Hello Wildcat Families!

I hope this email finds you doing well. We have been busy as ever creating lots of meaningful experiences for our students. Thank you to Mr. Davis for an awesome Kids Heart Challenge day this past Friday! The smiles were ear to ear on the students as they showcased their jump rope skills while raising money for an important cause. This was also a perfect way to cap off the excitement of Read Across America week.

Between the spirit wear days, buddy activity, mystery reader and more, the students were engaged in meaningful reading experiences that will undoubtedly enhance their love for reading. Thank you to Mrs. Worrilow, Mrs. Dempsey & Ms. Poulos for coordinating these events! We also had a special guest author visit us during Read Across America. Author Nick Bruel, best known for his Bad Kitty series, gave the students in grades 2 through 5 a behind the scenes look into how he became a beloved children's book author. Thank you to Mrs. Demi for coordinating this event!

This coming week we have a modified schedule due to parent-teacher conferences. Please be sure to make note of the half-days and the day off below. As always, dismissal is at 12:05 p.m. on the half-days (Wednesday and Thursday this week). One slight change for the half-days is that we will be freezing the cycle day to accommodate special area classes. Consequently, BOTH Wednesday and Thursday will be Day 4 of the cycle this week.

Please take a look at the lost and found if you are coming in for parent-teacher conferences. A picture preview of what is currently unclaimed is below. We will look to donate the remainder of the unclaimed items by the 17th.

Finally, with both World Down Syndrome Day and also Epilepsy Awareness Day coming up in March, we will be hosting an "Everyone Belongs" Spirit week during the week of March 20th. See the flyer below with the details of the week!

March

8th - Half-Day for Students; Parent-Teacher Conferences 1:00 - 4:00

9th - Half-Day for Students; Parent-Teacher Conferences 1:00 - 4:00 & 5:00 - 8:00

10th - No School for Students; Parent Teacher Conferences 8:00 - 11:00

20th - Mismatched outfits to highlight our uniqueness

21st - Wear colorful and/or mismatched socks for World Down Syndrome Day

22nd - No School for Students; Teacher In-Service Day

23rd - Wear Purple for Epilepsy Awareness; PTO Meeting at 7:00 pm in WTE Library

24th - Wear yellow, red and blue to celebrate Autism Acceptance

Make it a great week!

Dr. Cruice

Congratulations to our most recent power paw winners pictured below. These students were selected by their teachers for best representing what it means to be a wildcat by going above and beyond to be safe, respectful, responsible and kind. Great job students!

There is still time to donate towards the Kids Heart Challenge! Donations will be accepted until March 24th. See the letter from Mr. Davis below for donation information. Thank you to all of you that have already donated towards this worthy cause!

Our West Chester Basketball Programs at all three High Schools are trying to have our second annual district wide approved West Chester Nation Basketball Spring '23 Showcase. Please see the flyer below for sign-up information. Registration closes on March 8th!

First, I want to thank you for all your continued efforts to make this school year a great one! I would also like to take a moment to share a brief reminder regarding attendance and absences as we head into the fall and winter months.

Students are required to attend school during the days and hours that we are in session. If your student is unable to attend school, a note must be provided for a reasonable absence. If the absence is necessary for medical reasons and you would like to provide a doctor’s note, the note must include the following:

• · Medical reason for absence
• · Dates excused from school

If the note only includes that a parent/guardian spoke to the physician’s office and guidance was given, the note will be converted to a parent note.

If you have any questions, please reach out to me or to our nurse, Kellie Wallace at kwallace@wcasd.net.

Additionally, if you haven't already, please read the attached letter from our attendance secretary, Mrs. Johannesen, on important reminders about attendance procedures for WTE and the West Chester Area School District.

Is your child in 4th or 5th grade? We are excited to share that our annual 4th and 5th District-Wide Track Meet will be held this May. Our students will enjoy a day at the WCU track in a friendly competition against other WCASD elementary schools. WE WILL NEED YOUR HELP!!! The success of the track meet rests heavily on the parent volunteers. YOU WILL NEED YOUR CLEARANCES. You can visit this link on the district website for information for information about obtaining your clearances. We suggest you put in for your clearances now as they do sometimes take a bit of time to receive them back.

Save the Date to attend as a parent volunteer. More information will come with specific times.

• May 17, 2023 (rain date – 5/19) : East Goshen, Hillsdale, Greystone, Glen Acres, and Westtown- Thornbury
• May 18, 2023 (rain date – 5/22) : East Bradford, Penn Wood, Starkweather, Exton, Fern Hill, Mary C. Howse

The PTO is hosting a skating event at PNY on March 22nd from 1-3pm. All participants must sign-up via the sign-up link below. There will be no walk-ins permitted. Waivers (attached) must be completed as well. The cost is $10 for registration and $3 for skate rental. We hope to see you there!

LAST SHOPPING DAYS FOR THE SCHOOL STORE WILL BE IN APRIL! APRIL 19th is the final shopping day for this school year! We are wrapping up the school store before PSSAs and other end of the year busy times for our school! Hope our Wildcats had fun shopping this year!!

Don't miss out on this lifetime keepsake to remember this year as a WTE Wildcat! Is your student in 5th grade? No need to buy a yearbook as our PTO provides a FREE yearbook for all 5th graders! (There is no 5th grade option when selecting your student's grade because of this.)

This an ONLINE SALE ONLY! Yearbooks are delivered in June! You must order online by 4/15 to receive a yearbook! (Yearbooks will not be for sale in June when they are delivered to those that purchase them!)

Click the link below to register and order a yearbook! There is a $0.99 service fee when ordering. Total yearbook cost is $18.99 with this fee. Our School Code: 068359