October 9, 2026

Wow! What a great day we had racing with our Bobcats! Thank you to everyone who came out for our jog-a-thon event and for our hardworking volunteers. The kids did amazing!

Online donations will CLOSE on Monday, October 12 at 11:59 PM. Final cash/check donations and coin jars will be collected on Tuesday, October 13th. Check out our class leaderboards HERE and see how you can help your class reach $1,000, or make it into the top 3!

The race for the TOP 10 STUDENTS and TOP FUNDRAISER takes place this weekend! Follow along on the PTO Facebook page for updates and some friendly competition. Share that donation link for your best chance to enter this ring! Earlier this week, the threshold for the top 10 was $485+.

Also - friendly reminder that our Super Star earners ($125+) also get 1 piece of duct-tape to help stick Dr. Southmayd to our gym wall. That's just a few webshares away!

• Benchmark assessment results are now available to families via the LinkIt! Parent Portal.
• Click here to read the Benchmark Letter to understand Fall Assessments included in LinkIt!
• Our district's Supervisor of Assessment and Accountability, Mr. Jim Ronayne, sent a communication to families with information about when scores can be accessed. If you have not yet created a LinkIt! account, directions for creating an account and viewing your child's results can be found further down in the Bobcat Beat.

Building Better Bobcats Caregiver Workshop: October 21-- Access & Understand Assessments!

Last spring, many families shared feedback requesting opportunities to better understand student assessment data and how to use that information to support learning at home. We're excited to respond directly to that feedback through our next Building Better Bobcats Caregiver Workshop.

• 📅October 21 at 6pm in the Fern Hill Library

This session will focus on:

• Understanding benchmark assessment reports

• Accessing student results in LinkIt!

• Learning practical ways to support your child at home

We hope you'll join us for this important conversation as we continue building a strong partnership around student learning and growth.

Communication About Student Supports

This school year, our math and literacy specialists are spending more time working alongside classroom teachers in homerooms. This flexible model allows us to respond to student needs more efficiently and provide targeted supports within the classroom whenever possible.

If your child is receiving regular small-group intervention support from a reading specialist, whether inside or outside of the classroom, you will receive communication from your child's teacher explaining the support being provided and the goals of that intervention.

If applicable for your child, families can expect this communication by October 16.

If you are a family member of a current Fern Hill Elementary student or staff member and you are a veteran or currently serving in the Armed Forces, we would like to invite you to our annual Veterans Day Celebration on Wednesday, November 11, 2026. We want to have the opportunity to say THANK YOU for serving our nation! Guests can arrive at 8:45 AM. We will begin with refreshments in the Art Room with your Fern Hill host from 8:45 - 9:15 a.m. Following refreshments, we will move to the gymnasium for a school-wide assembly. After the school-wide assembly, each veteran will visit a classroom where students will ask questions about your service. The event typically concludes around 10am. If you can attend, please fill out the form below so that we can be prepared for your attendance. Please respond by Friday, October 23, 2026. Thank you for your service, and we look forward to seeing you there.

• October 12 - No School; Teacher In-Service
• October 13 - Walnut Street Theatre Assembly K-5
• October 15 - Dine & Donate at Snap Pizza
• October 24 - PTO Trunk or Treat
• October 30 - Halloween Parade

Last Friday evening, our 5th graders had the exciting opportunity to perform alongside the East High School Marching Band during 5th Grade Band Night. The experience gave students a firsthand look at what a future in WCASD's music and arts programs can include while allowing them to share the field with talented student musicians from East. A special thank you to Mrs. Foss for preparing our young performers, supporting them throughout the learning process, and spending the evening with our families to help make this memorable experience possible.

Mr. Usilton is excited to offer our 4th and 5th grade learners two different extracurricular opportunities. Students received flyers during PE class with the details, but we don't want you to miss the details!

We are excited to introduce the launch of the LinkIt! portal. Through this online portal, you will be able to view both current and historical assessment data linked to your student’s profile. Information housed in this portal includes state assessments (PSSA and Keystone Exams), with district assessments to be added over time.

To access your student’s profile, please follow the steps below and use your unique registration code to activate your account. Once in the system, you will be prompted to set up a username and password for future access.

STEP 1: ACCESS THE LINKIT! portal

Go to https://wcasd.linkit.com/parent in any web browser (computer, tablet, or phone).

STEP 2: CLICK ON “HAVE A REGISTRATION CODE?”

On the portal login page, click the “Have a Registration Code?” tab.

STEP 3: ENTER YOUR UNIQUE REGISTRATION CODE

Enter the registration code provided from LinkIt! sent to your address on file with the district.

STEP 4: SET UP YOUR INDIVIDUAL ACCOUNT

Follow the onscreen prompts to create your password. Your username will default to the email address the district has on file. If you have multiple children enrolled in WCASD, all of their data will be accessible under one account.

STEP 5: VIEW YOUR CHILD’S ASSESSMENT DATA

Once logged in, click the Reports icon to view assessment results. Click on a test category (such as PSSA or Keystone) to expand and view your child’s scores.

To assist you in understanding your child’s assessment data, we have created resources for your access on the WCASD Assessment Page.

We are confident that providing access to your child’s information on an ongoing basis will support even stronger home-school communication.

If you are having difficulty accessing your LinkIt! portal account, please contact Jim Ronayne at assessment@wcasd.net

Once you enter a request, Mrs. Spiegel will send the car tag home with your child.

We could use more volunteers to help supervise our Bobcat Bolt celebration recesses! Please check your calendars and join us on Friday, October 16th during your child(ren)'s recess period. Main duties involve managing lines near our inflatable obstacle courses and also helping with our bubble station on the blacktop.

Join us at SNAP Custom Pizza in Exton for a Dine & Donate event where we could earn 33% of your bill! Just use promo code "DOUGH" when ordering online, or show this flyer at check-out. We hope to see you there!

Upcoming Dine and Donates:

• Thurs. 10/15: SNAP Custom Pizza (4-8pm)

• Tues. 11/3: Chick-Fil-A West Chester (4-7pm)

• Tues. 12/8: Panera Bread - West Chester (4-8pm)

Join us for a night of fun on the farm! Meet like minded families & make new friends!

PA Unplugged | West Chester Unplugged

Unplug & Play: Highland Orchards Edition

• October 16, 2026
• 4:30 PM EDT - 6:30 PM EDT

Highland Orchards

1000 Marshallton Thorndale Rd.

West Chester, PA

Register Here!

It’s that time of the year again! Our annual School PTO Pumpkin Decorating Contest is officially open for sign-ups!

Whether your style is spooky, silly, artistic, or covered in glitter, we want to see your creativity shine.

• 📅Sign-up Deadline: October,16th

• 📍Drop-off Date: October,19th - 23rd

• 🔗How to sign up: Click to reserve your spot!

Start brainstorming those designs, and let’s make this year’s pumpkin patch better than ever!

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.

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

• FHE: Kindergarten Lunch Duty
• FHE: 1st Grade Lunch Duty
• Replacement Car Tag Request Form

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