Panda Pulse
April 26, 2019
Important Dates to Remember
NO SCHOOL-Workday Wednesday, May 1st
Courtyard Clean-Up Wednesday, May 1st
SPIRIT DAY (Character Strength Day) Friday, May 3rd
Online Silent Auction Goes LIVE Monday, May 6th, 8am
Spring Musical Thursday, May 9th, 7pm
Books and Beyond Celebrations Wednesday, May 15th
Spring Carnival Friday, May 17th, 5-8 pm
Final General PTA Meeting Tuesday, May 21st, 9:15am
THIS WEEK AT A GLANCE
- The Positivity Project - Weekly Character Trait
- PTA 2019 Volunteer of the Year
- Carnival Pre-Orders
- Silent Auction
- Yearbook Orders
- Courtyard Clean-Up
- Volunteers Spotlight - Chess Club
- Books and Beyond
- PTA General Meeting and Volunteer Coffee
- Field Day
- PTA Advocacy Update
Appreciation of Beauty & Excellence
You notice and value the world's beauty and people's skills. You don't take things for granted.
Appreciation of beauty and excellence is the ability to identify and enjoy that which is admirable in the world. There are three types of goodness that positive psychology focuses on: physical beauty (e.g. a sunset or song); and exceptional skill or talent; and moral goodness (e.g. character strength). Appreciation generates feelings of awe, admiration, and moral elevation.
Individuals with this strength might be described as fascinated, captivated, enthralled or admiring.
Congratulations to PRE PTA’s Volunteer of the Year
Carnival Pre-Orders Due May 3rd
Pre-orders for admission wristbands, raffle tickets, and food are due by Friday, May 3rd. Families may submit orders online HERE or by sending in the order form and payment with your student.
Spring Carnival SILENT AUCTION
The silent auction will go live on Monday, May 6th at 8:00 a.m. We encourage all of our PRE families to share the auction link with friends, neighbors, and family. There is something for everyone in all price ranges. With nearly 200 items to bid on, we need your help getting the word out. Check out the auction here: https://www.32auctions.com/pennyroad2019
New this year: We have a BUY NOW BONUS!! Buy Now items allow you to bypass the bidding process and help us move items prior to the live event on Friday, May 17th. (Our gym is only so big, folks!) For every item you purchase using the BUY NOW option, your name will be entered into a drawing to win $100 in CASH! See the PDF below for all the details.
Yearbook Orders
The Penny Road Yearbook is now available for purchase online!
The price for this precious keepsake of our 2018-19 school year is only $18!
- Ordering Options: Order online HERE or at www.strawbridge.net using our School Code: 101416.
- Payment Options: Paper check / money order / cash (made out to Strawbridge Studios).
Questions? Contact Mandy Patterson at patterson9200@gmail.com.
Courtyard Clean-Up - May 1st
As you all know, WCPSS will be closed on Wednesday, May 1st. Educators from across North Carolina will gather in Raleigh to attend a rally at the General Assembly to improve classroom opportunities for our children and to improve working conditions for teachers, bus drivers, cafeteria workers and others who support our schools. We are hosting a Courtyard Clean-Up as a way to show our support for our teachers. We have teachers who are eager to have their students work in the gardens in our school's courtyard but there isn't time to get the raised beds cleared out. So grab your gardening gloves, bring some some small tools and join us. There is plenty to do and jobs for kids of all ages!
VOLUNTEER SPOTLIGHT
Now that we are back from Spring Break, there are just 6 weeks left until the end of the school year! We are still in need of a tremendous amount of help for the coming school year. We are in need of volunteers for every position we have featured here in our Volunteer Spotlight. These include:
- Panda Pulse Editor
- Corporate Sponsorship Chairperson
- Building and Ground Coordinator
- Yearbook Editor
- Chess Club Chairperson
If you would like more information about these positions, or any other positions we may have, please contact Amy Toland (tolandfam@gmail.com). We have something for everyone whether you have two hours a week or two hours a year, we would love to hear from you!
Books and Beyond
Cheers all around for the Kindergarten and 1st grade students working hard reading for the Books and Beyond program. Thanks to the parents for encouraging your children to read and submit their sheets!
Here are a couple highlights of the program that is set to wrap up this month:
- PUMP IT UP- the last two weeks of April (April 15-30) we are encouraging each class to submit a minimum of 10 sheets. Special class treats will be given out to celebrate the conclusion of the program!
- Sheets will only be accepted through April 30, 2019.
- Recognition Ceremony- Please put May 15th on your calendar- the Kindergarten ceremony will be at 930 and 1st grade ceremony will begin at 1005 where we will celebrate the work your child has done this year.
- Rewards for individual recognition in May:
1-9 sheets read and submitted: certificate of completion
10-19 sheets read and submitted: ribbon
20-29 sheets read and submitted: bronze medal
30-39 sheets read and submitted: silver medal
40+ sheets read and submitted: gold medal
SAVE THE DATE- Final General PTA Meeting
Please join us on Tuesday, May 21st for our final General PTA meeting of the year. The meeting will begin at 9:15 am in the gym. If you have never been to a PTA meeting before this is a great one to attend, as it is also our parent volunteer appreciation coffee! Whether you have helped in your child’s classroom, helped our Hospitality Committee with teacher luncheons, attended one of our Campus Clean-ups or volunteered in any other way here at Penny Road, we would like to say thank you! More information will follow but please mark your calendars! We need a quorum of twenty PTA members to attend, so your attendance would be much appreciated!
Field Day is Coming!!
Penny Road’s Field Day is just five weeks away! We have three different sessions and we need a minimum of 25 volunteers to make each session a success. More information will be coming home in the next few weeks and a volunteer sign up will be sent out via Konstella. In the mean time, please mark you calendars with the following dates and times:
- Kindergarten and 1st Grade: Thursday, June 6th from 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm
- 2nd and 3rd Grade: Friday, June 7th from 9:45 am to 11:45 am
- 4th and 5th Grade: Friday, June 7th from 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm.
PTA Advocacy Update
At the General Assembly
We are approaching Crossover Week, which is the time that bills from each chamber (NC House, NC State Senate) that have passed that chamber will crossover to the other chamber. At that point, the receiving chamber will review bills in and out of committees. There are currently over 100 bills within the two chambers of the GA that affect public education. Bills range from a proposal for virtual preschool for underpriveledged four year olds (House Bill 485) to a reallocation of funds (no new funding) of $40 million for NC's 94,000 licensed teachers to spend $400 each for classroom supplies with a using an app called ClassWallet (SB 580).
School Board
The Wake County School Board is reviewing a proposal to increase school meals in elementary and middle schools by 20 cents. That would raise a full lunch at Penny Road to $2.75. The School Board will vote this Spring.
May 1st Teacher Rally and Advocacy Day
With Wake County Public Schools closing on May 1st, you might be wondering about the goals of North Carolina teachers and educators as they rally at the General Assembly to meet with legislators. According to the NC Association of Educators and other public school advocates, here are a few of their goals:
1. Provide enough school librarians, psychologists, social workers, counselors, nurses, and other health professionals to meet national standards.
2. Provide increased minimum wage for all school personnel, 5% raise for all ESPs (non-certified staff), teachers, admin, and a 5% cost of living adjustment for retirees
3. Close the coverage gap to improve the health of our students and families
4. Reinstate state retiree health benefits eliminated by the General Assembly in 2017
5. Restore advanced degree compensation stripped by the General Assembly in 2013
There are a significant number of legislative priorities for teachers across our State. For a broader understanding of those issues, please click here.
Penny Road Elementary
Email: preptaofficer@gmail.com
Website: https://www.wcpss.net/pennyroades
Location: 10900 Penny Road, Cary, NC, USA
Phone: 919-367-2136
Facebook: Facebook.com/PennyRoadPTA
Twitter: @PennyRoadES