WES Weekly Update

October 13 - PTO Meeting, 6:00pm

October 13 - WES Night at Swarthmore Pizza (PTO fundraiser), 4-9pm

October 24 - WES PTO Pancake Breakfast and Halloween Carnival

October 30 - Halloween Parade and Classroom Parties

November 3 - NO SCHOOL FOR STUDENTS - Teacher In-Service Day

November 5 - 📸Picture Re-take Day📸

November 10 - PTO Meeting, 6:00pm

November 17-20 - Fall Book Fair

November 19-20 - Kindergarten Conferences (during the school day)

November 23-24 - NO SCHOOL FOR STUDENTS - K-5 Conferences

November 25-27 - NO SCHOOL - HOLIDAY

WES Families,

Welcome to week 7 of the school year! Although the rain hit us hard on Sunday, it looks like a beautiful week ahead. Our classrooms and school are starting to feel and experience some seasonal changes, with bulletin boards transitioning to fall themes, and the colors of the leaves changing in the playground. Remember the WES PTO Halloween Carnival and Pancake Breakfast are going to be held on Saturday, October 24th from 9 AM to 12 PM! Mark your calendars!

Speaking of seasonal activities, this afternoon Mr. Stephen Clarke joined our 2nd grade to share his World Record holding pumpkin carving skills. Mr. Clarke is a local educator, and also the father of our school psychologist, who has an innate and enthusiastic talent for pumpkin carving. Not only is he fast, but also so very artistically talented! He has been sharing his skills and interest with our school for the last several years, and encourages artistic expression and this fun hobby with beautiful displays and engaging presentations.

On Friday, October 9th, our school participated in the Fall Apple Crunch Day thanks to the help of many parent volunteers to cut, bag, and deliver the snacks! Our students tasted and voted on three different apple varieties: Shizuka, Ambrosia, and Crimson Crisp, with Crimson Crisp emerging as the favorite! Apples are a great way to eat healthy, and make a great tasting and fun snack. There are more than 2,500 different kinds of apples in the United States, and Pennsylvania is the fifth largest apple producing state in the country. Here is a great fact sheet from PDE’s Harvest of the Month program about apples that includes a delicious recipe to try!

This morning our fifth grade students continued working on their understanding of conceptual estimation in math class. Students utilized several strategies to round and estimate approximate amounts on math and world problems in their Reveal curriculum lesson. Ms. McDermott’s class was hard at work in sharing, practicing, and supporting one another as they worked through their lesson. A great job by everyone!

Enjoy the nice weather this week and eat a few apples!

Mr. Krall

Apple Crunch Day📸: Chris Kaminski

Families, please see the attached letter with information regarding the fall NWEA MAP assessment. The letter includes some basic information around the MAP assessment, and an anticipated window of time of when results will be sent home to families once the assessment window closes and score reports are generated across all schools and grades from 3 to 8.

Families, please see the attached letter with information regarding the ELA Curriculum Arts & Letters assessments, used in grades K-5. It underscores the importance of growth throughout the year, and shares how to best interpret results. It should not be viewed as a "final grade," but part of the process of supporting and monitoring growth. Please click on the PDF below to access.

Little Panthers Preschool is off to a great start, and enrollment is still open for the 2026-27 school year! Open to children ages 3-5, our preschool provides hands-on, play-based learning in a supportive classroom environment.

The program also serves as a learning laboratory for Strath Haven High School students enrolled in the Childhood program. High school students work alongside the classroom instructor and teacher’s aides to plan and lead developmentally appropriate activities while gaining experience in child development, teamwork, and leadership. Preschoolers benefit from engaging activities, outdoor play, and interaction with their high school buddies.

The program meets three days a week, from 9:07 a.m. to 11:50 a.m.

Interested families can learn more and enroll on the Little Panthers Preschool website, or contact Director Jen Zanoni at jzanoni@wssd.org or 610-892-3470 ext. 2137.

A HUGE THANK YOU to everyone who came out to support our runners and our WES ♥️ Pease fair! We raised more than $6,700 and could not be more grateful for the love and support of our WES family and community!

Please see below for some upcoming fundraising opportunities as we continue to work toward our goal to transform our playground into a more inclusive and accessible space where every child can play, connect, and belong. With continued community support, we can create updated play structures and an accessible surface that allows children of all abilities to play side-by-side.

How can you help? Donate, share our fundraising link, spread the word or join us at an upcoming event!

Upcoming events:

📅 January 4, 2027: Play for Pease Night at Oasis Family Fun Center

Together, we can build more than a playground—we can build a place where every child belongs! For additional information, please contact Lauren Bannon.

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.

CLICK THE BUTTONS BELOW for more information and guidance.

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.

WES Night at Swarthmore Pizza is here to solve your dinner dilemma! Eat in, take out, or order delivery from Swarthmore Pizza THIS Tuesday, October 13th between 4pm and 9pm. A portion of the proceeds goes back to support our school - be sure to mention WES Night!

Get ready for one of WES’s favorite fall traditions! Join us Saturday, October 24 from 9:00 AM–12:00 PM for the annual Halloween Carnival & Pancake Breakfast. Come in costume and enjoy Trunk-or-Treat, the Haunted Hallway, pumpkin decorating, carnival games, a photo booth, Sensory Room, Sweetest Seat, prizes and more! The Halloween Carnival is also an important fundraiser supporting WES 5th grade activities, including field trips and graduation. Buy tickets and Sign Up Here!

Join us Saturday, October 24 from 9:00 AM–12:00 PM for one of our favorite WES traditions! We need volunteers to flip pancakes, work the food line and cashier, plus food and coffee donations. You may even spot some WES teachers behind the griddle! Donations are due 10/23. Tickets can be purchased through the Halloween Carnival link or with cash/Zeffy the day of. We can’t wait for a sweet morning together! Sign up to volunteer here.

The 2026-27 WES Student Directory is available to order here. This helpful resource has all of the important information in one place - including the calendar of events, class lists and contact information for teachers and families. Once published this fall, print copies will be delivered to your WES student's backpack. Digital access to the Directory Spot app will be sent to the email(s) provided. Thank you for staying connected with the WES community and supporting this fundraiser for the WES PTO!

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.