February 2010 Newsletter

For the most up-to-date information from Mr. Lee, please visit his blog at http://www.ppesprincipal.blogspot.com/.


INFORMATION...

The Census:
- The U.S. Constitution requires a national census once every 10 years.
- The census is a count of everyone residing in the United States: in all 50 states, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and American Samoa. This includes people of all ages, races, ethnic groups, both citizens and non-citizens.

Your Participation in the Census Matters:
- Every year, more than $300 billion in federal funds is awarded to states, communities, and schools based on census data.
- Census data guide local decision-makers in important community planning efforts, including where to build new roads, hospitals, and schools.
- Census data determine boundaries for state and local legislative and congressional districts and how many seats each state will have in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Census Questionnaire: Simple to Complete and SAFE:
- The Census questionnaire asks only a few simple questions of each person—name, relationship, gender, age, and date of birth, race, and whether the respondent owns or rents his/her home. The questionnaire takes about 10 minutes to complete.
- The questionnaire will be mailed to all households in February and March. Residents are asked to return the questionnaire by mail by Census Day, April 1, 2010. Census takers will visit households that did not return a questionnaire by mail during the months of April – July 2010.
- The Census Bureau does not release or share information that identifies individual respondents or their household for 72 years.
- All information collected remains confidential. Census workers take oaths for life to protect the confidentiality of census responses. Violation would result in a jail term of up to five years and/or fine of up to $250,000. By law, the Census Bureau cannot share an individual’s answers with anyone, including welfare and immigration agencies.

For more information on the 2010 Census, visit their website at www.census.gov/2010census

NEWS FROM THE SPECIAL AREAS ...
ART~ from Mrs. Kohl
Thanks!: Fantastic-Terrific-Generous- THE BEST PARENTS! I am so privileged to work at this great school. Mrs. O'Hara sent out the supply list flyers and purchased buckets to coordinate your donations to the art department. Thank you so much for the terrific response. As of now we still have a need, from any grade, for the following items: markers-thick and thin, sandpaper, small paper plates, and plaster of Paris (yes I wish we really did have to go to Paris to get it and see the Louvre). You are the best parents in America! Thanks again.

MUSIC~ from Mrs. Zollars
Join the Pinnacle Peak Choir: Choir has started rehearsals for our Spring performance "Broadway Our Way". We would love to have some more singers in our group. All students in fourth through sixth grades are welcome to join choir. This is a great opportunity for students to develop their musical and performing skills. Also, they will have fun singing some great music from some very famous shows. I know that we have a lot of very talented Pinnacle Peak Eagles that should be on stage. If your child is interested in joining choir they can see Mrs. Zollars for an enrollment form.
Rehearsal days and Times: 4th grade students rehearse on Mondays before school from 8:00-8:40am. 5th and 6th grade students rehearse on Wednesdays before school from 8:00-8:40am.

PE~ from Mr. Mang
Field Days are coming! See the dates below. Come cheer on your child!
Kdg. and 1st Grade: Friday, February 19
2nd and 3rd Grade: Monday, February 22
4th, 5th, and 6th Grade: Wednesday, February 24 (full day) and Thursday, February 25 (afternoon only)

Also, just a reminder that optional monthly P.E. calendars can be found and printed online or a copy can be picked up at the front office. Calendars are a great way to encourage your child to be active. And don't forget, students who turn a calendar in are eligible to win gift cards to fun places!
PE Calendars: Calendars can now be found online at: http://cmweb.pvschools.net/ppesweb. Just follow the links from departments and grade levels to special areas, to Mr. Mang's P.E. Department, and then to P.E. Calendar. Or you can just go to http://cmweb.pvschools.net/-gmang. P.E. Calendars are a fun and easy way for kids to be active. And don't forget, students who turn a calendar in are eligible to win gift cards to fun places!

TECHNOLOGY~ from Ms. Sorin
5th and 6th Grade: Wow, the kids are all working so hard on their projects! The 5th and 6th graders are on track to give James Cameron a run for his money. Their multi-media projects are really coming along. Check with your students to see if they have started a blog and encourage them to invite you to view it!
4th Grade: Our 4th graders have been doing research and creating slideshow presentations in preparation for their art residency with storyteller, Sandy Oglesby. Each student selected an Arizona Native American Tribe and researched that culture.
1st, 2nd, 3rd Grade: Students in grades 1-3 have also been hard at work creating slideshows. Many are close to finishing their projects and may want to burn a copy of it to a CD in order to bring home and share with family. If your child wants to bring home their slideshow you can send him/her to school with an unused CD+R. Our student computers will not burn to DVD.
Kindergarten: Kinders have also been hard at work. We have started learning Microsoft Word. Students are learning to use special keys (space, return, shift, and delete) and change font size. This is a real challenge but they are doing great!
Help: One last thing, the Computer Lab needs large bottles of hand sanitizer and anti-bacterial wipes. We use these to keep the students and computers germ-free. Any donations would be very much appreciated.

From the Green Team - Ms. Sorin
The Green Team Club has started and we look forward to sharing everything we learn about eco-friendly living. The first thing we want to share is that Pinnacle Peak Elementary School is part of the Elmer's Glue Crew. This means that we will be collecting empty glue sticks and water bottles. Bottles need to have a #1 or #2 recycling code. In the Spring, we will turn in or collections for recycling. For every item we turn in, the school can get 2 cents (every little bit counts)! The more we recycle, the more we help the Earth and earn money for our school! Sounds like a win-win deal.

If you have any questions, you can email Ms. Sorin at psorin@pvschools.net or call her at (602) 449-6700