MARCH 2010

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

INFORMATION...
KINDERGARTEN REGISTRATION:
Kindergarten registration begins March 8, 2010. Our PTO will host school tours on March 12 at 10:00a.m. and 11:00a.m., and March 19 at 10:00a.m. and 11:00a.m. Please be sure to come to the office and sign up for a tour.
Open Enrollment: PPES will accept open enrollment for all grades (Kdg-6).

REPORT CARDS AND INFINITE CAMPUS: PVUSD is going through a major change in its student data management system. Our new system, called Infinite Campus, will prove to be a very powerful opportunity for you to monitor information regarding your child. Please click on the link below for step-by-step instructions on how to check your child's grades.

http://cmweb.pvschools.net/ppesweb/ICParentHelp

To view a sample copy of our new Report Card, please click the link below.

http://cmweb.pvschools.net/ppesweb/samplereportcard.pdf

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
Arabian Horse Show: PPES had 4 students place in the top 10 reserve at the Arabian Horse Show design contest. They were Lindsay Dahl, Will Goldwater, Cassie Menge and Molly Cahill. All 26 students that entered were winners and their art will be on display in the office next week.

If any parent has a duck stamp entry form at home please send it back to school as soon as possible. Please make sure the address information is filled in. I will need to send the entries to Yuma by March 8th. Students have worked very hard on their designs and that effort shows. It will be exciting to know the results by the first week in April.

Art work is now being chosen for the District Art Show. I will put the art show up on March 12 at the Paradise Valley Community College and take down will be on March 25th. Students that have art on display will be notified by March 15th.

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 were a SUCCESS! Great job to all students at Pinnacle Peak who recently participated in our annual Field Days! A BIG THANKS to all parents who helped out in any capacity, the teachers who helped, and the 6th graders who helped. Also, THANKS to parents who came to watch their children and came to support P.E. Select 4th, 5th, and 6th graders will be competing at our annual District Field Day on Tuesday, March 9th at Horizon High School. Go Eagles!!

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
Dear Grades 1 and 4 Parents,

You are cordially invited to attend the Desert Voices Storytelling Festival! It's presented by the Pinnacle Peak Elementary 1st and 4th grade classes.

When: March 10th, 5:30 p.m. Student artifacts may be viewed starting at 5:00p.m.
Where: PPES Multi-Purpose Room
Why: Pinnacle Peak first and fourth grade students are very fortunate to be participating in a special arts and literacy program over the next two and a half weeks. This program is funded by the Arizona Commission on the Arts and our very own PTO. Our visiting artist in residence, Sandy Oglesby, is a professional storyteller and is well versed in Native American cultures of the desert southwest. Mrs. Oglesby has worked as a docent at the Pueblo Grande Museum and she has worked with Elderhostel education programs. She also became an Arizona Tour Guide in order to work with resorts on educating visitors about the desert and its many cultural groups. Mrs. Oglesby will share her knowledge of desert peoples and their traditions, in order to develop students' understanding of the art of storytelling and its role in society, and to create artifacts similar to those left by the Anasazi and Hohokam people. In addition to artifacts made with Mrs. Oglesby, our wonderful art teacher, Mrs. Kohl, will be making pottery with authentic Native American designs.

We look forward to seeing you at our performance!

Sincerely, Mrs. Hornbeck, Miss Stout, Ms. Albrecht, Miss DeLuco, Miss Schilling, Ms. Brazie, Miss Cox, Miss Hastings, Mrs. Scheuermann, Mrs. Kohl, and Miss Sorin