West Chester Area School District

This version of the WCASD January Newsletter has been updated to correct important dates and include some additional information.

Dear WCASD Community,

It’s officially 2022, and I would like to wish our WCASD community a very Happy New Year! I hope that the winter break has offered you and your families time to rest and connect with loved ones.

The beginning of a new year is an exciting time as we reflect on all of the accomplishments and challenges of the previous year and look forward to all that we will achieve in the next 12 months. Our WCASD mission, “to educate and inspire our students to achieve their personal best,” guides us through every new beginning, and I know that great things await our students, staff and community.

As we prepare for the learning experiences and celebrations to come, I would like to remind our WCASD families that the health and safety of our community are always our top priority. To help keep us healthy, please email your school nurse and principal if your student tests positive for COVID or is deemed a close contact. We will assist you in determining the proper next steps based on the recent CDC guidance and our current Health and Safety Plan.

We have an exceptional year ahead of us WCASD – let’s kick it off with nothing less than our best!

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:

January 10: Education Committee Meeting | 6:30 p.m.

January 10: Pupil Services Committee Meeting | 7:00 p.m.

January 17: Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Schools Closed

January 18: Property & Finance Committee Meeting | 6:30 p.m.

January 24: School Board Meeting | 7:00 p.m.

January 25: End of Second Marking Period

January 26: High School Course Selection Night

The First West Chester Fire Company (FWCFC) brought Christmas magic to life for three Hillsdale Elementary School families. This marks the second year in a row that the FWCFC and Hillsdale have partnered to brighten the spirits of those in need of some extra holiday cheer through a donation of over $2,000 to purchase and deliver gifts and needed items.

Read more by clicking the photo below!

The Glen Acres Elementary School Holiday Concert filled the East High School auditorium with singing, corny jokes from a mischievous character called Sugar Plum Larry and holiday cheer. Students and staff did a tremendous job making the story come to life for everyone in attendance.

January is School Director Recognition Month! Please join us in celebrating and thanking West Chester Area School District's School Directors who dedicate their time and skills to serve our students, schools and communities.

Can you believe that's it's already time to start preparing for secondary course selection for the 2022-23 school year?

WCASD secondary course guides will be available online starting Monday, January 17, and course selection night for the high schools will take place on Wednesday, January 26, 2022.

WCASD high school students interested in pursuing a veterinary medicine career visited East Bradford Vet Hospital for a job shadow. The students received a tour, observed the treatment and surgery rooms and learned about various careers within the field.

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.

From January 1 and 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.

In conjunction with the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, Henderson High School hosted an interview and discussion with Rachel Goldfarb, a Holocaust survivor. Students were able to hear Mrs. Goldfarb's story and ask her questions.

Learn more about Mrs. Goldfarb and United States Holocaust Memorial Museum where she volunteers at http://ow.ly/vmNE50He8gF.

We invite new and returning community members to join us for the final night of our Community Conversations series. During part three of this series, we will continue to engage in conversations that strengthen our community.

The event is being rescheduled for March 2022! We are also pleased to welcome special guests from police departments throughout the West Chester area to join us in these important conversations.

Special Guests Include:
Lee Benson, Chief of Police, West Whiteland

Jim Morehead, Chief of Police, West Chester Borough

Michael Cotter, Lieutenant, West Goshen

Brenda Bernot, Chief of Police, Westtown-East Goshen

This event is not open to the media or anyone living outside the WCASD boundaries.

Please note that we will continue to monitor COVID cases and transmission levels to determine whether it remains safe to host this event as scheduled or to postpone as we approach January 20.

Students throughout the WCASD volunteered their time and talents to paint Toys for Tots boxes for the WC Chamber of Commerce to distribute to local businesses throughout West Chester.

There's still time to submit a deserving teacher for the Citadel Heart of Learning Award! We know that our WCASD teachers give their all each and every year, and how significantly they impact the lives of students and families.

Submit a written nomination or email a video nomination to Citadel Credit Union by January 15, 2022, to help celebrate and recognize the teachers in you and your students' lives. Click the photo below to access the nomination form!

Students in Mrs. McCloskey's class recently decorated the hallway in Bellingham Retirement Community with some of the beautiful artwork they've created this year. The students and the artwork were a huge hit with the community!

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.

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.