October 31, 2025

What an exciting Halloween week it’s been at Fern Hill! Our Undercover Spirit Week had students buzzing with excitement as they tried to guess each day’s mystery theme leading up to today’s Halloween parade and classroom celebrations. It was such a joy to see so many families and community members join us for the parade—thank you for helping make this tradition so special!

We also would like to congratulate our top three winners from our Pumpkin Decorating Contest:

• 1st Place: The Hollins family
• 2nd Place: The Cappello family
• 3rd Place: Stillwagon family

We wish all our Bobcats a safe and fun night of trick-or-treating this evening! 🍬👻

Looking ahead:

• No School on Tuesday, November 4 for students due to Election Day—staff will be participating in a professional in-service.

• Conference sign-ups for caregivers will open Monday morning, November 3. Please keep an eye on your inbox for the link and details.

November 3 - Fall Conference Sign-Up Opens

Nov 4 - No School; Teacher In-Service

Nov 6 - Picture Retake Day

Nov 11 - Veterans Day Assembly

Nov 24 - Student Half Day 12:10 Dismissal; Conferences 1-4pm

Nov 25 - Student Half Day 12:10 Dismissal; Conferences 1-4pm and 5-8pm

Nov 26 - No School for Students; Conference 8-11am

Nov 27-28 - No School for Students - Thanksgiving Break

We’re excited to share that sign-ups for caregiver-teacher conferences will open Monday, November 3. Families will receive an email that day with the sign-up link to select a conference time.

Our team looks forward to connecting with you to strengthen our partnership through conversation and collaboration about your child’s growth and progress. These conferences are a valuable opportunity to celebrate learning and set goals together.

For families of students in grades 4–5, please note that with our new departmentalized model—where learners receive instruction from all grade-level teachers—you’ll schedule your conference with your child’s homeroom teacher. We’re especially excited that grades 4–5 will host student-led conferences this year to promote student ownership and collaboration in sharing their learning journey. Please choose a time when your child can attend with you.

More details about the student-led conference format will be shared directly by your child’s homeroom teacher.

A Home and School Visitor (HSV) is here to support your students’ success by building strong connections between families and the school. We understand that every student is unique, and every family matters one connection at a time.

💬 How Can a Home and School Visitor Help You?

• 📅 Supports School Attendance:
  Helps families understand and overcome challenges that keep their students from attending school regularly.
• 🏡 Home Support & Visits:
  Offers home visits (if helpful or requested) to better understand and support family's needs, barriers and strengths to connect the home and school so students can thrive.
• 🧠 Connecting to Resources:
  Links families to helpful community services like food assistance, housing, counseling, and health care.
• 🤝 Advocating for Your Child:
  Supports students facing challenges and works with the school staff as a team to build school success.
• 📘 Explaining School Policies:
  Helps families understand how things work at school—from rules to resources.
• ✨ Building Connections:
  Keeps communication open between home and school and promotes positive school involvement.

📞 Let’s Stay Connected! HSV Contact Information:

Lisa Baker, LCSW

Home and School Visitor

West Chester Area School District

Fern Hill Elementary School (Tues & Friday) 484-266-1620

Exton Elementary School (Wed & Thurs) 484-266-1420

lbaker@wcasd.net

Mrs. Jenkins is looking for artists and hobbyists to participate in Guest Artist Day and our very own Fern Hill Art Market! Being a professional artist is not required—anyone with a creative hobby is encouraged to join. We’re inviting individuals who enjoy artistic activities such as henna art, crocheting, photography, watercolor painting, and more to share their talents with our school community. If you or someone you know might be interested, please pass this information along and have them scan the QR code to fill out the interest form. Let’s celebrate the creativity that makes Fern Hill shine!

Students who wish to have their picture retaken should bring their original picture package to exchange for their new photo.

If you placed an order online, you will receive a camera pass via email. This can be printed or shown on a phone and brought to picture day. The photographer will photograph the camera pass along with your child. If you’re unable to print the pass, no worries—our team can manually match your student’s order.

Families can still place an online order up to 24 hours after picture day. Once that window closes, our imaging team will process and match all submitted orders with the corresponding student photos.

When pictures arrive back at school:

• Students who purchased photos will receive their prepaid package.

• Students who did not order in advance will receive a proof sheet, providing another opportunity to order prints (shipping and handling up to $8.50).

For more details or to access the Picture Day Flyer and ordering site, visit www.pictureportal.org using Google Chrome. If you need login help, click “Forgot Password” on the site to reset your access.

Thank you for helping us make Picture Retake Day a success—we can’t wait to see those smiles!

In a standards-based grading system, there isn’t a “right” number of assessments to expect in the gradebook. Instead, teachers use professional judgment and intentional planning to design meaningful opportunities for students to show what they know. Throughout a unit, students engage in formative assessments—or checkpoints—that help teachers gauge understanding and guide instruction. These checkpoints are practice opportunities where feedback, not grades, drives growth.

At the end of a unit, students complete a summative assessment, which reflects their most current level of understanding of the standard. The focus isn’t on how many grades appear in the gradebook, but on the quality of evidence showing what your child knows and can do.

Come mix, mingle, and connect with other Bobcat families in the beer garden at The Social in West Chester Thursday, November 6, from 6-8 pm. Adults only. See the attached flyer for more details.

Join Fern Hill PTO in spreading holiday cheer by donating items for the Thanksgiving and Winter food baskets for select Fern Hill families. Items will be collected from November 5 through the 19. Please see the flyer for grade specific items or click here to donate gift cards.

Our Highland Orchards Thanksgiving sale is now open! We're selling fresh-baked pies and apple cider donuts at bakery prices with no mark-up. If we sell over 51 total items, Fern Hill PTO earns 20% of our total sales. It's a win-win!

Order online from now until Sunday, November 9th. No late orders or changes will be accepted after this, the bakery needs our order locked in.

Pick-up is Tuesday, November 25 (Fern Hill Elementary - half day for students)

Open to any friends, family, and neighbors if you can pick them up! For allergen information, please see Highland Orchards website.

Soar with dragons and frolic with fairies at our upcoming book fair! Get a head start on books, games, and more at literati.com/store. Our online store is already active and runs through 11/26. Then join us at the Everglow Forest: November 17th-26th in Fern Hill’s Library for the in-person part! Students will have the opportunity to preview and shop during the school day. Families will have an opportunity to shop during conferences. Stay tuned for sign-ups to help with set-up, preview and shopping days in the coming weeks!

Support Fern Hill’s PTO and give your Bobcat a fun snack to enjoy by ordering Philly Soft Pretzels! Pre-order payment of $25 due through Membership Toolkit by November 3.

Want one less thing on your to-do list in May? Order your yearbook early and save 10%—but hurry, the discount ends October 31st!

Click here to purchase [web.treering.com]

Earning money for our school has never been easier! All you need to do is download the Box Tops app, create an account, and scan your grocery receipt. Easy and quick! Last year we earned $500 from Box Tops for Fern Hill!

We love having our families volunteer throughout the building. In order to volunteer, adults are required to have their clearances on file with us. Clearances can take 4-6 weeks to acquire, so please be sure to get the process started if you're looking to volunteer this Fall.

If you are planning a family trip, please complete the Trip Approval Form to notify the Main Office and gain approval for your trip. The Vacation Request Form will also always be available on our Fern Hill Website under the "For Parents" section.

• Fern Hill Website
• PTO Website
• Vacation Approval Request Form

• FHE: Kindergarten Lunch Duty
• FHE: 1st Grade Lunch Duty

Jennifer Southmayd

Principal

Email: jsouthmayd@wcasd.net
Website: https://www.wcasd.net/fhe
Location: 915 Lincoln Avenue, West Chester, PA, USA
Phone: 484 266 1600
Twitter: @FernHillES