Penn Wood Elementary School

Email: mgarvin@wcasd.net
Website: https://www.wcasd.net/Domain/752
Location: 1470 Johnnys Way, West Chester, PA, USA
Phone: 4842661900
Twitter: @PennWood1470

Penn Wood Vision: Highly Effective - Academic Excellence, Personal Growth, Creative Thinking, Service to the Community

From the Principal's Office

Hello Penn Wood Families,

November is all about gratitude, and we have so much to celebrate together! This month, we had the incredible opportunity to honor our Penn Wood veterans with a ceremony that left us all feeling inspired and deeply connected. Watching our students and staff come together to celebrate these heroes was a truly unforgettable experience.

We are also so proud of the larger Penn Wood community and the amazing achievements of our students—current and former! It's easy to get caught up in the daily hustle, but it’s important to recognize our students who continue to represent us proudly at Rustin and Stetson. A huge shout-out to Brody, Sarah, Nate, and Jordyn for taking their academics and athletics to the next level with college signings! College Signing Day is a big milestone, and we are thrilled to celebrate your hard work, dedication, and success. You make us #PennWoodProud!

Let’s keep this gratitude month rolling by celebrating each other and all the wonderful things happening in our community. Thank you, Penn Wood families, for being such an integral part of everything we do. Here’s to more great things ahead!

Warmly,

Dr. Mike G. Garvin

mgarvin@wcasd.net

Follow us on X - @PennWood1470

Ready to chat about all things Penn Wood? Parent-teacher conferences are just around the corner, and it’s time for us to put our heads together to celebrate the amazing things your student has accomplished (and maybe swap a story or two!). Grab a time that works best for you by clicking the link below to schedule. And don’t worry, we’ll have plenty of notes, encouragement, and maybe even a corny joke or two at the ready!

Parent-Teacher Conferences - Penn Wood

Take care,

Mike Garvin

November 19-22 Fall Book Fair

November 20 Picture Retakes

November 25 Half Day/ Conferences

November 26 Half Day/ Conferences

November 27 No School/ Conferences

November 28 & 29 Thanksgiving Break

December 2 CHOP Pajama Day

December 6 Holiday Shop

December 18 Winter Concert @ RHS

Dec 23 – Jan 1 Winter Break/ No School

We thrilled to announce our upcoming Holiday Shop for students on Friday, December 6th at Penn Wood! This event allows kids to shop for their immediate family members, with items available for moms/mother figure, dads/dad figure, and siblings. It's a great opportunity for children to pick out gifts for those in their household. Please note that this will be a cash-only event. Items range from $1-$5

To ensure the success of our Holiday Shop, we need parent volunteers! Volunteer clearances are required, and you can sign up for multiple slots if you'd like. Feel free to wear your festive holiday attire while you help out!

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F0D4BA4A928AAF58-52561412-2024#/

Thanks

Marianne

Thank you to all our parents and guardians who have registered for Pick Up Patrol. This system is our central hub for attendance and dismissal. Please use Pick Up Patrol for all attendance-related reporting, including absences, late arrivals, and early dismissals. Pick Up Patrol now includes a new feature, the Leave & Return option, for short-term dismissals.

We’re happy to inform you that we can now accept absences recorded in Pick Up Patrol as your Parent Note. You no longer need to forward your Pick Up Patrol confirmation to us.

Please make sure to report all absences and late arrivals in Pick Up Patrol by 9:30 am, so we can accurately track attendance.

Dismissal changes may be made until 2 pm each day. If sending an excuse form, it must include student name, date, and reason for absence. The absence of any student failing to comply with this time frame, will automatically become unexcused and/ or unlawful and the school laws of Pennsylvania shall be applied. Excuse notes via email from a registered email address in PowerSchool will be accepted without an original signature.

(Per District Attendance Guidelines Code 204AG1)

Pick Up Patrol Reports and excuse forms are kept on file in accordance with district and state policy.

Safe Arrival phone line at 484-266-1910, is still available to report your child’s absence.

Thank you for your understanding and cooperation with this policy.

Questions - contact Gillian Armstrong garmstrong@wcasd.net

All volunteers must have three up-to-date background clearances on file with the school: PA Criminal, PA Child Abuse, and FBI Fingerprinting. These clearances are valid for five years from the date of verification by the agency. When submitting your clearances, please provide all three documents together. Information and links to the three clearances is available on the District site under “Visitors & Volunteers

Morning Arrival Updates for Car Riders: A few reminders that would be helpful for morning carline.

1. Parents should not get out of the car
2. If kids need help with their backpack, they can get out of the car, on the “kids side” of the cones and staff can help.
3. Unload all along the cones, 5 - 7 cars should be able to unload at once to move the line along.
4. Arrival carline drop off - 8:30 - 9:00am (please do not arrive prior to 8:25)
5. The front bus lane is closed for drop offs until 9:15 am. If dropping off between 9:00 and 9:15, please park and walk your child to the front door

Afternoon Carline - 3:30 - 3:45 (after 3:45 children will be brought to the office).

Please follow these protocols:

1) Please stay in car

2) If students can't buckle themselves in the car...please pull forward to the cul-de-sac and buckle there. Please do not block any drive ways.

3) Please do not enter the carline until 3:10. Vehicles cannot line up and wait as this causes unnecessary congestion on Johnny’s Way.

4) Enter the campus eastbound on Johnny’s Way. (PM Carline Directional Map) Below...

5) Do not block driveways on Johnny’s Way or Bobolink Lane.

Have a child turning 5 years old on or before 9/1/24? Have a neighbor or friend with a child turning 5? Spread the word……….it’s time to pre-register for kindergarten! Click here to register for 2024-25. Please note that 23-24 is still open for new residents so be sure to select 2024-25 if your child will be starting next school year.

Items to upload electronically when pre-registering online:

- Birth Certificate

- Immunizations

- Physical Report

- Dental Report

- Proof of Residence #1 – copy of mortgage statement, deed or lease agreement

- Proof of Residence #2 – copy of utility bill, car insurance card, tax bill or insurance declaration page (we need to see current date, name and address)

Please be sure to complete all fields and upload all documents before clicking “submit”.

Once you click on “submit”, you no longer have access to the pre-registration file. If you have any questions, please email Jennifer Shearon at jshearon@wcasd.net