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What’s coming up in

May?

1st through

18th

Spring MAP Testing Window

8th

Pennell PTL Meeting 6:30 pm / Library

11th

14th

15th

24th

25th

28th

Ice Cream Social 6:30 – 8:30 pm

Pennell “B” Band Concert 7:00 pm / Gym

Pennell “A” Band Concert 7:00 pm / Gym

Pennell Field Day

1:15 Early Dismissal Day

Memorial Day Holiday: NO SCHOOL

PENNELL IN PRINT

MAY 2012

PENNELL ELEMENTARY 3300 RICHARD ROAD ASTON, PA 19014 610.497.6300 x 7500

PENNELL ELEMENTARY NEWSLETTER

On Mon. May 14th, the Pennell/Parkside B-band will perform and on Tues., May 15th, the A-band will perform. We will be treated on both nights to a fantastic ensemble of talented musicians. Both concerts will be held in the Pennell gymnasium and begin at 7:00 pm.

Our annual Field Day Event will take place on Thurs., May 24th, with the raindate being Friday, June 1st. Please be sure to send your child to school with the appropriate clothing and shoes on those dates.

PTL Update: The last meeting date of the year will be held at 6:30 pm on Tuesday, May 8th in the library. I want to thank all of the wonderful parents who have made the time to attend the meetings this year and support our school!

Finally, keep a look out for the 3rd trimester progress reports. They are due to be mailed home on Tues. May 1st.

Best regards, Shawn Dutkiewicz, Pennell Elementary Principal

HAPPY SPRING!

Dear Parents,

We have a ton of exciting things coming up as we enter our last FULL month of the 11-12 school year! We have lots of MUSIC coming your way! We are very excited about our annual Spring Concert and Art Festival and Pennell/Parkside “A” and “B” Band Concerts! Students have worked extremely hard over the last several months in preparation for these wonderful spring events! The Spring Chorus Concert and Art Festival will be held on Thurs., May 3rd at 7 pm. Look forward to some beautiful art work and songs of spring!

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Our outdoor classroom and garden is taking shape!

Recently, our garden area was cleared

and plots were established that will be

assigned to each grade level. As you

can see in the picture, our learning

center structure has been complete

and is ready to house tools for

learning and investigation.

Over the course of three years, this

has truly been a collaborative project

in the making. Thanks to Pennell

families, donations, local businesses

and contractors, our outdoor

classroom is coming ALIVE!

We are aiming to re-dedicate and open our outdoor classroom in late May! Keep an eye out!

Pennell Students Perform at SONG FEST!

On March 30th, 5th grade students Emily

Egan, Mollie McGroarty, and Nina

Shicatano participated in the PMEA

District 12 Song Fest at Westtown School.

Emily, Mollie, and Nina performed with

130 students from various elementary

schools in our area. The girls rehearsed

with Mrs. O’Kane for two months to

prepare for the choral festival and

performed in a concert to showcase their

hard work and talent.

Kudos to Emily, Mollie, and Nina for their

hard work and dedication!

GREAT NEWS TO SHARE...

Nina Shicatano, Emily Egan, and Mollie McGroarty pose with their Pennell sign at the PMEA District 12 Song Fest at Westtown School.

OUTDOOR CLASSROOM UPDATE...

By ~ John Clark and Sandy Johnston ~ Elementary Physical Education Teachers

Rosemary Fowler, Supervisor of Elementary Curriculum and Instruction

“Battleship” in the Pennell Gym

Dance Off at “Aston in Action Night”

“Oh the Places You’ll Go in P.E. Land with Dr. Seuss”

Penn-Delco Elementary Physical Education, Priceless…

The elementary physical education program moves through a skills progression that will allow the students to

participate in a lifetime of sports, recreation, and dance programs. The skills progression begins in the primary

grades with emphasis on locomotor such as jogging, running, leaping, and jumping and non-locomotor-

balancing. As the students move up through the grades the skills based units introduce and develop catching,

throwing, shooting, kicking, and volleying. All of these skills are taught using critical cues and assessed with

various rubrics. For example, in the Throwing and Catching Unit a student would receive the critical cues for

throwing: step in opposition to your throwing arm, throwing arm like an L, point to the target with your non-

dominant hand, follow through as you release the ball. The student would then be given time to practice and

pair-share with a partner giving feedback.

The elementary physical education program develops sound mind and body. There are five domains of

physical fitness: flexibility, muscular endurance, muscular strength, cardiovascular endurance, and body

composition. Four of these domains are included in our program throughout the various units.

Body composition is addressed by the school nurses. These domains are assessed during our Presidential

Fitness Test that is administered to our students in grades 3-5.

Other highlights in our physical education program include the adoption of the Phillies Phitness Initiative,

Jump Rope for Heart sponsored by the American Heart Association, and everyone’s favorite ~ Field Day!

Home/School Connection ~

Start a fitness log. Set a few fitness goals such as, “Before bed I will do 50 push-ups,

100 sits up, and 100 jumping jacks. Next time you are watching TV use the

commercial time to do more push-ups, sits ups and jumping jacks. Record your

progress in your journal. Continue to set new goals. You will be surprised at your

accomplishments!

SPOTLIGHT ON CURRICULUM

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.

MAY’S MONTHLY VALUE: RESPONSIBILITY

Responsibility – proving you can be trusted with what is expected of you

Car Time –

JUST FOR FUN:

What is the longest you have ever been without food?

DISCUSSION STARTER:

The Emperor Penguin is the only penguin that breeds during the winter months in Antarctica. Because it’s so

cold, the mother and father penguins have to go to great lengths for their babies to survive. The female lays

the egg, and the father keeps it warm while she treks dozens of miles to the sea to get food. The parents go

without food for nearly a month and have to defend the egg from predators while they care for their unborn

chick.

WHAT DO YOU THINK?

What are some ways that your parents take responsibility for you? What might happen if your parents suddenly became very irresponsible? What responsibilities do you have? What could happen if you didn’t follow through on those responsibilities?

Rest – K-2: The Babe and I by: David Adler; A young boy and his family are living through the Great

Depression of 1932 When he learns that his father does not have a job, he gets a job with his friend selling

newspapers to help make money for his family. He sells all of his papers outside of Yankee Stadium due to

the popularity of Babe Ruth and his stories in the paper. He even gets to meet the Babe!

3-5: Summer Shepherd by: Bonnie Highsmith Taylor; During World War II, Jack, who had started getting in

trouble at home, goes to work on his uncle's sheep ranch in Oregon, where he learns about responsibility,

bravery, and getting along with others.

Experience – We are all responsible for something. Some of us are responsible for children. Others are

responsible for pets. Still others are responsible for picking up snacks for the ball game next weekend. But

the one thing almost all of us must be responsible with is our money. Money can make life easier but more

often than not, it makes life tougher. It all depends on how responsible you are with it. Start your child off

right by setting up an allowance system in which he or she gives, saves, then spends his or her money. A

typical percentage division could be: Give 20% (to a charity of your child’s choice), Save 20%, Spend 60%.

But of course these can be tweaked.

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 112,000,000!

* As of April 25th 2012: Congrats to the students who have read at least 750,000 words!

Students Total Words Read

Emily Egan 3,567,018

Colin Bradley 3,164,245

Kyra Green 1,818,094

Mollie McGroarty 1,800,919

Chelsea Hendrix 1,694,610

Sara Chodak 1,689,531

Hannah Nearey 1,618,785

Brooke Lawton 1,386,909

Devin Widmaier 1,381,368

Nicole Buscaglia 1,369,187

Haweh Kwaidah 1,251,372

Daniel Nearey 1,235,266

Christian Hansen 1,235,141

Arianna DePasquale 1,212,044

Zach Seddon 1,187,612

Christian Parker 1,161,507

Dylan Mokshefsky 1,145,986

Jayln Slaughter 1,144,034

Zach Volturo 1,096,723

Shalane Buck 1,056,441

Jack Segool 1,051,584

Shannon Purfield 1,049,976

Luke Rice 1,042,942

Ryley Marker 1,034,632

Randy Marker 1,032,669

Jason Bandjough 1,029,007

Darren Panusky 1,025,739

Jenna Ford 910,751

Kylie Kane 882,989

Nina Shicatano 865,871

Kassidy Lambert 864,683

Brett Michaels 855,714

Kyri Colson 829,394

Jared Volturo 821,902

Anthony Ellis 814,778

Claudia Miller 773,724

READING COUNTS

PENNELL IS MAKING

GREAT PROGRESS IN

READING COUNTS!

WE ARE UP TO 27

MILLION-WORD

READERS AND MANY

MORE NEARLY THERE!

OUR STATUS UPDATE

FOR THE 2011-2012

YEAR IS:

95,405,783

95,405,783, / 112 MIL =

85% OF OUR GOAL!

KEEP UP THE GREAT

WORK PENNELL!

“What’s on the fridge this month” is a page dedicated to those things that we want

to celebrate here at Pennell... the things that could be deemed, “refrigerator

worthy”!

Congratulations to the following students, who are classroom

winners for the Young Author’s writing contest:

Room 101 – Evan Steveline – “The Dragon Lizard”

Room 109 – Julia Lancellotti – “Mousetown”

Room 107 – Kylie Shetter – “Seeing Stars”

Room 108 – James Churchman – “The Plane Ride” and

Samuel Park – “The Lost City”

Room 211 – Brett Michaels – “Did You Ever Hear of Sharkzilla?”

Room 212 – Madison Reilly – “The Mighty Tree” and

Nicole Buscaglia – “A Long, Long Walk”

Room 210 – Grace Lobb – “The Elf on the Shelf”

Room 208 – Abigail Fisher – “Olivia the Brave”

Room 206 – Teagan Williams – “The Nose”

Room 209 – Sydney Parkinson –“The First Day of Second

Grade”, Mitchell Resnick – “The First Day of School”, and

Savannah Lewis – “The First Day of Third Grade”

Room 205 – Nick Siekierski – “Little Major League”,

Colin Bradley – “The Avalanche”, Sophia Belgiorno –

“Sky Diving”, and Kiley Boyd – “Dancing Shoes”

Room 204 – Kassidy Lambert – “Spider Island” and

Luke Rice – “The War of the Immortals”

Room 203 – Jenna Ford – “The Roof Worker and the Peanut Butter”

Room 202 – Emily Egan – “Follow the Drinking Gourd” and

Danny Nearey – “9/11/2011”

Room 102 – Frankie Wingender

Room 200 – Connor McDermond – “The Last Rocket Launch”

Room 201 – Erin Nearey – “The Seashell” and

Laura Mark –“Vlad Dracula”

Many students were selected to compete at the

county level, and Pennell had a WINNER!

WHAT’S ON THE FRIDGE THIS MONTH?

BIG CONGRATS TO...

Holcomb Prevention’s Annual

Alcohol, Tobacco, and Other Drug

(ATOD) Awareness Poster Contest

and Calendar award winners!

1st grader Justin Maiorine (4th place).

4th grader Olivia Nickerson (3rd place)

1ST grader

Justin

Maiorine

(4th place)

Of the students that competed at the county level, 4th grade student Luke

Rice won for his piece entitled, “The War of the Immortals”.

HUGE CONGRATS to LUKE RICE!

“What’s on the fridge this month” is a page dedicated to those things that we want

to celebrate here at Pennell... the things that could be deemed, “refrigerator

worthy”!

GREAT WRITING GETS RECOGNIZED!

We have some wonderful writers here at Pennell Elementary! Recently, three of our students were

recognized at the county level. Please take a few minutes to read their poetry...it is quite impressive!

WHAT’S ON THE FRIDGE THIS MONTH?

Carli Komorowski

Grade 3

First Place: Young Poets of Delaware County

In January

In January, the snow is falling. The smell of hot cocoa is flowing in the air.

In January, bears are hibernating and will soon be seeking spring.

In January, the fireworks are blowing. The sounds and excitement of a New Year coming,

In January, there are many birthdays. Ages go higher and higher.

In January the tastes of snowflakes melt in my mouth.

In January, the feel of snow shivers me.

In January

Jason Bandjough

Grade 5

Third Place: Young

Poets of Delaware County

Cats

A ghost of the alley

A big furry tuft

Circling round and round

On beds filled with fluff

Some have spots

On silky tan fur

Some have stripes

A soft gentle purr

Yellow, brown, black or gray

Cats are good for any day

Silky, soft, fluffy cat

Admire them cause they’re all that!

Gianna McFarland

Grade 2

Winner – Women’s Club

of Aston (Poetry)

I’m Gianna

My hair is as blond

as a lemon…

My eyes are as blue

as the sky…

My lips are as red

as a ladybug…

I’m as cute

as a baby…

I’m Gianna McFarland!

Pennell Elementary is fortunate to have an extremely talented and dedicated staff of teachers,

paraprofessionals, and support personnel. It is wonderful when they are recognized at the county

level for their tremendous efforts! Pennell’s very own Mr. Santini and Mr. Clark were recently

selected for excellence in education and making a difference with children!

Mr. Santini, Pennell’s Autistic Support teacher was recently selected and recognized as one of

the Franklin Mint Federal Credit Union’s Delaware County Excellence in Teaching Award

winners!

The Delaware County Excellence in Teaching Award recognizes

outstanding and dedicated teachers in Delaware County,

Pennsylvania. Franklin Mint Federal Credit Union created this award

in 2007 in partnership with Delaware County Intermediate Unit.

All recipients were honored at Franklin Mint Federal Credit Union’s

Partners in Learning Celebration on April 19, 2012 and recognized in

an edition of the Delaware County Daily Times.

CONGRATULATIONS MR. SANTINI!

Mr. Clark, the Pennell and Parkside Physical Education teacher was recently selected as a

Making a Difference Award Winner by The Right to Education Task Force.

The Right to Education Task Force was created in 1972 as part of the

P.A.R.C. Consent Agreement that provided for a free, appropriate public

education for children with mental retardation. In 1975, the Right to

Education was extended by State regulations to include learning

disabilities, physical handicaps, emotional difficulties and hearing,

visual, speech, and language impairment. The purpose of the Local Task

is to assist in improving education for all school-age children with

special needs.

The Making a Difference Award is meant to recognize staff members and students who have gone

out of their way through their work, support of friendship and/or going out of their way to be

accepting, understanding and make sure to include children of all abilities.

The Making A Difference Annual Awards Ceremony, scheduled for May 22nd, will honor Mr. Clark

and the other recipients (staff and students) from each of the 17 public and charter school districts

in Delaware County.

CONGRATULATIONS MR. CLARK!

PENNELL TEACHERS RECOGNIZED!