November 15, 2024

As a school community, we welcomed 25 Veterans in on Tuesday to honor their service as a part of our Veterans Day celebration. Our Veterans began the morning with breakfast together swapping stories over time served. Then, we transitioned to the school-wide assembly that allowed our bobcats the opportunity to share gratitude for their service. We ended our morning by having our Veterans join our classrooms for a Q&A and opportunity to share more about their experience in the military. All in all, our bobcats learned so much about sacrifice, bravery, perseverance, and commitment, while also getting to share gratitude to those who have given so much for our freedom. We hope your child shared about this celebration with you at home!

It's a busy two weeks leading up to Thanksgiving!

• The Book Fair will open on Monday, November 18 and students will all visit the Fair next week for preview days to identify books that capture their interest. They will then return to the Fair later in the week, or the week following to make their purchases. Please view the information below regarding the Book Fair as we have changed partnerships to Literati as opposed to Scholastic.
• Parent-Teacher conference scheduling is still available! We are looking forward to seeing you later this month to share about your child's growth academically, behaviorally, socially, and emotionally. More information/directions are below.
• Our Holiday Food Drive is currently happening! See the flyer below to see how you can help your child's grade level contributions. Thank you for donating to support Fern Hill families in need this Thanksgiving.

Conferences and Thanksgiving break is sneaking up quickly -- please be sure you have our school calendar on your radar as students will have half days on November 25-26 and no school November 27-29.

Nov 18-26 - Book Fair is Open!

Nov 25 - 1/2 Day for Students; Conferences 1-4pm

Nov 26 - 1/2 Day for Students; Conferences 1-4pm & 5-8pm

Nov 27 - No School for Students; Conferences 8-11am

Nov 27-29 - No School for Students; Thanksgiving Break

Starting Monday, our Giving Tree will be set up in the school lobby. Conference week brings many families through our hallways and we want to offer families the chance to support others in need this holiday season. We invite you to take a tag and help make a bobcat's holiday a little brighter. Your generosity ensures that every child in our school community feels the warmth and joy of the season. Thank you for making a difference!

It is time for us to schedule our Fall Parent-Teacher conferences! Our staff is looking forward to meeting with you for a Fall conference as an opportunity to share your child's progress, strengths, and areas for growth.

To schedule your child's conference,

1. Go to https://ptcfast.com/schools/Fern_Hill_Elementary_School

2. Please check the box for your child's homeroom teacher. Families with multiple children will have to do the process individually for each child.

3. Enter your registration information.

4. Check your email (and spam folder) and click on the access link to select your conference time. If you would like to request a conference via zoom, type Zoom Conference in the Special Request box.

Click Confirm Selections & Exit. If you need to schedule a conference for another child, go back to https://ptcfast.com/schools/Fern_Hill_Elementary_School

The Book Fair is coming to Fern Hill November 18th-27th hosted by Literati Book Fairs!

The Book Fair will directly support the Fern Hill library fund while also giving families the opportunity to purchase a variety of reading materials for the whole family! Literati is our book fair vendor for this school year in place of Scholastic Books.

Here’s what to expect:

• Preview Days (11/18 - 11/19): Students will get a chance to browse the book fair and see what’s available with their class.
• Student Sales Days (11/20 - 11/26): Students will have the opportunity to purchase books, posters, and school supplies during their scheduled class time.
• Check out our Literati Book fair website which runs now through November 27th! There is a wide selection of materials and it’s also a great place to check if a book sells out in the library selection.
• All major forms of payment are accepted (cash, check payable to Fern Hill Elementary School, credit card and Literati Gift Cards). Literati gift cards are available for purchase through the book fair website [literati.com]and can be used in-person at the fair as well as online. Please add 6% tax to your purchase totals. If a family would like to participate in this activity and cannot due to financial means, please reach out to Lisa Baker, Fern Hill Caseworker at lbaker@wcasd.net by Monday, November 18, 2024.
• Sign up to volunteer HERE to assist the kids in selecting their choices and work the cash register. We need Volunteers to help the book fair run smoothly!
• Parents, feel free to stop by the library before or after your parent/teacher conferences 11/25-11/26 and browse the fair!

Help provide a lunch and snacks to our awesome teachers during the Fall Conferences Teacher Luncheon! Our Fern Hill teachers and staff are quite busy during conferences, so we want to keep their bellies full during the long days! A lunch and snack cart will be provided on Tuesday, 11/26. Donations of drinks, desserts, and snacks are appreciated. Check out the Sign Up Genius here for more information and to sign up.

Thank you in advance for helping to feed our wonderful teachers and staff, they are very appreciative of this long-standing Fern Hill tradition! Reach out to sallykilleen421@gmail.com with questions.

It’s the most wonderful time of the year to help families in need. Join the PTO in spreading holiday cheer be donating items to fill our Thanksgiving and Winter food baskets for select Fern Hill families. You may also donate toward gift cards to purchase a turkey or ham. Collections are being accepted now through November 20. We ask that each student donates items based on their grades list. Check out the flyers for details and more information. If you have questions, please reach out to Suzanne Brown at Suzybrn@yahoo.com.

Thank you to everyone who took advantage of our holiday timesaver and ordered from Highland Orchards- we raised over $430!! Sales are now closed. Pick-up details for November 26 will be shared soon.

Check one thing off your end of school year to do list and purchase your 2024-2025 Fern Hill yearbook now. It’s never too early! Click HERE to order.

The Fern Hill library is in need of volunteers to help reshelve books, general tidying, and to assist Mr. Bloome with other library tasks as needed. Schedules can be flexible during school hours. Check out the attachment for more information and to sign up!

We love having our families volunteer throughout the building. In order to volunteer, adults are required to have their clearances on file with us. Clearances can take 4-6 weeks to acquire, so please be sure to get the process started if you're looking to volunteer this Fall.

If you are planning a family trip, please complete the Trip Approval Form to notify the Main Office and gain approval for your trip. The Vacation Request Form will also always be available on our Fern Hill Website under the "For Parents" section.

Jennifer Southmayd

Principal

Email: jsouthmayd@wcasd.net
Website: https://www.wcasd.net/fhe
Location: 915 Lincoln Avenue, West Chester, PA, USA
Phone: 484 266 1600
Twitter: @FernHillES