Pennoyer Family Newsletter - 3/24/23

Pennoyer Families, 

What an awesome week of spirit and positivity at Pennoyer!  The dress up days were a huge hit.  Thanks to Ms. Strecker and our Peer Leaders for putting this special week together for our students and staff.  I've been filled with so much promise and pride just being a part of it all.  It started out on Monday with our 2nd graders showcasing their Leprechaun Traps this year with the support of Mrs. Michaels and Miss Torossi.  The E Learning day on St. Patricks Day didn't slow these 2nd graders down a bit, and seeing their level of creativity and hard work while older students came to check out their projects was absolutely amazing!

Next up, it was time for a very special Taste of Pennoyer on Tuesday night!  I had the best time feeling nothing but absolute joy and support while celebrating along side so many of the rich cultures that make up the fabric of our Pennoyer community.  From the tasty food, to the cultural art performances, and the successful raffles, it was certainly a night to remember.  It was my first, but definitely far from my last, and it did not disappoint!  Huge shout out to Mrs. Tronco and her team of staff members that put so much into making this incredibly thoughtful night a reality.

Rolling along to Wednesday, there was a special celebration for our Battle of the Books students and Mrs. Kafka where every Pennoyer participant on the team received a 3rd place medal and certificate.  We also received a trophy that is on display at the school.  Way to go!  We also got a chance to take a really cool photo of our entire school with students and staff at the end of the day during this midpoint of Spirit Week!

We also can't forget that each and every day of this week we had staff members outside during morning arrival time to spread the word for families to get out and vote during this week and next before the April 4th election with so much on the line.  It truly showcased the solidarity and family that makes our staff and students so very special.  

Finally, we couldn't end this week without the incredible Spirit Assembly put together by Mrs. Slawson and our PBIS staff crew on Thursday at the end of the day.  It was awesome to see almost 450 students in our gymnasium together as we celebrated students at Pennoyer and what it truly means to be a Hawk and Be Responsible, Respectful, and a Problem Solver.  The Minute to Win It games with host Ms. Strecker and video parody of "Flowers" by Miley Cyrus were a huge hit.  Mrs. Adkins and Nurse Alana did an amazing job putting the video together!  Our students were so well behaved and had such high energy throughout the assembly.  We definitely plan to have more of these Spirit Assemblies from year to year!

Pennoyer families, whatever you have planned over Spring Break, I wish you nothing but the best and hope you find time to connect with family, friends, and loved ones.  We'll miss our students, and can't wait to see them back on April 3rd!  Don't forget about Early Voting that continues throughout this next week.  Make your voices heard.  Enjoy this video our staff put together that our students got a kick out of at our Spirit Assembly this week!

All registered voters in our Pennoyer community can early vote at Norridge Village Hall.

4000 N Olcott Ave, Norridge, IL 60706

Monday, March 20 -  Monday, April 3rd 

Early Voting - Norridge Village Hall

Monday - Saturday 9:00am - 5:00pm | Sundays 10:00am - 4:00pm

School Information and Reminders:

*All 3-8 grade students need working headphones for IAR testing at school after Spring Break.  IAR testing begins on April 4th.

**Parents/Guardians - Please do your best to get your children to school on time in the morning to avoid tardies.  Any students at school past 8:15am will be marked tardy.  We want to make sure our students are ready to begin their day and don't miss out on the importance of the morning and the start of school.

Please take a moment as parents/guardians to take the Illinois 5 Essentials survey if you haven't done so already. We still need more parents/guardians to take this quick survey to get reliable data we can use for Pennoyer. Your participation in the parent portion of the survey will help us reflect on family perception of the Pennoyer experience, and this feedback will guide our continued growth and improvement. Your identity and survey responses will be kept completely confidential and will never be connected to you or your child.  
 
The Illinois 5Essentials Survey will be open through March 31, 2023. To take the survey please, click this link http://survey.5-essentials.org/illinois/survey/parent/  Please make sure to put in “Cook” as the county and start typing in and select Pennoyer Elem School in the appropriate box when it pops up.

 

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

We Celebrate at Pennoyer!

There was so much to celebrate this week, but we couldn't go without honoring our very own 7th grader, Nicole Mohr.  Nicole was nominated by her middle school teachers and received the prestigious SCOTY Award this year!  This is the School Citizen of the Year award that recognizes student the best of the West 40 students who are good school citizens and are models for others to emulate.  It goes way beyond just grades and activities.  Nicole is such a leader and her level of kindness and support to other students and staff is something special.  She was honored at West Leyden High School this past Wednesday night, with only about 130 other students out of close to 80,000 in the West 40 region.  What an amazing accomplishment, and we couldn't be more proud of Nicole!

What’s Around the Corner?

• Spring Break - No School from March 27th - 31st.  Staff and students return April 3rd.

• Tuesday, April 4th is voting day and Pennoyer is a polling place in our gymnasium.  This means morning arrival time will be indoors and students will come through the District Office or Main Office doors.  Gym will be in our multi purpose room for students on April 4th, and please note that there will be a Norridge Police officer on site all day as well.

• IAR Testing is coming up after Spring Break for all 3rd-8th graders at Pennoyer.  Testing will be from April 4th-April 6th and then finish up the following week from April 11th-April 13th.  *Please make sure your children have working headphones at school during IAR testing.  They will need them and we don't have any to hand out to students.  Make up testing will be done the week of April 17th and must be completed by April 21st.  HERE is a letter to families with more information.

• Come join us at Pennoyer Family Literacy Night on Thursday, April 20th.  Click HERE for more information.

• With Spring Break next week, here is a friendly reminder that the 7th Grade Camp Edwards payment and health forms are due Tuesday, April 4th. Here is the presentation from the parent meeting - click here.  In addition, we spoke to all the 7th graders and sent them home with this packet.  The packet includes all of the information about our day trip as well as the necessary health form that needs to be filled out by parents and returned with payment by April 4th (if you decide to send your child). Here is an additional copy of the health form that also needs to be filled out by parents.  Reach out to Mrs. Tronco, Mrs. Kula, or Mr. Greenberg with any questions.

• District 207's Career Planning Night at Pennoyer on Wednesday, April 19th at 6:30pm.  This is a great opportunity for all parents/guardians of Pennoyer students K-8 to attend.  We hope to see you there!  HERE is a flyer with more information.  

• Ridgewood Spring Basketball Camp for 3rd-8th graders!  Click HERE for more information.
• Ridgewood Guest Speaker oppotunity for all Pennoyer parents/guardians on April 17th.  Click HERE for more information.
• District 207 STEM Summer Camp opportunity for 6-8 graders!
• Check out this flyer for more information if you're interested
• New Conversation Class at the Salvation Army (A six week course to help participants develop their skills speaking the English language)
• If you're interested, check out this flyer for more information
• RidgeExpo Art Competition - 2023
• Check out this flyer for more information

Sincerely,

Adam

Pennoyer Principal

agreenberg@pennoyerschool.org