Pennoyer Family Newsletter - 8/25/23

Pennoyer Families,

What an amazing first week of school at Pennoyer!  We loved welcoming our students back with open arms and tons of smiling faces!  We even survived the unprecedented heat wave!  When I left school on Wednesday and Thursday it read over 100 degrees on my dashboard.  Nobody should have to see that, but then I'm reminded of the long stretch of days others had around the country in places like Texas and Arizona, and I know we're pretty lucky around here.  Thanks for your patience and support this week with the weather.

As our students came back for what probably felt like a short summer to them, our staff did an amazing job helping them transition into the school year.  We spent the last few days of the week going over our Pennoyer PBIS expectations at every grade level, and our students did an amazing job reviewing what Being a Responsible, Respectful, and Problem Solving Hawk is all about!

Our first week back was also filled with so many memorable moments that I know are just a preview of the many more great things to come.  We celebrated as students came back to Pennoyer for day 1 on Tuesday.  We made the best of the heat in the MPR with Mr. DeVivo and Mr. Nelsen being so creative with our students in gym classes!  And we celebrated Ukrainian Independence Day on Thursday this week with our students, families, and staff taking a great picture together at the end of the school day!

School Information and Reminders:

*Our first week of school went well with Arrival and Dismissal time 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 will be sent home with 1st-5th grade students through their homeroom teacher next week.  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.  

 

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

We Celebrate at Pennoyer!

Our first celebration of the school year was dedicated to our amazing staff...

This first celebration is about all of YOU!  As I said during our Opening Institute Day, I truly believe that YOU are the ones that make Pennoyer work each and every day.  YOU are the greatest influence in our school community when it comes to our students' lives.  YOU make my job easy, and YOU all make me so proud to be a part of Pennoyer.  I truly enjoy coming to work every single day, walking down our hallways, and visiting your classrooms.  Thanks for making this first week so incredibly special and putting so much into your profession.  YOU'RE the best!

What’s Around the Corner?

• Student testing schedule for the next two weeks  
• iReady Fall Diagnostic Testing - Math K-5th the week of August 28th
• NWEA MAP Reading Fluency - K-3rd the week of August 28th
• NWEA Fall MAP Growth - Reading & Math - K-8th the week of September 5th

• Back to School Bash is TODAY after school - Friday, August 25th from 4-6pm
• Check out flyer 1 and flyer 2 for more information!
• Saturday, August 29th - We hope to see a lot of our families and students at the 75th Anniversary parade for Norridge tomorrow!  Pennoyer will be in the parade to support this special milestone.
• Curriculum Night for all grades PreK-8th - Thursday, September 7th from 5:30-7:30pm - Click HERE for the tentative 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!!!

• Maine South High School Football Game Spectator Expectations letter - Please click HERE for important information for the season.
• Ridgewood Fall Basketball Camps - Click HERE for more information

Sincerely,

Adam

Pennoyer Principal

agreenberg@pennoyerschool.org