Fugett Flash

Hi all,

Each year Fugett celebrates Red Ribbon Week.

The 2025 national Red Ribbon Week theme is "Life Is a Puzzle, Solve It Drug Free.” This week marks the occasion when schools across the country focus their attention on drug use and prevention among school-aged children. National Red Ribbon Week began in 1988 with a Congressional Proclamation. Red Ribbon Week is dedicated to Federal Drug Enforcement agent Enrique Camerena who was killed by a drug trafficker in 1985. National Red Ribbon Week has become a symbol for a drug-free society. Red Ribbon Week is celebrated by over 100,000 schools and organizations nationwide.

Dear Parents and Guardians,

As our students grow, their social world often extends far beyond the classroom into text messages, group chats, and social media. While these platforms can help students stay connected, they can also create challenges. Recently, we have learned of situations where students have been added to online groups created to exclude or target peers, sometimes with name-calling, cursing, or labeling others as “haters” or “losers.” Even when these messages happen outside of school, the emotional impact is carried into the classroom. Students on the receiving end may feel hurt, alone, or question their self-worth.

How you can help:

• Monitor regularly: Check your child’s phone, group chats, and social media accounts. Many apps allow parents to set controls, alerts, or view activity.

• Talk openly: Ask your child about their online experiences — the positive and the negative. Encourage them to share if they see or experience unkind behavior.

• Model kindness online: Discuss how digital footprints last, and that words can hurt just as much online as they do in person.

• Set boundaries: Establish clear family expectations for respectful communication and screen time.

• Know when to step in: If your child is being excluded or targeted, reassure them it’s not their fault. Support them in disengaging, blocking harmful groups, and saving screenshots if needed.

Supports we can provide at school:

• A safe space to talk through difficult online interactions.

• Guidance in building positive peer connections.

• Collaboration with families to problem-solve when situations spill over into the school day.

• Referrals to counseling or additional resources if the emotional impact becomes overwhelming.

When parents and schools work together, we can help students build healthier online habits and stronger self-confidence. Thank you for staying engaged, monitoring your child’s online presence, and reinforcing the values of kindness and respect at home.

This week we conducted an ALICE safety drill, giving students the opportunity to practice the skills they've learned in a calm, structured scenario.

While we know that school safety and security is a sensitive topic, these activities are designed to help students feel confident, prepared, and secure while at school, reinforcing that our school is a safe and welcoming place to learn and grow.

We will continue to communicate with you before and after these experiences, but if you have any questions or concerns regarding this or other safety and security procedures in the meantime, please contact the WCASD’s Public Safety Manager, Rik Thornton at rthornton@wcasd.net.

Please note, Apple watches that are used for texting or phone calls will be treated the same as a phone in school. The same rules apply and watches will follow the same discipline pattern as a cell phone. It is possible to set phones to “Schooltime” for your child. This allows the watch to show a simplified watch face during the school hours families establish. “Schooltime” silences notifications and restricts apps.

How to set “Schooltime”:

For Family-Managed Watches (Parent's iPhone)

• Open the Watch app: on your iPhone.

• Tap All Watches in the top-left corner.

• Select the child's watch from the list.

• Tap Schooltime.

• Turn on Schooltime.

• Tap Edit Schedule to set the desired days and times for Schooltime to be active.

For Self-Managed Watches (On the Apple Watch)

• Press the side button: to open Control Center.

• Scroll to the bottom and tap Edit.

• Tap the Add button next to Schooltime.

• Tap Done.

• You can now turn on Schooltime by tapping the Schooltime button in Control Center.

Calendar -- Look Ahead and Plan

***Red Ribbon Week Spirit Days***

Monday October 27 -- Day 5 (Care Period - iCare) ***Wear Neon/Tye Dye***

Tuesday October 28 -- Day 6 ***Twinning Tuesday***

Wednesday October 29 -- Day 1 (Care Period - Academic) ***Blue and Gold Day*** ***Spirit Game at East Stadium***

Thursday October 30 -- Day 2 ***Dress as a Teacher***

Friday October 31 -- Day 3 (Care Period - Academic) ***Orange and Black (No Costumes)***

Monday November 3 -- Day 4 (Care Period - Clubs)

Tuesday November 4 -- NO SCHOOL ***TEACHER INSERVICE***

Wednesday November 5 -- Day 5 (Care Period - Academic)

Thursday November 6 -- Day 6 ***Care Schedule-PAYS Survey Administration***

Friday November 7 -- Day 1 (Care Period - Academic)

Hey Fugett Cougars! Next **Wednesday, October 29th**, is our **Blue and Gold Spirit Game** at the **East Stadium** starting at **3:15 PM**!

Come out to cheer on your classmates and show your Cougar pride by wearing **blue and gold!** 🎉

Concessions will be available — we’ll have **pizza, pretzels, and water** — **cash only**, so bring a few dollars if you’d like a snack!

If you’re staying for the game, remember to show **Cougar pride** by following **FMS expectations** — be respectful, responsible, and ready to cheer on our team with great sportsmanship!

Let’s fill the stands with **blue and gold** and show everyone what it means to be a **Fugett Cougar!** 💙💛

Go Cougars! 🐾

October is Bullying Prevention Month and to Show our Support to stop Bullying the Aevidum Club will be selling Lollipops at lunches from October 21st-October 24th during lunches. Lollipops will be $1.00 each!

All money collected will go to the Aevidum Club!

This newsletter is your guide to what your child is learning in math each month, with content broken out by grade level. Watch the videos together at home to explore the concepts more deeply, support their learning, and reinforce key skills in meaningful ways.

Philanthropy is about showing care and compassion for others—values at the heart of Fugett’s ICARE program and our Unity Day celebration on November 12. Together, we’re collecting items to support our community and will donate them to the Chester County Food Bank, reinforcing our shared commitment to care, equity, and unity. Leading up to Fugett's Unity Day, we're hosting a Food Drive from October 20-November 11 benefitting the Chester County Food Bank. Students are asked to bring in items by grade-level:

6th Grade: canned/pouch chicken, canned/pouch tuna, rice/pasta

7th Grade: canned beans, canned ready to eat soups & meals (like beef ravioli), cooking oils (olive & canola)

8th Grade: breakfast/granola bars, whole grain cereal, canned & dried fruit

On November 12, during World Kindness Week, Fugett will participate in a Unity Day! On our Unity Day, all students will engage in activities that promote kindness, equity, and belonging.

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Fall Athletics information and WCASD PIAA sports registration website (deadline 09/20/2025)

For any families looking to attend an EHS football game this year, please review the attached ticketing and attendance expectations. All tickets are purchased online.

Late Arrival - A student must be in school by 9:01 a.m. in order to participate in an athletic contest/practice/activity that day. An exception will be made if the student has an approved medical appointment, in which case, the student must present to the attendance office a signed statement from the doctor regarding the absence. A note from the parent/guardian for illness will not be acceptable. In all cases, a student must arrive no later than 11:05 am.

Early Dismissal – The WCASD policy is that in order for a student to participate in any extra-curricular activity, he or she must be present in school the day of the activity. If a student needs to have an early dismissal for any reason, he or she is expected to return at a reasonable time. If the student does not expect to return, he or she must receive prior permission from the administration or the athletic office. The Principal or his or her designee may make exceptions to this policy when a student has extenuating circumstances.

Please see the letter below about 6th Grade Intramural Soccer.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1DThb6M36z3F6IkxV02asFGYtiV_aOS-J/view

Upcoming Events

Monday, October 13th – Fright Night Tickets on Sale, 5:30pm

Wednesday, October 22nd – Dining Night Out, Patelmos 11am-9pm

Friday, October 24th – Fright Night 5:00-6:30 (6th GRADE/275 TICKETS), 6:45-8:15pm (7th & 8th GRADE/275 TICKETS)

- Stay connected with the PTO and the Fugett community through our PTO page and the Fugett Parents Facebook page. (Be sure to fill out all the membership questions for the FB page, which helps admins keep the community FMS-focused and vet incoming members).

Fugett Middle School - Attendance

WCASD Attendance Guidelines

Family Vacations

• Students may be excused from school for up to five (5) days of school per year for a family vacation. Family Vacation days must be pre-approved by your child’s administrator. A family vacation form must be completed and turned into the office prior to the absence.

• Please submit vacation requests at least one (1) week in advance to the attendance office: FMSAttendance@wcasd.net. Please note that parents or guardians will only be notified if any or all of the request is not approved.

Absences

• If your student is going to be absent, please submit their absence on Parent Portal.

• You may also send an emailed Parent Note or copy of the doctor’s note directly to the attendance office: FMSAttendance@wcasd.net. Please note that you must send the email from the email address we have on file. If documentation is not provided within 3 days of your students’ return to school, the absence will be considered unlawful.

• A student is allotted 10 Parent Notes and 5 Family Vacation days for the school year. Every absence after that will require a Doctor’s Note or the absence will remain unlawful.

• If a student is absent for 5 consecutive days, a Doctor’s Note is required by the 6th day of absence, even if PNs have not been exhausted.

• At the 4th unlawful absence, a Student Attendance Improvement Plan (SAIP) meeting will be held with our Home & School Visitor.

Lateness & Early Dismissals

• Following ten excused tardies and/or early dismissals in a school year, the school will require a doctor’s note or other corroboration beyond a note from a parent/guardian. Failure to provide corroboration beyond the allotment will result in absences being classified as unlawful.

• All students are expected to locker and report to their homeroom by 7:30 a.m. every day. Students arriving after this time will be considered tardy.

• A tardy is defined as a minimum of one minute of lateness to school. Eight (8) tardies to school will be considered one (1) unlawful absence in grades K-8.

• Late arrivals to school due to medical appointments (doctor, dentist, orthodontist, etc.) will be excused with a note from the practitioner.

• Any late arrival when the student does not arrive by 11:30 a.m. without a doctor’s note will be considered a full day absence.

• If your child must leave school early, a request must be submitted on Parent Portal or emailed to FMSAttendance@wcasd.net. An early dismissal pass will be given to your child to meet you in the office at the requested time. A parent/guardian must come into the office with a photo ID to pick up the student.

• In order for an early dismissal to be excused, a doctor’s or dentist's note must be turned into the office or emailed to FMSAttendance@wcasd.net upon the students return to school.

• Any early dismissal where the student leaves before 11:00 a.m. and does not return to school with a doctor’s note will be considered a full day’s absence.

Just a friendly reminder to all parents that if you need to come into the building to pick up your student or drop something off to them to please check in with the main office. Thank you for your cooperation with this to help keep our school safe and secure!

Thank you for following the circle pick up path. This traffic pattern is in place to ensure the safety of students and staff.

To serve you better, families may drop off and/or pick up East and Fugett students at either building, as long at you are using the typical drop off/pick up location.

See attachment below for specific information regarding FMS carline directions and visuals.

Parents: Please encourage your children to check their backpack for toys and water guns before coming to school after a weekend. We understand that backpacks may serve a dual purpose over the weekend, but any items in violation of the WCASD Discipline Manual will result in student disciplinary outcomes.

Phones are “Off and Away”. When the homeroom bell rings at 7:30, until dismissal at 2:15, phones are turned off and placed in student lockers. Any phone out between these bells will be turned in to the office and will begin the progressive discipline process with the student. This practice will be strictly and consistently enforced across all three middle schools.

Bring your device charged and protected. Devices should come to school daily, fully charged, to reduce the need for charging cords and cables throughout classrooms. During the school year, if a student has a district-issued laptop not in their case, this will prompt a discipline referral. This is to ensure digital learning opportunities, protect the device, and reduce potential parent invoices for damaged devices. (*We recognize not all returning students may have a laptop case on the first day of school. Students without a laptop case should notify their homeroom teacher the first day of school.)

Attendance - Students arriving late to homeroom (after the homeroom bell rings at 7:30) must report to the office for a pass. Lateness will be handled in accordance with the WCASD Attendance Policies, and PA State Laws. Unexcused lateness will result in an after-school detention for the student. A tardy is defined as a minimum of one minute of lateness to school. Late arrivals to school due to medical appointments (doctor, dentist, orthodontist, etc.) will be excused (ET) with a note from the practitioner.

Ineligibility - Any student who is failing at least two major subjects, or at least one major subject and two minor subjects (such as a Unified Arts class like Art or PE), by noon on Friday is ineligible to attend sports practices and games, clubs, and any extracurricular, school-sponsored activities which occur from the next Sunday through Saturday of the following week. This would include musical performances*, drama, dances, and sporting events. *Culminating musical performances related to Chorus, Band, and Orchestra are not subject to ineligibility as they are curricular events and not extracurricular activities.

Monitoring grades - We highly recommend that families use the Parent Portal to monitor grades and sign up for automatic email updates in the Email Notification tab. You can also look through individual course and assignment updates by using your child's Schoology account and accessing each Class and Assignment.

Making up work – All students have two Academic Care Periods (extended homerooms) on Monday and Friday each week. This is an ideal flexible time to work with any staff member in the building. Teachers have until noon Friday to grade and update any missed work or tests to improve failing grades before the ineligibility report is generated. Turning assignments in on time is the best way to keep grades up-to-date.

WCASD Discipline and Records Policy - https://www.wcasd.net/families-students/discipline-manual