What's Up Whitehall?
November 2023
New Teacher Spotlight
Juliana Jenkins, ESL, Gockley Elementary
What are your favorite hobbies?
Dance, reading, and relaxing.
What attracted you to working for the Whitehall-Coplay School District?
The close-knit community between staff and community.
What advice would you give to your 16-year-old self?
When in doubt, call your Mom.
Tracey Cesare, Building Substitute, Gockley Elementary
What are your favorite hobbies?
Vacationing at the beach - exercising - coaching youth sports - cuddling up with family to watch a movie - taking walks with our dog Tucker.
What attracted you to working for the Whitehall-Coplay School District?
What drew me to Whitehall-Coplay was the strong sense of community and building meaningful relationships with the students and their families.
What advice would you give to your 16-year-old self?
To never doubt your ability in anything!
Dates to Know: November 2023
Please see below for a list of upcoming school events for November 2023!
- 11/1/2023 End of 1st marking period
11/17/2023 Early Dismissal- Elem. & MS
- 11/20/2023 Early Dismissal- Elem. & MS
- 11/20/2023 7:00 PM School Board Meeting
- 11/21/2023 Early Dismissal- Elem. & MS
- 11/22/2023 Professional Development Day (School Closed for Students)
- 11/23/2023 School Closed - Thanksgiving Holiday
- 11/27/2023 School Closed - Thanksgiving Holiday
- 11/27/2023 Schools and Offices Closed
Zephyr Pride Foundation Classroom Grants
On behalf of the Zephyr Pride Foundation, we would like to congratulate the following teachers on their grant proposals that have been accepted for the 2023-24 school year. We would also like to thank all of those who applied and continue to look forward to new applications in the spring.
Deborah Luff - 7th Grade - Hatching Eggs
Hailey Arnold - HS Science - Hawk Mountain
Amy Stinner and April Harakal - Grade 5 - Headphones
Frank Piff - Gr. 4/5 STEM - Stop Motion Camera System
Kristine George and Christine Laudato - Grade 4 Math - Math 24
Samantha Neas - Grade 8 Science - STEM consumables
Mary Scheel - HS Life Skills - Music Therapy
Jenna Anthony - Grade 3 - Flexible Seating
Kyle Stout - Grade 4 - Breakout EDU
Samantha Solomon - Grade 2 - Bloxels
Congratulations and thank you all for your efforts to support our students!
New K-1 Building: Construction Livestream
We're thrilled to invite you and your family to watch the live stream of the construction of the new Gockley Elementary school building. With construction progressing swiftly, we're eagerly anticipating the grand opening in August 2024!
WHS Fall Play
Kudos to the talented cast and hardworking crew who brought "Anne of Green Gables" to life during the fall play on October 18th and 19th! Your dedication and exceptional performances made the production a success.
Field Hockey
Congratulations to our Field Hockey team. This past Wednesday, the squad defeated Southern Lehigh in the District XI 2A Championship. This is the first District Field Hockey title in school history. The team now advances to the 1st Round of the PIAA Tournament on Tuesday night. We will play Hershey at 6pm at Zephyr Sports Complex. Tickets are available at this link.
Football
The varsity football team had a good two weeks, first beating Northampton in overtime, 45-44. In the District XI Semifinals this past Friday, Whitehall beat PM West, 34-10. The team will now travel to Catasauqua on Friday night to play Southern Lehigh for the District XI 5A Championship. Tickets can be purchased at this link.
Boys Soccer
The boys soccer team matched the same feat as the field hockey team on Wednesday, also winning the 1st District XI Championship in Boys Soccer in school history. Tickets are available at this link.
Girls Soccer
A huge amount of credit goes to our Girls Soccer program for a very good season. While they came up short on Wednesday, losing 2-0 to Southern Lehigh, this group of young ladies persevered over the last two seasons. They couldn't get it going against the Spartans in the District XI final but that doesn't take away from what they have accomplished. They take home a silver medal to show for it.
New Science Program Launches for K-5 Students
Lots of gratitude and thanks are due to many different personnel from the Teaching and Learning Dept., our Shipping and Receiving Dept., and our Science teachers for coming together to plan and provide exciting hands on learning experiences. This week our 4th graders welcomed fiddler crabs to their classrooms! They will be observing and learning with their new guests in the coming weeks!
Interested in Getting Involved?
As we head back to school, the WC-PTO PLUS needs your help running various activities throughout the school year.
If you are interested in joining, please join us during our monthly meetings at Steckel Elementary School’s teacher lounge. You will enter the building through the gym door by the parking lot.
Meeting are held on the second Monday of each month, beginning in September (excluding December and January), and ending in June.
ALL VOLUNTEERS need clearances (clearances are free) and are needed to volunteer in our schools. You do not need clearances to attend our meetings. We value any time you can give us.
Email questions to: NatashaMwcpto@gmail.com
Communication for the 2023/2024 School Year
This message aims to inform you of the various methods by which the Whitehall-Coplay School District (WCSD) will communicate with you this year. The WCSD will utilize multiple platforms at regular intervals to provide information to various school community members. These regular communication methods are listed in this memo and are based on the feedback we received in our communications audit last fall.
Additionally, the District is always available to help parents, staff, students, and community members. The WCSD Chain of Communication is linked here. Please use this as a guide to follow the proper channels when you need the WCSD. If you have a student-related issue and are unsure who to contact, please use the Interactive Help Page. If you are still unsure who to contact, please feel free to email the WCSD at questions@whitehallcoplay.org.
Newsletters
The WCSD shares a monthly parent/community newsletter on the first Tuesday of each month. To review past newsletters, please click this link.
Weekly Updates
Each school building will continue to utilize a weekly parent update as well as a staff update each week. Parents can expect a weekly update on Sunday each week. Staff members can expect an update on Friday each week.
Did You Know?
Beginning with the 2023/2024 School Year, the WCSD will share a weekly email each Wednesday with a quick detail highlighting a program, resource, or information about the District or community.
Social Media
Follow us on social media. You can find us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. We have streamlined our handles and platforms to improve user experience. Click here for our social media graphic.
District - @wcsdzephyrs
WHS - @wcsdwhs
WCMS - @wcsdwcms
Zephyr - @wcsdzephyr
Steckel - @wcsdsteckel
Gockley - @wcsdgockley
Welcome to our Team!
Whitehall-Coplay School District would like to recognize the following personnel appointed at the recent School Board Meetings. Congratulations on your new role!
Lizbeth Albino, Paraeducator at Steckel Elementary School
Thomas Conway, Bus Driver
Amy Hendershot, Paraeducator at Gockley Elementary School
Ana Peralta, Cafeteria Monitor at Steckel Elementary School
Janelle Reiser, Nurse Assistant at Whitehall-Coplay Middle School
Nicole Schaffer, Paraeducator at Whitehall High School
Elena Schanta, Math Teacher at Whitehall High School
WCSD Job Opportunities
- Utility Maintenance [Part time]
- Spanish LTS (Anticipated) High School
- Certified School Nurse [K-12 Floater]
- Secretary- Library [Zephyr Elementary, Part-Time]
- Paraeducator- 1:1 Support [Gockley Elementary School]
- Bus Drivers