Penn Wood Elementary School

Email: mgarvin@wcasd.net
Penn Wood Website: https://pwe.wcasd.net/

West Chester Area School District Website: https://www.wcasd.net/
Address: 1470 Johnny’s Way, West Chester, PA 19382

Phone: 484-266-1900
Instagram - pwebears

🐻 Penn Wood Updates!

Our Halloween celebration is coming up on Friday, October 30!

2:00–2:30 p.m.: Halloween Parade

2:30–3:10 p.m.: Classroom Parties

Students may wear costumes to school. Please keep costumes simple and school-appropriate. No weapons, gore, blood, inappropriate themes, or glitter. Masks may only be worn during the parade and party.

Please do not block buses or the car line during drop-off.

If your family does not celebrate Halloween and you would like an alternate activity for your child, please email your classroom teacher.

We look forward to a fun day with our PWE Bears! Now, what should I be this year? 🎃

Boo!

Mike Garvin

Principal

Penn Wood Elementary School

We are excited to invite our Penn Wood family veterans to join us for our annual PWE Veterans Day Assembly on Wednesday, November 11, 2026, from 9:30–10:30 a.m.

If you have a family member who is a veteran and would like to attend, please complete the Google Form linked here so we can plan for the assembly and prepare to welcome our special guests.

We are also including our “My Veteran” poster for families to complete in honor of a veteran in their lives. Completed posters are due by Wednesday, November 4, 2026, and will be displayed in our Heroes Hallway at Penn Wood.

Thank you for helping us recognize and celebrate the brave men and women who have served our country. We look forward to honoring our veterans and sharing this special tradition with our Penn Wood community!

Oct. 30 - Halloween Parade - 2-2:30 and class parties 2:30-3:10

Nov. 3 Teacher In-Service/ No School

Nov. 11 Veterans Day Assembly 9:30am-10:30am

Nov. 18 Picture Retake

Nov. 23 Conferences/ ½ Day

Nov. 24 Conferences/ ½ Day

Nov. 25 Conferences/ No School

Nov. 26 Thanksgiving/ School Closed

Nov. 27 School Closed

Dec. 15 Winter Concert 9:30 am & 7pm

Thank you to all our parents and guardians who have registered for Pick Up Patrol. This system is our central hub for attendance and dismissal. Please use Pick Up Patrol for all attendance-related reporting, including absences, late arrivals, and early dismissals. Pick Up Patrol now includes a new feature, the Leave & Return option, for short-term dismissals.

We’re happy to inform you that we can now accept absences recorded in Pick Up Patrol as your Parent Note. You no longer need to forward your Pick Up Patrol confirmation to us.

Please make sure to report all absences and late arrivals in Pick Up Patrol by 9:30 am, so we can accurately track attendance.

Dismissal changes may be made until 2 pm each day. If sending an excuse form, it must include student name, date, and reason for absence. The absence of any student failing to comply with this time frame, will automatically become unexcused and/ or unlawful and the school laws of Pennsylvania shall be applied. Excuse notes via email from a registered email address in PowerSchool will be accepted without an original signature.

(Per District Attendance Guidelines Code 204AG1)

Pick Up Patrol Reports and excuse forms are kept on file in accordance with district and state policy.

Safe Arrival phone line at 484-266-1910, is still available to report your child’s absence.

Thank you for your understanding and cooperation with this policy.

Questions - contact Gillian Armstrong garmstrong@wcasd.net

All volunteers must have three up-to-date background clearances on file with the school: PA Criminal, PA Child Abuse, and FBI Fingerprinting. These clearances are valid for five years from the date of verification by the agency. When submitting your clearances, please provide all three documents together. Information and links to the three clearances is available on the District site under “Visitors & Volunteers

Morning Arrival Updates for Car Riders: A few reminders that would be helpful for morning carline.

1. Parents should not get out of the car
2. If kids need help with their backpack, they can get out of the car, on the “kids side” of the cones and staff can help.
3. Unload all along the cones, 5 - 7 cars should be able to unload at once to move the line along.
4. Arrival carline drop off - 8:30 - 9:05am (please do not arrive prior to 8:30)
5. The front bus lane is closed for drop offs until 9:15 am. If dropping off between 9:05 and 9:15, please park and walk your child to the front door.

Afternoon Carline - 3:30 - 3:45 (after 3:45 children will be brought to the office).

Please follow these protocols:

1) Please stay in car

2) If students can't buckle themselves in the car...please pull forward to the cul-de-sac and buckle there. Please do not block any drive ways.

3) Please do not enter the carline until 3:10. Vehicles cannot line up and wait as this causes unnecessary congestion on Johnny’s Way.

4) Enter the campus eastbound on Johnny’s Way. (PM Carline Directional Map) Below...

5) Do not block driveways on Johnny’s Way or Bobolink Lane.

Have a child turning 5 years old on or before 9/1/26? Have a neighbor or friend with a child turning 5? Spread the word……….it’s time to pre-register for kindergarten! Click here to register. school year.

Items to upload electronically when pre-registering online:

- Birth Certificate

- Immunizations

- Physical Report

- Dental Report

- Proof of Residence #1 – copy of mortgage statement, deed or lease agreement

- Proof of Residence #2 – copy of utility bill, car insurance card, tax bill or insurance declaration page (we need to see current date, name and address)

Please be sure to complete all fields and upload all documents before clicking “submit”.

Once you click on “submit”, you no longer have access to the pre-registration file. If you have any questions, please email Jennifer Shearon at jshearon@wcasd.net