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As we move into the variable temperatures of spring, thank you for remembering to send your children to school with a sweatshirt or light jacket. If you are missing winter clothing items, please check the Lost and Found between the gym and cafeteria.

Drop Off and Pick Up Safety. Since we’ve had some “close calls” recently, we want to re-emphasize the importance of safety outside at the beginning and end of the school day.

If you drive your children to school, please remember to have them exit your car from the school side of the vehicle. It is dangerous to do otherwise. Also, since there is usually a long line of cars waiting to drop off students (with parent drivers trying hard to get to work on time), please arrange it so that your own child can exit your vehicle quickly and independently.

If you pick up your child at 3 pm, please remember to go around the full line of waiting buses on your way to the parking lot. It is dangerous to walk between the buses; they may be pulling up and the drivers cannot adequately see small children darting in front of a bus.

PBIS (Positive Behavior in Schools) is now focusing on how to “Be Respectful, Safe, and Kind” when we are part of an audience in the classroom, gymnasium, or at a community performance. Ask your children about how an amazing group of staff members modeled how to behave (and not behave!) at Wednesday morning’s PBIS assembly. Also, keep an eye on the bulletin board outside the library filling up with earned paper clips over the next two weeks as students practice these skills with their own class. There will be an all-school special assembly April 18th to celebrate!

PTO meets tonight, April 3rd, at 6:30 pm in the PES conference room. There are many exciting spring PTO-sponsored events and activities that will be discussed, including Movie Night, the Spring Swing, Silent Auction, Pavilion building, workshops with the Family Center, and purchasing new playground equipment. All parents are welcome, and free child care is provided.

NO SCHOOL Friday, April 4th (Teacher Workshop Day)

[There will be no Principal’s letter to parents on April 11th; next Thursday and Friday I will be part of a PES leadership team participating in a two day NHASCD conference in Concord with presenters Rick & Becky DuFour on strengthening schools as Professional Learning Communities].

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Kindergarten Mitten Night. It was wonderful to see so many PES Kindergarten students and their families at last Friday evening’s “Mitten Night.” This event, designed and organized by our incredible Kindergarten teachers (Cyndie D’Andrea, Jen Christensen, Janice LaRoche & Tanya Rousseau), included a whole array of science related activity centers. Students thoroughly enjoyed these enriching, interactive learning experiences!

After School Enrichment. Warm thanks to the PTO leadership and all the PES parent volunteers who are organizing and teaching the after-school grade-level activities, including “math clubs” and a yoga class. A chess group will start up later this spring. If you are interested in starting a new after-school activity, or helping to serve as coaches with the on-going enrichment groups, please contact PTO President Stacey Kolk.

Like Green? No, not green eggs and ham (although we have seen some of these unique treats around school as we celebrate Dr. Seuss’ birthday!) – but helping our school become more environmentally “green.” For instance, Mrs. Lavoie’s Fourth grade class continues to run a laudable paper re-cycling program throughout our school. Students have talked about the importance of counter-acting global warming, the importance of recycling, and how even at their age they can “make a difference” by keeping recyclable paper out of landfills and taking other steps to protect the precious resources of our community and world.

Curriculum Spotlight: Science. Wednesday evening I attended the NH Environmental Educators conference at the Audubon Center in Concord where we heard speakers from the NH Dept. of Educ., the McAuliffe Planetarium, and the Math-Science Coordinators from the Bedford and Hooksett, NH, school systems. It was inspiring to hear about how schools are addressing the NH State Science standards and GLE’s through meaningful hands-on experiences. In the fall the NHEE organization will be holding a conference at the Sargent Camp conference center, and we hope interested parents will participate.

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I hope you all had an enjoyable vacation last week. It was great fun for me to spend a long week-end with my daughter, son-in-law, and super delightful 3 ½ year old grand-daughter, Sophia, at their home in northern Alabama (their back yard was full of energetic Robins and bright yellow daffodils!).

Student Presentations. This week we’ve been back in full swing at school, with numerous presentations of students’ stories, science projects, and choral readings. These opportunities enhance students’ knowledge of specific content and help hone their oral fluency and comfort in public speaking – important life-long skills.

The Big6. This week I attended an excellent day-long workshop with our Teacher/Librarian, Nancy Richard, on “The Big6,” an information/technology literacy and problem-solving model. This approach emphasizes “Plan, Do, Review” in its six stages. Briefly these include: 1. Define the task/problem and identify the information needed; 2. Generate possible sources of information then select the best ones; 3. Locate and find the sources/information needed; 4. Use and “extract” relevant information; 5. Organize, synthesize & present the information; and 6. Evaluate the process and final product. As adults, most of us intuitively go through similar steps when we make a decision such as buying a car or researching an issue on the internet. I believe it will be a very helpful model for our students who are full of passionate interests and important questions yet they have so much information easily available that it is often challenging to know how to proceed. For more information, go to www.Big6.com .

Next week: 4th graders will enjoy a residency on NH native American basket-making.

March 10th, 6:30 pm – PTO Playground Comm. mtg. to discuss Pavilion plans.

March 11th – PTO Spring Book Fair begins. Also, please VOTE on the very important school district warrant at your local Peterborough/ Sharon polling places. Information is available on the district’s conval.edu website.

March 12th – PTO/Family Center presentation on “When Your Kids Push Your Buttons” with Peterborough resident and internationally known writer, Bonnie Harris.

March 15th, 7 – 11 am – PTO Pancake Breakfast, Book Fair and Tag Sale.

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Curriculum Spotlight: Science. Even with our sometimes challenging New England weather, our students continue to enjoy exploring the beautiful Monadnock region. For instance, our Fourth graders who are studying NH mammals have been working with their teachers and our Harris Center naturalist, Janet Altobello, to research and explore local habitats. They are now our resident experts on identifying animals by their signs and even by their tracks in the snow. Have you ever looked at the hair of a white-tail deer under a magnifying glass or microscope?

Curriculum Spotlight: Language Arts. In honor of Martin Luther King, Jr., Third graders are involved in an in-depth study of the history of the Civil Rights era. Their research includes internet sources, books, videos, and audio recordings. Choral reading improves students’ oral fluency and confidence as readers while writing short biographies of famous African-Americans addresses GLE’s (Grade Level Expectations) in Language Arts and Social Studies. I know you will enjoy their performances!

Curriculum Spotlight: Math. Our Math Investigations program is aligned with the NH state math frameworks; it emphasizes computational fluency as well as mathematical thinking and reasoning. Students build on their ideas about numbers, shapes and measurements, patterns, and data, -- and then can apply these skills and strategies to new situations. Thank you for practicing age-appropriate “math facts” and math problem solving strategies at home with your children. Our students love mathematical challenges!

Please vote! At 7 pm, Tuesday, Feb. 12th, eligible voters in the school district will meet at ConVal High School to finalize the warrant articles to be voted on March 11th. There are very important educational issues to be discussed and resolved, and I hope everyone concerned about the educational future of our children will participate. Thank you so much.

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Arts Enrichment. This month’s Cool Day Assembly will be at 1:30 PM this Friday, January 25th. Featured will be Second Graders performing the dances they are learning through the Arts Enrichment sponsored residency with New Hampshire Dance Institute instructor Angela Brenning. The mission of New Hampshire Dance Institute is to “awaken children to the transformative power of the arts, and to make art, through dance, a vital part of their education.” NHDI and PES both believe that all children should have the opportunity to experience the arts, and that youngsters who participate at an early age remain involved in the arts for the rest of their lives. PES students love to dance!

Understanding State Curriculum Frameworks. What is a “GLE”? Our school is paying more and more attention to the New Hampshire curriculum frameworks and the “Grade Level Expectations” (GLE’s) for Mathematics, Language Arts, Science, and Social Studies. The New England Comprehensive Assessment Program (“NECAP’s”) assess our Third and Fourth grade students on their progress in meeting the GLE’s in Reading and Mathematics. This year Science will be added as a spring NECAP assessment for Fourth graders. The NH Curriculum Frameworks and GLE’s are on the NH Dept. of Education website. As a district, we are also analyzing our local curriculum guidelines to be sure they are aligned with these state frameworks. Many of our PES teachers and staff members have volunteered to serve on the newly constituted district Curriculum Action committees as well as volunteering to serve on our school-based Math Leadership committee and our PES Professional Learning Community leadership team. This is exciting work that will help us to provide targeted, quality instruction to enhance students’ growth and learning!

Please remember that this coming Monday, January 28th is a teacher workshop day, so that there is NO SCHOOL for children.

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This is a “two for one” parent letter, as I was at a conference last week and thus unable to prepare a newsletter, and this coming Friday we may have yet another snowstorm!

NH Literacy Action Plan for the 21st Century. Literacy was the focus of the conference I attended in Concord last week. I strongly believe that reading is the foundation for success in all areas of learning, and I’m delighted that the NH Dept. of Education has recently focused on how schools might provide effective and comprehensive balanced literacy instruction. This NH pre-K-16 Action Plan is available on the website www.ed.state.nh.us. I would urge you to at least read p. 9 of this report, “Shared Beliefs about Learning and Literacy,” since together these are the foundation of our state, district, and school’s student-centered work in literacy education.

The conference was also an important time to share ideas with other NH educators about what they’re finding most effective in literacy curriculum, assessment, and instruction. It is exciting to see how our PES students are reading with greater fluency and more attention to meaning, and are writing more confidently and effectively for a wide range of purposes!

Parent Resources. The Harris Center in Hancock, www.harriscenter.org, has excellent family-oriented environmental education programs, both indoors and outside, right through the winter. For more infor., call 525-3394. Also, The Family Center, www.thefamilycenter.us, offers a wide variety of low-cost parenting workshops, including When Your Kids Push Your Buttons; Stepfamilies: How To Live With Other People’s Children; and Are Video Games Bad For Your Kids? For more infor., call 924-6306.

Parking. I’m well aware that finding a safe and legal parking space at PES can be a real challenge, especially for all-school events such as assemblies or Open House. However, it is important to remember that it is illegal to park in fire lanes, the school’s drop-off loop, or (unless you have been granted such access) to park in handicapped parking spaces. Thank you for your help and cooperation.

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Winter recess clothing. Winter is here! Please be sure your child leaves home with appropriate winter recess clothing, including snow pants and boots, a warm hat and gloves/ mittens. If the wind chill factor is 10 degrees F. or above, we’re outside “playing in the snow”!

What’s in a Graph? Beginning in Kindergarten, our students learn how to collect and present data in many different forms. For example, students generate data through surveys and portray this information in various kinds of graphs. At the same time, our staff collects and uses behavioral data through our PBIS (Positive Behavior in Schools) program. We also analyze formal and informal academic assessments so that we can track students’ growth and align our instruction with student needs. Look around the school and you’ll see examples of both students and staff “using data”!

Arts Enrichment. Next week Kindergarten classes will participate in a New Hampshire Dance Institute residency. Parents will be sent invitations to attend their culminating performance. You will be amazed at the energy, skill, and collective enthusiasm of these young children! Second graders will participate in a similar NHDI residency Jan. 22nd – 25th.

PTO Family Game Night will be held Friday evening, January 25th. Dig out those Hawaiian shirts, bring a board game, and get ready to enjoy an evening of family fun!

District Meetings. There are a number of important district-wide meetings coming up:

The Budget Hearing for the 2008 – 2009 school district budget will be held at 7 pm, Tuesday, Jan. 8th at the SAU (behind South Meadow School). This is an excellent opportunity to learn more about the proposed budget for next year. Following the hearing, the School Board will hold its regular early January meeting.

District Meeting, Part I will be held at 7 pm on Wednesday, February 6th at ConVal High School. At this evening meeting the articles on the warrant and the 2008 – 2009 district budget will be discussed and finalized before they are presented to voters in March.

District Meeting, Part II is Tuesday, March 11th. This is the day to vote on the school district’s 08 – 09 warrant articles, budget, and the openings on the ConVal School Board. “Ballot box” voting will take place throughout the day in all the district’s nine towns, including Peterborough and Sharon.

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Winter is here! Thank you for sending your children to school with warm outdoor clothes so they can enjoy our sliding hills and wintry outdoor NH weather at recess. Children do need boots, snow pants, jacket, mittens/gloves, and a hat to play in the snow; otherwise they are restricted to the blacktop. Also, it really helps if all items can be marked with children’s names.

Bleachers… On Wednesday we had an official inspection of our 50 + year old gym bleachers, and sadly they are no longer deemed safe. Heavy school and community use over time has created numerous problems, including essential hardware that is missing, broken welding repairs, and a variety of cracks and fractures in the support mechanisms. Until the bleachers are either replaced or completely renovated, they are strictly off-limits. Thanks for your understanding.

Professional Learning Communities. Last week I attended the North East ASCD Conference in Boston. It was incredibly exciting to hear educators and researchers such as Rick and Becky DuFour, Doug Reeves, and Pam Robbins speak on various topics related to the building of positive, collaborative school cultures that enhance staff growth and student learning. Here at PES we continue to work on studying and piloting a variety of “best practices” for school improvement in the areas of curriculum, instruction, and assessment. At the district level, our PES staff is represented on the Curriculum Design Team (helping to guide the development of the overall curriculum), and the Curriculum Action Teams in the areas of Language Arts, Math, Science, and Health.

Playground Improvement Committee. We are pleased to announce that PES was selected to receive a $10,000. grant from the NH Charitable Foundation’s Erland and Hazel Goyette Memorial Fund for the purpose of up-dating and improving our playground equipment and building an outdoor classroom pavilion. Additional fund-raising will continue – stay tuned!

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Fall Parent-Teacher Conferences. Thank you for taking the time to meet with your child’s teacher to review the last few months of school work and discuss academic and social goals for the coming year. We hope you are very pleased with your children’s hard work, creative talents, and varied school-based accomplishments.

Curriculum Spotlight. Handwriting/penmanship. As reported in the Nov. 12th issue of Newsweek (p. 69), recent research studies suggest that “handwriting fluency is a fundamental building block of learning.” A wide range of educators agree that even in this age of computers and other technologies, developing automaticity and speed in handwriting helps young students express their written ideas more easily and (later) to take notes more efficiently. In the ConVal district, Kindergarten through Second grade students study printing through the Handwriting Without Tears program, and third and fourth graders learn cursive handwriting in the Loops and Other Groups program. At homes, these skills can be reinforced when children hand write everything from grocery lists to postcards and thank you notes.

PTO After School Enrichment programs. Thanks to PTO parents Anneke Cooper, Stacey Kolk, and Jeanne Sturges, the current Fourth grade after school group for “kids who truly love math” has been very successful! Students play a variety of new math games, having fun together as they apply a variety of mathematical skills and strategies. Are you interested and available to offer support for short-term after-school enrichment activities in an area of personal or professional interest? If so, please contact Stacey Kolk to explore the possibilities.

Curriculum Spotlight. Science. Children are so curious about the natural world! Using hands-on inquiries, our students work with our outstanding PES teachers and Harris Center naturalist Janet Altobello to explore our local environment through models, observations, and numerous field trips. The learning is powerful and wide-ranging!

My best wishes to you and all of your loved ones for a very special Thanksgiving celebration next week,

P.S. – See you this evening for PTO Movie Night & supper!

Tonight at 6pm: PTO Supper & Movie Night

Nov. 21st – 23rd: No School

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Fire Prevention. We appreciate the Peterborough Fire Dept.’s visits this week to review fire prevention and fire safety with our students. It was also special to see a PES graduate “in uniform”!

PBIS Assembly. At 10:20 on Monday, October 29th, we will have a school assembly to introduce this fall’s PBIS focus on ‘Respectful, Safe, & Kind’ behavior at recess. Second graders from Mr. Rothhaus’ and Ms. Dunning’s classes will be featured in a movie demonstrating safe behavior on the playground, and we will learn a new song/cheer as well. Parents are welcome to attend!

The Halloween Parade this year will leave the school at 1:20 pm on Wed., Oct. 31st; we will be walking down-town and then back up to PES. Students who wish to participate will bring their costume to school (not wear it) and then change into these after their lunch/recess. Parents are welcome to come to school at 1 pm to help children get ready. Please remember that our school does not allow weapons or toy weapons, even on Halloween, and that all costumes need to allow children to see and walk safely and comfortably. If you or your child prefer not to participate in the parade, please write a note to your child’s teacher, and those children will then join Mr. Szep for activities in the gym during the parade time. After the parade, many classes have parties with games and food. If you are contributing to a school party, please think about how you can provide treats (not candy) that are fun but also healthy and low in sugar. Thanks!

Photo Re-Takes will be on Thursday, Nov. 1st. If you are not satisfied with your child’s school photo, please return all photos and the pictures will be taken a second time.

PTO will meet Thursday, Nov. 1st at 6:30 pm, and 9 am on Friday, Nov. 2nd. There are many exciting events coming up, including the annual wreath sale, a Movie Night on Nov. 16th, and making plans for an improved playground. Please come and share your ideas!

There will be No School on Friday, Nov. 9th and Monday, Nov. 12th [and no principal’s newsletter on Nov. 9th].

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PTO Fall Fun Fair. Thank you all for your enthusiastic support of last Saturday’s marvelous PTO Fall Fun Fair. Hundreds of children and their families participated in activities ranging from sack races to pumpkin painting, and enjoyed delicious food that included home made chili and apple crisp! The weather was perfect, and the incredible organizers and volunteers hosted an amazing day of fun and community-building. Thank you all!

Interns. We are fortunate to have interns from ConVal High School as well as Keene State College and Antioch University working with students at PES. Two of our high school interns are returning this year for a second semester of volunteering in classrooms. While learning more about their future profession from our outstanding teachers, these teen-agers also provide additional 1:1 and small group support for our students.

Arts Conference. Recently I attended the NH Arts in Education Conference which was based at the Sargent Center, but included workshops led by Lynn Compton and Janet Altobello right here at PES. Saturday’s keynote speaker was Dr. Plato Karafelis, the dynamic principal of Wolcott Elementary School in West Hartford, Conn. Years ago I knew Plato at UConn when we were both studying for our doctorates, so it was a special treat to learn more about what he has been doing. Wolcott is a very exciting and successful school that celebrates each child’s “powerful voice” through the visual and performing arts; for instance student’s writing is often set to music and performed at weekly assemblies. It is rewarding to see that although the school focuses on the integration of the arts and technology (and their student population is quite diverse), Wolcott’s state test scores are consistently quite high on the Conn. state test. Lynn and I felt rejuvenated and inspired by the presenters and the dozens of teachers we met at the conference. To learn more about Plato and Wolcott School, go to their (student designed and maintained) website www.whps.org/wolcott .

Stretching and Movement Exercises. Research suggests that children are far more available for learning when thoughtful yet enjoyable movement activities are integrated into their school day. These may be quick stretch breaks, often to music, or longer periods of teacher led yoga or other exercises. We have found that children enjoy these ‘breaks’ and then are far more focused and productive when faced with the mental challenge of academics!

Next week at PES: 9:30 am, Wed., Oct. 24th – Cool Day Assembly. All welcome!

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Fall Fun Fair. We hope you all will return to school tomorrow (Saturday the 13th) to enjoy the wide range of activities at the PTO Fun Fair. This year there will be new addition: a Halloween costume swap. Donate your old costume/s and pick out a “new” and different one. There will be delicious food, a “bouncy castle,” plenty of games and many other surprises.

FACTS. FACTS stands for “Famous Artists Come to School,” a terrific arts enrichment program staffed entirely by parents. If you enjoy volunteering in classrooms, you’ll love this opportunity to teach children about the art and life of an ‘artist of the month.’ All of the information and materials are provided, and the FACTS coordinators can provide coaching/mentoring. If this sounds like fun to you, please contact Arlene Shows or Jeanne Sturges. Thanks!

Buddy Classrooms. This school has a long tradition of classes pairing up as “Reading Buddies.” Students read to one another, and build cross-grade friendships through a variety of shared activities. I am always touched by the empathy and compassion of our PES students as they work and play with one another.

Professional Learning Communities. Our new Superintendent, Dr. Bergeron, is very supportive of the district’s schools enhancing their positive, collaborative school cultures. “If schools want to enhance their organizational capacity to boost student learning, they should work on building a professional community that is characterized by shared purpose, collaborative activity, and collective responsibility among staff” (Newmann & Wehlage, 1995, p. 37). This year we are re-visiting our shared understandings, common values, vision for the future, and plans for how we will realize that vision. Our first step was to adopt a school mission statement that would be compelling, concise and answer the questions, “Why do we exist?” and “What is our purpose?” The staff collectively studied mission statements from other schools and organizations, using these as a catalyst to clarify our own thinking. This process culminated in adopting the following: OUR MISSION IS TO ENGAGE, SUPPORT, AND INSPIRE LEARNING. Our next step is to develop a vision statement that conveys a desirable, feasible, and focused picture of PES in the future. What is your vision of excellence for what PES will become in the next five years? We look forward to hearing your ideas and suggestions!

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Harris Center. One of my favorite local treasures is the Harris Center for Conservation Education located on King’s Highway in nearby Hancock. Their staff is deeply involved in protecting undeveloped land for future generations, providing environmental specialists to schools (our PES Harris Center naturalist is the remarkable Janet Altobello), and sponsoring a wide variety of guided trips and special programs. This week-end there will be a Saturday trip to the Kulish bobcat ledges on Osgood Mountain (a moderately easy hike) and a Sunday trip to the Andorra Forest Shrubland on Pitcher Mountain. For more infor., go to www.harriscenter.org

Emergency Management. As part of our commitment to the safety and security of students, please remember to sign out as well as signing in when you visit PES. Whenever we have a fire drill or any kind of emergency evacuation, we must account for everyone who was in the building when the alarm sounds. If you “came and went,” we don’t know that information unless you have signed out as you are leaving. Thanks so much!

Technology. We are fortunate to have a mobile lab of Mac iBook computers (and would love it if someone knows a source of support to bring more of these labs to our school!). Students use these laptops to strengthen their math skills, to draft and revise/edit their stories and research reports, and to learn more about how to access safe and child-friendly educational web sites that support our curriculum. Please contact your child’s teacher if you are willing to help students with computer skills.

Curriculum Spotlight: Science. Good luck to 3rd graders who will visit Ruggles Mine next week as part of their rocks and minerals unit; other classes will be visiting the Harris Center, MacDowell Dam, and the Fremont Conservation Land. Thanks to all the parent chaperones!

See you at Saturday’s Wellness Festival!

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Reading Recovery. Recently our R.R. teachers, Karen MacQueen and Jo Thomas, helped prepare a presentation to the School Board about our highly successful program, Reading Recovery. This program provides intensive one to one instruction in reading and writing for first graders who are struggling to develop early literacy skills. We are proud that the majority of children in Reading Recovery make significant progress after their twenty weeks of this specialized support. Mrs. Thomas and Mrs. MacQueen also provide help to students through Literacy Support Groups – and work collaboratively to help organize literacy support materials in the classroom.

Visitors. This week our visitors to PES included Dick Bergeron, Superintendent of Schools; Don Johnson, Assistant Superintendent; and Linda Potter, Director of Special Education. It is always a treat to share with others the incredible teaching of our outstanding teaching staff, and the excitement of our students’ active learning!

Professional Learning Communities. This year we are working to enhance student growth and learning through strengthening our positive school culture and learning more about “best practices” for instruction and assessment. As a staff we will be up-dating our school’s mission, vision, values, and goals. “The effectiveness of a school is directly linked to its ability to create a learning community. Schools that are proactive, seeking, questioning and curious will [continue to] improve…” (DuFour & Eaker, Professional Learning Communities at Work, p. 203). This is an exciting and worthwhile process!

Monday, Sept. 24th – 9:30 am, Cool Day Assembly in gym; parents welcome.

6:30 pm – PTO Playground Improvement Comm. mtg. – all welcome.

Saturday, Sept. 29th – Monadnock Rotary’s Wellness Festival downtown – fun & free!

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Curriculum Spotlight: Math. This year PES is implementing the newly published Second Edition of Math Investigations, the math program that we have been using in this district for many years. Math Investigations is a research–based, child–centered approach to teaching mathematics through engaging activities, discussions, and problem solving.

Wednesday afternoon teachers worked with math consultant/ trainer Terri Rollins who answered many questions and facilitated discussion about the M.I. Second Edition. This Second Edition of Investigations has many improvements over the First Edition. It is better organized, more student and teacher friendly, and has much more emphasis on computation skills and fluency (as well as place value, time, money, and pre-algebra). It includes more opportunities for students to practice new skills, includes suggestions for more advanced students, and has many excellent resources for parents. Throughout the school year we will share more information and specific 2nd Ed. print and on-line parent and student resources.

Arts Conference. We are fortunate that the NH State Council Arts in Education conference Beyond Adequate: Transforming Our Educational Landscape Through the Arts will be held right here at the Sargent Camp in Peterborough October 5th – 7th. Parents are invited! There will be workshops on dance & movement, poetry and visual arts, world music, theatre arts/ storytelling, drawing comics, songs & stories for teaching about the natural world, book-making, and more! We are honored that our Art/Music teacher, Lynn Compton, and the PES principal are invited presenters/ facilitators. For more information, please go to www.nh.gov/nharts

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Handbook. Please do take the time to review the up-dated Student-Parent Handbook with your children. The first section on “What’s OK, what’s not OK” is especially important for students. The rest of the handbook provides parents with a variety of useful information about policies and procedures at PES. If you have further questions, please do contact your child’s teacher or the school office (924-3828). Thanks!

PBIS. Our Positive Behavior in Schools program continues this year with an emphasis on clarifying expectations for students at recess and in the classroom. We are proud to be a part of a state and national network of PBIS schools that pro-actively teach and celebrate positive behavior to minimize disruptions and enhance the teaching/learning environment. Our PBIS motto is "Keep it on your mind: Be respectful, safe, and kind."

Blue Ribbon Award. PES has just been selected to receive a Blue Ribbon Award for the high participation rate and outstanding quality of our school's volunteers! Our school will be recognized at a ceremony in Concord next month. So congratulations to all of our incredible parent and community volunteers!

College students at PES. This fall we are again fortunate to have student interns from Keene State College, Antioch University, and ConVal High School working with our outstanding staff members who serve as mentors for these future teachers. Graduates of these programs are now teaching all over the U.S. and abroad, as well as at PES!

The PTO Playground Improvement Committee will be working with the ConVal Director of Buildings and Grounds, Jon Eldridge, and the Director of the Peterborough Recreation Dept., Jeff King, to plan adding new playground structures and the building of a roofed pavilion. If you are interested in participating in this worthwhile project, please contact the chair of the committee, Nancy Zanga, or the PTO President, Stacey Kolk.

Upcoming Dates:
Sept. 14th - School Photo Day

Sept. 20th- PTO Genevieve Wrapping Paper (etc.) Sale begins [contact Susan Davis to help!]

Sept. 24th, 9:30 am - All school Cool Day Assembly; parents welcome!