Penngrove Press
April 13, 2018
A message from our principal, Mrs. Fadeji
Dear Penngrove Families,
Transitions are upon us! This time of year is filled with emotions and behaviors that indicate it's spring time and changes are coming. Whether it's a kindergartner moving onto the big 1st grade playground, a 4th grader wondering about deodorant or a 6th grader getting excited about junior high, our students and our parents can't help but notice, transitions are upon us.
As a staff, we see the upcoming transitions manifest in our students in a variety of ways. Some students need more hugs, some want time to talk about the exciting future, and others need more reminders about the rules. Ha! :) Whatever way your child chooses to exhibit feelings about transitions, know that we are here every step of the way. Many children enjoy change and look forward to a fresh start in a new place, new teachers, etc. For others, the uncertainty can feel unsettling. As adults, we can relate! Which teacher is teaching what grade level? Has my child learned all that he/she should? Who are we carpooling with? What summer activities can I do to foster a love of reading? We all feel the transitions coming. It's a part of life we embrace.
Personally, I LOVE change. Just ask any member of Team Penn and you'll hear how wild and crazy I can get with wanting to mix things up from time to time just for the sake of a good shake up. Whether you are cheering, "Go Amy!" or "Knock it off Mrs. Fadeji!" know that every single decision we make here at Penngrove is for the benefit of your children. In a 5th grade class meeting today, I shared with some of our student body that although I'd love for them all to be getting 2s and 3s on their report cards, what I really want is a space for every child to come each day where they feel loved, safe, and they help each other by spreading kindness and exhibiting friendship skills. Relationships always come first. That goes for both the students and adults at Penngrove.
Our staff is already working on exciting updates for next year, a new theme, a new English Language Arts adoption, new team members, etc. So fun! Enrollment and registration are always a moving target for us but at this time, we are anticipating the following line-up of super stars for next year. Please remember this can always be subject to change.
TK/K combo: Ms. Leist
K: Mrs. Weaver & Mrs. Moreda
1st: Mrs. Law/Mrs. Sartori & Mrs. Buschman/Mrs. Hlebakos
1/2 combo: Mrs. Benedetti
2nd: Ms. Riley & Mrs. Tracy
3rd: Ms. Boronkay & Mrs. Ciccotelli
4th: Mr. Z & a new hire (we rock at hiring!)
5th: Mrs. Mainaris & Ms. Moran
6th: Mrs. Newman & Ms. J
Time to get out of my office and into classrooms! Hope to see you all tonight at the Ice Cream Social.
Go Panthers!
Amy
What's Happening at Penngrove?
Intramural Basketball
Intramural Basketball
Intramural Basketball
Intramural Basketball
Intramural Basketball
Intramural Basketball
Mrs. Benedetti for Teacher of the Month!
Fun on the playground!
Fun on the playground!
Talent Show 2018
Talent Show 2018
Talent Show 2018
Talent Show 2018
Talent Show 2018
Talent Show 2018
Lifeskills, awarded Wednesday, April 11
Addison Dunn
Lane Dunaway
Michael Spediacci
Aaliyah Dondero
Anthony Rankin
Tessa Larcher
Demetrius Johnson
Ysabella Contreras
Emmalyn Mesker
Tiffany Chinchilla
Kaylee Gummo
Brooklyn Harvey
Lifeskills, awarded Wednesday, April 4
Justyn Montes Cesena
Neo Walker
Gabriel Castillejos
Zachary Bettencourt
Trevor Dunn
Sophie Butler
Mike Folan
Annabella Mendonca
Moises Sandoval
Emmit Goebel
Mason Beach
Elliana Roca
Kristians Cacs
Gwen Powers
Breanna Dagle
Sydney Dondero
Charlotte Killpack
Layla Thompson
Hailey Simning
Ice Cream Sales are back!
Ice cream sales have resumed every Wednesday and Friday after school! Ice cream will be sold until the end of the school year (except the last day of school), and will resume when we come back in July. Starting next week we will offer pre-ordered and pre-paid ice cream choices to the Kindergarteners. Order forms will be sent home with students in their weekly Wednesday folders. Pre-paid ice cream will be delivered to the Kindergartener the following Friday.
In an effort to offer healthier options to the students, we have changed our ice cream choices. We are excited to announce that we are now offering ice cream sandwiches, generously donated by local company, Three Twins Ice Cream. There are 2 flavors: Madagascar Vanilla Ice Cream/Chocolate Wafer and Lemon Ice Cream/Vanilla Wafer. Ice cream sandwiches are $2/each.
For a non-ice cream option, we are also selling Outshine bars for $1/each. Outshine bars are made from real fruit and have no artificial colors or flavors. Some flavor examples are strawberry, tangerine, grape, and pineapple.
All proceeds from ice cream sales go to the Outdoor Education fund, currently for tghe Class of 2019. Penngrove Elementary is happy to be not only using a local company but to be providing our students with a much healthier option than what we have offered in the past. We will continue to source treats with this in mind and hope to be able to offer a few more choices this year.
We thank you for supporting our future 6th grade students, as we work together to send them to camp! Thank you Panthers!
Message from Mr. Z, Intramural Sports Coordinator
Original Works Orders Due
Manual orders are due Thursday, April 12. Online ordering will remain open until Thursday, April 19th. Proceeds from Original Works go directly back to Penngrove Elementary!
Thank you for continuing to support Penngrove's fundraisers!
Yearbooks, Yearbooks, Yearbooks!!
Donations Received!
In our efforts to beautify our campus, we will be doing a school wide rock painting project during May and were in need of smooth, paintable rocks. We would like to thank the following local companies for their generous donations:
Sequoia Landscaping
Sonoma Marin
We would also like to thank the Brindmore family (parents of Noelle and Nathan) for donating their time on a Saturday to pick up and deliver all those rocks! It takes a village, and we have a wonderful village right here at Penngrove.
🌸🌷🌹🌺🌻🌼 SPRING FUNDRAISING WITH FLOWERS! 🌸🌷🌹🌺🌻🌼
We are excited to announce a new fundraiser for 6th grade Outdoor Education camp! Look for the brochure in your child’s backpack this week.
Fun items including bulbs, seed mats (check out the “Easy Care Children’s Garden” for only $10), sunflower collection, giant tree lillies, salad/herb/veggie and tomato gardens, strawberries and so much more!
To browse and start ordering, click link below:
http://www.flowerpowerfundraising.com/campaign?campaign_id=26402&user_campaign_id=552013
Thank you for supporting the Class of 2019!
FIESTA FAMILIAR IS COMING UP!
Friday, April 27th 5 - 7pm. Come join us for a night of delicious food, live entertainment, and a chance to connect with other families in our Penngrove community. If you would like to help set up, are available to serve food for 30 minutes, or can help clean up, please sign-up HERE. Each volunteer (not your whole family) gets a free plate of food! YUM! Flyers are going home this week with more details. Pre-sale tickets are $5 per person (kids 2 and under eat free) and tickets at the door are $7 per person (kids 2 and under eat free).
Message from Mentor Me
Back to School Barbecue
We are gearing up for next school years’ Back to School Barbecue. We need volunteers and donation connections! If you would like to help us prep food, pick up donations or set up we could use you! If you have any connections for donations or want to be a part of the team, please email Shannon at fopptamem@gmail.com.
Shannon Gilmore
707-695-2141
Ice Cream Social rescheduled
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1SOnEbvOy9il7qhoPycH3KeTtgDFzoclRysrK6rhDQw4/edit?usp=sharing
Message from Outdoor Education, Class of 2019
Next month's Dine and Donate for Outdoor Ed will be at Bear Republic in Rohnert Park on Tuesday, May 15, all day.
Thank you for continuing to support Outdoor Education!
What does the PTA do anyway?
We hear the word PTA dropped around Penngrove all the time. But what do they really do for us? I was at my first PTA meeting this past week and was able to get just a small glimpse of what they do all year for the school, the teachers, and for our children.
There are many perks at Penngrove that you might think are funded by the school district. Nope. Most of them are PTA funded. Here is a list of programs that are available for our children that PTA has proposed, voted on, and funded:
- Gardening Program (Ms. Barrell)
- STEM (Mrs. Olufs); now evolving to STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, Math)
- Enriched Art Program (fully in progress in the 2018-19 school year)
- Special Hands-on Assemblies throughout the year
- After school tutoring program (just approved, in progress)
- Buses for field trips
- Teacher discretionary funds
- Mr. Nettle
- Talent Show
- Special events (Back to School BBQ, Harvest Festival, Ice Cream Social, Fiesta Familiar, Family Fun Nights, Red Ribbon Week)
- Intramural sports (Mr. Z)
- Staff appreciation food/brunches
- LEGO wall (coming soon!)
- Gaga Pit (coming soon!)
- Mural in the Garden area
- New recess equipment
- Panther mascot costume
- PTA meeting childcare and pizza
- Staff room supplies and food
Most of these programs are only available at Penngrove Elementary. Now you know, when you support a PTA fundraiser, where your money goes. This past year's Jog-A-Thon was a record-breaking success, bringing in over $60,000! The Jog-A-Thon is our biggest fundraiser each year and pays for all the things listed above, and more. Thanks to the dedication of the PTA and all the families and students who support our Jog-A-Thons!
Penngrove Elementary has a set of amazing teachers and staff. Penngrove Elementary has a vibrant, innovative, and spirited principal. Penngrove Elementary has a wonderful community of parent volunteers who generously donate their time, money, and resources. And Penngrove Elementary has a hard-working, dedicated PTA board who fill in the cracks and bring extra programs to our school that other public elementary schools do not have.
Thank you to the PTA board members for all your time and energy, in meetings and otherwise, for making Penngrove stand out from the others. Thank you to the parents that attend those meetings, solving problems and voting on issues. And thank you to all the parents that support fundraisers for the PTA and Penngrove. Because our children are worth it.
2017-18 PTA Board Members:
Jamie Norman
Joni Moss
Kerry Jones
Dionna Dunaway
Shannon Gilmore
Melissa Morelli
Brian DuFour
Veronica Goulet
VIP Parking Spot up for grabs!
Avoid the pick-up lines, traffic, and circling for a spot every day and get your tickets for a chance to win your own designated spot!
Common Sense Media
Message from the Petaluma Library
Our library system has been busy planning our Summer Reading Program for 2018. This year’s theme is Reading Takes You Everywhere!
Highlights for April:
· Tween Book Club – The Girl Who Drank the Moon
· Zumba for Kids
· Mindfulness and Poetry for ages 9-12
· Make Art, Grow Strong – Bilingual Art program for kids and families - all ages.
· Storycraft – Claymates!
· Story, Song and Dance with Cascada de Flores
· And much more!
Save the Date: Monday, May 7 at 6:00 pm - We will have a special presentation called Know Your VI, for parents and teachers who want to learn more about Title VI
civil rights protections for students that address racial discrimination and harassment.
Visit our website for a complete calendar of events.
Message from the Rohnert Park/Cotati Library
April Events:
Read-a-Long Book Club: First Chapter Books (reading level, grades 1-3). Tuesday, April 17, 4:30 - 5:30 pm. This month we are reading Super Turbo Saves the Day! by Lee Kirby (Classroom pet hamster Turbo becomes Super Turbo to fight evil, but he soon finds that he isn't the only super pet in town when he is forced to face an evil rat named Whiskerface). Activities and snacks included.
4H in the Library: Seasonal Crafts (ages 6 & up). Wednesday, April 18, 4:00 - 5:00 pm
Join us for crafts of the season presented by 4H volunteers. All supplies provided.
Olympic Fencing (ages 7 & up). Saturday, April 28, 11:00-12:00 pm. This is a don’t-miss experience in which you learn how to spar with a foam sword just like the knights of old.
Homework Help. Mondays, 3:30 – 5:30 pm.
Homework assistance for students in grades K-12 while school is in session. Help with all subjects!
Read to a Dog - Wednesdays from 3:30 - 4:30 pm all year round.
Family Movie Night - Wednesday, April 25 6:00 pm. Meet the most brilliant supervillain the world has ever known. But when the world is threatened to be destroyed, will he use his powers for good and save the day? Rated PG, 96 minutes
Join us for a fun family movie and snacks!
Penngrove Elementary School
Email: penngrove@petk12.org
Website: www.penngroveelementary.com
Location: 365 Adobe Road, Penngrove, CA, United States
Phone: 707 778 4755
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Penngrove-Elementary-School-323595021067904/
Twitter: @pennpanthers