FC May 2026 Family Newsletter

Hello, Fishing Creek Families!

It’s hard to believe we’ve turned the calendar to May with just a few short weeks left in the 2025–2026 school year! It feels like only yesterday we were welcoming our Sharks through the doors on the first day, and now we’re heading into a month filled with celebrations, milestones, and plenty of memory-making.

May is always one of our busiest and most exciting months. From field trips and Field Day to Move Up Day, Poem in Your Pocket Day, and so much more, our calendar is full of opportunities to celebrate how much our students have learned and grown. We also recently wrapped up our PSSA testing—our students showed great perseverance and focus, and we’re incredibly proud of their efforts!

As we reflect on the school year, there is so much to celebrate. Our students have demonstrated growth in so many ways, our staff has gone above and beyond each day, and together we’ve built a strong, supportive school community. It has truly been a year full of learning, connection, and #FCSharkTank moments.

Be sure to keep reading for highlights from April and a look ahead at all the exciting events coming up this May at Fishing Creek. As always, thank you for your continued support—#WestShoreProud!

Friday, May 22 - Remote Learning Day

Monday, May 25 - No School for Memorial Day Holiday

Friday, June 5 - Last Day of School

12:00 PM Dismissal for All Elementary Students. NO KAP or PM Kindergarten.

No Lunch will be served.

• May 15th: Animal/ Animal Print Day (wear shirts with animals and/or animal print)

• May 21st: Memorial Day (wear red, white, & blue)

• May 27th: Shark of the Month (Shark Shirt Day)

• May 29th: Kickoff to summer (wear bright clothes & sunglasses)

All library books are due back in the library today - Monday, May 11. Please help your students find and return their library books as soon as possible!

Fourth graders will soon be moving to Old Trail! Along with their general music classes, they will be able to participate the following music ensembles: orchestra, band, and chorus. Orchestra and band will have sign-ups in September, but students can sign up for chorus now! Fill out the form at this link https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSedj74mVlobFTi5lCyzyZgURP0nlNc0B-QliYJVT3ysvnb6PA/viewform or QR code.

Fishing Creek Field Day needs volunteers for May 29th. There are two different volunteer positions: station volunteers and homeroom volunteers. Please click on the link to sign up. Please Note: All volunteers must have up-to-date clearances on file with the district or submit clearances prior to Field Day.

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https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0E48AEA92DA5FA7-63714779-2026

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Any questions, please contact Ms. Adams, radams@wssd.k12.pa.us

Teacher Appreciation Week begins on Monday, May 4, and it’s the perfect time to celebrate the incredible teachers and staff who make Fishing Creek such a special place to learn and grow. Each day, our educators bring passion, creativity, and care into their classrooms, going above and beyond to support every student. We are also deeply grateful for the strong home-school partnership that exists in our community. Your support, encouragement, and involvement help make our school family stronger. Thank you for all you do to make Fishing Creek a wonderful place for kids to thrive!

A huge thank you to all the families who donated snacks for our PSSA test-takers. Your support and generosity helped keep our students energized and encouraged!

PTO Update

As we head into the final stretch of the school year, the PTO is excited to share important updates, upcoming events, and celebrations within our Fishing Creek community!

🎉 Spring Fundraiser – Boosterthon (May 6–15)

Our Spring Boosterthon Fundraiser kicks off May 6 and runs through May 15! This is our most important fundraiser of the year, helping support events, programs, and opportunities for our students, teachers, and families.

This year’s fundraiser is simple and fun:

• Everything is 100% online (student profiles, donations, etc.)
• No products are sold
• Students will enjoy 8 days of character-building videos and daily challenges with rewards
• The fundraiser concludes with a schoolwide DanceFit event featuring 35 minutes of dancing and fun

Our goal: Raise $15,500 and beat last year’s total!

Incentives include:

• A $35 donation ($1 per minute) earns a 60-minute Play Pass to Dave & Buster’s
• Entry into a drawing for a VIP Party at Dave & Buster’s (one winner from our school!)
• Additional rewards such as PJ Day, glow-in-the-dark keychains, and grade-level prizes (music at lunch, sit with a friend, and more)

If we reach our school goal, a special schoolwide reward is in the works… possibly featuring a Mr. Wensel and Mr. Marshall sleepover on the roof!

We appreciate your support in making this fundraiser a success!

👏 PTO Board Update

We are excited to introduce our PTO Board for the upcoming school year:

• President: Jessica Deibler
• Vice President: Jessica Huegel
• Secretary: Jennifer Shaffer
• Treasurer: Jacob Penhorwood
• Controller: Emily Strohacker

We also extend a sincere thank you to our outgoing board members for their time, dedication, and commitment to supporting our students, staff, and school community. Your efforts are truly appreciated!

🍎 Teacher Appreciation Week

Teacher Appreciation Week is coming up, and the PTO is excited to celebrate our amazing Fishing Creek staff!

Planned activities include:

• Dirty sodas
• Treats
• A baked potato and salad bar
• And more!

These are small ways to show appreciation for everything our teachers and staff do each day.

🎓 Educational Gifts – Red Land Seniors

The PTO is proud to continue supporting our former Fishing Creek students! This year, we will award two $500 educational gifts to graduating Red Land seniors who previously attended Fishing Creek.

These awards will be presented at the Awards Ceremony on May 20.

🚌 Field Trip Season

It’s that time of year when many of our students are heading out on field trips! The PTO is proud to help fund these experiences.Thanks to the generosity of our Fishing Creek families, we are able to support meaningful opportunities like field trips that enrich learning and create lasting memories for our students.

Each evening, please take a few minutes to check your child’s Shark Folder. This is our take-home folder and may include important notes from school, homework, student work, and classroom updates. Reviewing it together helps keep families informed and students organized. Thank you for making this part of your daily routine! 🦈📂

We’re looking for volunteers to help with the Shark Store for our 3rd and 4th grade students! The Shark Store is always an exciting time for our kids to celebrate their hard work and positive choices. If you’re available to lend a hand, we’d love to have your support in making this event a success.

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0F4CAEA82CABFCC61-58424887-fishing

Character Focus: Creativity & PBIS Spotlight

This month, our character focus is Creativity! We’re encouraging students to think in new and imaginative ways—whether they’re solving a problem, expressing themselves through art or writing, or coming up with new ideas during play. Creativity helps students grow as thinkers, problem-solvers, and confident learners.

Our PBIS focus is on being Safe, Kind, and Responsible in the cafeteria. Students are learning to make positive choices while eating, such as using good table manners, keeping their space clean, speaking kindly to others, and following adult directions. These actions help create a calm, respectful, and enjoyable space for everyone at lunchtime.

Family Discussion Tip: Ask your child: What does being creative look like? Feel like? Sound like? Talk about how creativity can show up in everyday life, from building with blocks to telling stories or helping solve a problem in a new way. You can also talk about ways your family practices safe and respectful habits during mealtime at home, just like in the cafeteria at school.

For additional information regarding CharacterStrong, please visit our CharacterStrong & Social Emotional Learning website.

As always, please contact us if you have questions or need assistance!

Matthew Wensel

Principal - Fishing Creek Elementary School

wenselm@wssd.k12.pa.us

717-938-6565

Mr. Adam Marshall

Assistant Principal - Fishing Creek Elementary School

marshalla@wssd.k12.pa.us

Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter @FCSharks1 and Instagram @FCSharks1 to see the awesome things happening here at FC!