Superintendent

Dear Families,

Welcome to the 2024-2025 school year! Our administrators, educators, and staff are ready to serve and support you as we start the new school year! Please see the following schedule:

Wednesday, September 4th – First Day of School for Grades 1-12
Thursday, September 5th and Friday, September 6th – Kindergarten Orientation
Monday, September 9th – First Day of School for Kindergarten
Please note that September 4, 5, and 6 are half days for students in grades 1 through 12.

The following information and updates will help you prepare for the new school year.

State Budget Update
The Pennsylvania state budget was finally passed on July 11th which allows us to move into the new school year with more certainty. Although the budget was not fully funded according to the recommendations of the Basic Education Funding Commission and Governor Shapiro, it allows us to continue our planning for the upcoming school year.

Back-to-School Information
Please see the school reopening page at williampennsd.org/back-to-school/ for information about registration, school supplies, the student dress code, Back-to-School Nights, and more.

Back-to-School Kickoff
Students in grades K-12 and their families are invited to join us on Wednesday, August 28, from 5:30 p.m. – 7 p.m. at Park Lane Elementary School for a kickoff event to celebrate the start of the new school year. This year, we are excited to partner with Speaker Joanna McClinton. There will be onsite registration, as well as information about transportation, lunch menus, and other important details to make your back-to-school transition as smooth as possible.

Several community partners will share information and resources, including libraries, scouting organizations, and local leaders. Representatives from each of our schools are looking forward to seeing you and answering any questions you may have. I hope to see you there!

ParentSquare
ParentSquare is our communications platform that allows you to communicate with your students’ teachers and their school staff members and administrators. It is also where you will receive district-wide messages and important emergency communications.

It is extremely important that you have activated your account to be ready for the school year.

Returning Families: Your access will continue for the new school year as your student(s)’ information has rolled over to the next school year. Be sure to update any changed information such as new phone numbers, email addresses, or house addresses.

New Families (to ParentSquare or the District): Once you are registered for the upcoming school year, you will receive an email from ParentSquare asking you to activate your account. Follow the steps in the email, and you will be all set to receive information from your child’s school and teachers. You can also go directly to ParentSquare to activate your account. Just be sure to use the email address you used to register your student(s).

Please see our ParentSquare resource page for additional resources and a list of FAQs. If you need help logging in, please join us for one of our ParentSquare: Get Connected sessions on Zoom to get you ready for the start of the school year (links are also on the resource page):

Weds, August 21 @ 12 p.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Mon, August 26 @ 5:30 p.m. – 6 p.m.
Tues, August 27 @ 1 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.
Thurs, August 29 @ 9 a.m. – 9:30 a.m.

Half-Day Wednesdays
The 2024-2025 School Calendar includes the following half-day Wednesdays:

• October 23, 2024
• November 20, 2024
• December 11, 2024
• January 15, 2025
• February 12, 2025
• March 12, 2025
• April 2, 2025
• May 14, 2025

Vaccination Requirements
I want to remind you of the following additional vaccination requirements for students in grade 7 and grade 12 for attendance in Pennsylvania schools. Students must have these additional required immunizations on the first day of school or they will be excluded from school. If you have received correspondence from your child’s school nurse stating your child is missing required immunizations, please refer to that correspondence for instructions on how to submit this.

Required: For attendance in 7th grade: 1 dose of Tdap (tetanus, diphtheria, acellular pertussis); one dose of MCV (meningococcal conjugate vaccine); For attendance in 12th grade: one dose of MCV (meningococcal conjugate vaccine)

I am looking forward to a successful year ahead!

Sincerely,

Dr. Eric J. Becoats
Superintendent
William Penn School District