February 12, 2020
Parkside's February Newsletter
Principal's Message
Dear Parents and Guardians,

January into February has been a very exciting and educational time! Check out the events described below to see some of the highlights. Students participated in daily lesson activities, CDT and Fountas & Pinnell testing, we kicked off our Kid's Heart Challenge, and students learned a lot and had a blast at our 4 Schools 1 Book assemblies. We experienced a good balance of educational, community, and fun activities this past month.

Fifth Grade parents, Mr. Alutius, Northley Middle School Principal will be here with fellow NMS administrator, Ms. Martin on February 25th at 6:00 PM. Please join us for the parent information session in the Parkside Library to discuss what to expect as your child transitions from elementary to middle school. This is a great opportunity to gather information and ask questions to support your child as they prepare to move to Northley next year.

As we move through February, we move closer to some major spring events to come. Girl's On the Run will be starting soon after school, our coaches are excited to get started soon. More information will follow for those registered to participate. Spring conferences are being scheduled for those who need them, and teachers are working to look at all of the mid-year information to ensure that all of our students are learning and growing. PSSA testing will take place after Spring Break from April 20-May 1.

Please take a few minutes to view the other announcements below for a review of past events and highlights for the upcoming month. Follow us on Twitter at @ParksideES for more photos and news.


Best Regards,

Tara Young
Principal
Parkside Elementary School
February Calendar
Four Schools, One Book
Our Four Schools, One Book Masterpiece was a great read! Students and staff enjoyed the kick-off and culminating assemblies and the daily trivia questions in between. Thanks to all of the families who read together with their child each night! The benefit of reading to your child is so profound and it supports our school-wide goal to be a community of readers. We also took to opportunity to remind students of their 67,000,000 word Reading Counts goal, they have read over 45,000,000 words so far, so they are well on their way to meeting their mark! We are currently brainstorming what the reward will be this year!
Our First "Who Was" History Bee!
We got "HISTORICAL" this year at Parkside! Mrs. Mongada hosted our first ever "Who Was" History Bee. We had several competitors put their knowledge to the test after reading many "Who Was" series books based on historical figures and events. In the end, our winner, Natalie was the last competitor standing! Great job to all who participated.
KIDS HEART CHALLENGE KICK OFF
This year, to get us pumped up for heart healthy activities and the Kids Heart Challenge, Mr. Juliano hosted an assembly to remind students what a great cause we support! Our challenge to raise funds to support heart health and remind us all about being kind to our hearts through regular heart-pumping exercise was a fun time had by all. We even saw some special guests, the kids heart character, Nico! At the half-way point of the challenge, we have already raised $3,987 towards our $5,000 goal! Great job, Panthers, keep up the good work! The Main Event is February 25th throughout the day in PE classes.
100TH DAY OF SCHOOL CELEBRATION
 Students in Kindergarten through second grade spent the morning of the 100th day of school participating in activities that centered around the number 100. Students dressed as 100 year-olds, created projects featuring 100 items, read stories featuring 100 and more! The 100th day of school was a fun way to reinforce number sense and fun with teachers and classmates.
PBIS PROGRESS!
Students in Mrs. McHugh's class add their class pom poms to the school-wide tube after earning their class reward for being respectful, responsible, and safe! Shouldn't be long now until we reach the first school-wide reward--keep up the positive progress, Panthers!
Attendance Information

 As cold and flu season is here, please review the Parent and Student Handbook for student absence procedures. If your child does become ill, students should not return to school until they have been fever free or have held down food for 24 hours. A parent or doctor's note is required within three days of return to school in order for the absence to be excused.
Parkside PTL & Fundraising
The PTL Meeting for the month of February is on Wednesday February 12th at 6:30 pm in the Parkside Library. Please join us to continue the great work that the PTL sponsors and plans throughout the year for our children!
Parkside is ramping up its efforts to fundraise this year through Box Tops! Each month, students will receive a Box Top sheet where they can hand in Box Tops to earn a homework pass and win incentives for themselves and their classes too! Contact Liz Dougherty with questions - parksideptl@yahoo.com
Parkside PTL has invited you to download the Shoparoo app to help raise funds for Parkside Elementary School! Shoparoo is a free mobile app available on iPhone and Android that turns pictures of your shopping receipts into instant donations and rewards for your school! Shop at any store, buy any product, and snap a picture of your receipt with Shoparoo to start earning for Parkside Elementary School! You can also set reminders in case you forget.

CORE VALUE OF THE MONTH