Pennoyer Staff Newsletter - 2/23/24

                                             Hawk Thoughts & Happenings

Team Pennoyer,

I know I usually share things about my personal life in these weekly newsletters.  I hope you realize it's just my way of connecting with all of you, a comfort level I've always had, and sometimes I know many of you can relate to what I share.  This week is no different, but I think it certainly will strike a chord maybe a little bit more with the world of education we all find ourselves in.  My daughter Sadie is the love of my life, but she certainly is not perfect.  She unfortunately takes after me a little too much as a kid, and hasn't always made the best choices in and out of school.  Her teachers have reached out to my wife and I a few times over this past year with some negative behaviors she's been exhibiting at school and as a parent, it's definitely been hard to handle.  That being said, this past week, the same teacher that reached out to my wife and I a couple months ago about Sadie messing around in gym class, took the time to send this positive email.  It really impressed me, and reminded me of how important it is, for all of us, including myself, to connect with our families in both times of challenging behaviors and celebrations when our students are making good choices too...

"I am writing this email to celebrate Sadie. I'm assuming she has shared with you that we are currently in our dance unit in PE. This unit requires students to work with a group of their peers that have all different abilities levels when it comes to dance. They are asked to create a dance that all can be successful in and perform in front of their class. 

Throughout this 2 week unit Sadie has shown an immense amount of leadership and a very mature ability to create a dance that highlighted everyone's strengths. Even though not all of her group members' dancing abilities were at the level her's are, she took time and consideration to create something that all felt comfortable doing. The end product was performed today and she and her group shined! I am so proud and thoroughly impressed with her. She not only met the target for creating the dance but excelled at being an exceptional teammate, which is the bigger picture of this unit. Way to go, Sadie!"

Shout out from Julia Peters to Nina Torossi this week...

"Huge shoutout to Nina for keeping all of us in the loop with morning announcements! Making sure all announcements are read in time, juggling all the speaking parts, and motivating our student readers and calming those nervous ones.  We truly appreciate you!"

*Important IAR Prep Meeting on Wednesday, March 28th in lieu of Grade Band Meetings from 2:40-3:15pm in the MPR for all 3rd-8th grade teachers administering IAR testing to students this year.   K-2nd grade and Specials/PE can have their regular Grade Band Meetings on that day next week.

**We'll be having a visit from the new Superintendent of Maine 207, Tatiana Bonuma,  on Thursday, February 29th at 9:30am.  She'll be touring around our school for a little bit that day.

***Adam is out of town on Friday, March 1st next week.

Hawk Action Items 

• Trimester 2 ends March 1st next week on Friday, so final grades/comments are due in Skyward by Wednesday, March 6th, the following week by the end of the day. Grades/Comments will go live to families on Skyward on Friday, March 8th after 4pm.

• Attention all Pennoyer Staff...most of you should have gotten a link from UChicago by now to take the 5 Essentials Survey for this school year.  Thanks to many of you that have already completed this survey.  If you haven't had time to do it yet, I'm planning to keep our staff meeting open without any other agenda items on March 18th if you'd like to complete it then.  It's just due before March 29th, and last year we had almost 100% of our staff complete it.  I really appreciate this feedback for our school as whole.  There are some questions on the survey that might not be fully applicable for our non-certified staff, so just do the best you can to answer them.  If you need help getting onto the survey, just let me know.  Also remember, if you didn't receive an email to your school account to log in,  you can always go on to take the survey through this provisional link and it will count with our school data. Here it is...https://survey.5-essentials.org/illinois/survey/teacher/provisional/  As I said, please reach out to me with any questions.  Our 4th-8th grade students should be taking the student version of the 5 Essentials Survey sometime starting next week, February 26th.  Login cards should have been distributed to all 4th-8th grade teachers by Team Leaders, and the following is the link you'll need to put up on Google Classroom and share with your students when you're ready for them to take the survey... http://survey.5-essentials.org/illinois/survey/student/  I've already started pushing out the parent 5 Essentials Survey as well.  Thanks for your time and support with all of this!

• We still need Court Monitors for this event.  If you're interested in helping out at our 1st Annual 3 on 3 Pennoyer March Madness Basketball Tournament after school on Friday, March 15th...Check out this flyer and sign up to be a court monitor HERE. You really don't need to be an expert in basketball and know all of the rules to help out.  More than one person can sign up for a grade level to help supervise.  Please reach out to me with any questions you might have.  I'll make sure everyone who volunteers is ready and prepared to support our students at this event in March...I'm super excited!

• Kristin and I are starting to share construction plans with families, and I've shared some of this with our paraprofessionals and lunch/recess supervisors, but wanted everyone to see our upcoming plans we'll begin utilizing starting the week of March 11th.  Please look over the plans HERE.  I also plan to put together a short presentation to show students as well the week of March 4th sometime so they're prepared for some of these changes ahead of time.  I will share that with all of the teachers when it's completed.  Thanks in advance for your flexibility, patience, and support as we embark on this construction process.  I know it won't always be easy, but it will definitely be worth it in the end!!!  Reach out with any questions or concerns to Adam or Kristin along the way.

• Spirit Week is coming up starting next Monday, Feb. 26th, and then we have our Trimester 2 PBIS Spirit Assembly on Thursday, February 29th!  Let's kick up that spirit and Pennoyer Pride!!!

• HERE is the part 2 video of our continued PD on Restorative Practices with PBIS Rewards Coach Adam Efird.  The video link does expire on March 4th, but we'll be sharing out other resources as well moving forward.  I thought it was a productive 2nd hour of professional development as we continue down this road to build our capacity for these thoughtful practices and shifting our mindsets.  More to come with all of this for our staff in the future for sure.  Reach out to Adam or Rachel if you'd like any support with incorporating some of these ideas into your everyday classroom or have any questions.

• As we prepare our students for IAR testing that will start for 3rd-8th grade the week of March 4th, don't forget about these IAR supports/resources you can utilize during ELA/Math blocks and/or Enrichment time.  Reach out to Adam with any questions or support if needed.

• If you're interested in signing up to supervise and facilitate any Behavior Academies after school on Tuesdays and Thursdays, feel free to sign up on the  spreadsheet.  Here's a reminder about the protocol for our Behavior Academies if you're interested.  Thanks to everyone who has been supporting these. 

• I hope all is going well with instituting our universal expectations each day of the week for EVERY CLASS PERIOD they teach a new group of students to support behavior, expectations, and build connections.  3 to Succeed! 

                  1. Greet students every morning.

2. Display School PBIS expectations OR PBIS Expectations (BLANK) in the

classroom and review everyday. Example: What are 2 ways we are

responsible in the classroom? In school? (This doesn't have to take long each

day and each class period)

3. Anytime your kids are in the hallway (arrival, dismissal, transitions,) you are

in the hallway with them. Middle school - transitions between classes.

• Wanna make somebody's day at Pennoyer...don't forget about our staff shout outs we'd like to get started up again this year!  It's real easy; if one staff member wants to give another staff member at Pennoyer a positive shout out for something that week, just send a quick email blurb to Adam, and he'll feature it in our weekly Hawk Happenings!

• Great job with all the social media posts shared for the month of January! Keep it up in February. Here's the Google Form for teachers to complete.  Thanks!!!

Weekly Hawk Playlist/Lyric

Seasons by Chris Cornell

Hawk Celebrations

This week we celebrate the come back of Scholastic Bowl to Pennoyer!  It's been awhile, but with the support of our students who have really stepped up, and our very own Miss Bowden, who has taken this on all by herself this year, Pennoyer has been able to create a Scholastic Bowl team that we're so proud of!  Coach Bowden has done her part to get these students ready, week in and week out, and although it's often been difficult for our crew during competitions this year, they always come with a positive mindset and a fighting spirit!  Scholastic Bowl participants include Emma R., Konstanin P., Andrea C., Omar S., Peter S., and Penn D.  The best news is that we're a young team of mostly 6th and 7th graders in the JV division, so there's so much potential for this group of Pennoyer students in the years ahead.  These students show off their incredible cognitive skills as they study and answer questions in areas that range from math, to music, history, science, literature, and beyond!  It makes my own brain hurt just thinking about how smart these students are.  We're lucky to call them Pennoyer Hawks...#Pennoyerpride for our Scholastic Bowl Team and Miss Bowden!

February Birthdays! 🎂

Nina Torossi - 2/11

Pennoyer Staff Newsletter - 2/16/24

                                          Hawk Thoughts & Happenings

Team Pennoyer,

Wow...Valentines Day brought a lot of love, but I could have done without some of the other things brought on this week.  We survived it together though!  I have to say, I was so excited at the Board Meeting this past Wednesday night for our teachers and the long overdue contract that truly honors the work you all do each and every day.  You show up, and you've certainly earned it, and I couldn't be more happy for you as a Union.  Here's a few pictures from that special night!!!

Ok people, I also have to share the fact that as of today, I officially have TWO teenagers in my life!  Sadie joins her brother today as she turns 13 years old.  I really can't believe it.  Where has the time gone?  I'm definitely getting old, but when I look at her, I still see that little girl that I can't stop hugging.  Wonder if that will even leave.  I'm sure I'll be there crying and embarrassing her one day when she's walking down the aisle and all of the other moments that lie ahead.  We've got a special birthday weekend planned for her starting tonight, and I'm super excited.  Here are "then and now"pictures of her starting school many, many years ago, and a pic from this past week as she practiced a pose for her dance company pictures...not my little Sadie anymore.

Shout out from Julia Peters to Emerson Burghart this week...

"Huge shoutout to Emerson for bringing us a bit of friendly competition and football conversation in a #creative and #fun way! These hashtags are great! And I was probably in last place with my picks but having made them with my Pennoyer Family has definitely made watching the games more enjoyable. Thank you, Emerson!"

Hawk Action Items 

• Attention all Pennoyer Staff...most of you should have gotten a link from UChicago by now to take the 5 Essentials Survey for this school year.  Thanks to many of you that have already completed this survey.  If you haven't had time to do it yet, I'm planning to keep our staff meeting open without any other agenda items on March 18th if you'd like to complete it then.  It's just due before March 29th, and last year we had almost 100% of our staff complete it.  I really appreciate this feedback for our school as whole.  There are some questions on the survey that might not be fully applicable for our non-certified staff, so just do the best you can to answer them.  For anyone who has not gotten the email, I just resent them out yesterday.  If you still haven't received one to your school account, you can always go on to take the survey through this provisional link and it will count with our school data. Here it is...https://survey.5-essentials.org/illinois/survey/teacher/provisional/  Please reach out to me with any questions.  Our 4th-8th grade students will be taking the student version of the 5 Essentials Survey sometime after the week of February 26th.  Login cards should be distributed to all 4th-8th grade teachers by Team Leaders, and the following is the link you'll need to put up on Google Classroom and share with your students when you're ready for them to take the survey... http://survey.5-essentials.org/illinois/survey/student/  I'm going to start pushing out the parent 5 Essentials Survey starting today as well.  HERE is the letter going home to families today if you're interested.  Thanks for your time and support with all of this!

• I will be visiting Grade Band meetings during your plan time next week from 2:30-3:15pm on Wednesday, February 21st to answer any final questions/concerns and make sure we're all on the same page with our new Behavior Flow Chart and Referral Policy before we roll it out March 4th. I really appreciate all of the feedback and questions I've gotten so far. (I plan to start with Specials, then K-2, then 3-5, and finish with 6-8)

• Interested in helping out at our 1st Annual 3 on 3 Pennoyer March Madness Basketball Tournament after school on Friday, March 15th...Check out this flyer and sign up to be a court monitor HERE. We're still looking for staff who can help out for this special event!  More than one person can sign up for a grade level to help supervise.  Please reach out to me with any questions you might have.  I'll make sure everyone who volunteers is ready and prepared to support our students at this event in March...I'm super excited!

• Kristin and I are starting to share construction plans with families this week, and I've shared some of this with our paraprofessionals and lunch/recess supervisors, but wanted everyone to see our upcoming plans we'll begin utilizing starting the week of March 11th.  Please look over the plans HERE.  I also plan to put together a short presentation to show students as well the week of March 4th sometime so they're prepared for some of these changes ahead of time.  I will share that with all of the teachers when it's completed.  Thanks in advance for your flexibility, patience, and support as we embark on this construction process.  I know it won't always be easy, but it will definitely be worth it in the end!!!  Reach out with any questions or concerns to Adam or Kristin along the way.

• Spirit Week is coming up on Feb. 26th, and then we have our Trimester 2 PBIS Spirit Assembly on Thursday, February 29th!  Let's kick up that spirit and Pennoyer Pride!!!

• HERE is the part 2 video of our continued PD on Restorative Practices with PBIS Rewards Coach Adam Efird.  The video link does expire on March 4th, but we'll be sharing out other resources as well moving forward.  I thought it was a productive 2nd hour of professional development as we continue down this road to build our capacity for these thoughtful practices and shifting our mindsets.  More to come with all of this for our staff in the future for sure.  Reach out to Adam or Rachel if you'd like any support with incorporating some of these ideas into your everyday classroom or have any questions.

• As we prepare our students for IAR testing that will start for 3rd-8th grade the week of March 4th, don't forget about these IAR supports/resources you can utilize during ELA/Math blocks and/or Enrichment time.  Reach out to Adam with any questions or support if needed.

• If you're interested in signing up to supervise and facilitate any Behavior Academies after school on Tuesdays and Thursdays, feel free to sign up on the  spreadsheet.  Here's a reminder about the protocol for our Behavior Academies if you're interested.  Thanks to everyone who has been supporting these. 

• I hope all is going well with instituting our universal expectations each day of the week for EVERY CLASS PERIOD they teach a new group of students to support behavior, expectations, and build connections.  3 to Succeed! 

                  1. Greet students every morning.

2. Display School PBIS expectations OR PBIS Expectations (BLANK) in the

classroom and review everyday. Example: What are 2 ways we are

responsible in the classroom? In school? (This doesn't have to take long each

day and each class period)

3. Anytime your kids are in the hallway (arrival, dismissal, transitions,) you are

in the hallway with them. Middle school - transitions between classes.

• Wanna make somebody's day at Pennoyer...don't forget about our staff shout outs we'd like to get started up again this year!  It's real easy; if one staff member wants to give another staff member at Pennoyer a positive shout out for something that week, just send a quick email blurb to Adam, and he'll feature it in our weekly Hawk Happenings!

• Great job with all the social media posts shared for the month of January! Keep it up in February. Here's the Google Form for teachers to complete.  Thanks!!!

Weekly Hawk Playlist/Lyric

*(Ok, I don't usually have commentary with my weekly Hawk Playlist/Lyric, but this week I felt compelled.  Billy Joel is one of my all-time favorite musicians, and I was amazed to see at 74 years old, he wrote this incredible song, sounding like he did in the mid 70s and crushed it at the Grammy Awards a week ago.  I've been obsessing about this tune over the last week.)

"Time can make you blind, but I see you now.  As we're laying in the darkness.  Did I wait too long, to turn the lights back on?"

                                                                -Turn the Lights Back On by Billy Joel

Hawk Celebrations

This week, I'm super excited to celebrate 5th grade teacher Mr. Widd!  He is truly somebody I feel so lucky to work with each and every day.  Mr. Widd has such an authentic way with connecting with students, building relationships, and delivering instruction.  I always enjoy visiting his classroom that's full of positive energy, creativity, and high levels of engagement.  Mr. Widd is so much more than a 5th grade teacher though.  When there's an after school event, you can be assured that Mr. Widd is there supporting our students and taking pictures to celebrate them in the yearbook.  He's also stepped up as an amazing leader in math as the Department Chair this year, and helping to lead out revamping the curriculum to best support our students' learning as a whole.  I can't leave out the technology piece either.  Mr. Widd is so incredibly organized in the world of tech and understands how put things together in an efficient way.  I often look to him for guidance with things, and whether it's building a new schedule for our school or creating systems for organizing lesson plans, curriculum, pacing guides, and resources, Mr. Widd is second to none!  He is certainly #Pennoyerpride all the way in my book!!!

February Birthdays! 🎂

Nina Torossi - 2/11

Pennoyer Staff Newsletter - 2/9/24

                                             Hawk Thoughts & Happenings

Team Pennoyer,

Ok, I can't start out our weekly newsletter without stating the obvious...what's gonna be the highlight of the Super Bowl on Sunday?  Whether you're a football fan or not, I know there's a lot of us wondering.  Is it gonna be the actual game?  Is it gonna be the commercials that cost millions of dollars for a 30 second slot?  Is it gonna be the halftime show with Usher?  Is it gonna be the pre-game show and hype?  Is it gonna be Taylor Swift and the wedding proposal that I've heard is flooding social media?  Or is it gonna be something we can't even imagine but has nothing to do with the actual sport of football?  I certainly don't know, but I know it's a reason to eat unhealthy food and try and get my work done early this Sunday!

Whatever your plans are for the Super Bowl or not watching any of it at all, I wish everyone good luck in Emerson's playoff pool this weekend.  I know most of us are out of the running thanks to Detroit...thanks Lions!  I'll leave you with some pics that certainly made me smile this week.  They're all from Pennoyer and witnessing the incredible things our staff and students are doing each and every day.  I did have to throw in one of my son Lennon though.  He came back this week after not being able to do any sports or physical activity due to a pretty bad concussion.  I got to see him play on his intramural basketball team at Stevenson, and I know he was loving being back to himself.

That's Lennon going up to tap in a shot!

Our youngest grade band celebrating the 100th day of school in style...OLD PEOPLE STYLE!

Middle Schoolers collaborating on such a cool geometric figures art activity for math!

Kindergartners using mindfulness and relaxation for a restful few minutes to help get them through the day successfully.

Travel Club has become so incredibly popular with our students with almost 30 kids!  This week they traveled to Mexico!!!

Porter dancing to Never Gonna Give You Up and just excited cause it was another day I was actually able to make it out in the car line during arrival time to greet our students and families.  He doesn't like when I have morning meetings...lol.

Finally...a shout out from me to Diana Dylag this week!

Diana, you've been such a trooper coming back this week and continuing to deal with what you had to endure.  You've kept positive and been there for your students in every way possible.  You even showed up at a meeting last week over Google Meets when you were at home just trying to feel better.  I really appreciate you.

Hawk Action Items 

• Next Friday, February 16th is a Half Day.  This day is dedicated to "Invite ONLY" conferences by teachers and teams.  Remember, if you're not full with conferences, this is a great time to do CLI work, curriculum revisions, assessment/rubric writing, and collaborating between grade level of content area teachers for upcoming planning and lessons.  Please reach out to me if you would like me to support at any of your conferences next Friday.  I will also be available if you have any questions about preparing yourself or your students for IAR testing coming up in a couple of weeks.  Here is the schedule for the school day below...

        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

• Interested in helping out at our 1st Annual 3 on 3 Pennoyer March Madness Basketball Tournament after school on Friday, March 15th...Check out this flyer and sign up to be a court monitor HERE.  More than one person can sign up for a grade level to help supervise.  Please reach out to me with any questions you might have.  I'll make sure everyone who volunteers is ready and prepared to support our students at this event in March...I'm super excited!

• As we prepare our students for IAR testing that will start for 3rd-8th grade the week of March 4th, don't forget about these IAR supports/resources you can utilize during ELA/Math blocks and/or Enrichment time.  Reach out to Adam with any questions or support if needed.

• If you're interested in signing up to supervise and facilitate any Behavior Academies after school on Tuesdays and Thursdays, feel free to sign up on the  spreadsheet.  Here's a reminder about the protocol for our Behavior Academies if you're interested.  Thanks to everyone who has been supporting these. 

• Just another friendly reminder to make sure food is out of the classrooms each day and nothing is left open.  We have found some mice in our building, and we're doing our best to deal with this situation.  As homeroom teachers, if you didn't get a to have students clean out their lockers to make sure there is no food, old work they don't need, etc. before Winter Break, please take some time that works best (could be homeroom, Enrichment, etc.) to have students do this before Friday, February 16th.  If you need garbage cans or recycling bins by classrooms, please let our maintenance crew know and put in a work order...thanks!

• I hope all is going well with instituting our universal expectations each day of the week for EVERY CLASS PERIOD they teach a new group of students to support behavior, expectations, and build connections.  3 to Succeed! 

                  1. Greet students every morning.

2. Display School PBIS expectations OR PBIS Expectations (BLANK) in the

classroom and review everyday. Example: What are 2 ways we are

responsible in the classroom? In school? (This doesn't have to take long each

day and each class period)

3. Anytime your kids are in the hallway (arrival, dismissal, transitions,) you are

in the hallway with them. Middle school - transitions between classes.

• Wanna make somebody's day at Pennoyer...don't forget about our staff shout outs we'd like to get started up again this year!  It's real easy; if one staff member wants to give another staff member at Pennoyer a positive shout out for something that week, just send a quick email blurb to Adam, and he'll feature it in our weekly Hawk Happenings!

• Great job with all the social media posts shared for the month of January! Keep it up in February. Here's the Google Form for teachers to complete.  Thanks!!!

Weekly Hawk Playlist/Lyric

"You got a fast car.  I want a ticket to anywhere.  Maybe we make a deal.  Maybe together we can get somewhere."

                                                                            - Fast Car by Tracy Chapman

Hawk Celebrations

This week I'm so excited to celebrate our Choir Concert from last Thursday that certainly kicked off the month of February the right way!  Miss Bieda did an amazing job getting these students ready for the show, but more importantly, she has done something that hasn't been at Pennoyer for a long time.  Miss 

Bieda has cultivated such a love for music and singing with our students, and through that, she leads a Choir this year of over 30 students from across grade levels.  It's pretty remarkable, and it shows her true thoughtfulness and dedication as an educator of music.  It's obviously about these incredible students as well!  They really shined up on the stage last Thursday night.  I couldn't stop smiling as they sang one of my favorite songs of all time...It's Alright.  Our Choir showcased their talents in ensemble groups, as well as taking some solo and smaller group parts to show off their range.  In the end, many of our Choir participants received special recognition from Miss Bieda, but they all certainly have so much to celebrate and be proud of.  #PennoyerPride for sure!!!

February Birthdays! 🎂

Nina Torossi - 2/11

Pennoyer Staff Newsletter - 2/2/24

                                             Hawk Thoughts & Happenings

Team Pennoyer,

I can't believe we're into February already!  I was reminded this week that we have an extra day this year during February, but I know we can handle it.  They say in education that this month can be toughest, but I know how hard all of you are working to make things work for our students each and every day, and if we stay the course, lean on each other, and keep perspective along the way, I know we'll get through any month this year and have plenty of things to celebrate and smile about.  Here's a moment for me this week that I absolutely loved and certainly made me smile!  I walked up to bring some papers to Meghan Loring's class, and was invited to stay for their morning meeting.  I'm so glad I did!  What an amazing display of getting our students ready in the morning with PBIS school wide and classroom expectations.  These 3rd graders sat in a circle, called out positive affirmations, and reviewed what it means to be a Pennoyer Hawk.  They passed around their talking piece, which happens to be a stuffed animal squirrel, and everyone got a chance to participate and be heard.  It was such a cool thing to see!!!

Speaking of cool things to see, I seriously watched (at least for me), the greatest musical documentary I can remember besides The Beatles Get Back, on Netflix this past week.  If you haven't see it and you have time, check out The Greatest Night In Pop documentary.  I have to say, if you were born in the 90's or after, this might not mean as much to you, but for a musically passionate boy like myself in 1985, when the song "We Are The World" came out with all of these amazing artist singing together and raising money for kids and families starving in Africa, it blew my mind.  One of the coolest things was actually watching this with my 16 year old son Lennon and how much he was into it.  When he was just a 1st grader or so, I would play this song for him with all of these artists that I love, and name the people singing during their parts.  He was so musically connected even at that time, and such a smart kid, he memorized all of the artists names and was able to yell them out as they sang their parts.  He'd be like, "Dad, that's Lionel Richie, that's Ray Charles, and that's Bob Dylan."  Pretty cool.

*HERE is the agenda for our Staff Meeting next Monday, February 5th at 3:15pm to continue our work on Restorative Practices.  Remember this will be a virtual staff meeting over Zoom, so you can be in your classroom spaces. 

Hawk Action Items 

• As we prepare our students for IAR testing that will start for 3rd-8th grade the week of March 4th, don't forget about these IAR supports/resources you can utilize during ELA/Math blocks and/or Enrichment time.  Reach out to Adam with any questions or support if needed.

• If you're interested in signing up to supervise and facilitate any Behavior Academies after school on Tuesdays and Thursdays, feel free to sign up on the  spreadsheet.  Here's a reminder about the protocol for our Behavior Academies if you're interested.  Thanks to everyone who has been supporting these. 

• Just another friendly reminder to make sure food is out of the classrooms each day and nothing is left open.  We have found some mice in our building, and we're doing our best to deal with this situation.  As homeroom teachers, if you didn't get a to have students clean out their lockers to make sure there is no food, old work they don't need, etc. before Winter Break, please take some time that works best (could be homeroom, Enrichment, etc.) to have students do this before Friday, February 16th.  If you need garbage cans or recycling bins by classrooms, please let our maintenance crew know and put in a work order...thanks!

• Lucky Losers Ridgewood Casino Night Fundraiser Event - On behalf of Ridgewood High School, an invite has been extended to  the Union Pennoyer staff and families for their 4th Annual Lucky Losers Casino Night Fundraising Event.  Click HERE for a flyer if you're interested. Purchase a couple's ticket for the event if you'd like.  By doing this, you will be involved in the biggest community event of the year for Ridgewood.  You will meet coaches, alumni, parents, school administrators, community members, along with having a fun filled night out with dancing, food, cocktails and casino gaming fun.  Most of all chances to win raffle prizes, 50/50 and the grand prize of $5k (Based on 200 couples). Registration link (https://ridgenet.revtrak.net/lucky-losers-22/?fbclid=IwAR2p3wgNhO3oo7bzgnO-th5CkoWv2oqsmLFndpyJ9o3E84WAn7y28t5VcqY) 

What your ticket includes...

- Admission for 2 people
- All you can eat appetizers

- Buffet Dinner

- Top shelf bar from 6pm - Midnight

- Casino Gambling

- Dancing

- 1 Ticket for the grand prize $5K (Based Off Of 200 Couples)

• Below are some useful supports and resources to check out to help build a more restorative mindset and set of tools to use at Pennoyer.  These come from the PD we did at our Staff Meeting this past Monday.  We're planning on continuing this work at our next Staff Meeting on Feb. 5th next week!

           Recording of our Restorative Practices PD (1/23/24) – This is a recording of the  

           session from Monday.   The link expires 30 days following your training. 

           What is Restorative Practice – This is a link to a YouTube video that discusses  

           restorative practices and how to 

use these in schools.

           HERE of some of the slides covered during the training.   These might come in  

           handy as we continue to learn and utilize more restorative practices in our  

           classrooms.

• I hope all is going well with instituting our universal expectations each day of the week for EVERY CLASS PERIOD they teach a new group of students to support behavior, expectations, and build connections.  3 to Succeed! 

                  1. Greet students every morning.

2. Display School PBIS expectations OR PBIS Expectations (BLANK) in the

classroom and review everyday. Example: What are 2 ways we are

responsible in the classroom? In school? (This doesn't have to take long each

day and each class period)

3. Anytime your kids are in the hallway (arrival, dismissal, transitions,) you are

in the hallway with them. Middle school - transitions between classes.

• Wanna make somebody's day at Pennoyer...don't forget about our staff shout outs we'd like to get started up again this year!  It's real easy; if one staff member wants to give another staff member at Pennoyer a positive shout out for something that week, just send a quick email blurb to Adam, and he'll feature it in our weekly Hawk Happenings!

• Great job with all the social media posts shared for the month of December! Keep it up in January. Here's the Google Form for teachers to complete.  Thanks!!!

Weekly Hawk Playlist/Lyric

"When you're down and out, there seems no hope at all.  But if you just believe, there's no way we can fall"

                    -We Are The World - U.S.A For Africa (Lionel Richie, Michael Jackson, Quincy Jones)

Hawk Celebrations

Last week on Friday we had our 2nd Annual Middle School Dance..."Another Year, Another Dance," and it was definitely something worth celebrating!  I can't tell you how much pride and joy I felt watching our middler schoolers enjoy themselves and connecting with friends.  There were dancing circles, dancing lines, students hanging out playing board games, and everyone was so respectful and positive all night long.  I was so proud of our middle schoolers.  They're a great group of students!  The disco ball was a hit for sure, along with the DJ that played what the students wanted.  Next year, we gotta get that disco ball to spin for sure!!!  Thanks to all of the staff that helped out and supported this special student event.  I couldn't have done it without you.  I know it was a long night, and I really appreciated everyone who was there.  Also, thanks to our amazing PTC who came out to help as well with concessions, the front entrance, and supplying us with decorations!  You're a great group to work with, and we're lucky to have you at Pennoyer.  Finally, I can't forget to thank our Principal Crew members that stayed after school last Friday to help decorate the gym and MPR for this special event...#PennoyerPride to our entire middle school!!!

February Birthdays! 🎂

Nina Torossi - 2/11