Whitehall-Coplay School District and Zephyr Families United are hosting a Spread the Warmth kids coat drive for students in the district. Please consider donating any new or gently used winter jackets, new hats, new gloves or new socks to help the kids in your community stay warm this winter.

All sizes, from infant to adult, are needed. Make sure any gently used items are freshly laundered and have no holes, markings, stains, pet hair, smell of smoke or any others odors. Please have your donations in a bag or box.

Drop off your donations 9-11 a.m. Nov. 20 in the cafeteria at Whitehall High School (parking lot area at the door facing Mechanicsville Road).

Items will be distributed to all students within WCSD - Gockley, Steckel and Zephyr elementary schools, Whitehall-Coplay Middle School and WHS.

***

Parent-teacher conferences are planned for Nov. 22, 23 and 24. Your child’s teacher will schedule a Zoom appointment for your conference.

All students will be dismissed noon, so there will be no lunches served on conference days. Breakfast will still be offered.

***

Thanksgiving break is Nov. 25-29. Schools will reopen Nov. 30.

***

Picture retake day for Gockley Elementary is Dec. 1. Students who were absent or who are new to WCSD may have their pictures retaken by Christmas City Studios.

To prepay for your order, visit orders.christmascitystudio.com and enter the school code Gockley 21.

***

Whitehall-Coplay PTO PLUS is sponsoring a Lil Shoppers Shop for Gockley Elementary School students 5-8 p.m. Dec. 2 in the school gymnasium.

The children will have an opportunity to purchase gifts for their families, and items will be wrapped in gift bags. Cash and charge will be accepted as payment. All children must be accompanied by a parent.

In addition, spirit wear will be available for sale. The first 100 students who come to shop will receive a holiday goodie bag.

Also, Christmas City Studios will be taking free photos with Mr. and Mrs. Claus. Every child that gets a picture will get a gift from Mr. and Mrs. Claus.

***

The school district believes daily attendance in school is an extremely important factor in your child’s success in their educational experience.

If your child is absent, a written note is required within three days with a specific reason and parent’s signature. You may also use the email that is sent to you the day of the absence. Failure to do so will make this day an illegal absence. After six illegal absences, a parent meeting will be arranged with the building principal.

Thank you for your cooperation and your efforts in monitoring your child’s attendance.

***

Visit myschoolbucks.com to access meal accounts. The site gives you the ability to put money into your child’s account, check balances, view menus and more.

***

In an effort to keep parents and students more informed about WCMS, the staff has established social media accounts on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for the public to follow.

Feel free to follow at facebook.com/wcmszephyrs, twitter.com/WCMSZephyrs and instagram.com/wcmszephyrs.

If you like to search hashtags, check out two staff will be using to help people find them: #zephyrtough and #webelongatwhitehall.

***

Do you have any school news? This column is a compilation of upcoming school events in the WCSD. Teachers, administrators, parents, students, coaches, PTOs, club advisers and any other community members are invited to share their upcoming activities. Email me at jamb87@hotmail.com with “WCSD news” in the subject line at least a week before an event.