Penny Creek Elementary Newsletter

Dear Penny Creek Families,

Welcome to the 2024-25 school year. I hope your summer provided some rest and rejuvenation and you could enjoy some of the beautiful Washington state scenery. As we begin the year, I am pleased to share the following teaching and counseling updates. They are provided in alphabetical order below:

• Dr. Christy Anana is our new full-time counselor. Dr. Anana recently earned her doctorate degree in school leadership from the University of Washington, Seattle. Last year, she worked at Cedarwood Elementary, and prior to this worked at Quil Ceda Tulalip Elementary School.
• Emily Chambers joins the first-grade team. Ms. Chambers worked as the ML (Multilingual Learner) coach for View Ridge and Jackson Elementary for the last two years. Prior to this, she taught first grade for four years.
• Henry Loh is our new full-time Speech therapist. Mr. Loh comes to us from Forest View elementary.
• Keri Lindsey is our new half-time Social-Emotional Learning Specialist. Keri works half-time at Woodside Elementary as well where she provides academic coaching and support.
• Harmony Main will be teaching second grade. Ms. Main completed her student teaching internship right here at Penny Creek with Mrs. Connery last fall. Throughout the spring she substitute-taught for us as well.
• Ashley Ryals is our new halftime speech therapist. Mrs. Ryals spent numerous years working with birth to three- year-olds, including four years at Seattle Children's Hospital on the cochlear implant team. The last three years she has worked for Everett School District.
• Elise Sledge is our new Educational Psychologist. Ms. Sledge recently completed her Educational Psychology internship at Jefferson Elementary. She also has experience at the middle and high school levels. Evergreen Middle, and Everett High.
• Kathleen Tinsley joins the Kindergarten team. Mrs. Tinsley comes to us from Silver Lake Elementary where she taught Kindergarten ten years.
  

We are pleased, as well, to welcome the following additional staff: Vidya Bhaskaran, Kelly, Burton, Manasa Koluguri, Imane Majdi, Yuki Marron, Conn Mayberry, Soujanya Oddirajus, Jyoti Subhedar, Kenyan Whiting, Kirsty Wong.

As we begin the year, we encourage you to participate in several upcoming events. On Wednesday, September 25, we hold Curriculum Night. This is an important opportunity to learn more about your child’s curriculum and classroom learning experiences for the year ahead.

On Friday, September 27, our Parent Teacher Association (PTA), is hosting a Back-to-School Event. This is a fun gathering and a time to get to know other students and families at Penny Creek.

Please take time to peruse our website to learn more about the goings on at Penny Creek and Everett School District at https://www.everettsd.org/pennycreekes. If I can answer any questions, please reach out.

Sincerely,
Marti Shefveland
mshefveland@everettsd.org

Wednesday, September 4

• First Day of School for Grades 1 - 5

Friday, September 6

• Learning Improvement Friday. Student Dismissed at 2:15 p.m.

Monday, September 9

• First Day of School for Kindergarten

Friday, September 13

• Learning Improvement Friday. Student Dismissed at 2:15 p.m.

Monday, September 16

• PTA General Membership Meeting 6:00 - 7:30 p.m. PCE Library

Friday, September 20

• Learning Improvement Friday. Student Dismissed at 2:15 p.m.
  

Wednesday, September 25

• Curriculum Night

• Grades K, 1, 2 at 5:00 - 5:45 p.m.

• Grades 3, 4, 5 at 6:00 - 6:45 p.m.

Friday, September 27

• Learning Improvement Friday. Student Dismissed at 2:15 p.m.
• PTA Back to School Event 5:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. PCE Playground/Undercover Area

• Natural Leader Meeting @ 6:00 - 7:00 p.m. PCE Library

ARRIVAL: supervision will begin at 9:00 a.m.

Parent drop off (Ferry Lanes) - drive up while remaining in the car.

• This is supervised until 9:10 a.m.
• Enter the parking lot through the west entrance.
• Turn right into the Parent drop off lane loop.
• Follow the Parent drop off lane around in front of the gym. Pulling forward to the undercover playground area.
• Stay in the right lane, making sure to drive slowly.
• Driver remains in the car.
• When the car comes to a complete stop, the student unloads from the passenger curb side door.
• Students will walk through the undercover area and on to the campus.
• Driver departs from the Parent drop off by following the lane to the west exit on to 132nd Street SE.

Parking car at main parking lot and drop off student.

• Park car in main parking lot and walk on to campus using the crosswalk.
• Parents walk students to the front iron gate drop off point by the office (blue area on map).

Arrival after 9:15 a.m. - park your vehicle and walk your student to the office. A guardian or designee will need to sign in your student at the office. Students arriving after 9:15 a.m. will be tardy.

DISMISSAL: begins at 3:30 p.m. Monday - Thursday and 2:15 p.m. Friday

Parent pick up (Ferry Lanes) - drive up & pick up while remaining in the car.

• This is supervised until 3:45 p.m.
• Enter the parking lot through the west entrance.
• Turn right into the Parent pick up lane loop. There are three ferry style lanes to wait in.
• Penny Creek staff member will release each ferry lane in an orderly manner.
• When the lane is released, follow the Parent pick up line to the front of the undercover playground area.
• Make sure to drive slowly and to pull as far forward as possible. Students will be waiting in the undercover area.
• Driver remains in the car.
• When the car comes to a complete stop, the student will load into the car from the passenger curb side door.
• Driver departs from the Parent pick up by following the lane to the west exit on 132nd Street SE.

Parking car at main parking lot to pick up students at departure time.

• Park car in main parking lot and walk on to campus using the crosswalk.
• Parents wait for students to be released from the doors located between Office and Kindergarten Playground (green area on map).

If your student is absent or tardy from school, please email the attendance office at pceattendance@everettsd.org to let us know the reason for the absence or tardy. There is also a direct link on our webpage at: https://www.everettsd.org/pennycreek

• Absences must be reported (by email or note) within 30 calendar days after a student returns back to school, not including Holidays or weekends, in order to have the absence excused. Emails or notes turned in past the 30-day timeframe will be accepted; however, the absence is not excused and will be coded as such.
• Automated attendance calls will be sent out daily at 10 a.m. If your student will be absent or tardy you must notify the office before 9:15 a.m. If it is reported after this time you may receive the automated call.
• Please view the Everett School District Attendance Procedure 3122P for more information (including definitions of absences).
• Did you have a medical appointment for your child, or they were sick, and you brought them to the doctor? If so, make sure to ask for a medical note from the provider. Email the note to the attendance office so those absences can be coded as a medical note excused absence.
• Please fill out a Prearranged Absence Form if your student will be going on vacation/traveling or will miss school for an extended period of time. As per district policy, the principal or designee may excuse up to five (5) school days for a prearranged absence per student each school year.

If your student needs to leave before the end of the school day, email the school office at PennyCreek@everettsd.org in advance. Please include in your email message:

• The specific DATE
  
• The TIME you will pick up your student. Please know, we will call your student to the office once you have arrived to the school.
  
• WHO will be picking up your student. If an adult designee is coming to pick up your student, an email from the guardian needs to be sent to confirm the information.

For the safety and security of students, we will ask for photo identification.

If the plan on how your student is going home at the end of the school day changes, we ask that a guardian sends an email to the school office at PennyCreek@everettsd.org and the classroom teacher by 2:45 pm.

Please include in your email message:

• name of your student
• name of their teacher
• details of the the change of plan
  
  

Our office will deliver this information to your student. This method of communication helps to support our staff with accurate dismissal information.

Welcome back to school PCE Families. We hope you had a great summer!

This year we plan on continuing with regular events, dine outs, and activities for our students. We are also giving back more to our school in staff grants, books, programs, etc.

Our PTA welcome packet will be sent home on Friday, September 6 for grades 1st – 5th and Friday September 13 for Kindergartners. Let us know if you don’t get a copy and we will send one to you!

Please join us at our first PTA General Membership & Volunteer Orientation meeting on Monday September 16 from 6:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. in the library. We will go over our PTA general business, do a brief volunteer orientation, and complete a quick tour of need-to-know places to be a successful PTA, school, and/or classroom volunteer.

Our Back to School Event is Friday, September 27 from 5:30 p.m.-7:30 p.m. Join us for some fun with music, balloon artists, temporary tattoos, food trucks and more!

We are excited to get this year started. Let’s go Frogs!

If you have any questions, contact us via Email or visit our Website. Also, follow us on Facebook and Instagram.