SWS UPDATE Oct 16, 2026

Wed, Oct 28--picture retakes

Please check out the attachment for details about Halloween...quick summary:

Students and staff only---no parents invited due to construction.

Appropriate costumes only!

Classroom teachers may be having parties on a different day, or may choose to have use their party on a different occasion.

Subject: New in the LinkIt! portal: Your Child’s Fall Benchmark Results

Dear Parent/Guardian:

We are pleased to let you know that your child’s beginning of year (BOY) benchmark assessment results are now available in LinkIt! portal. This is the first time district benchmark data has been added to the portal, joining the PSSA and Keystone Exam results that have been available since July. Please be aware that currently Science PSSA and Biology Keystone results are still on hold from the Pennsylvania Department of Education with an estimated release in late November.

If you already have an account: Log in at https://wcasd.linkit.com/parent and click the Reports icon. You will see new benchmark results listed alongside the state assessment data you have already been viewing.

If you have not yet set up your account: Now is a great time to get started. You will need the registration code that was sent to your email from noreply@linkit.com. If you cannot find it or did not receive one, contact your child’s school office to confirm the email address on file and request a new code.

What are benchmarks?

District benchmark assessments are given at key points during the school year in English Language Arts, Science and Math. They measure your child’s current skill levels against grade-level standards and help teachers plan instruction.

An important note about fall scores: BOY benchmarks measure skills at the beginning of the year before much of the grade-level content has been taught. These scores establish a starting point. You should expect to see growth as your child progresses through the school year, with winter and spring benchmarks reflecting that development.

If you are having difficulty accessing your account, please contact assessment@wcasd.net

Jim Ronayne

Supervisor of Assessment & Accountability

West Chester Area School District

Every school has a champion!

Do you know a WCASD educator or support professional who goes above and beyond to make a difference in the lives of students, families, and colleagues?

Nominate them for the Chester County Champions of Education Awards and help us celebrate excellence across our schools!

Submit a nomination: CCChampionsofEdu.org

Links for parents to sign-up for a conference time will be shared during the first or second week of November.

• 'Math Challenge' is free and no-sign up is necessary.

• All K-5 students at Starkweather Elementary are invited to participate - do as many problems as you can - they get more challenging as you go along.

• This is a great opportunity for families to be involved and enjoy math together through fun and engaging math problems.

• Go to the website https://www.mathinaction.org/sarah-w-starkweather.html

• Print off the latest challenge. If you are unable to print from home, you may pick one up in the main office (they are submitted to the main office, too).

• Please submit your solutions to each Math Challenge by the due date. Refer to the Schedule Calendar for dates on when the challenges and their solutions will be available on the website.

Any questions, please contact Ms. Sommer at csommer@wcasd.net

Happy Mathing!

Please know that during the first week or so of school, drop off and dismissal are new for lots of people involved--new parents, new drivers, and new variables. Here is how you can help to make things go as smoothly as possible:

• Signage: you will notice some signage on the cones to help you know where to drop off and pick up your kids (along the peninsula sidewalk) and what space to leave for the small buses (along the curve by the flag pole)
• PASSENGER SIDE: please have your student use the passenger side, so they can use the sidewalk to get in and out of your car...I know there are often little siblings in baby carriers also in the car, but having the student use the passenger side is the safest option!
• Buckling / Unbuckling: This is tricky for our youngest K students, but with practice and diligence, they can do it. If your child is working on this, let them know they can earn a nice set of WolfBucks if you let me know they are now independent with this skill! This helps to keep the line moving.
• Stay in Driver's Seat: With the two variables above, the parent staying in the car also keeps the line safe and moving. Staff are usually able to help with doors.
• Small Buses & Vans: As you have noticed, we have many small buses this year, along with a couple small vans and also parents who need to use the designated handicap parking spots during drop off and pick up. We thank you for your patience to keep EVERYONE safe. It is ok to leave some room between you and a small bus/van and to pull around them when you are able--keep it slow and keep it safe!
• Construction equipment: And, another HUGE variable is having less space to operate and big stacks of bricks all over the place. Take your time, make sure you can pull out safely and we will do our best with this changing environment.

Over the next few weeks, students in grades K-3 will have a quick discussion about school safety and drills. The overall concept between these discussions is to remind students that they need to be quiet and follow directions from the adults they are with during any situation. The WCASD follows the ALICE model for school safety situations.

As a reminder, the ALICE Training model equips both staff and students with valuable safety options, situational awareness, and survival skills for school and life. Having trained our school staff in the ALICE program for several years, we now explain to our 4th and 5th grade students how to make informed decisions in emergency situations, and we are continuing this effort to enhance their overall safety awareness. Below is a brief overview of the presentations for students based on grade level:

• Kindergarten through Grade 3: Students will participate in a short discussion that focuses on sharing simple safety strategies by reading and discussing a picture book.

• Grades 4 and 5: Students already met with our feeder pattern’s Campus Safety Officer (Mr. John O’Hare) and received a brief presentation introducing them to ALICE principles. Additionally, they learned about school-specific safety locations in the event of an emergency.

We know that school safety is a difficult topic, but we would like to assure you that all presentations and exercises that involve students are designed to be age-appropriate.

Our primary goal in introducing students to these concepts is to help them continue to feel that our school is a safe, welcoming place where they are free to learn, grow, and enjoy.

A talking point for parents is to please remind your children to follow the directions of the adults they are with.

If you have any questions or concerns regarding this or other safety and security procedures, please contact the WCASD’s Public Safety Supervisor, Rik Thornton at rthornton@wcasd.net.

Starkweather is moving back to a FLEX Library system. In this system, which we did use two years ago, Kindergarten and 1st grade will have a set day/time for Library. Grades 2-5 will have a flexible schedule for their library time in terms of class lessons or projects. For book checkout, students will have the ability to go and check out a book at most times of the day on Mon/Wed/Fri.

We will be keeping an eye on circulation numbers, lesson scheduling, etc. as we move through this fall in a flex schedule in our Library.

Reach out to me or Mrs. Gadaleto ( mgadaleto@wcasd.net ) know if you have any questions.

Starkweather continues to qualify for Title 1 Support, as we have for many years now.

The letter attached explains our T1 status, and what that means for Starkweather.

As I have mentioned we are shifting from 'targeted supports' to 'schoolwide supports' and adjusting to this new format.

Linked below is our slide deck we shared at the Sept. PTO meeting which goes into more detail.

Next, is our Continuous Improvement Plan (CIP)--these are slides right from our staff meeting, and is for parents to look into if you are interested.

We have also included our T1 Compact, if you are interested in checking that out.

Let us know if you have any questions!

Dear Families,

Best Buddies registration for the 2026-2027 school year is now open.

Check out the attachment, below.

After talking it over with your child, and they are interested, please sign up using the QR code in the attached flyer or by clicking the following link https://url.us.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/iR_pC68vynHxGo0qs5s77i5Ye0v?domain=forms.bestbuddies.org

Registration closes Friday, October 16th. If you have questions, please email Megan Loper at mloper@wcasd.net.

Every year, we have about 20% of the school that are new families to us.

This is just a reminder to NOT send in birthday treats with your child.

You can send in stickers, or pencils, or erasers, or, you do not need to send in anything : )

Thanks!

check us out! click @SWSWolves for glimpses into our day to day, renovation pics, addition pics...etc!

check out the latest SWS PTO eblast...and be sure to follow SWS PTO on Instagram, too!

Interested in some dancing action for your kiddo? Check out the pic...

Use the NEW STUDENT LINK and follow the steps to register.

MAKE SURE YOU CHOOSE THE CORRECT SCHOOL YEAR!!

Registration for '26-27 is now open for all incoming students.

Any questions, reach out to Ms. Christine Savage in the office. csavage@wcasd.net or 484-266-2202.

⌚ "Smart" Watches ⌚

Each year, we seem to get an increase in students with some sort of smart watch. Please understand that these are a pretty big distraction to the kids. Imagine having a computer on your wrist when you were in elementary school!

Please do not consider a smart watch as part of the back to school outfit...if it becomes a distraction, it will need to stay home.

Parents, please do not text your kids during the school day. If your kid texts you, you don't need to reply.

Thanks for understanding!!!

PickUp Patrol for late arrivals and early dismissal changes--

Starkweather uses PickUp Patrol for ALL plan changes, including late and early dismissals. Please do not send notes, emails or call the school for changes, except in an emergency.

Any questions about PickUp Patrol can be directed to Mrs. Kathy Walker in our main office. kwalker@wcasd.net or our main number 484 266 2200.

Parents can also utilize our new attendance reporting system that we implemented last year in PowerSchool. Information can also be found on our district website https://www.wcasd.net/families-students/report-attendance-in-parent-portal. You can utilize the system to report late arrivals, early dismissals and full day absences. Again, reach out to Mrs. Walker with any questions.

Universal FREE Breakfast Program

All SWS students are able to access a free breakfast at school for the duration of the school year.

• PLEASE BE SURE THAT YOUR CHILD KNOWS WHETHER OR NOT THEY HAVE YOUR PERMISSION TO HAVE BREAKFAST.
• This year, our morning arrival room will be in the cafeteria, so we want to be sure that kids are not getting an 'extra breakfast' after already eating at home without their parents knowing.

If you would like to volunteer to help out here at Starkweather, and especially if you think that you will want to be a chaperone for a field trip, please make sure your CLEARANCES are on file. This process is kind of a pain in the neck, to be honest, but the forms do last for 5 years.

Check out VOLUNTEER FORMS to get the process started. Thanks for helping out!

click above to see what other activities your child may enjoy in our community

• DROP OFF is from 8:30 - 9:00.
• Please notice the green line on the map to use the CAR LOOP to drop off kids for regular arrival.
• ALL STUDENTS WILL ENTER THE BUILDING THROUGH THE MAIN ENTRANCE DOORS.
• Parents who are using ACP for Before School Care should notice the RED dashes on the map and drive around the side of the building. ACP uses the cafeteria and the back playground.
• If you are later than 9:00, please park your car and walk your child to the door to sign them in, too.
  
• If it is later than 9:00 but the buses are also still emptying, you are able to drop them off on the curb as we will still have staff out front.
• YIELD to BUSES--we usually do not have too much congestion in the mornings, but if needed, buses will pass the cars on the way up the hill.
• The best way to cut down on car-line congestion is to have your child use the bus!!

• PICK UP for afternoon dismissal is from 3:30 to 3:50.
• No changes can be made to Pick Up Patrol after 2:30.
• Any student ‘left over’ after car line ends at 3:50 will need to be picked up from the office.
• We will have staff members out front making note of the cars as they arrive into the CAR LOOP and helping students get into the cars (notice the green line on the map)
  
• As you’re waiting in the Car Line on the hill, be aware that buses will pass you on the way up the hill. It is ok, we have done this for years...LOOK BOTH WAYS as you enter and exit the Car Loop.
  
• YIELD TO THE BUSES!! Look at the RED ARROWS on the map above--those are spots where parents need to be careful when pulling into and out of the car loop. YIELD TO THE BUSES!!
  
• The best way to cut down on car-line congestion is to have your child use the bus!!