Good Afternoon!
I hope you all enjoyed the long weekend. The time away was just the right mix of work and play. I was able to wrap up some school budget planning for the Board by day and catch up with friends at night. Good friends of mine have been hosting an annual “Chili Party” each fall for over 30 years. In recent years they’ve added live music provided by a band made up primarily of KUA faculty (past and present.) The chili was delicious, the music kept everyone dancing, and the company was excellent. While the night tends to wrap up a lot earlier than it used to 15 to 20 years ago, it is still one of my favorite nights of the year and one of the many things that makes me incredibly grateful to live here in Plainfield.
I also feel lucky to work in this community I love so much. Sure, it can be challenging at times. Education is full of both celebrations and mistakes and this is a small town. When we have those situations that are less than perfect, we still bump into each other in the community. Still, I wouldn’t want to do it anywhere else. Even in the more difficult times, that sense of community, of working through things together, of understanding we are all here and accountable to one another and to our children is such a gift. Thank you all for working with PES and with me through the good times and the tough stuff. It truly takes a village (or three…)
FAST
Speaking of ways we pitch in and get things done in this town, thank you to those who expressed an interest in helping with FAST. The survey is still open. SURVEY LINK
Also, please note, if you have NOT had a background check and fingerprinting for a PES position OR you have been fingerprinted but have NOT volunteered within the past year, you must get fingerprints done by the end of this week in order to be cleared by the FAST start date (January 13.) The Plainfield Police Department will be doing fingerprinting here at PES this Thursday, November 17 at 3 pm.
FIRST LEGO LEAGUE
Congratulations to our FIRST LEGO League Team for their performance at the regional tournament held Saturday at Hypertherm. Coach Joe Bretton sums it up best:
I wanted to take this time to congratulate the team for its impressive Robot Game showing, finishing second out of the 11 teams, and then winning the just-for-fun, bragging-rights-only robot tournament!
The team showed resilience in working through some of the challenges they had during the day. With different game boards, sometimes there is a difference in how the robots respond. The team worked really well in making the tiny adjustments needed to perform.
The biggest struggles on the day were the build-up of dirt and friction over the season, and the challenges of the power station. The team figured out the problem and got these to work.
Each team member should be proud of how they responded to their challenges.
Congratulations to the entire team and to Joe!
The team takes a break over the winter and then we hope the program will be back with its spring exploratory program. We are looking for coaches who may want to help grow the program. If you are interested or would like to learn more, please reach out to me or Joe (lego@plainfieldschool.org.)
COLD WEATHER REMINDER
We are expecting some cold weather and possibly even snow this week. Please be sure your student dresses appropriately for the weather. We go outside for recess and select academic activities.
Excerpt from Handbook
Students in all grades should come to school prepared for outside play. Students in grades K-4 are required to wear winter boots, hats, and mittens when the weather turns cold. Students in K-4 are required to wear snow pants to play in the snow.
Students in grades 5-8 are required to wear appropriate footwear for recess. Students in grades 5-8 are strongly encouraged to wear coats, hats, mittens and snow pants. The wearing of coats is dependent on temperature and activity level. The supervising school personnel can modify these expectations according to the weather conditions from November 1st until after April vacation.
All students are expected to follow the school rules. Safe equipment usage rules established by staff and designed to promote safety for all students. A list of rules can be obtained through your child’s teacher or the school office.
The students will participate in outdoor recess unless the weather or playground conditions warrant indoor recess.
SPRING MUSICAL
Preparations are underway for our spring musical production. The production will be open to students in grades 5 to 8. More information will be shared at the assembly this Friday afternoon. Please watch this space for updates.
WEBSITE APP
Stay connected to PES and ensure that you don't miss any news from the school, special events in the school and community, classroom stories, or emergency notifications. All of this is available from the homepage. For up-to-the-minute alerts on the go, download the PES app on your mobile device!
You can download the app for free on Google Play or
Apple App Store. Use the links provided:
Download for Android https://bit.ly/3SqueM2
Download for iPhone https://apple.co/3SudPq4
Instructions are attached.
See you tomorrow,
Audra
P.S.
8th Graders, please remember your field trip permission forms for your trip to HACTC this Wednesday.
NOVEMBER
15 K to 4 School Sing – 8 am Lobby – Parents/Guardians Welcome
16 8th Grade Field Trip - HACTC
16 Professional Development Committee Meeting – 3:10 to 4:30 - Library
17 Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee Meeting – 5:30 pm - Music Room
18 Student Flu Clinic - 9 am to 11 am
18 All School Assembly – Kindness through Gratitude
21 Safety Committee Meeting – 3:15 pm - Library
22 K to 4 School Sing – 8 am Lobby – Parents/Guardians Welcome
23-25 Thanksgiving Break
29 K to 4 School Sing – 8 am Lobby – Parents/Guardians Welcome