What’s coming up in

December?

4th

5th

NO AM or PM Kindergarten in session

11:15 Dismissal

NO AM Kindergarten

PM Kindergarten in session

Parent-teacher Conferences 12:40 – 3:40 pm

Winter Band and Chorus Concert 7 pm / Gym

6th 11:15 Dismissal

AM Kindergarten in session

NO PM Kindergarten

Parent-teacher Conferences 12:40 – 7:40 pm

7th

11:15 Dismissal NO AM Kindergarten

PM Kindergarten in session

24th through

1st of January

NO SCHOOL Winter Break

Jan. 2nd

School Resumes

PENNELL IN PRINT

DECEMBER 2012

PENNELL ELEMENTARY

3300 RICHARD ROAD * ASTON, PA 19014 * 610.497.6300 x 7500

PENNELL ELEMENTARY NEWSLETTER

Happy December Parents!

As we approach the holiday season, I want to take this opportunity to express my

gratitude and appreciation for the great student and family population that we serve here

at Pennell Elementary.

I’d also like to thank those of you who were able to visit Pennell on Wednesday, November

14th in celebration of American Education Week. It was great to see so many parents visit

our classrooms and see all the great things happening throughout our school.

As always, our very ambitious student council is working to help those in need. Last

month, Pennell collected over 750 nonperishable food items that were donated to City

Team in Chester. Through December 14th, we are collecting new and unwrapped toys as

part of our annual “Toys for Tots” initiative. Toys can be dropped off in our lobby area in

one of the large Toys for Tots boxes. Finally, student council members are supporting the

victims of Hurricane Sandy by selling holiday-themed candy during lunch periods. All

profits of student council’s “Candy for Sandy” will be sent to an organization assisting the

victims of Hurricane Sandy.

As we approach the holiday season, please consider ways to keep your children involved

with academic tasks during the upcoming breaks. Choose a holiday-themed novel or series

and spend time reading with your child. Reading holiday books is a great way to enjoy the

season and keep practicing reading and listening comprehension skills with your child.

When your child is on the computer, require them to set aside 20-30 minutes of practice

each day on one of the many educational sites that offer academic games. By requiring a

little bit of practice with math games, they will have fun while staying sharp with their

math operations and skills. Academic websites are available on many of our teacher web

pages and easily found through a Google search. Finally, using a holiday journal or diary of

some sort is a great way to keep your kids writing over the break. Perhaps you and your

child can write a thank you letter to Santa and send it in the mail or make a list of New

Year resolutions. Have fun with it!

From everyone here at Pennell, we wish all of our Pennell families a safe and happy

holiday season!

As always, thank you for your support!

Mr. Shawn Dutkiewicz

Pennell Elementary Principal

CONGRATULATIONS TO NOVEMBER’S CORE

ESSENTIAL OF THE MONTH RECIPIENTS!

The following students were recognized for showing the core value of cooperation.

KINDERGARTEN - 1ST GRADE RECIPIENTS

Mark Farnsworth 101

Sean Deal 101

Cash Stevens 103

Ronika Medagam 103

Sammy Ziviello 107

Sal Maiale 107

Matthew McCarthy 108

Gloria Migatz 108

Patrick Willey 109

Damien Burch 109

John DeOrio 101

Sean Nolan 101

Cayden Price 107

Riley Johnston 108

2ND GRADE RECIPIENTS

Katelyn McGroarty 210

Cole Corrento 210

Cole Postlewait 211

Sierra Cooney 211

Zachary Gomer 212

Sophia Possenti 212

Genevieve Lilly 210

Alexa Smith 212

3RD GRADE RECIPIENTS

Luke DePasquale 206

Ariana Karros 206

Sam Benvignati 208

Erin Egan 208

Tyler Lewis 209

Patricia Young 209

Shana Gilmour 206

Ryan McKenna 208

4TH GRADE RECIPIENTS

Kristine Guenther 203

J.J. Shanko 203

Gavin Mullen 204

Savannah Lewis 204

Kierstyn Kirk 205

Daniel Cairy 205

Julia McGehean 204

Justin Hassel 205

5TH GRADE RECIPIENTS

Christian Crawford 200

Rachael Patterson 200

Destin Pagan 201

Tara France 201

Michael Simons 202

Bryant Budiono 202

Danny Keenan 201

Zachary Seddon 200

WHAT’S ON THE FRIDGE THIS MONTH?

As of November 30th,

Pennell has 6 Million-

word readers and 1

two-million word

reader!

Please “LIKE” the

Pennell Elementary

and PDSD Facebook

pages!

In November, several of Pennell’s classrooms helped to support a unique and worthy local initiative known as Stockings for Soldiers.

Stockings for Soldiers is a community effort to send personalized holiday greetings to our brave young men and women in uniform serving their country half-way around the world. This activity was brought to us by one of our para-educators, Mrs. Eileen Capasso.

Students in some of the 1st, 2nd and 3rd grades worked to assemble “Snowman Soup” stockings that included a snowman poem (below), a bag of hot chocolate mix, a candy cane, 3 Hershey Kisses, a small handful of marshmallows, and a decorated snowman with school contact information. Mrs. Marano, a Pennell para-educator also donated a bag of Avon products to accompany the treats.

Mrs. Lindsey’s first grade class even wrote letters to the soldiers hoping that they might receive a response!

Pictured: Mrs. Lumley’s students are pictured working on the project and joined by some local soldiers as part of a Veteran’s Day activity.

PENNELL SUPPORTS ‘STOCKINGS FOR SOLDIERS’

Snowman Soup

With freezing weather drawing near,

you'll need to warm the spirit.

So here's a little Snowman Soup,

Complete with stirring stick.

Add hot water, sip it slow,

It's sure to do the trick

Each month, Pennell focuses on a core value/essential that we hope students will practice and apply in their daily lives. We recognize students who exemplify our core essentials by giving them “team tickets”. Team tickets are awarded to students and then displayed in our lobby. At the end of the month, students who received a team ticket are chosen randomly to have lunch with the Principal, Mr. Dutkiewicz.

DECEMBER’S MONTHLY VALUE:

Compassion—caring enough to do something about someone else’s

need

Open Wide – JUST FOR FUN: If you could travel anywhere in the world,

where would you go? Why?

DISCUSSION STARTER:

In the Disney Pixar™ movie UP, eight-year-old wilderness explorer

Russell makes friends with a 13-foot-tall flightless bird who likes

chocolate. When Russell discovers that the bird is in danger of capture

by the fanatical Charles Muntz and his dogs, he pledges to do something about the bird’s needs by protecting her

from capture. Russell’s compassion for the bird eventually wears off on his travel companion Carl, and together

the two deliver the bird safely home.

WHAT DO YOU THINK?

How did Russell demonstrate compassion for the bird? Russell’s compassion motivated Carl to be compassionate too. Why do you think compassion is

contagious? When was the last time you saw someone showing compassion? Share about a time when someone else’s compassion motivated you to show compassion.

Rest – K-2: The Lunch Thief by: Anne C. Bromley; Rafael sees Kevin, a new kid in his class, steal his lunch bag

from underneath his desk and tuck it in his backpack. But how can Rafael do something about the theft without

picking a fight? On an errand with his mom, Rafael sees Kevin carrying a bundle of laundry into a motel room,

and his mom tells him Kevin's family might be one of the families who lost their homes in the recent wildfires.

Rafael rethinks his anger. The next day, instead of accusing Kevin, Rafael invites him to share his lunch, letting

him know he's been caught, but offering friendship as well as a good meal.

3-5: Mr. Popper’s Penguins by: Richard Atwater; Poor Mr. Popper isn't exactly unhappy; he just wishes he had

seen something of the world before meeting Mrs. Popper and settling down. Most of all, he wishes he had seen

the Poles, and spends his spare time reading all about polar explorations. Admiral Drake, in response to Mr.

Popper's fan letter, sends him a penguin; life at 432 Proudfoot Avenue is never the same again. From one penguin

living in the icebox, the Popper family grows to include 12 penguins. Their adventures are hilarious, with

numerous slapstick moments as the penguins disrupt acts and invade hotels.

Experience – We are confronted with people in need almost daily—the bell-ringer during the holiday season, the

car broken down on the side of the road, the man seeking shelter under the awning of a city building. But do we

care enough to do something about those needs? This month, show your children what it means and how it feels

to do something about someone else’s needs. Visit www.getinvolved.gov and find a local volunteer opportunity

for you and your family to do together!

CORE ESSENTIALS: VALUE OF THE MONTH

With Scholastic Reading Counts your child participates in an independent reading

program that tracks their success on the books they read, in and out of school. This

technology-based program creates a personalized and engaging learning environment

that ensures independent reading accountability.

This year, our school-wide Reading Counts goal is 113,000,000!

As of November 30th 2012: Congrats to the students who have read at least 350,000 words!

Students Total Words Read

Jalyn Slaughter 2,206,563

Colin Bradley 1,849,134

Chelsea Hendrix 1,315,247

Darren Panusky 1,264,906

Devin Widmaier 1,158,028

Kelsey Celestino 1,023,955

Sara Chodak 1,008,175

Christian Hansen 957,016

Nicole Buscaglia 789,609

Shannon Purfield 748,738

Abigail Otsyina 729,319

Zachary Seddon 678,323

Ryley Marker 658,341

Jenna Ford 623,034

Emmanuel Otsyina 555,527

Shalane Buck 554,002

Luke Rice 515,714

Jacqueline Oldham 491,196

Xavier Slaughter 475,721

Tyler Smith 469,344

Nick Maiale 463,700

Justin Hassel 453,816

Erin Kelly 430,725

Destin Pagan 418,092

Brenden Purfield 412,247

Jaimee Higgins 392,827

Gabrielle Lobb 382,837

Kiley Boyd 381,095

Randy Marker 381,072

Tara France 361,453

Madison Schaefer 360,700

READING COUNTS

What is Digital Citizenship?

Digital citizenship is the responsible and appropriate

use of technology. All of our students are Digital Citizens and

we want to ensure that they are being good digital citizens in and

out of the classroom. They need to have the knowledge to keep

themselves safe online. Our District Business Advisory Committee,

Technology Committees, and Guidance Department collaborated

to develop Digital Citizenship Guidelines which are posted online,

in the computer labs, and in the classrooms. This year we have started to incorporate related lessons

through the guidance program. Topics include: how to make good decisions about sharing of

information, safe internet use, and cyber bullying.

With increased use of social media resources such as My Big Campus and district email accounts for

our high school students we believe that it is important to incorporate digital citizenship into the

curriculum. My Big Campus is a monitored site that allows for collaboration between staff and

students. Assignments, class notes, and video clips can be posted for students to access at home. We

have seen an increased amount of student writing through the use of the discussion feature. A parent

portal is being introduced which will allow parents/guardians to view the work that students have

submitted as well. Information will be posted this month for those parents who wish to have access.

Our email accounts are monitored and filtered for appropriate use and provide valuable classroom

resources such as Google Docs and Google Sites for students to collaborate and to create content to be

shared.

As a community outreach, we are developing a webpage on Digital Citizenship that will be accessible

on the Penn-Delco School District Website. There will be resources for parents and students as well as

links to outside organizations and programs regarding Digital Citizenship.

Home/School Connection~

Website with Tips for Parents and Students:

http://www.commonsensemedia.org/advice-for-parents/be-good-digital-citizen-tips-teens-and-

parents

Website with interactive information and activities: http://professorgarfield.org/pgf_home.html

(check out the infinite learning lab)

Apps to consider:

iPod: Be Seen

iPad: Professor Garfield Internet Safety, Cyber bullying, Fact and Opinion and Media Resources

SPOTLIGHT ON CURRICULUM