December 5, 2025

🎶 Winter Concert Magic 🎶
What a wonderful way to kick off the holiday season! This past Tuesday’s Winter Concert gave our community the chance to celebrate the incredible growth of our musicians in band, chorus, and orchestra. The energy, confidence, and talent on stage reflected months of hard work—and filled the room with true holiday spirit. We’re so proud of our performers and grateful to our music team for creating such a special evening for our families.

🎄 Let’s Get Jolly!
As we head into the final weeks before winter break, don’t forget to join us for our daily spirit opportunities to spread cheer and have some festive fun together!

⭐ Waymaker Recognition ⭐
Each week, the district celebrates outstanding staff members through Waymaker awards. This week, we were thrilled to honor Ms. Jess McCullough, our 5th grade Content Literacy teacher. Ms. McCullough is passionate about helping students make meaningful connections between their learning and the world around them. She leads our staff Equity Team and has launched a student equity group for our 5th graders to engage in thoughtful dialogue around social justice and equity in our school community. We are also proud to share that Dr. Southmayd was recognized by her colleague, Glen Acres Principal Ms. Donna Ryan. We are grateful to be part of a district that lifts up the incredible work happening in our schools!

Dec 8 - 23 - December Spirit Weeks!

Dec 23 - 1/2 Day for Students; 12:10 Dismissal

Dec 24 - Jan 2 - Winter Break - No School for Students

Jan 16 - Half Day for Students; Dismissal at 12:10pm

Jan 19 - Schools Closed

Jan 30 - PTO Bingo Night

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!

CALLING ALL HOLIDAY BAKERS! The PTO Hospitality Committee will show appreciation to our extra sweet teachers and staff with a holiday hot chocolate and cookie bar on Thursday, December 18th. We are seeking donations of homemade/ home-baked cookies. If you'd like to contribute your baking abilities, we'd love to share your cookies with the teachers and staff.

Cookies will be dropped off to the office on 12/17 or the morning of 12/18 by 9:00 am. Please use disposable containers. Please review the available slots here and click on the button to sign up. Reach out to sallykilleen421@gmail.com or jillpodhiny@gmail.com with questions.

Thank you to all who helped Fern Hill PTO spread holiday cheer through the Thanksgiving and Winter food baskets for select Fern Hill families. Whether through treasure, time, or both, your contributions to the Food Drive are highly appreciated.

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