Penn Wood Elementary School

Email: mgarvin@wcasd.net
Penn Wood Website: https://pwe.wcasd.net/

West Chester Area School District Website: https://www.wcasd.net/
Address: 1470 Johnny’s Way, West Chester, PA 19382

Phone: 484-266-1900
Instagram - pwebears

Dear Penn Wood Families,

📸 Picture Day Is Coming!

Picture Day is right around the corner! Students brought home Picture Day order forms earlier this week. If you would prefer to order pictures online, you can do so through the Barksdale Storefront.

Penn Wood Picture Day is Wednesday, October 7, 2026.

📌 New: WCASD Community Bulletin Board

We’re also excited to introduce a new feature in our newsletter: the WCASD Community Bulletin Board. This resource highlights opportunities and events available to our students and families throughout the West Chester Area School District community, including events, clubs, sports teams, academic opportunities, and more. We hope this provides families with an easy way to stay connected to all that is happening across WCASD.

💚 Thank You, HSA!

A special thank you to our Penn Wood Home & School Association for all of their work organizing this week’s Fall Fundraiser Dance Party! It was great to see so many students having fun, dancing, laughing, and enjoying time with their friends. We truly appreciate the time and energy our HSA volunteers put into creating these memorable experiences for our students and families.

Have a great weekend!

Mike Garvin

Principal

Penn Wood Elementary School

Oct. 7 Picture Day

Oct. 9 5th Grade Kickball Game

Oct. 12 Teacher In-service/ No School

Oct. 15 PWE Chorus singing Nation Anthem at Rustin 7pm

Oct. 16 Fall Fundraiser Dance Party

Nov. 3 Teacher In-Service/ No School

Nov. 11 Veterans Day Assembly 9:30am-10:30am

Nov. 18 Picture Retake

Nov. 23 Conferences/ ½ Day

Nov. 24 Conferences/ ½ Day

Nov. 25 Conferences/ No School

Nov. 26 Thanksgiving/ School Closed

Nov. 27 School Closed

Dec. 15 Winter Concert 9:30 am & 7pm

Thank you to all our parents and guardians who have registered for Pick Up Patrol. This system is our central hub for attendance and dismissal. Please use Pick Up Patrol for all attendance-related reporting, including absences, late arrivals, and early dismissals. Pick Up Patrol now includes a new feature, the Leave & Return option, for short-term dismissals.

We’re happy to inform you that we can now accept absences recorded in Pick Up Patrol as your Parent Note. You no longer need to forward your Pick Up Patrol confirmation to us.

Please make sure to report all absences and late arrivals in Pick Up Patrol by 9:30 am, so we can accurately track attendance.

Dismissal changes may be made until 2 pm each day. If sending an excuse form, it must include student name, date, and reason for absence. The absence of any student failing to comply with this time frame, will automatically become unexcused and/ or unlawful and the school laws of Pennsylvania shall be applied. Excuse notes via email from a registered email address in PowerSchool will be accepted without an original signature.

(Per District Attendance Guidelines Code 204AG1)

Pick Up Patrol Reports and excuse forms are kept on file in accordance with district and state policy.

Safe Arrival phone line at 484-266-1910, is still available to report your child’s absence.

Thank you for your understanding and cooperation with this policy.

Questions - contact Gillian Armstrong garmstrong@wcasd.net

All volunteers must have three up-to-date background clearances on file with the school: PA Criminal, PA Child Abuse, and FBI Fingerprinting. These clearances are valid for five years from the date of verification by the agency. When submitting your clearances, please provide all three documents together. Information and links to the three clearances is available on the District site under “Visitors & Volunteers

Morning Arrival Updates for Car Riders: A few reminders that would be helpful for morning carline.

1. Parents should not get out of the car
2. If kids need help with their backpack, they can get out of the car, on the “kids side” of the cones and staff can help.
3. Unload all along the cones, 5 - 7 cars should be able to unload at once to move the line along.
4. Arrival carline drop off - 8:30 - 9:05am (please do not arrive prior to 8:30)
5. The front bus lane is closed for drop offs until 9:15 am. If dropping off between 9:05 and 9:15, please park and walk your child to the front door.

Afternoon Carline - 3:30 - 3:45 (after 3:45 children will be brought to the office).

Please follow these protocols:

1) Please stay in car

2) If students can't buckle themselves in the car...please pull forward to the cul-de-sac and buckle there. Please do not block any drive ways.

3) Please do not enter the carline until 3:10. Vehicles cannot line up and wait as this causes unnecessary congestion on Johnny’s Way.

4) Enter the campus eastbound on Johnny’s Way. (PM Carline Directional Map) Below...

5) Do not block driveways on Johnny’s Way or Bobolink Lane.

Have a child turning 5 years old on or before 9/1/26? Have a neighbor or friend with a child turning 5? Spread the word……….it’s time to pre-register for kindergarten! Click here to register. school year.

Items to upload electronically when pre-registering online:

- Birth Certificate

- Immunizations

- Physical Report

- Dental Report

- Proof of Residence #1 – copy of mortgage statement, deed or lease agreement

- Proof of Residence #2 – copy of utility bill, car insurance card, tax bill or insurance declaration page (we need to see current date, name and address)

Please be sure to complete all fields and upload all documents before clicking “submit”.

Once you click on “submit”, you no longer have access to the pre-registration file. If you have any questions, please email Jennifer Shearon at jshearon@wcasd.net