Fugett Flash

10/10/25

Our 8th graders traveled back in time this week for a day at the Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire and it was a royal success! The weather was perfect, the students were cheerful and well-behaved, and even the bus drivers were impressed. Between cheering at jousting tournaments, browsing artisan shops, and tackling turkey legs the size of their heads, students fully embraced the medieval spirit. It was a day filled with laughter, learning, and a touch of ye olde adventure!

As noted below, please take a moment to speak with your student about the use of Apple Watches during the school day. If a watch is used as a phone, it is treated the same as a cell phone. There is a “Schooltime” mode that can be enabled while in the building; directions are included below if you’d like to use this feature.

Additionally, students selected their clubs this past Wednesday, and we’re excited to officially begin club meetings this coming Wednesday. Moving forward, clubs and SEL lessons will alternate each week as we transition into our regular CARE schedule. Our CARE schedule will change on October 27th as well, with iCare/CARE club periods occurring on Mondays and Academic CARE periods happening on Wednesdays and Fridays.

Warmly,

Dr. Alexis McGloin

This upcoming week, our school will conduct an ALICE safety drill, giving students the opportunity to practice these skills in a calm, structured scenario.

While we know that school safety and security is a sensitive topic, these activities are designed to help students feel confident, prepared, and secure while at school, reinforcing that our school is a safe and welcoming place to learn and grow.

We will continue to communicate with you before and after these experiences, but if you have any questions or concerns regarding this or other safety and security procedures in the meantime, please contact the WCASD’s Public Safety Manager, Rik Thornton at rthornton@wcasd.net.

Late Arrival - A student must be in school by 9:01 a.m. in order to participate in an athletic contest/practice/activity that day. An exception will be made if the student has an approved medical appointment, in which case, the student must present to the attendance office a signed statement from the doctor regarding the absence. A note from the parent/guardian for illness will not be acceptable. In all cases, a student must arrive no later than 11:05 am.

Early Dismissal – The WCASD policy is that in order for a student to participate in any extra-curricular activity, he or she must be present in school the day of the activity. If a student needs to have an early dismissal for any reason, he or she is expected to return at a reasonable time. If the student does not expect to return, he or she must receive prior permission from the administration or the athletic office. The Principal or his or her designee may make exceptions to this policy when a student has extenuating circumstances.

Please note, apple watches that are used for texting or phone calls will be treated the same as a phone in school. The same rules apply and watches will follow the same discipline pattern as a cell phone. It is possible to set phones to “Schooltime” for your child. This allows the watch to show a simplified watch face during the school hours families establish. “Schooltime” silences notifications and restricts apps.

How to set “Schooltime”:

For Family-Managed Watches (Parent's iPhone)

• Open the Watch app: on your iPhone.

• Tap All Watches in the top-left corner.

• Select the child's watch from the list.

• Tap Schooltime.

• Turn on Schooltime.

• Tap Edit Schedule to set the desired days and times for Schooltime to be active.

For Self-Managed Watches (On the Apple Watch)

• Press the side button: to open Control Center.

• Scroll to the bottom and tap Edit.

• Tap the Add button next to Schooltime.

• Tap Done.

• You can now turn on Schooltime by tapping the Schooltime button in Control Center.

The West Chester Area School District is committed to the growth and learning of our students. To help achieve this goal, we give students benchmark assessments several times throughout the year. These assessments are a way for teachers to regularly check students’ progress in reading and math. These assessments provide actionable data that helps teachers monitor progress toward grade-level learning goals, identify areas where students may need support, and adjust their instruction accordingly. For students, benchmark testing will enable them to monitor their learning and growth over time and ensure they receive the support they need.

Below is a brief overview of the assessments your child may participate in during the school year:

IXL Real-Time Diagnostic (Grades 6-8)

• Students complete the IXL diagnostic in September, December, and March.

• Provides English Language Arts (ELA) and Math data that continuously updates as students engage with it (both at school and home).

• Generates individualized practice recommendations to reinforce strengths and support growth.

Firefly Science Assessment

• Administered to students in grade 8 in December and March.

• Measures progress on STEELS standards and skills for grades 6-8 science.

Each of the above benchmark assessments provides valuable insight for teachers, students, and families, helping us partner together to ensure every child is on track for growth in English, math, and science. We appreciate your support at home and encourage you to reach out to your child’s teacher with any questions about these assessments or your child’s progress.

Thank you for your continued partnership in supporting student learning.

Dear Families,

This past week, students received their IXL Benchmark reports, and letters were sent home to help families understand these assessments. Please review the attached FAQs and directions for accessing your child’s IXL report from home.

Looking for ways to support your child? Each Math and English Language Arts report includes personalized recommendations based on your child’s performance. When accessing IXL on your child’s district-issued device, navigate to the Assessment section to view recommended skills for at-home practice. Many of these skills include instructional videos or examples to guide learning. The goal is for students to reach a Smart Score of 80–100 on the recommended skills identified by the Benchmark Assessment.

You’ll also find information in the attached FAQs about additional benchmarks that will be administered throughout the school year.

Thank you for your continued support!

On the first day of October and throughout the whole month, students, schools, and communities all over the world go BLUE together against bullying. Wear your blue shirt on Monday October 6th and throughout the entire month be sure to practice bullying prevention during World Bullying Prevention Month.

Calendar -- Look Ahead and Plan

Monday October 13 -- Day 2 (Care Period - Academic)

Tuesday October 14 -- Day 3

Wednesday October 15 -- Day 4 (Care Period - iCare) ***Picture Re-Take Day***

Thursday October 16 -- Day 5

Friday October 17 -- Day 6 ***Half-Day Dismissal, Teacher In-Service***

Monday October 20 -- ***NO SCHOOL, TEACHER IN-SERVICE***

Tuesday October 21 -- Day 1

Wednesday October 22 -- Day 2 (Care Period - Clubs) ***Best Buddies Field Trip***

Thursday October 23 -- Day 3 ***Red Ribbon Week Starts***

Friday October 24 -- Day 2 (Care Period - Academic) ***PTO Fright Night***

Hey Parents and Fugett Students,

Below is a letter from the EHS athletic department outlining the process for buying tickets. Just as a reminder no outside food or drinks are permitted into the game. Additionally, all K-8 students must be accompanied by an adult. Please read carefully and should you have any questions please reach out!

Reminder: Picture retakes are on October 15th. Students should sign up in the main office if they need to be scheduled for a retake.

Fugett Middle School - Attendance

WCASD Attendance Guidelines

Family Vacations

• Students may be excused from school for up to five (5) days of school per year for a family vacation. Family Vacation days must be pre-approved by your child’s administrator. A family vacation form must be completed and turned into the office prior to the absence.

• Please submit vacation requests at least one (1) week in advance to the attendance office: FMSAttendance@wcasd.net. Please note that parents or guardians will only be notified if any or all of the request is not approved.

Absences

• If your student is going to be absent, please submit their absence on Parent Portal.

• You may also send an emailed Parent Note or copy of the doctor’s note directly to the attendance office: FMSAttendance@wcasd.net. Please note that you must send the email from the email address we have on file. If documentation is not provided within 3 days of your students’ return to school, the absence will be considered unlawful.

• A student is allotted 10 Parent Notes and 5 Family Vacation days for the school year. Every absence after that will require a Doctor’s Note or the absence will remain unlawful.

• If a student is absent for 5 consecutive days, a Doctor’s Note is required by the 6th day of absence, even if PNs have not been exhausted.

• At the 4th unlawful absence, a Student Attendance Improvement Plan (SAIP) meeting will be held with our Home & School Visitor.

Lateness & Early Dismissals

• Following ten excused tardies and/or early dismissals in a school year, the school will require a doctor’s note or other corroboration beyond a note from a parent/guardian. Failure to provide corroboration beyond the allotment will result in absences being classified as unlawful.

• All students are expected to locker and report to their homeroom by 7:30 a.m. every day. Students arriving after this time will be considered tardy.

• A tardy is defined as a minimum of one minute of lateness to school. Eight (8) tardies to school will be considered one (1) unlawful absence in grades K-8.

• Late arrivals to school due to medical appointments (doctor, dentist, orthodontist, etc.) will be excused with a note from the practitioner.

• Any late arrival when the student does not arrive by 11:30 a.m. without a doctor’s note will be considered a full day absence.

• If your child must leave school early, a request must be submitted on Parent Portal or emailed to FMSAttendance@wcasd.net. An early dismissal pass will be given to your child to meet you in the office at the requested time. A parent/guardian must come into the office with a photo ID to pick up the student.

• In order for an early dismissal to be excused, a doctor’s or dentist's note must be turned into the office or emailed to FMSAttendance@wcasd.net upon the students return to school.

• Any early dismissal where the student leaves before 11:00 a.m. and does not return to school with a doctor’s note will be considered a full day’s absence.

Just a friendly reminder to all parents that if you need to come into the building to pick up your student or drop something off to them to please check in with the main office. Thank you for your cooperation with this to help keep our school safe and secure!

Please wait until 7:00 a.m. to drop off students. Our staff are ready to welcome children each morning, but supervision does not begin until that time. Families are also reminded not to use staff parking lots for student drop-off. Instead, we ask that you remain in the car line when dropping students off. Thank you for helping us ensure a safe and smooth arrival for all students.

Thank you for following the circle pick up path. This traffic pattern is in place to ensure the safety of students and staff.

To serve you better, families may drop off and/or pick up East and Fugett students at either building, as long at you are using the typical drop off/pick up location.

See attachment below for specific information regarding FMS carline directions and visuals.

Parents: Please encourage your children to check their backpack for toys and water guns before coming to school after a weekend. We understand that backpacks may serve a dual purpose over the weekend, but any items in violation of the WCASD Discipline Manual will result in student disciplinary outcomes.

Phones are “Off and Away”. When the homeroom bell rings at 7:30, until dismissal at 2:15, phones are turned off and placed in student lockers. Any phone out between these bells will be turned in to the office and will begin the progressive discipline process with the student. This practice will be strictly and consistently enforced across all three middle schools.

Bring your device charged and protected. Devices should come to school daily, fully charged, to reduce the need for charging cords and cables throughout classrooms. During the school year, if a student has a district-issued laptop not in their case, this will prompt a discipline referral. This is to ensure digital learning opportunities, protect the device, and reduce potential parent invoices for damaged devices. (*We recognize not all returning students may have a laptop case on the first day of school. Students without a laptop case should notify their homeroom teacher the first day of school.)

Attendance - Students arriving late to homeroom (after the homeroom bell rings at 7:30) must report to the office for a pass. Lateness will be handled in accordance with the WCASD Attendance Policies, and PA State Laws. Unexcused lateness will result in an after-school detention for the student. A tardy is defined as a minimum of one minute of lateness to school. Late arrivals to school due to medical appointments (doctor, dentist, orthodontist, etc.) will be excused (ET) with a note from the practitioner.

Ineligibility - Any student who is failing at least two major subjects, or at least one major subject and two minor subjects (such as a Unified Arts class like Art or PE), by noon on Friday is ineligible to attend sports practices and games, clubs, and any extracurricular, school-sponsored activities which occur from the next Sunday through Saturday of the following week. This would include musical performances*, drama, dances, and sporting events. *Culminating musical performances related to Chorus, Band, and Orchestra are not subject to ineligibility as they are curricular events and not extracurricular activities.

Monitoring grades - We highly recommend that families use the Parent Portal to monitor grades and sign up for automatic email updates in the Email Notification tab. You can also look through individual course and assignment updates by using your child's Schoology account and accessing each Class and Assignment.

Making up work – All students have two Academic Care Periods (extended homerooms) on Monday and Friday each week. This is an ideal flexible time to work with any staff member in the building. Teachers have until noon Friday to grade and update any missed work or tests to improve failing grades before the ineligibility report is generated. Turning assignments in on time is the best way to keep grades up-to-date.

WCASD Discipline and Records Policy - https://www.wcasd.net/families-students/discipline-manual

Philanthropy is about showing care and compassion for others—values at the heart of Fugett’s ICARE program and our Unity Day celebration on November 12. Together, we’re collecting items to support our community and will donate them to the Chester County Food Bank, reinforcing our shared commitment to care, equity, and unity. Leading up to Fugett's Unity Day, we're hosting a Food Drive from October 20-November 11 benefitting the Chester County Food Bank. Students are asked to bring in items by grade-level:

6th Grade: Canned/Pouch Chicken, Canned/Pouch Tuna, rice/pasta

7th Grade: Canned Beans, Canned Ready to Eat soups & meals (like Beef Ravioli), cooking oils (olive & canola)

8th Grade: Breakfast/Granola Bars, whole grain Cereal, canned & dried fruit

On November 12, during World Kindness Week, Fugett will participate in a Unity Day! On our Unity Day, all students will engage in activities that promote kindness, equity, and belonging.

Dear Caregivers,

The Fugett Math Department is excited to welcome your student to the 2025–2026 school year! To keep you informed and connected, we’ll be sharing a quick, one-page newsletter each month highlighting what your child is learning in math.

Each newsletter also includes helpful videos that you can use at home to preview or review topics. Simply click the “CLICK HERE” button within the newsletter to access a short video that can support your child’s learning.

We are excited to partner with you throughout the school year and encourage you to reach out to your child’s math teacher if you have any questions. Together, we can help your student succeed and enjoy their math journey!

Warmly,
The Fugett Math Department

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Fall Athletics information and WCASD PIAA sports registration website (deadline 09/20/2025)

For any families looking to attend an EHS football game this year, please review the attached ticketing and attendance expectations. All tickets are purchased online.

Please see the letter below about 6th Grade Intramural Soccer.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1DThb6M36z3F6IkxV02asFGYtiV_aOS-J/view

We are two weeks away from Fright Night! We still need a lot more help on the Haunted House side of things so please check out our sign ups and help where you can!

Volunteer Sign Up Fugett Middle School PTO - 2025 Fright Night Volunteers

Food/Drink Donation Sign Up Fugett Middle School PTO - 2025 Fright Night Donations

Upcoming Events

Monday, October 13th – Fright Night Tickets on Sale, 5:30pm

Wednesday, October 22nd – Dining Night Out, Patelmos 11am-9pm

Friday, October 24th – Fright Night 5:00-6:30 (6th GRADE/275 TICKETS), 6:45-8:15pm (7th & 8th GRADE/275 TICKETS)

- Stay connected with the PTO and the Fugett community through our PTO page and the Fugett Parents Facebook page. (Be sure to fill out all the membership questions for the FB page, which helps admins keep the community FMS-focused and vet incoming members).