FC's April 2025 Newsletter

Spring is in full swing at Fishing Creek, and with it comes a season of learning, celebration, and new opportunities! This month, we are looking forward to welcoming families into our school for Open House, a special evening to showcase our students' hard work and classroom experiences. We are also preparing our 3rd and 4th graders for PSSA testing, and we know they will shine with all they have learned this year!

See below for important dates, highlights from our classrooms, and ways to stay involved. Thank you for your continued support in making Fishing Creek a place where students grow and thrive!

Thursday, April 3 from 5:30 - 7:30

Spring Open House (see below for more information)

Tuesday, April 8 at at 6:30 PM

PTO Meeting in FC Library

Thursday, April 10 at 6:00 PM

PTO Skating Night at Fountainblu

Thursday, April 17 - Remote Learning Day

Teachers will provide asynchronous work for students equal to a half day of instruction. Student work may be completed that day or anytime over the weekend and submitted the next day school is in session. Students will NOT attend Zoom sessions and all students will be marked present unless reported as absent. In the event of an absence, families should follow regular procedures for absence notification and the standard make-up procedures will apply.

Monday, April 21 - No School

PSSA Testing - 3rd and 4th Grade

April 23 thru April 25 (English Language Arts)

April 29 and 30 (Math)

Spring Open House – Thursday, April 3

Join us for our Spring Open House on Thursday, April 3, from 5:30 PM - 7:30 PM! Our doors will be open for you to tour the building and visit your student’s classroom.

Food & Treats

• Dough & Arrow Food Truck – Enjoy delicious cookie dough and ice cream.

• Popcorn – Free for all guests.

• Pizza – Available for $1 or $2 per slice (final price TBD). Most likely cash only.

Art Room Pickup
1st-4th grade families—be sure to stop by the art room to pick up your student’s clay projects. Mrs. Doll will have them laid out on the tables, ready to take home.

Autism Acceptance Week

Wednesday, April 2 - Autism Acceptance Day - Wear rainbow or tie-dyed or lots of colors

Thursday, April 3 - Superhero Day - Wear clothing from favorite book, TV show, or superhero

Friday, April 4 - Shark Day - Wear shark shirts

April 10th: Purple Up! For Military Kids Day (wear purple - see below)

PSSA Spirit

Assembly day, Apr. 22: In our school, we swim together! Wear grade level color.

Day 1 of ELA, Apr. 23: You turtle-ly got this! Dress in green, brown, or black, like a sea turtle.

Day 2 of ELA, Apr. 24: Keep up the Jawsome work! Wear an FC shark shirt.

Day 3 of ELA, Apr. 25: You’re Krilling it! Dress in pink or red like the coloring of krill.

Day 1 of Math, Apr. 29: Seas the day! Dress in a sea of blue!

Shout out to our Sharks of the Month who were nominated for showing Cooperation in March! Keep up the great work, Sharks!

Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSAs) are rapidly approaching... We will be testing on the following dates for students in grades 3-4:

Morning Start Times (immediately after student arrival)

· April 23 thru April 25 (English Language Arts)

· April 29 and 30 (Math)

Prior to testing we ask that students get a good night’s sleep and are well rested prior to the assessment. It is also important that students eat a balanced meal the morning beforehand. If students are unable to eat at home, please keep in mind that breakfast remains free here at school. It's important that students are on time each testing day. We are not permitted to allow students to enter testing sessions once the testing session has begun.

Stay tuned for more information in the coming weeks, including some communication from the district office.

April is the Month of the Military Child, a time to recognize the sacrifices and contributions of children in military families. Purple represents all branches of the military, symbolizing our unity and support. On Thursday, April 10th, we invite all students, staff, and district residents to participate in Purple Up! Day by wearing purple.

Let’s come together as a community to show our appreciation and encouragement for our military-connected students. Wear your purple proudly on April 10th and help spread awareness!

Please consider including an extra set of clothes in your child's backpack each day. Our nurse’s office has run out of spare pants, and we have students needing a change of clothes daily. Also, If your child borrows clothing from the nurse, please remember to wash and return the items as soon as possible so we can continue to help students.

Fishing Creek Open House

Come out to the school on Thursday April 3rd between 5:30pm and 7:00pm to visit your child’s classroom and enjoy other fun events for the evening. Events include balloon animals, door prizes, scavenger hunt, crafts, make your own snow cone, popcorn, pizza, a dessert food truck and more!

PTO Board Positions - April 8th Meeting

Each year the PTO board positions are available for election or reelection. These positions are critical to the operation of the PTO and without the PTO events such as; field trips, assemblies, teacher appreciations, and much more would cease to occur.

If you are interested in helping out with the PTO or holding a position on the board it’s free to do so and the PTO is always looking for more help.

Board position nominations will be occurring at the April meeting with voting occuring the following meeting in May.

Please reach out to the PTO via email if you would like more information on board positions.

The current board positions include: President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, and Deposit Secretary.

Skate Night - Shark Night (Last Skate Night of the year)

Join us Thursday April 10th at Fountainblu from 6:00pm to 8:00pm. Let's celebrate our last skate night of the year by showing some school spirit! Wear your shark gear and admission is only $1.00 per skater (CASH ONLY).

Regular skate cost is $5 per skater.

Skate rentals/buddies available at an additional cost. All children must be accompanied by an adult.

Upcoming PTO Events

4/3 - SCHOOL OPEN HOUSE

4/8 - PTO MEETING - Board Position Nominations

4/10 - SKATE NIGHT - Shark Night!

5/13 - PTO MEETING - Board Position Voting

5/20 - BOOSTERTHON BEGINS

5/30 - BOOSTERTHON ENDS

*Be sure to keep an eye on Seesaw and our websites for more information around each event and changes.

Don’t forget to check out the PTO online:

Website - FishingCreekPTO.com

FaceBook - Fishing Creek Elementary School PTO

You can also reach out to the PTO via email anytime at FishingCreekPTO@gmail.com

If you're looking for a flexible and rewarding part-time position, the West Shore School District is actively looking for additional substitute teachers for the remainder of the school year. Whether you are a parent/guardian looking for more ways to stay connected or know someone in your family and friend circles who may be interested, please contact us! The Emergency Permit process allows candidates with a Bachelor's Degree in any field to serve as a Substitute Teacher. The District Partners with Substitute Teacher Service (STS) to fill needs within the District throughout the year. You may click this link for more information. https://www.wssd.k12.pa.us/Employment.aspx

In addition to our electronic newsletter, all West Shore School District members should be receiving the latest edition of Points of Pride in their home mailboxes.

The Spring 2025 edition includes: 2025-2026 Budget Development, Stories of the West Shore Natatorium, a breakdown of how the District utilizes federal funding, the Auditor General's performance audit of cyber charter schools, and much more. To view the edition online, click here

It's important that iPads come to school fully charged and ready to learn each day! Kindergartners, 3rd graders, and all new students will get their device at the beginning of the year.

Fishing Creek is on Instagram! Follow us at FCSharks1 to see what's some of the great things happening at FC!

Looking for a rewarding job? We have immediate openings in a variety of District departments. To learn more and apply, please visit: https://www.applitrack.com/wssdk12/onlineapp/default.aspx?all=1

We are also looking for day-to-day substitute teachers. You do not have to have a teaching certificate to become a substitute. WSSD contracts with STS to fill substitute positions. To find out more or apply, please visit https://www.thesubservice.com/. You don't have to be able to substitute every day in order to sign up to be a substitute. Even if you can only substitute occasionally, that little bit will help immensely.

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

Mr. Matthew Wensel

Principal - Fishing Creek Elementary School

wenselm@wssd.k12.pa.us

717-938-6565

Mr. Adam Marshall

Assistant Principal - Fishing Creek Elementary School

amarshall@wssd.k12.pa.us

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