the PENN NEWSLETTER
1/24/2020
Penn Pride: We have. We are. Together.
1-2-3-4 We Declare A PENNY WAR!
Penn PTO will be hosting its first ever Penny War January 27th through the 31st. Each grade will compete against each other to earn the most points during the week. There will be jugs in the library for each grade to collect their coins. Pennies are worth one point (dollars are worth 100 points) but the grade can sabotage each other by dropping silver coins into other grades buckets. (Quarters are worth negative 25 points, Dimes are worth negative 10 points, and Nickles are worth negative 5 points.) The winning grade will have bragging rights and a chance to pie Mrs. Heffner! Let the battle begin!
Collecting PB & J for MLK Day thru Monday, January 27
Marcos Pizza Fundraiser THIS WEEK (due to weather complications) to January 27 - 30.
Penn Theater Group: the Wizard of Oz
All Penn students are welcomed and encouraged to join the production – all who audition will be cast to be in the show.
Audition Information:
When: Thursday, January 30th
Where: Penn Elementary
Times: K-1st Grade: 2:30 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
2nd-4th Grade: 3:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.
5th-6th Grade: 3:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
K/1st/2nd grades will audition in groups. Students will be sung a line from a WOZ song and be asked to repeat it back in song. Same will happen with a line of dialogue
3rd-6th grades will audition individually or in groups of 2/3 depending on amount of students auditioning. These students will be asked to sing a few lines from a song and read a few lines from a scene.
*NOTE: Noone needs to prepare or memorize any material.
Rehearsal Information:
Rehearsals will be held twice/week – mostly on Tuesdays from 3:30-5:30 and Sundays from 1:00- 4:00pm
Lead roles of Dorothy, Scarecrow, Tin Man, Lion, Wicked Witch of the West, Wizard and others will rehearse more than others
All K-1st Grade students will be cast as either Munchkins, Flying Monkeys, Emerald City Citizens or all three and rehearse less throughout the process
Permission Form: please use this link to get to the permission form. Print it and send it to school to Mrs. Paisar or with your child when they audition.
Volunteering:
We will also be looking for students who wish to participate behind the scenes – building/painting sets, creating costumes/props, designing lights and sound, and more. We are also looking for parent volunteers to assist with a wide range of responsibilities including:
- Rehearsal monitor
- Set builders/painters
- Costume designer and Costume builders
- Hair and Makeup designer
- Show runners/monitors
DIRECTORS:
The show is being directed by Penn parent Zach Mannheimer (parent of a K, 2nd, and 5th grader) with Penn parent Lisa Williams (parent of a 1st grader) serving as the production manager. If you have any questions or would like to volunteer, please email Lisa at lisachristinewilliams@gmail.com
PENNcake Day
Parents,
If you'd like to show your love by helping with PENNcake day, sign up using this link.
AIM Student Library Cards for local public libraries.
We hope you and your child are enjoying the new AIM (Access to Information and Materials) student card, which functions as a dual-purpose school ID and public library card for ICCSD students in grades K-12. Most students in grades K-8 received their cards prior to winter break. If your child has not yet received his/her card, it will arrive soon. High school students can use their current student ID or request a new AIM version of their card from the main office of their high school without charge.
The most obvious benefit of the AIM card is that your child can check out three items at a time from each of the three libraries -- Iowa City, Coralville, and North Liberty -- without fines or fees. As you may or may not know, there are other features of the AIM card as well. Two online resources your child can access are OverDrive, a database which provides access to ebooks and audiobooks, and Kanopy, a database of videos. As in all cases when using the Internet, we encourage parents to be aware of and diligent in supervising what their children are accessing online. If at any time you have questions about the AIM card or its features, feel free to contact your child’s teacher librarian or one of the public libraries.
Our public libraries have been thrilled with the increased visits to their buildings and usage of their collections in the first month of the program. The AIM card is a great way to promote and celebrate literacy in our community!
Inclement Weather Guidelines
While we already experienced a brief preview, winter weather is right around the corner! As a reminder, the District's Inclement Weather Guidelines for issuing delay, cancellation, and early release decisions can be found on the District’s website by clicking HERE. Please note the change to the school day if there is a late start issued on a Thursday.
As decisions are made regarding school day changes, the District aims to keep parents as connected as possible so that notifications are received conveniently and timely. In addition to the notifications that are sent via email, phone and text, we encourage you to follow the District on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to ensure that announcements are right at your fingertips. We also encourage you to download the District’s mobile app, where you can find everything school and district related in one convenient spot.
If you have any questions, please contact the Educational Services Center at (319) 688-1000.
SAVE the DATE .... info about Music Performances
1st grade: Wednesday, March 25 2:00
2nd grade: Wednesday, March 25 2:20
3rd, 4th and 5th grades: May 13, Wednesday 8:30 AM
6th graders will perform at their last day of school celebration
Looking Ahead
- PTO fundraiser with Marcos Pizza: January 27, 28, 29, 30
- PTO Penny Wars fundraiser January 27 - 31
- Auditions for the Wizard of Oz: January 30. See above or emails from PTO or Mrs. Heffner for more details.
- PTO: Feb 4 @ 7pm in the library
- PTO Fundraiser: February 19th-Subway (780 community drive, North Liberty) 5-8 pm, 15% of sales go back to the Penn PTO
- PENNcake Day: February 14
- PTO Fundraiser: March 3rd- McTeacher night at North Liberty McDonald’s 5-7, bring $5 cash to buy a sheet of coupons worth over $20, the school keeps 100% of the coupon proceeds!
- Parent Teacher Conferences: Feb 27 2:10 - 7:10pm and Mar 2 7:40am - 7:10 pm
- Wizard of Oz Production: May 1 & 2