March 4, 2008

Pennekamp Families,

            February certainly ended on a high note, as Pennekamp children performed their hearts out at our annual Talent Show last Friday. A large audience was treated to 83 acts which showcased a wide array of talents which ranged from singing, dancing, acting, musicianship, comedy and feats of skill and daring. Kudos to all of the children who bravely performed on a big stage in front of a live audience! A huge “Thank You” goes out to all volunteers who helped in so many ways, to the Mira Costa tech crew who expertly ran the show, and to the Pennekamp PTA for their support. We owe special thanks and commendation to Gail Goldstein for doing an amazing job of organizing and coordinating this gala event. It truly was a Leap Year evening to remember!

            As we enter the month of March, we find ourselves in a time of seasonal transition as the weeks of winter wane and spring draws near. It also marks a transition for Pennekamp’s weekly Green Sheet. In keeping with our “Go Green” philosophy of being more environmentally conscious, the Green Sheet will be issued as a hardcopy only on the first Tuesday of each month. On subsequent weeks it will be available online in our Pennekamp Dragon eNews, which we hope that all families are onboard with our distribution list. The format for the first-of-the-month, hardcopy Green Sheet will be a delineation of the upcoming events for that month.

March 2008

4^th Grade ELA Writing – Today our 4^th graders took the first of this year’s battery of state assessments. The 2^nd-5^th graders will take the main body of tests May 5-19. 

Registration for 2008-09 – Registration for kindergartners and new students in grades 1-5 starts tomorrow. Parents are encouraged to register children ASAP. Please tell your neighbors.
Kindergarten Registration Information  

Cultural Assemblies – On Friday of this week, 1^st-5^th grade classes will see Backhaus Modern Dance. Thanks to PTA for supporting assemblies!

Capitol Convoy – Next week, March 11 & 12, PTA Co-President Denise Ellis and I will participate in this political advocacy venture to Sacramento to lobby for education. More information to follow.

2^nd Trimester Report Cards – Students will bring them home on Friday, March 14^th.  Please sign and return the envelopes to school.

PK Parent Party – Friday, March 14^th – Parents are encouraged to attend this entertaining fundraiser, which directly benefits PK children. 
Parent Party Ticket Order Form 

08-09 Kdg. Parent Orientation – 9:00 AM on Tuesday, March 18^th in the PK Cafetorium. Parents of in-coming kindergartners are invited to attend.

School Holiday - Friday, March 21

Pennekamp Pride Day – 8:00 AM – 2:00 PM, Saturday, March 29^th. Parents and children are invited to help with school beautification. Students helping for 1 hour will receive a Gold Card.

Parent Basketball Tournament – Saturday, March 29^th. Good luck to PK dads in this fundraiser which is sponsored by the Manhattan Beach Athletic Foundation.

Looking Ahead

PK Blood Drive – Wednesday, April 7^th

Jogathon – Thursday, April 3^rd

Spring Break – April 7-11

State Testing, 2^nd-5^th Grades – May 5-16

Family Dragon Night – May 16          

As you can see, March promises to be quite an eventful month. We invite you to join in the fun and festivities.  Go Dragons!

 

                                                                        Sincerely,

                                                                       Dale Keldrauk

 

P.S. Don’t forget to turn your clocks forward on Sunday for the start of Daylight Saving Time.

 

Instrumental Music Mini Concerts – On Monday, March 31^st, our instrumental music students will be performing mini concerts throughout the school day.  Parents are invited to attend these informal concerts which will showcase our strings, recorders and band students. The concerts will be in the Pennekamp Cafeteria and will last about 35 minutes each. The schedule is as follows:  8:20 a.m. = 3^rd gr. recorders and strings (Hooper, Moreno) /  9:00 a.m.= 3^rd gr. recorders and strings (Horowitz, Hunt) /  10:30 a.m. =  4^th gr. strings and band /  12:50 p.m. =  5^th gr. Strings and band.  Please contact Ms. Johnson at BandisFun.com or Mr. Mollick at mbstrings@gmail.com with any questions you may have.

Parent Party and Silent Auction– Pennekamp’s 4^th Annual Parent Party and Silent Auction will be held on March 14^th.  Seats are still available.  Checks must be received no later than March 7^th and can be dropped off in the office. Credit cards will be accepted the evening of the event for your auction purchases.  However, The Portofino Inn will only accept cash for the no-host bar and parking.  We look forward to seeing all of you at this fun and memorable event! Please contact us for questions or donations: Shannon Coyle (310) 941-1988, shannoncoyle1638@msn.com or Zena Cronyn (310) 766-6857, zcronyn@gmail.com 
Silent Auction Class Basket Donation List   Parent Party Ticket Order Form 
Silent Auction Donor Form

Green Ideas – Drive less – By saving just one gallon of gasoline (20-30 miles of driving for most conventional cars) you can prevent about 20 pounds of carbon dioxide from being released into the atmosphere. To save that gallon, consider these ideas:  take public transportation or carpool to work one day a week, plan a route to make running your errands more efficient or start a program to walk or bicycle for part of the week.  Many Pennekamp families are now using walk-pools to get to and from school  on Wednesdays.  Consider joining or starting a group of your own.  Please direct any questions to Heather Spadone at teamspadone@yahoo.com.   
PK Go Green Student Challenge Information       
10 Reasons to Walk to School   Traffic Safety Info   PK Crosswalk Map      

1st Friday Speaker Series – On Friday, March 7^th, the MBUSD will present Sharon Rosenbloom, author of Beneath and Beyond Autism and A Speech and Language Pathologist, at the Manhattan Beach Preschool Auditorium located at 1431 15^th Street from 9 a.m.-11 a.m.  All parents are welcome to attend.

Scrip News – Our March Madness contest is here!  Help your child earn free ice cream on Ice Cream Friday!  We will track each order for the entire month of March and the class that buys the most scrip will earn a free ice cream. The teacher of that class will also receive dinner and movie tickets.  Let’s help our school!  Your children and their teachers could also benefit!  Thank you so much for supporting the scrip program.  If you have any questions please contact Christy Mancilla at (310) 679-2093. 
Scrip Order Form   Special Scrip Order Form

 

IMPORTANT DATES

·          Tues. March 4^th – Rms. 17 & 18, walking field trip to Polliwog Park 9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

·          Wed. March 5^th – Kindergarten registration begins, 8 a.m. Pennekamp Cafeteria

·          Wed. March 5^th – School board meeting – 6:30 p.m. District Office

·          Wed. & Thurs. March 5^th and 6^th       - 5^th grade GATE

·          Fri. March 7^th – 1^st Friday Speaker Series – Sharon Rosenbloom, author of Beneath and Beyond Autism at MB Preschool Auditorium 1431 15^th St.

·          Tues. March 11^th – Rms. 13 & 14, walking field trip to Polliwog Park 9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

·          Fri. March 14^th – 2^nd trimester Report Cards go home

·          Fri. March 14^th – Parent Party and Silent Auction at the Portofino Inn

·          Tues. March 18^th – Kindergarten Parent Orientation for 2008-2009 at 9 a.m. Pennekamp cafeteria

·          Wed. & Thurs. March 19^th and 20^th – 4^th grade GATE

·          Fri. March 21^st – School Holiday / No school

·          Sat. March 29^th – Pride Day at PK

·          Mon., March 31^st - Instrumental Mini Concerts – Pennekamp Cafeteria, 8:20 a.m. = (Hooper, Moreno) / 9 a.m.  = (Horowitz, Hunt) / 10:30 a.m. = all 4^th grade /  12:50 p.m. all = 5^th grade