Pennoyer Staff Newsletter - 10/13/23

                                               Hawk Thoughts & Happenings

Team Pennoyer,

I wanted to start out by saying how incredibly moved I was to see so many current staff, former staff, community members, family, and friends out for the memorial dedication of Freddie Toms' bench in front of our school this week.  Though I didn't have the opportunity to know Freddie personally, the level of support and the thoughtful words that were spoken were truly special, and I got a glimpse of just how remarkable he was.  I know the family is so grateful to Pennoyer, as the bench will be a constant celebration of Freddie's life and a reminder to everyone who passes by or sits down for awhile to help support others in need.  It opens up a dialogue that is so incredibly important to make sure we do all we can as a community and society as a whole to help those struggling socially and emotionally and always stay connected. 

HERE is the agenda for our Staff Meeting next Monday, October 16th at 3:15pm in the MPR.

Hawk Action Items 

• Safety Week is starting on Monday, Oct. 16th!  We should be all set to go.  HERE is the presentation again if you need to review anything as staff members or with our students.  Please reach out to Adam with any questions or concerns.

• Just a friendly reminder to all staff...please make sure to notify Nurse Alana at least 1 week in advance before any field trips so she can gather up any medicine and be a support for any students involved in these trips.  Thanks!

• Maine South Future Educators are coming to Pennoyer!  It's not too late to sign up if you're interested in having some high schoolers from Maine South come observe and support in your classrooms.  This has been such a collaborative and successful program at Pennoyer for many years.  Click on this form if you're interested in signing up. The start date has actually changed for when they'll begin. It's not own October 31st.

• Don't forget about our social media roll out that officially started this month! We're asking teachers to post one thing by the end of the month of October, and then we'll continue in that fashion each month. We created a real easy Google Form for teachers to complete.  Just a little blurb/picture about anything going on in your classes and then our leadership team will approve it and set it up to go out sometime during the month...it's just that easy! Thanks for all of your support with this. We know this will be a great way to showcase all of the wonderful things you all do at Pennoyer and connect with our families and community.

• Looking ahead...the CCC meeting on October 25th will focus on revisiting and reviewing Standards Based Grading at Pennoyer and our practices surrounding SBG to effectively support our students.

• Creating new Clubs at Pennoyer and Submitting Club Information for Website (Existing or New Clubs)

• If you’re interested in starting up a new club, it's certainly not too late. Please submit your ideas HERE!  You can check out the CBA if needed for more information.  For new clubs, we’ve created a helpful link on our website to showcase the wonderful opportunities for our students at Pennoyer.  Please make sure once your club is approved that you create a one page Google Doc or Slide to share with Adam and Pat.  Also, if you’re continuing a club from last year, please make sure the information is updated if needed...thanks! Here’s an EXAMPLE for your reference.

• Friday Car Line Opportunity During Arrival Time - Want to be a "Guest DJ" and greeter during morning car line?  You can have your own playlist if you'd like and be a part of a fun part of the day connecting with our families and students on Fridays during arrival time.  This is from 7:50am- to around 8:10am if you're interested.  HERE is a sign up sheet to make things easier, and reach out to Adam with any questions.

• Stipend Openings for both Varsity and JV Boys Volleyball in the spring...Connect w/ Adam if interested.

Weekly Hawk Playlist/Lyric

"Throw it down (the caution blocks you from the wind).  Hold it up (to the rays).  You wait and see when the smoke clears.  You live, you learn.  You love, you learn.  You cry, you learn.  You lose, you learn."

                                                                            You Learn by Alanis Morissette

Hawk Celebrations

What a special celebration we have this week as we honor our very own Mrs. Kula, who has been awarded the Excellence in Education grant award by the Illinois Retired Teachers Association!  This amazing accomplishment is certainly well earned by Mrs. Kula.  Out of 219 applications that came through, Mrs. Kula was one of only a few to be rewarded this grant money to help benefit, enrich, and support our students at Pennoyer.  Mrs. Kula applied for this grant and special honor with our newcomers and EL students in mind.  Her passion centered around finding creative and more efficient ways for our students to communicate with their peers and staff when a variety of supports like others that may speak their native language are not always available.  With this in mind, Mrs. Kula is looking to spend this awarded grant money on new pocket translators that will help our students communicate with more ease, particularly our younger students that don't have the reading and writing skills just yet and want to express some basic needs.  We're so proud of Mrs. Kula and everything she brings to our school, students, and families...#pennoyerpride.

October Birthdays! 🎂

Ramia Elddine - 10/2

Halyna Sukhatska - 10/6

Rachel Slawson - 10/7

Kiley Sheedy - 10/8

Jim Nelsen - 10/15