Hello Wildcat Families!

Welcome to the 2nd Summer Edition of Wildcat News! We welcomed our newest Wildcats to WTE on August 7th during our Kindergarten Kickoff and New Family Tours. It was great to see so many smiling faces and we look forward to many years ahead together making memories at WTE.

HOT OFF THE PRESS - Parent Access to Teacher Assignments for Elementary Schools has been pushed back to Thursday, August 15th! This is a district-wide decision due to a variety of factors. The previously advertised date of August 12th is no longer accurate. Parents can log on to Parent Portal to view teacher assignments on Thursday, August 15th.

With school starting in just a few weeks, please take note of some important information regarding the opening of the school year:

• Staff Changes
• Back to School Forms
• PTO Information
• School Supplies
• Open House
• Activity Fee
• Design Lab and Flex Library
• Universal Free Breakfast Program
• After-School Spanish Club
• PA State Health Requirements for New Registrations

The link to the district calendar is also below but please make special note of the following important dates:

• August 15th - Teacher assignments available on the Parent Portal
• August 20th - Open House for grades 3 - 5 from 4:00 - 5:00 pm
• August 21st - Open House for grades K - 2 from 4:00 - 5:00 pm
• August 23rd - Back to School Information due in the Parent Portal
• August 26th --- First day of school for all students
• August 30th - No School
• September 2nd - No School

Enjoy the rest of your summer and we hope to see you at Open House!

Dr. Cruice

Before introducing our new staff, I would like to give a big shout out to two of our staff members who made the very difficult decision over the summer to resign from the West Chester Area School District. Mrs. Wilson has not only been an excellent speech pathologist but also a leader here at WTE holding a variety of leadership roles throughout the school. Mrs. Nieves was a cherished member of our 4th grade team who made an immediate impact on our school since she first started due to her positivity, connections with students and staff and her teaching expertise. Both Mrs. Nieves and Mrs. Wilson will be sorely missed but we all wish them the best of luck as they take this time to focus on raising their families. I would also like to acknowledge 3rd grade teacher Mrs. Gallagher who resigned at the end of last school year to secure a position close to home as she was commuting over an hour to and from school each day after her move. Mrs. Gallagher is also an excellent teacher who will be missed by all and we wish her the best in her new school.

With that said, I am pleased to announce the newest members of the WTE faculty who come with years of combined experience. Join me in welcoming the following new staff members to WTE:

• Ms. Catherine Bonsall - Long-Term Substitute Kindergarten Teacher (in for Mrs. Gambone during maternity leave)
• Ms. Shelby Speaker - Long-Term Substitute 5th Grade Teacher (in for Mrs. Beall during maternity leave)
• Mrs. Anna Sechrist - 5th Grade Teacher (replacing Mrs. Petkevis who switched to GRT/Math Support last year)
• Ms. Mary Kate Mc Getrick - 1st Grade Teacher (replacing Mrs. Wein who retired)
• Mrs. Colleen Meighan - Speech & Language Pathologist (replacing Mrs. Wilson)

In addition to the new staff, the following staff members are not new to WTE, but they will be in a new role this school year:

• Mrs. Garvin - Design Lab Teacher
• Mrs. Doyle - 3rd grade teacher (in place of Mrs. Gallagher)

Visit the WCASD Back to School Website for important information on the upcoming school year. The PowerSchool Parent Portal is open!! We would appreciate all families completing the online information by August 23rd. If you have questions or difficulty signing into your parent portal account, please contact parentportal@wcasd.net.

WCASD Back to School Website: https://www.wcasd.net/domain/2091

Open House will look a little different than in years past at the elementary schools across the West Chester Area School District. Students will attend Open House with their parents/guardians the week before school starts. This will allow all students and parents to meet the teacher and see their classroom before school even begins. Instead of a formal presentation by the teacher, families can drop in between 4:00 pm and 5:00 pm on the designated date. Teachers will provide parents with information about their classroom and curriculum to peruse at your leisure at a later time.

August 20th - Grades 3, 4, and 5

August 21st - Grades K, 1, and 2

See the letter attached below from WCASD Director of Elementary Education, Dr. Missett, regarding the rationale for this positive change to our traditional format.

Each grade level team worked together to select core supplies. You can purchase items yourself or use the PTO-sponsored School Toolbox service. Individual teachers may add items specific for their class at the start of the year.

Please note that PTO provides assignment books for all 3rd-5th graders and a communication folder for all students K - 5. School supply lists for each grade can be found on the school website and via the link below. You will also find the link to the School Tool Box where you can order all the supplies needed for each grade in one stop if you'd like.

As we prepare for the upcoming school year, I am informing you that 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.

As a reminder to our families, starting next school year elementary students will have a new special area called Design Lab. In Design Lab, students will explore Design Thinking strategies and experiences, which means they will spend time collaboratively tackling problems, developing creative solutions, and thoughtfully approaching important ideas.

Remember we're also changing our library time. Instead of having a fixed schedule for library classes, we're making it more flexible. Students will still learn how to research ideas properly, work on projects, find good sources, and explore wonderful books, but on a less fixed timeframe. Our library program will keep teaching important skills and making sure all students have access to books.

The recently approved PA state budget includes the funding for Universal Free breakfast for all Elementary and Middle School Students for 2024-25. This means all Westtown-Thornbury Students are able to access a free breakfast at school for the duration of the school year.

We are pleased to announce that new this year, we will be offering an after-school Spanish club. This will be run similar to our Art Club in that it is run by an outside organization. Any parents interested in signing their WTE student up for the club can check out the details regarding cost, dates, times and more via the link below.

As we start to gear up for the start of a new school year, check out some of the resources below to get the brain juices flowing and get a head start on another year of learning!