Zephyr Elementary School will have its picture day Oct. 3. Christmas City Studios will be taking the photos. All students will have their picture taken, but purchasing is an option.

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The Whitehall High School Class of 2025 will hold a designer bag bingo 1 p.m. Oct. 6 at the Cementon pavilion. There will be bags from Coach, Vera Bradley, Kate Spade and Michael Kors. Doors open noon, and bingo starts 1 p.m.

Proceeds will benefit senior class activities.

Tickets are discounted if purchased in advance. Specials are sold separately at the door. There will be a basket raffle, and the kitchen will be open.

For information, the cost and tickets, call Amanda at 484-226-8068.

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There is no school for students Oct. 14 as teacherhave a professional development day.

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On Oct. 28, Whitehall-Coplay School District will have an early dismissal. Whitehall-Coplay Middle School students will be dismissed 12:30 p.m., WHS students will be dismissed 1 p.m., and elementary students will be dismissed 1:30 p.m.

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There will be benchmark testing at Gockley Elementary School this month. All students are tested by math and reading teams to determine their instructional levels.

In October, they will have meetings with classroom teachers to review student data. This will then allow means to target student learning and provide support and enrichment for kindergarten and first-grade students.

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WHS’ homecoming spirit week is coming up soon.

Oct. 7-day A: It’s school-appropriate pajama day. There is also a senior sunrise event 7-7:45 a.m. on the turf field.

Oct. 8-day B: Wear pink for breast cancer awareness.

Oct. 9-day A: Have fun with Whitehall wacky Wednesday.

Oct. 11-day A: It’s a Zephyr Nation theme of maroon and gold.

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Zephyr Elementary, mark your calendar and get your costumes ready! During the week of Oct. 28-Nov. 1, the Zephyr BEEZ will learn to stand up against destructive decisions and celebrate the end of the week with a costume parade at Zephyr Stadium Oct. 31. Parents/guardians are invited to help us celebrate by spectating from the bleachers.

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WCSD students, don’t forget to join your classmates every Wednesday for Whitehall Wednesday. Wear your Zephyr gear or colors to show off your school pride!

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Be aware when picking up a student, staff will not open the car door for the front seat. They have consulted with the school resource officer on this matter.

In Pennsylvania, children under 13 years old are not legally permitted to sit in the front seat of a vehicle, even if they are no longer in a booster seat.

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Parents/guardians should be at bus stops at least 10 minutes before the scheduled drop-off times. Bus drivers will not let students off the bus if a parent/guardian is not present. WCSD has had an increased number of students brought back to school because a parent/guardian was not at his or her child’s bus stop.

WCSD appreciates your advanced planning to ensure this does not continue to happen.

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If your child is missing something, lost and found areas are by the front offices. Please encourage your children to check there. Items are cleared monthly.

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Meal menus for all buildings are available on the district website. Visit bit.ly/wcsdfoodservice to view.

If a student wants to purchase extra items, he or she must have money in the MySchoolBucks account. If you do not have an account and send in cash, make sure it is in a labeled envelope with the child’s name and amount. The child can give this to his or her teacher and the teacher will add it to the account. If it is loose change or cash without any label, it will not be accepted at the main office.

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Did you know LCTI shares a monthly newsletter highlighting its programs and offerings? Visit bit.ly/lctinews to follow and stay informed.

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If you are an administrator, teacher, coach, club adviser, student, PTA member, etc., email me at JMBNews@hotmail.com with the subject Whitehall-Coplay School District News. Please allow two weeks prior to an event to be included in this column. You can also send me pictures and great things that are happening in your classrooms.

Weekly columns are completed the weekend before going to press Wednesdays. I hope to hear from you because I know there are great things happening in our schools!