November 13, 2007

Dear Pennekamp Families,

            Half empty, …or half full? How the proverbial cup is viewed can depend upon one’s perspective, one’s disposition, or perhaps even which side of the bed one may have awakened upon on any given morning. It certainly is easy to get caught up in the trials, tribulations and minutiae of day-to-day living, and to bemoan our lot in life. It is also easy to compare ourselves to others, and to wonder why we don’t have all of the possessions and amenities that they have. (Why hasn’t that European vacation or new Mercedes happened for me?) Yes, one can easily get caught up in that line of thinking!

            Every so often an event or situation arises which catches our attention and adds a dose of perspective and reality to our perceptions of our own situation. This past week at Pennekamp, we conducted three charitable ventures: a Clothing and Toy Drive, a One Warm Coat Drive, and a Reading by 9 Holiday Book Drive. All were very successful endeavors, which will help needy families during the holiday season and on through the cold months of winter. The thing that hit home the most for me on this charitable venture is the proximity of the needy recipients of our clothing and books. No these items are not going off to a so-called “Third World Country” thousands of miles away. In fact, the Clothing and Toy drive will benefit our adopted school, Roosevelt Elementary in Lawndale, which is less than five miles from Pennekamp. The One Warm Coat items will go to inner-city Los Angeles schools. My point here is that one does not have to look too far to see others who are far less fortunate than ourselves and could benefit from our help.

            With Thanksgiving just around the corner, it is a good time to lend a helping hand to those in need, as well as to pause and reflect upon our own good fortune. As you know, when the Pilgrims initiated this seasonal celebration, the emphasis was on “Giving Thanks” for simply having enough food, shelter and clothing to survive. Over the course of nearly four centuries, we have seen Thanksgiving morph into a day of massive consumption of food and beverage, followed by falling asleep in overstuffed chairs while watching football games on big-screen TVs in comfortable dens in multi-level suburban homes (I plead guilty to this!). I doubt that Captain Miles Standish, Governor William Bradford, nor any of the Pilgrims of Plymouth Colony could have imagined this in their wildest dreams.

          So while you are enjoying a sumptuous Thanksgiving repast, whether it be the traditional fare of turkey, stuffing, cranberries and pumpkin pie, or some other epicurean delight of your choice (Pizza?), you may want to hearken back to the original spirit of this wonderfully unique American holiday and offer a word of thanks to whatever source may be appropriate and meaningful to you.           

During those times when the “half-empty blues” seem to be confronting us, it can be helpful to take a step back and look at the world around us in a broader perspective. Yes, our lives may be harried and challenging at times, but consider other alternatives. I can remember telling my own children, “Think of all of the places and situations in the entire world that you could have been born into, and look at how lucky you are to wind up in Manhattan Beach, California, U.S.A. Not a bad deal!” All in all, I’d say that our cups are far more than half full!

On behalf of the Pennekamp staff, I would like to extend our warmest wishes for a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday to all PK families. Enjoy the week off from school!

               Sincerely,

Dale Keldrauk

 

P.S. – Yesterday’s Veterans Day Holiday serves as  reminder to acknowledge all of the brave men and women who serve in our armed forces. Thank you!

Lend a Helping Hand – Former Pennekamp student, Michael Locke, recently sustained serious injuries from a bicycle accident. His family is facing mounting expenses, and could certainly use assistance. If you are interested in helping out Michael and his family during their time of need, you can go online at www.MichaelBeStrong.org . Your support is greatly appreciated.

Communication Reminder – Be sure to let your child’s teacher and the school office (and EDP if applicable) know in writing whenever your child will be picked up from school by another parent for a play date, etc. Also, be sure to communicate with spouses, caregivers, etc. about these arrangements. Failing to do so can sometimes result in tremendous anxiety on the part of parents and the school, and can even lead to summoning the police. Please remember to communicate!

Reading by 9 – Holiday Book Drive – It will continue through Friday, Nov. 16. Bring donations of children’s books to the boxes outside of the school office.

Book Fair – Dec. 3-7 from 8 a.m. – 3 p.m. daily. It will be held in the PK Café during Parent-Teacher Conferences week. Students can purchase items during class visits, and parents can stop by before or after conferences. Books make great holiday gifts!

Book Fair Family Night – 6:00-8:00 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 6^th – Come out to our Book Fair Family Night in the Cafetorium, and to the Science Lab Grand Opening in Room 26.  It will be a fun time for the whole family!

Science Lab Update – Our new Science Specialist, Christina Ibrahim, has been hard at work setting up our new Science Lab in room 26 and getting ready to apply that “hands on” experience teaching our children.  Next week our 4^th and 5^th grades will get a sneak peak at the lab. We’ll have our Grand Opening on Book Fair Family Night, Dec. 6^th  from 6 p.m.- 8 p.m.  More details to follow. Thanks to your PTA and MBEF donations, you have helped make this Science Lab possible and you have given our children more opportunities to explore the wonderful world of science.

Pennekamp Eco-Friendly Dragons – Pennekamp PTA is forming a volunteer committee to help our school “go green”.  Some of the projects we are looking to implement after the ew Year are: Walk to School Wednesdays, Trash Free Tuesdays and Classroom Recycling. If you are interested in volunteering or have any questions, please email Mariel Waller at mvdhrew@aol.com or email Julie Greenwald at scottjulie.greenwald@verizon.net. Our next meeting will be on Monday, Nov.26^th at 9 a.m. in room 10.  This is a great opportunity to make a difference and educate our children about being environmentally aware.  

National PTA Reflections Program – Students are encouraged to participate in this great contest of self expression in various art forms. See the red flyer in this week’s Tuesday Envelope for specifics. Students representing Pennekamp through their participation will be given Gold Cards and prizes. All entries will receive a Gold Card from Mr. Keldrauk, a free book and a pencil!!  National winners receive cash!  The last day to accept entries is Friday, November 16^th.

Pennekamp STAR News – Fall enrichment is in full swing and we are already preparing to add new classes for the winter session which will run from Jan. 14^th – March 28^th , 2008. Registration forms will be available around mid-November.  Don’t miss out…many of our classes fill up quickly!  Look for our survey on the addition of new classes to our Enrichment Program regarding upcoming sessions and the possibility of creating a Spring Camp.  Any questions or comments regarding the STAR program can be directed to the STAR Director, Beverly Powell at (310) 877-9047 or pennekampstar@hotmail.com.

Trash-to-Treasure Recycling Contest – Our award winning Environmental Science Museum and Wildlife Rescue Facility, The STAR ECO Station in Culver City, is sponsoring a special contest to encourage recycling.  Create animals out of recycled materials and win CASH PRIZES! Selected entries will be displayed at the ECO Station.  Participants must be 18 years of age or under and are encouraged to work with their classrooms, families or in groups.  Judging will take place on Sunday, Nov. 18^th, 2007.  Pick up an entry form in the PK office or from the STAR staff in the cafeteria.  In addition, the ECO Station will recycle your tech waste! Bring in your old computers, printers, digital cameras, cell phones, etc., and the ECO Station will take care of the recycling.

 

IMPORTANT DATES

·          Fri. Nov. 16^th -   PTA “Reflections” entries due       

·          Nov. 19^th – 21^st – Thanksgiving Week – No School

·          Tues. Nov. 27^th – Report Cards Go Home

·          Dec. 3^rd – 7^{th  -}  Parent-Teacher Conferences - Minimum Day Schedule: 1^st-5^th = 8:15-12:45, DK & Kdg. = Regular Sched., K+ = 8:00 a.m. – 12:45 p.m.

·          Dec. 3^rd – 7^th   Pennekamp “Weird Science” Book Fair 8 a.m. – 3 p.m.  in the Cafeteria

·          Thurs. Dec. 6^th – Family Night at the Book Fair 6 p.m. – 8 p.m.

·          Dec. 22^nd - Jan. 6, 2008 - Winter Break