August 2024 e-News

With many exciting events taking place in preparation for the new school year, we decided to send you an extra newsletter before we officially start 2024-25! You can expect additional Back-to-School communications in the near future.

The West Shore School District's free summer meals program continues through Thursday, August 15th. All kids up to age 18 are welcome regardless of their family’s economic status or school district of residence; however, current regulations require meals be eaten at school.

For the 2024-25 school year, 𝗔𝗟𝗟 West Shore School District schools qualify to serve one free breakfast and one free lunch to every student, regardless of their family's economic status. This means 𝗘𝗩𝗘𝗥𝗬 student in the West Shore School District will receive free meals!

Any additional servings beyond one free breakfast and one free lunch per day will require payment. Monies may be deposited into your student's account ahead of time. More information can be found below under 'Depositing Money in Your Student's Account.'

This student meal update is part of the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) of the National School Lunch Program, which allows schools in low-income areas to provide meals at no cost to families.

Parents who believe their child would qualify for free/reduced lunches under previous guidelines are asked to still fill out the proper paperwork through LINQ Connect or the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Access to Social Services (COMPASS). Your child will still receive free meals regardless of paperwork status. You may find links to those pages at https://www.wssd.k12.pa.us/FreeandReducedMeals.aspx.

For additional menu information, visit: https://www.wssd.k12.pa.us/menus.aspx

On Monday, August 19th, teacher, class and schedule information for all students will be available in PowerSchool. If you do not have a parent PowerSchool account, please contact your child’s school to obtain the access codes needed. You will not be able to use these codes to create a new parent account until PowerSchool opens on August 19th.

Additional transportation information will be released in the near future.

• High School – 9 a.m.
• Middle School – 11 a.m.
• Intermediate School (Grades 5 & 6) – 1 p.m.
• Primary School (Grades K-4) – 1 p.m.

• PowerSchool Website
• Answers to Frequently asked Questions
• Instructions for Setting up Your Parent Account

In addition to the PowerSchool access, on August 19th, an email will be sent to parents of students in kindergarten through fifth grade with teacher assignment and further information. Please check your spam/junk mail folders if you do not see this message in your inbox. If you have multiple children in the District, your individual email messages may also be grouped together in your inbox.

With the addition of the intermediate schools, we will be shifting student arrival and dismissal times for next school year.

• Morning Kindergarten: 8:50 a.m. - 11:35 a.m.
• Afternoon Kindergarten: 12:50 p.m. - 3:35 p.m.
• Primary Schools (Grades 1-4) - 8:50 a.m. - 3:35 p.m.
• Intermediate Schools (Grades 5-6) - 8:10 a.m. - 3:10 p.m.
• Middle Schools (Grades 7-8) - 7:32 a.m. - 2:40 p.m.
• High Schools (Grades 9-12) - 7:32 a.m. - 2:40 p.m.

As they are finalized, dates and times for open houses and back-to-school nights are being emailed to families and added to our online calendar. At the top of the online calendar, you can also download a copy of the complete 2024-2025 school calendar. Click here to view.

For a quick look at the Academic Calendar for 2024-25, click here.

Monday, August 5th - Phase 1, Football and Golf Only

Monday, August 12th - All Sports

Cedar Cliff Athletic Schedules

Red Land Athletic Schedules

Meet the Principal - 'Hanging with Harrington' at Allen Middle School

Acting Principal Patricia Harrington will be hosting a meet-and-greet for students and parents of Allen Middle School from 5:00 - 7:00 p.m. Food trucks will be present. Open to all Allen Middle School families for the 2024-2025 school year.

Camp Kindergarten

Monday, August 12th - Highland and Hillside Elementary Schools

Tuesday, August 13th - Fishing Creek, Newberry, Red Mill, Rossmoyne Elementary Schools

Wednesday, August 14th - Washington Highs Elementary School

Washington Heights - 'Popsicles with the Principal'

Join Principal Christopher Konieczny for a meet-and-greet for students and parents of Washington Heights Elementary School from 1:00-3:00 p.m.

Cedar Cliff Freshman Camp, 10 a.m. - Noon - Students will have the opportunity to tour the building, meet administrators, counselors, teachers, and partake in activities to become familiar with the Cedar Cliff High School culture. All freshman students are strongly encouraged to attend this important day to help ensure a smooth transition.

High School New Family & Ninth Grade Orientations

Cedar Cliff and Red Land High Schools

Students and parents will have the opportunity to meet the high school administration, guidance counselors, athletic director, nurse, and take self-guided tours of the building following your student's schedule. More information will be coming from your student's individual school.

Patriot Challenge - 9 a.m. - 1 p.m.

Future Patriots will be placed on teams and will have 12 “challenges” that cover a variety of team building exercises designed to test the mind, body, and spirit.

Elementary New Family Orientation

New Family Orientation is designed for any family of a student in grades K to 5 who is new to the West Shore School District. We invite both parents/guardians and their respective student(s) to attend this event. Additional information can be expected from your child's school.

Tuesday, September 3rd

All middle schools have issued communications for either guided or self-directed tours to families. Please reach out to your child's school for more information.

All meetings are held at the Administration Center and are open to the public. For those unable to join us in person, Board Meetings and Board Committee Meetings are also livestreamed.

SCHOOL BOARD MEETINGS

Thursday, August 8, 6:30 p.m.

Thursday, August 15, 6:30 p.m.

COMMITTEE MEETINGS

Finance - Thursday, August 8th, 4:30 p.m.

Policy- Thursday, August 15th, 4:30 p.m.

Related Links

• In Person and Electronic Public Comment Guidelines
• Watch Board Meetings & Committee Meetings Online - Meetings are streamed live and archived for viewing following the meeting
• Board Agendas - published 24 hours before the meeting
  
• Board Minutes - posted after Board approval
• 2024-2025 Budget Development - presentations made to the Board during the budget development process

With the development of new buildings in the District, a number of shifts have taken place to accommodate both new and existing positions in our schools. You can visit our Facebook page here or the West Shore School District website to find the administrators for the appropriate buildings.

The West Shore School District is very excited to be opening two new intermediate schools for fifth and sixth graders this school year. These new buildings will continue to build upon our commitment to provide students with relevant experiences so they may live meaningful, purposeful and impactful lives.

The District's intermediate school program is designed to slowly grow the complexity of coursework between primary (K-4) and middle school (7-8). Intermediate school students begin the transition to adding more responsibility in their education, ensuring the best chance of success in the rising levels of their school career.

Fairview Intermediate School: Located at the site of the former Fairview Elementary Building, Fairview Intermediate School will be at the helm of former Allen Middle School Principal Dr. Brian Granger and Assistant Principal Kelly Guistwhite. You can find more information about the school here.

Old Trail Intermediate School: Located along Beinhower Road in Fairview Township, Old Trail Intermediate School will be at the helm of former Washington Heights Elementary administrators with Dr. Michele Trevino serving as Principal and Douglas Knepp as Assistant Principal. Additional information can be found here.

The district's Extended School Year program ran from July 9th through August 1st. Secondary students attended Cedar Cliff High School and elementary students attended Washington Heights Elementary School. Students were busy working on reading, writing, math, functional, and social skills. We want to give a huge thank you to all the teachers and paraeducators who worked with our students this summer!

If you're looking for a flexible and rewarding part-time position, the West Shore School District is actively looking for additional substitute teachers for the 2024-2025 school year. Candidates with a Bachelor's Degree are considered qualified. The District Partners with Substitute Teacher Service (STS) to fill needs within the District throughout the year. Scan the QR code or check out their website for more information.

• Annual Notices - Numerous federal laws require school districts to provide students, parents, and/or the public with notices.
  

• Care Solace - Care Solace assists individuals find mental health care providers and substance use treatment centers. Their services may be accessed by students, staff and their families at no cost to you, 24 hours per day, 7 days per week, 365 days per year, and in 200+ languages. To utilize Care Solace, call 1-888-515-0595 or visit www.caresolace.com/westshore.

• Employment Opportunities - We have a variety of open positions perfect for parents, grandparents, and other caregivers interested in working a schedule similar to our students.
• Transportation Exception Request - May be used to request a bus stop different from the assigned stop associated with the child’s residence provided the alternative stop is in the same school attendance area as the child’s school.
  
• Free and Reduced Price Meal Application Information - Families who may qualify are encouraged to apply for free or low cost meals this school year.
  
• Electronic Absence Submission - If your child will not be in school for the day due to illness or doctor/dentist appointment, you can submit their absence electronically through PowerSchool.
  
• Volunteer Clearance Policy & Procedures - Adults wishing to volunteer in our schools are required to complete the Volunteer Application Process before being approved to do so.
• Technology Help Center - Contains videos, resources, FAQs, and guides on using Seesaw, Schoology, PowerSchool, iPads, Chromebooks, and more.
  

• Damage, Loss, Theft of District Technology Devices and Chargers - Information related to device expectations and repair costs.