Elementary School Newsletter
November 2, 2018
Dearest PCS families,
With the students having a day off, my message will be short because as they say “Make hay while the sun shines.” I take advantage of these PD days as they do allow the team to refocus and work on bigger goals for the school. While we are all obviously here for the kids, the time goes quickly each school day when they are present leaving many items untouched on our “to-do lists”. So I wish you a wonderful weekend… off to work with the team to make PCS the best yet!
Have a great weekend!
Dana Leesman, Elementary Principal
p: 314.645.9600 x608 e: dleesman@premiercharterschool.org #ThatsPCS #DoKind
Safety Awareness…
As it starts getting dark earlier and we are reminded of situations as we watch the news, please have a conversation with your child about being aware of what is going on around them as they walk home from school. If your child has permission to walk to the park, YMCA or QT etc. please remind them not to accept a ride or engage with any strangers. While we are sure you have already had these conversations with your child we want to reiterate the importance so that your child can continue to make smart decision for themselves.
We want to remind you that PCS has safety structures in place if we were ever to be in a lockdown situation because of an outside threat. Please rest assured that we understand communication in these situations are of utmost importance. Parents will be notified through the automated school system; calls texts and emails. We have a very good relationship with the police department down the street and if we hear of or are made aware of a situation where lockdown might be a possibility, we will be in contact with district 2. They will be able to provide accurate details of the situation and from there we can receive their recommendation on our course of action. At all times, student safety is on our minds and we will always communicate with what you need to know. As always please feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns.
Veterans’ Day Assembly…
In Honor of those that have served, you may dress down on 11/9/2018 with the donation of $1 to go towards helping Homeless Veterans in St. Louis. When dressing down you may where the colors of red, white, and/or blue with jeans. Please donate, we can use all the help we can get.
You and your military family are cordially invited to our 6th annual Veterans’ Day Assembly and reception on Friday, November 9th from 2-3:30pm in the courtyard. Please see the attached flyer for details and an RSVP.
New this year! We would like to create a Wall of Honor for those who have passed. Please see the same attachment for details.
Literacy Ball & Book Fair Coming Soon…
Enchanted Forest Book Fair and Literacy Ball!
he Scholastic Book Fair is just around the corner! Join us in the Elementary Building room 240 from November 13-November15. The fair will be open after school (Tues. 3:30-4:30, Wed. 3:30-5:30, Thur. 3:30-4:30) and during the literacy ball (Thur. 5:30-7:00). Can't make it to the book fair? Our online fair runs from Nov. 7th-Nov. 15th (http://bit.ly/pcsonlinefair). We can also arrange for your child to visit the fair during the school day. Send money in an envelope (don't forget sales tax!) marked with your child's name and the titles of the books they may purchase.
You are all invited to our annual Literacy Ball and Scholastic Book Fair, Enchanted Forest of Books! We look forward to an evening of fun with many different literacy activities.There will be escape room activities with some new twists, Paws for Reading (support dogs), Novel Engineering activities, Puppet Show put on by Teeny Ten, PCS Cheerleaders led activity, and many more! Please see the attached flyer for more details.
St. Louis International Film Festival comes to PCS…
Kindergarten through 5th grade will participate in the St. Louis International Film Festival during coding and makerspace specials all next week. The festival has sent short film adaptations of children's books produced by Weston Woods. Among others, students will view and discuss "The Curious Garden", "Me...Jane" (about Jane Goodall), "Star Stuff" (about Carl Sagan), and "The Man Who Walked Between the Towers".
A Message from Nurse Gerwitz…
Hand washing is the single most effective preventative measure that you can take to remain healthy. Teach children to wash hands after using the bathroom, before eating or preparing food, before holding or interacting with an infant,& after blowing their noses or coughing or sneezing into their hands. You can encourage little ones to wash their hands by buying foaming soaps, liquid soap in a bottle featuring their favorite character or superhero, or buying a soap with a fun fragrance. Make sure they scrub for 20 seconds--singing the Alphabet Song while scrubbing will get them to 20 seconds. Hand sanitizers are helpful but not as effective as proper hand washing. It's a good idea to review hand washing technique with your older children too as they are often in a hurry and need to be reminded of the importance of proper hand washing techniques. You may want to review a hand washing video with your child and then practice together. Here are a variety of videos from the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/handwashing/videos.html
Food Service Survey…
At PCS, our goal is to provide our students with a fulfilling experience throughout every day that they are in attendance. Part of our students' daily routine is eating usually at least one meal while at school. We'd like to get your feedback on how you and your student feel about the food offered by Southwest Foodservice Excellence (SFE), our provider for school served breakfast and lunch. Please consider taking this short survey to give us your point of view: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/J5WBFJD
Free/Reduced Meal Status 2018-2019…
As a reminder, Free/Reduced lunch statuses from the previous school year have expired! If you have not filled out an application for this current school year, or are interested in turning one in for the first time, make sure that you do so and turn it into any of the offices ASAP! We ask that all families have one on file as our Free/Reduced Meal numbers have positive funding implications. If you have any questions feel free to contact Ben Huebner at bhuebner@premiercharterschool.org.
Needing to contact a staff member at PCS??…
Reminder that if you need to contact a teacher and you don’t remember or have easy access to their email address, you can fill out the contact us on the home page of the website and it will be forwarded to the correct person. Staff bio pages will also be coming to the website by the end of the month.
After School Clubs...
Let Me Run
Our end of season 5K is coming up on November 10 in Tower Grove Park. Any and all are welcome to sign up to run with the boys, or even to run your own race. Click this link to complete registration. The run benefits a worthy cause and your attendance can help with not only that, but to encourage the PCS Let Me Run Boys to have a fun fitness experience!
BAC Reminders…
Students are only allowed 5 drop-ins for Before care and 5 drop-ins for Aftercare per year. The Before care drop-in fee is $5 and Aftercare drop-in fee is $15 per student. For any questions regarding our Before care or Aftercare program please contact Mr. Lydon at jlydon@premiercharterschool.org.
PCG News & Happenings...
The PCG is a support group for the students, teachers, and parents of Premier Charter School. Parent volunteers promote social and extracurricular activities, which will lead to successful and positive experiences for the students. We want to welcome you and encourage all parents to become involved in PCS. The best way to become involved is to volunteer or help out in any way you can and you can do this through PCG. Please take a look at the attached letter and PCG events for the year.
If you would like to be on the PCG parent email group, send your email address to Terry Brogan (tbrogan@lashlybaer.com). You will receive updates on upcoming events, etc. Please take a moment to like the PCG parent Facebook page if you are on FB.
If you have Box Tops at home, be sure to collect and sent them in for additional fundraising opportunities for the school. There is a collection box located in the Elementary Building.
Fun in the StL...
Thurs. Nov 1- Wed. Nov 14 Free Science Activities, Movies, Speakers & More specifically targeted for Middle & High School Students
Various Venues: Mo Botanical Garden, The Zoo, The Science Center, The History Museum, UMSL, Grantview Branch Library, Tivoli Theater.
Are you curious about Biodiversity, Inventing Tomorrow, Native American Ecological Knowledge, High Tech Crime Fighting, the Origin of Life, Exploring Alaska? The Junior Science Academy of St. Louis is sponsoring several free Science related events for students, sometimes accompanied by snacks or dinner. You do not need to be a Junior Academy member to attend. Click on the following website to register for any of the November free science events: https://custapp.marketvolt.com/cv.aspx?cm=1231406587&x=59464903&cust=419925308
Friday, Nov 2 First Fridays at the Science Center
Free Telescope viewings and free Planetarium show at 7 p.m. for all ages; free 10 p.m. Omnimax theater, science trivia and science events for students 16 and older every first Friday of the month. Both Admission & Parking are free on First Fridays. https://www.slsc.org/event-overviews/first-fridays/
Saturday Nov 3 Concert & Flag Raising Ceremony at 9 a.m. Dedication at 10 a.m. New Exhibits open to the public at 11 a.m.
Grand Opening Celebration of the newly renovated Soldiers Memorial 1315 Chestnut The newly renovated Soldiers Memorial Museum opens this Saturday and is ADA accessible. Admission is free for all and all continuing and special exhibits are free to the general public . http://mohistory.org/events/grand-reopening-celebration_1541253600
Tickets are still available for the 50 minute play All is Calm: The Christmas Truce of 1914
This is a beautiful a capella performance depicting enemy soldiers who celebrated together during the Christmas Truce of 1914. Tickets are Free for Veterans or Active Military, $10 for adults and $5 for children or Missouri Historical Society Members. Reserve tickets (free & paid) by visiting: http://mohistory.org/events/all-is-calm-the-christmas-truce-of-1914_1541451600
Sat & Sun Nov 3 & 4 and Nov 10 & 11 at Various Times & Locations International Film Festival St. Louis
The International Film Festival brings the best International Films, American Indie Films, Shorts & Documentaries to St.Louis. All Children's/Family Films are free this weekend and next weekend at various locations throughout St. Louis. For a complete schedule family films go to: https://www.cinemastlouis.org/film-categories/sliffkids-family-films
Sun Nov 4 Noon- 4 p.m. The Great Candy Exchange at the Healthworks! Kids Museum . 1100 Macklind Avenue
Free Admission and Free Parking at the Healthworks! Kids Museum when you bring your extra Halloween Candy to donate to the USO. Receive free raffle tickets for every pound of candy you bring in. Enjoy free live shows, music, face painting, & snacks. https://www.hwstl.org/special-events/the-great-candy-exchange/
ONGOING FREE EXHIBITS
Oct 19, 2018 through Feb 10, 2019 . Kehinde Wiley: St. Louis at the St. Louis Art Museum
Artist Kehinde Wiley gained national notoriety for his work on the official portrait of Barrack Obama. Mr. Wiley now is exhibiting portraits of ordinary St. Louisans in his ongoing exhibit at the St. Louis Art Museum; free now through 2/10/19 in Galleries 249 & 250 in the East Building.
Note: Due to construction directly in front of the Art Museum, Fine Arts Drive is blocked in front of the statue of St. Louis overlooking Art Hill but you may reach either one of the 2 free parking lots coming from the Zoo side or from Skinker Ave side but you currently cannot drive past the statue of St. Louis going in either direction.
https://www.slam.org/exhibitions/kehinde-wiley.php
Now extended through March 24, 2019 . Panoramas of the City at the the Missouri History Museum
Panoramic photos of St. Louis as large as 10 feet x 30 feet taken from 1900 to 1950 tell the history of St. Louis is the first half of the 20th century. Exhibit date has been extended through March 24, 2019. http://mohistory.org/exhibits/panoramas-of-the-city/
Through June 2, 2019 . Muny Memories at the Missouri History Museum
The nations oldest outdoor theater celebrates its 100th birthday. Learn about past performances, take a peek backstage, vote for your favorite star, & learn a dance step at the free ongoing exhibit now through next June. http://mohistory.org/exhibits/muny-memories/
Through December 21, 2018 . Riverbend Public Art at the Gateway Arch
The 100-foot-long artwork, made of silver, mirror-like material that references the Arch, shows the navigable Missouri River, highlighting it as the primary means of Westward Expansion and Gateway to the West for Lewis and Clark and many others. Riverbend will represent the confluence with the Mississippi on the east and extend westward. Artist Margaret Keller won the Critical Mass for the Visual Arts Public Works Project commission to create this artwork.
Upcoming Important Dates...
11.8.18: PCS Board Meeting @ 4:30 pm
11.9.18: Veterans' Day Assembly
11.15.18: Literacy Ball & Book Fair @ 5:30-7:00 pm
11.21-23.18: No School - Thanksgiving Break
11.27.18: Picture Retake Day
12.15.18: Pancake Breakfast with your Grandparents or Special Friend
12.21.18: 1/2 Day - Noon Dismissal
12.22.18-1.2.19: No School - Winter Break
Be sure to check us out on social media... Twitter, Facebook, Instagram! All teachers & classrooms have accounts where you can check out pictures and happenings.
