Pennoyer Family Newsletter - 9/29/23

Pennoyer Families,

Ok...better late than never!  So sorry I'm sending this weekly newsletter out late on a Friday night.  I had a very busy day today and week in general, and just able to finish this up and get it out now.  I seriously can't believe we're rolling into October already next week!  This year is flying by, and I'm so excited about all we have ahead of us.  I'm looking forward to welcoming families into Pennoyer next week for Fall Conferences.  We also have our annual Walk - A - Thon in October and our special Trunk or Treat event as well.  As we move into the coming month, it looks like the summer weather is holding on this weekend, so I hope you can get outside as families and enjoy the warmer temperatures.  

This Sunday, I'll be honest with you, I'm more excited to watch my 16 year old son play one of his best friend's teams in intramural flag football at Stevenson High School than I am to watch the Chicago Bears.  I'm hoping my son's team will at least be competitive and put up a good fight out there.  It's hard to stay positive in this town these days. 

School Information and Reminders:

*Please remember that students need to have proper gym shoes every day at school to participate in PE class.  This is really about safety for our students, and making sure they can properly and fully participate in gym activities.  We ask that students not wear footwear like sandals and Crocs.  We've been seeing more and more injuries due to students not having the correct types of footwear for PE classes.  Students can certainly keep an extra pair of gym shoes at school if they choose.  Thanks for your understanding and support with this.  We want all of our students to have the best experience possible during gym classes.  Feel free to reach out to Mr. Nelsen or Mr. DeVivo with any questions.  

**Please also remember when parking at the Salvation Army during dismissal time, you MUST use a designated parking spot in their lot.  Cars cannot park in front of the building by the sidewalk where students are walking.  This is really a safety concern, and we want to keep our cooperative partnership with Salvation Army.  They really go out of their way to give our families the ability to have options during arrival and dismissal times.  Thanks for your understanding! 

Want to get involved, volunteer, or have ideas for our school...Check out the PTC Link!

We Celebrate at Pennoyer!

This week's celebration is all about Camp Edwards and our incredible group of 5th graders!  I had the best time with them on Thursday this week in Troy, Wisconsin during their outdoor education adventure.  There was so much positivity, teamwork, and pride coming from our students as they pushed themselves through challenges many of them have never gotten the opportunity to experience before.  I was so proud of each and every one of them!  We got to participate in arts and crafts and make some cool tie dye shirts.  After that, it was off to the archery range to learn the skills centered around how to shoot a bow and arrow.  So many of our students were able to hit the target!  We played sport games as well, and then got a chance to go on a forest walk to learn all about the natural environment.  5th graders also challenged their balance and skills on the low ropes course.  Finally, it was time to conquer the climbing wall and get out on canoes together to explore the lake around this beautiful camp site.  It was so much fun and filled with memories I know they'll have for a lifetime!  Thanks so much to Mrs. Tronco, Mrs. Kula, Mr. Widd, Ms. Palicka, and Mrs. Raffaelli for all of their time and support they put into being leaders and directors for this special trip.

What’s Around the Corner?

• Fall (Student Led) Parent/Teacher Conferences are coming up next week on Thursday, October 5th.  
• HERE is a link to all of the sign ups if you're interested.  Teachers will send out communication to families as well.  Remember these are Student Led Conferences for the K-8th graders, so make sure they attend with you.  Please note though, any conferences with our Fine Arts/PE staff will be just parent/teacher conferences so students aren't doing presentations more than once.  Also, our PreK-8th grade will have 15 minute time slots to sign up for, while 6th-8th will have 10 minute time slots to accommodate families who may want to see multiple teachers. 

• Upcoming Days Off - Non attendance day for students on Thursday, October 5th due to Fall Conferences - Friday, October 6th is a student and staff non attendance day - Monday, October 9th there's no school in honor of Columbus/Indigenous Peoples Day

• Pennoyer Choir Informational Night for families and students.  If your student is interested in joining Chorus this year at Pennoyer, click HERE and come join us at this important informational meeting.

• Interested in the local Boy Scouts?  Click HERE for more information!

• Our annual Pennoyer Walk - A - Thon is coming up on Friday, October 13th.  Please click HERE for more information, and if you're interested in helping out and volunteering, please click HERE.

• Our PTC sponsored Trunk or Treat event is on Friday, October 20th.  Click HERE for more information.  We hope to see a lot of our families and students out for this spooktacular event!

• Norwood Park Open House and Flu Shots for Community Members.  Click HERE and HERE for more information about these opportunities.  

• Erin's Law student presentations - These will take place in the classrooms for students sometime on September 27th, September 28th, and October 2nd.  HERE is a letter from Mrs. Slawson detailing Erin's Law and the focus to support our students here at Pennoyer.

Sincerely,

Adam

Pennoyer Principal

agreenberg@pennoyerschool.org