March 20, 2026

This week brought a series of unexpected disruptions, beginning with a 2-hour early dismissal on Monday due to weather, followed by a power outage that closed school on Tuesday. We appreciate all of our families’ flexibility throughout the changes that came with this week. While the schedule shifts made for an unusual few days, we were grateful for the opportunity to reconnect during parent-teacher conferences on Wednesday and Thursday. With Friday’s observance of Eid Al-Fitr, it became a shortened week for our Bobcats—but also a meaningful one, as we partnered with families to celebrate student growth and progress. We also extend warm wishes to all of our families celebrating Eid Al-Fitr—Eid Mubarak!

We’re excited to return to a more typical schedule next week and to welcome everyone for two special events. Join us for Bobcat Brain Builders, a family engagement night featuring hands-on learning activities in partnership with West Chester University. Then on Thursday, don’t miss Jump Rope for Heart, where families are invited to cheer on our students and see their jump roping skills in action. We look forward to a full and engaging week ahead!

We are excited to bring back Bobcat Brain Builders on Tuesday evening, March 24th at 6pm. There will be over 40 literacy and math games hosted by WCU education students and Fern Hill teachers to have fun while learning! As they complete each activity, students can earn tickets to choose small prizes. Learn more by checking out the attached flyer or event link below.

This is a schoolwide event - every is welcome to attend.

Please help us out and complete the RSVP at the link below.

Looking forward to seeing you all there!

Bobcat Brain Builders Event Flyer

RSVP to attend the March 24th Event

Fern Hill is proud to partner with the American Heart Association to help students learn about heart health while making a difference. Through the Kids Heart Challenge, students explore ways to keep their hearts strong, support important research that helps prevent and treat heart disease and stroke, and learn life-saving skills like Hands-Only CPR.

🐾 This Year’s Theme: Adorable Puppies!
Students can earn fun puppy-themed thank-you gifts for participating and spreading heart health awareness. The flyer includes details about the gifts, special prizes for signing up, and extra rewards for completing a Hands-Only CPR mini course.

📅 Main Event
Kids Heart Challenge Event: Thursday, March 27
Rain Date: Monday, March 30
(This will be an outdoor event—fingers crossed for sunshine!)

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Join the Fun
Families are welcome to attend! Parents, guardians, grandparents, relatives, and even future Fern Hill Bobcats (ages 3–4) are invited to come celebrate heart health with our community.

Thank you for helping our students learn compassion, leadership, and healthy habits that last a lifetime. Together, Fern Hill Bobcats are making a difference—one heartbeat at a time. 💓

March 16-24 - Book Fair

March 18-19 - Spring Parent-Teacher Conferences

• No School for Elementary Learners

March 20 - Schools Closed K-12; Eid Al-Fitr

March 24 - Bobcat Brain Builders Literacy and Math Game Night

March 27 - Jump Rope for Heart

April 1 - Half Day for Students; PM In-Service

April 2 -6 - Schools Closed - No School for Students; Spring Break

Trimester 3 report cards are now available in Parent Portal. As a reminder, our K–5 report cards use a Standards-Based Report Card (SBRC) format, designed to clearly communicate what students know and can do in relation to grade-level standards.

Instead of traditional grades, you’ll see your child’s progress toward specific skills:

• 1 – Limited progress

• 2 / 2+ – Progressing

• 3 – Meeting the standard

• 4 – Exceeding the standard

You will also see Learning-Related Behaviors (LRBs), which reflect work habits and behaviors that support success:

• NI – Needs Improvement

• P – Progressing

• DC – Demonstrates Consistently

Special areas (Art, Music, PE, Design Lab) follow the same structure, and students receiving additional support will also receive a progress report from their specialist.

Families can continue to monitor progress throughout the trimester in Parent Portal by viewing assignments and standards. If you have questions after reviewing your child’s report card, please reach out to your child’s teacher. We appreciate your partnership in supporting student growth.

We are excited to host our FHE Heritage Day on Thursday, May 28, 2026, from 9:00-3:30 and are looking for parent and guardian volunteers to participate. Heritage Day is a full-day event where students learn about and explore cultures from around the world. Volunteers may share their culture through materials, presentations, food, pictures, or by teaching students about customs and traditions. If you are interested in volunteering, please fill out the Google Form linked below. We would love to celebrate and learn from our school community.

In WCASD’s full-day kindergarten, learning begins with play. Through hands-on, play-based experiences, children build language skills, confidence, creativity, and friendships while learning how to work together and try new things.

It’s a joyful foundation that supports your child’s growth today and sets them up for success in the years ahead. We can’t wait to welcome your family to the WCASD Way!

If you have used child-sized cleats or shin guards, please consider donating them. Real Futbol Club is a local soccer club dedicated to bringing soccer to families in our area. Mrs. Christine Miller and Mrs. Lisa Baker will have boxes in their rooms for any donations. We will take donations until February 13. Thank you!

Thank you to the Hospitality Committee and all volunteers who helped feed our wonderful teachers and staff a great meal and delicious treats during conferences!

The Fern Hill PTO is offering discounted Hersheypark tickets for just $49 each (regularly up to $90+ for ages 3+ during summer). Tickets are valid April 3, 2026 – January 3, 2027, and every purchase supports our PTO.

Order online via the PTO website by Sunday, April 19th and tickets will be distributed the following week via e-mail. Note: You may purchase tickets for family and friends, but you cannot sell them to the general public. For orders over 9 tickets, please submit an additional form.

The Literati Book Fair is coming March 16th-24th; join us as we seek stories on the seven seas! All purchases benefit our school PTO. We would love your help with the book fair. Please sign up here to help with set-up, preview days, shopping days, and breakdown! See the attached tentative class schedule to see when your child(ren) will be participating.The online book fair remains active now!

Due to unforeseen circumstances , half of the school has had their book fair preview cancelled. To make up for this in the best way we know how, we have created a digital version of the in-person book fair using photographs that we took of the displays yesterday. Though the images are not the same as the in-person experience, we hope that this can serve as a stand-in for those who were hoping to preview the fair on Tuesday. To access the slide deck, please click on the attached link below. These slides are also accessible through the Seesaw link sent by Mr Bloome. Thank you for your understanding.

Book Fair Preview Slides

Thank you for helping make this adventure possible! Reach out with any questions to Victoria Hackett at vhackett7928@gmail.com

All payment types are accepted; Gift cards are available to purchase online. Please make checks out to Fern Hill Elementary PTO.

The spiritwear store is reopening on Monday March 23!

Show your Bobcat pride, purchase a gift for a current or incoming Bobcat, or just refresh your Bobcat’s spiritwear wardrobe. Click here to browse and purchase. The store will be open for 2 weeks with a 4 week expected delivery.

It’s not too early to start thinking about how you’d like to be involved at Fern Hill next year! The PTO Board is a fantastic way to make a difference and be involved in our many fun events and fundraisers! Several spots will be vacant with our fifth grade families moving on. If you have any questions please reach out to Megan Kazanjian at meghankaz@gmail.com

Calling all Fern Hill parents! We are looking for parents to join together to start a Fern Hill Chapter of West Chester Unplugged! Please reach out to Ali Haas at ahaas19603@gmail.com if you’re interested in joining. This is for parents interested in learning about and setting boundaries for technology with our kids, both at home and in school.

Want one less thing on your to-do list in May? Order your yearbook early and save 10%—but hurry, the discount ends October 31st!

Click here to purchase [web.treering.com]

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.

If you are planning a family trip, please complete the Trip Approval Form to notify the Main Office and gain approval for your trip. The Vacation Request Form will also always be available on our Fern Hill Website under the "For Parents" section.

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

• FHE: Kindergarten Lunch Duty
• FHE: 1st Grade Lunch Duty

Jennifer Southmayd

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