Pennoyer Families,
What a second week at Pennoyer! Someone decided to throw me for a loop and knock me out all week with being sick. Maybe it was the dunk tank at the Back to School Bash that did me in...lol. Anyways, I'm starting to feel better finally, but it wasn't easy being away from Pennoyer and all of our students and staff. I have to say though, I'm so incredibly grateful for the way everyone stepped up this week and took on added responsibilities. We have an amazing group of educators at Pennoyer and they truly shined this week. I can't wait to see everyone back next Tuesday. I never thought I'd say this, but I think I'm actually getting sick of Netflix and might need a break from watching Suits! In all seriousness though, I just miss working with your students and our staff and all the positive energy at Pennoyer. It's just time to get back to work for sure!!!
Speaking of getting back to work, I'd love the opportunity to continue connecting, collaborating, and celebrating again with all of our parents/guardians like we started last year with meetings once a month. I felt like this was very successful last year, and we got a lot accomplished through our thoughtful time together. I'd like to extend an invitation to get involved with these again if you're interested. Please take a moment to fill out this Google Survey about monthly meetings I want to continue to host this year with Pennoyer parents/guardians where we can Connect, Collaborate, and Celebrate together!
Looking ahead to next week...
We have a special opportunity coming to Pennoyer School next week. On Wednesday, September 6, we are having a visit from our NEA President, Becky Pringle, as she is on her Back to School Tour across the country. Our local teacher’s union is affiliated with the Illinois Education Association, and in turn, also with the National Education Association. Ms. Pringle is a previous science teacher, and we welcome the opportunity for her to interact with our students. She will tour the building with a reporter, and stop in some of our classrooms. Those parents will be informed. Please reach out if you have any questions. We couldn’t be more excited for Ms. Pringle to visit Pennoyer and celebrate our school community!
We also have our annual Curriculum Night for all PreK-8th grade parents/guardians to attend on Thursday, September 7th. The schedule and information is linked HERE, as well as below. Highlights to know...
- PreK-5th grade parents/guardians will get to choose ONE 15 min. time slot to attend with their student's classroom teacher between 5:30-6:25pm.
- All middle school 6th-8th grade parents/guardians will get to walk through a schedule of their student's classes from 6:30-7:30pm. All middle school parents/guardians will begin Curriculum Night in the gym for a 15 min. presentation from Principal Greenberg.
- Parents can park in the West parking lot of Pennoyer, find street parking, or park at the Salvation Army. Teachers will be parking in the back lot of the school.
- PTC will have a table set up in the MPR to buy Spirit Wear, calendars, and information about joining the PTC.
- Any questions, please reach out to the main office, myself, or your student's teachers.
*Arrival and Dismissal time continues to go well overall, but please remember that we cannot have ANY cars in the circle drive in front of the school at the end of each day. This area is only for pre-school pick up and then those cars must exit the parking lot. We can't control the traffic driving towards the exit in our lot from that area at the end of the day, and we want to make sure our students are safe while walking through the parking lot. HERE is the letter about our ARRIVAL and DISMISSAL procedures we'll be following if you need to read it over. Thanks again for your understanding, patience, and cooperation with everything.
**Check out our new Spanish Club after school for 1st-5th graders starting September 12th. We're offering this opportunity in collaboration with The Language Academy. Flyers have been be sent home with 1st-5th grade students through their homeroom teachers and we're getting a great response with students signing up. If you're interested, you must sign up and fill out a form by September 8th at the latest. Click HERE and HERE for more information.
***We have begun to utilize cell phone holders in all of our Middle School 6th-8th grade classes. These have been so successful at both Maine South and Ridgewood over the years, so we wanted to bring them to Pennoyer. The expectation is that all students come into class and immediately put their cell phones in the designated holder they've been assigned for the entire class period. They can then get their cell phones on the way out of that class. If students choose to leave them in their lockers or backpacks all day, that is another option. We're hoping this will minimize distractions in the classroom throughout the day, keep cell phones out of the bathrooms, and help our students be more responsible and focused away from their technology. HERE is a picture of what these holders look like at Pennoyer. We appreciate your understanding and support with this new initiative as we prepare your students for high school expectations.
We Celebrate at Pennoyer!
What’s Around the Corner?
- No School Monday, September 4th - Labor Day
- Student testing continues into next week
- NWEA Fall MAP Growth - Reading & Math - K-8th the week of September 5th
- Pennoyer Band Information for all 4th-8th grade students and families. If you're currently in the Pennoyer band or interested in maybe joining, please make sure to come to an important informational meeting with band director Paul Browne next Tuesday, September 5th at 6:30pm over Zoom. Click HERE for a Pennoyer Band flyer and the Zoom meeting information is below.
- Curriculum Night for all grades PreK-8th - Thursday, September 7th from 5:30-7:30pm - Click HERE for the schedule.
- Circus Amongus Pennoyer Event on Thursday, September 14th - This all school program is a great way to incorporate social emotional learning, cooperative team building, problem solving, test the skills of our students, and build on the culture and climate of our school overall. We're super excited about this opportunity for our students and staff!
- Check out this flyer for more information and if you'd like to volunteer. *(Please note that we won't be having families join us as spectators for that day. Anyone who volunteers will need to support this day and the different events and stations all of our students will be a part of.)
- Circus Amongus Website and FAQ's
- Instagram Promo Video - CHECK THIS OUT!!!
Sincerely,
Adam
Pennoyer Principal
agreenberg@pennoyerschool.org
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