Hello Wildcat Families!

We are off and running. I hope everyone is off to a good start to the school year. The students have been doing a great job getting acclimated (or reacclimated) to the school routines and the teachers are well into their curriculum now.

Just a reminder that I will be alternating weeks for the newsletter with the PTO. Each Wednesday you can expect to receive a newsletter from me, The Wildcat News, or a newsletter from the PTO, The Pulse. With some overlap in information, we want to make sure you are staying informed while trying not to inundate you with too much information.

After school sports begin next week for our 4th and 5th grade students with flag football! Information and sign-ups were already sent to all 4th and 5th grade families. Now we are starting preparations for Halloween. Our annual Halloween parade will be on Thursday, October 31st at 10:00 a.m. We are also in the early stages of planning our Veterans Day assembly. More information to come on those!

Thank you to all of you that have already signed up for the various volunteer opportunities offered through the PTO, including mileage club and pretzel Fridays. Be sure to check the PTBoard for additional opportunities throughout the year.

On Friday, October 18th, PTO will be sponsoring the Wildcat Walk-a-Thon. This event, which occurs during the school day, is not only a blast for the students, but also the biggest fundraiser of the year. We will have a schoolwide spirit week leading up to the walk-a-thon so stay tuned for more information for the theme of each day.

Upcoming dates to take note:

9/25 - PTO meeting at 6:30 pm in the library

10/3 - No School (Rosh Hashana)

10/4 - First Pretzel Friday

10/9 - School Store Opens

10/18 - Walkathon

10/31 - Halloween Parade

11/1 - No School (Diwali)

Go Phils!!

Dr. Cruice

WTE pencils, WTE magnets, WTE classic blue shirts available for purchase! Fun erasers, pencils, pens, tiny notebooks, and more are also available for purchase! Volunteer slots are OPEN on PTBoard if you want to help work the store. Info on PTBoard regarding this sign up! Wildcats love shopping on their way into school. Please send your Wildcat with smaller bills to shop if they are participating!

DROP OFF is from 8:30 - 9:00

• The school day begins at 9:10 which means students must be in their classroom by 9:10.

• The gate to the parent drop-off will be closed at 9:00 a.m.

• Please be sure to drop your child off with enough time to get to their classroom by 9:10 so that they are not marked late.

• ACP uses the cafeteria and the back playground. If you are later than 8:30 for ACP drop off, continue all the way to the back in the regular CAR LOOP with the rest of the parents, please.
• If you are later than 9:00, please park your car and walk your child to the door to be let in. If it is after 9:10, you will need to sign them in, too. If it is later than 9:00 but the buses are also still emptying, you are able to drop them off at the walkway as we will still have staff out front.

Official dismissal time is 3:40 however we begin calling students to parent pick up at 3:30.

Please do not arrive before 3:00 at the earliest (3:15 preferably) for car line as this causes a backup on Westbourne Road. When you arrive for car line, please do not park directly in front of the gate as we have students playing outside for recess. The car line should begin at the flag pole.

Once the gate is opened, you will be directed to pull all the way down to the lower lot and loop around. Cones will once again be out to designate the spots where students will be walked to their car. See the pictures as well as additional reminders below.

IMPORTANT REMINDERS

1. As you pull into WTE, we have two flows of traffic: one making a quick right into the jug handle lot and the other staying straight lining up along the curb. We must keep a lane open for buses so please stay close to the curb so buses can pass by to access the bus loop which is in front of the school. Please do NOT start another lane behind the buses.

2. As the car line is pulled up through the middle lot, please alternate one at a time back and forth between the cars coming from the jug handle and the cars lined up along the curb.

3. PARENTS MUST STAY IN CARS during pick up. Staff members will assist students in getting into the cars.

4. NAME CARDS (provided on the first day of school) MUST BE DISPLAYED IN WINDSHIELD. If you need a new one, please notify the office.

5. CARS MUST STAY IN THE CAR LINE. Please DO NOT try to cut around a car that is still loading in front of you.

6. If you need to pull over to get situated after picking up your child, please pull all the way up to the basketball hoops parallel to Westbourne road and pull over to the side out of the car line.

Thank you for your cooperation!

This year we will once again be using Pick-Up Patrol (PUP) to manage early dismissals and absences. PUP will allow you to easily report your child's absence from school without the need to call Safe Arrival Line, and it will allow you to communicate a change in plans for your child's dismissal on any given day. If you are new to WTE and PUP, the first step is to register through the link that was emailed to you. If you have an account set up from last year, you just need to confirm your child's default plan for this school year. For those of you that have not registered yet, I will send out another link following this newsletter so that you will have the opportunity to do so.

Please note that School Board Policy 204AG1, which governs student attendance guidelines, was revised on June 26, 2023. Request for a short-term withdrawal for your child is no longer allowed in our school district. Please see here for a quick reference to the change on School Board Policy 204AG1.

Spanish Exploradores is excited to come to Westtown-Thornbury this Fall! We provide activity-based Spanish programs in an immersion-style setting that builds mastery & community. We meet Mondays throughout the school year from 3:30-4:40pm. Enrollment is open to K - 5th grade.

** EARLY BIRD SPECIAL until Sept 9th **

FALL THEME: Let's ROAM with a Jaguar! Session Oct 7 - Dec 2!

Ready to explore where jaguars roam, what they eat, and where they live? Students will dive into the wild, learning all about jaguars' habitats, diets, and migration, while picking up new vocabulary along the way. Students will also master colors, numbers, and create seasonal crafts to bring Fall alive.

The West Chester Area School District has a tradition of offering high-quality extra-curricular programs for students. To support the costs of these programs, an Activity Fee is applied to extra-curricular programs supervised by a contracted coach, advisor, or director. This yearly fee allows a student to participate in one or multiple funded activities, and the maximum amount a family may pay per year is $250. At the elementary level, the activities that require payment of an activity fee for the year are intramurals, chorus, orchestra, and band.

As we prepare for the upcoming school year, the WCASD Activity Fee will increase by $1.00. The Elementary Activity Fee for students in grades 3-5 will now be $28.00. Once you have paid the Activity Fee, your child may participate in one or multiple-funded activities. If you have any questions or concerns with the Activity Fee, please contact me at 867-5309.

Please see here for more information about the WCASD Activity Fee.