Peninsula Family Post

10/10-Fall Festival 6-7:30pm

10/11- NO SCHOOL

10/21- Read-A-Thon Begins

10/23- Early Release Wednesday 11:50am

10/28-31- SPIRIT WEEK

October 10th

6-7:30pm

FREE ADMISSION

Games-Food- Fun!

Food, drinks and treats will be available for purchase

A huge shout out to all our Peninsula Panthers for an amazing week of attendance! Students have earned 5 extra minutes of recess every day this week as our school wide attendance has been over 93% every day. Thank you parents and caregivers for your support in having your students here on time and ready to learn.

Just a reminder to all families entering Peninsula School to please buzz in at the front door and check in at the office. For the safety and security of all our students, please do not let any other individuals into the school if you are being let in. Please also refrain from standing in doorways with the doors open. This helps us keep everyone safe.

Please call our attendance line at 503-916-6275, email Sara at sgilds@pps.net or update through ParentVue if your child is missing school with the reason they are out. If there are multiple unexcused absences it is a district wide protocol that a teacher or member of our team will reach out to see how we can best support with getting your child to school. We know it can be hard and we are here to problem solve and support you and your family!

Hello 5th grade students and families!

While it may be hard to believe, middle school will be here before we know it. As the school counselor for Peninsula, one of my responsibilities is to help 5th graders get ready for middle school, and answer any questions students and families may have.

One of the most frequently asked questions I receive is, “Can I go to any middle school I want to?” Just to clarify, a student is assigned to a neighborhood middle school based on their primary address in Synergy, regardless of what elementary school the student attends or which middle school that elementary school feeds into. Most Peninsula students go to Ockley Green, and a small few go to George Middle School.

If a student and family wants to look into attending a middle school other than their neighborhood middle school, students/families can apply online during the open enrollment timeframe. Please visit PPS Moving to MS Info Website for more information including dates of times of 6th grade information nights for 5th grade families.

Middle School Information Timeline

• Fall 2023 - PPS will send each 5th grade family a letter indicating assigned school for 6th grade, transfer options and timelines

• November 13th - December 16 - Application window for lottery options

• Spring 2025 Middle School Counselors will visit Peninsula to discuss class choices and forecast electives. I will share more information with 5th grade families when the time comes.

• Winter 2025 - I will teach lessons in both 5th grade classes about middle school readiness.

• Spring 2025 - Middle Schools will host open houses. Primary information will come from middle school staff - I will recirculate when it is shared.

Please feel free to reach out anytime with questions, especially regarding transitioning to middle school. I can be reached via email at scarranza@pps.net or you can call me at 503-916-6275.

Thank you,

Samara Carranza

Peninsula Elementary

School Counselor

We are having a Read-A-Thon this year to support literacy at Peninsula!

Our Read-A-Thon will get your reader excited about reading and will give friends and family the opportunity to encourage your child to read even more.

Our Read-A-Thon starts Monday October 21, 2024.

About one week before our Read-A-Thon starts we will send home instructions on how to activate your reader's personal page. This is where you will be able to view and record their progress.

We encourage you to activate your reader’s account today by clicking on https://www.read-a-thon.com/readers/r/323830323336/1 and following the simple instructions.

We've chosen Read-A-Thon because it will not take much of your time, gives your child a reason to read, helps in the development of stronger reading skills and supports Peninsula’s goal of every student being successful.

We hope EVERYONE participates.

Monday: PJ Day- Wear your cozy clothes or pajamas

Tuesday: Rainbow Day- Wear something colorful and bright

Wednesday: Wordy Wednesday- Wear a shirt with a positive message or words on it

Thursday: Dress up Day- Dress like your favorite book or movie character (NO MASKS)

Friday: NO SCHOOL

Are you needing additional clothing for your children? PPS has a clothing closet full of gently used clothing for students in need. Parents can “shop” for their kids Mondays and Thursdays 10-1 at the clothing closet, or if those hours don’t work we can request a bag of clothes to be sent to the school. Reach out for a referral to Kate at 971 276 1759.

Please click here and check out the full list of past resources shared. Most of these are ongoing resources available. If you or your family needs access to additional resources (energy assistance, mental health, childcare, food boxes, clothing, etc.) please feel free to reach out via phone or text at my work cell 971.276.1759 - hablo español. I work part time and I'm in the school and available via phone Mondays-Thursdays before 2:15.

Has your child come home wearing a surprise clothing item? If so, they likely took a trip to our Peninsula Elementary clothing closet! The Panther PTA supports the clothing closet as a staff and student resource for a quick change of clothes in the event of an accident, major spill, or general attire needs during the school day.

The clothing is provided via donations from parents and community members. We accept new, or gently used and washed, clothing, shoes, and outer layers in youth and small adult sizes. In addition, we always welcome new socks and underwear, as we tend to go through quite a few of those! Donations can be left at the front office.

Current needs are new socks and underwear in various sizes and “boys” XS and S pants. Thanks so much for all the shoe donations!

In addition to our school's clothing closet, the district PTA has a Clothing Center currently housed in the Marshall Campus that provides wardrobes for kids whose families could use clothing support, and is another great place to donate new or gently used clothing!

We love having volunteers at Peninsula. Over the course of the year, caregivers will have several opportunties to volunteer either in the classroom or on field trips. All voluteers are required to complete a volunteer background check and training. Click here for information on the process.

It can take up to two weeks for your background check to be completed once you apply, so we encourage you to do it now just in case you decide to volunteer with us.

If you have completed the background check in the past, and are wondering if you are still active in the system, email Sara Gilds at sgilds@pps.net, and she will let you know.

For the safety and security of our students, we will continue to ask that parents only enter the building if they are volunteering, have an appointment, or are picking a student up. This helps ensure that we know who is in the building at all times.

When you do enter the building for one of the above reasons, make sure to check in at the office and, if you're staying, print a visitor/volunteer badge.

Thank you for your cooperation.