Dear WCASD Community,

Although the start of the new year is often the time when we talk about new beginnings, new goals, and a new outlook, the spring also carries with it many of those same ideas.

This year more than ever, I am looking forward to this season. I am looking forward to the opportunity to leave the old behind and welcome in the new.

In many cases, our students, staff, and families have already “sprung forward” as they have held or will soon hold course selection, middle school, kindergarten, and college planning nights. They have practiced for upcoming concerts, plays, and competitions that will motivate them and inspire others throughout the next few months.

I truly cannot wait for all of the excitement that the next few months will bring, and I have my fingers crossed for good weather (and no more 4:30 a.m. forecast checks) ahead!

To make sure that you don’t miss any of the events coming up for the WCASD, check out the list of upcoming events below and our Celebrate the Arts Flyer.

Important Dates:

March: Women’s History Month

March 2: Kindergarten 101 Parent Session Via Zoom | 6:30 p.m.

March 3: College Planning Night at EHS | 6:00 p.m.

March 14: Education Committee Meeting | 6:30 p.m.

March 14: Pupil Services Committee Meeting | 7:00 p.m.

March 21: Property & Finance Committee | 6:30 p.m.

March 25: Harlem Wizards vs. WCASD Staff at EHS | 6:00 p.m. (Tickets Required)

March 28: School Board Meeting | 7:00 p.m.

March 31: Community Conversations Part 3 | 6:30 p.m.

Fugett Middle School recently welcomed a very special guest, J. Russell Fugett, the Great-Grandson of J.R. Fugett. Joseph R. Fugett was a respected teacher and principal in the West Chester area for many years, and his lifelong work to expand educational opportunities is recognized through the Fugett Middle School name.

During his visit, Russell shared the rich history of the Fugett family and spoke to students and teachers about their experiences at FMS.

Students from all three high schools visited IFM prover and headquarters to learn about the various career paths within the engineering, technology, and manufacturing fields.

They were able to make connections between their academic learning and the real world while determining the steps necessary for pursuing a career in one of these fields.

Thank you, Kyra and Joseph, for your informative reports and leading us in a salute to the flag!

Join us on Wednesday, March 2, at 6:30 p.m. for the WCASD Kindergarten 101: Parent Education Session. If you're wondering what kindergarten will be like, if your child is ready, or how you can help prepare them, register now to attend the Zoom session!

Award-winning children's book and poetry author Kwame Alexander joined WCASD students via Zoom to talk about his life, his work as an author, and to offer advice on the writing and publishing process. He also spoke on the planned Disney+ adaptation of his Newbery Medal winning book, The Crossover.

Exton Elementary School celebrated the 100th day of school with a very special Zoom visit from student Annabelle's great grandmother who is almost 102 years old! She answered questions about what life was like for her growing up, what her she liked learning in school, and left the students with some great advice.

WCASD had the honor of holding a moderated discussion with Dr. Bernice King, daughter of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King. Director of Equity and Assessment, Dawn Mader, led the moderated discussion which was live-streamed in schools and to all who registered for the event.

Each WCASD high school is accepting donations of gently used prom dresses, shoes, and accessories!

All donated items will be available for students to take for free from the “Prom Shop” located in the library at each high school. Please drop off donations at the front office of the school.

Please contact the following organizers with any questions:

• East HS - Adrienne Matjasic - amatjasic@wcasd.net
• Henderson HS - Mrs. Renee Vandergast - rvandergast@wcasd.net
• Rustin HS - Rebecca Bowden - rbowden@wcasd.net and Mara Claffy - mclaffy@wcasd.net

The Counseling Departments of East, Henderson, and Rustin High Schools invite students and their families to the annual College Planning Night on Thursday, March 3rd. This year's event will be hosted at East High School from 6-7:30 p.m. in the Auditorium.

College Planning Night is geared towards 11th grade students and families involved in the college search process, but it is open to all grade levels. There will be a brief presentation on the counselor role in college and career planning, a presentation from the Career Education counselor, and a panel of college admissions officers from local Universities. We hope to see you there!

Fifth grade student, Frankie, is making a huge impact at Greystone Elementary! Whether he is volunteering his time to work with younger students in the school library and restocking shelves or starting the school's first newspaper and inspiring local news reporters, Frankie is always working to encourage others and demonstrates the value of leaving a positive mark on the community.

Here is Frankie reading a story to Kindergarteners for Valentine's Day! Read the recent Daily Local Story on Frankie by clicking either of these pictures.

Dawn Mader, Director of Equity an Assessment attended a Community Meeting that was open to the public with the West Goshen Police Department. Chief Michael Carroll (pictured center), Captain Justin Dimedio (left), and Lieutenant Michael Cotter (right) lead discussions that included data driven updates in the department, ways to engage the community, and their ongoing Diversity, Equity and Inclusion work.

Moody's Investors Service has assigned a Aaa rating to West Chester Area School District.

The District's Aaa issuer rating reflects a robust financial position that is expected to remain healthy through 2022, above national average income, and stable.

Fern Hill Elementary School recently received a donation of $5,000 to the school in celebration of Burlington Stores opening of their new store in Exton. Fern Hill plans to purchase supplies for the school library and is very grateful to our new neighbors.

The Rustin Black Student Union hosted a special assembly to showcase topics of particular importance in African American tradition, culture, and history. Students throughout the school had the option to attend the event to learn more about African American inventions, music, history, art, food and more!

Learn how to prevent, recognize, and react responsibly to child sexual abuse.

Child sexual abuse is one of the most prevalent health problems children face with the most serious array of consequences. This nationally distributed, evidence-informed program is proven to increase knowledge, improve attitudes, and change child protective behaviors.

To register to attend the webinar on Tuesday, March 15, from 6:00 - 8:00 p.m., click the button below.

Download the webinar flyer below for additional information.

West Chester East Girls Basketball team held their 6th annual “PINK GAME” fundraiser for Unite for Her. They raised $1326.00 by selling Unite for Her merchandise and through a bake sale, raffle baskets, and halftime shooting contest donations!

WCASD would also like to thank the Oxford High School’s Girls Basketball team and fans for participating in this great event.

The Peirce Middle School's Repurpose for a Purpose Club, all-girl after school club, spends time learning the skills necessary to upcycle furniture for Community Warehouse of Chester County.

Their upcycle projects are then used to provide furniture for families transition from homelessness or other individuals in need!

21 DECA students qualified for the Atlanta International Career Development Conference, 45 students received awards, one student was awarded a scholarship winner and the entire group received a total of 69 medals and trophies.

Additionally, their advisor, Ms. Carol Lill, was selected as PA DECA Advisor of the Year. Ms. Lill has been an advisor for 22 years, and is tireless in her support and encouragement of our students. Congratulations, Ms. Lill!

Last week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued new metrics for measuring the impact of COVID-19, a community-based tool for evaluating COVID-19, and revised mitigation strategies.

As the WCASD designed its Health and Safety Plan to be responsive to changing

guidance from health authorities such as the CDC, the WCASD transitioned to mask optional effective Monday, February 28, 2022.

Click here for Dr. Sokolowski's email to WCASD families on February 26, 2022 or click here for WCASD's Mask Optional FAQs.

Click the link below for the CDC guidance and the COVID-19 County Check Tool.

The power of play and excitement were in the air as Greystone celebrated the opening of its new playground. Even Greystone staff couldn't resist testing out the equipment!

Be our guest as Rustin kicks off its performances of The Broadway Musical, Beauty and the Beast. There are multiple performances between March 4-5!

Grab your tickets now at: https://rustintheater.wixsite.com/rustin or click the image below.

WCASD's Comprehensive Plan Draft has now been shared with Education Committee and the WCASD School Board and is posted on our website for the community to review!

To share any questions or comments you may have regarding the plan, please email: WCASDCompplan@wcasd.net.

The School Board will vote on the plans at the March 28, 2022 meeting. We look forward the exciting plans we have for the next three years!

Grab your magic carpet and head over to the Fugett Auditorium from March 25-26 for the Drama Club's production of Aladdin Jr.

Don't miss this opportunity to see Aladdin and his three friends, Babkak, Omar, and Kassim, discovers a magic lamp and embark on an adventure that will test Aladdin's will and character! To purchase tickets, visit www.showtix4u.com/events/fugettdrama or click the photo above.

You can also download the flyer below.

We invite new and returning community members to join us for the final night of our Community Conversations series. During part three of this series, we will continue to engage in conversations that strengthen our community.

The event is being held on Thursday, March 31, 2022! We are also pleased to welcome special guests from police departments throughout the West Chester area to join us in these important conversations.

Special Guests Include:

Lee Benson, Chief of Police, West Whiteland

Jim Morehead, Chief of Police, West Chester Borough

Michael Cotter, Lieutenant, West Goshen

Brenda Bernot, Chief of Police, Westtown-East Goshen

This event is not open to the media or anyone living outside the WCASD boundaries.

Click below to register by Tuesday, March 29!

Take a quick trip over to Greece and see the Henderson High School cast transform the stage and themselves into the characters from Mamma Mia!

Don't miss this exceptional production and some of Abba's greatest hits starting on March 17, at 7 p.m., with more performances on March 18-19. Purchase tickets by clicking here or on the image below.

Did you know that the WCASD offers a Senior Tax Reduction Incentive Volunteer Exchange Program designed to assist Senior Citizens with the burden of Real Estate Taxes? In return for volunteering their services through this program, senior citizens may be entitled to a rebate of property taxes in accordance with the guidelines outlined on our Senior Tax Reduction Incentive Volunteer Exchange Program webpage.

Before applying to the program, we encourage those interested to review the attached brochure below and the guidelines on our website.

Attention WCASD parents, teachers, coaches and the community! East Bradford Neighbors Magazine is constantly looking for a few students who have done or are doing something of interest academically, athletically, artistically or in the community to feature in the magazine. If you know a student that has been achieving their personal best, share up to 500 words about them and what they've been up to along with one or two high-resolution photos for them to be considered.

Email East Bradford Neighbors Magazine Publisher Fay Steiger (fsteiger@bestversionmedia.com) to submit an article about your favorite kid! The deadline is the 5th of every month.

Do you or your student have a teacher that has made their experience at WCASD extra special? Or maybe one of their coaches or the school nurse have made a difference?

Share a story, quote or photo of a memorable teacher or moment with us so that we can help celebrate all of the exceptional educators in the WCASD!