Mrs. Christa Palladino, Principal

December 1, 2023

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
  • 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


Follow us on X @PDSD_Pennell

Universal Free Breakfast

Universal Free Breakfast begins Monday for all students who would like to participate. You can find all the information you need regarding breakfast from the email Dr. Steinhoff sent this week or go to pdsd.org/freebreakfast. Pennell students will be receiving breakfast in the cafeteria from 8:35-8:50 AM before reporting to their classrooms. They were given a card with their name and student ID# on it today. They will need to have this card Monday morning to get breakfast. The card will be returned to them before the end of the day so they can bring it back each morning they get breakfast. Students will have the opportunity to consume their breakfast between 8:35 and 9:05. Please take some time this weekend to review the menu with your child to determine if they will participate on any given day. Menus can be found at pdsd.nurtrislice.com

Please email Mrs. Palladino or call the office with any questions.

KINDERGARTEN BUSSING

On Thursday, Mrs. Palladino brought the kindergarten bus riders out to a district bus to show them how to board the bus safely. All kindergarten students are asked to ride in the front seats to be closest to the driver in case they need assistance. Mrs. Palladino also went over the expectations on the bus, while the bus driver explained safety at the bus stop. Please reinforce that students must wait for the driver to put on the flashers and put out the safety arm and stop sign before students should begin to cross to board the bus.


In addition, Mrs. Palladino also spoke to all of the students in first through fifth grades on their PM bus Thursday about the addition of the kindergarten students starting on Monday. We discussed allowing the little ones to sit in the front of the bus, reviewed the bus expectations, and reminded them to be a good example.

PENNELL WINTER CONCERT

THURSDAY, 12/7

PENNELL ARTISTS HAD THEIR WORK ON DISPLAY AT THE 2ND ANNUAL ADAPTED ART SHOWCASE AT THE DELAWARE COUNTY IU.

THANK YOU, MRS. GORDON!

PENNELL PRIDE HOLIDAY PROJECT

Welcome to Library Corner

GREAT NEWS! Penn-Delco is offering families access to Power Kids Power Library, Pennsylvania's Electronic Library quicker and easier than ever!


Simply log in to your student's pdsdstudents gmail account and click on the waffle dots at the top right. Scroll down to find the Power Schools icon and you will have immediate access to all of the content this digital library has to offer. No need for an ecard number or library card number to access at home!


For more information, click the links below and utilize this wonderful asset for learning as a family.

Go to pdsd.org/powerkids
Download the flyer

PENNELL PTO CORNER

Holiday Shop is Tuesday & Wednesday this week. If your student is shopping, please send cash in the envelope & write down who they will be shopping for. If you are available to help with this festive tradition, please sign up here


If you can donate to the Staff Holiday Luncheon on December 20, please sign up here.


Pretzel Friday returns this week - remember your $1 at lunch!


If Disney on Ice is part of your family's winter break traditions, consider ordering your tickets here - $5 from each ticket goes back to the 5th Grade Committee!


Flyers for the Special Person's Dance will come home late this week. This event is for Pennell students only. Tickets must be purchased by January 5. 


Mark your calendars (details to come)

January 9: PTO Meeting 6:30PM

January 10: Freddy's Fundraising Night for the Outdoor Classroom (details to come!)

February 2: Special Person's Dance at Pennell (snow date 2/9)

March 1: Glow Party at the Aston Community Center. 

April 5: Variety Show at Northley Middle School


For all the latest PTO info, visit our website. Questions? Concerns? Ideas? Email pto4pennell@gmail.com

HELPFUL LINKS

Report Attendance
23-24 Instructional Calendar
Volunteer Clearance Information
Pennell's Website
Penn-Delco's Website
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