Dear Pennekamp Families,

            As we return from Memorial Day weekend, we truly enter the home stretch of the school year. With the rigors state testing behind us and the specter of summer looming ahead, one might understandably have a tendency to drift into a state of complacency. It is easy to see how students might start thinking about the fun times that lay ahead, rather than to devote their attention and efforts on the remaining four weeks of school. Even though we may be feeling the same longings, we educators have the responsibility to keep students attuned to the task at hand – that of maintaining their academic focus and finishing the year in a strong manner.

            Over the course of the next few weeks, we have a number of important things to accomplish before the end of the year. We still have curriculum to cover, and MBUSD End-of-Year Assessments to administer to students at all grade levels. So in all respects, it is business as usual, with our academic focus to continue right up until that final week of school. In addition, we will have a number of interesting events which will add to the excitement and celebration of the end of the school year. So mark you calendars for the following events.

PK Book Fair at Barnes & Noble – June 1-7  Pennekamp will receive a percentage of the sales on all store items (books, music, cards, food, etc.) during the week.  Get a good book and support Pennekamp!
PK Bookfair at Barnes and Noble on Rosecrans Information

Science Fair – Wed., June 4^th,  2:00-6:00 p.m. in Room 25. Times will be assigned for judging of projects. Parents are invited to attend. Students are to bring projects to Room 25 on the morning of June 4^th. Projects will be left on display for Open House, and are to be picked up on Friday, June 6^th.

Open House – Thursday, June 5^th

6:00-7:00 p.m. = DK – 2^nd Grades

6:30-7:30 p.m. = 3^rd-5^th Grades

Minimum Day*: All Ks = 8:00-11:15 / 1^st-5^th = 8:15-12:45

Students, parents, relatives and friends are all invited to this culminating activity for the 2007-2008 school year.  Please plan on attending.

Kinderthon – Friday, June 6th, 10:00-11:15 a.m. – Our kindergarten students will participate in a number of fun field events under the guidance of 5^th graders. Parents of K and 5^th students are invited to attend.

Volunteer Recognition Tea - 10:00 a.m., Tue., June 10^th.  Celebrate our wonderful volunteers!

On Our Way to 1^st Grade – Wed., June 11^th – All Kindergartners will come to school from 8:15-12:45. They will go to the STAR “EcoStation” assemblies and have lunch in the Cafeteria that day.

STAR Extravaganza – Wed., June 11^th, 6:30-8:30 p.m. in our Cafetorium. Students and parents are invited to this potluck dinner and showcase of STAR Education.

Yearbooks Distributed – Friday, June 13^th – Yearbooks can now be ordered for $18.

5^th Grade Party – Friday, June 13^th  - 3:00-5:00 pm. on the PK Field. Parents invited.

MBAF Softball Tournament – Saturday, June 14^th – PK parents and staff members will compete against teams from other MBUSD schools. More information to follow.

Last Day of School – Thursday, June 19^th

Minimum Day*: All Ks 8:00-11:15 / 1^st-5^th = 8:15-12:45

5^th Grade Promotion – Thursday, June 19^th - 11:00-12:15, PK Cafetorium

 

*Note: Lunch service on June 5^th and 19^th, Minimum Days, will be available only as pre-ordered and pre-paid box lunches. Orders must be placed no later than June 2^nd and June 16^th respectively.

 

Sincerely,

Dale Keldrauk

 

Pennekamp Yearbooks – Great news…the long awaited yearbooks are at the printer as we speak and are expected to arrive in a few short weeks.  Be on the look-out for a preorder form in your Tuesday envelope.  All Pennekamp Dragons are encouraged to preorder as there is a limited supply.  Yearbooks will be delivered to your child’s class in plenty of time to get autographs from teachers and friends.  Don’t miss out!  For questions, contact Sue Grubman suegrubman@roadrunner.com or Tiffany King tippy.king@mac.com.  
Pennekamp Yearbook Order Form

Innisbrook School Supplies – This week’s Tuesday Envelope contained a yellow flyer/order form that delineated supply lists for each grade level. PTA organized this in an effort as a convenience to parents. PTA has built in a $10 service charge into the price. This is purely voluntary. Parents may choose to purchase items on their own from local stores.  Be aware that individual teachers may ask parents to contribute other items at the beginning school.
School Supply Sale Fundraiser Information

One-Bottle-at-a-Time Drive – Two former PK students, Adina Knell and Lauren Ruben, have initiated this effort to collect bottles (plastic and glass), and milk containers   (plastic) as a project for their AP Biology class at Mira Costa Donations can be dropped off at the collection container in front of the school office. This drive will start tomorrow (May 21) and run through Friday, June 6^th.     

MBUSD Summer School – The district will be providing remediation summer school to general education students currently in grades 2-7 based upon California Education Codes regarding supplemental instruction.  Students who qualify will be specifically identified by multiple performance measures that have been calculated to determine core proficiency. Parents of students who qualify for these summer school programs will receive an invitation by mail, providing details of the program.  Summer School will be held at Pennekamp Elementary from Monday, June 23^rd – Friday, July 18^th.  There will be no school on Friday, July 4^th.

GATE Testing – Spring testing for current 4^th grade students is on June 2, 2008.  This testing opportunity is for any current 4^th grade student who did not take the test in September of this school year.  The test will be given in Room 27 at Pacific Elementary School at 8:30 a.m.  In order to reserve a spot, please fill out a Permission to Test form and send it to:  Alyse McDonald, 1200 Pacific Ave., Manhattan Beach, CA 90266, or it can be dropped off in the Pacific office. The office also has copies of the permission slip.  Students who have already qualified for GATE do not need to retake the test.

Odyssey of the Mind – Odyssey of the Mind is a creative, problem- solving program for students at the high school, middle school, and elementary school levels. A DVD and PowerPoint presentation from the April 18^th informational meeting are posted at the following link for your review: http://mbusd.org/edsvc/GATE/Odyssey.htm. You may also access this information by  logging in onto www.mbusd.org   and clicking on Odyssey of the Mind under the “News” heading. Using the link above, you will also find information about Odyssey of the Mind coaches’ training that is being held in the MBUSD board room on Saturday, June 7^th.   If you’re interested in being trained to coach an OM team, please follow the directions on the website to RSVP for the training.  Thank you for your interest in Odyssey of the Mind!               

Take a Step: Buy Reusable Shopping Bags – Here are 4 reasons to purchase and reuse bags: 1. The petroleum in 14 plastic bags could drive a car 1 mile.  2.  Americans use over 14 billion plastic bags annually.  3.  Neither plastic nor paper bags biodegrade in landfills.  4.  Cities spend up to 17 cents per bag in disposal costs. Please Contact Heather Spadone at teamspadone@yahoo.com with any questions, comments or suggestions you may have.

STAR  -  The PK STAR spring session will soon be ending and we plan to celebrate a great year with our annual STAR Extravaganza, SPRING SAFARI, on Wed., June 11^th from 6:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m. in the Pennekamp cafetorium.  All PK STAR families and friends are invited to an evening of performances and exhibits by the children and a delicious potluck dinner!  Contact Beverly Powell for more information at (310)877-9047.

 Camp VIP –  Camp enrollment is in full swing.  Don’t miss out on this opportunity to enroll your children in high quality enrichment activities this summer.  There are unique classes to ease the transition to 6^th grade.  Why not try Getting Ready for Middle School or Sixth Grade Summer Book Club?  Both classes are taught by MBMS teachers or advisors.  Another exciting option is MBPD Leadership Academy taught by our own school resource officer, Stephanie Martin.  For more information, go to the website at mbathleticfoundation.org or contact Nancy Rosenberg at (310)376-6115.         
Camp VIP Website               

MBUSD Summer Enrichment Camp – Camps will be held this year on the Pacific and Pennekamp campuses.  All South Bay residents are invited to join us for some outrageous summer fun! Campers from Kdg. – 8^th grade can register for any or all of the nine, one-week sessions.  Please contact Becky Hausken at (310)318-7345 ext. 5840 with any questions. MBUSD EDP Camp Information

Tune Up Your Bicycles – The 47^th Chevron Manhattan Beach Grand Prix and the community races are here again on Sunday, June 29^th !  Watch your local paper for sign in locations before race day or sign up that day at Live Oak Park beginning at 11 a.m.  For information contact the Little Gym at (310) 370-2100 or Ted’s Cycles at (310) 370-2100.

 

IMPORTANT DATES

·          June 1^st – 7^th – Barnes & Noble Pennekamp Book Fair   9 a.m. – 11 p.m.

·          Wed., June 4^th – 5^th Grade Transition Breakfast – 7:45 a.m.

·          Wed., June 4^th – 6:30 p.m. Board of Education meeting, District Office board room

·          Wed., June 4^th – Science Fair – Room 25, 2:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.

·          Thurs., June 5^th – Open House – Minimum day

DK – 2^nd          = 6:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. / 3^rd–5^th = 6:30 p.m - 7:30 p.m. 

·          Fri., June 6^th – Kinderthon – 10:00 a.m.

·          Mon. June 9^th – SSC meeting  3:00 p.m. room 10

·          Tues., June 10^th – Volunteer Tea – 10:00 a.m. Pennekamp Cafeteria

·          Wed., June 11^th - Eco-Station Assembly –  

9:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m. Pennekamp Cafeteria

·          Thurs., June 12^th – PTA meeting and Social 6:30 p.m.

·          Fri., June 13^th – Flag Ceremonies – 9:00 a.m. – 4^th & 5^th grades   10:00 a.m. 1^st – 3^rd grades

·          Fri., June 13^th – 5^th grade Promotion Party –

3:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.

·          June 19^th – Last day of school – Minimum day

·          June 19^th – 5^th grade Promotion Ceremony -  11:00 a.m. –  12:15 p.m. -  Pennekamp Cafeteria

·          June 23^rd – July 19^th – Summer School