GS Updates
Week of April 16th
Upcoming Dates
- 4/17/2023: North Penn Jazz Night at Penndale Middle School at 7:00 pm
- 4/18/2023: Spring Chorus Concert at Gwynedd Square Elementary School at 7:00 pm
- 4/20/2023: Earth Day and Student Council Spirit Day
- 4/21/2023: No School
- 4/24/2023, 4/25/2023 & 4/28/2023: ELA PSSA 3rd - 6th grade
- 4/27/2023: ELD Family and Community Night NPHS Senior Cafe' at 5:00 pm
- 5/1/2023 & 5/2/2023: Math PSSA 3rd - 6th grade
- 5/2/2023 & 5/4/2023: Science PSSA 4th grade only
Congratulations to our Reading Olympic Participants
PSSA Reminder
- PSSA ELA (3rd - 6th grade): April 24th, April 25th and April 28th
- PSSA Math (3rd - 6th grade): May 1st and May 2nd
- PSSA Science (4th grade only): May 34d & May 4th
Please also remind your child/children that all electronic devices, ie: cellphone, Smart Watches, Fitbits, etc. will need to be turned into their test monitors (or left in their backpacks) prior to taking each of the PSSA's.
Earth Day Spirit Day
Earth Day Volunteers
Gwynedd Square will be celebrating Earth day Thursday, April 20th.
The day's activities will include outside cleaning, weeding, planting and mulching. Each class will have a disignated time and area of the school to focus on. We are looking for parent volunteeres (MUST HAVE CLEARANCES) to assist each of the grades as well as donate supplies.
Any amount of time or supplies you can donate is greatly appreciated. If you would like to sign-up for this event, please follow this link:
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/30E0C4EAAA72FA7F94-earth
If you have any questions, pleas email Mr. Fickert at fickertd@npenn.org
ELD Family and Community Night
This evening will be child friendly and translators will attend. It will be located in the Senior Cafeteria and will begin at 5:00 pm and end at 7:30 pm.
Congratulations!
Congratulations to our Odyssey of the Mind teams for the performances at the Pennsylvania State Tournament on Saturday, April 1, at Lock Haven University! Each team was challenged with a Spontaneous Problem as well as presenting a Long Term problem they have been working on for the past several months. This year, Gwynedd Square had students on three different teams!
This year, third grader Daiwik Sundar joined forces with students from Gwyn Nor, Hatfield, Inglewood, and North Wales Elementary Schools to compete in the technical problem Because iCan. The team impressed the judges with their device, performance, creativity and style, tying for third place in their long term solution, finishing fifth overall.
Fourth graders Mark Christian, Celeste England, Mila Mihaly, and fifth graders Elise England, Annabella Hunter and Danica Mitchell teamed up to tackle the balsa problem. The team impressed the judges with their magical performance and creative thinking.
Fourth graders Anya Fu, Penelope Gieske, Veda Sternberg, Philip Subbio and Melodie Tagmyer teamed up to tackle the performance problem, The Most Dramatic Problem Ever!!! The team took third place in the style component, finishing fourth overall.
Congratulations to these creative students!
Connor's Corner
This week's question from Connor is below. The answer can be found by clicking on Connor's Corner
Triathlon Information
3rd grade - 6th Grade will meet Monday, Wednesday, and Friday
Special circumstances will be reviewed by Mr. Prykowski please email him at prykowtj@npenn.org
Triathlon Club will meet daily, right after school, beginning Monday, April 17th, and continuing through Friday, May 12th. All student participants will need to be picked up each day at 4:45 pm.
Students should only plan to attend the triathlon club on the assigned day per grade level:
- Tuesday & Thursday: Kindergarten - 2nd grade
- Monday, Wednesday, & Friday: 3rd - 6th grade
If your child will not be attending on a specific date(s), please call the office at 215.853.1461 along with emailing Mr. Prykowski at pykowtj@npenn.org.
Staff Appreciation Week (May 1st - 5th) Last Chance to Donate!
It's that wonderful time of the year to be celebrating our Gwynedd Square Elementary Staff! We need your help to provide gifts to be raffled off to the 100+ staff members that work tirelessly to care for and support our students. They really enjoy hearing their name called for a surprise gift and everyone will get something! From a $5 coffee gift card to a spa gift basket, the teachers and staff are always so grateful for the efforts we make during this week and enjoy all of the donations, so please consider! Use the link below to sign up for something.
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/30E0C4EAAA72FA7F94-gsstaff
All donations are due by Monday, April 17th. You can either send items to the office or email gift cards to Erica Cucinella at erkehler@gmail.com. Thank you for your help!
APRIL 2023 DINE AND DONATE!
Enjoy a night without cooking and help support Gwynedd Square Home and School.
Join us on Wednesday, April 26th at The Mill. Dine in or Take out and mention Gwynedd Square Elementary School; 10% of your order will be donated back to the Gwynedd Square Home and School. See flyer for details!
Marketplace Fundraiser
Birthday Treat Reminder
Here are a few things to keep in mind if you plan to celebrate your child's birthday at Gwynedd Square:
- Individually wrapped and prepackaged items are required. These types of treats are the safest items the teacher can distribute to children.
- If you plan to give a treat, every classmate should receive one.
- Birthday treats will not be handed out during lunch. Please speak with your student's teacher about how birthdays are celebrated in their classroom.
- If treats are allowed, remember to please be mindful of allergies.
April is Autism Acceptance Month
From North Penn School District:
There is a long history of recognizing and celebrating World Autism Day and Autism Acceptance Month so I have gathered a few resources to extend the information you may already have. The goals of these resources are to:
- Deepen our own understanding of the Autism Spectrum
- Highlight effective instructional strategies
- Provide resources that can be shared with students and families
Here are a few Facts:
Autism spectrum disorder now affects 1 in 68 children. Boys are nearly 4 times more likely than girls to be diagnosed with ASD.
The term stems from the Greek word ‘autos’ meaning “self”, autism literally means “alone”.
Individuals with autism spectrum disorder may be very creative and find a passion and talent for music, theater, art, dance, and singing quite easily.
April is Child of the Military Month
From North Penn School District:
Beginning in the 1980s, April has been set aside as a military child appreciation month, officially known as the Month of the Military Child. For more than 35 years, the Pentagon and other military support organizations and agencies use the month to recognize military kids for their sacrifice and bravery on the homefront.
As you think about military families, did you know:
Military families move on average every two to three years on average.
Children in military families change schools an average of six to nine times from the start of kindergarten to their high school graduation.
This year an estimated 30 percent of military service members will move to a new assignment.
There are roughly 84,000 dual-military couples in the U.S., and about 36,000 of them have children. When both parents get deployed, their children often have to live with interim caregivers, such as grandparents, aunts, uncles, or friends.
The term military ‘brat’ has its roots as a term of endearment. 1921, British Regiment Attached Travelers (as they were called) traveled abroad with British troops. BRAT soon became a term only for children of those troops. The name just stuck and was adopted elsewhere, including the United States.
Military children are twice as likely to join the military when they become adults.
April Holidays
- Passover was celebrated the evening of Wednesday, April 5th through the evening of Thursday, April 13th
- Easter was celebrated on Sunday, April 9th
- Orthodox Easter will be celebrated on Sunday, April 16th
- Eid al-Fitr will be celebrated Friday, April 22nd
Here are a few facts:
- The very first Passover was celebrated in Egypt itself more than 3,300 years ago and marked the first holiday the Jews ever celebrated.
- In Guatemala and Honduras, one Easter tradition is when families use materials such as petals, sawdust, and palm leaves to transform the streets into colorful carpets called alfombras.
Orthodox Easter is celebrated by families primarily (but not exclusively) from the countries of Bulgaria, Cyprus, Greece, Lebanon, the Republic of North Macedonia, Romania, and Russia.
Eid al-Fitr, translated as "the feast of fast-breaking" will mark the end of the holy month of Ramadan.