PCCS--Weekly Announcements

Here's What's Happening at PCCS

Thanks for Attending the Town Hall

Thank you to all who attended Wednesday night's Town Hall meeting. We hope you learned something new about PCCS and charter schools and all of your questions were answered. PCCS Administration and your child's teachers are always available to answer any questions or concerns you may have. Thank you for being part of the PCCS community!

Farm to Table Next Week

Don't forget to send your child with plates, bowls, utensils and napkins for next Wednesday's Farm to Table lunch. We will also be enjoying soup with our meal, so a bowl is needed! If you are interested in volunteering to prep on Tuesday or serve on Wednesday, please contact Carol Flaig. HERE is the Lunch Schedule. See you next week!

Boys' Basketball & Cheer Sign-Ups Due

Boys' Basketball and Cheer Team sign-ups are available now! Both sports are open to 5th-8th graders. Sign-ups must be turned in by end of school on Friday, October 13th. Please ensure your athlete's physical is on file and up to date in the school office by the sign-up deadline. Tryout information can be found on the sign up forms for the respective teams. Good luck to all of our athletes!

Thanksgiving Literacy Night

Don't forget to RSVP for a PCCS tour of world cultures. Participants will explore several celebrations that remind us to be thankful through games, crafts, and literacy and a "taste of the world" potluck dinner. Get your passport at the door and travel the continents on November 7 from 6 to 8:30pm in the Gym! All students, families & staff are welcome. Please RSVP HERE to sign up.

Save the Date

Join the PCCS Community for what promises to be a fun-filled afternoon at PCCS. The PSO is hosting Fall Fest on Sunday, October 22nd from 12-4pm. Never fear, the Bears game will be on; food trucks will be here with Mexican food from Momcorn and pizza from Pizzeria Deville; and there will be a ton of fun activities for the kids like bounce houses, face painting, magicians and more! See you there!

Volunteer Power!

We are so thankful for the 47 volunteers who came out to our two PCCS work events on Saturday--20 people helped to clean up our stretch of Rollins Road as part of our Adopt-a-Highway commitment. 27 more people cleaned, edged, mulched, dug out, and weeded several gardens and the walkway by Comstock and painted the U.S. Map and two four-squares on the Comstock parking lot. Swing by and see it in person (or pictures below)!

Upcoming Events & After School Opportunities

Virtual Backpack. Looking for some new or upcoming activities for your child or family? Please check out the Virtual Backpack each Friday. There are new events listed every week.

PBIS--Being Respectful During Lunch

Being Respectful During Lunch. Our classroom should be a fun and happy time during lunch, but we need to focus on eating our food to help us focus and learn through the afternoon. By using kind words and voice, and voices that aren't too LOUD, everyone feels included and relaxed during lunchtime. We all like different foods, and everyone's choices should be respected. If you are curious about someone's food, it is okay to ask politely, but never to tease or embarrass.

Personal Responsibility

Over the last few weeks, our students have certainly embodied personal responsibility and making a positive difference by dedicating a day to cleaning up a local roadway (our Student and Staff Green Team and their parents) and beautifying and winterizing the campus gardens and common areas (PCCS parents, students and staff).

While planning the October Green Challenge (Trash Free Lunches), the Student Leadership Team identified granola bars as one food that always produced landfill waste. They then determined that they needed to find a remedy for this and began looking on the internet for recipes to make bulk granola bars. They found one that was vegan, gluten-free, and nut free and made several batches to provide samples to share with the entire student body during the Green Challenge Assembly. During the assembly, they also completed a cooking demo. The students and staff really enjoyed them!

We would love to see our families try out this recipe at home. HERE is the recipe for the granola bars. Send us some pictures and tell us what you think! What other lunch items do you make at home to help reduce waste in school lunches? Share your ideas with us!

Thank you for supporting your child in making positive differences for themselves and their community!

PSO Corner

Staff Breakfast: Please sign up to be a "Lounge Angel", and provide an item or two for our Staff Breakfast on Monday, October 16th. The sign-up is located on our PCCS PSO page. We need both food and help to set up and clean up.We are so fortunate to have such incredible staff working with our children. Let's show them our appreciation by providing delicious food, and by giving our time to set up the breakfast, and to leave the staff lounge as we found it!

PSO Restaurant Night: Each trimester, the PSO will be hosting a "Restaurant Night". For the first trimester, please join us at Chipotle in Gurnee on Thursday, October 19, from 4-8 PM. It's a great opportunity to get out and meet other PCCS families, and to connect with those you already know. In addition, please pre-purchase your Chipotle SCRIP cards! We will soon announce our second Restaurant Night... stay tuned!

PSO General Meeting: October 25th, at 8:15 in the Staff Room (the room above the Main Office, immediately after carpool), we are hosting our first PSO General Meeting. All are encouraged to attend! We are looking for parents who want to be involved, and for those who are interested in what events we have planned. There is a place for everyone in the PSO!

PCCS Volunteer Day of Service: Has everyone seen the new painted map of the United States, the four-square games, noticed the garden clean-up, and more? PCCS and the PSO coordinated a great day of service last Saturday, and the results are terrific. Thank you to each and every volunteer!

Annual Holiday Bazaar: Save your holiday gift-worthy donations! We begin collecting at carpool starting on November 16th. Each of our children will have the opportunity to purchase gifts for both immediate and extended family members for the holidays. It is a very special event, and your gift donations for all ages, your donations of gift bags, tape, and wrapping paper, ribbon, etc. are much appreciated. The collection occurs each morning until the sale on December 7th! More information coming soon!

Upcoming Events at PCCS:

Friday, October 6th-- No School: Teacher In-service

Saturday, October 7th--Cross Country Sectional Meet in Buffalo Grove at 9am

Monday, October 9th-- No School: Columbus Day

Tuesday, October 10th--Picture Retakes

--Soccer Tournament Begins (Johnsburg) 4pm

Wednesday, October 11th-- Farm to Table

Friday, October 13th--Pizza Friday

-- Boys' Basketball and Cheer Sign-Ups Due

--Parent Election Voting Begins

Save the Date:

Now-October 15th--Hispanic Heritage Month Activities