Penn Wood Home & School Association
Biweekly Bulletin
In this Bulletin
Message from the Board
Upcoming Events
Read Across America Spirit Week
Family Bowling Party
Family Bingo Night
Yearbook Cover Contest
- Yearbook Photo Submission
- Yearbook on Sale!
- Spring Book Fair
- Teacher & Staff Appreciation Luncheon
Dine & Donate @ PJ Whelihan's
Bag Bingo Adult Social - Save the Date!
Volunteer Opportunities
- 5th Grade Corner
Message from the Board
Home & School slows down a bit in the early winter months, but now we are full speed ahead planning many spring events! Check out details on many upcoming events and initiatives below.
Many of these upcoming events will need VOLUNTEERS! If you're able, please sign up for a slot or two (or three) to help make these events successful. You can also visit PennWoodHSA.com at any time for more information, sign up links, and volunteer opportunities.
Home & School has also been writing checks to sponsor some upcoming field trips! Some field trips will require chaperones, so please make sure your clearances are up-to-date if you'd like to be considered. See more info on clearances from the district HERE.
Thank you to all the staff and volunteers who have been helping make this school year extra special for our students! There are some volunteer/shadow opportunities for a few committees/roles listed below, so please email me or pennwoodhomeandschool@gmail.com if you're interested in learning more! Please remember that all Home & School events and initiatives are optional. However you can help and/or participate, your support is appreciated!
See you soon, Penn Wood!
Danielle Chamness
Home & School President
Upcoming Events
March
- 2-6 - Read Across America Week (see Spirit Week flyer below)
- 8 - Yearbook Cover Contest entries due, Bingo Night RSVPs & food orders due
- 10 - Penn Wood Family Bowling Party, 1:30-3:30 p.m. @ Palace Bowling in Downingtown (Reserve spots HERE)
- 11 - No School, Ramadan
- 12 - Spring Book Fair begins (load e-Wallets HERE, Volunteer HERE)
- 14 - Home & School Meeting, 6 p.m. in the Library (All are welcome!)
- 21 - Dine & Donate @ PJ Whelihan's West Chester, 4-8 p.m.
- 22 - Family Bingo Night, 6:30-8:30 p.m. (RSVP & volunteer HERE, Preorder pizza & Duck Donuts HERE)
- 25 - Half Day (12:10 p.m. dismissal)
- 26 - Half Day (12:10 p.m. dismissal), Teacher Luncheon (sign up HERE)
- 27-29 - No School, Spring Break
- 31 - Yearbook early bird price ends (Order yearbooks HERE)
Read Across America Spirit Week
Family Bowling Party
Join us for a family bowling social on Sunday, March 10! All students K-5 are invited with their families for an afternoon of bowling and fun!
Use this FORM to reserve your family's spot and indicate how many bowlers will be attending. There is a minimum of six bowlers per lane. If your party is less than six, you will need to pair up with other families.
Other notes:
- Food and beverages will be available for separate purchase at the bowling alley.
- This is not a drop-off event. All students must be accompanied by an adult.
- Contact Jacqui Martin at jsamp4@verizon.net with any questions.
We hope to see you there!
Family Bingo Night
Join your family and classmates for some FREE bingo on Friday, March 22! Please complete the following on/before March 8 to help us plan and make this night a success:
- RSVP and volunteer HERE!
- For a cost, you can preorder pizza and Duck Donuts HERE. There will only be limited pizza available to purchase that night, so please preorder if possible.
The Book Fair will also be open in the Library during bingo!
Yearbook Cover Contest
Calling all artists! Enter your artwork to possibly be featured on the cover of the yearbook! Please check out the flyer below for tips when creating your art.
There are different ways to submit your art on/before Friday, March 8:
1. Dropbox: Upload your artwork for the Yearbook Cover Contest HERE as .JPEG files. Please include your last name, first name, teacher, and grade in the file name.
2. Email: Send photos of your artwork to pennwoodyearbook@gmail.com as .JPEG files. Please include your last name, first name, teacher, and grade in the file name.
3. Main office: Submit your artwork to the main office. Please include your last name, first name, grade, and teacher on the back of your drawing.
Yearbook Photo Submission
The Yearbook Committee will develop the yearbook in waves and we need your help!
You can help by following these steps:
- Access the Yearbook Photo Submission page HERE (you will need to log in to Membership Toolkit) or by navigating to the How You Can Help tab on PennWoodHSA.com and selecting Yearbook Photo Submission.
- Upload your photos per event/activity by the due date listed. Early school year event photos are due February 29. The rest of the photos will be due on/before April 5.
Thank you for your help in making the yearbook memorable for our students!
Yearbook Sale
Yearbooks are on sale NOW!
To order, log into pennwoodhsa.com and then click this LINK.
You will also be able to find the order form by:
- Logging into pennwoodhsa.com
- Clicking on "My Account"
- Scrolling down to "New Forms."
- Select "2023-24 Yearbook Order Form"
$15.00 Early Bird Price - until March 31
$18.00 Regular Price - after March 31 (to May 31)
We recommend one yearbook per child. Yearbooks are distributed at the end of the school year where classmates often enjoy writing in each others' books. We encourage you to purchase yearbooks at this time because we need an accurate count before the final book goes for printing. A small amount of books may be accessible for purchase after the deadline for $20.00, but we cannot guarantee availability.
* Reminder: 5th graders automatically receive (1) yearbook included in their 5th grade fee, so you only need to submit the form for your 5th grader if you wish to order additional copies.
Spring Book Fair
HOORAY! It is almost time for the Spring Book Fair!
The Book Fair will run from March 12-27.
- Wish Lists during class time: March 13-18
- Purchases during class time: March 19-22
- Open during Bingo Night on March 22 and during Conferences on March 25-26
- Online: Anytime March 12-25
Check out the Book Fair website HERE and sign up to volunteer HERE.
It’s time to set up your e-wallet and share it with family and friends who want to contribute funds to your readers. After the fair, E-Wallet balances will be emailed to you in the form of a gift card, which you can use online. Gift cards must be converted back to e-wallet if you choose to use these funds for the Spring Fair. If you choose, you can also donate your balance to help buy more books for Penn Wood. Please return the form below (see attached flyer) if you wish to donate funds from your e-wallet.
You can also pre-order the new DogMan Book. See attached pre-order form.
Questions? Contact Patty Arabia: pattyL@comcast.net
Teacher & Staff Appreciation Luncheon
It's time again for parent-teacher conferences. Let's show our teachers just how much we appreciate them with a fantastic lunch on their long day of conferences - Tuesday, March 26. Home & School will be providing sandwich trays and salads from Wegmans, and we hope you can help provide some additional sides, salads, drinks, sweets, and treats. Any leftovers will be placed in the staff kitchen. Good news! Homemade items are allowed, so dust off that crock pot or grandma's famed dessert recipe! Please drop your items off on March 26 by 11 a.m. at the absolute latest. You can bring them to the main office or drop them off during car line on Tuesday morning.
The SignUpGenius for donations can be found HERE.
Please contact Karen Pestritto at karenpestritto@gmail.com with any questions. Thank you!
Dine & Donate @ PJ Whelihan's
Penn Wood's March Dine & Donate is at PJ Whelihan's on Thursday, March 21 from 4-8 p.m. Whether you dine in or grab takeout, Penn Wood will earn 15% back!
Bag Bingo Adult Social - Save the Date!
Volunteer Opportunities
Current Needs:
- Family Bingo Night: Sign up HERE to help make Family Bingo Night a success!
- Spring Book Fair: Help students shop for books and check out during the Scholastic Book Fair in the library. Sign up HERE. Volunteer clearances are required.
Future Opportunities:
Home & School is looking for volunteers for:
- Dine & Donate (Chair or Shadow Opportunity) - Help coordinate monthly nights out with local restaurants.
- Pretzel Fridays Shadow (current 4th Grade Parent to take over for 2024-25 school year) - Help organize Pretzel Fridays next year which is 5th Grade's biggest fundraiser.
School Supply Boxes Coordinator - oversee the ordering and delivery of school supply boxes for next school year with our vendor, School Tool Box.
- Treasurer Shadow 2024-25 School Year - Shadow our current treasurer next school year to learn about the role and eventually take over for the 2025-26 school year (no accounting background necessary).
- Yearbook Photographer - Capture photos at school events for the 2024-25 school year yearbook.
You can work solo or partner up with a friend or two! There are many different ways to get involved based on your individual interests and availability. You can read more about these and all of Home & School's Committees HERE. You can also attend an upcoming Home & School meeting. The next one is scheduled for March 14 at 6 p.m. in the library.
Email pennwoodhomeandschool@gmail.com with questions or for more info!
5th Grade Corner
The 5th Grade Committee and the Yearbook Committee need your help to make the yearbook great for our 5th graders!
Submit a "Shout Out": We are offering 5th graders’ families an opportunity to send a "shout out" to their 5th grader(s) in the yearbook. These messages allow you to have a special note printed in the yearbook as your child(ren) achieves the milestone of moving from elementary to middle school. This requires two steps:
- Complete the shout out Google form HERE by St Patrick's Day - March 17, 2024.
- Submit a recent photo of your child(ren) to go next to your message. Please email your picture to PWE5thgrade@gmail.com with your child's name and "Shout out picture" in the subject line.
If you have any questions about the Shout Out, please contact Stephanie DeVore at stephanie.devore@gmail.com.
Field Trip Update: Our trip to Philadelphia is almost finalized. If you are interested in chaperoning, please make sure to check that your volunteer clearances are up to date. Parents will not be riding the bus for the trip, so we suggest that you carpool. More information to follow.
About Home & School
Email: pennwoodhomeandschool@gmail.com
Website: https://pennwoodhsa.membershiptoolkit.com/home
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/909463772548079/