Pennell Families,
I'm sending out our weekly newsletter early this week because there is a plethora of information contained and I wanted you to have the opportunity to digest it all before Monday. Have a great weekend!
CORE ESSENTIAL VALUE:
December is upon us! Just 3 short weeks until winter break. December's Core Essential Value is GENEROSITY. Please feel free to use this link to review the parent newsletter and use the ideas at home to connect what we are learning in school to your home.
NEW DOORBELL:
When you visit Pennell, you may notice we have a new security feature at the front door. All visitors will now need to ring the bell from outside of the building to gain access into the building during the school day. Mrs. Howley or Mrs. Marano will be able to see and talk to each visitor before allowing them to enter the building. Additionally, they will be able to open the outer door from inside the office just like they have with the inner vestibule door. Therefore, the outer door will always remain locked from the outside adding an additional layer of security for our most treasured members of the Aston community. Thank you to the District for adding this feature to Pennell!
DISMISSAL REMINDER:
Adults picking up students at the end of the day MUST HAVE THE BLUE PAPER with your family's name on it. We sometimes have other people on duty who may not know everyone; and without the blue paper, they will need to show ID in the main office to have students released to them.
KINDERGARTEN UPDATE:
We have completed our first phase of teaching students to write in kindergarten. Thanks to Mr. Tim and our kindergarten teachers, all kindergarten students have completed a 6-8 week OT (occupational therapy) boot camp to get their hands and fingers ready for all of the things young learners need to do, especially writing. Mr. Tim worked with each class for 6 weeks as a whole group using station rotations to have students work through exercises and practice for strength and dexterity. After 6 weeks, Mr. Tim identified students who still needed a little more direct instruction in these areas and continued for 2 more weeks with them in a small group. We are now moving into handwriting instruction. Once our students can proficiently form all of their upper and lower case letters, Mrs. Wood, Ms. Campbell, and Mrs. Cage will transition them to Kid Writing. Having them all day is allowing our team to take the time to systematically address the students' needs and set them up for success. We are so excited to see what these kiddos can do by the end of the year. Thank you to Dr. Steinhoff, Dr. Kuminka, Dr. Murray, and the School Board for making this dream a reality!
Upcoming Dates for your Calendar:
- 12/4 Universal free breakfast begins
- 12/4 Kindergarten bussing begins
- 12/5 and 6 Holiday Shop
- 12/7 7:00 PM Winter Concert
- 12/8 Report cards posted
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12/8 3rd and 5th grade field trips
- 12/20 and 21 class parties
- 12/22 Half-day for students
- 12/25-1/1 Winter Break - no school
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