Principal's Message
September 2, 2020
Good morning WCE HS Families,
Included here is some important information about preparation for the first day of school.
I have four items for you today:
1. Video explaining the cycle day and period schedule. This is intended to clarify time expectations and what the first month of school will look like by cycle day. https://www.loom.com/share/9f32a6eb4a89458fa14655e9f5721303
2. Document about things that students should do to prepare laptops prior to Monday. There are steps that students should take between now and Sunday to help ensure Monday morning goes smoothly. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1XTxu_qcPVVHKNRsW0PzWLctTTAKPwatunfnrJzR03yk/edit?usp=sharing.
3. Instructions for material and book pickup on Friday, August 28. (This was originally sent earlier this week). While many of our courses will be conducted using online text, some courses require actual books and some classes will require materials. See attached: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1rUifNxP3rf8OvTu-87nEfjipxA29mPokkQWuoBPAr8E/edit?usp=sharing.
4. How to Support your Child Emotionally & Academically in a Virtual World. Presentation September 22 at 6:30. bernstein_parent_workshop_9-22-20.pdf
Sincerely,
Kevin Fagan, Principal
Good morning WCE HS Families,
Included here is some important information about preparation for the first day of school.
I have four items for you today:
1. Video explaining the cycle day and period schedule. This is intended to clarify time expectations and what the first month of school will look like by cycle day. https://www.loom.com/share/9f32a6eb4a89458fa14655e9f5721303
2. Document about things that students should do to prepare laptops prior to Monday. There are steps that students should take between now and Sunday to help ensure Monday morning goes smoothly. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1XTxu_qcPVVHKNRsW0PzWLctTTAKPwatunfnrJzR03yk/edit?usp=sharing.
3. Instructions for material and book pickup on Friday, August 28. (This was originally sent earlier this week). While many of our courses will be conducted using online text, some courses require actual books and some classes will require materials. See attached: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1rUifNxP3rf8OvTu-87nEfjipxA29mPokkQWuoBPAr8E/edit?usp=sharing.
4. How to Support your Child Emotionally & Academically in a Virtual World. Presentation September 22 at 6:30. bernstein_parent_workshop_9-22-20.pdf
Sincerely,
Kevin Fagan, Principal
May 27, 2020
Good Morning EHS Families,
Our academic year is winding down but there is certainly a lot going on, so I thought it might be good to share some information about upcoming events so that you are “in the know” and can plan accordingly.
May 26th through May 29: Graduate cap and gown pick up and item drop off, as outlined herein: Senior Cap and Gown Pick Up EHS 2020 Final.pdf
Sun, May 31st at 7:00 PM: Hope at Home: a concert to benefit Home of the Sparrow is going virtual this year! Our students will showcase their musical talents in an effort to raise funds for the local charity, Home of the Sparrow. This is a fund-raiser, and viewers will have the opportunity to contribute during the event. If you’ve attended this concert in the past, you know how super it is. You will need to register for this event and we have limited registrations. Our EHS families are being prioritized, so act fast! https://protect-us.mimecast.com/s/UcS3C1wnqgHoqgkFL9vmP?domain=zoom.us.
Mon, June 1st: Deadline for senior opt in grading form submission (check previous emails for specific language on this): https://protect-us.mimecast.com/s/8jVqCkRlKGUzNZYI8kSNm?domain=docs.google.com.
Mon, June 1st at 12:00 PM: Annual senior tribute video! The link for this event will be on our school homepage, activated on time and remain afterward.
Tues, June 2nd at 6:00 PM: Senior Awards Assembly. The link for this event will be on our school homepage, activated on time and remain afterward.
Wed, June 3rd around noon time: Celebratory graduation car parade and picture opportunity on campus for our seniors. In an effort to ensure everyone’s safety, this event is open only to our graduates and their immediate families. Other guests and spectators are not able to join us, but we will share video and pics afterward! I sent detailed information about yesterday, but here it is again in case you need it: Information for EHS Graduation Drive Through.pdf
Thurs, June 4th at 6:00 PM: EHS Virtual Commencement! The link for this event will be on our school homepage, activated on time, and remain afterward.
Fri, June 5th: Last school day for students in grades 9-11.
Mon, June 15th: Deadline for submitting grading opt-in for students in grades 9-11. Information about this was sent on Tuesday, May 26 via email.
Late June: Report cards available in Power School.
July 26th: Live Commencement and senior picnic/yearbook signing if permitted by government authorities.
Thanks for reading and have a great day!
Kevin Fagan
Good Morning EHS Families,
Our academic year is winding down but there is certainly a lot going on, so I thought it might be good to share some information about upcoming events so that you are “in the know” and can plan accordingly.
May 26th through May 29: Graduate cap and gown pick up and item drop off, as outlined herein: Senior Cap and Gown Pick Up EHS 2020 Final.pdf
Sun, May 31st at 7:00 PM: Hope at Home: a concert to benefit Home of the Sparrow is going virtual this year! Our students will showcase their musical talents in an effort to raise funds for the local charity, Home of the Sparrow. This is a fund-raiser, and viewers will have the opportunity to contribute during the event. If you’ve attended this concert in the past, you know how super it is. You will need to register for this event and we have limited registrations. Our EHS families are being prioritized, so act fast! https://protect-us.mimecast.com/s/UcS3C1wnqgHoqgkFL9vmP?domain=zoom.us.
Mon, June 1st: Deadline for senior opt in grading form submission (check previous emails for specific language on this): https://protect-us.mimecast.com/s/8jVqCkRlKGUzNZYI8kSNm?domain=docs.google.com.
Mon, June 1st at 12:00 PM: Annual senior tribute video! The link for this event will be on our school homepage, activated on time and remain afterward.
Tues, June 2nd at 6:00 PM: Senior Awards Assembly. The link for this event will be on our school homepage, activated on time and remain afterward.
Wed, June 3rd around noon time: Celebratory graduation car parade and picture opportunity on campus for our seniors. In an effort to ensure everyone’s safety, this event is open only to our graduates and their immediate families. Other guests and spectators are not able to join us, but we will share video and pics afterward! I sent detailed information about yesterday, but here it is again in case you need it: Information for EHS Graduation Drive Through.pdf
Thurs, June 4th at 6:00 PM: EHS Virtual Commencement! The link for this event will be on our school homepage, activated on time, and remain afterward.
Fri, June 5th: Last school day for students in grades 9-11.
Mon, June 15th: Deadline for submitting grading opt-in for students in grades 9-11. Information about this was sent on Tuesday, May 26 via email.
Late June: Report cards available in Power School.
July 26th: Live Commencement and senior picnic/yearbook signing if permitted by government authorities.
Thanks for reading and have a great day!
Kevin Fagan
Good Afternoon EHS Families,
Let me begin by saying that I wish you all well and hope that your families are doing OK, but that I know too that some our families are facing challenges unique to our current circumstances. I want you to know that I am thinking about you, and if you believe that there is some way that we can assist you, your son or daughter, please don’t hesitate to tell me that. This is a historically bad time, and we are all living through it together. We must stick together. We are one community, one school.
Students, I miss seeing you in school every day, and I know that you miss seeing each other, going to class, eating together. I know you miss your teachers. You might even miss the little things about school that used to annoy you. I miss them too. I know one thing is for sure: What we are experiencing right now is temporary. We Vikings will be together again.
Of late, we have been working diligently to try and ensure that our seniors can have the best possible conclusion in these dire circumstances. We have a number of commemorative gestures in mind and are dedicating a lot of time and resources, but I know that nothing can truly replace actually being in school and enjoying our many traditions. I care about all of our classes, and this senior class was special. Over the past four years, this senior class has stepped up to set the tone for the school, and when they graduate in June, the Class of 2020 will be remembered for many things other than “the class that missed out on the end of their high school time.” The Class of 2020 will be remembered as kind and resilient and a shining example of what our community has to offer the world. I am optimistic about the future because of what I've learned about our seniors in our time together.
I realize that our other classes are missing out too. This is not the beginning any of us wanted for our ninth grades. Our sophomores and juniors are worried about how this year’s interruption could impact things moving forward. Inevitably, there will be ripple effects from being out of school for so long this year. Our school and district will spend the time between now and the beginning of next school year planning on the best way to get you back on track and moving forward in the right direction. Our students are priority #1.
And students, just as I know you want to be back in school, please know that your teachers, counselors, nurses, administrators and all of our staff want to be back there too, and that we look forward to being together again, under one roof. Your teachers have faced unforeseen challenges this year and were compelled to adjust on the fly. Under the circumstances, I could not be more proud of our faculty and staff. This week is Teacher Appreciation Week and we include our nurses and counselors in that recognition. Together, these professionals work every day to do their best for our students. In my seven years as principal, there have been many points at which I was proud of our faculty and staff, but this past two months has shown me just how much they really care about students and our community. So students and families, if you have a few minutes to spare, you might consider sending just a quick email to thank one of our professionals. I can’t tell you how much that would mean to them. In our line of work, a sincere thank you from a student or parent means the world.
We have about 5 weeks left in this school year. Students, I’d ask you to keep after it. Log into Schoology each day, engage with your teachers and peers, and complete your assignments. Several of you have recently asked me about the “opt in” process we recently communicated. The next step in that process will be released very soon. Some students have asked about getting into East to retrieve belongings and drop off materials. We will communicate that plan soon as well. Most importantly, please take care of yourselves. Get your sleep, eat well, exercise, and find the silver lining each day to get yourself through. This too shall pass...
In the meantime, if you need clarification on anything or help with something, please let me know.
Be well,
Kevin Fagan
Let me begin by saying that I wish you all well and hope that your families are doing OK, but that I know too that some our families are facing challenges unique to our current circumstances. I want you to know that I am thinking about you, and if you believe that there is some way that we can assist you, your son or daughter, please don’t hesitate to tell me that. This is a historically bad time, and we are all living through it together. We must stick together. We are one community, one school.
Students, I miss seeing you in school every day, and I know that you miss seeing each other, going to class, eating together. I know you miss your teachers. You might even miss the little things about school that used to annoy you. I miss them too. I know one thing is for sure: What we are experiencing right now is temporary. We Vikings will be together again.
Of late, we have been working diligently to try and ensure that our seniors can have the best possible conclusion in these dire circumstances. We have a number of commemorative gestures in mind and are dedicating a lot of time and resources, but I know that nothing can truly replace actually being in school and enjoying our many traditions. I care about all of our classes, and this senior class was special. Over the past four years, this senior class has stepped up to set the tone for the school, and when they graduate in June, the Class of 2020 will be remembered for many things other than “the class that missed out on the end of their high school time.” The Class of 2020 will be remembered as kind and resilient and a shining example of what our community has to offer the world. I am optimistic about the future because of what I've learned about our seniors in our time together.
I realize that our other classes are missing out too. This is not the beginning any of us wanted for our ninth grades. Our sophomores and juniors are worried about how this year’s interruption could impact things moving forward. Inevitably, there will be ripple effects from being out of school for so long this year. Our school and district will spend the time between now and the beginning of next school year planning on the best way to get you back on track and moving forward in the right direction. Our students are priority #1.
And students, just as I know you want to be back in school, please know that your teachers, counselors, nurses, administrators and all of our staff want to be back there too, and that we look forward to being together again, under one roof. Your teachers have faced unforeseen challenges this year and were compelled to adjust on the fly. Under the circumstances, I could not be more proud of our faculty and staff. This week is Teacher Appreciation Week and we include our nurses and counselors in that recognition. Together, these professionals work every day to do their best for our students. In my seven years as principal, there have been many points at which I was proud of our faculty and staff, but this past two months has shown me just how much they really care about students and our community. So students and families, if you have a few minutes to spare, you might consider sending just a quick email to thank one of our professionals. I can’t tell you how much that would mean to them. In our line of work, a sincere thank you from a student or parent means the world.
We have about 5 weeks left in this school year. Students, I’d ask you to keep after it. Log into Schoology each day, engage with your teachers and peers, and complete your assignments. Several of you have recently asked me about the “opt in” process we recently communicated. The next step in that process will be released very soon. Some students have asked about getting into East to retrieve belongings and drop off materials. We will communicate that plan soon as well. Most importantly, please take care of yourselves. Get your sleep, eat well, exercise, and find the silver lining each day to get yourself through. This too shall pass...
In the meantime, if you need clarification on anything or help with something, please let me know.
Be well,
Kevin Fagan
Good morning EHS Families,
The third marking period is in full swing, and winter sports are heading into the post season. Many of our students are gearing up for our annual spring musical and the House of Hope Concert, and before we know it, we'll be celebrating our spring concerts. Never a dull moment! I wanted to provide some calendar items for you:
February 17: President’s Day - Schools closed
February 20: Two hour delay for students. No late buses.
March 19: Two-hour delay for students
March 25: Faculty In-service - 11:00 AM dismissal for students
March 26: End of 3rd Marking Period
As many of you know, we have a very supportive PTO. One of the key ways in which our PTO supports our students is through the post prom activity, which is a really big under-taking. Historically, nearly all of our seniors attend post prom (even those students who did not attend prom), where they are entertained till about 5:30 AM Saturday morning. Our goal is to keep them off the roads and safe. Post-prom is a community event and it requires the help of many in order to happen. If you'd like to contribute or help in some way, contact Ms. Brigette Grenell at [email protected].
Thank you for your continued support of our school!
Kevin Fagan, Principal
The third marking period is in full swing, and winter sports are heading into the post season. Many of our students are gearing up for our annual spring musical and the House of Hope Concert, and before we know it, we'll be celebrating our spring concerts. Never a dull moment! I wanted to provide some calendar items for you:
February 17: President’s Day - Schools closed
February 20: Two hour delay for students. No late buses.
March 19: Two-hour delay for students
March 25: Faculty In-service - 11:00 AM dismissal for students
March 26: End of 3rd Marking Period
As many of you know, we have a very supportive PTO. One of the key ways in which our PTO supports our students is through the post prom activity, which is a really big under-taking. Historically, nearly all of our seniors attend post prom (even those students who did not attend prom), where they are entertained till about 5:30 AM Saturday morning. Our goal is to keep them off the roads and safe. Post-prom is a community event and it requires the help of many in order to happen. If you'd like to contribute or help in some way, contact Ms. Brigette Grenell at [email protected].
Thank you for your continued support of our school!
Kevin Fagan, Principal
Good Morning EHS Families!
Soon, we will wrap up marking period two and the first semester. Students have this week to complete out-standing assignments and get their grades where they need to be. Teachers are available for extra help after school.
On Friday, January 17, students have a half day for teacher in-service and schools are closed on Monday, January 20 in recognition of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The marking period officially ends on January 21, and then (somehow) we are heading into spring term, a very busy time of year (when thankfully the days are longer, brighter, and increasingly warmer!). Thursday, January 23 is a 2 hour delayed start for students so that teachers can engage in professional development. On that day, buses will run at the regular time only. Students are not required to report to school before 9:25, but if they do come in, they can report to either the cafeteria or library.
I want to take this opportunity to remind our families about a School Board Policy relevant to the graduating classes of 2021 and beyond (current juniors). Policy 214 addresses class rank and Commencement honors speakers. As we’ve previously published, our class rank procedures for the Class of 2021 and beyond have been updated to reflect a more current approach and diminish the emphasis that has historically pre-occupied students.
On a related note, this upcoming graduation is the last for which we will designate a Valedictorian and Salutatorian based on class rank. Beginning 2021, the opportunity to speak at Commencement will be opened up to the graduating class at large and interested parties will be provided an audition and process for consideration. We will share specifics about this process next fall. If you are interested in learning more, you can find our Board Policies on the school district homepage.
Thanks for your time and attention!
Kevin Fagan, Principal
Soon, we will wrap up marking period two and the first semester. Students have this week to complete out-standing assignments and get their grades where they need to be. Teachers are available for extra help after school.
On Friday, January 17, students have a half day for teacher in-service and schools are closed on Monday, January 20 in recognition of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The marking period officially ends on January 21, and then (somehow) we are heading into spring term, a very busy time of year (when thankfully the days are longer, brighter, and increasingly warmer!). Thursday, January 23 is a 2 hour delayed start for students so that teachers can engage in professional development. On that day, buses will run at the regular time only. Students are not required to report to school before 9:25, but if they do come in, they can report to either the cafeteria or library.
I want to take this opportunity to remind our families about a School Board Policy relevant to the graduating classes of 2021 and beyond (current juniors). Policy 214 addresses class rank and Commencement honors speakers. As we’ve previously published, our class rank procedures for the Class of 2021 and beyond have been updated to reflect a more current approach and diminish the emphasis that has historically pre-occupied students.
On a related note, this upcoming graduation is the last for which we will designate a Valedictorian and Salutatorian based on class rank. Beginning 2021, the opportunity to speak at Commencement will be opened up to the graduating class at large and interested parties will be provided an audition and process for consideration. We will share specifics about this process next fall. If you are interested in learning more, you can find our Board Policies on the school district homepage.
Thanks for your time and attention!
Kevin Fagan, Principal
January, 2020
Greetings and Happy New Year! Our Course Selection Night 2020 will take place Wednesday, January 22 at the WC East High School Auditorium 6:30 to 8:00 PM. The purpose of this program is to provide an overview of course offerings for the coming school year. Our program will begin with a short presentation of the course selection and transition process in the auditorium, followed by an informational session that will take place in the café, where families will have an opportunity to interact with department members and ask questions about courses. If you have questions about your child's course selection options for the upcoming school year, we'd encourage you to join us January 22. In the event of inclement weather, the alternate meeting date is January 30.
Hope to see you then!
Sincerely,
Kevin Fagan
Greetings and Happy New Year! Our Course Selection Night 2020 will take place Wednesday, January 22 at the WC East High School Auditorium 6:30 to 8:00 PM. The purpose of this program is to provide an overview of course offerings for the coming school year. Our program will begin with a short presentation of the course selection and transition process in the auditorium, followed by an informational session that will take place in the café, where families will have an opportunity to interact with department members and ask questions about courses. If you have questions about your child's course selection options for the upcoming school year, we'd encourage you to join us January 22. In the event of inclement weather, the alternate meeting date is January 30.
Hope to see you then!
Sincerely,
Kevin Fagan
Good morning EHS Families,
We are quickly approaching Thanksgiving and I wanted to wish you our best for a happy holiday. My hope is that you find some time to be with family and friends and reconnect amid the always-busy world in which we live. Our students are going to get a break from homework and studying next week so that they too can de-stress for a few days. I hope they take advantage by getting some extra sleep, seeing friends and family, and detaching from the phone!
Speaking and giving thanks, recently, an article was published in the East Bradford Neighbors magazine about our annual House of Hope concert, one of the premier events here at East. The concert takes place each year to benefit the Home of Sparrow, a local charity geared toward helping women in need. This year's concert will be Friday, March 27. We are looking to making it our best yet! Check out the attached. east_bradford_neighbors_december_2019.pdf
Sincerely,
Kevin Fagan, Principal
We are quickly approaching Thanksgiving and I wanted to wish you our best for a happy holiday. My hope is that you find some time to be with family and friends and reconnect amid the always-busy world in which we live. Our students are going to get a break from homework and studying next week so that they too can de-stress for a few days. I hope they take advantage by getting some extra sleep, seeing friends and family, and detaching from the phone!
Speaking and giving thanks, recently, an article was published in the East Bradford Neighbors magazine about our annual House of Hope concert, one of the premier events here at East. The concert takes place each year to benefit the Home of Sparrow, a local charity geared toward helping women in need. This year's concert will be Friday, March 27. We are looking to making it our best yet! Check out the attached. east_bradford_neighbors_december_2019.pdf
Sincerely,
Kevin Fagan, Principal
November 5, 2019
Good morning EHS families,
Again this year, our staff will refrain from assigning homework over the Thanksgiving and Winter Breaks. Additionally, we will refrain from substantial assessments in the two days following each break. East High School is dedicated to continuing to refine its homework practices, and our commitment to giving students a "break over the break" is symbolic of our interest in helping students and families find life balance and make the most of their time together, something that seems increasingly challenging, with all that life throws our way.
I hope that over the upcoming breaks, your family has an opportunity to spend genuine time together and celebrate. We all know how precious those moments are.
Attached is our November newsletter, and among other things, it addresses the role that homework plays in the lives of our students. I hope you find it helpful. Thanks for your continued support of our school! november_2019_ehs_newsletter.pdf
Good morning EHS families,
Again this year, our staff will refrain from assigning homework over the Thanksgiving and Winter Breaks. Additionally, we will refrain from substantial assessments in the two days following each break. East High School is dedicated to continuing to refine its homework practices, and our commitment to giving students a "break over the break" is symbolic of our interest in helping students and families find life balance and make the most of their time together, something that seems increasingly challenging, with all that life throws our way.
I hope that over the upcoming breaks, your family has an opportunity to spend genuine time together and celebrate. We all know how precious those moments are.
Attached is our November newsletter, and among other things, it addresses the role that homework plays in the lives of our students. I hope you find it helpful. Thanks for your continued support of our school! november_2019_ehs_newsletter.pdf
October 30, 2019
Good afternoon EHS families,
I hope you are doing well. Somehow, we are already wrapping up marking period 1. I have two important items for you today, each with separate attachments:
1. Parent conferences are scheduled for just prior to Thanksgiving Break. I know that many of you have been anxiously awaiting information about this. There are three items attached, including a letter from me, instructions for how to schedule, and a worksheet in case you need it.
A. parent_conference_letter_2019.pdf.
B. ptcfast_instructions_for_parent_conferences_2019.pdf.
C. parent_conference_worksheet_2019.pdf
2. The College Board has adjusted when and how AP level students will sign up for AP exams this school year. The most significant shift is that students will sign up (and pay) now, as opposed to February and March, as was the prior practice. This was a change made not by any school district, but by the College Board. We have previously communicated this change, and students have been notified again recently. I'm sharing information with you here as a reminder. The attached will provide all the information necessary for signing up for an AP exam, and your child's teacher is also equipped to answer questions. The deadline is fast approaching though. Interested students need to sign up and pay by November 7. ap_exam_student_and_parent_notice_2019.pdf.
Sincerely,
Kevin Fagan, Principal
Good afternoon EHS families,
I hope you are doing well. Somehow, we are already wrapping up marking period 1. I have two important items for you today, each with separate attachments:
1. Parent conferences are scheduled for just prior to Thanksgiving Break. I know that many of you have been anxiously awaiting information about this. There are three items attached, including a letter from me, instructions for how to schedule, and a worksheet in case you need it.
A. parent_conference_letter_2019.pdf.
B. ptcfast_instructions_for_parent_conferences_2019.pdf.
C. parent_conference_worksheet_2019.pdf
2. The College Board has adjusted when and how AP level students will sign up for AP exams this school year. The most significant shift is that students will sign up (and pay) now, as opposed to February and March, as was the prior practice. This was a change made not by any school district, but by the College Board. We have previously communicated this change, and students have been notified again recently. I'm sharing information with you here as a reminder. The attached will provide all the information necessary for signing up for an AP exam, and your child's teacher is also equipped to answer questions. The deadline is fast approaching though. Interested students need to sign up and pay by November 7. ap_exam_student_and_parent_notice_2019.pdf.
Sincerely,
Kevin Fagan, Principal
October, 2019
Hello WC East Families!
Our Extra-curricular Open House is coming up soon. Mark your calendars for November 6th from 7:00 to 8:00 PM. This event provides an opportunity for middle school families in our feeder pattern to come in, meet out coaches, advisers, and some teachers to hear about our extra-curricular opportunities at our school. Take a tour of our building! We welcome all of our Fugett Middle School families, as well as other families in our feeder pattern considering sending their children to WC East High School within the next couple of years.
Please feel free to share this email with others and perhaps post the attached flier where you see fit. ehs_extra_curricular_open_house_flier_2019.pdf. Thank you for your support!
Sincerely,
Kevin Fagan, Principal
Hello WC East Families!
Our Extra-curricular Open House is coming up soon. Mark your calendars for November 6th from 7:00 to 8:00 PM. This event provides an opportunity for middle school families in our feeder pattern to come in, meet out coaches, advisers, and some teachers to hear about our extra-curricular opportunities at our school. Take a tour of our building! We welcome all of our Fugett Middle School families, as well as other families in our feeder pattern considering sending their children to WC East High School within the next couple of years.
Please feel free to share this email with others and perhaps post the attached flier where you see fit. ehs_extra_curricular_open_house_flier_2019.pdf. Thank you for your support!
Sincerely,
Kevin Fagan, Principal
October, 2019
Hello WC East Families,
Attached here is our October newsletter october_2019_ehs_newsletter.pdf.
Our school has agreed to participate in a research study conducted by Dr. Kate Nolt from Creighton University’s Master of Public Health program on the topic of Internet Gaming Disorder (e.g. how addictive is the use of electronic devices for playing games?). Students in grades 9 and 11 will be asked to take a 36-item survey electronically. Students can ask a question at any time during the survey, and do not have to participate. The survey takes about 20 minutes to complete and will be given on Tuesday October 22 .
Some commonly asked questions about this study are answered below. Thank you, in advance, for your cooperation and participation.
Explanation of the Study (What is this study about?).
A key concern in public health is the excessive consumption of interactive entertainment media among adolescents. Several studies have shown that Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD)/internet addiction (IA), like any other addictive disorder, can result in life altering consequences. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders – 5th Edition (DSM-5) has listed IGD as a disorder which needs further research. According to the American Psychiatric Association (2019), the DSM-5 is clear that gaming “must cause [significant impairment or distress] in several aspects of a person’s life” to be considered diagnose-able.
Researchers hope to gain significant data and insight to inform on 1) the development of a school-based prevention approach to avoiding IGD/IA in youth; and 2) the development of a training and/or guidelines for parents to prevent the onset of IGD/IA, manage technology use in the home and related risky behaviors that can interfere with healthy youth development. Further, this research will effectively establish relationships between the presence of IGD/IA and poor academic performance, unhealthy social relationships and signs and symptoms of addiction like those of other behavioral addictions (i.e., preoccupation, dose-response, withdrawal, anxiety).
Benefits of Participating in the Study (What are the possible benefits to me or others?)
This preliminary study proposes to broaden general knowledge on the prevalence of IGD/IA in minority and ethnic youth and add to the literature for the relationship between the presence of IGD/IA and its contribution to the field of Internet addiction in youth. Additionally, this study can establish what, if any, disparities exist between students of diverse backgrounds, and the role of school and parental boundaries in preventing the onset and treatment of IGD/IA.
Students can decide not to participate without any consequences from the school or the research team. Confidentiality will be maintained in several ways: 1) The IP address feature of Qualtrics (the software the survey was created in) will be disabled so no personal email address can be tracked; and 2) no personal identifiers such as names or birth dates will be requested. No one will know who is responding and know who is in the study.
If there are questions about this study, please contact Dr. Kate Nolt by email: [email protected] or call 610-656-1918.
Thank you so much for allowing your student to participate in this study. These data will assist the schools, communities and families in ensuring our kids are using technology in a manner that fosters balanced and healthy growth.
Hello WC East Families,
Attached here is our October newsletter october_2019_ehs_newsletter.pdf.
Our school has agreed to participate in a research study conducted by Dr. Kate Nolt from Creighton University’s Master of Public Health program on the topic of Internet Gaming Disorder (e.g. how addictive is the use of electronic devices for playing games?). Students in grades 9 and 11 will be asked to take a 36-item survey electronically. Students can ask a question at any time during the survey, and do not have to participate. The survey takes about 20 minutes to complete and will be given on Tuesday October 22 .
Some commonly asked questions about this study are answered below. Thank you, in advance, for your cooperation and participation.
Explanation of the Study (What is this study about?).
A key concern in public health is the excessive consumption of interactive entertainment media among adolescents. Several studies have shown that Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD)/internet addiction (IA), like any other addictive disorder, can result in life altering consequences. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders – 5th Edition (DSM-5) has listed IGD as a disorder which needs further research. According to the American Psychiatric Association (2019), the DSM-5 is clear that gaming “must cause [significant impairment or distress] in several aspects of a person’s life” to be considered diagnose-able.
Researchers hope to gain significant data and insight to inform on 1) the development of a school-based prevention approach to avoiding IGD/IA in youth; and 2) the development of a training and/or guidelines for parents to prevent the onset of IGD/IA, manage technology use in the home and related risky behaviors that can interfere with healthy youth development. Further, this research will effectively establish relationships between the presence of IGD/IA and poor academic performance, unhealthy social relationships and signs and symptoms of addiction like those of other behavioral addictions (i.e., preoccupation, dose-response, withdrawal, anxiety).
Benefits of Participating in the Study (What are the possible benefits to me or others?)
This preliminary study proposes to broaden general knowledge on the prevalence of IGD/IA in minority and ethnic youth and add to the literature for the relationship between the presence of IGD/IA and its contribution to the field of Internet addiction in youth. Additionally, this study can establish what, if any, disparities exist between students of diverse backgrounds, and the role of school and parental boundaries in preventing the onset and treatment of IGD/IA.
Students can decide not to participate without any consequences from the school or the research team. Confidentiality will be maintained in several ways: 1) The IP address feature of Qualtrics (the software the survey was created in) will be disabled so no personal email address can be tracked; and 2) no personal identifiers such as names or birth dates will be requested. No one will know who is responding and know who is in the study.
If there are questions about this study, please contact Dr. Kate Nolt by email: [email protected] or call 610-656-1918.
Thank you so much for allowing your student to participate in this study. These data will assist the schools, communities and families in ensuring our kids are using technology in a manner that fosters balanced and healthy growth.
September, 2019
Hello West Chester East HS Families,
First, thank you to the many families that joined us the other night for Open House. Our faculty really appreciated your being here!
Next week is our traditional Spirit Week, and our Student Council has been working diligently to ensure it's a great week for all of our students. In addition to meeting with students in small groups, today I addressed the student body at large about expectations for next week and keeping our focus positive and inclusive. I have faith that our students will shine! Having said that, celebratory events like this can also lend to kids getting a little "over-zealous," so I've been reminding students that Spirit Week is about our school spirit, which I consider to be one of our hallmarks. Generally speaking, our students really care about one another and about our school. Next week is an opportunity to show their spirit! I appreciate any efforts on your part to emphasize good choices.
Spirit Week culminates with our Friday and Saturday events, including a Pep Rally on Friday. We have a special schedule for that day, and I've provided it to all of our students via Schoology. The big change for Friday is that we begin the day with period 8, then follow with periods 1 through 7 (we do this mostly because otherwise, the first lunch would be too early in day).
Lastly, I wanted to remind our families also that the WCASD implements breathalyzer procedures for all dances. Each student/guest coming to the dance next Saturday night will be greeted by a school administrator and given a breathalyzer. We do this to help drive home the message that we want our students to be here in a healthy and safe manner. We've been doing this for years, and our students are accustomed to it by now.
That's it for now. Thanks for reading.
Hello West Chester East HS Families,
First, thank you to the many families that joined us the other night for Open House. Our faculty really appreciated your being here!
Next week is our traditional Spirit Week, and our Student Council has been working diligently to ensure it's a great week for all of our students. In addition to meeting with students in small groups, today I addressed the student body at large about expectations for next week and keeping our focus positive and inclusive. I have faith that our students will shine! Having said that, celebratory events like this can also lend to kids getting a little "over-zealous," so I've been reminding students that Spirit Week is about our school spirit, which I consider to be one of our hallmarks. Generally speaking, our students really care about one another and about our school. Next week is an opportunity to show their spirit! I appreciate any efforts on your part to emphasize good choices.
Spirit Week culminates with our Friday and Saturday events, including a Pep Rally on Friday. We have a special schedule for that day, and I've provided it to all of our students via Schoology. The big change for Friday is that we begin the day with period 8, then follow with periods 1 through 7 (we do this mostly because otherwise, the first lunch would be too early in day).
Lastly, I wanted to remind our families also that the WCASD implements breathalyzer procedures for all dances. Each student/guest coming to the dance next Saturday night will be greeted by a school administrator and given a breathalyzer. We do this to help drive home the message that we want our students to be here in a healthy and safe manner. We've been doing this for years, and our students are accustomed to it by now.
That's it for now. Thanks for reading.
September, 2019
Good Morning EHS Families,
Our Open House is Wednesday, September 25 at 6:30 PM. We hope you can join us that evening. Parking will be at a premium, so you'll want to allow for a little extra time. You'll report to your child's homeroom and from there, follow a Day One bell schedule. Among other things, our very supportive PTO will be on-hand that night in the cafeteria to answer questions. In the meantime, I've included a flier for the PTO's very successful SAT Prep Program. It's one of the best around, and it's geared specifically for WCASD students. www.wc-eastpto.org/prep-courses.php.
Lastly, our first 2 hour delayed start is Thursday, September 26. There are a total of 8 delayed start days through the course of the school year. On these days, students are not required to report to school till 9:30. School officially begins with homeroom at 9:30. From 7:30 to 9:30 on those days, our staff will be engaging in professional development activities.
On delayed start days, buses will run at the regular time only. Students who cannot arrange for late arrival, may take the bus to school and arrive at the regular time. Our cafe, library, and testing rooms will be open for students wishing to get work done. These delayed start dates can be found on the district calendar and are as follows:
Thursday, September 26
Thursday, October 24
Thursday, November 21
Thursday, December 12
Thursday, January 23
Thursday, February 20
Thursday, March 19
Thursday, April 23
Hope to see you at Open House!
Kevin Fagan, Principal
Good Morning EHS Families,
Our Open House is Wednesday, September 25 at 6:30 PM. We hope you can join us that evening. Parking will be at a premium, so you'll want to allow for a little extra time. You'll report to your child's homeroom and from there, follow a Day One bell schedule. Among other things, our very supportive PTO will be on-hand that night in the cafeteria to answer questions. In the meantime, I've included a flier for the PTO's very successful SAT Prep Program. It's one of the best around, and it's geared specifically for WCASD students. www.wc-eastpto.org/prep-courses.php.
Lastly, our first 2 hour delayed start is Thursday, September 26. There are a total of 8 delayed start days through the course of the school year. On these days, students are not required to report to school till 9:30. School officially begins with homeroom at 9:30. From 7:30 to 9:30 on those days, our staff will be engaging in professional development activities.
On delayed start days, buses will run at the regular time only. Students who cannot arrange for late arrival, may take the bus to school and arrive at the regular time. Our cafe, library, and testing rooms will be open for students wishing to get work done. These delayed start dates can be found on the district calendar and are as follows:
Thursday, September 26
Thursday, October 24
Thursday, November 21
Thursday, December 12
Thursday, January 23
Thursday, February 20
Thursday, March 19
Thursday, April 23
Hope to see you at Open House!
Kevin Fagan, Principal
August 28, 2019
Good afternoon EHS families!
We are back in business on Monday and looking forward to a great school year. Each month, I’ll send out our newsletter. September’s letter is attached here. There are some helpful tips on ensuring kids are getting enough rest and the power of kindness. september_2019_ehs_newsletter.pdf.
Our school community is strong because our families and school work together, and together, we have one of the best performing high schools in the area, as evidenced the great kids we have. But there are so many darn pitfalls along the way that they and we must navigate. To that end, there are a few things for which I’m going to ask your support, as the challenges are shared by both home and school (we are in this together!).
Social media: Snapchat, Twitter, Instagram – they can be great, but there are obvious drawbacks, especially with sites like Snapchat that allows users to post anonymously. I can’t quantify how much conflict is brewed via social media, but it seems to be ever-increasing. We are continually reminding students to be mindful of their social media posts and they what they post could impact them now and in the future. I know that many of you are being vigilant about this too. It’s not easy to monitor, especially when so many young people have multiple accounts, one they are willing to show parents … and then there’s the Vault app. Never a dull moment…!
Vaping: This topic has been one of great concern for me for several years now and I’ve communicated on it many times. I know that many of you share this concern. It seems that each day, there is more information coming out about the health risks inherent to e-cigarettes, especially for our young people. Juul is by far the most popular choice among teens. If you have not already done so, I’d recommend spending just a few minutes online educating yourself about the Juul: what it looks like, where kids are getting them, and the perceived health risks. For school purposes, e-cigarettes are not permitted and any student in possession of e-cigarettes or paraphernalia are subject to disciplinary action. How are teens getting the Juul and other devices? It’s our experience that the bulk of illegal transactions are taking place via anonymous social media venues, such as Snapchat, where kids can post and purchase devices and make arrangements for payment and transaction.
Cell/smart phones and listening devices: I love my iPhone. It’s amazing, and at this point, I’m not sure how I would live without it. I know that many of you feel the same. The vast majority of our high school students have a smart phone, which is terrific when parents need to get them a quick message. But as we all know, smart phones come at a cost. As great as they are, they are also super distracting (and addicting). This summer, I challenged myself to go for two-hour stretches of time not picking up phone at home (in part because my kids were calling me out for being on my phone too much). It was really hard. I think many of you might feel the same, and you’ve expressed to me that you’re worried about how much screen time your teens are getting and you’ve shared your struggles with getting them off their phones. Our teachers have said the same. They’ve found that increasingly, they are fighting for their students’ attention, and often losing to the phones.
This year, we are going to implement some practices intended to help our students create healthy boundaries, untie themselves from their phones, and focus in class. In a nutshell, we are going to ask our students to refrain from accessing their phones during instructional class time. They can access them during passing time between classes, during lunch, and during study hall. But for each 45 minutes class period, the phones need to be away and secure unless the teacher says otherwise. We believe there are many benefits to this, including more focused learning. I think many of our students will welcome this, but there may be some push back. We could use your help with reinforcing this message at home. I haven’t’ seen a valid report yet that indicated more screen time helped young people. I think this is a healthy move and I imagine many of you will agree.
I hope you can join us for Open House on September 25 at 6:30 PM!
Good afternoon EHS families!
We are back in business on Monday and looking forward to a great school year. Each month, I’ll send out our newsletter. September’s letter is attached here. There are some helpful tips on ensuring kids are getting enough rest and the power of kindness. september_2019_ehs_newsletter.pdf.
Our school community is strong because our families and school work together, and together, we have one of the best performing high schools in the area, as evidenced the great kids we have. But there are so many darn pitfalls along the way that they and we must navigate. To that end, there are a few things for which I’m going to ask your support, as the challenges are shared by both home and school (we are in this together!).
Social media: Snapchat, Twitter, Instagram – they can be great, but there are obvious drawbacks, especially with sites like Snapchat that allows users to post anonymously. I can’t quantify how much conflict is brewed via social media, but it seems to be ever-increasing. We are continually reminding students to be mindful of their social media posts and they what they post could impact them now and in the future. I know that many of you are being vigilant about this too. It’s not easy to monitor, especially when so many young people have multiple accounts, one they are willing to show parents … and then there’s the Vault app. Never a dull moment…!
Vaping: This topic has been one of great concern for me for several years now and I’ve communicated on it many times. I know that many of you share this concern. It seems that each day, there is more information coming out about the health risks inherent to e-cigarettes, especially for our young people. Juul is by far the most popular choice among teens. If you have not already done so, I’d recommend spending just a few minutes online educating yourself about the Juul: what it looks like, where kids are getting them, and the perceived health risks. For school purposes, e-cigarettes are not permitted and any student in possession of e-cigarettes or paraphernalia are subject to disciplinary action. How are teens getting the Juul and other devices? It’s our experience that the bulk of illegal transactions are taking place via anonymous social media venues, such as Snapchat, where kids can post and purchase devices and make arrangements for payment and transaction.
Cell/smart phones and listening devices: I love my iPhone. It’s amazing, and at this point, I’m not sure how I would live without it. I know that many of you feel the same. The vast majority of our high school students have a smart phone, which is terrific when parents need to get them a quick message. But as we all know, smart phones come at a cost. As great as they are, they are also super distracting (and addicting). This summer, I challenged myself to go for two-hour stretches of time not picking up phone at home (in part because my kids were calling me out for being on my phone too much). It was really hard. I think many of you might feel the same, and you’ve expressed to me that you’re worried about how much screen time your teens are getting and you’ve shared your struggles with getting them off their phones. Our teachers have said the same. They’ve found that increasingly, they are fighting for their students’ attention, and often losing to the phones.
This year, we are going to implement some practices intended to help our students create healthy boundaries, untie themselves from their phones, and focus in class. In a nutshell, we are going to ask our students to refrain from accessing their phones during instructional class time. They can access them during passing time between classes, during lunch, and during study hall. But for each 45 minutes class period, the phones need to be away and secure unless the teacher says otherwise. We believe there are many benefits to this, including more focused learning. I think many of our students will welcome this, but there may be some push back. We could use your help with reinforcing this message at home. I haven’t’ seen a valid report yet that indicated more screen time helped young people. I think this is a healthy move and I imagine many of you will agree.
I hope you can join us for Open House on September 25 at 6:30 PM!
August 23, 2019
Good morning WCASD families,
It is hard to believe that the start of the new school year is almost upon us. We hope that you have had an enjoyable summer and are looking forward to another successful school year!
We wanted to take a moment to remind our families that in 2017, we discontinued the practice of class rank, effective with the Class of 2021. The school district made this decision in conjunction with several changes involving course levels and GPA calculations. These changes have proven successful in supporting the rich and comprehensive programs that we offer at each of our three high schools. For example, the elimination of class rank has encouraged greater enrollment in elective courses that students in the past may not have considered because of the competition to pursue a higher class rank.
As part of the decision to discontinue rank, the district established new guidelines for determining commencement speakers that were previously assigned to the Valedictorian and Salutatorian of a graduating class. Beginning with the graduating Class of 2021, commencement speakers will be determined by an application process that will be open to all graduates. The application process will be similar at each of our schools and will consist of a panel of students, faculty, and administration that will determine the commencement speakers.
Early in the school year, the principals at each of our high schools will remind students of these updates. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact your high school principal.
We thank you for your support and look forward to a great school year!
Robert Sokolowski, Ed.D. Michael Marano, Ed.D.
Assistant Superintendent Principal, Bayard Rustin High School
[email protected] [email protected]
Jason Sherlock, Ed.D. Kevin Fagan, Ed.D.
Principal, B. Reed Henderson High School Principal, West Chester East High School
[email protected] [email protected]
Good morning WCASD families,
It is hard to believe that the start of the new school year is almost upon us. We hope that you have had an enjoyable summer and are looking forward to another successful school year!
We wanted to take a moment to remind our families that in 2017, we discontinued the practice of class rank, effective with the Class of 2021. The school district made this decision in conjunction with several changes involving course levels and GPA calculations. These changes have proven successful in supporting the rich and comprehensive programs that we offer at each of our three high schools. For example, the elimination of class rank has encouraged greater enrollment in elective courses that students in the past may not have considered because of the competition to pursue a higher class rank.
As part of the decision to discontinue rank, the district established new guidelines for determining commencement speakers that were previously assigned to the Valedictorian and Salutatorian of a graduating class. Beginning with the graduating Class of 2021, commencement speakers will be determined by an application process that will be open to all graduates. The application process will be similar at each of our schools and will consist of a panel of students, faculty, and administration that will determine the commencement speakers.
Early in the school year, the principals at each of our high schools will remind students of these updates. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact your high school principal.
We thank you for your support and look forward to a great school year!
Robert Sokolowski, Ed.D. Michael Marano, Ed.D.
Assistant Superintendent Principal, Bayard Rustin High School
[email protected] [email protected]
Jason Sherlock, Ed.D. Kevin Fagan, Ed.D.
Principal, B. Reed Henderson High School Principal, West Chester East High School
[email protected] [email protected]
August 13, 2019
Hello WC East Families!
On Tuesday, August 13 the school district will release student course schedules for the coming school year, and I wanted students to keep a few things in mind.
First and foremost, we are looking forward to seeing you and together, enjoying a terrific school year! Your course schedules should reflect your graduation requirements and interests, while challenging you appropriately. Last spring, you, your teachers, and your family each had an opportunity for input to this year’s courses, and now that time is here!
Schedule process
We’ve been working diligently to try and ensure that students get all the classes requested last spring. Having said that, building a high school master schedule is a very complex, detailed process with lots of moving parts, and sometimes, we are not able to schedule every request, hence why we request “back up” elective choices. When it comes to your core classes though, i.e., math, science, English, and social studies, you should have the course you requested in the spring.
Draft schedules
What you are seeing this week is a draft schedule. We continue to work and refine our overall master schedule, and while we do not anticipate many changes at this point, there very well may be some and those changes could impact you. Your final schedule for the fall term will be available when you arrive at school on August 26.
Schedule errors
If you see an error with your schedule, e.g., you are supposed to be enrolled in biology and you are enrolled in Chemistry, please complete the course error form (sent via email) and drop it off to the Guidance office ASAP. If you are unable to get to the school prior to the first student day (August 26), then you can email your counselor and he/she will do their best to fix your schedule error(s). If you reach out to your counselor and don’t hear back right away, please be patient; during the second half of August our faculty are very busy preparing for school to open. Here are the counselor alpha bands:
Mrs. Setlock A-CO [email protected]
Mr. Reichle CR- G [email protected]
Mrs. Otto H-McC [email protected]
Mrs. Camp McD-R [email protected]
Mr. Lindros S-Z [email protected]
Making schedule changes
Please note that at this time, we are only fixing scheduling errors. We are not changing electives and course rigor levels. As per the WCASD Course Selection Guide, level changes will be considered after September 20, 2019. (The district deadline for elective changes was March 29, 2019). Once the school year begins, students may add elective if seats are available in place of a currently scheduled study hall, lunch, and otherwise unscheduled period. Student schedules will not be adjusted to accommodate course change requests. Requests for particular periods, teachers, and lunches will not be considered.
When your schedule is released on August 13, take some time to review it, and again, if you see an error, let us know ASAP and we’ll try to resolve it prior to the start of school.
I hope you enjoy these last weeks of the summer. See you soon!
Dr. Fagan
Hello WC East Families!
On Tuesday, August 13 the school district will release student course schedules for the coming school year, and I wanted students to keep a few things in mind.
First and foremost, we are looking forward to seeing you and together, enjoying a terrific school year! Your course schedules should reflect your graduation requirements and interests, while challenging you appropriately. Last spring, you, your teachers, and your family each had an opportunity for input to this year’s courses, and now that time is here!
Schedule process
We’ve been working diligently to try and ensure that students get all the classes requested last spring. Having said that, building a high school master schedule is a very complex, detailed process with lots of moving parts, and sometimes, we are not able to schedule every request, hence why we request “back up” elective choices. When it comes to your core classes though, i.e., math, science, English, and social studies, you should have the course you requested in the spring.
Draft schedules
What you are seeing this week is a draft schedule. We continue to work and refine our overall master schedule, and while we do not anticipate many changes at this point, there very well may be some and those changes could impact you. Your final schedule for the fall term will be available when you arrive at school on August 26.
Schedule errors
If you see an error with your schedule, e.g., you are supposed to be enrolled in biology and you are enrolled in Chemistry, please complete the course error form (sent via email) and drop it off to the Guidance office ASAP. If you are unable to get to the school prior to the first student day (August 26), then you can email your counselor and he/she will do their best to fix your schedule error(s). If you reach out to your counselor and don’t hear back right away, please be patient; during the second half of August our faculty are very busy preparing for school to open. Here are the counselor alpha bands:
Mrs. Setlock A-CO [email protected]
Mr. Reichle CR- G [email protected]
Mrs. Otto H-McC [email protected]
Mrs. Camp McD-R [email protected]
Mr. Lindros S-Z [email protected]
Making schedule changes
Please note that at this time, we are only fixing scheduling errors. We are not changing electives and course rigor levels. As per the WCASD Course Selection Guide, level changes will be considered after September 20, 2019. (The district deadline for elective changes was March 29, 2019). Once the school year begins, students may add elective if seats are available in place of a currently scheduled study hall, lunch, and otherwise unscheduled period. Student schedules will not be adjusted to accommodate course change requests. Requests for particular periods, teachers, and lunches will not be considered.
When your schedule is released on August 13, take some time to review it, and again, if you see an error, let us know ASAP and we’ll try to resolve it prior to the start of school.
I hope you enjoy these last weeks of the summer. See you soon!
Dr. Fagan
July 2019
Good Morning WCE HS Families,
I'm writing to let you about our incoming ninth grader and new student orientation scheduled for Wednesday, August 14 at 9:00 AM here at East.
Typically, all of our incoming ninth graders, as well as students new to our school, attend this event. At this time, students will have an opportunity to meet some of our staff, take a guided tour of the building, and ask questions of current upper class students. We'll wrap up between 10:00 and 10:15 AM.
That same evening, we have a parent session for interested parties. The evening event will run from 6:30 PM to 7:30 PM, including a brief student-led tour of our building. Your student is more than welcome to join you for this event if you like.
We look forward to meeting all of our new Vikings!
Sincerely,
Kevin Fagan, Principal
Good Morning WCE HS Families,
I'm writing to let you about our incoming ninth grader and new student orientation scheduled for Wednesday, August 14 at 9:00 AM here at East.
Typically, all of our incoming ninth graders, as well as students new to our school, attend this event. At this time, students will have an opportunity to meet some of our staff, take a guided tour of the building, and ask questions of current upper class students. We'll wrap up between 10:00 and 10:15 AM.
That same evening, we have a parent session for interested parties. The evening event will run from 6:30 PM to 7:30 PM, including a brief student-led tour of our building. Your student is more than welcome to join you for this event if you like.
We look forward to meeting all of our new Vikings!
Sincerely,
Kevin Fagan, Principal
July 2019
Greetings West Chester East Families,
I hope you are enjoying your summer thus far! You are receiving this letter so that you are informed about recent staffing changes in our Counseling Office for the upcoming school year. These changes primarily impact our families in alpha band McD through R. As you may have heard by now, Ms. Jessica Salley applied for and was recommended for the counselor position at Pennwood Elementary School. We will miss Mrs. Salley, but certainly wish her all the best in her new endeavor, and we are glad that she’ll still be in our school district.
Taking over Mrs. Salley’s caseload is Mrs. Kelly Camp (formerly Dougherty). Mrs. Camp attended St. Joseph’s University, where she earned her degree in Psychology, then earned her Master’s Degree in Counseling from Immaculata University. She has worked within our school district twice previously, interning at Rustin High School and more recently, serving as a long-term substitute in our Counseling Office during the 2017-2018 school year. This past year, Mrs. Camp was a long-term substitute at Conestoga High School for a counselor on temporary leave. She comes highly recommended, and based on her previous work with our school district, we are confident she’ll do an outstanding job. Because Mrs. Salley will still be within our school district, she and Mrs. Camp will have ample opportunity to communicate with one another as needed regarding students within alpha band McD through R. Mrs. Salley is dedicated to writing college recommendation letters for any students interested. Mrs. Camp and our department chairperson, Mr. Lindros, will be working together on a plan to help ensure she gets to meet each student on her caseload in a timely fashion. I think you will find Mrs. Camp to be more than capable! She is very excited to be joining our team and working with our families.
After 30 years of service to our school, Mrs. Jake Longnecker, our Intervention Specialist, has retired. Mrs. Longnecker has been a staple in our Counseling Office for a long time, and she’ll be missed. Taking over responsibilities for that office is Mrs. Danielle DiNatale, who earned her undergraduate degree from St. Joseph’s University and her graduate degree from West Chester University. Mrs. DiNatale comes to us with very strong experience in the area of mental health services, having most recently served with the Chester County IU, by way of the Downingtown School District. She has spent time in our building and is excited to be on board the Viking Ship! Our Counseling Office staff will return in late August, prior to the start of the new school year, and together, they’ll work to ensure they are meeting the needs of our students. For now, enjoy your summer!
Sincerely,
Kevin Fagan
Greetings West Chester East Families,
I hope you are enjoying your summer thus far! You are receiving this letter so that you are informed about recent staffing changes in our Counseling Office for the upcoming school year. These changes primarily impact our families in alpha band McD through R. As you may have heard by now, Ms. Jessica Salley applied for and was recommended for the counselor position at Pennwood Elementary School. We will miss Mrs. Salley, but certainly wish her all the best in her new endeavor, and we are glad that she’ll still be in our school district.
Taking over Mrs. Salley’s caseload is Mrs. Kelly Camp (formerly Dougherty). Mrs. Camp attended St. Joseph’s University, where she earned her degree in Psychology, then earned her Master’s Degree in Counseling from Immaculata University. She has worked within our school district twice previously, interning at Rustin High School and more recently, serving as a long-term substitute in our Counseling Office during the 2017-2018 school year. This past year, Mrs. Camp was a long-term substitute at Conestoga High School for a counselor on temporary leave. She comes highly recommended, and based on her previous work with our school district, we are confident she’ll do an outstanding job. Because Mrs. Salley will still be within our school district, she and Mrs. Camp will have ample opportunity to communicate with one another as needed regarding students within alpha band McD through R. Mrs. Salley is dedicated to writing college recommendation letters for any students interested. Mrs. Camp and our department chairperson, Mr. Lindros, will be working together on a plan to help ensure she gets to meet each student on her caseload in a timely fashion. I think you will find Mrs. Camp to be more than capable! She is very excited to be joining our team and working with our families.
After 30 years of service to our school, Mrs. Jake Longnecker, our Intervention Specialist, has retired. Mrs. Longnecker has been a staple in our Counseling Office for a long time, and she’ll be missed. Taking over responsibilities for that office is Mrs. Danielle DiNatale, who earned her undergraduate degree from St. Joseph’s University and her graduate degree from West Chester University. Mrs. DiNatale comes to us with very strong experience in the area of mental health services, having most recently served with the Chester County IU, by way of the Downingtown School District. She has spent time in our building and is excited to be on board the Viking Ship! Our Counseling Office staff will return in late August, prior to the start of the new school year, and together, they’ll work to ensure they are meeting the needs of our students. For now, enjoy your summer!
Sincerely,
Kevin Fagan
June 5, 2019
Thank you to everyone who came out last night to celebrate the graduation of our Class of 2019! It was a beautiful night for a terrific ceremony! Best wishes to our graduates!
Thank you to everyone who came out last night to celebrate the graduation of our Class of 2019! It was a beautiful night for a terrific ceremony! Best wishes to our graduates!
May 1, 2019
Around this time each year, the US News Best Schools Rankings publication comes out and the WCASD high schools always fare well. This year, 23,000 high schools were ranked nationally, with 688 of those high schools in PA. Rankings of the three WCASD high schools for 2019 was as follows: WC Henderson HS #46, WC Rustin HS #41, and WC East HS #36. US News utilizes a composite score to calculate their results, and the composite is based on multiple factors, including: College Readiness (30%), Math and Reading Proficiency and Performance (40%), Under-served Student Performance (10%), College Curriculum Breadth (10%), and Graduation Rate (10%).
As a resident of the community, I am very proud of all of our schools! As the principal of WC East, I am grateful for the opportunity to work with so many great kids and families, and proud to call myself a colleague to so many wonderful professionals. I see this US News ranking as symbolic of the love and care and learning that happens every day here at East and throughout our community. Kudos to our students, families, and staff on this recognition! For more information on this publication, click this link: www.usnews.com/education/best-high-schools/pennsylvania/rankings.
Around this time each year, the US News Best Schools Rankings publication comes out and the WCASD high schools always fare well. This year, 23,000 high schools were ranked nationally, with 688 of those high schools in PA. Rankings of the three WCASD high schools for 2019 was as follows: WC Henderson HS #46, WC Rustin HS #41, and WC East HS #36. US News utilizes a composite score to calculate their results, and the composite is based on multiple factors, including: College Readiness (30%), Math and Reading Proficiency and Performance (40%), Under-served Student Performance (10%), College Curriculum Breadth (10%), and Graduation Rate (10%).
As a resident of the community, I am very proud of all of our schools! As the principal of WC East, I am grateful for the opportunity to work with so many great kids and families, and proud to call myself a colleague to so many wonderful professionals. I see this US News ranking as symbolic of the love and care and learning that happens every day here at East and throughout our community. Kudos to our students, families, and staff on this recognition! For more information on this publication, click this link: www.usnews.com/education/best-high-schools/pennsylvania/rankings.
April 29, 2019
Good morning EHS Families for the Graduating Classes of 2021 and 2022 (It'll be here before we know it!):
I'm writing this morning as a reminder that our state-mandated testing window is around the corner.
On May 14 and 15, all students who have not yet completed the KE for Algebra will be tested, along with those students who have already tested but did not score at least Proficient. This primarily affects students in grade 9, and some 10th graders.
On May 16 and 17, all 10th grade students will take the KE for Literature.
On May 22 and 23, all 9th grade students will take the KE for Biology.
For each of these test dates, we will run a special schedule. All students taking the KE will report to school at the normal time. All non-test takers will report to school at 10:00.
Our teachers have worked diligently with your children to help ensure they are well-prepared for the KE and overall, East students have done very well in recent years. We are optimistic that trend will continue. What can you do to help?
1. Talk with your child about the test. Your encouragement can go a long way toward their performance. Kids who take the tests seriously and give it their all tend to fair well.
2. Help ensure he/she gets a good night's sleep, especially during these testing windows, which can cause additional stress.
3. Keep him/her grounded. These tests are important, but they are not the end all, be all. We want our students to dedicate themselves and do their best, but the KE are just one of many gauges by which our students will be measured.
There has been a lot of back-and-forth at the state level about the Keystone Exams, and from time to time, I am asked if they still matter. The short answer is "Yes." They matter for individual students, the teachers, and the school. For more information, you may access this link. www.education.pa.gov/K-12/Assessment%20and%20Accountability/GraduationRequirements/Pages/default.aspx.
Thanks for your ongoing support!
Kevin Fagan
Good morning EHS Families for the Graduating Classes of 2021 and 2022 (It'll be here before we know it!):
I'm writing this morning as a reminder that our state-mandated testing window is around the corner.
On May 14 and 15, all students who have not yet completed the KE for Algebra will be tested, along with those students who have already tested but did not score at least Proficient. This primarily affects students in grade 9, and some 10th graders.
On May 16 and 17, all 10th grade students will take the KE for Literature.
On May 22 and 23, all 9th grade students will take the KE for Biology.
For each of these test dates, we will run a special schedule. All students taking the KE will report to school at the normal time. All non-test takers will report to school at 10:00.
Our teachers have worked diligently with your children to help ensure they are well-prepared for the KE and overall, East students have done very well in recent years. We are optimistic that trend will continue. What can you do to help?
1. Talk with your child about the test. Your encouragement can go a long way toward their performance. Kids who take the tests seriously and give it their all tend to fair well.
2. Help ensure he/she gets a good night's sleep, especially during these testing windows, which can cause additional stress.
3. Keep him/her grounded. These tests are important, but they are not the end all, be all. We want our students to dedicate themselves and do their best, but the KE are just one of many gauges by which our students will be measured.
There has been a lot of back-and-forth at the state level about the Keystone Exams, and from time to time, I am asked if they still matter. The short answer is "Yes." They matter for individual students, the teachers, and the school. For more information, you may access this link. www.education.pa.gov/K-12/Assessment%20and%20Accountability/GraduationRequirements/Pages/default.aspx.
Thanks for your ongoing support!
Kevin Fagan
April 11, 2019
1. Follow me on Twitter: @principalfagan
2. It seems like for the time being, our district emails are going through and we are receiving home emails. This has been a challenge all year, and our District Technology Office continues to work on resolving issues resulting from various outside "phishing" attempts. We appreciate your patience on this.
3. Next week is "Spring Break" week, but we have a lot going on.
Bell Schedule for Tuesday, April 16:
HR – 7:30-7:40
8th – 7:44-8:18 (34 minutes)
1st – 8:22-8:57 (35 minutes)
2nd – 9:01-9:36 (35 minutes)
3rd – 9:40 – 10:15 (35 minutes)
4th – 10:19-10:54 (35 minutes)
5th – 10:58-11:33 (35 minutes)
6th – 11:37-12:12 (35 minutes)
7th – 12:16-12:50 (34 minutes)
12:55 -- Presentation 1
1:30 -- Presentation 2
I hope you and your family have a chance to reconnect over the Spring Break weekend and enjoy one another. Once we return to school, it's a slip and slide to the end!
Best,
Kevin Fagan
1. Follow me on Twitter: @principalfagan
2. It seems like for the time being, our district emails are going through and we are receiving home emails. This has been a challenge all year, and our District Technology Office continues to work on resolving issues resulting from various outside "phishing" attempts. We appreciate your patience on this.
3. Next week is "Spring Break" week, but we have a lot going on.
- Monday, April 15: Annual Red Cross Blood Drive
- Tuesday, April 16: Annual Career Day event* and the Mr. East "contest" at 7:00 PM.
- Wednesday, April 17: Annual Boys' Speaking Contest.
- Thursday, April 18 thru Monday, April 22: Schools are closed for Spring Break.
Bell Schedule for Tuesday, April 16:
HR – 7:30-7:40
8th – 7:44-8:18 (34 minutes)
1st – 8:22-8:57 (35 minutes)
2nd – 9:01-9:36 (35 minutes)
3rd – 9:40 – 10:15 (35 minutes)
4th – 10:19-10:54 (35 minutes)
5th – 10:58-11:33 (35 minutes)
6th – 11:37-12:12 (35 minutes)
7th – 12:16-12:50 (34 minutes)
12:55 -- Presentation 1
1:30 -- Presentation 2
I hope you and your family have a chance to reconnect over the Spring Break weekend and enjoy one another. Once we return to school, it's a slip and slide to the end!
Best,
Kevin Fagan
April 5, 2019
Good morning West Chester East HS families,
Not that there are too many dull moments in a high school, but we are heading into an especially busy season, with lots on the calendar! To that end, I've included here the upcoming spring events. While this list doesn't quite include everything, it's includes a lot, including information about testing dates and end-or-year senior events. 2019_mp_four_and_eoy_events.pdf
Also here is our April 2019 parent newsletter, with some helpful tips on things like financial literacy for teens. april_2019_newsletter.pdf
Lastly, as you know by now, there have been email issues this year throughout the district, which our Technology Department has been working on. I hope that you your emails are getting to us, and that our email responses are getting back to you in a timely manner. We really try to be prompt in our responses. My apologies if this has not been your experience. Depending on the email provider you utilize, you may be experiencing an issue or not. The Technology Department continues to work on this issue. Thank you for your patience.
I'm confident I'll see many of you in the coming months at one of the upcoming school events. My best till then.
Sincerely,
Kevin Fagan
Good morning West Chester East HS families,
Not that there are too many dull moments in a high school, but we are heading into an especially busy season, with lots on the calendar! To that end, I've included here the upcoming spring events. While this list doesn't quite include everything, it's includes a lot, including information about testing dates and end-or-year senior events. 2019_mp_four_and_eoy_events.pdf
Also here is our April 2019 parent newsletter, with some helpful tips on things like financial literacy for teens. april_2019_newsletter.pdf
Lastly, as you know by now, there have been email issues this year throughout the district, which our Technology Department has been working on. I hope that you your emails are getting to us, and that our email responses are getting back to you in a timely manner. We really try to be prompt in our responses. My apologies if this has not been your experience. Depending on the email provider you utilize, you may be experiencing an issue or not. The Technology Department continues to work on this issue. Thank you for your patience.
I'm confident I'll see many of you in the coming months at one of the upcoming school events. My best till then.
Sincerely,
Kevin Fagan
March 7, 2019
Dear EHS Families,
This is a special invitation to our families! The West Chester Area School District is hosting a community event titled, “Future Plan – Rethink Your Steps to Career Success & Financial Independence” on Wednesday, March 20 from 5:45 to 8:00 p.m. at WC East High School’s Auditorium.
This event will raise awareness of the projected career opportunities within our region, and highlight the related education and training programs available – from certificate, to apprenticeship, to two and four year college degrees and more. Come hear success stories from our distinguished panel of speakers, including how to achieve rewarding, well-paying careers with little to no debt, and visit with area employers and colleges, including Penn State and West Chester University.
This program is a must for all students and parents/guardians who want the most up-to-date information on creating your best future plan! For more information and to register, go to: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/future-plan-rethink-your-steps-to-career-success-financial-independence-tickets-57008574180. Hope you can make it!
Dear EHS Families,
This is a special invitation to our families! The West Chester Area School District is hosting a community event titled, “Future Plan – Rethink Your Steps to Career Success & Financial Independence” on Wednesday, March 20 from 5:45 to 8:00 p.m. at WC East High School’s Auditorium.
This event will raise awareness of the projected career opportunities within our region, and highlight the related education and training programs available – from certificate, to apprenticeship, to two and four year college degrees and more. Come hear success stories from our distinguished panel of speakers, including how to achieve rewarding, well-paying careers with little to no debt, and visit with area employers and colleges, including Penn State and West Chester University.
This program is a must for all students and parents/guardians who want the most up-to-date information on creating your best future plan! For more information and to register, go to: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/future-plan-rethink-your-steps-to-career-success-financial-independence-tickets-57008574180. Hope you can make it!
March 1, 2019
Greetings EHS family, and Happy (almost) Spring!
I hope this letter finds you well. We are approaching the spring sports and events season on the heals of a very successful winter season. We are hoping the weather dries up and brightens up so that our spring athletes can get outside soon! I'm taking this opportunity to update you on some of our safety measures and to share this month's newsletter (see attached). march_2019_newsletter.pdf.
EHS safety and well-being update
1. Improved radio signal relays: Recently, new radio signal relays were installed to further improve radio signal in the building. The EHS administration, FMS administration, and police have the ability to communicate with one another via radio when needed.
2. More video cameras in the building: This week, we had 10 more cameras installed in the building. These cameras have proven helpful not only for deterring unwanted behavior, but for investigating incidents that take place.
3. Increased police presence: Beginning last month, we've been fortunate to have a police officer on campus with us nearly everyday. Currently, three West Goshen Police Department officers rotate onto our campus, and we are thrilled to have them here. These officers are student-centered and community minded. We are grateful to the WGPD for making this available to us.
Our spring musical, High School Musical, took place last week, and from the terrific turnout we had, I know that many of you were here for one of the shows. Congratulations to Ms. Werner, her directors, and the nearly 100 students who participated in the show. And thank you to our community for the support you continue to show our school!
Kevin Fagan
Greetings EHS family, and Happy (almost) Spring!
I hope this letter finds you well. We are approaching the spring sports and events season on the heals of a very successful winter season. We are hoping the weather dries up and brightens up so that our spring athletes can get outside soon! I'm taking this opportunity to update you on some of our safety measures and to share this month's newsletter (see attached). march_2019_newsletter.pdf.
EHS safety and well-being update
1. Improved radio signal relays: Recently, new radio signal relays were installed to further improve radio signal in the building. The EHS administration, FMS administration, and police have the ability to communicate with one another via radio when needed.
2. More video cameras in the building: This week, we had 10 more cameras installed in the building. These cameras have proven helpful not only for deterring unwanted behavior, but for investigating incidents that take place.
3. Increased police presence: Beginning last month, we've been fortunate to have a police officer on campus with us nearly everyday. Currently, three West Goshen Police Department officers rotate onto our campus, and we are thrilled to have them here. These officers are student-centered and community minded. We are grateful to the WGPD for making this available to us.
Our spring musical, High School Musical, took place last week, and from the terrific turnout we had, I know that many of you were here for one of the shows. Congratulations to Ms. Werner, her directors, and the nearly 100 students who participated in the show. And thank you to our community for the support you continue to show our school!
Kevin Fagan
January 31, 2019
Talking with your teen about stress can be challenging; not because they don't have any -- they likely have lots -- but because we often don't know where to begin with them. Try talking with them about school, friends, conflict, and they are likely to clam up. Recently, our administration and counseling office offered opportunities to our students to dialogue about mental health and get their take on the services we offer here at East, and ask for feedback about how we can continue to improve in this area. We found the students to be candid and insightful. Tomorrow, I'll be meeting with my Principal Advisory group, which comprises 35 students from all four grades, all walks of life, and our topic is stress, with a specific focus on what stresses out our teens and how do they cope.
I know that as parents, many of you want to talk with your teens about this topic, but aren't sure where to begin. I enclosed here a tool that might help to get the ball rolling. It's pretty straightforward and might provide a really good starting point, in case you need one. I'm going to use elements of it tomorrow with my group. Maybe you'll find it helpful too? teen-tools_assessment-sheets.pdf.
Sincerely, Kevin Fagan
January 26, 2019
Good afternoon EHS families, I have three items for you today:
1. On Monday, January 28, we'll conduct a student training for the new Safe2SaySomething program. The school district has sent communications about this program already and there was a parent information session earlier this week. On Monday, we'll formally introduce it to our students. In a nutshell, this program is an augmentation of the Sandy Hook Promise, something to which our school already subscribes. The basic premise of both is equipping our students with the ability to recognize students who may potentially pose a threat to themselves or others, and providing outlets for students to report those concerns through the proper channels. If you'd like additional information on this topic, here's a link: www.safe2saypa.org/
2. On Friday, January 25, we invited students to join our administration and counselors in conversation around mental health in our building. Interested students came spoke with us today to share their insights and provide their ideas. We really appreciated their feedback as we seek to always continue improving our services.
3. Attached is our February newsletter. There are some helpful tips on basic kindness toward others, promoting perseverance, and building bonds with our teens. february_2019_newsletter.pdf
Thank you for your support of our school.
Kevin Fagan
Principal
Good afternoon EHS families, I have three items for you today:
1. On Monday, January 28, we'll conduct a student training for the new Safe2SaySomething program. The school district has sent communications about this program already and there was a parent information session earlier this week. On Monday, we'll formally introduce it to our students. In a nutshell, this program is an augmentation of the Sandy Hook Promise, something to which our school already subscribes. The basic premise of both is equipping our students with the ability to recognize students who may potentially pose a threat to themselves or others, and providing outlets for students to report those concerns through the proper channels. If you'd like additional information on this topic, here's a link: www.safe2saypa.org/
2. On Friday, January 25, we invited students to join our administration and counselors in conversation around mental health in our building. Interested students came spoke with us today to share their insights and provide their ideas. We really appreciated their feedback as we seek to always continue improving our services.
3. Attached is our February newsletter. There are some helpful tips on basic kindness toward others, promoting perseverance, and building bonds with our teens. february_2019_newsletter.pdf
Thank you for your support of our school.
Kevin Fagan
Principal
January 22, 2019
Dear Students and Parents,
We’re writing to update you on changes that our high schools are making to our graduation gowns. You may have heard about this already. We want to apologize for not thoroughly communicating about this change.
Our goal as educators is to provide as positive a graduation experience as possible for all of our students. As we think about ways to ensure that every student feels comfortable on what should be a joyous day, and that our educational system is as strong as possible, we often question if “the way it’s always been done” is the best fit for our times.
Most of our nation’s colleges and universities offer one type of gown for all students, regardless of their gender. Having one unified gown is a strong symbol of gender equity. Students do not receive a certain grade or diploma if they are male or female, and these institutions feel they don’t need differently colored gowns to promote their graduates’ gender, either. It also eliminates the need for students struggling with gender identity to choose a gown color.
As an administrative team we’ve discussed this change for several years. We’ve seen many school districts in the greater Philadelphia region already make the change, including Unionville- Chadds Ford, Tredyffrin-Easttown, Downingtown, Rose Tree Media, Avon Grove, Phoenixville, and Lower Merion.
Over the summer our team made the decision to move to one gown that contains both of the school colors. This change also offers the additional benefit for families that the gown can be used by siblings, regardless of gender. We didn’t consider, however, that this year’s graduating class would have graduation photos taken this past summer in the previous years’ gowns.
We have heard from many students and parents who are upset by the change. They are angry that their graduation photos won’t match the gowns they’ll walk in this June. They are angry that we are changing a school tradition. They are frustrated that this wasn’t adequately communicated to families in a timely fashion. Again, we apologize for that communication breakdown.
As a team we have decided that regardless of whether you graduate from East, Henderson, or Rustin high schools, this year, students will still have the choice to order either the new unified gown, or the existing “female” colored gown (yellow – East, white – Henderson, or gold – Rustin.) Beginning with the class of 2020, each high school will offer one gown that includes both of the school’s colors. We’ll be sure that gown will be the one offered at senior portraits.
We fully understand there may be some angst about our choice. We are firm in our belief that this is a positive decision for the equity of all of our students. We are dedicated to ensuring that high school graduation is a great success. If you have questions, please contact one of us.
Sincerely,
Dr. Kevin Fagan, East High School Principal
Dr. Jason Sherlock, Henderson High School Principal
Dr. Michael Marano, Rustin High School Principal
Dear Students and Parents,
We’re writing to update you on changes that our high schools are making to our graduation gowns. You may have heard about this already. We want to apologize for not thoroughly communicating about this change.
Our goal as educators is to provide as positive a graduation experience as possible for all of our students. As we think about ways to ensure that every student feels comfortable on what should be a joyous day, and that our educational system is as strong as possible, we often question if “the way it’s always been done” is the best fit for our times.
Most of our nation’s colleges and universities offer one type of gown for all students, regardless of their gender. Having one unified gown is a strong symbol of gender equity. Students do not receive a certain grade or diploma if they are male or female, and these institutions feel they don’t need differently colored gowns to promote their graduates’ gender, either. It also eliminates the need for students struggling with gender identity to choose a gown color.
As an administrative team we’ve discussed this change for several years. We’ve seen many school districts in the greater Philadelphia region already make the change, including Unionville- Chadds Ford, Tredyffrin-Easttown, Downingtown, Rose Tree Media, Avon Grove, Phoenixville, and Lower Merion.
Over the summer our team made the decision to move to one gown that contains both of the school colors. This change also offers the additional benefit for families that the gown can be used by siblings, regardless of gender. We didn’t consider, however, that this year’s graduating class would have graduation photos taken this past summer in the previous years’ gowns.
We have heard from many students and parents who are upset by the change. They are angry that their graduation photos won’t match the gowns they’ll walk in this June. They are angry that we are changing a school tradition. They are frustrated that this wasn’t adequately communicated to families in a timely fashion. Again, we apologize for that communication breakdown.
As a team we have decided that regardless of whether you graduate from East, Henderson, or Rustin high schools, this year, students will still have the choice to order either the new unified gown, or the existing “female” colored gown (yellow – East, white – Henderson, or gold – Rustin.) Beginning with the class of 2020, each high school will offer one gown that includes both of the school’s colors. We’ll be sure that gown will be the one offered at senior portraits.
We fully understand there may be some angst about our choice. We are firm in our belief that this is a positive decision for the equity of all of our students. We are dedicated to ensuring that high school graduation is a great success. If you have questions, please contact one of us.
Sincerely,
Dr. Kevin Fagan, East High School Principal
Dr. Jason Sherlock, Henderson High School Principal
Dr. Michael Marano, Rustin High School Principal
January 2019
Hello EHS Families,
As we all know, our teens face many challenges each and every day, some of their own making, others beyond their control, and it's my opinion that the ever-increasing pace of today's hectic society, the constant influx of information, and the prevalence of social media only serve to compound the stress with which our teens cope. All-the-while, their brains are still developing. The frontal lobe portion of our brains, sometimes referred to as the "control panel," so critical for sound decision making, continues to develop into our 20s, which means that when faced with making critical decisions, teens can see things differently from how we might as adults. The attached article from the Washington Post does a nice job of summarizing brain development through teenage years. www.washingtonpost.com/news/speaking-of-science/wp/2017/09/01/decoding-the-mysteries-of-a-childs-developing-brain/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.0cae809c9a9a
The growing presences of social media has only compounded our challenges, and it seems like as adults, we are constantly playing catch up on this front. As I've mentioned before, the social media platforms of choice are Snapchat and Instragram, in part because they don't require a real identity in order to open an account. When we at school are faced with a social media disciplinary issue, it is very often involving one or both of these platforms, and many students have several accounts, all of which can be anonymous. Here's an article you might find helpful for staying up to speed and talking with your child. kidshealth.org/en/parents/social-media-smarts.html
Increasingly, mental health has been a topic of national conversation, and rightly so. We all lead stressful lives, and I think that as a group our teens are more stressed than ever before. The constant pressures surrounding them, again -- some self-imposed, some not -- can take a toll. Many of our teens cope just fine, often depending on healthy resources, such as family, friends, or positive activities to get through tough times. Some, though, struggle, and that struggle can can manifest in different ways. Some teens struggle outward; others inward, and therein lay the challenge. As parents and educators, it's not always easy to discern which students need help, and this can be scary. Here at East, we have many resources to help our students. Our staff is trained to identify struggling students and offer support when needed. On a routine basis, we take steps to de-stress our students. Things like homework-free holiday breaks, music Fridays, and Stress-free Friday events, while appearing simplistic, can go a long way in providing brief respite and mitigating stress. We seek to make connections with our students. It's our goal that every student in our school have at least one staff member they know and trust and can go to in times of need. I think in most cases, we exceed this goal. As you might imagine (or perhaps recall from your own high school time) much of the stress experienced by our teens results from peer conflict. We often conduct peer mediation sessions in which we bring students together for guided conversations on resolving differences. Our success rate with these meetings is very high. In cases of more extreme stress, we have counselors, psychologists, and intervention specialists here on campus equipped to help our students dealing with acute issues. We consult with families and bring in outside resources when needed. We can even help families navigate the often daunting mental health field. Here's a link that you might find helpful for identifying signs of a teen struggling with mental health: www.healthychildren.org/English/health-issues/conditions/emotional-problems/Pages/Childhood-Depression-What-Parents-Can-Do-To-Help.aspx
Each year during freshmen orientation, I remind our students of the necessity of getting engaged in healthy activities here at school. East is host to 24 varsity sports, most of which are also offered at the freshmen and JV level; more than 50 clubs, including DECA and Academic Competition Team; and a visual/performing arts program that is top notch. Our highest-functioning students are our busiest students. Those not engaged in extra-curricular activities here at school are involved with healthy activities outside of school: Boy/Girl Scouts, dance, religious groups, club sports and after-school jobs. My point is, kids who keep busy with good things feel better about themselves, surround themselves with other kids making similar decisions, and frankly, have less opportunity for bad choices.
Speaking of decision making ... I'll take this opportunity to again mention the role that e-cigarettes have come to play in our kids' lives, especially the Juul. Juul has been called the "iPhone of e-cigarettes" and kids love it. They are relatively cheap, easy to get a hold of, easy to conceal from parents and teachers, and potentially very dangerous. I'm sharing with you this video clip I shared with our students yesterday. www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2018/07/18/juuling-and-teenagers-3-things-principals-and.html?cmp=eml-eb-popweek-01042019webmch&UUID=4cea178117031795374751174e2c4f6d
We are here to work together with our families for the well-being of our students. Raising good, healthy kids today is a tall order. There are SO MANY challenges, but if we work together, we will have success, and most importantly, we will raise healthy kids who meet their personal best and go out to succeed in the world. Thank you for your partnership!
Sincerely,
Kevin Fagan
Principal
Hello EHS Families,
As we all know, our teens face many challenges each and every day, some of their own making, others beyond their control, and it's my opinion that the ever-increasing pace of today's hectic society, the constant influx of information, and the prevalence of social media only serve to compound the stress with which our teens cope. All-the-while, their brains are still developing. The frontal lobe portion of our brains, sometimes referred to as the "control panel," so critical for sound decision making, continues to develop into our 20s, which means that when faced with making critical decisions, teens can see things differently from how we might as adults. The attached article from the Washington Post does a nice job of summarizing brain development through teenage years. www.washingtonpost.com/news/speaking-of-science/wp/2017/09/01/decoding-the-mysteries-of-a-childs-developing-brain/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.0cae809c9a9a
The growing presences of social media has only compounded our challenges, and it seems like as adults, we are constantly playing catch up on this front. As I've mentioned before, the social media platforms of choice are Snapchat and Instragram, in part because they don't require a real identity in order to open an account. When we at school are faced with a social media disciplinary issue, it is very often involving one or both of these platforms, and many students have several accounts, all of which can be anonymous. Here's an article you might find helpful for staying up to speed and talking with your child. kidshealth.org/en/parents/social-media-smarts.html
Increasingly, mental health has been a topic of national conversation, and rightly so. We all lead stressful lives, and I think that as a group our teens are more stressed than ever before. The constant pressures surrounding them, again -- some self-imposed, some not -- can take a toll. Many of our teens cope just fine, often depending on healthy resources, such as family, friends, or positive activities to get through tough times. Some, though, struggle, and that struggle can can manifest in different ways. Some teens struggle outward; others inward, and therein lay the challenge. As parents and educators, it's not always easy to discern which students need help, and this can be scary. Here at East, we have many resources to help our students. Our staff is trained to identify struggling students and offer support when needed. On a routine basis, we take steps to de-stress our students. Things like homework-free holiday breaks, music Fridays, and Stress-free Friday events, while appearing simplistic, can go a long way in providing brief respite and mitigating stress. We seek to make connections with our students. It's our goal that every student in our school have at least one staff member they know and trust and can go to in times of need. I think in most cases, we exceed this goal. As you might imagine (or perhaps recall from your own high school time) much of the stress experienced by our teens results from peer conflict. We often conduct peer mediation sessions in which we bring students together for guided conversations on resolving differences. Our success rate with these meetings is very high. In cases of more extreme stress, we have counselors, psychologists, and intervention specialists here on campus equipped to help our students dealing with acute issues. We consult with families and bring in outside resources when needed. We can even help families navigate the often daunting mental health field. Here's a link that you might find helpful for identifying signs of a teen struggling with mental health: www.healthychildren.org/English/health-issues/conditions/emotional-problems/Pages/Childhood-Depression-What-Parents-Can-Do-To-Help.aspx
Each year during freshmen orientation, I remind our students of the necessity of getting engaged in healthy activities here at school. East is host to 24 varsity sports, most of which are also offered at the freshmen and JV level; more than 50 clubs, including DECA and Academic Competition Team; and a visual/performing arts program that is top notch. Our highest-functioning students are our busiest students. Those not engaged in extra-curricular activities here at school are involved with healthy activities outside of school: Boy/Girl Scouts, dance, religious groups, club sports and after-school jobs. My point is, kids who keep busy with good things feel better about themselves, surround themselves with other kids making similar decisions, and frankly, have less opportunity for bad choices.
Speaking of decision making ... I'll take this opportunity to again mention the role that e-cigarettes have come to play in our kids' lives, especially the Juul. Juul has been called the "iPhone of e-cigarettes" and kids love it. They are relatively cheap, easy to get a hold of, easy to conceal from parents and teachers, and potentially very dangerous. I'm sharing with you this video clip I shared with our students yesterday. www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2018/07/18/juuling-and-teenagers-3-things-principals-and.html?cmp=eml-eb-popweek-01042019webmch&UUID=4cea178117031795374751174e2c4f6d
We are here to work together with our families for the well-being of our students. Raising good, healthy kids today is a tall order. There are SO MANY challenges, but if we work together, we will have success, and most importantly, we will raise healthy kids who meet their personal best and go out to succeed in the world. Thank you for your partnership!
Sincerely,
Kevin Fagan
Principal
January 2019
Good afternoon EHS Families and Happy New Year!
I hope this letter finds you well and that you had an enjoyable holiday with friends and family.
We will hold a school safety drill tomorrow, Friday, January 4, at approximately 1:00 PM. The drill will consist of two parts: a state-mandated fire/evacuation drill and a lockdown drill. Police will be present. During the drill, we will review our school lockdown procedures with staff and students. These procedures are outlined in our staff manual, reviewed annually with our staff and students, and practiced twice each school year.
Friday’s drill will focus specifically on what happens inside the classroom during a lockdown event. In our previous exercise this fall, we conducted scenarios in which staff and students may flee a locked down area if need be.
Following tomorrow’s drill, members of the West Goshen Police Department will meet with our staff to review the most current active shooter response techniques. You can access additional information here: www.alicetraining.com/about-us/. This after-action meeting will also present an opportunity for us to review the drill itself and identify areas of needed improvement.
It would be impractical to list the many things we do on a routine basis to ensure everyone’s safety, but here are some of the more concrete safety measures we have employed:
A. Isolated entrance to the building during school hours. All visitors are greeted by our security greeter and cleared before coming into the building.
B. Installed 30 security cameras in the past two years, with ten more scheduled for installation this spring.
C. Recently installed radio signal relays to further improve communications within the building.
D. Routinely monitoring common areas, including bathrooms and stairwells, throughout the school day to ensure that students are where they are supposed to be.
E. Practicing our safety drills with the entire school so that students and staff are familiar with procedures.
F. Identifying and intervening with students suffering from mental health and emotional issues to provide resources to those students and families.
G. Employing the Sandy Hook Promise: See Something, Say Something, each spring to remind students to speak up when they notice something that is not right.
H. Investigating issues that come up around school safety and holding students accountable, per our Policies and practices.
I. Increased police presence. Police are here nearly every day, usually just to stop in and say “Hello.” Students are very accustomed to seeing police here and at our other schools. We conduct our drills in conjunction with emergency services.
What can you do as a parent? Talk to your child about doing his/her part at school. Our school is a community, and we each play a part in ensuring overall safety. It is more important than ever that students conduct themselves well and look out for others. Social media has made our challenge that much greater. Platforms like Instagram and Snapchat make it too easy to be mean to others anonymously. Moreover, social media has become the default mode of communication for many students. Some of whom have multiple accounts that they are okay with adults seeing, others less so.
As an educator of 20 years, member of our community, husband, and father of two beautiful children, I understand how difficult this topic can be. I hope that our safety drills never become a reality. However, it is vital that we engage honestly in this conversation and anticipate how we would respond, especially since the initial moments in any crisis are critical. The safety of our students and staff are our number one priority and will continue to be. Thank you for the role you play in looking out for our school community.
Sincerely,
Kevin Fagan
Principal
Good afternoon EHS Families and Happy New Year!
I hope this letter finds you well and that you had an enjoyable holiday with friends and family.
We will hold a school safety drill tomorrow, Friday, January 4, at approximately 1:00 PM. The drill will consist of two parts: a state-mandated fire/evacuation drill and a lockdown drill. Police will be present. During the drill, we will review our school lockdown procedures with staff and students. These procedures are outlined in our staff manual, reviewed annually with our staff and students, and practiced twice each school year.
Friday’s drill will focus specifically on what happens inside the classroom during a lockdown event. In our previous exercise this fall, we conducted scenarios in which staff and students may flee a locked down area if need be.
Following tomorrow’s drill, members of the West Goshen Police Department will meet with our staff to review the most current active shooter response techniques. You can access additional information here: www.alicetraining.com/about-us/. This after-action meeting will also present an opportunity for us to review the drill itself and identify areas of needed improvement.
It would be impractical to list the many things we do on a routine basis to ensure everyone’s safety, but here are some of the more concrete safety measures we have employed:
A. Isolated entrance to the building during school hours. All visitors are greeted by our security greeter and cleared before coming into the building.
B. Installed 30 security cameras in the past two years, with ten more scheduled for installation this spring.
C. Recently installed radio signal relays to further improve communications within the building.
D. Routinely monitoring common areas, including bathrooms and stairwells, throughout the school day to ensure that students are where they are supposed to be.
E. Practicing our safety drills with the entire school so that students and staff are familiar with procedures.
F. Identifying and intervening with students suffering from mental health and emotional issues to provide resources to those students and families.
G. Employing the Sandy Hook Promise: See Something, Say Something, each spring to remind students to speak up when they notice something that is not right.
H. Investigating issues that come up around school safety and holding students accountable, per our Policies and practices.
I. Increased police presence. Police are here nearly every day, usually just to stop in and say “Hello.” Students are very accustomed to seeing police here and at our other schools. We conduct our drills in conjunction with emergency services.
What can you do as a parent? Talk to your child about doing his/her part at school. Our school is a community, and we each play a part in ensuring overall safety. It is more important than ever that students conduct themselves well and look out for others. Social media has made our challenge that much greater. Platforms like Instagram and Snapchat make it too easy to be mean to others anonymously. Moreover, social media has become the default mode of communication for many students. Some of whom have multiple accounts that they are okay with adults seeing, others less so.
As an educator of 20 years, member of our community, husband, and father of two beautiful children, I understand how difficult this topic can be. I hope that our safety drills never become a reality. However, it is vital that we engage honestly in this conversation and anticipate how we would respond, especially since the initial moments in any crisis are critical. The safety of our students and staff are our number one priority and will continue to be. Thank you for the role you play in looking out for our school community.
Sincerely,
Kevin Fagan
Principal
January, 2019
Good afternoon EHS families!
I have three items for you today:
1. Check out our newsletter for some helpful tips on building trust with teens, college acceptance, and vaping. january_2019_newsletter.pdf
2. Like we did last year, our staff is dedicated to giving our students a break over the pending winter holiday. We've made a commitment to not assigning work specifically for the break, and not giving significant assessments for the two days following the break. Kids need to de-stress, and they need our help doing it.
While it may be that a longer-term assignment has been given and that the timeline for that assignment encompasses the break, it'll be up to individual students to manage their time as they see fit. Our goal is to try and help students step away from the school work for the duration of winter break, spend time with family and friends, and return to school on January 2nd feeling refreshed. I wish I could help you with prying the smart phones from their hands, but that's beyond my scope ...
Here's an article that I recently shared with our staff about homework: www.wsj.com/articles/no-homework-its-the-new-thing-in-u-s-schools-11544610600.
3. As a continuation of our conversation on vaping/juuling, check out this article from the WSJ and this clip from a recent Good Morning America: www.wsj.com/articles/surge-in-teen-vaping-gives-rise-to-nicotine-addiction-11545142195?mod=hp_featst_pos2. ABC News clip: abcnews.go.com/GMA/Wellness/video/vaping-skyrockets-kids-report-finds-59860856. East will continue to take this topic seriously and work with families to help our students make good choices.
Thanks for all you do to support our schools. I hope that you have the happiest of holidays!
Kevin Fagan
Good afternoon EHS families!
I have three items for you today:
1. Check out our newsletter for some helpful tips on building trust with teens, college acceptance, and vaping. january_2019_newsletter.pdf
2. Like we did last year, our staff is dedicated to giving our students a break over the pending winter holiday. We've made a commitment to not assigning work specifically for the break, and not giving significant assessments for the two days following the break. Kids need to de-stress, and they need our help doing it.
While it may be that a longer-term assignment has been given and that the timeline for that assignment encompasses the break, it'll be up to individual students to manage their time as they see fit. Our goal is to try and help students step away from the school work for the duration of winter break, spend time with family and friends, and return to school on January 2nd feeling refreshed. I wish I could help you with prying the smart phones from their hands, but that's beyond my scope ...
Here's an article that I recently shared with our staff about homework: www.wsj.com/articles/no-homework-its-the-new-thing-in-u-s-schools-11544610600.
3. As a continuation of our conversation on vaping/juuling, check out this article from the WSJ and this clip from a recent Good Morning America: www.wsj.com/articles/surge-in-teen-vaping-gives-rise-to-nicotine-addiction-11545142195?mod=hp_featst_pos2. ABC News clip: abcnews.go.com/GMA/Wellness/video/vaping-skyrockets-kids-report-finds-59860856. East will continue to take this topic seriously and work with families to help our students make good choices.
Thanks for all you do to support our schools. I hope that you have the happiest of holidays!
Kevin Fagan
December, 2018
Good morning EHS Families!
I have three items for you today.
First, I’ve sent a few communications now about Juuling, the temptation for teens and the risks. If you’ve not had a chance to learn more about this, I’d strongly advise you to Google it. You can learn a ton in a very short time. The Juul is the number one selling e-cigarette in America. It is VERY popular with young people, and they are “vaping” wherever they can, including in school and at home. Vaping in school is strictly prohibited. We have a School Board Policy that requires a suspension from school for any student caught in possession of e-cigarettes or paraphernalia.
As parents, there are so many obstacles to raising good kids and keeping them on track. Juul is yet another obstacle for us to be aware of. Educating yourself and talking with your child about this is essential. Here are some links to get you started:
www.healthychildren.org/English/health-issues/conditions/tobacco/Pages/Juuling-Get-the-Facts.aspx.
www.centeronaddiction.org/e-cigarettes/about-e-cigarettes/10-surprising-facts-about-e-cigarettes
Second, check out our December newsletter: december_2018_newsletter.pdf
Lastly, a word from our PTO: Senior Prom and Post-Prom Party planning is well underway! The Post-Prom is an all-night event held at our school immediately following the Senior Prom. This is a safe event, full of fun, food and entertainment. It is the best place for seniors to be on PROM NIGHT. The Post Prom Raffle is our largest funding source for the Post Prom event.
Last week every Senior was given five raffle tickets to sell. Tickets cost $20 each for a chance to win one of five $500 cash prizes! If you have not yet been approached and would like to purchase one (or two or three J), please consider reaching out to your friendly neighborhood WC East High School Senior.
Just a few notes about the raffle:
- Drawing will be held on Thursday, January 17, 2019 – tickets make great holiday gifts and the drawing will be just in time to help pay off those holiday shopping bills!
- Buyers must be at least 18 years old
- Five cash prizes of $500 each will be awarded
- Make checks payable to “WCE Post Prom”
Take a chance to be one of our $500.00 winners!
If you have any questions about the Post-Prom Raffle, please send an email to: Esther Dakin <[email protected]>
Thank you for your support of this important event for our students!!
November 13, 2018
Many of us are gearing up for Thanksgiving next week. I know the students are looking forward to a few days off from school. Again this year, our school has decided NOT to assign homework over the Thanksgiving and Winter Breaks. Teachers will also refrain from due dates and assessments immediately following the breaks. Our intent here is to give our students an opportunity to step away and decompress, and to create an opening for families to reconnect without worrying about too much school work. While your student may have a long-term assignment that includes these breaks and he or she may choose to utilize that time, we are encouraging them to get their work done prior and to "step away" and enjoy their families and friends.
This Thursday will be our next scheduled 2 hour delay. During these delays, our staff comes to school at the regular time for professional development. School will officially begin at 9:30 on Thursday. Buses will run at the regular times only. There are no late buses. Students needing to come to school at the regular time may do so. Our cafeteria is open, along with our testing room and library. This time could serve as an opportunity to catch up on or get ahead on some school work!
Seniors, you can still order your cap, gown, tassel for Commencement. Here's the link if you need it: sscgradstore.com/. Deadline for ordering is December 1.
Best,
Kevin Fagan, Principal
Many of us are gearing up for Thanksgiving next week. I know the students are looking forward to a few days off from school. Again this year, our school has decided NOT to assign homework over the Thanksgiving and Winter Breaks. Teachers will also refrain from due dates and assessments immediately following the breaks. Our intent here is to give our students an opportunity to step away and decompress, and to create an opening for families to reconnect without worrying about too much school work. While your student may have a long-term assignment that includes these breaks and he or she may choose to utilize that time, we are encouraging them to get their work done prior and to "step away" and enjoy their families and friends.
This Thursday will be our next scheduled 2 hour delay. During these delays, our staff comes to school at the regular time for professional development. School will officially begin at 9:30 on Thursday. Buses will run at the regular times only. There are no late buses. Students needing to come to school at the regular time may do so. Our cafeteria is open, along with our testing room and library. This time could serve as an opportunity to catch up on or get ahead on some school work!
Seniors, you can still order your cap, gown, tassel for Commencement. Here's the link if you need it: sscgradstore.com/. Deadline for ordering is December 1.
Best,
Kevin Fagan, Principal
October 25, 2018
Dear Parent/Guardian,
Again this year West Chester East High School is pleased to offer morning and evening parent/teacher conferences.
Conference Days
November 20, 2018 – 5:30 pm – 8:30 pm
November 21, 2018 – 8:00 am – 11:30 am
You are always welcome at East High School, but the November conference days are specifically designed for you to meet with your child’s teachers, counselors or administrators.
To schedule conferences, we will be using the online scheduling system Sign-Up Genius. Beginning Wednesday, October 31st through Wednesday, November 14th parents can go to the Sign-Up Genius Web Link on East’s homepage. Please be advised that you will not be able to access this site until October 31st. The website will provide you with a very easy way to schedule conferences at a time that is convenient for you. Instructions are attached, but here is the link and access code: track.spe.schoolmessenger.com/f/a/j9tRwSCofTDrSqcYEtNWrA~~/AAAAAQA~/RgRdsbKjP0Q5aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2lnbnVwZ2VuaXVzLmNvbS9nby81MDgwQjRCQThBRjI4QTMxLXBhcmVudDEyVwdzY2hvb2xtQgoAACN_0FseyF0jUhFrcmZhZ2FuQHdjYXNkLm5ldFgEAAAAAQ~~; Access Code: 2019EHS.
Again, this window will open on October 31 and close November 14. Please be sure to know the names of the teachers with whom you would like to conference. If necessary, you can access those names through the Power School Parent Portal. Please note any staff member missing from the list will not be available for conferences at East High School. If you are interested in having a conference with a teacher who is not on the list, please contact them directly to schedule a time that is mutually convenient for both of you. sign-_up_genius_instructions.docx. Conferences are scheduled in fifteen-minute increments.
We hope you find this system to be a quick and easy way of scheduling your conferences. If you have any questions, please call our office at 484-266-3812. If you do not have access to the internet, you may call the office and our staff will schedule conferences for you. 484-266-3800.
Check out this month's newsletter to learn more about topics such as setting boundaries, attending parent/teacher conferences, and how to talk about sexual harassment issues with your child. november_2018_newsletter.pdf
Sincerely,
Kevin Fagan
Dear Parent/Guardian,
Again this year West Chester East High School is pleased to offer morning and evening parent/teacher conferences.
Conference Days
November 20, 2018 – 5:30 pm – 8:30 pm
November 21, 2018 – 8:00 am – 11:30 am
You are always welcome at East High School, but the November conference days are specifically designed for you to meet with your child’s teachers, counselors or administrators.
To schedule conferences, we will be using the online scheduling system Sign-Up Genius. Beginning Wednesday, October 31st through Wednesday, November 14th parents can go to the Sign-Up Genius Web Link on East’s homepage. Please be advised that you will not be able to access this site until October 31st. The website will provide you with a very easy way to schedule conferences at a time that is convenient for you. Instructions are attached, but here is the link and access code: track.spe.schoolmessenger.com/f/a/j9tRwSCofTDrSqcYEtNWrA~~/AAAAAQA~/RgRdsbKjP0Q5aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2lnbnVwZ2VuaXVzLmNvbS9nby81MDgwQjRCQThBRjI4QTMxLXBhcmVudDEyVwdzY2hvb2xtQgoAACN_0FseyF0jUhFrcmZhZ2FuQHdjYXNkLm5ldFgEAAAAAQ~~; Access Code: 2019EHS.
Again, this window will open on October 31 and close November 14. Please be sure to know the names of the teachers with whom you would like to conference. If necessary, you can access those names through the Power School Parent Portal. Please note any staff member missing from the list will not be available for conferences at East High School. If you are interested in having a conference with a teacher who is not on the list, please contact them directly to schedule a time that is mutually convenient for both of you. sign-_up_genius_instructions.docx. Conferences are scheduled in fifteen-minute increments.
We hope you find this system to be a quick and easy way of scheduling your conferences. If you have any questions, please call our office at 484-266-3812. If you do not have access to the internet, you may call the office and our staff will schedule conferences for you. 484-266-3800.
Check out this month's newsletter to learn more about topics such as setting boundaries, attending parent/teacher conferences, and how to talk about sexual harassment issues with your child. november_2018_newsletter.pdf
Sincerely,
Kevin Fagan
October 1, 2018
1. First, thank you for attending Open House if you were able to make it last night. The East staff enjoyed seeing our families and are always grateful for our partnership. I'm enclosing here the PTO flier that was handed out in case you didn't get one. pto_2018_flyer_v4final.pdf
2. One of the presenters in our cafeteria last night was available to talk about vaping and juuling. Over the past couple of years, I've sent out information about juuling, specifically. If you are not familiar with this topic, I'd strongly suggest you take a few minutes this weekend and learn about it. In a nutshell, the juul is an e-cigarette/vaporizer and has been described as "the iPhone of e-cigarettes." The technology is very impressive and very popular with teens. Juuling in school is a problem and it's a violation of our District Tobacco Policy, carrying a minimum of 3 days suspension. We are doing our best to keep on top of it, and educate our students. Juuling is also a problem in our community and in our homes. It's dangerous and potentially very unhealthy. Here's a link to some additional information. www.workingmother.com/what-parents-need-to-know-about-juuling-latest-vaping-trend#page-2
3. Next week is spirit week and our Student Council is organizing activities for our students, culminating in a pep rally for our student body on Thursday. There is no school for students on Friday, October 5. Friday night is our Homecoming. Saturday night is our annual Homecoming dance.
Sincerely,
Kevin Fagan
1. First, thank you for attending Open House if you were able to make it last night. The East staff enjoyed seeing our families and are always grateful for our partnership. I'm enclosing here the PTO flier that was handed out in case you didn't get one. pto_2018_flyer_v4final.pdf
2. One of the presenters in our cafeteria last night was available to talk about vaping and juuling. Over the past couple of years, I've sent out information about juuling, specifically. If you are not familiar with this topic, I'd strongly suggest you take a few minutes this weekend and learn about it. In a nutshell, the juul is an e-cigarette/vaporizer and has been described as "the iPhone of e-cigarettes." The technology is very impressive and very popular with teens. Juuling in school is a problem and it's a violation of our District Tobacco Policy, carrying a minimum of 3 days suspension. We are doing our best to keep on top of it, and educate our students. Juuling is also a problem in our community and in our homes. It's dangerous and potentially very unhealthy. Here's a link to some additional information. www.workingmother.com/what-parents-need-to-know-about-juuling-latest-vaping-trend#page-2
3. Next week is spirit week and our Student Council is organizing activities for our students, culminating in a pep rally for our student body on Thursday. There is no school for students on Friday, October 5. Friday night is our Homecoming. Saturday night is our annual Homecoming dance.
Sincerely,
Kevin Fagan
September 20, 2018
Hello West Chester East Families!
We are nearly a month into school now and going full-swing. Open House is right around the corner. We are going to begin at 6:30 PM this year, and get you out a little earlier than in the past. We really hope you can join us, and when you arrive, we'll help you get to your child's homeroom, where our evening will begin. This is a great opportunity to meet your child's teachers, counselor, administrator, and others here at East.
Homecoming is the weekend of October 5th and 6th. On Friday, October 5th, our football team will take on Bishop Shannahan at 7:00 PM. Come cheer on our football team, band and Cheer! On Saturday, October 6th, we'll host our annual Homecoming Dance. Students will have an opportunity to buy tickets in advance. We typically get a great turnout for our dance, and in an effort to keep all of our guests safe, we will be administering a breathalyzer to all of our guests upon entrance to the building that night.
East was recently awarded the 2017 Sportsmanship Award for the Ches-Mont League, National Division. The recipient of this honor is determined by a voting process by all the coaches within our league, based on several criteria, including, school spirit, attitude, conduct, and facilities. Congratulations to our AD Sue Cornelius, our coaches, athletes, and all of our families for their support of the programs!
Congratulations are in order for our ten EHS seniors recently recognized by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation for their achievement on the 2017 PSAT. These ten students scored in the top few percentiles of all test takers internationally last fall. It's a tremendous honor! Seven of these students are eligible to continue in the process to become Finalists and earn scholarships toward college. Congratulations to Margaux Fleming, Brendan Merten, Maya Moktan, Scott Clifford, Brigit Foss, Ayush Kashyap, Claire Mobed, Abhijay Mugdigonda, Sarah Guan, and Sanketh Raju.
Hello West Chester East Families!
We are nearly a month into school now and going full-swing. Open House is right around the corner. We are going to begin at 6:30 PM this year, and get you out a little earlier than in the past. We really hope you can join us, and when you arrive, we'll help you get to your child's homeroom, where our evening will begin. This is a great opportunity to meet your child's teachers, counselor, administrator, and others here at East.
Homecoming is the weekend of October 5th and 6th. On Friday, October 5th, our football team will take on Bishop Shannahan at 7:00 PM. Come cheer on our football team, band and Cheer! On Saturday, October 6th, we'll host our annual Homecoming Dance. Students will have an opportunity to buy tickets in advance. We typically get a great turnout for our dance, and in an effort to keep all of our guests safe, we will be administering a breathalyzer to all of our guests upon entrance to the building that night.
East was recently awarded the 2017 Sportsmanship Award for the Ches-Mont League, National Division. The recipient of this honor is determined by a voting process by all the coaches within our league, based on several criteria, including, school spirit, attitude, conduct, and facilities. Congratulations to our AD Sue Cornelius, our coaches, athletes, and all of our families for their support of the programs!
Congratulations are in order for our ten EHS seniors recently recognized by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation for their achievement on the 2017 PSAT. These ten students scored in the top few percentiles of all test takers internationally last fall. It's a tremendous honor! Seven of these students are eligible to continue in the process to become Finalists and earn scholarships toward college. Congratulations to Margaux Fleming, Brendan Merten, Maya Moktan, Scott Clifford, Brigit Foss, Ayush Kashyap, Claire Mobed, Abhijay Mugdigonda, Sarah Guan, and Sanketh Raju.
August 24, 2018
Hello West Chester East Families, Well, the big day is almost here. I wanted to reach out to with some information you might find handy as we open another school year. I sent this very same information to our student body via Schoology (our online learning platform) this morning. Enclosed are the following: 1. Counselor alpha band, 2. bell schedule for the first two days, 3. the student handbook, 4. a new district app for everyone, and 5. information about vaping/Juuling. 1. As previously published earlier this summer, our counselor alpha band is as follows: Ms. Yvonne Setlock A - Co Mr. Bill Reichle Cr - G Ms. Lauren Otto H- McC Ms. Jessica Salley McD - R Mr. Brian Lindros S - Z 2. Bell schedule for first two days, which includes orientation time for our students. first_2_days_of_school_2018.pdf 3. Student handbook. student_handbook_2018.pdf 4. The West Chester Area School District is excited to announce the release of a mobile app designed specifically to keep our families better informed and connected to what’s going on in our schools. The new WCASD mobile app for both Apple and Android devices is FREE and available for download today. The app delivers real time school news to your smart device for fast, up-to-date access. With the app you can:
I look forward to working with you this year, and I look forward to another great school year. Thanks for all you do to support our schools! Kevin Fagan, Principal August 7, 2018
Dear WC East High School Families, I hope this letter finds you well and that you have had an opportunity to relax and enjoy your summer with friends and family. Here at East, we have been working diligently over the past couple of months to ensure that we are ready for our students and families to kick off another great year! Recently, the school district emailed families with back to school information. Here is a link to that information on the district homepage in case you did not get the previous correspondence: www.wcasd.net/Domain/2091. Student schedules will be accessible via the student and parent Powerschool portal on August 16. For your planning purposes, there are three attachments to this letter, including:
School Supplies: During the first few days of school, teachers will review their course syllabi with students and talk about supplies, so if you have not purchased any yet, don't stress -- very soon, you'll know exactly what you need for the school year. The one thing that I’d strongly recommend for all of our students is a padlock for your gym locker during gym class. Students are encouraged to leave valuables at home, but if they must come to school, they need to be secured at all times, and the most effective way of doing that during gym class is in a secured locker. Throughout the course of the school year, both the district and school websites will be updated regularly, and you can access those sites for additional information at any time. The East school newsletter, the VL, is also an excellent way to keep informed about what’s happening. You can access the VL via a link on our school homepage. Want one more way to stay updated about what’s going on at East? Follow me on Twitter @principalfagan. I’ll share news and highlights about what’s happening at our school. East High School is a dynamic place where teachers, administrators, and staff care a great deal for the students. We want all of our students to do well and maximize their potential. Students: our hope for each of you this year is two-fold: We want you to enjoy your daily experience at East, and we want you to make the most of your time here so that you have as many options as possible when you graduate. Accomplishing these two goals will take work and perseverance. At East, you will have many resources available to you whenever you need them, so do not hesitate to ask us for help. East exists for the students, and we want you to attain your best! See you soon! Sincerely, Kevin Fagan, Ed. D. Principal August 2018
We are working busily to finalize student schedules and will have them ready for August 16. As you might imagine, developing student schedules for nearly 1300 students is a significant task, and we take our time doing it, using the course requests from late March. We've had some questions lately from students and parents regarding course and level change procedures. I'm including here the language from our district Course Selection Guide (CSG), which outlines those procedures. Students may consider a level change (e.g. Honors to Accelerated Honors, Honors to Career & College Prep), after September 24, 2018. • Changes from one elective course to another will not be considered after the elective change deadline of March 28, 2018. • Once the school year begins, students may add electives if seats are available in the place of study halls, lunches, and otherwise unscheduled periods. • Once the school year begins, student schedules will not be adjusted to accommodate course change requests, including requests to add electives, except as described above. • Requests for particular periods and/or teachers will not be considered to ensure an equitable master schedule. All level changes for full year courses must be completed no later than three weeks after the end of the first semester. All level changes for semester courses must be completed no later than three weeks before the end of the first marking period. Additionally, here is the link to the online version of the CSG for your reference: www.wcasd.net/cms/lib/PA02203541/Centricity/Domain/4797/HS%20Course%20Guide%20Final.pdf. The exception to the procedures outlined above would be for correcting schedule errors, e.g., ensuring that a student has English in her schedule or that she is not scheduled to repeat a course previously credited. In the coming weeks, I will send additional information to our families, including our Welcome Back letter, which will include important dates for your calendars. July 2018
Greetings West Chester East Families, I hope you are enjoying your summer thus far! You are receiving this letter so that you are informed about recent staffing changes in our Administrative and Counseling Office. The counselor changes primarily impact families in alpha bands Cr-G and S-Z. As you may have heard by now, Mrs. Christine Kowalski retired and Mrs. Grace Barry was transferred to Rustin High School. Taking over Mrs. Kowalski’s caseload is Mr. William (Bill) Reichle. Bill attended Unionville High School, then earned his undergraduate degree in counseling from the University of Oregon. Mr. Reichle has a Master’s Degree in Counseling from the University of Pennsylvania and recently served as an intern with the Unionville School District. He is extremely excited to join us at East and he can’t wait to meet our families. Once school resumes in August, Mr. Reichle will reach out directly to families on this caseload, alpha band Cr-G. Mr. Brian Lindros will assume responsibilities of Mrs. Barry’s former caseload. He earned his undergraduate degree from West Chester University and a Master’s Degree in School Counseling from Wilmington University. Mr. Lindros is a veteran counselor, who’s spent the last several years at Rustin High School, where he developed strong relationships with students and families. Mr. Lindros is excited to join us at East, where in addition to his regular duties, he’ll also serve as Department Chairperson. Once school resumes, Mr. Lindros will be in touch with students and families in alpha band S-Z. We are excited for these changes to our Counseling Office, where we strive to meet the sundry needs of students. Our counselors will work individually with students on whatever they might need, and as a unit, our staff -- including our secretaries, psychologist, case worker, and intervention specialist -- will focus their collective energies and expertise on the well-being of our students as a whole. Counselors will work together with school administration and district counseling supervisor, Mrs. Carol Rothera to help ensure smooth transitions, especially pertaining to our seniors and the college application process. As many of you know, Mrs. Maureen Wallace is retiring after 36 years in education. Mrs. Wallace has been at East for the past 12 years, where she’s served as an assistant principal and proven to be absolutely invaluable to our school. She’s built tremendous relationships with students, families, and staff. She will be missed, but we wish her nothing but the best in her next endeavors with her husband and two grown children. Taking over for Mrs. Wallace is Mrs. Sarah Graham. Mrs. Graham is a graduate of Penn State University and comes to us from Rose Tree Media School District, where she’s served most recently as an assistant principal. Prior to her role as an assistant principal, Mrs. Graham was a Guidance Counselor for several years, and in that time, enjoyed working with students to develop their emotional, social, and scholastic selves. Mrs. Graham and her husband have two children and reside in Media. She is very excited to join us at EHS. Mrs. Forrest will be taking a leave of absence for the first few months of the school year and while she’s out and pending School Board approval, Mrs. Erin Stephen will be filling in as a teacher on special assignment. Mrs. Stephen is a graduate of Lafayette College and has been employed with our school district for 13 years. She is very familiar with EHS, and was assigned here as a teacher a couple of years ago prior to her current assignment at Henderson High School, where she’s served as both a Biology and Special Education teacher. Mrs. Stephen and her family live in the West Chester community, where she and her husband raise their two children. Mrs. Stephen is also very excited to be at EHS in an administrator role. Hopefully, you will have an opportunity to join us for our annual Open House event on the evening of September 27 when you would have a chance to meet your child’s teachers, counselors, and administrators. Enjoy the second half of summer! June 2018
Hello EHS Families! First, thank you to everyone who helped in any way with post-prom event! Our students had a great time, and more importantly, everyone was safe! Thank you to everyone who attended our Commencement Tuesday night and contributed to making it such a memorable occasion! That was a terrific senior class and we'll miss them. We are winding down now and we are about to close out another successful school year. Thank you to our community for all of your support this year and for sending us such great kids! This morning, I sent the following calendar items to our students. Friday, June 8: Regular day of school Monday, June 11: Regular day of school. WL testing day Tuesday, June 12: Half day. Day 5. Shortened periods 1-4 then Eng and SS tests Wednesday, June 13: Half day. Day 5. Shortened periods 5-8 then Math and Science tests Thursday, June 14: Make ups only. Students not making up a test will not report to school. Friday, June 15: Hello Summer!! Tuesday, June 19: Report cards available via parent portal. My wish for you is that you and your family have a tremendous summer. Be healthy, be happy! Kevin Fagan |
June 2018
I'm writing to provide some additional information about Commencement, which will take place Tuesday, June 5 at 6 PM. We won't know until that day whether Commencement will be inside or outside. We'll publicize that information sometime Tuesday afternoon. Graduates will report for school Monday, June 4 at 7:30 for mandatory Commencement practice. We'll likely be here till around 11:30, rehearsing to make sure that all of our graduates feel comfortable with what we are doing. Toward the end of practice, we will provide each graduate with his/her cap and tickets. Each graduate receives 6 tickets: 4 blue and 2 white. In the event we are inside for Commencement, guests with blue tickets will get admission to the gym, while guests with white tickets will get admission to our auditorium, where we simulcast the event. If Commencement is outside, the ticket colors don't matter -- tickets will get our guests into the stadium. Students needing handicapped tickets can trade in tickets at the main office on Monday or Tuesday (see Ms. Smith). Commencement will start at 6:00 PM sharp and run for about 90 minutes. Graduates must report to their assigned location by 5:00. I'd suggest that our guests arrive by 5:30, if not a little before. I'm including a map here that illustrates where are graduates should park and where guests can find handicapped parking. 2018_east_grad_parking.pdf We hope that you can join us Tuesday for this momentous occasion. |
May and June 2018
Hello EHS Families!
We are coming down to the wire here! I want to share again some important dates that are coming so that they are fresh on your minds. I also want to make one last plea for assistance with post-prom. Post-prom has historically been a great event, and a means for keeping our students supervised and safe after prom. Our PTO and post-prom parents could REALLY use some volunteer help with this event. Post-prom is hosted here at the high school, but it's a parent and community event. If we don't get the help, the event can't happen like it has in the past. I'm sharing a link here that you can access to pitch in. Any assistance you can give is most appreciated. www.signupgenius.com/go/9040d45a5ad292-2018.
Upcoming dates to know:
Tuesday, May 29. All students report at the regular time. Seniors participating in the elementary school visits will be bused from here around 8:45 AM and brought back. Seniors who did not turn in a permission form will be assigned to a location until dismissed. Seniors will be dismissed from school by administration around 10:00 or so.
Wednesday, May 30. All students report at the regular time. Senior breakfast and rehearsal for Awards Assembly. Seniors will be dismissed around 11:00 or so.
Thursday, May 31. All students report at the regular time. Senior Awards Assembly is at 9:00 sharp. Guests should arrive prior to 9:00 AM. Seniors will be dismissed after the assembly.
Friday, June 1. Seniors do not report for school. Other grades report as usual. Senior prom is at the King's Mill is Aston, post-prom to follow.
Monday, June 4. All students report at the regular time. Seniors will take part in Commencement Rehearsal. Seniors will be dismissed by noon.
Tuesday, June 5. Seniors do not report for school. Grades 9-11 report at the regular time. Seniors walking at Commencement are to be here by 5:00 PM sharp. I'll make a call about whether Commencement is inside or outside as soon as I am able, typically by 2 or 3 PM.
Wednesday, June 6 thru Monday, June 11: Regular school days for grades 9-11.
Tuesday, June 12 and Wednesday, June 13: Half days for 9-11, testing in core classes.
Thursday, June 14: Half day. Only students who have a test to make up should report for school.
Friday, June 15. No students report. Staff only.
Hello EHS Families!
We are coming down to the wire here! I want to share again some important dates that are coming so that they are fresh on your minds. I also want to make one last plea for assistance with post-prom. Post-prom has historically been a great event, and a means for keeping our students supervised and safe after prom. Our PTO and post-prom parents could REALLY use some volunteer help with this event. Post-prom is hosted here at the high school, but it's a parent and community event. If we don't get the help, the event can't happen like it has in the past. I'm sharing a link here that you can access to pitch in. Any assistance you can give is most appreciated. www.signupgenius.com/go/9040d45a5ad292-2018.
Upcoming dates to know:
Tuesday, May 29. All students report at the regular time. Seniors participating in the elementary school visits will be bused from here around 8:45 AM and brought back. Seniors who did not turn in a permission form will be assigned to a location until dismissed. Seniors will be dismissed from school by administration around 10:00 or so.
Wednesday, May 30. All students report at the regular time. Senior breakfast and rehearsal for Awards Assembly. Seniors will be dismissed around 11:00 or so.
Thursday, May 31. All students report at the regular time. Senior Awards Assembly is at 9:00 sharp. Guests should arrive prior to 9:00 AM. Seniors will be dismissed after the assembly.
Friday, June 1. Seniors do not report for school. Other grades report as usual. Senior prom is at the King's Mill is Aston, post-prom to follow.
Monday, June 4. All students report at the regular time. Seniors will take part in Commencement Rehearsal. Seniors will be dismissed by noon.
Tuesday, June 5. Seniors do not report for school. Grades 9-11 report at the regular time. Seniors walking at Commencement are to be here by 5:00 PM sharp. I'll make a call about whether Commencement is inside or outside as soon as I am able, typically by 2 or 3 PM.
Wednesday, June 6 thru Monday, June 11: Regular school days for grades 9-11.
Tuesday, June 12 and Wednesday, June 13: Half days for 9-11, testing in core classes.
Thursday, June 14: Half day. Only students who have a test to make up should report for school.
Friday, June 15. No students report. Staff only.
May 2018 Busy, busy ...
Hello West Chester East Families,
I hope this letter finds you well. June is fast approaching and this is an especially busy time for us at school. I'm happy to provide this run-down of our end of the year calendar. Some of these items will need additional clarification as the time approaches. For now, you can review these items and plan accordingly. 2018_end_of_year_calendar.pdf.
Best,
Kevin Fagan
Hello West Chester East Families,
I hope this letter finds you well. June is fast approaching and this is an especially busy time for us at school. I'm happy to provide this run-down of our end of the year calendar. Some of these items will need additional clarification as the time approaches. For now, you can review these items and plan accordingly. 2018_end_of_year_calendar.pdf.
Best,
Kevin Fagan
April 2018
Good Afternoon WCE Families,
I hope this letter finds you well. I wanted to provide a few important upcoming dates for your planning:
Tuesday, March 27 Career Day. Students will have the opportunity to rotate through two sessions with local professionals to hear about their careers and ask questions.
Wednesday, March 28 Annual Blood Drive
Thurs. March 29 Spring Break begins
Tuesday, April 3 School resumes
Thursday, April 5 End of Marking Period 3
Friday, April 6 Mock Crash for juniors and seniors, followed by an assembly on the topic of drinking and driving. We’ll have guest speakers joining us.
Wednesday, April 11 Mr. East at 7 PM
Thursday, April 12 Annual House of Hope concert at 7 PM
Saturday, April 14 Junior Prom here at East
Thurs – Sat April 26-28 One Acts at 7 PM
Please note that for the Mock Crash on Friday, April 6, we’ll have police, fire and ambulance here in the morning from around 7:00 to 9:00. We work closely with our community resources to try and make this event as impactful as possible. There will be lights, sirens, and maybe even a helicopter. I’m telling you this so that you’re aware of what’s happening that day and not unduly alarmed by the sights and sounds. Thank you to State Farm Insurance for funding this important event!
Prom time: Our number one priority for students is to make smart decisions, especially as we head into prom season, and we need everyone’s help! As a community, we have to look out for one another’s kids. Prom season is a joyous and nostalgic time, but it can also be an anxious time as our teens deal with heightened peer pressure to “party” at prom time. Let’s help our students make good decisions around prom!
All of our guests for the junior and senior prom (and post-prom) will be breathalyzed upon arrival, and administration maintains the right to breathalyze at any point during the night if need be. Our administrative team will be there, along with many staff and faculty. We’ll also have police present throughout the events. I’m including two links here related to prom season and the pressure that parents can feel to host parties for their children.
Senior prom is Friday, June 1, and the norm is for our entire senior class to attend post-prom afterward, whether they attend prom or not. I want to give a special recognition to our PTO and the parents involved with ensuring that post-prom is a great event for our students. The post-prom is a tremendous amount of work, and it’s for a terrific cause. If you’d like to be a part of post-prom, here is the link where you can get in touch with our PTO. https://www.wcasd.net/Domain/277.
I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend and gets an opportunity to enjoy some time over Spring Break.
Sincerely,
Kevin Fagan, Principal
Good Afternoon WCE Families,
I hope this letter finds you well. I wanted to provide a few important upcoming dates for your planning:
Tuesday, March 27 Career Day. Students will have the opportunity to rotate through two sessions with local professionals to hear about their careers and ask questions.
Wednesday, March 28 Annual Blood Drive
Thurs. March 29 Spring Break begins
Tuesday, April 3 School resumes
Thursday, April 5 End of Marking Period 3
Friday, April 6 Mock Crash for juniors and seniors, followed by an assembly on the topic of drinking and driving. We’ll have guest speakers joining us.
Wednesday, April 11 Mr. East at 7 PM
Thursday, April 12 Annual House of Hope concert at 7 PM
Saturday, April 14 Junior Prom here at East
Thurs – Sat April 26-28 One Acts at 7 PM
Please note that for the Mock Crash on Friday, April 6, we’ll have police, fire and ambulance here in the morning from around 7:00 to 9:00. We work closely with our community resources to try and make this event as impactful as possible. There will be lights, sirens, and maybe even a helicopter. I’m telling you this so that you’re aware of what’s happening that day and not unduly alarmed by the sights and sounds. Thank you to State Farm Insurance for funding this important event!
Prom time: Our number one priority for students is to make smart decisions, especially as we head into prom season, and we need everyone’s help! As a community, we have to look out for one another’s kids. Prom season is a joyous and nostalgic time, but it can also be an anxious time as our teens deal with heightened peer pressure to “party” at prom time. Let’s help our students make good decisions around prom!
All of our guests for the junior and senior prom (and post-prom) will be breathalyzed upon arrival, and administration maintains the right to breathalyze at any point during the night if need be. Our administrative team will be there, along with many staff and faculty. We’ll also have police present throughout the events. I’m including two links here related to prom season and the pressure that parents can feel to host parties for their children.
- https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/parents-who-host-teen-drinking-parties-not-cool-not-smart-but-they-do-it-anyway/2015/11/12/a4a5a05e-8937-11e5-9a07-453018f9a0ec_story.html?utm_term=.b32555a8ccbd.
- https://preventionactionalliance.org/about/programs/parents-who-host-lose-the-most/.
Senior prom is Friday, June 1, and the norm is for our entire senior class to attend post-prom afterward, whether they attend prom or not. I want to give a special recognition to our PTO and the parents involved with ensuring that post-prom is a great event for our students. The post-prom is a tremendous amount of work, and it’s for a terrific cause. If you’d like to be a part of post-prom, here is the link where you can get in touch with our PTO. https://www.wcasd.net/Domain/277.
I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend and gets an opportunity to enjoy some time over Spring Break.
Sincerely,
Kevin Fagan, Principal
February 2018
Thank you for visiting our online newsletter. As I write this, our winter sports are heading into the post-season, the spring musical is getting under-way, and planning is in full swing for Career Day on March 27.
We do our best to keep the tabs on this page updated with news items from staff and students. Feel free to click away to learn about a variety of things happening in and around the school.
If you are interested, you can follow me on Twitter: @principalfagan.
Thank you for visiting our online newsletter. As I write this, our winter sports are heading into the post-season, the spring musical is getting under-way, and planning is in full swing for Career Day on March 27.
We do our best to keep the tabs on this page updated with news items from staff and students. Feel free to click away to learn about a variety of things happening in and around the school.
If you are interested, you can follow me on Twitter: @principalfagan.
December 2017
Please join us in wishing farewell to one of our front office secretaries, Candy Larsen, who is retiring this winter after 14 years of service. Her last day will be December 14. Candy has been a caring and dependable presence in our office, having helped students, staff, and families on many fronts over the years. We wish her and her family nothing but the best as they venture into this next, exciting phase of life. Candy, thank you for all of your years of service and dedication to WC East High School. We'll always be proud to call you a Viking!
East is giving our students a real break from work over the winter break. We encourage our students to step away from the school work as much as they can, spend time with family and friends, and decompress for a few days.
From our family to yours, Happy Holidays!
Kevin Fagan, Principal
Please join us in wishing farewell to one of our front office secretaries, Candy Larsen, who is retiring this winter after 14 years of service. Her last day will be December 14. Candy has been a caring and dependable presence in our office, having helped students, staff, and families on many fronts over the years. We wish her and her family nothing but the best as they venture into this next, exciting phase of life. Candy, thank you for all of your years of service and dedication to WC East High School. We'll always be proud to call you a Viking!
East is giving our students a real break from work over the winter break. We encourage our students to step away from the school work as much as they can, spend time with family and friends, and decompress for a few days.
From our family to yours, Happy Holidays!
Kevin Fagan, Principal
October 19, 2017
Good morning WC East Families,
First, please consider signing up for my Remind account. Remind is a simple, one-way text messaging service that I use from time to time to notify families of important things. Signing up is easy and I promise not to overwhelm you with texts! Simply click this link: rmd.me/b?rid=24302802
On Monday, October 23 we will have a slightly adjusted bell schedule (but nothing that will impact the school day – students will come in at the regular time). For the first part of our day, each of our grades will be taking part in a particular activity.
Our ninth grade will be divided into five groups of students and meeting with counselors for our Say Something presentation. We’ve done this presentation in the past. Say Something has to do with school violence and is based on three main points: 1. Looking for and identifying warning signs. 2. Acting immediately. 3. Saying something to a trusted adult. This is not an easy topic for anyone to talk about, but it’s an important one. The entire meeting will last 25 to 30 minutes. There is a PowerPoint that includes two brief videos. Students are not required to sit through the presentation, but we recommend they do in order to build awareness. I’ve included a brochure here for your review. I encourage you to talk with your child about this presentation. shp_say_something_parent_brochure_2016.pdf
Our 10th and 12th graders will be taking the Pennsylvania Youth Survey (PAYS). Last week, you should have received an email or two from Dr. Ranieri with information about this presentation. I’ve included a link to the survey here in case you’d like to preview it. Again, this is something the district has been doing for years. The data collected is anonymous but helpful to schools. http://www.pccd.pa.gov/Juvenile-Justice/Pages/Pennsylvania-Youth-Survey-(PAYS)-2017.aspx.
Our 11th graders will remain in homerooms and take part in a brief survey activity with school administration.
Sincerely,
Kevin Fagan
Principal
Good morning WC East Families,
First, please consider signing up for my Remind account. Remind is a simple, one-way text messaging service that I use from time to time to notify families of important things. Signing up is easy and I promise not to overwhelm you with texts! Simply click this link: rmd.me/b?rid=24302802
On Monday, October 23 we will have a slightly adjusted bell schedule (but nothing that will impact the school day – students will come in at the regular time). For the first part of our day, each of our grades will be taking part in a particular activity.
Our ninth grade will be divided into five groups of students and meeting with counselors for our Say Something presentation. We’ve done this presentation in the past. Say Something has to do with school violence and is based on three main points: 1. Looking for and identifying warning signs. 2. Acting immediately. 3. Saying something to a trusted adult. This is not an easy topic for anyone to talk about, but it’s an important one. The entire meeting will last 25 to 30 minutes. There is a PowerPoint that includes two brief videos. Students are not required to sit through the presentation, but we recommend they do in order to build awareness. I’ve included a brochure here for your review. I encourage you to talk with your child about this presentation. shp_say_something_parent_brochure_2016.pdf
Our 10th and 12th graders will be taking the Pennsylvania Youth Survey (PAYS). Last week, you should have received an email or two from Dr. Ranieri with information about this presentation. I’ve included a link to the survey here in case you’d like to preview it. Again, this is something the district has been doing for years. The data collected is anonymous but helpful to schools. http://www.pccd.pa.gov/Juvenile-Justice/Pages/Pennsylvania-Youth-Survey-(PAYS)-2017.aspx.
Our 11th graders will remain in homerooms and take part in a brief survey activity with school administration.
Sincerely,
Kevin Fagan
Principal
September 29, 2017
WC East High School is awarded a National Blue Ribbon!
On Friday, September 29 we were notified by the US Department of Education that our school has been awarded the National Blue Ribbon for excellence. East is one of just 342 schools nation-wide to receive this honor for 2017, and one of just 18 PA schools, public or private. We consider this an acknowledgement of the hard work, dedication, and love from our staff, students and parents. Here is a link to the Blue Ribbon information in case you would like to read more: nationalblueribbonschools.ed.gov/.
WC East High School is awarded a National Blue Ribbon!
On Friday, September 29 we were notified by the US Department of Education that our school has been awarded the National Blue Ribbon for excellence. East is one of just 342 schools nation-wide to receive this honor for 2017, and one of just 18 PA schools, public or private. We consider this an acknowledgement of the hard work, dedication, and love from our staff, students and parents. Here is a link to the Blue Ribbon information in case you would like to read more: nationalblueribbonschools.ed.gov/.
September 18, 2017
Greetings WCE Families,
Thank you to everyone who came out for Open House last Thursday. We had a terrific turnout. Our staff really enjoyed getting to know you and having the opportunity to put a name with a face. I hope that you saw how dedicated our staff is to working with your students.
Our BSU is currently teamed up with the Red Cross to collect cases of water for hurricane victims. We invite you to drop off a case of your favorite H2O for those in need in the main lobby of the high school.
Congratulations to our students recently recognized by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation for PSAT scores they earned last year as juniors (the only time at which students are eligible for the NMSQT competition). In 2016, approximately 1.6 million juniors took the PSAT and qualified for the competition. The top 50,000 scorers receive recognition. Thirteen East seniors received commendation from the NMSQT, and they are:
Zoe Allen
Emily Bartenstein
Sravya Basvapatri
Kaylen Bond
Honor Burke
John Carr
Sreyas Chacko
Rohit Krishnagopal
Daniel Lewis
Mark Melkumyan
Amanda Nguyen
Prithvi Rajagopal
Maanas Tammara
Four of our seniors received the highest honors and have been recognized as Semi-finalists, meaning they scored within the top percentile of all test takers (a very big deal!). These students are:
Ryan Brunner
Daniel Coyle
Jerry Lan
Marko Neskovic
These four seniors will continue in the competition and apply for a variety of scholarships.
Congratulations to our 17 Vikings!
Be sure to check out the tabs on our newsletter for other great things going on in our school.
Greetings WCE Families,
Thank you to everyone who came out for Open House last Thursday. We had a terrific turnout. Our staff really enjoyed getting to know you and having the opportunity to put a name with a face. I hope that you saw how dedicated our staff is to working with your students.
Our BSU is currently teamed up with the Red Cross to collect cases of water for hurricane victims. We invite you to drop off a case of your favorite H2O for those in need in the main lobby of the high school.
Congratulations to our students recently recognized by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation for PSAT scores they earned last year as juniors (the only time at which students are eligible for the NMSQT competition). In 2016, approximately 1.6 million juniors took the PSAT and qualified for the competition. The top 50,000 scorers receive recognition. Thirteen East seniors received commendation from the NMSQT, and they are:
Zoe Allen
Emily Bartenstein
Sravya Basvapatri
Kaylen Bond
Honor Burke
John Carr
Sreyas Chacko
Rohit Krishnagopal
Daniel Lewis
Mark Melkumyan
Amanda Nguyen
Prithvi Rajagopal
Maanas Tammara
Four of our seniors received the highest honors and have been recognized as Semi-finalists, meaning they scored within the top percentile of all test takers (a very big deal!). These students are:
Ryan Brunner
Daniel Coyle
Jerry Lan
Marko Neskovic
These four seniors will continue in the competition and apply for a variety of scholarships.
Congratulations to our 17 Vikings!
Be sure to check out the tabs on our newsletter for other great things going on in our school.
September 7, 2017
Dear Parents/Guardians,
You are cordially invited to attend Open House at East High School on Thursday, September 14, 2017 from 7:00 pm – 9:20 pm. When you visit, you will follow your student’s schedule for Day 1. You will receive a copy of the Day 1 schedule in your student's HR that evening.
At Open House you will have an opportunity to see the facilities, meet with teachers, counselors, support staff, and administrators. Due to limited time for each class, this evening is not suited to individual conferences. There will be an opportunity for parent/teacher conferences later this year, and of course, you can always contact your child’s teacher with questions and concerns.
Upon arriving, you should report immediately to your son’s or daughter’s homeroom which begins promptly at 7:00 pm. In anticipation of that evening, please ask your son or daughter for their homeroom number and location. Following a few announcements, homeroom teachers will direct you to the first period class. Lastly, parking can be an issue for this event, so if you can car pool with others, that could be beneficial. It is my sincere hope that you have the opportunity to visit East High School next Thursday!
Dear Parents/Guardians,
You are cordially invited to attend Open House at East High School on Thursday, September 14, 2017 from 7:00 pm – 9:20 pm. When you visit, you will follow your student’s schedule for Day 1. You will receive a copy of the Day 1 schedule in your student's HR that evening.
At Open House you will have an opportunity to see the facilities, meet with teachers, counselors, support staff, and administrators. Due to limited time for each class, this evening is not suited to individual conferences. There will be an opportunity for parent/teacher conferences later this year, and of course, you can always contact your child’s teacher with questions and concerns.
Upon arriving, you should report immediately to your son’s or daughter’s homeroom which begins promptly at 7:00 pm. In anticipation of that evening, please ask your son or daughter for their homeroom number and location. Following a few announcements, homeroom teachers will direct you to the first period class. Lastly, parking can be an issue for this event, so if you can car pool with others, that could be beneficial. It is my sincere hope that you have the opportunity to visit East High School next Thursday!
August 24, 2017
Good morning WCE families,
The first student day for school is August 28th and it’s right around the corner! We are prepared for our students and looking forward to their return. We are ready for a great school year! By now, students have had an opportunity to go online and look at schedules, and families have had a chance to review the summer “mailings” that have been sent from the school and district. Hopefully, everyone’s feeling as prepared as possible.
Our first home football game is this coming Friday night, August 25 at 7 PM vs Council Rock North. Our football team, cheer team, and band have spent a lot of time working diligently this summer to prepare for our opener. We hope you can join us. As we’ve done in the recent past, in order to help ensure that the football game is a positive experience for all, all students will enter not through the main stadium entrance, but through the other entrance at the south side. There we’ll have staff ready to greet our students. We typically have an outstanding student section and we are looking forward to continuing that tradition this year. So students, please come Friday night to cheer on your peers and school! We have a few reminders for our stadium guests: no outside food or beverages or container are allowed, and students are not permitted to bring bags or backpacks (other than purses, which are subject to search). We are looking forward to a terrific kickoff to our new school year as our Vikings pursue their first win of the regular season.
When students get here Monday, they’ll report directly to their assigned homeroom. In case they don’t recall what that is, we’ll have signs up in the hallways. We’ll also have plenty of student council members and staff around to provide direction as needed. We’ll have extended homeroom periods that first day, class meetings with administrators, and building tours for our ninth graders to get them even better acquainted with our layout.
Each summer brings with it staff changes, as faculty and staff retire, resign, or take leaves of absence – it is the natural order of things, and this summer was no different. One of the top priorities for our administration is going through the hiring process to find the best candidates to complement our outstanding staff. I’d like to highlight two of those changes here as related to our Guidance Office. First, as many of you know, Ms. Otto and her husband welcomed a new addition to their family in the spring. Ms. Otto plans to return to us in the winter and in the meantime, her long-term substitute will be Ms. Kelly Dougherty, an experienced counselor who comes to us having most recently completed a long-term sub position in the guidance department at Avon Grove High School. Ms. Dougherty is very excited to be here. She’s acclimated quickly to our school and looks forward to working her the students in the H - McC alpha band. Ms. Heather Gallo recently resigned her position as a counselor at East to pursue another opportunity. We thank Ms. Gallo for her years of service and wish her all the best in her new endeavors. Through a rigorous hiring process, we found an excellent counselor to bring on board. Ms. Jessica Thoms is an energetic, smart, and caring person who can’t wait to get here Monday and begin her work with the students in the McD – R alpha band. Ms. Thoms comes to us with college admissions experience and completed her counseling internship at Upper Dublin High School. She’ll be a wonderful addition to our staff.
Both Ms. Dougherty and Ms. Thoms have and will continue to work with their respective predecessors, as well as our other counselors and administrators to help ensure a smooth transition for our students. I know you’ll welcome them warmly to the Viking Family, and hopefully you can make it here September 14 at 7 PM for our Open House Event, where you’ll have an opportunity to meet them and our other staff members face to face. Ms. Dougherty can be reached via phone at 484-266-3930, email [email protected]. Ms. Thoms can be reached at 484-266-3928 and [email protected]. Our other counselors, Ms. Setlock, Ms. Kowalski, and Ms. Barry will continue to work with the same alpha bands as last year.
Enjoy these last few days of summer break before we kickoff the 2017-2018 school year!
Good morning WCE families,
The first student day for school is August 28th and it’s right around the corner! We are prepared for our students and looking forward to their return. We are ready for a great school year! By now, students have had an opportunity to go online and look at schedules, and families have had a chance to review the summer “mailings” that have been sent from the school and district. Hopefully, everyone’s feeling as prepared as possible.
Our first home football game is this coming Friday night, August 25 at 7 PM vs Council Rock North. Our football team, cheer team, and band have spent a lot of time working diligently this summer to prepare for our opener. We hope you can join us. As we’ve done in the recent past, in order to help ensure that the football game is a positive experience for all, all students will enter not through the main stadium entrance, but through the other entrance at the south side. There we’ll have staff ready to greet our students. We typically have an outstanding student section and we are looking forward to continuing that tradition this year. So students, please come Friday night to cheer on your peers and school! We have a few reminders for our stadium guests: no outside food or beverages or container are allowed, and students are not permitted to bring bags or backpacks (other than purses, which are subject to search). We are looking forward to a terrific kickoff to our new school year as our Vikings pursue their first win of the regular season.
When students get here Monday, they’ll report directly to their assigned homeroom. In case they don’t recall what that is, we’ll have signs up in the hallways. We’ll also have plenty of student council members and staff around to provide direction as needed. We’ll have extended homeroom periods that first day, class meetings with administrators, and building tours for our ninth graders to get them even better acquainted with our layout.
Each summer brings with it staff changes, as faculty and staff retire, resign, or take leaves of absence – it is the natural order of things, and this summer was no different. One of the top priorities for our administration is going through the hiring process to find the best candidates to complement our outstanding staff. I’d like to highlight two of those changes here as related to our Guidance Office. First, as many of you know, Ms. Otto and her husband welcomed a new addition to their family in the spring. Ms. Otto plans to return to us in the winter and in the meantime, her long-term substitute will be Ms. Kelly Dougherty, an experienced counselor who comes to us having most recently completed a long-term sub position in the guidance department at Avon Grove High School. Ms. Dougherty is very excited to be here. She’s acclimated quickly to our school and looks forward to working her the students in the H - McC alpha band. Ms. Heather Gallo recently resigned her position as a counselor at East to pursue another opportunity. We thank Ms. Gallo for her years of service and wish her all the best in her new endeavors. Through a rigorous hiring process, we found an excellent counselor to bring on board. Ms. Jessica Thoms is an energetic, smart, and caring person who can’t wait to get here Monday and begin her work with the students in the McD – R alpha band. Ms. Thoms comes to us with college admissions experience and completed her counseling internship at Upper Dublin High School. She’ll be a wonderful addition to our staff.
Both Ms. Dougherty and Ms. Thoms have and will continue to work with their respective predecessors, as well as our other counselors and administrators to help ensure a smooth transition for our students. I know you’ll welcome them warmly to the Viking Family, and hopefully you can make it here September 14 at 7 PM for our Open House Event, where you’ll have an opportunity to meet them and our other staff members face to face. Ms. Dougherty can be reached via phone at 484-266-3930, email [email protected]. Ms. Thoms can be reached at 484-266-3928 and [email protected]. Our other counselors, Ms. Setlock, Ms. Kowalski, and Ms. Barry will continue to work with the same alpha bands as last year.
Enjoy these last few days of summer break before we kickoff the 2017-2018 school year!
July 2017
Greetings WC East Families,
I hope that this message finds you well and that you are enjoying the summer with family and friends. At East, we are busing preparing for another great school year! We still have about six weeks to go before the official start of the next school year, but for your planning purposes, we wanted to share some important dates with you:
August 3 -- Date by which all medical physicals should be uploaded into FamilyID (see link). family_id_and_dr._form.pdf
August 7 – Football Heat Acclimatization Week
August 8 – Senior Portraits Make Ups - Room 101, 102 and 103
August 14 – Fall Sports Begin
August 16 -- New student orientation at 9:00 AM and New parent orientation at 6:30 PM.
August 22 – Teachers Return for in-service program
August 28 – First Day of School for students
September 1 - School Closed (Labor Day Holiday)
September 4 – School Closed
September 13 – Picture Day
September 14 – Open House – 7 PM for all WC East families, a great opportunity to meet teachers and staff.
September 21 – School Closed for Rosh Hoshanah
September 27 – DECA Parent Meeting – 7 PM
September 28 – 2 Hour Delay for all students.
September 28 -29 – Final Senior Portraits
Be sure to check out school website occasionally for additional updates.
See you soon,
Kevin Fagan, Principal
Greetings WC East Families,
I hope that this message finds you well and that you are enjoying the summer with family and friends. At East, we are busing preparing for another great school year! We still have about six weeks to go before the official start of the next school year, but for your planning purposes, we wanted to share some important dates with you:
August 3 -- Date by which all medical physicals should be uploaded into FamilyID (see link). family_id_and_dr._form.pdf
August 7 – Football Heat Acclimatization Week
August 8 – Senior Portraits Make Ups - Room 101, 102 and 103
August 14 – Fall Sports Begin
August 16 -- New student orientation at 9:00 AM and New parent orientation at 6:30 PM.
August 22 – Teachers Return for in-service program
August 28 – First Day of School for students
September 1 - School Closed (Labor Day Holiday)
September 4 – School Closed
September 13 – Picture Day
September 14 – Open House – 7 PM for all WC East families, a great opportunity to meet teachers and staff.
September 21 – School Closed for Rosh Hoshanah
September 27 – DECA Parent Meeting – 7 PM
September 28 – 2 Hour Delay for all students.
September 28 -29 – Final Senior Portraits
Be sure to check out school website occasionally for additional updates.
See you soon,
Kevin Fagan, Principal
May 2017
Greetings WC East Families,
We are officially five weeks away from the end of the school year and while that time will go by in the blink of an eye, we have a lot going on between now and June 8. In my last newsletter update, I included some of the more prevalent dates and events. If you’d like a fuller scope of what’s happening be sure to check out web page calendar. The school year will culminate in our Commencement Celebration on June 7 at 6:00 PM here at East. Information has recently gone out to families, and if you have any questions, let us know.
Today marks the official start of our College Board AP exams, which will run over the course of the next two weeks. Keystone Exams will begin May 17 with Algebra, then May 22 for Literature, then conclude with Biology May 24. Our students have been well prepared for these assessments, and they have our full support!
The spring concert season is underway and the regular season for our team sports is heading into the final lap. Several of our tennis and track/field athletes have had tremendous seasons, and we have teams vying for post-season play. Our spring art show is always a popular event. This year, it will take place on May 10, and maybe you can join us.
I want to thank our junior parent volunteers for all the work they did to help ensure that the junior prom was a success. We had about 300 students, who had a blast and the school was transformed into a true Hollywood scene! Senior prom and post prom are right around the corner. The kids are excited and we are looking forward to a safe, happy occasion. Thank you to all of our parents who have volunteered their time, energy and expertise to help ensure that post prom is as great as always -- post prom would not be possible without you! Historically, post prom has been very well attended by our student body. It serves as an excellent way to pro-long their celebration in a safe way.
Enjoy the attached family newsletter, with some tips for making the most of the summer and getting a jump on those college essays! may_family_newsletter.pdf
Sincerely,
Kevin Fagan
Principal
Greetings WC East Families,
We are officially five weeks away from the end of the school year and while that time will go by in the blink of an eye, we have a lot going on between now and June 8. In my last newsletter update, I included some of the more prevalent dates and events. If you’d like a fuller scope of what’s happening be sure to check out web page calendar. The school year will culminate in our Commencement Celebration on June 7 at 6:00 PM here at East. Information has recently gone out to families, and if you have any questions, let us know.
Today marks the official start of our College Board AP exams, which will run over the course of the next two weeks. Keystone Exams will begin May 17 with Algebra, then May 22 for Literature, then conclude with Biology May 24. Our students have been well prepared for these assessments, and they have our full support!
The spring concert season is underway and the regular season for our team sports is heading into the final lap. Several of our tennis and track/field athletes have had tremendous seasons, and we have teams vying for post-season play. Our spring art show is always a popular event. This year, it will take place on May 10, and maybe you can join us.
I want to thank our junior parent volunteers for all the work they did to help ensure that the junior prom was a success. We had about 300 students, who had a blast and the school was transformed into a true Hollywood scene! Senior prom and post prom are right around the corner. The kids are excited and we are looking forward to a safe, happy occasion. Thank you to all of our parents who have volunteered their time, energy and expertise to help ensure that post prom is as great as always -- post prom would not be possible without you! Historically, post prom has been very well attended by our student body. It serves as an excellent way to pro-long their celebration in a safe way.
Enjoy the attached family newsletter, with some tips for making the most of the summer and getting a jump on those college essays! may_family_newsletter.pdf
Sincerely,
Kevin Fagan
Principal
April, 2017
Greetings West Chester East Families,
Finally! Spring is upon us! Not that there’s ever a dull moment here, but from here out, our calendar is fuller than usual, so be sure to check our homepage for the many things going on up to and including Commencement. I’ll include a few things here:
April 5 Cruzin’ Smart Assembly for grades 11 and 12
April 6 Two hour delay for students for a teacher professional development
April 7 Blood drive
April 11 Career Day
April 12 Boys’ speaking contest
April 13 Spring Break! (thru Monday, April 17)
April 20 Marybeth Tinker Assembly
April 22 Junior Prom
As noted above, our annual Career Day is coming up. A couple of years ago, we revamped this program and the improvements have really paid off. That day, our student body will have the opportunity to attend to sessions of choice and hear from professionals currently in the field! Not only this a great opportunity to connect community and school, but it’s also a great way to help students get answers about career topics of interest.
The Keystone Exams (KE) are coming in May. Each year our students in Algebra, Biology, and Literature (10) are required to take these state-mandated tests. Students in the Classes of 2019 and 2020 (and beyond) are required by the state of PA to demonstrate proficiency on those tests in order to receive a diploma. Our faculty has been working diligently with students to help them prepare. We’ll do a special bell schedule for these May testing days; stay tuned.
Lastly, enjoy the attached article that provides useful tips on several topics, including summer job search april_newsletter.pdf, and be sure to check out the tabs on our newsletter for other exciting student news.
Sincerely,
Kevin Fagan
Greetings West Chester East Families,
Finally! Spring is upon us! Not that there’s ever a dull moment here, but from here out, our calendar is fuller than usual, so be sure to check our homepage for the many things going on up to and including Commencement. I’ll include a few things here:
April 5 Cruzin’ Smart Assembly for grades 11 and 12
April 6 Two hour delay for students for a teacher professional development
April 7 Blood drive
April 11 Career Day
April 12 Boys’ speaking contest
April 13 Spring Break! (thru Monday, April 17)
April 20 Marybeth Tinker Assembly
April 22 Junior Prom
As noted above, our annual Career Day is coming up. A couple of years ago, we revamped this program and the improvements have really paid off. That day, our student body will have the opportunity to attend to sessions of choice and hear from professionals currently in the field! Not only this a great opportunity to connect community and school, but it’s also a great way to help students get answers about career topics of interest.
The Keystone Exams (KE) are coming in May. Each year our students in Algebra, Biology, and Literature (10) are required to take these state-mandated tests. Students in the Classes of 2019 and 2020 (and beyond) are required by the state of PA to demonstrate proficiency on those tests in order to receive a diploma. Our faculty has been working diligently with students to help them prepare. We’ll do a special bell schedule for these May testing days; stay tuned.
Lastly, enjoy the attached article that provides useful tips on several topics, including summer job search april_newsletter.pdf, and be sure to check out the tabs on our newsletter for other exciting student news.
Sincerely,
Kevin Fagan
March 2017
Greetings WC East Families,
As I write this, we are heading into the spring sports season. It’s 60 degrees outside, with snow forecasted for this weekend. Typical spring sports weather …
We had a tremendous winter season here, with several of our swimming and diving athletes, wrestlers and indoor track athletes making the post-season. Our DECA and Academic Competition teams had great success. Spring concert season is underway, and our spring musical production of Grease was fantastic! Congratulations to all of student athletes, artists, competitors and their coaches/advisers and parents! Be sure to check out the tabs on this newsletter for additional information.
Yearbook sales are well underway. I’m asked from time to time whether students should only purchase yearbooks during the senior year, but the yearbook is a record of each year and a really nice keepsake for students. Our yearbook staff works hard to ensure a quality product at a reasonable cost. Purchase a 2017 EAST Valhalla yearbook online for the price of $60 until May 15. Click this link for more information: shop.balfour.com/smi65863/catalog/category/view/s/yearbooks/id/312793/?noRedirect=1.
Hopefully, those of you who will have students in high school next year have been getting our communications about scheduling. We are approaching our second course verification window. If you have any questions about course selection, you can click this link, or call your child’s counselor for more information. home.wcasd.net/pages/West_Chester_Area_SD/5994015546809392962/5994015696254794114/Curriculum_and_Programs/Course_Selection_Guide.
I'm sharing this parent tip sheet that incldudes some FAQs about hosting teenage parties: pwh_factsheet_2017.pdf. Check out this bonus newsletter if you have a few minutes for reading! march_newsletter.pdf
Sincerely,
Kevin Fagan
Greetings WC East Families,
As I write this, we are heading into the spring sports season. It’s 60 degrees outside, with snow forecasted for this weekend. Typical spring sports weather …
We had a tremendous winter season here, with several of our swimming and diving athletes, wrestlers and indoor track athletes making the post-season. Our DECA and Academic Competition teams had great success. Spring concert season is underway, and our spring musical production of Grease was fantastic! Congratulations to all of student athletes, artists, competitors and their coaches/advisers and parents! Be sure to check out the tabs on this newsletter for additional information.
Yearbook sales are well underway. I’m asked from time to time whether students should only purchase yearbooks during the senior year, but the yearbook is a record of each year and a really nice keepsake for students. Our yearbook staff works hard to ensure a quality product at a reasonable cost. Purchase a 2017 EAST Valhalla yearbook online for the price of $60 until May 15. Click this link for more information: shop.balfour.com/smi65863/catalog/category/view/s/yearbooks/id/312793/?noRedirect=1.
Hopefully, those of you who will have students in high school next year have been getting our communications about scheduling. We are approaching our second course verification window. If you have any questions about course selection, you can click this link, or call your child’s counselor for more information. home.wcasd.net/pages/West_Chester_Area_SD/5994015546809392962/5994015696254794114/Curriculum_and_Programs/Course_Selection_Guide.
I'm sharing this parent tip sheet that incldudes some FAQs about hosting teenage parties: pwh_factsheet_2017.pdf. Check out this bonus newsletter if you have a few minutes for reading! march_newsletter.pdf
Sincerely,
Kevin Fagan
February 2017
Greetings WCE Families,
Semester one is in the books and semester two is well under way! We’ve had a great year overall, and we are looking to continue that this coming semester. For some reason, the spring semester always seems to go a little quicker than the last. It’ll be June before we know it -- something we need to keep in mind during the cold months of January and February!
Our seniors are on the brink of concluding their 8th semester in high school and 12 years of education. It’s an exciting time for them. We’ll be updating our homepage calendar frequently so that everyone is aware of the many senior events happening as the end of the year approaches.
For our other students, course selection is in full swing now. Over the the next several weeks, teachers, students, and families will have a chance to review options for next year and make selections. I’d strongly advise that everyone read the first few pages of the course selection guide, familiarize themselves with our overall programming. If you like, check out the tutorials we've included to help guide you through this process: www.edline.net/pages/East_High_School. From our homepage, click on "Course Selection Information Center." There are several dates to keep in mind, and these can all be found in the course selection guide, but I’d especially point out March 29th, 2017 – that’s the last day that students can change course requests. After that date, students and families will not be able to make changes to course/level requests for the next school year. home.wcasd.net/pages/West_Chester_Area_SD/5994015546809392962/5994015696254794114/Curriculum_and_Programs/Course_Selection_Guide
Feel free to check out our tabs on this newsletter for exciting things happening at East. Look specifically at our PTO tab if you have a minute. Our PTO is very supportive of our school and is doing great things with the SAT and ACT prep courses right now. These courses are cheaper than you’d pay for elsewhere and have produced great results.
Sincerely,
Kevin Fagan, Principal
Greetings WCE Families,
Semester one is in the books and semester two is well under way! We’ve had a great year overall, and we are looking to continue that this coming semester. For some reason, the spring semester always seems to go a little quicker than the last. It’ll be June before we know it -- something we need to keep in mind during the cold months of January and February!
Our seniors are on the brink of concluding their 8th semester in high school and 12 years of education. It’s an exciting time for them. We’ll be updating our homepage calendar frequently so that everyone is aware of the many senior events happening as the end of the year approaches.
For our other students, course selection is in full swing now. Over the the next several weeks, teachers, students, and families will have a chance to review options for next year and make selections. I’d strongly advise that everyone read the first few pages of the course selection guide, familiarize themselves with our overall programming. If you like, check out the tutorials we've included to help guide you through this process: www.edline.net/pages/East_High_School. From our homepage, click on "Course Selection Information Center." There are several dates to keep in mind, and these can all be found in the course selection guide, but I’d especially point out March 29th, 2017 – that’s the last day that students can change course requests. After that date, students and families will not be able to make changes to course/level requests for the next school year. home.wcasd.net/pages/West_Chester_Area_SD/5994015546809392962/5994015696254794114/Curriculum_and_Programs/Course_Selection_Guide
Feel free to check out our tabs on this newsletter for exciting things happening at East. Look specifically at our PTO tab if you have a minute. Our PTO is very supportive of our school and is doing great things with the SAT and ACT prep courses right now. These courses are cheaper than you’d pay for elsewhere and have produced great results.
Sincerely,
Kevin Fagan, Principal
January 2017
Dear WC East families,
You are cordially invited to our 2017-2018 Course Selection Evening on Wednesday, January 25th from 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. The meeting will begin in the WC East High School Auditorium, where we will provide parents an overview of the course selection process. Following our session in the auditorium, parents will have time to meet in the cafeteria with teachers from the various departments. In the event of inclement weather, the alternate meeting date is Wednesday, February 1, 2017.
The planning and selection of appropriate courses for the 2017-2018 school year are vital components to your child’s educational programming. This meeting will provide you with the necessary information to help you support your child in making thoughtful and appropriate decisions for next year’s courses. The course selection guide will be available online early the week of January 16th. I am looking forward to seeing you on Wednesday, January 25, 2017 at 7:00 p.m.
Sincerely,
Kevin Fagan
Principal
Dear WC East families,
You are cordially invited to our 2017-2018 Course Selection Evening on Wednesday, January 25th from 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. The meeting will begin in the WC East High School Auditorium, where we will provide parents an overview of the course selection process. Following our session in the auditorium, parents will have time to meet in the cafeteria with teachers from the various departments. In the event of inclement weather, the alternate meeting date is Wednesday, February 1, 2017.
The planning and selection of appropriate courses for the 2017-2018 school year are vital components to your child’s educational programming. This meeting will provide you with the necessary information to help you support your child in making thoughtful and appropriate decisions for next year’s courses. The course selection guide will be available online early the week of January 16th. I am looking forward to seeing you on Wednesday, January 25, 2017 at 7:00 p.m.
Sincerely,
Kevin Fagan
Principal
December, 2016
Hello West Chester East Families,
I hope this letter finds you well and gearing up for the holidays and a nice, long winter break. Before we know it, it’ll be 2017, and at East, we are looking to close out 2016 on a positive note. To that end, winter sports are well underway now, Academic Competition Team continues to roll along, and last evening, we hosted our annual holiday concert, which was attended by 350 or so parents and community members. This past Friday, our art department hosted its annual coffee house event and enjoyed a great turn-out from family and friends. This coming Friday, we'll host our 3rd annual Talent Show, hosted by our BSU, and on Saturday, our Interact Club will trek down to Arlington cemetery to take part in the annual Wreaths Across America event. This time of year also presents an opportunity for our many clubs and activities to engage their charitable endeavors, which are alive and well. College acceptances are rolling in and our freshmen are fully acclimated to life at the high school. The first third of our school year has been a positive one for our student body!
Soon, our families will be receiving information about the course selection process for 2017. In early January, we’ll publish a timeline that will specify exactly what that process will look like, including our annual course selection evening, which provides parents and students an opportunity to hear about our programs directly from staff and administration and ask whatever questions they may have. Stay tuned!
I routinely get questions about state tests and which state tests are required of our students. In a nutshell, our current sophomores and freshmen are required to demonstrate proficiency in Algebra, Literature, and Biology Keystone Exams, state-required tests that were implemented by the state several years ago. For the most part, students will complete the Algebra and Biology tests in spring of their 9th grade year and Literature in spring of their 10th grade year. Those 9th and 10th graders who are not proficient in the spring exams will have an opportunity to retest in the subsequent summer and (if needed) winter. There will be more communication about this as we approach spring.
The tabs on this page are updated regularly and are an excellent place to get additional information about the various things going on at East. Remember to also check our school homepage for calendar items, news, and other important information.
Thanks for your support of our programs.
Happy Holidays,
Kevin Fagan
Hello West Chester East Families,
I hope this letter finds you well and gearing up for the holidays and a nice, long winter break. Before we know it, it’ll be 2017, and at East, we are looking to close out 2016 on a positive note. To that end, winter sports are well underway now, Academic Competition Team continues to roll along, and last evening, we hosted our annual holiday concert, which was attended by 350 or so parents and community members. This past Friday, our art department hosted its annual coffee house event and enjoyed a great turn-out from family and friends. This coming Friday, we'll host our 3rd annual Talent Show, hosted by our BSU, and on Saturday, our Interact Club will trek down to Arlington cemetery to take part in the annual Wreaths Across America event. This time of year also presents an opportunity for our many clubs and activities to engage their charitable endeavors, which are alive and well. College acceptances are rolling in and our freshmen are fully acclimated to life at the high school. The first third of our school year has been a positive one for our student body!
Soon, our families will be receiving information about the course selection process for 2017. In early January, we’ll publish a timeline that will specify exactly what that process will look like, including our annual course selection evening, which provides parents and students an opportunity to hear about our programs directly from staff and administration and ask whatever questions they may have. Stay tuned!
I routinely get questions about state tests and which state tests are required of our students. In a nutshell, our current sophomores and freshmen are required to demonstrate proficiency in Algebra, Literature, and Biology Keystone Exams, state-required tests that were implemented by the state several years ago. For the most part, students will complete the Algebra and Biology tests in spring of their 9th grade year and Literature in spring of their 10th grade year. Those 9th and 10th graders who are not proficient in the spring exams will have an opportunity to retest in the subsequent summer and (if needed) winter. There will be more communication about this as we approach spring.
The tabs on this page are updated regularly and are an excellent place to get additional information about the various things going on at East. Remember to also check our school homepage for calendar items, news, and other important information.
Thanks for your support of our programs.
Happy Holidays,
Kevin Fagan
November 8, 2016
Hello West Chester East Families,
Somehow we are already at the end of MP 1 and beginning MP 2 – the year is flying by! Fall sports are nearly wrapped up, our fall drama is getting underway, and college acceptances will soon be rolling in…
Hopefully, the start of the school year has been a good one for your son or daughter. If you’d like to discuss your child’s progress with your child’s teachers, you’ll have an opportunity to do so during our upcoming parent/teacher conferences on November 21 and 22. Here is the link for more information about how to schedule a conference: www.edline.net/pages/East_High_School/Parent_Conferences_Information
If the start of the year has not been as strong as you would like and you are wondering where to start, here are some suggestions:
For additional news about what's happening at East, be sure to check out the tabs at the top of the page.
Lastly, tomorrow night, November 9th from 7 to 8:30 PM in our gym we are hosting our Extracurricular Open House for families in our feeder pattern considering WC East. The event is specifically target to middle school families weighing their school options, but everyone is welcome. Our coaches, advisers, students, some teachers, and administrators will be on hand to answer questions.
Sincerely,
Kevin Fagan
Hello West Chester East Families,
Somehow we are already at the end of MP 1 and beginning MP 2 – the year is flying by! Fall sports are nearly wrapped up, our fall drama is getting underway, and college acceptances will soon be rolling in…
Hopefully, the start of the school year has been a good one for your son or daughter. If you’d like to discuss your child’s progress with your child’s teachers, you’ll have an opportunity to do so during our upcoming parent/teacher conferences on November 21 and 22. Here is the link for more information about how to schedule a conference: www.edline.net/pages/East_High_School/Parent_Conferences_Information
If the start of the year has not been as strong as you would like and you are wondering where to start, here are some suggestions:
- Talk directly with your child’s teacher(s). This person will be in the best position to give you insights about what’s happening in the classroom and where your son or daughter might be struggling.
- Talk with your child’s counselor. This person will be able to coordinate communication with all your child’s teachers and put you in touch with the school-wide resources we have to offer.
- Together with your child, evaluate their study habits and time management. Very often their struggles in school have a lot to do with how they are using their time outside of school. Generally speaking, our high school students are engaged in at least one club, activity, or sport (most students are doing more than one of these), have anywhere from 30 to 90 minutes of homework a night), and know where to go when they need assistance in school. We also highly recommend at least 7 hours of sleep each night and a good breakfast before school.
For additional news about what's happening at East, be sure to check out the tabs at the top of the page.
Lastly, tomorrow night, November 9th from 7 to 8:30 PM in our gym we are hosting our Extracurricular Open House for families in our feeder pattern considering WC East. The event is specifically target to middle school families weighing their school options, but everyone is welcome. Our coaches, advisers, students, some teachers, and administrators will be on hand to answer questions.
Sincerely,
Kevin Fagan
October 4, 2016
Hello WC East Families, Two updates for you today.
1. The first is that I'd like to share that SchoolDigger released its school rankings late last week. The rankings are based primarily on 2015-2016 Keystone Score (state test) results. Of the 676 high schools in PA, WC East came in at #13, the highest of the three WCASD high schools. We moved up 62 spots from last year’s ranking of 75! Results like this come from the convergence of a professional staff, families, and students working together. Kudos all around!
Here is the link to School Digger if you want to check out the rankings for yourself: https://www.schooldigger.com/go/PA/schoolrank.aspx?level=3.
2. The second item today is that our Student Council is sponsoring a Military Appreciation event this Friday during our home football game vs. D-town West. Come out, support out football team, band and cheer team and feel free to wear your red, white and blue!
Hello WC East Families, Two updates for you today.
1. The first is that I'd like to share that SchoolDigger released its school rankings late last week. The rankings are based primarily on 2015-2016 Keystone Score (state test) results. Of the 676 high schools in PA, WC East came in at #13, the highest of the three WCASD high schools. We moved up 62 spots from last year’s ranking of 75! Results like this come from the convergence of a professional staff, families, and students working together. Kudos all around!
Here is the link to School Digger if you want to check out the rankings for yourself: https://www.schooldigger.com/go/PA/schoolrank.aspx?level=3.
2. The second item today is that our Student Council is sponsoring a Military Appreciation event this Friday during our home football game vs. D-town West. Come out, support out football team, band and cheer team and feel free to wear your red, white and blue!
September 26, 2016
Greetings WC East Families,
We are already wrapping up our 4th week of the school year and off to a great start. We had a tremendous turnout at our Open House event a couple of weeks ago – thanks so much to everyone who was able to come out and join us for the evening. We also hosted a very successful Spirit Week and Homecoming two weeks ago, capped off with our Homecoming Dance, attended by nearly 700 of our students. The fall sports season is going well overall, as several teams and individual athletes eye post-season play. Our drama club is gearing up for our annual fall drama, and our marching band will host its Cavalcade event this coming Saturday at East High School.
Big congratulations to West Chester East senior Sam D’Amore who during last year’s administration of the ACT test, earned a score of 36, the highest possible composite score on the ACT. This is a rare feat; on average, only one tenth of one percent of all students taking the ACT achieve that score in any given year. Here is a link to the article recently featured in the daily local: http://www.dailylocal.com/general-news/20160923/west-chester-east-high-school-student-aces-act-test.
Congratulations also to our students recently recognized by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation for PSAT scores they earned last year as juniors (the only time at which students are eligible for the NMSQT competition). In 2015, approximately 1.6 million juniors took the PSAT and qualified for the competition. The top 50,000 scorers receive recognition. Five East seniors received commendation from the NMSQT: Kim Ciccarelli, Karl Mobed, Lucas Naylor, Robert Prann, and Sydney Towell. Four of our seniors received the highest honors and have been recognized as “Semi-finalists.” These students are Kevin Diestelow, Katherine Foss, ben Klucznik, Ann Steinmetz. These four seniors will continue in the competition to earn a variety of scholarships. Congratulations to our 9 Vikings!
Be sure to check in from time to time for updates to our newsletter and see the tabs at the top of the page for information about what’s happening at East. Have a great day!
Kevin Fagan
Principal
Greetings WC East Families,
We are already wrapping up our 4th week of the school year and off to a great start. We had a tremendous turnout at our Open House event a couple of weeks ago – thanks so much to everyone who was able to come out and join us for the evening. We also hosted a very successful Spirit Week and Homecoming two weeks ago, capped off with our Homecoming Dance, attended by nearly 700 of our students. The fall sports season is going well overall, as several teams and individual athletes eye post-season play. Our drama club is gearing up for our annual fall drama, and our marching band will host its Cavalcade event this coming Saturday at East High School.
Big congratulations to West Chester East senior Sam D’Amore who during last year’s administration of the ACT test, earned a score of 36, the highest possible composite score on the ACT. This is a rare feat; on average, only one tenth of one percent of all students taking the ACT achieve that score in any given year. Here is a link to the article recently featured in the daily local: http://www.dailylocal.com/general-news/20160923/west-chester-east-high-school-student-aces-act-test.
Congratulations also to our students recently recognized by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation for PSAT scores they earned last year as juniors (the only time at which students are eligible for the NMSQT competition). In 2015, approximately 1.6 million juniors took the PSAT and qualified for the competition. The top 50,000 scorers receive recognition. Five East seniors received commendation from the NMSQT: Kim Ciccarelli, Karl Mobed, Lucas Naylor, Robert Prann, and Sydney Towell. Four of our seniors received the highest honors and have been recognized as “Semi-finalists.” These students are Kevin Diestelow, Katherine Foss, ben Klucznik, Ann Steinmetz. These four seniors will continue in the competition to earn a variety of scholarships. Congratulations to our 9 Vikings!
Be sure to check in from time to time for updates to our newsletter and see the tabs at the top of the page for information about what’s happening at East. Have a great day!
Kevin Fagan
Principal
September 2, 2016
Greetings East Families,
Well … week 1 is in the books and I hope our students had a great first week back, and are now enjoying a nice long weekend. From our perspective, it was a good week and really set the tone for a wonderful, productive school year. I wanted to take this opportunity to go over a couple of things that came up this week and remind everyone of some important dates coming up.
Morning drop-off: If you are driving your child to school, please keep in mind that the only parent drop off location is directly in front of the school. The senior parking lot (the area in front of the gym) is not a drop off location. We try to keep that area as clear as possible for seniors parking. Also, it’s very helpful to our staff stationed outside if parents and student use turn signals when on campus. We certainly don’t want anyone getting hurt!
Afternoon pick-up: students may be picked up in the afternoon in front of the school. That is a two-lane road. It can be a little hectic out front during PM pick up, so we ask that everyone takes their time and follows the direction of our staff out front. Parents picking up students are asked not to park in the staff parking lot or purple lot, as doing so can cause additional confusion and delays. Again, please abide our staff that’s out there trying to direct traffic and keep things moving smoothly.
Student Absence: The easiest way for parents to call out their children is via email to our attendance office. Our attendance secretary is Claire Campbell and her direct email is [email protected]. Our attendance policies conform with state law. Each school year, parents are allotted 5 vacation days and 7 parent notes, after which, students may face penalties unless the absence meets one of the criteria outlined in our student handbook.
Back to School Night is Wednesday, September 14 at 7:00 PM. This evening presents an opportunity for you to meet your child’s teachers and hear directly from them about the classes your son or daughter is taking this year. We hope you can make it that night, and if you are coming, bring your child’s schedule with you for reference.
Homecoming Weekend will take place Friday, September 16 and Saturday, September 17, closing our Spirit Week. On Friday, we’ll hold our annual Pep Rally and evening football game. The homecoming dance is that Saturday and we’ll start selling tickets this coming week.
Staying connected: Our website is a great way to find out what’s going on at East. Want one more way to stay updated about what’s going on at East? Then join my Remind 101 group. Remind 101 (also called simply Remind) is a one-way text message service that I use periodically to keep everyone updated about what’s happening. Lots of parents and students have joined my Remind 101 account. If you’d like to receive these brief one-way messages, simply text @drfagan to 81010 (then hit send). It’s that easy!
Friday, September 30 is a half day for high school students, with a dismissal time of 11:05.
Monday, October 3: schools are closed.
Be sure to periodically check out the tabs on this online newsletter see some of the great stuff happening at East.
Go Vikings!
Have a great Labor Day weekend!
Greetings East Families,
Well … week 1 is in the books and I hope our students had a great first week back, and are now enjoying a nice long weekend. From our perspective, it was a good week and really set the tone for a wonderful, productive school year. I wanted to take this opportunity to go over a couple of things that came up this week and remind everyone of some important dates coming up.
Morning drop-off: If you are driving your child to school, please keep in mind that the only parent drop off location is directly in front of the school. The senior parking lot (the area in front of the gym) is not a drop off location. We try to keep that area as clear as possible for seniors parking. Also, it’s very helpful to our staff stationed outside if parents and student use turn signals when on campus. We certainly don’t want anyone getting hurt!
Afternoon pick-up: students may be picked up in the afternoon in front of the school. That is a two-lane road. It can be a little hectic out front during PM pick up, so we ask that everyone takes their time and follows the direction of our staff out front. Parents picking up students are asked not to park in the staff parking lot or purple lot, as doing so can cause additional confusion and delays. Again, please abide our staff that’s out there trying to direct traffic and keep things moving smoothly.
Student Absence: The easiest way for parents to call out their children is via email to our attendance office. Our attendance secretary is Claire Campbell and her direct email is [email protected]. Our attendance policies conform with state law. Each school year, parents are allotted 5 vacation days and 7 parent notes, after which, students may face penalties unless the absence meets one of the criteria outlined in our student handbook.
Back to School Night is Wednesday, September 14 at 7:00 PM. This evening presents an opportunity for you to meet your child’s teachers and hear directly from them about the classes your son or daughter is taking this year. We hope you can make it that night, and if you are coming, bring your child’s schedule with you for reference.
Homecoming Weekend will take place Friday, September 16 and Saturday, September 17, closing our Spirit Week. On Friday, we’ll hold our annual Pep Rally and evening football game. The homecoming dance is that Saturday and we’ll start selling tickets this coming week.
Staying connected: Our website is a great way to find out what’s going on at East. Want one more way to stay updated about what’s going on at East? Then join my Remind 101 group. Remind 101 (also called simply Remind) is a one-way text message service that I use periodically to keep everyone updated about what’s happening. Lots of parents and students have joined my Remind 101 account. If you’d like to receive these brief one-way messages, simply text @drfagan to 81010 (then hit send). It’s that easy!
Friday, September 30 is a half day for high school students, with a dismissal time of 11:05.
Monday, October 3: schools are closed.
Be sure to periodically check out the tabs on this online newsletter see some of the great stuff happening at East.
Go Vikings!
Have a great Labor Day weekend!
July 2016
Hello WC East Families,
I hope this note finds you well. I wanted to provide some information about a few items. First, a staffing update: As you may have already heard, Mr. Small, who was the assistant principal for the Class of 2017, was promoted to principal of Fugett Middle School. Mr. Small will be missed here at East, but we are thrilled that he'll be right next door, helping to lead a great school experience for our future Vikings. We are in the midst of a search for his permanent replacement and in the meantime, Dr. Broadus Davis will be filling in. Dr. Davis comes to East with vast experience, including a stint as a Superintendent for a local school district. He looks forward to meeting staff, students and families very soon. My secretary, Ms. Karen Fetter, retired at the end of the school year after 16 years of service to the district. We wish her all the best! Ms. Mary Smith is now my secretary. Many of you may know Ms. Smith from the Athletics’ Office. She’s excited to be in her new role and is excited to work with everyone.
Thanks to the hard work of our maintenance crew, the building and grounds are looking great! We've had students here all summer for informal workouts and we look forward to athletics and Band camps officially kicking off the fall season soon. Be sure to check out our WC East Homepage at http://www.edline.net/pages/East_High_School for information about the school, calendar items, and other topics, including changes to our Guidance Office this coming year. My Welcome Back letter will be coming to families soon.
Our annual orientation event will take place on Wednesday, August 17. The morning session will be at 9 AM and is geared toward incoming 9th graders and new students of other grades. The evening session at 7 PM is geared more toward parents. We expect each session to run for about an hour and fifteen minutes. We hope those students and families can join us. We’ll begin each session in the auditorium, but students and parents will have an opportunity to tour the building and ask questions of some of our upper classmen and administrators.
School Supplies: I am asked often about what school supplies students will need, especially by those parents for whom is the first time with a high school student. Feel free to purchase some of the typical school supplies if you like, but don’t worry too much about this now. Within the first couple days of school, students will receive their course syllabi from teachers that will detail what they need. This year, we’ll continue to phase in our 1:1 program, so all students in grade 9 thru 11 will be receive district-issued laptops.
Student schedules go out electronically on August 11, and following that, other school-related items will be sent electronically, so keep an eye on your inbox!
Students, if you have not already done so, it’s time to get that summer reading wrapped up. School will be here before we know and we look forward to welcoming you at East.
Take care,
Dr. Kevin Fagan
Principal
Hello WC East Families,
I hope this note finds you well. I wanted to provide some information about a few items. First, a staffing update: As you may have already heard, Mr. Small, who was the assistant principal for the Class of 2017, was promoted to principal of Fugett Middle School. Mr. Small will be missed here at East, but we are thrilled that he'll be right next door, helping to lead a great school experience for our future Vikings. We are in the midst of a search for his permanent replacement and in the meantime, Dr. Broadus Davis will be filling in. Dr. Davis comes to East with vast experience, including a stint as a Superintendent for a local school district. He looks forward to meeting staff, students and families very soon. My secretary, Ms. Karen Fetter, retired at the end of the school year after 16 years of service to the district. We wish her all the best! Ms. Mary Smith is now my secretary. Many of you may know Ms. Smith from the Athletics’ Office. She’s excited to be in her new role and is excited to work with everyone.
Thanks to the hard work of our maintenance crew, the building and grounds are looking great! We've had students here all summer for informal workouts and we look forward to athletics and Band camps officially kicking off the fall season soon. Be sure to check out our WC East Homepage at http://www.edline.net/pages/East_High_School for information about the school, calendar items, and other topics, including changes to our Guidance Office this coming year. My Welcome Back letter will be coming to families soon.
Our annual orientation event will take place on Wednesday, August 17. The morning session will be at 9 AM and is geared toward incoming 9th graders and new students of other grades. The evening session at 7 PM is geared more toward parents. We expect each session to run for about an hour and fifteen minutes. We hope those students and families can join us. We’ll begin each session in the auditorium, but students and parents will have an opportunity to tour the building and ask questions of some of our upper classmen and administrators.
School Supplies: I am asked often about what school supplies students will need, especially by those parents for whom is the first time with a high school student. Feel free to purchase some of the typical school supplies if you like, but don’t worry too much about this now. Within the first couple days of school, students will receive their course syllabi from teachers that will detail what they need. This year, we’ll continue to phase in our 1:1 program, so all students in grade 9 thru 11 will be receive district-issued laptops.
Student schedules go out electronically on August 11, and following that, other school-related items will be sent electronically, so keep an eye on your inbox!
Students, if you have not already done so, it’s time to get that summer reading wrapped up. School will be here before we know and we look forward to welcoming you at East.
Take care,
Dr. Kevin Fagan
Principal
June 2016
We had another great year at East! I hope that all of our families enjoy a long and relaxing summer. For information about summer reading, senior portraits, and more, visit our school homepage at http://www.edline.net/pages/East_High_School./ Our next newsletter update will be prior to the opening of school. See you in the fall!
Kevin Fagan
Principal
We had another great year at East! I hope that all of our families enjoy a long and relaxing summer. For information about summer reading, senior portraits, and more, visit our school homepage at http://www.edline.net/pages/East_High_School./ Our next newsletter update will be prior to the opening of school. See you in the fall!
Kevin Fagan
Principal
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