Pleasantville Polar Bear Post
Week of December 11th, 2023
Principal's Message
Welcome to the 2023 - 2024 school year at Pleasantville Elementary School!
Good Afternoon PLV Families!
I can't believe we have Winter Break starting next Friday, Dec 22nd. PLV teachers and students have been busy last week and this week assessing the students for the middle of the year Benchmark testing. Students in grade KN - 3rd will be taking the DIBELS assessment, which assesses correct letter sounds and names, words read correctly and oral reading fluency. Students in grade 3- 5 will take the STAR Reading Test which assess students reading level, fluency and comprehension. We can't wait to dive into the data to see all the progress our students have made since September.
Do you know that Pleasantville's playgrounds and equipment have not been updated in over 20 years? Do you know that we do not have a secure entrance that is ADA compliant? Do you know that we need a new roof? These are just a few of the updates that our PLV KIDS DESERVE!
IT'S TIME TO VOTE! Mark your calendars for February 29th, 2024. WE need your support to get out and vote to improve Pleasantville and all our Colonial Schools, including George Read, Gunning Bedford and William Penn where our PLV kids will go in the future! Colonial Kids Deserve It!
Read more about the Certificate of Necessity that was approved by the Department of Education HERE. Please attend or watch the December and January CSD School Board Meetings to learn more information about the referendum and improvements that our Colonial kids deserve! The School Board meetings are December 12th and January 9th at William Penn or you can watch online at https://www.youtube.com/@ColonialSchoolDistrictde
Parents now have access to Progress Book Portal. This Letter was be sent to elementary families last week through School Messenger via email. It contains directions and access codes for accessing student progress. Families may use previous passwords as they were not all reset. If you need help with your password please email Ms. Spadea at 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
Important Dates
Tuesday, December 12th
- Colonial School Board Meeting 7:00 PM @ WP
- Watch Virtually on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@ColonialSchoolDistrictde
Monday, December 18th
- PTA Holiday Family Bingo Night 6:00 - 7:00 PM
Tuesday, December 19th
- Winter Concert at PLV @ 2:15 PM
- Chorus will be performing with a few band highlights
- Parents of Chorus/Band students welcome to attend
Friday, December 22nd - January 1st
- Winter Break
Tuesday, January 9th
- Colonial School Board Meeting 7:00 PM
- Watch Virtually on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@ColonialSchoolDistrictde
Monday, January 15th - No School
- Dr. Martin Luther King Holiday
Friday, January 26th - No School
- Staff Professional Development
Friday, February 16th - No School
- Staff Professional Development
Monday, February 19th - No School
- President's day Holiday
Thursday, February 29th
- Colonial Referendum VOTE!! PLV and Colonial Kids Deserve It!
Here is the Colonial School District Calendar for SY23-24:
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!
Join PLV PTA & Upcoming Events
Dec 11th
- PTA Meeting 6:00 PM
Dec. 18th
- Family Holiday Bingo 6:00 - 7:00 PM
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
- Jignasa Wedell - Counselor 302-669-9637
- Kayla Woods - Psychologist: 302-367-7853
- Heather Yacabell - Family Support Therapist: 302-400-7218
- Andy Tallman - Communities in Schools: 302-400-7995
- 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)
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.
Pleasantville Elementary School
Governor's Desk Update
Governor Carney Signs House Bill 118 with Wilbur Elementary School Community
- Governor Carney joined Speaker Valerie Longhurst, Representative Kevin Hensley, students, teachers, and families at Wilbur Elementary School to sign House Bill 118. This piece of legislation, which prohibits smoking in vehicles in the presence of a minor, was brought to the General Assembly by Wilbur Elementary students and their teacher.
- Literacy is the foundation that each of our students and neighbors need for success. We encourage all Delawareans to take advantage of the many resources available in our state through Delaware's libraries and literacy organizations this month and every month.
All Delawareans can sign up for a free library card online or at their local library: lib.de.us
Children under five are eligible for free books delivered monthly from Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library: lib.de.us/imagination
- Opportunity Funding helps schools statewide better support our most vulnerable students. Governor Carney visited Mount Pleasant High School, Academia Antonia Alonso Charter School, Morris Early Childhood Center, and East Millsboro Elementary to see their progress in action. Because of Opportunity Funding, schools throughout Delaware have:
- Strengthened supports for multilingual learners
- Increased reading and math assistance programs to help students catch up
- Invested in social emotional learning and behavioral health programs and personnel