
West Chester Area School District
February Newsletter

A QUICK NOTE FROM SUPERINTENDENT SOKOLOWSKI
Dear WCASD Community,
Can you believe that the first month of the new year is already behind us? With the end of the second marking period, we can look back on all of the milestones we’ve already passed and look forward to a month dedicated to celebrating love, recognizing Black history, thanking school counselors and much more. However, as you’ll read in the newsletter, our WCASD students and staff are always hard at work spreading kindness, knowledge and gratitude wherever they go – regardless of the time of year.
Before we know it, the end of the school year will be here, and I encourage our students, staff and families to achieve their #WCASDPersonalBest. We are here to support you every step of the way!
To make sure that you don’t miss any of the events coming up for the WCASD, check out the list of upcoming events below.
Important Dates:
February: Black History Month
February 1: Lunar New Year
February 2: Groundhog Day
February 6: National School Counseling Week
February 14: Education Committee Meeting | 6:30 p.m.
February 14: Pupil Services Committee Meeting | 7:00 p.m.
February 15: Strengthening Community Symposium | 9:00 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.
February 21: Presidents’ Day, Schools and District Offices Closed
February 22: Property & Finance Committee | 6:30 p.m.
February 28: School Board Meeting | 7:00 p.m.
WCASD STUDENTS HONOR MARTIN LUTHER KING JR DAY WITH ACTS OF SERVICE

Rustin, Henderson and East Black Student Union’s partnered with the WC Food Cupboard and St. Paul’s Baptist Church to collect and sort food donations. There was a total of 2414 pounds of non-perishable food items donated!
Students collected the items which were dropped off at the Melton Center, then sorted them and packed them on to the food cupboard truck. Thank you to Rustin students Amber, Zeta, Raelyn and Ivy; Henderson students Morgan, Taylor and Athaiah Wallace; and East students Kylie, Mauricio, Luis and Chinonye.
WEST CHESTER CYBER PROGRAM STUDENTS PLUG IN FOR THE JANUARY SCHOOL BOARD MEETING

FERN HILL ELEMENTARY STUDENT COUNCIL SUPPORTS THE SPCA
Fern Hill Elementary students made pet friendly treats for 60+ dogs at the Brandywine SPCA shelter, created donation drive posters, collected and dropped off donation items and spent quality time with the shelter animals as part of the 5th grade student council's service project!

GIANT PARTNERS WITH WCASD TO SUPPORT STUDENTS FACING FOOD INSECURITY
GIANT is once again partnering with our school district’s food service organization on a program to help support children in our school district facing food insecurity.
Now through February 28, 2022, everyone who shops at GIANT, MARTIN’S and GIANT Heirloom Market stores will be invited to “ROUND UP AT THE REGISTER” their grocery purchase and donate the round up amount to the program fund. From backpacks with weekend food, to clearing delinquent lunch accounts, to building a community pantry in our schools, the funds will be provided directly to our district food organization to address food insecurity in our school communities.
HENDERSON STUDENT PUBLISHED IN THE NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL JOURNAL OF SCIENCE
Henderson High School student, Pranitha Anoor's article was recently accepted for publication in the National High School Journal of Science (NHSJS)!
While completing her work in the TCHS Brandywine Campus Allied Health program, Pranitha also developed an algorithm that can help detect brain tumors much earlier from MRI scans. To read more about Pranitha's work, click the photo below.
THANK YOU AGAIN TO OUR WCASD SCHOOL BOARD!
January was School Director Recognition Month, and the WCASD art programs and schools helped to show our appreciation for West Chester Area School District's School Directors through special gifts selected for them and framed artwork.

REGISTER YOUR KINDERGARTENER FOR THE 2022-23 SCHOOL YEAR!
Required documents to complete your child's registration include:
- Birth certificate
- Immunization records
- Two proofs of residency – one must be the mortgage statement, lease or deed and the second can be a current utility bill, cable bill, etc.
- The nurse's office will need the latest physical and dental exam, though these items can be turned in after registration.
To register:
- Go to the district site and select New Student Registration
- Select ‘Register for the 22-23 School Year’. Please note, registrations cannot be complete without the documents listed above.
- Once you submit the enrollment you may not revisit the form. Please be sure you have included all necessary documentation before making your submission.
THE SIGNS OF STRUGGLING PARENT PRESENTATION
WCASD parents and families are invited to join WCASD Mental Health Specialists for a virtual presentation focused on strategies for addressing mental health issues that students may face such anxiety and depression. The presentation will be held on Tuesday, February 22 ,at 7:00 pm.
HENDERSON STUDENTS VISIT GOGGLEWORKS CENTER FOR THE ARTS IN READING
Henderson sculpture classes and studio art students took a field trip to GoggleWorks Center for the Arts in Reading as part of the WCAEF grant. They saw a glassblowing demonstrating and explored art-making through jewelry making & metalworking, fused glass, printmaking and ceramics.

WCASD COVID-19 UPDATES
Although school districts in Chester County are no longer authorized to conduct contact tracing on the CCHD’s behalf, WCASD now updates its revised dashboard on Tuesday and Friday evenings to provide additional information to our families. We ask that families continue to work with our school nurses and/or building principals to report positive COVID-19 test results and practice social distancing and proper mask wearing.
For additional information and to see WCASD's COVID, visit WCASD COVID Dashboard.
RUSTIN STUDENT WINS THRIVE CLUB GRAPHIC DESIGN POSTER CONTEST
Rustin High School student, Nini Chen, won the graphic poster contest put together by her peers in the West Chester Communities That Care' local THRIVE Club. Nini's poster design highlights the THRIVE Club's slogan: You've got choices: Choose YOU.
WCASD 2022-23 COURSE SELECTION DATES AND RESOURCES
The WCASD course selection process has officially begun for the 2022-23 school year! Be sure to go to the District website for access to our online course guides, the secondary course selection launch video, resource guides and more helpful information.
We would also like to invite families to attend in-person events on Wednesday, February 16, at each of our high schools for high school course selection and a Middle School 101 Parent Information Night on Wednesday, February 23.
Course selection and information nights provide families with insight regarding the course selection and transition process and the opportunity to receive answers to important questions about the coming soon year.
PENN WOOD ELEMENTARY PLANETARIUM VISIT
Penn Wood Elementary 2nd-grade students had an out of this world experience while learning about stars, planets, rockets, astronauts and constellations. They learned that all you really need in order to be an. astronomer is to, look up!"

EXTON CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AWARDS WCASD JOHN SCULLY 2021 CHAIRMAN'S AWARD

WCASD's Director of Business Affairs, John Scully, was honored as the recipient of the 2021 Chairman's Award. This award recognizes a member of the Exton Chamber's Board who has demonstrated outstanding commitment and dedication to the vision and values of the Chamber, which include fostering the development of business growth and prosperity, advocating for sound public policy and providing outstanding programs and benefits.
STUDENT-RUN HOUSE OF HOPE CHARITY CONCERT AUDITIONS

The House of Hope Charity Concert is a student-run event that features mainly music-based acts (singing, playing an instrument, dancing, bands, etc.) and is a great opportunity for artistic students to show off their talent. The concert raises money for Home of the Sparrow.
Auditions for the charity concert will be held on February 9 and 10 in the East Orchestra room, and students from the WCASD district are invited to participate!
WCASD SENIOR STRINGS PREPARES TO PERFORM AT 2022 PMEA ANNUAL CONFERNCE
The WCASD Senior Strings, which is comprised of 37 students from East, Henderson and Rustin, will showcase their musical talents during the 2022 Pennsylvania Music Educators Association (PMEA) Annual Conference.
WCASD COMPREHENSIVE PLANNING FOR 2022-2025
Since the fall, our district community has come together to focus on the essential question of “What do we want to be able to say three years from now that we cannot say today?”
This question has guided the work of our 5 goal areas:
- Access and Assessment
- Innovative Teaching and Learning
- Student Involvement
- Fiscal and Capital
- Special Education
STRENGTHENING COMMUNITY PUBLIC SYMPOSIUM REGISTRATION NOW OPEN!
We invite our staff, students, families and community to join us virtually on Tuesday, February 15, from 9:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m!
The Strengthening Community Symposium is a free, virtual event featuring a moderated conversation with Dr. Bernice King. In addition to the discussion with Dr. King, which Lead Moderator, WCASD's Director of Equity & Assessment, Mrs. Dawn Mader, will facilitate, the event schedule includes the following presentation:
- Community Partnerships in Education – State Department of DE
- Padres Latinos at West Chester Area School District
- CoSaTIDE Student Coalition
- Moderated conversation with Dr. Bernice King
Registration for the symposium is now open! Those registered will be able to able to submit potential questions for consideration in the moderated discussion while filling out the registration form. They will also receive the login information for the symposium a few days before the event.
To register, click the photo above or button below!
WCASD OFFERS A SENIOR TAX REDUCTION INCENTIVE VOLUNTEER EXCHANGE PROGRAM
Did you know that the WCASD offers a Senior Tax Reduction Incentive Volunteer Exchange Program designed to assist Senior Citizens with the burden of Real Estate Taxes? In return for volunteering their services through this program, senior citizens may be entitled to a rebate of property taxes in accordance with the guidelines outlined on our Senior Tax Reduction Incentive Volunteer Exchange Program webpage.
Before applying to the program, we encourage those interested to review the attached brochure below and the guidelines on our website.
CELEBRATE WCASD'S INQUISITIVE SCHOLARS!

Attention WCASD parents, teachers, coaches and the community! East Bradford Neighbors Magazine is constantly looking for a few students who have done or are doing something of interest academically, athletically, artistically or in the community to feature in the magazine. If you know a student that has been achieving their personal best, share up to 500 words about them and what they've been up to along with one or two high-resolution photos for them to be considered.
Email East Bradford Neighbors Magazine Publisher Fay Steiger (fsteiger@bestversionmedia.com) to submit an article about your favorite kid! The deadline is the 5th of every month.
CELEBRATE A TEACHER OR WCASD STAFF MEMBER!
Do you or your student have a teacher that has made their experience at WCASD extra special? Or maybe one of their coaches or the school nurse have made a difference?
Share a story, quote or photo of a memorable teacher or moment with us so that we can help celebrate all of the exceptional educators in the WCASD!
WC East Theatre Company Presents the Broadway Musical: The Little Mermaid
WC East Theatre Company Presents the Broadway Musical: Disney’s The Little Mermaid, February 24-26, 2022.
Tickets will be available online starting February 3rd at 7:00 p.m.
Visit the West Chester East Theatre Company webpage for additional information about the show or email easttheatrecompany@gmail.com if you have questions about tickets.