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IMPACT NEWSLETTER

September 2021

President's Message

What's your why? Check out the message below from Cindy Morris for why she gets involved and ways that you can too!

PPS Foundation/CFCI's Annual Classroom Grant Applications Now Available through October 1!

APPLY FOR A TRADITIONAL CLASSROOM GRANT

APPLY FOR A PEORIA PUBLIC SCHOOLS STEM GRANT

VIEW THE CLASSROOM GRANT NEWSLETTER HERE

The 9th Annual Wine and Whiskey Walk is once again back. Tickets are $40 and are on sale now. We're also seeking volunteers to help with this fun event. The event will be held on Saturday, October 16th from 1-6 pm at the Junction City Shopping Center and all proceeds benefit the Peoria Public Schools Foundation. You won't want to miss it!

What is the annual Wine and Whiskey Walk?

The Wine and Whiskey Walk is a great way to spend your Saturday afternoon and raise money for public education. With over 30 samplings of different wines and whiskeys available, participants are encouraged to spend the day at Junction City exploring the shops, having tasty treats, and enjoying live entertainment. Souvenir wine tasting glass, raffle and door prize giveaways and free swag bags from Junction City are just some of the extra perks you receive for attending. This event is brought to you by Junction City Shopping Center, Born2Events and the Peoria Public Schools Foundation.

How can you help?

Volunteers are needed at the tasting tables to pour drink samples and to setup/cleanup. Click the button below to sign up for a shift. We'd also love for you to participate in the event as well. Click below to purchase a ticket today!

PURCHASE YOUR TICKET HERE

Horizons Needs YOU!

Sign-Up now for Fall Career Speaking Opportunities

We are thrilled that Horizons Club, our middle school career exploration program, is ready to start the new school year soon. However, to make this experience impactful for our students we need YOUR help. We are seeking career speakers to share their story with our students via zoom and in-person, as able. Speaking slots are available at all PPS middle schools each day of the week. We would love to share ALL careers with our students, so we hope you can join in on this important volunteer effort.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE AVAILABLE SPEAKER SLOTS

If you have any questions about being a career speaker or the Horizons program in general, please contact Trish O’Shaughnessy at patricia.oshaughnessy@ psd150.org

Adopt-A-School Program:

Ready for a New School Year!

Ad spots are available on the new electronic sign located on the PPS Stadium property. The sign has great visibility for both eastbound and westbound traffic on War Memorial Drive. $300 per week or $1,000 per month spots are available. Artwork must be in a 2100 x 900 jpg file. The sign is 14 feet wide by 6 feet tall.

All proceeds for sign advertisement go directly to help Peoria Public School's campaign to improve the stadium property. Please message jennifer.adler@psd150.org with any questions.

This month we caught up with Alex Romero, who is one of the custodians at the Administration building. Alex has worked for the PPS school district for nearly 5 years now, and we're excited to share his answers below so you can get to know him better.

Alex, what's your favorite meal?

That's a tough one... around Christmas time my family makes some Mexican dishes, tamales and pozole. I love these two meals!

How about the last show you binged and loved?

The last show I binged was Seinfeld. I've seen it so many time and I just love that show.

So what's on your car stereo on your way to work?

On my radio in the morning, I have Bob and Tom on to help me wake up. Very funny show!

What's your favorite thing to do during the Fall?

My favorite thing to do in the Fall is to fish - which I actually love to do any season of the year! Anyone who knows me, knows I am always fishing or talking about fishing.

What advice would you give to your high school self?

My advice to my high school self would be to pay attention and do the best you can. Don't be afraid to try new things - and ask for help if you need it. There's nothing wrong with asking for help!

Thanks for chatting with us, Alex. We appreciate all you do to make this school district run smoothly!

Check Out the Latest Buzz Chat Video!

Last month, Cindy Morris held a roundtable discussion with the Principals of Peoria High School, Manual High School, and Richwoods High School. Check out the latest video below to find-out the exciting plans of the 2021-2022 school year at our high schools, highlighted by Principal Emken from Richwoods, Dr. Coleman from Peoria High, and Principal Hawks from Manual. Watch as Cindy sits down with the administrators to talk about their hopes for this new school year, some expectations as the district returns to a more normal school experience after last year’s pivots, and exciting plans on the horizon for Peoria Public Schools.

Each month we will be connecting with different members of our community to talk about our public schools and how they interact with current events in Peoria. All chats can be viewed live on our Facebook page on the second Thursday of each month at 6:30 PM. Not able to catch it live? No problem, the videos will stay posted on our page so scroll through to watch any you missed.

August Buzz Chats - High School Principals

PPS Foundation HERO of the Month:

Andrew Muir

Our September HERO is long-time Peoria Public Schools Foundation friend, Andrew Muir! Andrew is a former PPS Foundation Board Member and still continues to be an active supporter of the foundation. He participates in many of our events, and frequently helps us by underwriting our marketing materials. He is a proud Whittier and Manual alum and has helped those schools over the years with projects and fundraising. Our staff loves working with Andrew immensely.

Congrats and thank you, Andrew, for all you do for Peoria Public Schools!

A Video Message for PPS Students from Shaun Livingston!

This past school year, the number of students who have been absent and missed out on significant amounts of learning is alarming and unprecedented. When students are chronically absent, starting as early as preschool and kindergarten, they are at risk of not reading proficiently by third grade, poor achievement in middle school and dropping out of high school. Check out the video from NBA champion and Peoria native, Shaun Livingston, below and help us get the word out that it is so important to make sure our PPS students are attending school!

CLICK HERE for More Info to Share on Student Attendance

PPS Foundation's Scholarship Program

Did you know that the PPS Foundation administers 20 scholarships for graduating PPS seniors each year? The more funds we have available, the more scholarships we can award for each of these scholarships. Last year we were able to provide 27 scholarship awards to help continue the education of these PPS students. We know our students are capable of great things, and we want to help them achieve their goals! Students can begin to apply for each of these scholarships on November 1st. We have seen first hand how much these awards mean to the students who receive them. Help us grow this program so that we can provide funds to as many students as possible. Thank you in advance for your generosity!