November 27, 2007

Dear Pennekamp Families,

            I trust that you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday, filled with family, friends, feasting, fun and football. Hopefully you haven’t sworn off eating as a result of over-indulgence. It was nice having an entire week off to enjoy (and recover from!) Thanksgiving! And now it’s back to school and back to business as usual.

The big news for this week can be summed up in two words: Report Cards! Your children will come home bearing envelopes that are sealed, assuming that they do not succumb to the temptation to peek. Hopefully you will be the first ones to view your children’s report cards, and will have the opportunity to sit down with them to review their progress and praise them for their efforts.

For this first reporting period, the Teacher Comments section will contain only the statement, “Parent Conferences will be held in lieu of comments for this reporting period only.” Teachers will provide parents with more specifics about students’ progress at Parent-Teacher Conferences which will be held next week. We strongly encourage all parents to take advantage of this opportunity to meet  with your children’s teachers.  

Thinking back to our own days of youth, the prospect of receiving that first report cards  were met with a great deal of anticipation, and in some cases with a degree of nervous trepidation. Usually the reaction was based upon the manner in which we expected our parents might react to grades we would be receiving. Our children have the same reactions now that we had when we were their age. This phenomenon underscores the influence that we as parents have in shaping our children’s thoughts, feelings and emotions. We have the power to make Report Card Day a positive experience or a “white knuckler” for our children. The school staff encourages parents to pay heed to that old song title “Accentuate the Positive” when discussing report cards with your children.

With the month of December just a few days away, only four weeks remain until Winter Break. We have a great many things going on at school, and undoubtedly you are experiencing busy times in your own households. We encourage all Pennekamp families to take advantage of the excitement that the season has to offer.  We will see you at the Parent-Teacher Conferences and Book Fair next week.

Sincerely,

Dale Keldrauk

 

PTA Meeting, 6:00 Tonight – All parents are encouraged to attend our PTA Meeting tonight at 6:00 p.m. in the PK Cafetorium. Our featured guests will be City Council Member Richard Montgomery, and MBUSD Executive Director of Educational Services, Carolyn Seaton. Richard Montgomery will be briefing us on partnerships between our city and schools, while Caroyln Seaton will be doing an engaging PowerPoint presentation on “Test Scores” for Pennekamp and MBUSD. Refreshments and childcare will be provided. We will see you there.   

Staff Appreciation Luncheon – On Thursday, November 15^th our wonderful PK parents once again spoiled the staff. This time the 3^rd grade parents provided us with a sumptuous lunch and great door prizes. Thank you! Thank you!

Parent-Teacher Conferences, Dec. 3-7 – All parents are encouraged to attend. We will be on Minimum Day schedule next week.

1^st-5^th Grades = 8:15-12:45

AM K & DK = 8:00-11:20

K Plus = 8:00-12:45

PM K = 11:25-2:45

If you have any questions about conference times, etc., please contact your child’s teacher.

* Note: No lunch period provided. Students may pre-order cafeteria sack lunches to take home.

Book Fair Week Dec. 3-7 – Pennekamp’s Book Fair will be held in our Cafetorium next week. The book fair will be open for classroom visits, as well as for parents. Plan on stopping by before or after Parent-Teacher Conferences.  Books make great holiday gifts!

Mon.-Thu. = 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

*Family Night = Thu., 6:00-8:00 p.m.

Fri. = 8:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.

Lunch Reminder – Box lunches will be available the week of Parent/Teacher Conferences but only if they are pre-ordered. Look for the bright yellow order form in your Tuesday envelope. Orders and payment is due by Wednesday, Nov. 28^th.

Talent Show  - The show will go on!  The Pennekamp Talent Show has been scheduled for Friday, February, 29^th, 2008.  This is a bit earlier than usual, so we wanted to get the word out as soon as possible! Children (and parents) may want to start planning before Winter Break.  Gail Goldstein will be producing this exciting event this year.  Please call or email her with any questions at (310) 376-1931 or gailigold@verizon.net      

Bookmark Contest Winner – Congratulations to Isabelle Connor for receiving 4^th place in the Manhattan Beach Library Book Mark Contest.  Isabelle is a 2^nd grader in Ms. Moriyama’s class.

Scrip News  - Did you notice we’ve added Glen Ivy Day Spa to our growing list of vendors?  With the holiday season officially here, let scrip save you time and ease your stress.  Don’t hassle with the mall!  Scrip has a large variety of vendors. There is sure to be something for everyone on your list!  If you have any questions or special requests, call Christy at (310) 679-2093.

Box Tops Contest Winners – Mr. Ahrens, 5^th grade, Mrs. Hunt, 3^rd grade and Ms. Hicks, 1^st grade, have all won ice cream in October’s Box Top Contest.  Each student will receive one free ice cream! Keep turning in your box tops for November’s contest.  A big thank you to Karon Wilmoth and Kathy Large for cutting and counting.  It will save time if you can trim and count them before turning them in.  For more information, please call Patricia Koester at (310) 318-1259.  Thank you.

See’s Candy Fundraiser – The deadline to order See’s Candy is this Friday, Nov. 30^th.  Please support the 5^th grade class. All proceeds go to the year-end celebration and class gift to Pennekamp.

 

IMPORTANT DATES

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

·          Tues. Nov. 27^th – PTA meeting, 6:00 p.m. – Pennkamp Cafeteria

·          Nov. 28^th & Nov. 29^th – 5^th grade GATE

·          Dec. 3^rd – 7^{th  -}  Parent-Teacher Conferences - Minimum Day Schedule: 1^st-5^th = 8:15-12:45

           DK & Kdg. = Regular Schedule

           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.

·          Thurs. Dec. 6^th – Science Lab Grand Opening – Rm. 26, 6 p.m.-8 p.m.

·          Fri. Dec. 14^th –Flag Ceremony – Pennekamp Cafeteria

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