Panda Pulse
September 21, 2018
Important Dates to Remember
- Tuesday, September 25th 6:30pm PTA Meeting
- Tuesday, September 25th 9:30am or 6:00pm Room Parent Info Meeting
- Thursday, September 27th Fall Picture Day
- Friday, September 28th Make-up Day - full instruction day (NO early release)
THIS WEEK AT A GLANCE
- The Positivity Project
- PTA Meeting Info
- FUN RUN!
- Books and Beyond
- PTA Volunteer Openings
- Carnival Committee Forming
- Penny Road Pacers
- Chess Club
- Birthday Celebrations
- Spirit Wear is available online
The Positivity Project
Starting with this issue, the Pulse will highlight the weekly character strength our students are discussing in the classroom. This will give parents the opportunity to further explore and reinforce these topics at home.
This week's featured character strength:
CURIOSITY - You like exploration and discovery. You ask lots of questions because you want to learn more about anything and everything.
If you'd like to learn more about this initiative, visit the Positivity Project website. Curious parents are also invited to discover their own strengths by completing the same free Character Strengths Survey taken by our PRE staff! This simple 15-minute self-assessment provides a wealth of information to help you understand your core characteristics.
First PTA meeting of the year!
- We will be hearing from Principal Hoke about things going on around school!
- Mrs. Kozemko will be filling us in on the Positivity Project!
- We will be voting on 2018-2019 budget amendments! (We need 20 PTA members in attendance to accomplish this so PLEASE try to come!)
- We will also have a teacher from every grade level at the meeting to answer any questions that parents may have as a result of Open House being canceled!
If you are a new family and missed the Tissues and Tea event, we would especially love to have you attend the meeting. We will stick around at the end of the meeting to answer ANY questions!
Join us... you never know... you might like it!
The PENNY ROAD FUN RUN was a HUGE success!
We had a great time at Tuesday's Fun Run! Despite the crazy and devastating weather leading up to it, our Boosterthon team managed to pull off a terrific event for our school! The sun was shining and every once in a while there was a delightful breeze. There was so much excitement and positive energy as the students and teachers celebrated our fundraising success with this FUN fitness event! Pledging is still open until next week, so it is not too late to participate and show your support! Visit funrun.com to register your student and enter a pledge!
Our goal has been to raise $20,000 for Technology, School Improvements, and Teacher Grants! As soon as all of our pledges come in, we will know for sure if we have reached that goal! As soon as we reach our goal, we will let you know. The students are very excited as Mrs. Hoke has agreed to be "slimed" when all of the money has been raised!. Stay tuned for more details! Thank you so much for supporting the Penny Road family! Go Pandas!
Thank you to our very special Fun Run flag bearers!
Books and Beyond...ATTENTION Kindergarten and 1st Grade Parents!
By now you have received all the important paperwork to kick off the Books and Beyond “Ready, set, GO READ” program. This is a yearlong (September- April) reading program to help encourage and foster a love of reading. This program works in coordination of your child’s grade level and abilities in his/ her reading adventures.
Tracking Sheets are collected and reported MONTHLY. Don’t forget that you can find additional tracking sheets at: www.pennyroadpta.com. Look under the PTA info tab for Books and Beyond or click here.
Monthly rewards for the class (per grade) who submitted the most sheets (gifts will be education based).
Individual Awards are awarded at the completion of the program in April.
- All students who submit one sheet or more will receive a certificate
- 10-19 complete sheets will also receive a ribbon
- 20-29 complete sheets will also receive a bronze medal
- 30-39 complete sheets will also receive a silver medal
- 40 and above complete sheets will also receive a gold medal
Helpful hint: sit down with your child and help him/her set a goal of how many sheets he/she would like to turn in for the program. Your support can help them achieve or surpass that goal! We understand that this program relies on parents and we appreciate your support of this fun reading opportunity.
Should you have additional questions about this program, please feel free to reach out to andreafinucane@yahoo.com
Calling all PENNY ROAD VOLUNTEERS!
Library Volunteers Needed
Love kids and books?
Have some extra time during the week?
We would LOVE to have you volunteer to help out in the Creative Commons (the library).
Mrs. Platts is looking for help throughout the year. You choose the date and time that best fits your schedule! If you are interested please email Sabrina Lewandowski at sabrinalew1@yahoo.com.
Are you able to create a video montage?
Our Veteran's Day celebration needs your help! Each year as a part of our annual Veteran's Day Tribute, Penny Road staff and students submit pictures of family members who have served in the different branches of our military. Our music teacher Mrs. Koch will supply the song for the montage, as our PRE chorus sings along during this wonderful tribute! Please email Amy Toland at tolandfam@gmail.com if you are able to help!
Food for Friends
Heard of Backpack Buddies? PRE’s program is called Food For Friends (FFF)! You can sign up to donate food once a month (just drop it by the office one day on your designated week) to fill a backpack to be sent home to help feed one of our PRE families over the weekend. Please email Hannah Baublitz at hannahbissette@hotmail.com or Jenn Evenhouse at Jenn.Evenhouse@gmail.com for more information.
Carnival Committee Forming!
We are currently seeking volunteers who would like to join the Spring Carnival planning committee. Click here to sign onto the team. We will be announcing our first planning meeting (in late October) very soon. If you have questions about or suggestions for the 2019 Spring Carnival, please contact Lindsay Tremelling at ltremelling83@gmail.com.
LAST CALL FOR Penny Road Pacers for Grades 3, 4, and 5!
Back by popular demand...the Penny Road Pacers! Do you love walking or jogging? Have you ever thought of participating in a 5K race? Then this club is for you!
This is a 6 week training clinic to learn about pacing, cross-training, stretching and healthy eating! At the end of the six weeks, those who are interested may participate in the Apex Turkey Trot!
- This club is for students in 3rd, 4th and 5th grades only.
- Pacers will meet on Thursday mornings ONLY from 8:15 to 8:45
- Dates are from Thursday, September 27th to Thursday, November 15th
The registration deadline is Friday, September 21st. We will be using Konstella for Penny Road Pacers communication. Click here for more information and to sign up. (Please make sure you are registered in your student's 3rd, 4th or 5th grade classroom to sign up for Pacers).
Questions, please contact Mrs. Martin at cmartin@wcpss.net.
Click here for information about the Apex Turkey Trot.
CHESS CLUB for Students in Grades 1-5
Reminders about Birthday Celebrations at school!
Does your child have a birthday coming up? This is just a reminder that per state policy, only store bought food items with ingredients listed may be served in the classrooms. Homemade cupcakes, cookies, etc may not be served.
Penny Road, in compliance with Wake County Public School System's Health and Wellness policy, participates in the USDA's Smart Snacks in schools program. Food that is brought in for celebrations, whether it is a birthday or a class party, should primarily contain fruits, whole grains, protein and/ or dairy as the first ingredients.
Not sure what to do for your child's birthday? Healthy snacks, pencils, books for the classroom, playground equipment, and board games are great ideas! Donate a book donate to the library in your child's name (click here for more info) As always, please check with your child's teacher prior to sending anything in!
Spirit Wear is available at our online school store!
NEXT SPIRIT DAY: Friday, October 5th - CRAZY HAIR!!
Penny Road Elementary School
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