November Newsletter

October flew by! We had our Book Fair, PTO Story Hour and PTO Book Bingo! We recognized our first SOAR assembly winners for September. We also had so much fun at McTeacher Night and ended the month with our Fall Parties. We just had our Conference Day on Friday, but if you did not have a conference yet and need to touch base with your teacher, please reach out to them!

Take some time and check out what we have in store for November!

Here are some important dates for November and December:

• November 1 - NO SCHOOL
• November 4 - PTO meeting 6:30 pm (Library)
• November 10 - PTO Skating Party
• November 15 - Wear red to show solidarity with children experiencing homelessness
• November 15 - PTO Movie Night
• November 18 - 1st Grade Field Trip - Zoo America
• November 18 - 26 - 4th Grade Swimming
• November 21 - Children's Grief Awareness Day (wear blue)
• November 27-29 - NO SCHOOL
• December 2 - NO SCHOOL
• December 9 - PTO meeting 6:30 pm (Library)
• December 20 - Winter Party 2:30 pm

Skate 'til ya drop...... Sunday, November 10th from 4-6 pm! Come support your Washington Heights PTO which in turn supports our kiddos on field trips, assemblies, and much much more! Entry is $5 per person and rentals start at $3--remember CA$H ONLY! Snack bar will also be open.

Join us for a FREE viewing of Inside Out 2 from 6-8 pm on Friday the 15th! Washington Heights PTO will provide the popcorn and cups for water from the filtered water fountain, but other beverages and snacks will be available for purchase. Movie will start PROMPTLY at 6:15 pm, so please plan accordingly. Don't forget to bring blankets, pillows and anything else you need to be comfy--you can even wear your PJs!

A few reminders about our arrival and dismissal procedures:

• Please do not park in handicapped spots without sticker.
• If you are walking to and from the building to get your child, please park on the blacktop and students must be accompanied by a parent for safety reasons.
• If you are using the loop, do not get out of vehicle. This slows the line down and can become a safety issue.
• Please do not go through the middle of the loop as a shortcut.
• Please wait for pedestrians to fully cross in the crosswalks before resuming driving.

This school year, we are partnering with New Hope Ministries to provide food for families in need over the weekend. If you are interested in this program or have any questions, please contact our counselor, Mr. Connell at JConnell@wssd.k12.pa.us or contact him via Seesaw.

That's right, every student eats for free this year at West Shore. This is made possible by Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) of the National School Lunch Program, which allows schools in low-income areas to provide meals at no cost to families.

Every school year, a variety of supportive opportunities are available for students based on household income. These include, but are not limited to: fee waivers for participation in after-school activities, e-rate funds that offset the cost of access to technology resources, along with additional state and federal grant funding for programs and resources to support students. Historically, the District used the Free and Reduced Meal Application to gather this data, but because the District is participating in CEP (free meals for all students) we need to use a separate application.

If you think you qualify for supports, please check out this link for more information.

Gratitude is choosing to appreciate the people and things in our lives. I hope you take the time to talk with your child about our focus word during the month of November. I look forward to seeing our students practicing Gratitude this month and every month!

West Shore Character Strong