Glen Acres Elementary School

Dear Families,

Once again, thank you for your partnership this year! We look forward to building on this year’s successes and creating even more wonderful memories in the years to come. This week brings us to the last week of school! As a reminder, June 13th is the last day of school and June 11th -June 13th are half days for students.

Mrs. McVeigh, our GA office secretary is retiring in early July. Additionally, Mr. Binkley (Orchestra) and Mrs. DeAngelis (Learning Support) are retiring. We thank them for the years of service to our community ( combined years of service is over 100 years) and we wish them a Happy Retirement.

The new office secretary and I will be working from Fern Hill Elementary School over the summer due to building renovations. We will announce the name of our new secretary at the end of June once it is approved by the school board. Mr. Fuette will be at Glen Acres Elementary School full time next year teaching both band and orchestra.

Please note that our Glen Acres Elementary School Site will be closed from June 14th through August 19th. There will be a lot of construction vehicles on site. Please do not send your children to play at school unless you will be accompanying them.

As for renovations, our final phase will take place over the summer! When we get back to school, the 4 new kindergarten rooms will be ready to be occupied, the front office will be built and renovated, we will have a new conference room, nurse room, school psychologist room, and a new instructional coach room. And, we will have parking on the right side of the school with 2 lane traffic.

Please note that your child's finalized report card will be available for you to view on the portal on the last day of school.

I want to put a few things on your radar to help you prepare for the 24-25 school:

• The importance of reading, writing and doing math over the summer. The best gift you can give your child is to create a routine to help them engage in reading, writing, and math activities. In this letter, please find our summer reading lists. Additionally, in grades k-2, our report cards are based off of key standards. It is a useful resource for you when you are thinking about ways you can help your child at home.
  
  
• Open House for the 24-25. It has been quite some time since our elementary schools hosted a Sneak-A-Peek during the month of August. Sneak-A-Peek was a time when your child was able to walk through the building, spending time reuniting with friends and meeting new teachers. Over the past several years, some of our schools were unable to host a Sneak-A-Peek due to renovations at the building while all of our schools halted the school-wide event during the COVID Pandemic. We would like to bring back some aspects of Sneak-A-Peek and merge that event with our annual Open House Night. You and your child will be welcome to attend an Open House in August 2024. While there, you and your child will be able to walk through the classroom and gather information from your child’s teacher. The new Open House format will allow your child to peek into their classroom and you will learn from your child’s teacher what to expect for the upcoming school year. Glen Acres Open Houses will take place from 4 to 5 PM on August 20 (Grades 3-5) and August 21 (Kindergarten, Grades 1-2).

• My communication over the summer. I will send you a few updates over the summer. Please check your email in mid July and August. Some key things for you is to remember is that over the summer, in my updates, we will ask you to update you and your child's information and complete the Back to School paperwork in the parent portal. Additionally, we will ask you to check your parent portal at the end of August to find out the name of your child's new teacher as well as their busing. I will communicate via email when you are able to update your information in the parent portal. While the new secretary and I will be working at Fern Hill Elementary over the summer, our phone numbers will be the same. My email is the same and I will share the new secretary's email once she starts. Please set up an appointment if you are visiting us over the summer as our office hours are different.
  
  
• Other Staffing Updates. We do have some other changes in staffing. I will publish our updated teaching assignments before the first day of the 24-25 school year.
• Next Year's Supply Lists are attached below.

I wish you a safe summer filled with fun, connections, and learning.

Donna

Monday, June 10th - Day 4 - Gr. 4 Field Trip

Tuesday, June 11th - Day 1 - Half Day - Dismissal at 11:40

Wednesday, June 12th - Day 2 - Gr. 5 Celebration; Half Day Dismissal at 11:40

Thursday, June 13th - Day 3 - Report Cards available online. Gr. 5 Yearbook Celebration; Half Day Dismissal at 11:40 ; Last Day of School; PTO Pool Party @Waterview Swim Club - 1 to 3 PM ( registration required in advance)

HAVE A SAFE AND WONDERFUL SUMMER!!

Mark/Save the dates:

8/20 - Open House Grades 3-5, 4-5PM

8/21 - Open House Grades K-2, 4-5PM

8/26 - School Reopens

8/30 - School Closed

9/2 - School Closed

9/18 - Half Day Dismissal @11:40; PM Teacher Inservice

9/19 - PTO Ice Cream Social

9/24 - Student Picture Day

Please have your child continue to read, write and do math over the summer.

As we strive to support our students' academic growth, there are several effective ways to practice math at home that align with the Pennsylvania standards for kindergarten through 5th grade. For our youngest learners, consider using everyday objects for counting, sorting, and simple addition or subtraction. Engaging in activities like cooking can help with measuring and understanding fractions. For students in grades 3-5, playing math games, solving puzzles, and using educational apps can enhance their skills in multiplication, division, and problem-solving. Encouraging your child to explain their reasoning during practice can deepen their understanding. Additionally, integrating math into daily routines, such as calculating time, money, or distances during family trips, makes learning practical and fun. Your involvement in these activities can greatly reinforce the math concepts taught in school and build a strong foundation for your child's academic success.

If you have access to technology, please note that your child will have access to IXL (2-5) and Happy Numbers ( k-2) ( for most of the summer) to practice targeted skills. Your child should use their passcodes that they used during the year.

If you or someone you know has a child who will be 5 years old on or before September 1, 2024 you are now able to begin the kindergarten registration process online. The link is: https://www.wcasd.net/Page/12419. Be sure to click on the year 2024-2025.

You will need to upload: child's birth certificate, immunizations, two proofs of residency (one must be a copy of a current lease or mortgage statement, or deed and the second should be a copy of a current utility bill within the past 30 days. If you have a copy of the child's last dental and physical, please upload those as well.)

Any questions, please feel free to reach out to Mrs. Alice McVeigh at 484-266-1702 or amcveigh@wcasd.net .

Also, if your child will not be returning to Glen Acres (this does not include current fifth graders), please be sure to email Mrs. Alice McVeigh (amcveigh@wcasd.net) to complete the withdrawal process. If your current fifth grader will not be moving onto Fugett, please notify Mrs. McVeigh as well.

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