Join Twirl, in collaboration with the Taos Center for the Arts, for a live & pre recorded event: Unmasking The Mask with Twirl’s Amber Vasquez and Liana Bayles. Think: The Tonight Show meets the TED Talks Stage with a spin of whimsy that only Twirl can create! Together with a wonderful lineup of local artists and collaborators, they will share Twirl's Mask Gathering project. 

Info and details on the event: https://tcataos.org/calendar/#event=64932771;instance=20201218183000

Students from Peñasco Elementary will be seen walking on stilts at the Peñasco Theater and the Health Fair.

Wednesday, December 16, 6 p.m.: Online nutrition class. Please enter your mailing address at the link below to receive a FREE grocery store gift card. Since this hands-on class invites you to cook with us, participants are offered a $10 grocery store gift card to those that join the live class.

PISD is asking parents/guardians to please fill out this survey in order for the district to once again apply for Impact Aid funds. 

Find the survey here: https://forms.gle/WxL7TBeLHTiJHjJt5

The NMAA Foundation will be awarding 20 scholarships to New Mexico High School seniors due to the difficulties and challenges that our students have faced during the COVID-19 pandemic. Click the link for more info and apply today.   

Peñasco's Community Schools after-school programs are featured in the Taos News with special mention of the podcast led by Ms. Alessandra and Mr. Duran, the robotics program led by Steve Cox from NNMC and Embudo Valley Library, and the Scratch maze game created by 4th grader Dante Lopez!

Read the article here! https://www.taosnews.com/tempo/at-home-with-twirl-and-friends/at-home-with-twirl-and-friends-keeping-kids-focused/article_9da4bba9-f4a8-5643-80bc-a3c3fcf99e89.html

Under normal circumstances it has become tradition to wear our "Ugly Christmas Sweater"on the day of our School Christmas Lunch. Even though we are not together this year I ask that we try to keep our tradition going. Christmas lunch will be sent out Thursday December 17th. Please join the Cafeteria Staff in the "Ugly Christmas Sweater" day Thursday December 17, 2020, and invite your students, families, and friends to join in as well. We would love to see the tradition continue on. Email us a picture of your best Christmas sweater! Send to srodriguez@penascoisd.com.

Peñasco High School graduate James Owen was recently featured in the Los Alamos Reporter. Owen is the Associate Laboratory director for Weapons Engineering at LANL. In the article, he credits his Peñasco basketball coach and counselor with creating the opportunity for him to develop his passion for science.

Read the entire article here: https://losalamosreporter.com/2020/12/07/james-owen-from-penasco-to-leader-of-weapons-engineering-at-los-alamos-national-laboratory/

The history of women's contributions to the fields of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) is long and varied. This app highlights only a very few of the women who have had an impact on STEM fields. Today, women are in every STEM discipline, in every type of job, and represent the widest range of background and experiences. Learn about some of our featured inventors, explorers, and researchers.

Download the app: iOS/Apple | Android

PISD is exploring the possibility of starting a high school e-sports team. Students would take part in competitions involving three video games:

All games would be played on laptops. The eligibility requirements for e-sports are the same as for other sports. If your child is interested in taking part, please contact Michael Noll: mnoll@penascoisd.com, 575-779-1466.

PISD is exploring the possibility of starting a chess club for all ages. The club would take place online, and students could play each other (and take lessons and participate in chess challenges) via an app on their laptops and phones. If your child is interested, please contact Michael Noll: mnoll@penascoisd.com, 575-779-1466.

Starting in January, all students who participate in after-school programs will be eligible to receive supper from the district. The suppers will be distributed at the cafeteria and by school bus at the same time as lunches and breakfasts.

Questions? Contact Michael Noll, mnoll@penascoisd.com, 575-779-1466.

The Boys & Girls Club will begin remote programming this month! The club is open to all students in the district. If you are interested in your students taking part, contact Taylor Harrison at 505-702-5008 or email at bgc_coordinator@picurispueblo.com.

Through a partnership with Peñasco's Community Schools initiative, the district will pay for up to 60 memberships for students.

Click here: https://kitcarson.com/internet/students-without-internet-form

If you have trouble getting Internet, please contact Community Schools Coordinator Michael Noll: mnoll@penascoisd.com, 575-779-1466.