Dear Glen Acres Families,

Thank you to the PTO for a great Trunk or Treat evening! We appreciate all of the support from families. It was great seeing all enjoy the night. Additionally, thank you to the homeroom parents who planned and delivered activities at the Fall Class Harvest parties. The students had fun with their friends.

The PTO is sponsoring an assembly for all of our students on November 8th. We are looking forward to experiencing the Benergy way!

On November 11th, we are honoring our Veterans and military members. Invited attendees will need to respond via the google document below no later than Wednesday, November 6th. Registered attendees should bring their licenses and check in with the main office between 9:00AM and 9:10AM.

Time Flies! Trimester 1 ends on November 22nd. We hope to see you at conferences the week of November 25th. November 25th and November 26th are half days for students. Students will have off from school November 27th-29th.

As a reminder, report cards will be posted on the parent portal on December 10th. Please see report card information below.

Enjoy the next couple of weeks!

Donna Ryan

Principal

So, a bunch of the Glen Acres Beginner “Eerie” Orchestra members got together earlier this week in the gym for a little skele-fun and it turned out that we had a fang-tastic time.

Now, we don’t want to be Goblin-up all your morning, so if we can have a Skittles-bit of your time today I’ll stop with the candy-corny jokes. You won’t be able to Reese’s-ist watching this as it will fill your morning with Almond Joy.

The beginners wanted to give you pumpkin to talk about and show you how these kids are way ahead of the carve. After watching, you’ll see – a scare is born!

Here’s hoping you have a gourd time watching some of our newest Glen Acres Musicians do a little pizzicato magic with their, “Spooky, Creepy Strings and Things.”

It’s going to be a great Halloween – I can feel it in my bones!

Click the link below labeled Spooky Creepy Strings and Things - IF YOU DARE!!!

Teaching students how to manage conflict is an important part of our day. Each year, Mrs. Stewart (guidance counselor) works with some student leaders to train them how to facilitate conversations between younger students when they are having minor conflicts on the playground. Pictured below are our fifth grade conflict managers finishing up their training with Mrs. Stewart! They're ready to get out on the playground and start helping!

Glen Acres is honoring our parent and grandparent Veterans and active military members on November 11th at 9:15 AM. If you are a veteran/military member and would like to attend our veteran's assembly dedicated to YOU, please fill out this google form no later than Wednesday, November 6th. We ask that parents fill out the form for the grandparents of our students.

PLEASE BRING YOUR LICENSES and check in the office between 9 and 9:10 AM.

• Monday, November 4th - Day 3: 5th Grade Honors Chorus Trip; 1st Grade In School Field Trip
• Tuesday, November 5th - NO SCHOOL
• Wednesday, November 6th - Day 4: Chorus Rehearsal; ASPCA Paws for a Change (ES/Reading Support)
• Thursday, November 7th - Day 1: Advanced 5th Grade Band Rehearsal; Picture Retake Day
• Friday, November 8th - Day 2: Benergy Assembly: Ben Hartranft | Autism Public Motivator

• Monday, November 11th - Day 3: Veteran's Day Celebration
• Tuesday, November 12th - Day 4: Advanced Orchestra (4th/5th Grade); After School Sports (4th & 5th Gr. Girls)
• Wednesday, November 13th - Day 1: Chorus Rehearsal
• Thursday, November 14th - Day 2: Advanced 5th Grade Band Rehearsal; After School Sports (5th Gr. Boys); PTO Meeting
• Friday, November 15th - Day 3: Scholastic Book Fair Begins; Parents Night Out

Important Upcoming Dates

November 5th - No School

November 7th - Picture Retake Day

November 11th - Veteran's Day Celebration

November 15th - Scholastic Book Fair Begins

Mrs. Lefler is looking for donations of cardboard egg cartons, boxes, and magazines.

These items will help students creatively use everyday objects.

Kindergarten and First Grade got an exciting visit from Goshen Fire Company for Fire Prevention Week! Fire safety education, a tour of the fire truck, fire hats and handouts were a big hit!

A Special Thank You to our local firefighters!

We hope you are excited to discuss your child's progress, growth, and learning so far this school year.

Report Cards with more information will be available on the parent portal on December 10th.The following are some reminders about the information provided on the report cards:

• In grade K-2, the West Chester Area School District (WCASD) utilizes standards-based reporting. Each child will receive a 1, 2, 2+, 3, or 4 for each standard addressed this trimester. If you see “N/A” it means that the standard has not yet been assessed. Please remember the goals are end of year standards/expectations. In December, you will likely see many 2’s and some 1’s which is appropriate for this time of year because the expectation is that students meet the standards with a 3 by the third and final report card in June. In addition, please know that 4’s are rare to receive, even at the end of the school year. For a child to reach that level, he/she is performing significantly and consistently above the standard expectations.
• In grades 3-5, WCASD utilizes numeric grades that correspond to letter grades (A, B, C, F) for core subjects. Please know that standard grading (1, 2, 3, 4) does not correlate to a letter grade. For example, a 3 in second grade does not mean a B in third grade. Teachers utilize various assessments, activities, and assignments to determine an overall grade. Parents are encouraged to stay abreast of progress via Parent Portal over the course of the entire trimester.
• Learning support students and reading support students will receive progress reports at the same time that report cards go live on Parent Portal in December.
• All children in grades K-5, receive needs improvement (NI), progressing (P), or demonstrates consistently (DC) for Learning Related Behaviors (LRBs). In order to achieve DC, a child needs to exhibit the expectation close to 100% of the time. Progressing (P) is completely appropriate, as it captures a behavior that is observed on a regular basis.
• Special Area Subjects for grades 1-5 utilize standards-based reporting as noted above for K-2.

I hope you find this information helpful. Please feel free to reach out to your child’s teacher directly with any questions about your child’s specific progress or report card.

Glen Acres Elementary was one of the lucky schools chosen to participate in the Phanatic About Reading Program presented by Xfinity and the Philadelphia Phillies!

Picture Retake Day is on Thursday, November 7, 2024! If you or your child was not pleased with how their school pictures turned out or your child was absent, 11/7 is their day! If your child did have their picture taken, please send them in with their picture booklet (which will be delivered shortly) and Barksdale School Portraits will be happy to retake their picture!

We have some important updates to share regarding attendance and communication:

1. New Note Submission Options: Parents/Guardians can now submit parent notes for absences through Pickup Patrol and Talking Points messages. We will continue to accept emails and handwritten notes. We hope this makes it easier for you to keep us informed!

2. Automated Phone Calls: Automated phone calls will be sent to parents/ guardians of students with unexcused (LAW) absences at 10:10 AM each morning. This will help keep you updated on your child's attendance. If this automated call ever feels inaccurate, please contact our main office.

3. New Email for Parent Notes: We have established a new email address for submitting parent notes: GAEattendance@wcasd.k12.pa.us. Our school secretaries (Theresa Weaver and Stacie Berglin) will receive emails to this address which will ensure a smooth communication process.

4. Doctor’s Note Requirement: Please note that the previous 60-minute early dismissal window during which a doctor’s note was not required has been removed. This year, a doctor’s note will be required for early dismissals to avoid an unexcused absence.

Thank you for your cooperation as we implement these changes to enhance our attendance processes.

Joining our PTO is free and recommended. When you join, you get access to information about upcoming school and community events, parties, and fundraisers.

See this link for helpful information.

We hope you would consider volunteering. Some volunteer opportunities that come up are opportunities to help in the library, lunchroom, as a homeroom party planner, and at field trips and school and district events. If you are interested in volunteering, please be sure to have updated clearances (good for five years) on file with the school. It is important that you submit your clearances to the school when you get them. Please do not wait until you volunteer as we need to get the clearances within a year of you receiving them.

A cultural bridge in the community for Spanish speaking families and our schools.
Un puente cultural en la comunidad para las familias de habla hispana y nuestras escuelas.

Ms. Donna Ryan

Principal

Email: dryan@wcasd.net

Address: 1150 Delancey Place, West Chester, PA 19382

Phone: 484-266-1700

website: https://www.wcasd.net/Domain/461

Twitter: https://twitter.com/WestChesterASD