WES Weekly Update

August 31 - FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL FOR STUDENTS!

September 4 - WES Spirit Day (wear WES Cares t-shirt, spirit wear, or school colors)

September 7 - HOLIDAY - SCHOOLS CLOSED

September 8 - PTO Meeting, 6:00pm

September 11 - Instrumental Music Demo Assembly (grades 3-5), 9:00am

September 14 - 📸PICTURE DAY!📸

September 17 - WES Back to School Night, 6:00pm

September 18 - WES PTO Movie Night, 7:00pm

September 21 - NO SCHOOL FOR STUDENTS AND TEACHERS

WES Families,

The day has arrived!! We had an incredible first day of school today, complete with a morning visit by our Rusty the Raccoon school mascot! There were many smiles, hugs, a few tears of worry, but many on board with supporting our students during this end of summer transition.

Our teachers warmly welcomed their new classes and some brand new students to WES with a spirit of excitement, joy, and patience. We are so thrilled the new school year is here!

I was able to welcome our grade 3 to 5 students in the cafeteria prior to them heading to class. We reinforced our expectations of being safe, responsible, respectful, and helpful; the core tenets of our values here at WES. I also made some connections with our new school theme, “Light the Way!” and how this phrase will help remind us of our responsibility to work hard, do our best, and be the light to shine brightly for our school and our peers. I am so excited to see all of our students shine this year!

If you have any questions about your child’s progress or experience at school, please start by communicating these to your child’s classroom teacher. We value the connection between home and school, and your child’s teacher is the best place to begin those conversations!

It was a great first day! We are ready and looking forward to this school year!

Mr. Krall

Principal

Mrs. Shelby Blake - Mrs. Blake is serving as our FULL TIME math specialist! Previously we had a 0.5 math specialist position, so this is an increased support. Mrs. Blake comes to us most recently from NPE, where she served a Teacher on Special Assignment, with a focus on the Math curriculum and resources.

Ms. Nina Metz - Ms. Metz is assuming the role of Speech/Language Pathologist. Ms. Metz was split between SRS and NPE last school year, and is taking the role vacated by Mrs. Donoghue (nee Vogelman). We are excited to have Ms. Metz on our staff this year!

Mrs. Bridget Welsh - Mrs. Welsh is serving in the role of MTSS coordinator for WES, and is coming to us most recently from SRS, where she served as a reading/literacy Teacher on Special Assignment. Mrs. Welsh is also working as a reading specialist at Strath Haven Middle School part time.

If your child has a documented food allergy or asthma, please send EpiPens and inhalers ASAP in order to keep your child safe at school. Each school year the doctor needs to sign a new plan, and it must be submitted with the medication. These medications are needed for your child to participate in field trips. Please let me know if you have any questions.

Thank you!

Nurse Costa

ecosta@wssd.org

WSSD Families,

Throughout the summer, our leadership team carefully examined instructional technology practices and considered feedback from families, staff, and community members. This work has helped us strengthen our approach to using district-provided technology tools in ways that enhance learning, support students' developmental needs, and promote digital safety. To keep our community informed and engaged in this process, I would like to share two new resources.

The first is our Instructional Technology Focus webpage for the 2026-27 school year. This resource outlines the district's instructional technology priorities across all grade levels and provides additional context about the feedback we received during our review process.

The second is an overview of our new Technology Advisory Council. The council will include teachers, parents and guardians, board members, administrators, and district technology staff. Together, these members will provide ongoing feedback as we continue evaluating instructional technology practices and plan for the future.

I encourage you to take a few minutes to explore both resources. We will continue communicating with families about instructional technology throughout the school year and appreciate your partnership as we work together to support engaging, purposeful, and developmentally appropriate learning experiences for all students.

Russell Johnston, PhD

Superintendent of Schools

As the elementary schools across the district are navigating to the use of the Schoology platform, there are some family resources that can help with accessing information in Schoology. Please see the parent navigation document and app access resource to support community engagement and provide greater transparency into learning outcomes.

School supply lists for the 26-27 school year can be found on our website and by clicking the link below. If you ordered a school supply kit from the WES PTO, it will be in your child's classroom on the first day of school.

CLICK THE BUTTONS BELOW for more information and guidance.

As we begin the 2026–2027 school year, we would like to remind families of important transportation procedures regarding student bus assignments and bus stop changes. These procedures are intended to provide safe, consistent, and efficient transportation for all students.

Under the District’s updated transportation policy, each student will be permitted one designated bus stop in the morning and one designated bus stop in the afternoon. These stops may be different from one another; however, students must use their assigned morning and afternoon stop five (5) days per week.

Please note the following:

• Students may only ride the bus to which they are officially assigned and rostered. Students who are not listed on a bus roster will not be permitted to ride that bus.
• Transportation changes will not be permitted for social arrangements, including riding home with a friend, going to a friend’s house, sleepovers, playdates, or other temporary changes in plans.
• If an emergency situation requires a temporary change to a student’s transportation, the request must be submitted through PowerSchool. The bus change requests should be submitted at least three (3) school days in advance whenever possible. This allows sufficient time for the building principal to review the request, for Transportation to make any necessary arrangements, and, most importantly, to ensure the bus driver is properly notified of the approved change.
• Emergency transportation requests will be reviewed by the student’s building principal. If approved, the Transportation Department will be notified so the appropriate arrangements can be made.
• Submission of a request does not automatically guarantee that a transportation change can be accommodated. Changes are subject to approval, available seating, routing, and operational considerations. Parents/guardians will be notified of approved emergency arrangements.

Maintaining consistent bus assignments and accurate student rosters is an important part of ensuring that we know which students are riding each vehicle and where they are expected to board and exit the bus. Providing advance notice of approved changes also ensures that our drivers have accurate information before beginning their routes.

We appreciate your cooperation in following these procedures and helping us maintain a safe and reliable transportation system for all students.

If you have questions about your child’s bus route, stop location, or general transportation info, please reach out to the WSSD Transportation Office at 610.892.3470 ext. 1702.

WSSD's visitor management system, Navigate 360, requires all visitors to scan their driver's license for their first visit to the building. All visitors should report directly to the main office and produce a valid, government-issued ID to receive a visitor badge. Upon exiting the building, please check out with the main office and dispose of your visitor badge in the trash.

Our school district is committed to providing a safe learning environment for all and we thank you for your cooperation!

The parent and community volunteers that we host at WES are a huge part of our school's success, and we value everyone that is willing to offer their time and talents. However, the school and district adhere to a strict and comprehensive volunteer clearance policy that is mandatory for all volunteers. They are required for anyone volunteering to work with our students or be present in our school; whether that is in school, on a field trip, or at an athletic event/practice, etc. Everyone who is volunteering with our students or in a school is required to obtain volunteer clearances.

We urge parents and guardians to complete the process for clearances at the beginning of the year, as the collection and submission of clearances is a process that can take some time. Clearances are submitted directly to WSSD's Central Offices (online via the PowerSchool parent portal) and not to our school building. Once completed and cleared, they are valid for 5 years.

You will not be permitted to volunteer without valid clearances on file with the school district.

Click the button below to learn how to obtain and submit volunteer clearances.

For information regarding 2026-2027 Food Service updates, pricing for lunch, or accessing the free and reduced lunch form applications, please visit the Food Services page of our site by clicking on the button below.

Please feel free to reach out to Kate Rittler, Director of Food and Nutrition, with any questions! krittler@wssd.org, 610-892-3470 ext. 2151 or visit the WSSD Food Services website.

SNAP changes related to the H.R. 1 law may reduce the number of students directly certified for free meals. Families who lose SNAP benefits may not realize that they need to complete a school meal application because their children were automatically approved in previous years through direct certification. School food Authorities are urged to promote the completion of school meal applications for the 2026-2027 School Year, to connect eligible students to school meal benefits and subsequently, Summer EBT.

Please click HERE for the WSSD WES Free and Reduced Lunch Application.

PeachJar is our community digital flyer system that brings important information about events and programs directly to our families! Click on the image to see the latest community flyers.

Including: The need to hire BUS DRIVERS and BUS AIDES!

Calling all Artists! Rising K-5 students are invited to submit artwork to be featured in the 2026-27 WES Student Directory, highlighting next year's theme - Light the Way! Student artwork will be included throughout the pages, with an entry by a rising 5th grader selected for the front cover. For more details, please see the artwork submission form here. Artwork forms can be dropped off in the office at WES, or scanned and submitted to Christine Greco by Friday, September 4. Let your creativity shine in next year's Student Directory!

The 2026-2027 WES Student Directory will feature a We Love WES page filled with sponsored hearts! Support the WES PTO by purchasing a heart here by Friday, September 4th. All proceeds will help to fund PTO provided opportunities for our students and teachers!

The WSSD will only provide the WES PTO with information submitted on the “[BTS] 08 – Student Directory Information” form via the Parent Portal on PowerSchool. To be included in this year’s WES Student Directory, please submit this form as "Yes, do publish" by Friday, September 4. Please email Derrick Clements with any questions. Opt-In Via PowerSchool.

Join us for Family Movie Night under the stars outside at Wallingford Elementary. On Friday, September 18 we’ll show Disney·Pixar’s Wall-E, the story of a small trash-compacting robot who ends up on an adventure across the galaxy! Families can arrive starting at 7 p.m. and the movie begins at 7:30 p.m. Bring blankets, lawn chairs, snacks and settle in for a fun evening with our school community. We hope to see you there! Contact Nichole Dobo or Michael Sheehan with any questions.

Kindergarten Families! Join the WES Welcome Committee for Kindergarten Popsicles and Playground Playdate! On Wednesday, 9/9, from 5-6 p.m. at the WES Playground, meet other kids and families and enjoy a popsicle. Rain date is Thursday, 9/10. Email Ashley Campbell or Julie Flannery with any questions.

We’re looking for volunteers to wear the Rusty Raccoon mascot costume at school events! Volunteers must be 5’4”–6’0” with up-to-date clearances. It’s about a 30-minute commitment and a blast for everyone! Opportunities are available during and after school throughout the year. Contact Heidi Ballas to sign up or learn more.

Get ready for fall and support the WES 5th Grade Class! Mums will be $10 each and available in a variety of beautiful fall colors. Mums will be available for pickup at the school on 9/25 from 4:00 - 6:00 p.m. Ordering details coming soon!

Monthly WES PTO meetings are held on the second Tuesday of each month at 6:00 PM in the library. All are welcomed to attend!

Visit their website weskidspto.com for more information.