Pleasantville Polar Bear Post
Week of September 25th, 2023
Principal's Message
Welcome to the 2023 - 2024 school year at Pleasantville Elementary School!
Happy Monday PLV Families! We hope everyone stayed safe and dry over the weekend with Tropical Storm Ophelia.
This is last full week for the PTA's Joe Corbi's Fundraiser. Order forms and money are due Tuesday, Oct 3rd. PTA created a Meter Board in the lobby to show how much we have earned a little over $3500 so far. Remember that all the profit goes to help the PTA support extra-curricular activities, field trips, fun day, special events and so much more for all of our PLV Polar Bears.
Book Fair will start this Friday, Sept 29th. Students will visit the Book Fair on the day they have Tech/Library class with Ms. Williams.
- Friday, Sept 29th: Dodd, Brown, Boruta, Beasley, McGrath and Warman
- Monday, Oct 2nd: Brown, McGrath, Warman
- Tuesday, Oct 3rd: Nichols, Olinger, Breslin, Belasco/Rivera, and Machulski
- Wednesday, Oct 4th: Hudson, Orr, Boruta, Kalish, and Facciolo
- Thursday, Oct 5th: Dodd, Rim, Bauernschmidt, Fletcher, Schneese, and Facciolo
Join us for our Baseball themed Curriculum & Book Fair Night next Thursday, Oct 5th from 5:30 - 7:00 PM. There will be reading and math games, book giveaways, popcorn, pretzels and more.
Do you want to be a PLV Book Fairy and help a student to purchase a book at the PLV Book Fair Sept 29th - Oct 5th? This year, we have created ewallets for any parent/guardian who would like to donate a little extra to students who are unable to purchase a book at the book fair. Books are a powerful resource for any child. Here are the Book Fairy links for each grade-level:
Mrs. Wedell, our school counselor, will be out on leave. If you have any need or concerns, you can reach out by email or phone to the following SEL staff for support. Their Zoom numbers are listed below in the communication section.
- Heather Yacabell - Family Support Therapist
- Mandy Munson - SEC
- Kayla Woods - School Psychologist
- Donna Robinson - Nurse
- Michelle Upperman - Assistant Principal
- Renee Griffith - Principal
In addition, please remember that our Nemours Wellness Center is another great resource to support your child's SEL and medical needs. Look for more information below on how to sign up.
The garden is ready for Kindergarten and 1st Grade students to plant the seeds this week. Throughout the Fall PLV students will all have an opportunity to work the garden.
- 2nd Grade: Soil Prep - week of 9/11
- KN & 1st Grade: Plant the seeds - week of 9/18
- 3rd Grade: Waters the garden - week of 9/25
- 4th & 5th Grade: Harvest the garden - week of 11/6
- PLV Nutrition: Serve the vegetables - week of 11/13
We also want to remind families that there are NO dismissal changes after 3:00. If you change your child's dismissal, please notify Ms. Spadea in the Main Office by phone 302-501-7992 or email Jaimie.Spadea@colonial.k12.de.us.
As a reminder, if you would like to volunteer at school or for your child's field trip, you must complete the Volunteer/Background Check Form on Colonial's website and be approved.
Kind Regards & Stay Well,
Renee M. Griffith - Principal
Michelle Upperman - Assistant Principal
Phillies Reading Challenge SY23-24!!
PLV's Reading Team is excited to kick off Phanatic about Reading! It's a reading challenge from the Philadelphia Phillies baseball team! Each teacher was given a stack of green challenge papers to give to each child. All students need to do is READ for at least15 minutes at home each night! When they read they mark an X over the date and that’s it!
Mrs. Redding will be doing incentives throughout the year for students that do the most reading and keep their sheet in a safe place to document their reading goals. The Phillies also do incentives, so let’s get to reading at home Pleasantville Polar Bears!
Important Dates
Sept 11th - Oct 3rd - PTA Joe Corbi's Fundraiser
Monday, September 25th
- Soccer Shots begins - Every Monday after school
Thursday, October 5th
- Math/Reading/Book Fair Night
- 5:30 - 7:00 PM
Friday, October 27th
- PLV Trunk or Treat
- Time: TBD
Tuesday, October 31st
- Storybook Character Day
Thursday, November 1st
- Picture Retake Day
Here is the Colonial School District Calendar for SY23-24:
Join PLV PTA & Upcoming Events
Sept 11th - Oct 2nd
- Joe Corbi's Fundraiser
Oct 9th
- PTA Meeting 6:00 PM
Oct 27th
- PLV Trunk or Treat
Communication Updates
PLV Main Office
- PLV Main Office: 302-501-7992
- Renee Griffith - Principal: 302-400-7742
- Michelle Upperman - Assistant Principal: 302-400-7745
- Donna Robinson: 302-367-7946
- Mandy Munson SEC: 302-367-7818
- Kayla Woods - Psychologist: 302-367-7853
- Heather Yacabell - Family Support Therapist: 302-400-7218
- Pleasantville and Colonial will communicate via email and text message. Please make sure we have the most updated contact information.
Class DoJo App
- Teachers and Admin will use Class Do to update upcoming events, send parents direct messages, etc.
- Teachers will be updating their individual Class Stories a minimum of 2x per week to keep parents updated.
- The best way to contact your child's teacher/Admin is to send them a Direct Message through Class DoJo. Make sure you get connected!!
Contact Info:
- Please ensure that your email and phone numbers are correct. These are the main channels for Colonial and PLV to contact you to share important information. To update the contact information you have on file, please fill out this form: https://bit.ly/CSDinfoupdate
- If you have not been receiving calls & emails from Pleasantville or Colonial School District, please call PLV's Secretary, Ms. Jaimie Spadea at 302-501-7992 or email jaimie.spadea@colonial.k12.de.us
Pleasantville's Mission
Pleasantville Elementary’s mission is to inspire excellence in ALL of our students to ensure they reach their highest potential in academic achievement, as well as in social and interpersonal skills. We believe that through hard work, perseverance and active engagement in learning, ALL students will succeed.
Focusing on lifelong success traits such as empathy, self-regulation, problem solving and the growth mindset help us to build a strong foundation and educational experience that will positively impact ALL Pleasantville students for the rest of their lives. By partnering with our families and community, we will continue to be PAWsitively Positive now and in the future.
PLV Polar Bear Pledge
- WE Make Positive Choices
- WE Have a Positive Attitude
- WE Use Positive Work Habits
- WE Build Positive Relationships
- WE Are Positively Kind
School Supply Lists
Parents who wish to provide supplies for their child, please review the suggested PLV Student Supply List SY22-24
School Start & End Times
8:45 Doors Open (Arrival)
- Students will be considered late after 9:00 AM and will need to be signed in at the Main Office with Ms. Spadea, our Secretary. Parents will use a QR Code to sign students in late. Please bring your phone with you inside.
- Students may not be dropped off early to PLV, unless they are signed up for YMCA Before Care. There is no supervision of students on the front or side sidewalks.
3:35 Student Dismissal
- We will start the dismissal process inside the building at 3:30.
- Students will need to be signed out at the Main Office with Ms. Spadea for Early Dismissals PRIOR to 3:00.
NO CHANGES TO DISMISSAL AFTER 3:00!!
Pleasantville Student Schedules KN - 5th SY23 - 24 (see below)
First 6 Weeks of School
The goals of the first six weeks of school
Though the details differ with different age groups, with the content of the curriculum, and with the organization of the room, there are four broad aims in the first six weeks curriculum.
- Create a climate and tone of warmth and safety. Students can come to know each other and develop a sense of belonging through activities that help them define their commonality and their differences. Deliberately focusing on group-building activities during these weeks helps create the trust and safety essential for active, collaborative learning. However, this sense of trust is not built solely on warmth and friendliness. It is also built upon students’ assurance that there are reasonable limits and boundaries for behavior and that their teacher will enforce them. They must see that their teacher will exercise vigilance and good judgment to keep everyone safe.
- Teach the schedule and routines of the school day and our expectations for behavior in each of them. A sense of order and predictability in daily school life is important. It enables children to relax, to focus their energy on learning, and to feel competent. When we enter a new culture, we want to know its rules so that we don’t embarrass ourselves or, through ignorance or misunderstanding, hurt others.In the first six weeks of school, we name the global expectations we might hold for the year. For example, “Our room will be a place where people try hard, take good care of themselves and others, and take good care of our materials and our school.” Children are then involved in applying these broad, nonnegotiable expectations to everyday situations. “How will we walk through the halls if we are taking care of each other?” “What does trying hard mean during math group?” “What will clean-up time look like if we are taking good care of our room?”
- Introduce students to the physical environment and the materials of the classroom and the school, and teach students how to use and care for them. In order for students to feel a sense of ownership for the school environment and materials, they must become familiar with them and have time to explore them. Through school tours for young students and new students, and scavenger hunts and mapping exercises for older ones, we encourage them to get acquainted or reacquainted with the school environment and to feel comfortable in it. Using the technique of guided discoveries, we extend children’s ideas about the creative use of space and materials, develop guidelines about sharing particular resources, and teach children how to care for them.
- Establish expectations about ways we will learn together in the year ahead. We want to generate excitement and enthusiasm about the curricula we will engage in this year—complicated new math concepts, engrossing novels full of dilemmas to explore, beautiful art materials and techniques for using them, microscopes to observe a previously invisible world. Our learning—whether we are wrestling with an ethical dilemma presented in a history lesson or considering a complicated question about collecting data for a science experiment—requires participation and focused effort, thoughtful questions, and the ability to cooperate and collaborate. We pay attention to the process as well as the products of our learning and hold high standards in both areas. It is our job as teachers to help students achieve these high standards as we learn with and from each other.
PLV's Nemours Wellness Center
What's a school-based health center?
A school-based health center (SBHC) is a medical office located inside your child's school. Nurse practitioners and behavioral health therapists offer well-child visits, sick visits, vaccinations, and mental health care to students. Your child can get free, high-quality care, that's safe and convenient.
How much does a visit cost?
If your child doesn't have insurance, their care is free. If your child has insurance, the school-based health center will file a claim directly. (Note: No co-pay, co-insurance or deductible will be charged to you).
Who runs the SBHC?
Your child's school-based health center is a partnership between their school district, Nemours Children’s Health and the Delaware Division of Public Health. These three organizations work together to run the center.
Staff:
- Physical Health Practitioner - Natalie Kasper - Tuesday All Day; Thursday Afternoons
- Medical Assistant - Lorena - Tuesday All Day; Thursday Afternoons
- Behavioral Health - Janine Howell -Conkey - Wednesday and Friday
Enrollment:
- Online Enrollment: https://app.nemours.org/sbhc
- Paper Enrollment: Use this LINK or https://bit.ly/csdwellnessctr
PLV Family Handbook SY23-24
Nutrition
CSD Nutrition Services has guidelines for Parents and Students bringing outside food into school.
- Parents can send in a snack for their child only, but cannot send in snacks for the entire class. Students get free breakfast and lunch daily and Fresh Fruit & Vegetable 4 days a week.
- School Cafe is a simple way for parents to make school snack payments. Students are offered second meals and a la carte snacks at a small cost. Click the "Pre Payments" tab to set a student account.
- Colonial School Nutrition
- NO outside food coming from home to be used for classroom parties, celebrations, events and/or rewards for student behavior due to monitoring food allergies, reducing food safety concerns and consumption of excess calories during the school day to meet Smart Snack guidelines..
Car Riders
Cars may start to enter the Car Rider Lot at 3:00 (no earlier). Students have recess in that lot up til 3:00 each day.
Parents may not park in the front and come into the building at dismissal. Colonial buses unload and load students in the front of the building.