The Padilla Post 3/7/2022
March 7, 2022
Padilla Elementary School
Providing every student with the keys to open the doors of their future.
A Note from Principal Purfurst
Your PTO needs your help! As a new PTO, there are some items that would help to get things running smoothly and create awesome events for kids! Please click here if you are able to help!
An Update from Dean Hawkins
Drills This Week:
We conducted our February Evacuation Drill on Tuesday of this past week. This drill went extremely well as we were able to meet our time goals with the building all clear as well as accounting for every individual in our building. Our students and staff continue to do a wonderful job of being prepared as well as taking this drill very seriously.
There are no scheduled drills upcoming this week.
Parking Lot/ Drop Off:
We are observing many safety issues with our parking lot especially as the weather gets colder. Moving forward, please help us with a few specifics in order to ensure the safety of our students!
Only drop off your student in the drop off lanes. This is the lane closest to the curb/sidewalk. Some are dropping their students off in the second lane from the curb with the cars in the drop off lane not seeing the student that is trying to get to the curb.
This includes the pre-school/kinder horseshoe. Because there aren’t enough parking spots, cars are also dropping their students off in the second lane from the curb. Please refrain from doing this in the pre-K horseshoe as well.
Preschool parents dropping your students off in the morning would help all kinder parents that are dropping
If you are in the drop off lane (closest to the curb/sidewalk), please do not get out of your car to pick your student(s) up. If you are needing to physically get out of your car to find your student, please park in the lot.
Please use the crosswalks in front of the building as much as possible. We have two marked crossing areas with crossing guards to ensure your students’ safe arrival and departure from school.
Our Bus Lane is becoming an easy spot for parents to drop their students off quickly in order to avoid the parking lot traffic before school. Please yield to our buses as this is the only option they have to drop off and pick up students. If you see buses in the lane, please do not use the bus lane to drop your student off. If you see buses approaching the school/bus lane, please exit the lane quickly so that our buses may drop off students and not have to dodge/avoid cars that are parked in this bus lane. Thank you for your help with this
CMAS Testing Letter and Schedule Schedule
Please click here to find the CMAS letter from our district office. Please direct any CMAS questions to Josh Hawkins as he is one of our school assessment coordinators.
Thank you!
Please see below the schedule we will follow for our CMAS testing this spring.

Important Dates!
- Read Across America Week - March 2nd through March 8th
- Texas Roadhouse Spirit Nights! - March 1st, 8th, 15th, 22nd, and 29th - 3PM - 9PM
- Parent-Teacher Connections Window - March 1st through March 18th
- Spring Individual and Class Picture Day - March 10th
- Book Fair - March 15th through 18th
- Spring Break - March 21st - March 25th
- Yearbook Order Deadline - March 25th
- Kindergarten Round Up! - April 13th - 5:00 PM - 6:00 PM
Read Across America Week
March 2nd is Padilla's first Read Across America Day! We will have part of the day dedicated to reading, and will use this day as our kick-off to the week of focusing on reading! Students will be encouraged to read and participate in fun literacy activities throughout the day. Students are invited to wear pajamas and bring a (small-medium) stuffed animal to school on Wednesday, March 2nd.
Each student will have a log to keep track of the number of minutes they read for a week 3/2/22-3/8/22, and turn in their logs on Wednesday, 3/9/22. Please be on the look out for this at home as well, and encourage your child to read, and read with them! There will be prizes on Friday 3/11/22 for the class who reads the most minutes, and the student who reads the most minutes.
Here are some links to read alouds and other resources if you need help with a place to start:
Read Across America Celebrating a Nation of Diverse Readers Diverse Readers Library
Storyline Online- famous people reading books aloud to kids.https://storylineonline.net/
We know this can be controversial, so use this at your discretion: Dr. Seuss Library
Texas Roadhouse Spirit Nights!

Parent-Teacher Connections Window
Spring Individual and Class Picture Day
Code: EVT48QSBK
Kindergarten and 5th Grade "Graduation" pictures will be held on April 7th! More information on that to come!
Book Fair
Spring Break
Yearbooks now on Sale!
Order deadline: 3/25/33
Yearbook Id Code: 14571222
School Name: Padilla Elementary
Cost: $18
Yearbook includes:
- Sturdy Softcover with protective coating
- All-color pages that vibrantly capture your memories throughout the school year
- Durable saddle-stitched binding that keeps the yearbook intact through wear and tear
Girls on the Run!
Girls on the Run Registration Opens Monday, February 7th at 9AM.
To Sign Up:
1. Go to www.girlsontherunrockies.org
2. Click the “Register Now” button
3. Find and select your school in the drop down menu
4. After completing the form, hit “submit”. **You will receive a confirmation email from Pinwheel. Please make sure to check your spam folder in case the email went there. If you do not receive this email, chances are you did not fully complete the registration form.
Fee: $40
Teams practice 2x per week for 10 weeks with trained coaches. Girls will... + Connect and engage with peers in a safe environment + Gain confidence in who they are on the inside and out + Learn to give and receive support + Develop critical social and emotional skills + Be physically active
Send any questions to jharder@sd27j.net

Polar Bears of the Week!
Preschool
Ms. Sydney: Kaylee Honsberger
Kindergarten
Mrs. Grace: Kaiden Williams
Mrs. Hodge: Lianna Colmenero
Ms. Medina: Adeline Howard
1st Grade
Mrs. Johnson: Kai Vigil
Ms. Thao: Alana Rieman
2nd Grade
Mrs. McGann: Alex Cervera
3rd Grade
Mrs. Brantley: Dominic Colunga
Ms. Hunter: Jaxon Cox
4th Grade
Ms. Harder: Elizjah Lopez
Mrs. Richardson: Johanna Fresh
5th Grade
Mrs. Forgette: Caleb Ramos

Bear Ticket Drawing Winners
The winning class for February is Ms. Harder's 4th Grade Class!
They will enjoy their pizza party at lunch on Tuesday!
Adult Learning
Our teachers participated in learning walks last week as part of their professional learning! The leadership team knows that learning walks seemed a little scary at first but by teachers opening their doors and deprivatizing the practice of teaching we are able to be even more intentional with our instruction. Padilla staff has embraced this journey and everyone has learned so much from one another! Our kids are able to see us as learners too and that is awesome!