The Panther Post

It’s hard to believe May is already here. I am so thankful for the way the Pleasant Hill staff has worked together to make this another successful year for our students. As we celebrate Teacher & Staff Appreciation Week, I want to share my gratitude for all the teachers and staff members here at Pleasant Hill Elementary School. I am continually reminded that our staff are truly dedicated to the success of each and every student. They provide hope and stability to students and their families, and have an impact on the lives of each child they work with daily.

Please join me in honoring our staff members not only this week but for the weeks and years to come.

Yours in Education,

Dr. Lisa Weaver
Superintendent

May is Mental Health Awareness Month! Staff and students can pay $1 and wear GREEN with JEANS on Friday, May 3!

We encourage you to utilize the calendars below with daily mental health activities!

The following educational websites are free resources that will help your child improve their English language skills.

DUOLINGO

Target Skills: Language Learning

Recommended Grade Levels: All ages

Improve English language skills by completing an online course.

The easiest way to use this resource is to:

1. Open Duolingo and select the language you speak fluently on the top right corner.

2. Click on “Get Started” and create a FREE account.

3. Select the language you want to learn.

4. Click on the path you want to take: “Learning for the first time” or “Already know some”.

We recommend that you select “Already know some.” Once you select that learning path, you will be given a short quiz that Duolingo will use to tailor its lessons to meet your current skill level. This is a fun and engaging way to practice either English or your home language.

FUNBRAIN

Target Skills: Reading, Math, Science, Geography

Recommended Grade Levels: K-8

FunBrain has free learning games that will keep your child learning.

Getting Started with Funbrain:

1. Open Funbrain and browse by Grade level or select a game.

We recommend playing “What on Earth” with your child to learn about famous places on Earth and their locations. During the game, you are given a daily chance to guess one famous place on Earth and its location. After you guess, you get the opportunity to read about the place and learn more about it.

COURSERA

Target Skills: Career and life skills

Recommended Grade Levels: 6-12

Coursera offers free courses on a variety of topics.

Take an online course to learn more about a topic that you are interested in such as food and health, fashion, communication, and more.

1. Go to Coursera and create a free profile.

2. Click “For Individuals” on the top menu bar.

3. Click “Explore” and select “Take a FREE class.”

We recommend starting with “The Science of Well-being for Teens.” This course teaches behaviors that will help boost your child’s mood. Log in and complete the course with your child, at your own pace.

Don’t forget to visit txel.org/SupportingChild for more interactive educational websites to help your child continue their learning during the summer.

May is Mental Health Awareness Month! Staff and Students can pay $1 and wear GREEN with JEANS!

Attached is a really cool activity calendar for YOU and children!

How are you doing taking care of YOU?

We want to extend a warm welcome to our new full time custodian, Mr. Don Satchfield. He has been busy learning the routine here at Pleasant Hill and is doing a FANTASTIC job with custodial duties. Some days, Mr. Satchfield even gets students who love to volunteer and help him out. We are very thankful to have him on our team.

In preparing for the summer months, we have gathered some tips to help you support your child’s physical and emotional well-being from “Give Your Kids a Healthy Body and Mind this Summer,” an article published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Below are some suggestions to try at home.

Get Moving

Did you know that children should get 60 minutes of physical activity every day? Movement helps decrease stress and improve thinking skills. Whether indoors or outdoors, you can lead activities that get your child moving. An easy indoor activity to try is dancing during commercials. Every time a commercial comes on, turn on your favorite music and have everyone get up and dance. While dancing, have your child tell you about a show or book that they enjoy. This activity gives them an opportunity to practice retelling events while dancing!

Eat Healthy

Healthy eating can seem a little intimidating, but simply adding more fruits and vegetables to snack-time will help your child in the long-term. Set some time aside to prepare fruit and vegetables with your child for easy snacking. Slice oranges, apples, watermelon, or any other fruit you have and mix it up in plastic bags. Then, have your child make a snack with the cut fruit by having them follow the directions to a healthy recipe like the Fruit-a-licious Breakfast Cup. Now, the next time your child wants a snack, a healthy one is ready-to-go!

Plant a Seed

Gardening, arts and crafts, and group activities all help develop healthy emotional well-being in children. This summer, take some time to build a habit that can last into the fall, like planting a seed and tracking its growth. An easy seed to start with is a cucumber seed. Just take the seeds out of a cucumber and wash them off. Once they are dry, place the seeds in a small pot with soil, water them regularly, and watch them grow. Your child can track the growth using a notebook to describe the experience.

Dental Exam Reminder: Students in Kindergarten, 2nd and 6th grade are required by the State of IL to have a dental exam no later than May 15, 2024. If you have gotten a notice from me, please make an appointment for your child to see the dentist as soon as possible and turn in the State of IL exam form.

PLEASE TURN IN ALL MEDICAL RECORDS ASAP TO MS NAUGLE. THANK YOU!!

The Health Fair was a big hit last year and it will be coming back this year on May 10th!

Summer Safety

S-Swim and Sun Safety! Lather up

U-Use caution and be safe with social media ! Pause before you post!

M-Make a new friend! Going to camp? Have a new neighbor? Introduce yourself :)

M-Master a new skill skill - Attend a sports, art or music camp. Relax and draw at home!

E-Exercise! Get off the couch and get moving! Ride your bike or dance with your friends!

R-Read and Rethink your drink . Did you know there are 2 cups of sugar in 1 soda??

Did you know that May is Mental Health Awareness Month? So what exactly is mental health? Mental health means reaching developmental and emotional milestones and learning healthy social skills and how to appropriately cope with problems. So how can we help our children improve their mental health? We can start by teaching them coping skills as that can empower them to take charge of their mental health. Also, start the conversation early as talking about mental health can help children build coping skills and feel comfortable with their emotions. Additionally, nurturing relationships is important for helping children develop good mental health and manage life stressors in healthy ways. Good mental health increases the ability of children to practice self-care and face challenges with resilience. As Summer Break approaches, here are some ideas to maintain and improve mental health during break:

1 – Get and stay active! Go for a walk or run, jump on a trampoline, go swimming, ride your bike! The possibilities are endless, so just move your body!

2 – Stay connected with friends! Go to the park together, on a walk, for a bike ride, text them!

3 – Practice mindfulness and keep a gratitude journal to remind yourself of all the positives in your life.

4 – Read a book! Go outside and sit in the grass, a chair, trampoline, or in a hammock and get lost in a book!

5 – Last but not least, eat healthy foods and get plenty of sleep!

• Just a reminder, if your child has any outstanding fees, such as a $5 lock fee, milk fees, etc. these fees must be paid before the end of the year. We will be sending reminders with outstanding fee balances home within the next couple weeks so those fees can be paid. Money can be sent into the office with your child at any time to pay the fee balance. IF YOUR CHILD HAS AN ATHLETIC UNIFORM OF ANY TYPE AT HOME, IT MUST BE RETURNED BEFORE THE END OF THE YEAR OR YOU WILL BE CHARGED TO REPLACE IT! PLEASE RETURN IT TO SCHOOL AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.
• Congratulations to the 21 third quarter honor roll students for their academic achievements. It was great spending time with students and their family members at the honor roll luncheon on April 17. Keep up the great work!
• Please remember if your child is absent from school, it is very important for you to call Mrs. Dimmitt in the office (309-637-6829) or email (sdimmitt@phill69.com) her to let her know that your child will be absent and the reason for the absence. If your child has multiple unexcused absences, the Peoria County TRUANCY officer may need to get involved.
• Registration for the 2024-2025 will be ONLINE again this year. Please be watching for more information on how we will be conducting the online registration process. Families will still need to stop in the office to show proof of residency, but forms will be completed online via Teacherease.

• May 1-4th Quarter Progress Reports Sent Home-Track Practice 2:45-4:30-Happy Birthday Fredrick Sheard (1st grade) & Brayden Brandon (3rd grade)
• May 2-Happy Birthday Colin Worsfold (Kindergarten)
• May 3-Sectional Track Meet @ Dunlap High School 10:00 AM
• May 6-Happy Birthday Emelin Martinez-Velazquez (8th grade)
• May 6-10-Teacher Appreciation Week
• May 10-Happy Birthday Antonio Brooks (2nd grade) & Attevy Talley (5th grade)
• May 11-Happy Birthday Max Payne (1st grade)
• May 13-Happy Birthday Mrs. Dollinger
• May 15-Happy Birthday Mrs. Preston
• May 16-3rd-5th Grade Field Trip to New Salem
• May 17-Mrs. Baker's Retirement Party 4:00-6:00
• May 18-Happy Birthday Mr. Mecidor
• May 20-8th Grade Field Trip to Chicago-Scene 75 7:30 AM-6:00 PM
• May 21-Mrs. Shook's & Ms. Bash's Field Trip to Blue Ridge Community Farm 9:30 AM-1:00 PM-School Board Meeting 6:00-Happy Birthday Arabella Drowns (1st grade) & Drayvion Keys (5th grade)
• May 23-8th Grade Graduation 6:00
• May 26-Happy Birthday Wesley Hayden (4th grade)
• May 27-Memorial Day-NO SCHOOL-Happy Birthday Derrick Hope (6th grade)
• May 28-Field Day
• May 29-Bright Futures Last Day of School
• May 30-Last Day of School-Early Dismissal @ 11:30-Report Cards Sent Home

Email: lweaver@phill69.com
Website: www.phill69.com
Location: Pleasant Hill Elementary School, West Malone Street, Peoria, IL, United States
Phone: 309.637.6829
Facebook: facebook.com/PleasantHillElementarySchool
Twitter: @PHillPanthers