FC's October 2026 Newsletter

It’s hard to believe October is already here! The start of the school year has been full of energy, learning, and smiles, and now we are heading into one of the most exciting stretches of the fall. From classroom projects to special events, there are many opportunities this month for our students to learn, grow, and celebrate together. Thank you for your continued support in helping us make Fishing Creek a place where every student feels safe, seen, and connected.

As always, please take a few minutes to read through this newsletter for important updates and reminders about what’s happening in October.

Friday, October 9- Remote Learning Day

Monday, October 12-No School

Tuesday, October 13 at 6:30 PM

PTO Meeting in the Library

Wednesday, October 21 - West Shore Unity Day

Unity Day was started by PACER’s National Bullying Prevention Center and provides us with an opportunity to stand united against bullying and in support of kindness, acceptance, and inclusion. On Wednesday, October 21, all West Shore students, teachers, administrators, secretaries, bus drivers, food service staff, parents, and community members are invited to get involved and wear the color orange.

Tuesday, October 27 - FC Picture Day

(Make-up day is November 20)

Friday, October 30 - Conference Day

See below for more information.

• Tuesday, October 6th- Tacky Tuesday🤪 – Wear your wackiest, mismatched outfit and have fun being tacky! It's like Wacky Wednesday, but on a Tuesday!
• Friday, October 16th- Western Day - Yeehaw!
• Wednesday, October 21 - WSSD Unity Day - Wear ORANGE!
• Wednesday, October 28th- Shark of the Month
• Thursday, October 29th- Fall Party- Flannel, plaid, or fall colors.

Conferences are held so parents and teachers may evaluate together the progress the student has made. Sharing responsibilities, working together, and exchanging valuable information is helpful to the teacher and parent, as well as the student. With online tools such as Seesaw, there has been an increase in communication between families and students outside of the traditional conference. In addition, some families have opportunities to discuss student progress with school staff at other meetings such as IEP meetings and 504 meetings. Therefore, it might not be necessary to hold a traditional conference.

However, if you are interested in scheduling a traditional in-person conference with your student's teacher, a Teacher Conference day will be held on Friday, October 30. We will send out more information regarding this conference day, including a link to our online conference scheduling tool, later in October. Conferences can be scheduled with teachers outside of this day, but that is exclusively based on the teacher's availability.

🦈 Sharks of the Month 🦈🌟

👏 Congratulations to our Sharks of the Month for September - Respect! Thank you for being role models and showing us how respect makes Fishing Creek an even better place to learn and grow.

#SharksoftheMonth #Respect #fcsharktank #westshoreproud

We’re looking for volunteers to help with the Shark Store for our 3rd and 4th grade students! The Shark Store is always an exciting time for our kids to celebrate their hard work and positive choices. If you’re available to lend a hand, we’d love to have your support in making this event a success.

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0F4CAEA82CABFCC61-65678864-shark

A big thank you to the U.S. Soccer Foundation for their generous donation of soccer balls to Fishing Creek! We also appreciate Kathy Young and Barb Ede, PE teachers at Cedar Cliff High School, for helping connect us with this opportunity. Our Sharks are excited to put the new equipment to good use!

Each evening, please take a few minutes to check your child’s Shark Folder. This is our take-home folder and may include important notes from school, homework, student work, and classroom updates. Reviewing it together helps keep families informed and students organized. Thank you for making this part of your daily routine! 🦈📂

🌟 Character Focus of the Month: Responsibility! 🌟

This month at Fishing Creek, we’re learning all about Responsibility, both in and out of the classroom! Being responsible means doing our best, making good choices, and following through on what we say we will do. As part of our PBIS (Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports) focus, we are reminding students how to be Safe, Kind, and Responsible every day.

One way we’re practicing this is by staying focused and not being disruptive in the classroom, so everyone has a chance to learn and grow. When students make responsible choices, they help create a calm and respectful space for all.

We encourage you to talk at home about what responsibility looks like whether it’s finishing homework, helping with chores, or being a great listener.

Family Conversation Starters:

• What does it mean to be responsible at school?

• How can you help your teacher and classmates by staying focused?

• What are some ways you show responsibility at home?

• Why is it important to think about how our actions affect others?

For additional information regarding CharacterStrong, please visit our CharacterStrong & Social Emotional Learning website.

In Physical Education class, students are to wear safe shoes. Examples of not safe shoes are crocs, boots, and dress shoes. Sometimes, we have class outside. Thus, it is important to know what cycle days your child has P.E. class. They may need support to dress appropriately.

As always, please contact us if you have questions or need assistance!

Matthew Wensel

Principal - Fishing Creek Elementary School

wenselm@wssd.k12.pa.us

717-938-6565

Mrs. Alyssa Tofani

Assistant Principal - Fishing Creek Elementary School

tofania@wssd.k12.pa.us

Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter @FCSharks1 and Instagram @FCSharks1 to see the awesome things happening here at FC!