the PENN NEWSLETTER
2/2/2018
DAY 100!
WE'RE ALL LEARNING
STUDENTS: As of today, students have been learning for 100 days of this school year! Time is flying! Talk to your child tonight about these last 100 days .... what has been fun? what do you know how to do now that you couldn't do 100 days ago? who do you know now that you didn't know 100 days ago?
TEACHERS: On Thursday Penn teachers spent our professional development time exploring some new MakerSpaces materials. Your children will get opportunities to build, create, problem solve and think with these materials.
PARENT - TEACHER CONFERENCES
Global School Play Day
Dear Parents/Guardians:
On February 7th, Penn will participate in Global School Play Day 2017 (GSPD) for a portion of our school-day. GSPD has been promoted by Psychology Today and is being celebrated at schools around the world. In 2016, over 175,000 students from all over the world participated in this event. You can learn more about the benefits of unstructured play by visiting the official GSPD website: www.globalschoolplayday.com
We invite all of our students to bring in items to play with on this special day. Here are some examples of things your child may bring-in (be sure your child’s name is clearly marked on all items):
Non-violent toys (no weapons)
Legos, blocks, magnatiles
Dress-up
Puppets
Board games/card games
Sports equipment
Coloring books/art supplies
Puzzles
Imaginative play items- dolls, Barbies, stuffed animals
**NO electronic devices or toys with cords or batteries.**
Though our play will be unstructured, teachers will still be supervising.
It is our hope that this one day of play will inspire students to regularly engage-in more unstructured play.
All for Books
Penn Elementary Library will be collecting change for Scholastic’s “All for Books” program in conjunction with our upcoming book fair in February. Scholastic matches the donations and distributes books to children in need through organizations such as Kids in Distressed Situations, Inc. and Kids in Need Foundation.
The classroom who collects the most change will get to keep their donated funds to purchase books for their classroom library from the Scholastic book fair. All other funds will go towards purchasing books for the library.
Students can bring in change starting Monday, January 29th. The classroom coin collection will end Wednesday, February 21st. Thanks for supporting Penn Elementary Library!
Jump Rope for Heart
Hello Families! Our school is proud to partner with the American Heart Association with Jump Rope For Heart. Over the next few weeks, our students will be having fun learning about their heart with the Scare Squad while raising money to help fund lifesaving research. Our school goal is to raise $20,000, and in addition to helping the American Heart Association, our school can earn free PE equipment. Students can earn their own Scare Squad Monsters this year by using our new mobile app (download the Jump/Hoops App (App Store for iPhone or Google Play for Android) or by visiting heart.org/jump to sign up and raise money online! Just for signing up to save lives, your students will earn a glow in the dark wristband! PLUS this year, the mobile app unlocks even more fun and the Scare Squad Monsters and wristband come to life! Students are getting their collection envelopes and information sheets in PE classes starting Monday, January 29th! Final donations will be due Friday, February 23. Thank you for helping a great cause!
POETRY in PUBLIC
all submissions are due by 5pm on Friday, February 2, 2018. Entries should be accompanied by a 2018 Submission Form (found on www.icgov.org/pip) and may be emailed to marcia-bollinger@iowa-city.org or dropped of or mailed to City Hall at 410 East Washington Street. For more info: http://www.icgov.org/pip
Christine Grant Elementary School Attendance Area Development
Link for first draft of maps: https://www.boarddocs.com/ia/iccsd/Board.nsf/Public
Click the Meetings tab>agendas>Jan. 23>scroll down for attachments
The Iowa City Community School District will begin the process of developing the attendance area for the new Christine Grant Elementary School. Grant Elementary will open in the fall of 2019 in North Liberty across from South Slope. The process will begin in January of 2018 and follow the timeline outlined below. This could potentially affect families in the following attendance areas: Garner, Lincoln, Mann, Penn, and Wickham elementary schools. We welcome and encourage community participation in this process.
Christine Grant Elementary School Attendance Area Development Timeline
- Thursday, February 8
6:00 pm
Community meeting to share third draft maps
LIBERTY High School - Monday, February 19
6:00 pm
Community meeting (if necessary)
LIBERTY High School - Tuesday, February 27
Board Work Session
Community map discussion - Tuesday, March 6
Board Work Session
Community map discussion (if necessary) - Tuesday, March 27
Board Meeting
Community map discussion and vote
Girl Scouts Opportunity
Kindergarten girls are invited to come learn about Girl Scouts, explore the Daisy Flower Garden, and meet other new Daisies.
Parents must attend.
When: February 22nd, 2018 from 6:00-7:00pm
Where: Jean Schwab Auditorium, in the Coralville Library.
To reserve your spot, please email alyssaj@girlscoutstoday.org with your child's name, and which session you plan on attending.
Looking Ahead
- February 6: PTO, 7 pm
- February 7: Preschool Registration Online at noon
- February 14: Valentines Day
- February 16: Science Night, 6:30-8pm
Non-Discrimination Statement
It is the policy of the Iowa City Community School District not to discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, disability, religion, creed, age, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity and socioeconomic status in its educational programs, activities, or employment practices. There is a grievance procedure for processing complaints of discrimination. If you have questions or a grievance related to this policy, please contact Kingsley Botchway II, Director of Equity, 1725 N. Dodge St., Iowa City, IA 52245, 319-688-1000, Botchway.Kingsley@iowacityschools.org.