PLD April Newsletter
Where we are "All Stars"
Message from Mr. Dias, Principal
I am happy to return to Drew this month. After a long healing process, I rejoin our school community. I have been happily getting reacquainted with everyone and taking in a lot of student hugs and high fives! It is great to be back.
I would like to thank Mr. Grube for stepping into the role of principal while I was away. From what he shared with me he is impressed with the school and was happy to help over the last few months. He has contributed positively to our community.
As we begin a short walk to June, we have several end of the year activities coming up at a rapid pace. Items like NJSLA testing, and the upcoming grade level field trips will be here sooner than later. Please keep these important items in mind. The school will continue to send out regular reminders with dates to all parents.
Please enjoy this month's newsletter! As always, Drew is a busy place!
April Events
April 10th - School Closed - Eid al Fitr
April 12th - Spirit Day - Patterns Day wear polka dots, stripes, etc.
April 15th - April 19th - Autism Acceptance Spirit Week, Monday - dress like Pokemon, Tuesday - Wear red, Wednesday - Dress up to show something you like, Thursday - Wear Rainbow/Tie Dye, Friday - Wear comfy clothes or pajamas
April 19th - School Store
April 22nd - PTO Earth Day Plant Sale
April 22nd - Spirit Day - Earth Day wear blue & green
Biz World Bracelet Sale
Students in the 4th grade Gifted & Talented Program had their BizWorld sale recently. This is the opportunity for them to demonstrate their experience with the entrepreneurial cycle. Students sold hand-braided bracelets to 3rd grade consumers. These 25 students were divided into 6 companies comprised of job positions such as CEO, VP of Finance, VP of Marketing, VP of Production, VP of Design, and VP of Sales. Each position came with its own responsibilities. They all came together for a successful sale day!
SEL Night
On Thursday, February 29th PLD students and their families had the opportunity to attend our SEL Night, “A Hawaiian Staycation.” The evening began with a luau family meal in the Ohana Cafe and featured the chorus members singing the Drew School song. The night took students and their families on a mindful staycation to Hawaii and included activities such as hula Zumba, beach meditation, poi making and also engaging with the beloved therapy dogs Social-emotional learning (SEL) changes lives. Studies show that SEL delivers long-term improvements in skills, behavior, and academic performance while reducing anxiety, depression, and substance abuse. Students learn self awareness, self management, social awareness, relationship skills and responsible decision making both inside and outside the classroom walls. SEL Night gave families the opportunity to experience SEL activities first hand as well as share a cell phone free dinner with engaging conversations.
Congratulations to Ms. Marcus!
Perry L. Drew's very own Ms. Marcus was selected by the NJ Basketball Coaches Association and The Coaches in Mercer County as the recipient of the 2024 NJBCA County Coach of the Year! Coach Marcus was also recognized by being selected to coach at the March 17th North/South All Star game. She will be honored in an on court ceremony at halftime of the Girls All-Star Game. Congratulations to you Coach Marcus! PLD is very proud of you!
Central Jersey Music Educator Association Winners
The Central Jersey Music Educators Association (CJMEA) is hosting an Elementary Honors Band & Honors Orchestra Day. These separate event will provide an opportunity for our students to perform in a large ensemble with other students from around the Central Jersey area. Both of these performances will take place during the month of April. Student from our 4th & 5th grade bands & orchestra were nominated and the following students were accepted into the following performance groups.
Red Band - Grade 4 & 5
Jacqueline M. - Clarinet, Reya V. - Alto Sax, Cameron W., - Trombone, Michael D. - Baritone Horn, Sean Kelly - Baritone Horn, Owen G. - Percussion, Janani D. - Flute, Defne D. - Trumpet, Marco S. - Trumpet, & Connor M. - Percussion
Red Orchestra - Grade 4 & 5
Margaret F. - Violin, Brody H. - Violin, Hargun S. - Violin, Leiah S. - Viola, Susana C. - Viola, &
Jaxon M. - Cello
PLD 5th Graders visit EMK
On March 6, 2024 our PLD students visited EMK to read to the students for Read Across America week. Our 5th graders loved the experience! The students always love when the older students come to visit them it's a great experience for everyone!
Important Reminders
PLD Lost & Found
Please remind your children that there are lots of items in the lost & found. They can check the rack during their lunch period and claim what might belong to them!
Early Dismissal
Please note that if you plan on picking up your child earlier than regular dismissal time it is always helpful to let us know. You can do this anyone of the following ways: enter it into Genesis, email your child's teacher or call the front office and let them know that you will be picking your child up early.
Chromebooks & Water Bottles
Please remind your students to bring their charged chromebooks as well as a water bottle daily! It is extremely important that they remember to bring them everyday.
Carpool Lane & Walker Pickups
Friendly reminder: To keep the front of the building clear for carpool students, if you are picking up a student as a walker, please meet your child at the BREEZEWAY. Walkers are not dismissed at the front of the building as this area is kept open for carpool students. Regarding the carpool area, I do ask that we all work together as a community. Staff will only engage with the traffic on campus but I ask that you be courteous and mindful when entering the carpool lane. Please do not block the entry of the driveway due to the buses. Buses are unable to enter the driveway safely if it is blocked. Your support with this matter is appreciated.
PLD Arrival & Dismissal Times
Please be advised that school starts at 8:45 am and dismissal is at 3:30. While we understand illnesses and circumstances occurring beyond your control. We encourage students to be on time. Missing precious instruction time is a loss that cannot be recovered.
Early dismissal from PLD is at 1:25
Delayed Opening arrival time for PLD is 10:15 am
The complete schedule can be found here: https://www.ewrsd.org/apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=1561786&type=d&pREC_ID=1688531
Outdoor Recess
Spring time weather may be setting in, however, jackets may still be necessary. Recess is a crucial part of the day, so by all means we will continue to provide this outdoor experience daily. Please be reminded to have your child properly dress for cooler weather. Coats, jackets, and hats may be needed. Checking the weather prior to the start of school would help in making sure proper attire is on daily.
Updates from Our Fine Arts Departments
Art - Mr. Roselle
Every week a student is chosen to be the Artist of the Week. Their art is then posted in the display case to be viewed for a week. Each of the chosen artists will be photographed and displayed in the newsletter.
Music - Ms. Behrens
The High School Students came to put on a short version of Spongebob the play for the 5th grade chorus students. Please enjoy some pictures below.
Library - Mrs. Holcombe
The chicks have arrived! Please enjoy some pictures below...
Student Council Update - Mr. Katzman & Mrs. Rupp
Spring has Sprung and the PLD garden will be up and running soon. The Student Council will be working on planting flowers & vegetables and setting up the reading areas and tables to eat outside. All of this will be done under the supervision of Mrs. Rupp.
Technology - Ms. Swinarski
We ended our 2nd Trimester in Technology with a Dash Robot competition. Congratulations to all of our winners!
STEM - Mrs. Tedeschi
Perry L. Drew School 4th grade G&T students were excited to be a part of helping the 2024 Hightstown High School Robotics Team test their new prototype STEM Kit on catapults. It focused on physics properties associated with a catapult including gravity, resistance, and tension.
4th grade students L to R: Stephen G., Abhinav K., Reya V., Maggie F., Vibha M., Jocelyn S., & Joey S.
Also Photographed: Mr. Daniels, Superintendent, Mrs. Tedeschi, PLD STEM Teacher, Ms. Sanborn, PLD G&T Teacher, Ms. Steiner K-5 STEM Supervisor
Update from Mrs. Shupel's class
Mrs. Shupel's 3rd grade Math Enrichment classes are enjoying and practicing their learning of measurement, and line plot graphing through the use of paper airplanes. Students followed precise and multi stepped directions to construct their planes. After making a series of flights and recording distances down to the nearest 1/8", students created a line plot graph to share their data!
Update from Nurse Lopatine
PINK EYE:
As many of you may be aware, pink eye is a contagious eye infection, which can occur in one or both eyes.
If your child wakes up and one or both of his or her eyes are stuck together and are pink, you should not send them to school and see the doctor.
If your child has seasonal allergies, most likely they will have other allergy symptoms such as: sneezing or itchy, runny nose; congestion; itchiness in the mouth; or throat irritation or itching. Allergy related conjunctivitis is not contagious and many times occurs in both eyes.
If there is a concern that your child has pink eye at school, they will be sent home and a doctor's note will be required in order to return to school. Any student who is 11 years old will need to have a Tdap and Meningitis vaccine prior to going into 6th grade. I am beginning to send out reminders to those children who are already 11 or will be 11 years old soon. Please send in any documentation of vaccines received so that I can update their medical record.
Please remember to send in any doctor office visits and updated immunizations to me via either your child, email or fax.
Please remember to keep your child home if they are sick.
2023-2024 Yearbook Orders
The 2023-2024 Yearbook is ready to be ordered! We are ONLY doing online ordering this year, so we will give you a quick guide to help you place your order. Yearbooks are $20, credit card / debit card only. Deadline for orders is April 26th, 2024. As we are working directly with a company to produce copies of the yearbook, orders must be in on time. No other orders can be taken after April 26th and access to the site will be closed. It is important to meet the deadline. Books will be delivered to the school and distributed in June. NO EXTRA COPIES will be available for purchase in June.
Please check your child's photo release status on Genesis. Many students are still marked as NO PHOTO/MEDIA RELEASE, which means that their picture cannot be used in our yearbook. Photo release forms have to be marked off on Genesis.
If you have any questions, please contact Mrs. Rupp and Ms. Swinarski at the emails here :
Mrs. Rupp mrupp@ewrsd.k12.nj.us
Ms. Swinarski - sswinarski@ewrsd.k12.nj.us
HOW TO ORDER YOUR YEARBOOK:
Log into: https://ybpay.lifetouch.com/
Yearbook ID Code: 14469124
PLD Photo Gallery
March 4th - March 8th - Read Across America Week
Hats Off to Reading Day
Hats Off to Reading Day
Hats Off to Reading Day
Reading Jogs Our Mind Day
Wild About Reading Day
Team Up for Reading Day
Reading Give you a Bright Future Day
Reading Give you a Bright Future Day
Road Trip Journals
Mystery Readers in Mrs. Mosca's Class
Ramadan celebration in Mrs. Mladenetz's class
March 21, 2024 - World Down Syndrome Day
March 22, 2024 - Kids Bop Day
About PLD
Address: 70 Twin Rivers Drive North, East Windsor, NJ 08520
Contact: Kathleen Donohue, 609-4436-7820 X3000 - kdonohue@ewrsd.k12.nj.us OR
Evelin Surita (Habla Espanol), 609-443-7820 X3005 - esurita@ewrsd.k12.nj.us