The Hawk Happenings: Pennoyer Staff Newsletter

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!