Pennoyer Staff Newsletter - 11/4/22

           Hawk Thoughts & Happenings

Team Pennoyer,

What a great way to start and end this week!  I really enjoyed our Halloween celebrations and parade with our students on Monday.  Thanks everyone for being supportive and playing along for the day!  Monday was also a great opportunity for many of us to connect with the beginnings of some PD on our new collaborative practices of engaging in Learning Walks as a school.  I'm excited for those staff members that are interested to embark on this journey and get into different classrooms and spaces.  I did Learning Walks in District 96 as a teacher and as a Team Leader bringing it to other districts and saw firsthand how beneficial they could be when done right.  More to come on next steps as we dig through the data and feedback from our staff.

Later this week it was all about STEAM night on Thursday with our students, families, and staff.  Thanks to Mrs. Strecker and Ms. Kopoulos for helping to put this successful event together and to all of the teachers that volunteered to support this event.  It was amazing to see all of the creative stations and opportunities for our students to explore!  They built things, engineered objects, learned about areas of science, technology, and mathematics, and had real hands on experiences that were so fun to witness.  It was a great way to roll into the end of our week. 

Building/Classroom Cleanings Update - We realize there has been an increase in staff and students out in the past week.  To help mitigate illnesses and keep everyone as healthy as possible as we move into these colder months, there will be more daily cleanings done by our custodial crew of high touch surfaces/areas.  In addition, classrooms will be sprayed down 2-3 days a week with a Clorox cleaner.  Finally, every classroom should have Oxivir wipes for staff to use during the day as needed if you wish.  Please contact Alain if you don't have these and would like them.

*Looking ahead, I'll be out of town with my son on Friday, November 11th and then again on Friday, November 18th.  Connect with Alicia or Rachel if needed on those days.

Hawk Action Items 

• Don't forget to turn your clocks back this weekend!
• Internal Sub Survey for all teachers - If you still need to fill out the Internal Sub Interest Survey and didn't get the chance yet, please do so by Monday...thanks!
• West 40 Webinar opportunity for all staff members on Nov. 22nd.  This is a free collaborative PD option that can provide opportunities on how staff can best support refugee students at our school.  https://www.eventbrite.com/e/supporting-refugee-students-tickets-453907307977
• Important Trimester 1 Grading Period Timeline 
• November 18th - Trimester 1 Ends
• November 30th - Final Grades/Comments are Due in Skyward
• December 2nd - Grades are live for families and students and communication will go out
• Interested in SEL Professional Development...check out what West 40 has to offer!  

Weekly Hawk Playlist/Lyric

Even though we gain an hour of sleep, in honor of Daylight Savings Time ending and turning the clocks back this weekend...

"I'm So Tired"

                                                                          -From The Beatles White Album 

Hawk Celebrations

We're so excited to continue our collaboration with Maine South High School and kick off their Internship Program again this year.  We had the high schoolers visit for their first time last week to get things going and they were so excited.  Main South offers a course called Exploring the Teaching Profession.  This class is geared to upper level high school students who are on the career pathway to become teachers.  Using dual credit and curriculum from St. Francis University in Joliet, the students learn about curriculum, classroom management, diverse learners, and professional development.  The students also have a practical with hands on experience with an Internship here at Pennoyer.  This group of eager and inspired students will join us at Pennoyer a couple times a month throughout the school year and work directly with classroom teachers to observe, help, and work with our students.

November Birthdays! 🎂

Monica Kula - 11/6

Sam Wyrzykowski - 11/25

Connect - Collaborate - Celebrate