Pennoyer Staff Newsletter - 3/24/23

                              Hawk Thoughts & Happenings

Team Pennoyer,

What an awesome week of spirit and positivity at Pennoyer!  The dress up days were a huge hit.  Thanks to Ms. Strecker and our Peer Leaders for putting this special week together for our students and staff.  I've been filled with so much promise and pride just being a part of it all.  It started out on Monday with our 2nd graders showcasing their Leprechaun Traps this year with the support of Mrs. Michaels and Miss Torossi.  The E Learning day on St. Patricks Day didn't slow these 2nd graders down a bit, and seeing their level of creativity and hard work while older students came to check out their projects was absolutely amazing!

Next up, it was time for a very special Taste of Pennoyer on Tuesday night!  I had the best time feeling nothing but absolute joy and support while celebrating along side so many of the rich cultures that make up the fabric of our Pennoyer community.  From the tasty food, to the cultural art performances, and the successful raffles, it was certainly a night to remember.  It was my first, but definitely far from my last, and it did not disappoint!  Huge shout out to Mrs. Tronco and her team of staff members that put so much into making this incredibly thoughtful night a reality.

Rolling along to Wednesday, there was a special celebration for our Battle of the Books students and Mrs. Kafka where every Pennoyer participant on the team received a 3rd place medal and certificate.  We also received a trophy that is on display at the school.  Way to go!  We also got a chance to take a really cool photo of our entire school with students and staff at the end of the day during this midpoint of Spirit Week!

We also can't forget that each and every day of this week we had staff members outside during morning arrival time to spread the word for families to get out and vote during this week and next before the April 4th election with so much on the line.  It truly showcased the solidarity and family that makes our staff and students so very special.  

Finally, we couldn't end this week without the incredible Spirit Assembly put together by Mrs. Slawson and our PBIS staff crew on Thursday at the end of the day.  It was awesome to see almost 450 students in our gymnasium together as we celebrated students at Pennoyer and what it truly means to be a Hawk and Be Responsible, Respectful, and a Problem Solver.  The Minute to Win It games with host Ms. Strecker and video parody of "Flowers" by Miley Cyrus were a huge hit.  Mrs. Adkins and Nurse Alana did an amazing job putting the video together!  Our students were so well behaved and had such high energy throughout the assembly.  We definitely plan to have more of these Spirit Assemblies from year to year!

Whatever you have planned for Spring Break, I wish you all the best with some relaxation and time to get away from your daily work and do things for yourself, families, friends, and loved ones.  You have all certainly earned this break and gone above and beyond as always.  We'll see you back here in April!!!

*Staff Meeting AGENDA for Monday, April 3rd in the MPR

Hawk Action Items 

• Ramadan started this week for some of our students and staff.  Please be mindful of this and feel free to read this overview for further guidance and understanding.   We may have students fasting, so participation in PE should be limited if needed, along with levels of homework.  Also, if any students need a space for praying, please let me know and we'll work something out.

• Please make sure that all food items are cleaned out from your classroom spaces before leaving on Spring Break today and the staff lounge/refrigerators...thanks!

• A reminder to staff to please put in work orders (SchoolDude) whenever you have something in your classroom or the building that needs attention from our maintenance crew (i.e. HVAC, leaks, etc.).  This is the best way for us to keep track of work needing to be done and collect data on our systems and general maintenance of the building.  Here is the link you can find on our OneLogin page -  https://assetessentials.dudesolutions.com/PennoyerSchoolDistrict/Requester/Home/Management

Weekly Hawk Playlist/Lyric

    Right Down the Line by Gerry Rafferty

                                                                      

Hawk Celebrations

There was so much to celebrate this week, but we couldn't go without honoring our very own 7th grader, Nicole Mohr.  Nicole was nominated by her middle school teachers and received the prestigious SCOTY Award this year!  This is the School Citizen of the Year award that recognizes student the best of the West 40 students who are good school citizens and are models for others to emulate.  It goes way beyond just grades and activities.  Nicole is such a leader and her level of kindness and support to other students and staff is something special.  She was honored at West Leyden High School this past Wednesday night, with only about 130 other students out of close to 80,000 in the West 40 region.  What an amazing accomplishment, and we couldn't be more proud of Nicole!

March Birthdays! 🎂

Ellen Mardula - 3/10

Amy Shearer - 3/18

Melissa Tronco - 3/20

Mark Smith - 3/21

Connect - Collaborate - Celebrate

Pennoyer Staff Newsletter - 3/17/23

                              Hawk Thoughts & Happenings

Team Pennoyer,

What a way to end the week and spend St. Patricks Day!  It definitely wasn't a usual Friday, but I hope everyone was ok with the E Learning day and just made the best of it.  I thank all of you for putting things into action so quickly for our students and families...you're the best!  A huge shout out to Alain and his team for coming in super early and getting the boilers up and running again.  We're lucky to have them and the hard work they put in today and throughout the week with all of these issues.

On another note, this past Wednesday's Alumni Staff Volleyball event was absolutely awesome!  I had the best time and can't thank our very own Ms. Denise enough for everything she did behind the scenes to make this night possible.  I also want to thank all of the staff for taking the time to help out, participate, and cheer our family on.  I don't know how I did as a ref, but we won in the end, so I guess that's all that matters.  I may have made a few questionable calls, but I think it was balanced on both sides...lol.  Wednesday's event just cemented what I already knew and have felt each and every day throughout this first year as your principal...Pennoyer is truly a special place and has been for a very long time.  

I'm going into this final week before Spring Break with a positive attitude and feeling good about April 4th and beyond.  I can't wait for our Spirt Week and assembly to celebrate our school and everything that makes Pennoyer what it is.

*Staff Meeting AGENDA for Monday, March 20th in the MPR

Hawk Action Items 

• Spring Spirit Week all next week and our Spirit Assembly is on Thursday, March 23rd.  Start bringing classes down to the gym at 1:50pm.  We can't wait to celebrate with our students and staff!

• Ramadan starts next week for some of our students and staff.  Please be mindful of this and feel free to read this overview for further guidance and understanding.   We may have students fasting, so participation in PE should be limited if needed, along with levels of homework.  Also, if any students need a space for praying, please let me know and we'll work something out.

• Half Day on Friday, March 24th (SIP agenda will be going out next week for that day).  Please remember this half day we'll be running Periods 6-10.

• 6th period: 11:40-12:20 8:20-9:00

• 7th period: 12:20-1:00 9:00-9:40
• 8th period: 1:00-1:40 9:40-10:20
• 9th period: 1:40-2:20 10:20-11:00
• 10th period: 2:20-3:00 11:00-11:30

• PTC is still looking for one or two more teachers at any grade level to help support the Pennoyer Pride Essay contest that our 8th graders participate in.  If you're not aware, this is an annual activity where our 8th graders write essays about what brings them Pennoyer pride, and then a panel made up of parents (not 8th grade parents) and teachers take time to score them, interview the finalists, and students will be celebrated at graduation with the winner receiving a gift from the PTC.  They also get their name added to the plaque in the District Office.  If you're interested, please contact Tina Giarmidis at our PTC.  Essays will be read and interviews will conducted the last couple of weeks in May.

• Aurora University MA in Educational Leadership with Principal Endorsement Program.  Check out this flyer if interested.   

• As we look towards Spring Break, please make sure that all food items are cleaned out from your classroom spaces and the staff lounge/refrigerators before leaving on March 24th...thanks!

• A reminder to staff to please put in work orders (SchoolDude) whenever you have something in your classroom or the building that needs attention from our maintenance crew (i.e. HVAC, leaks, etc.).  This is the best way for us to keep track of work needing to be done and collect data on our systems and general maintenance of the building.  Here is the link you can find on our OneLogin page -  https://assetessentials.dudesolutions.com/PennoyerSchoolDistrict/Requester/Home/Management

Weekly Hawk Playlist/Lyric

   "Are you wanting inspiration.  You spill your secrets on me.  Then you tell me with a whisper, of      things that will never be..."  

                                                            Thorn In My Pride by The Black Crowes

                                                                         

Hawk Celebrations

Last Friday I experienced my very first Father Daughter Dance at Pennoyer and it did not disappoint.  I had the best time watching so many our students and their dads celebrate together with food, dancing, and having so much fun!  The Disney theme was perfect, and our PTC did an amazing job putting this event together.  Some of our youngest students were dressed in their favorite Disney dresses, and our older students came ready to hit the dance floor and connect with their dads and friends.  As a father of a 6th grade girl myself, I can honestly say that the bond between a daughter and her dad is certainly a special one that I truly cherish every day.

March Birthdays! 🎂

Ellen Mardula - 3/10

Amy Shearer - 3/18

Melissa Tronco - 3/20

Mark Smith - 3/21

Connect - Collaborate - Celebrate

Pennoyer Staff Newsletter - 3/10/23

                                             Hawk Thoughts & Happenings

Team Pennoyer,

So on my way back and forth with Lennon to his soccer tournament last weekend in Indiana, he actually turned me onto someone I had never listened to before.  Lennon, my 15 year old son, and a few of his soccer buddies, are obsessed with David Goggins.  We spent the whole trip to Indiana with the rain pouring down, listening to Joe Rogan's podcast with David Goggins on and it seriously got to me.  He can certainly come off extreme in his ideas and level of profanity in the way he talks and presents himself, but once you get through all of that and really listen to the "why" behind the way he talks, it's pretty powerful stuff.  He's got a couple books out as well that my son and I are starting to read, but I thought I'd leave you all with a few David Goggins quotes that stuck in my head, and I found connected to in my own personal life and our profession in the world of education...

- "The only way we can change is to be real with ourselves."

- "If you don't challenge yourself, you don't know yourself."

- "I don't stop when I'm tired, I stop when I'm done."

- "We all want to take the four lane highway, but we always step over the shovel.  All I did was pick up that shovel and made my own path."

- "You want to be uncommon amongst uncommon people.  Period."

Draft Bingo Night - Thursday, March 16th - Check out this flyer if you're interested!

*Don't forget to "Spring Ahead" this Sunday and adjust your clocks an hour forward for Daylight Savings Time.

Hawk Action Items 

• Internal Subbing Opportunities During Learning Walks Next Week - Please consider putting your name in a time slot for Thursday, March 16th next week to support teachers doing their Learning Walks.  We have one group going in the morning and another group in the afternoon.  Thanks so much for any help you can provide!  HERE is the doc.

• Professional development opportunity taking place at West40 on March 13th. The SEL Hub is sponsoring this free opportunity in partnership with University of Illinois in Springfield. Together, they will be offering the "Night Before", a trauma-informed, experiential training for teachers, administrators, social workers, counselors, and any staff working with our students. The team has designed this 3.5-hour training to encourage staff to engage with the 12 core concepts for understanding trauma and to consider alternative explanations for students’ behavior and actions. Participants will learn ways to identify and address the needs of their students. 
   
  Please use the link below to learn more about this opportunity and to sign up for Monday if you're interested.
  
  
  https://www.eventbrite.com/e/523999034217

• PTC is looking for a few teachers at any grade level to help support the Pennoyer Pride Essay contest that our 8th graders participate in.  If you're not aware, this is an annual activity where our 8th graders write essays about what brings them Pennoyer pride, and then a panel made up of parents (not 8th grade parents) and teachers take time to score them, interview the finalists, and students will be celebrated at graduation with the winner receiving a gift from the PTC.  They also get their name added to the plaque in the District Office.  If you're interested, please contact Tina Giarmidis at our PTC.  Essays will be read and interviews will conducted the last couple of weeks in May.

• As we look towards Spring Break, please make sure that all food items are cleaned out from your classroom spaces and the staff lounge/refrigerators before leaving on March 24th...thanks!

• A reminder to staff to please put in work orders (SchoolDude) whenever you have something in your classroom or the building that needs attention from our maintenance crew (i.e. HVAC, leaks, etc.).  This is the best way for us to keep track of work needing to be done and collect data on our systems and general maintenance of the building.  Here is the link you can find on our OneLogin page -  https://assetessentials.dudesolutions.com/PennoyerSchoolDistrict/Requester/Home/Management

• Just a reminder to staff to continue to check emails each morning by 7:30am if you signed up to help out with internal subbing when we need coverage.  Thanks so much for the support with all of this.  Anyone else is able to check their email as well and pick up any coverage they might be interested in moving forward.  HERE is the doc we'll use every day.  You can just fill in your name in the spaces you're available to cover...thanks again!

Weekly Hawk Playlist/Lyric

                                           Tomorrow's Gonna Be a Brighter Day by Jim Croce

                                                                         

Hawk Celebrations

This week we're celebrating our 5th graders, along with Mrs. Shearer, Mr. Widd, and Officer Steven Deutscher as they begin their journey through the D.A.R.E program at Pennoyer.  This was week one where students started to understand the importance behind the program and getting to know a little bit about the things they'll be learning moving forward.  In the D.A.R.E program, 5th graders will be visited by Norridge Police Officer Steven Deutscher once a week until near the end of the school year, when they'll be ready for a celebration and graduation of the program.  The D.A.R.E program is more than just about the avoidance of substance abuse and its downfalls, it's also a program that teaches students how to make healthy choices in life, build solid relationships, and understand how to support themselves and others when faced with difficult or dangerous decisions.  We're lucky to have this partnership with the Norridge Police Department and give our 5th graders this opportunity to grow and learn.

March Birthdays! 🎂

Ellen Mardula - 3/10

Amy Shearer - 3/18

Melissa Tronco - 3/20

Mark Smith - 3/21

Connect - Collaborate - Celebrate

Pennoyer Staff Newsletter - 3/3/23

                                                Hawk Thoughts & Happenings

Team Pennoyer,

Ok, I watched a great movie on Netflix this past week that looked cool, and Denise talked to me about it as well.  It did not disappoint.  If you haven't checked out You People with Jonah Hill and Eddie Murphy, you gotta see this movie.  It was such a well directed and well written film that took a comedic edge to mixed race relationships and different families coming together with their own expectations and quarks.  I have to say, it's been a long time where I actually felt truly uncomfortable for some of the characters in a film.  Give it shot if you have time.

Thanks to our entire staff for successfully making it through Trimester 2 with our students and the dreaded month of February!  Good things ahead as the weather hopefully begins to change slowly, daylight time stretches longer, and we all work towards a well deserved Spring Break at the end of the month.  You know I'm with you all every step of the way and never feel like you can't reach out for any level of support you may need.  I want to leave you with a couple photos and thoughts from moments that make me smile  every time and fill me with so much pride.  First off, watching our Reading Buddies shine and support each other is always amazing.  Here are the 3rd graders with the Kindergartners this week...love it!!!

Also, here are our youngest newcomers with the biggest hearts.  They wrote Mrs. Michaels get well letters for her surgery.  These little ones were so excited when Mrs. Kula helped them with this!  They were literally cheering her on as they used Google Translate to tell her what they all wanted to say.  This is the greatest thing about our jobs that others will never truly understand.

Staff Meeting Agenda for Monday, March 6th in the MPR at 3:15pm

Draft Bingo Night - Thursday, March 16th - Check out this flyer if you're interested!

Hawk Action Items 

• A reminder to staff to please put in work orders (SchoolDude) whenever you have something in your classroom or the building that needs attention from our maintenance crew (i.e. HVAC, leaks, etc.).  This is the best way for us to keep track of work needing to be done and collect data on our systems and general maintenance of the building.  Here is the link you can find on our OneLogin page -  https://assetessentials.dudesolutions.com/PennoyerSchoolDistrict/Requester/Home/Management

• Just a reminder to staff to continue to check emails each morning by 7:30am if you signed up to help out with internal subbing when we need coverage.  Thanks so much for the support with all of this.  Anyone else is able to check their email as well and pick up any coverage they might be interested in moving forward.  HERE is the doc we'll use every day.  You can just fill in your name in the spaces you're available to cover...thanks again!

Weekly Hawk Playlist/Lyric

"Some may say, I'm wishing my days away.  No way, and if it's the price I pay.  Some say, tomorrow's another day.  You stay, I may as well play..."

                                                                        Walking On The Moon by The Police

                                                                         

Hawk Celebrations

This week it's all about our amazing Tech Team of Mr. Patrick Christl and Ms. Haleema Mansoor!  Mr. Christl and Ms. Mansoor do so much for our students, staff, and families each and every day.  Many of these vital components that help our students and staff operate at such a high level might be behind the scenes sometimes, but it is certainly noticed and incredibly appreciated.  This dynamic duo team helps maintain our day to day operations with all of our technology and devices.  They support and troubleshoot with students on a daily basis, help train our staff to best utilize the technology in their classrooms, keep our programs and apps up to date, lead the production and taping of our monthly Board Meetings, and so much more.  Mr. Christl and Ms. Mansoor are always open and inviting and willing to lend a helping hand to anyone who reaches out.  Pennoyer wouldn't be what it is without these two special individuals!

March Birthdays! 🎂

Ellen Mardula - 3/10

Amy Shearer - 3/18

Melissa Tronco - 3/20

Mark Smith - 3/21

Connect - Collaborate - Celebrate