The staff at Wesley Chapel is looking forward to a great school year! This newsletter contains some important back to school information along with the exciting upcoming events for September. Please take a few minutes to review the attendance policy from the school district. Your child's daily attendance is critical to his/her success. Students that miss 1-2 school days a month run the risk of falling behind. Plan family vacations and trips on holiday breaks. Pasco County has built in long weekends for vacations so that students can be present in school everyday. Taking a family vacation is not an excused absence. Thanks for making daily attendance a priority for your child.
Be Present, Be Powerful!
The month of September brings an opportunity to meet with your child's teacher. This year, Wesley Chapel is hosting two parent conference nights in lieu of Open House. Parent/Teacher Conference Nights are September 25th and 26th. See the flyer below for more information. Contact your child's teacher to schedule a meeting to learn about your child's progress thus far and what you can do at home to help your child be successful.
On Friday, September 6th, Wesley Chapel will be hosting a Grandparent's Day Breakfast. All Wildcat grandparents are invited to share a fun morning with their grandchild(ren) for a continental breakfast and fun activities. See the flyer below for more information. All adults must RSVP by Wednesday, September 4th.
Let's make September a great month. Now that staff and students have settled in, it's time to buckle down and learn! We appreciate the opportunity to partner with families.
Please reach out to the school if you have questions or need anything to make your child's school year successful.
School hours: 9:50 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Meet Your Administrators
Mr. Mykita -Principal
Mrs. Wallen - Assistant Principal
Ms. Ray - Achieve Principal
Monthly School Poll
My child spend his/her free time after school ...
Arrival - Drop off begins at 9:25
Gates open at 9:25 a.m. each morning. Please do not drop off students before 9:25 as there is no adult supervision. In the morning, parents may enter in both entrances to drop students off in the car line.
September is Attendance Awareness Month
School Success Starts with Great Attendance
With September being Attendance Awareness Month, Kurt Browning, Pasco County Superintendent of Schools, wants to talk to students about the importance of having good attendance. Please watch the Superintendent’s video with your child to learn how making attendance a priority today will help them later in college, career, and life.
Why Attendance at School each day is Critical
Learn from parents and educators the importance of daily attendance in school.
Parents are essential partners in making sure students get to school on time each day. Families should start building good attendance habits in preschool, so children learn that going to school every day is important. When students are at school every day, they are developing the academic and social skills they need to thrive.
Having great attendance throughout a student’s school career increases academic achievement due to more instructional time in the classroom. Research shows that students with less absences read at an earlier age. They are also more likely to graduate and have a higher likelihood of earning a college degree.
Students that miss 1-2 days per month run the risk of falling below grade level. Check out the information provided for more information on how you can ensure your child is on target. Missing 10 or more days in a school year is considered excessive.
Attending School Everyday Matters
Pasco County School's Attendance Policy
Please review Pasco County School's Attendance Policy. This information is located in the Code of Student Conduct.
Florida Law (Section 1003.21, Florida Statutes) states that all children who are either six years of age, who will be six years old by February 1 of any school year, or who are older than six years of age but who have not attained the age of 16 years, must attend school regularly during the entire school term. A student who attains the age of 16 years during the school year is not subject to compulsory attendance beyond the date of which the student attains that age if he/she files a formal Declaration of Intent to Terminate School Enrollment with the school district.
It is the belief of the District School Board of Pasco County that academic success requires continuity of instruction and active classroom participation. Attendance shall be required of all students enrolled in school during the days and hours that the school is in session. Absences, regardless of the reason or status (excused or unexcused), are missed opportunities for academic instruction. School attendance shall be the responsibility of parents and students.
School Attendance: Students are to be counted in attendance only if they are actually present or engaged in a school-approved educational activity, which constitutes a part of the instructional program for the student.
Class Attendance: Students are to be counted in attendance if they are physically present in class, have been excused by the teacher for a class-related assignment, or have been requested by a member of the school support staff for an approved school activity.
Florida Law (Section 1003.26(1)(b), Florida Statues) provides that if a student has at least five (5) unexcused absences, or absences for which the reasons are unknown, within a calendar month or ten (10) unexcused absences, or absences for which the reasons are unknown, within a ninety (90) calendar day period, the school must take action. The school may require documented medical and legal excuses for a pattern of non-attendance.
• Attendance shall be counted period by period (Secondary only)
• A student, whose parent or legal guardian is an active-duty member of the armed forces and has been called to duty, is on leave from, or has immediately returned from deployment, shall be granted additional excused absences, at the discretion of the school district’s superintendent or designee, to spend time with said student’s parent/guardian, relative to such leave or deployment.
• After three (3) unexcused absences, the school shall contact the home (or workplace) of the parent/guardian to determine the reason for the absence.
Attendance Procedures
All elementary, middle, and high school students who are absent will be marked “unexcused” (U) until the parent/guardian notifies the school in writing and justifies the absence with one of the acceptable reasons as defined below:
• Failure to do so within three (3) school days will cause the absence to be recorded as “unexcused”
• In the case of excessive or extended absences (3 or more days), which are claimed to be due to illness, a parent must provide documentation (doctor’s statement) of a student's illness,
• Excessive or extended absences are considered five (5) in one calendar month or ten (10) in one semester, or a history of excessive absences per period as defined below under Student
Consequences for Unexcused Absences. Absences that meet this threshold as defined above will require a doctor’s note. If doctor’s notes are not provided, absences will be marked as unexcused
Reasons for acceptable (excused) absences include but are not limited to:
• Illness of student
• Major illness in the immediate family of the student (immediate family is determined as parents, brothers, sisters, grandparents, aunts, uncles, legal guardians or persons “in loco parentis,” or a member of one’s own household)
• Death in the immediate family of the student
• Religious holiday of the student’s faith (including Yom Kippur, Rosh Hashanah, Epiphany, etc.)
• Religious instruction (including Bar/Bat Mitzvah, Confirmation, etc.)
• Religious institutes, conferences, workshops, provided that the principal or designee approves the absence in advance
• Absences for trips or other parental requests. Requests must be approved in writing by the principal or designee, at least one (1) week in advance
• In-school or out-of-school suspension
• Subpoena or forced absence by any law enforcement agency, a copy of the subpoena or court summons must be submitted to the school
• For purposes of attendance, school related activities would not be counted as absences from school
• Issues and occasions specific to miliary families
Family vacations or non-educational trips do not meet the criteria for excused absences.
Watch Mr. Browning's Welcome Back Video
News from the Clinic
Hello Wildcat parents!
Parents must consent for their students to receive care in the school clinic via the parent portal. If you have completed the consent form, please do so as soon as possible. The clinic can not assist your child without your consent.
School Clinic Services
Every student is provided the opportunity to participate in the School Health Service Program provided by Pasco County School Health Staff in collaboration with Florida Department of Health in Pasco. As required in Section 381.0056, Florida Statues, the District's School Health Plan is to enrich learning by promoting the student's health and wellness. State mandated health screenings are performed in the following grades:
Vision- Kg, 1st, 3rd, 6th;
Hearing- KG,1st, 6th;
Height and Weight (BMI) - 1st, 3rd, 6th;
Scoliosis - 6th.
Additional grades or individual students may be screened based on need. All students new to the state of Florida grade K-5 will be screened for vision and hearing. Consent can be provided in the Parent Portal and will remain in effect for one school year or parent/guardian rescind consent for school health services. Separate parent/guardian authorizations will be required for the school clinic staff or school staff to administer daily or as-needed prescribed or over-the-counter medications, conduct medical procedures or provide medical treatment.
In emergency situations, when deemed necessary to preserve the life or health of a child, staff will provide endangered students with care and treatment for illness along with emergency health services such as first aid, cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) or use of automated external defibrillator (AED) in accordance with the Emergency Guidelines for Schools.
A huge thanks to Abdoney Orthodontics for donating school shirts to all Wildcats
Upcoming Events
September 6th - Grandparent's Day Breakfast
Parent-Teacher Conference Nights
FAST State Testing Schedule
All Wildcats will take state assessments in Reading and Math. Below is the most updated testing schedule. Please note that students who receive testing accommodations stated on his/her IEP or 504 may test on different days. The schedule is subject to changes in order to meet the needs of the school.
Sunshine State Readers
Check out the 3-5 Book Reveal Video!
Where's the Bus App
WCES Birthday Policy
Birthdays are special and we love celebrating with students. Please review the district policy stated below. If you would like to provide a birthday treat for your child's classroom, you must order the treat through the school cafeteria. The order form link is provided below. You are welcome to provide a non-food treat to your child's class if you prefer to do so. Please make arrangements with your child's teacher if you plan on purchasing treats.
Foods for school celebrations often include unhealthy choices such as cupcakes, candy, cookies and soda. While there is nothing wrong with an occasional treat, unhealthy foods are often the norm rather than the exception. Parties, food rewards, food fundraisers, and school stores often include foods that are low in nutrients and high in fat, added sugars and sodium. Birthday parties and/or classroom celebration food items must meet USDA Smart Snack Standards and be prepared in a commercial kitchen. Our School Board’s Wellness Policy and Procedure 8510 was recently updated to comply with USDA Local School Wellness Policy requirements. Celebration foods are available to parents to purchase for their child’s class through their school cafeteria.
Change of Dismissal
Eating Lunch with your child
Independent Walker Form
Upcoming Events
September 4th - School Advisory Council Meeting @ 8:45 a.m.
September 6th -Grandparent's Day Breakfast @ 8:45 in Cafeteria
September 19th - PTO Meeting @ 5:00 p.m. - Media Center
September 25th - KG-2nd Grade Parent Teacher Conference Nights
September 26th - 3rd-5th Grade Parent Teacher Conference Nights
September 27th - Neon Day