PCK Weekly News
January 13, 2022
No School On Monday
PCK is closed on Monday, January 17, in observation of the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday. Enjoy the day off!
Last Chance For Lost and Found
This is the last call for claiming items from our lost and found before they are donated to charity. Please come look for coats, sweatshirts, lunch boxes, water bottles, and other items belonging to your family by the end of the day tomorrow, Friday, January 14.
Stay Home While Awaiting Test Results
If your child has/had COVID symptoms and you are waiting for test results, please keep your student home until you receive a negative result or at least five days have passed since symptoms started AND the symptoms have resolved. Asymptomatic students who decide to test should stay home until receiving a negative test result or for 5 days, whichever occurs first. This will go a long way in minimizing exposures at school. Thank you for your help!
SAC Safety and Security Survey Results
Recently, the PCK School Advisory Committee (SAC) sent a survey to parents asking about their top concerns related to the physical safety, emotional well-being, and health of our students. We had roughly 200 responses from families who expressed concerns while also posing terrific questions for the SAC to consider. They also offered ideas for possible solutions to some of the issues that are on the minds of our families. Below is a brief summary of the larger themes that developed as a result of the SAC survey:
Physical Safety:
Increasing the presence or visibility of the School Resource Officer (SRO)
A continuation and possible expansion of PCK’s Safety Dad program
Movement of students outside of the building
Emotional Well-Being:
A continuation and possible expansion of the groups and programs here at PCK (friendship and anxiety groups, character coaching, workshops to provide students with different skill sets, etc.)
More proactive tips for dealing with normal peer issues and bullying
Greater access to the school counselor for students
Health and Safety Protocols:
Increased transparency around measures PCK is taking to mitigate the spread of COVID-19
The SAC at PCK understands the importance of parent voice in making our school the very best it can be. With all of the feedback we received, we will be discussing potential proposals we can submit to the PCK Board of Directors for consideration. We want to thank everyone for taking the time to complete our safety and security survey. Your input is invaluable and we are grateful to have such an engaged and dedicated community. Be on the lookout for our next parent survey in the coming weeks.
-- The PCK School Accountability Committee
New Year, New PCK Photo Sharing Site
Our photo sharing site has moved from OneDrive to TreeRing. TreeRing is the company that prints our yearbook, so using their photo sharing site makes compiling content for our yearbook easier.
To begin uploading photos:
Go to www.treering.com. You can also download the TreeRing app from the app store.
Login to the website/app with your email and password. Note: This is the site where you purchase your yearbooks, so if you have already ordered one you should have an account. If you don’t have an account, click the Sign Up button. To create an account, enter our school’s passcode: 1015343699083637. You will then enter your family’s information.
On the main tab, you can purchase your yearbook. Below the purchase option you will see the "Share Your Photos" button. Click the button.
Click on Shared Photo Folders and select the folder that matches the content of the photos you are uploading. You can upload from your computer or mobile device.
For eighth graders, use this process to upload your student’s baby picture by clicking Add A Baby Photo (only eighth grade students will have this option).
If you need additional assistance, please feel free to contact our parent yearbook editor, Sarah Gustashaw at gustashaw@comcast.net or call/text 972-670-8716.
The Annual Giving Campaign Ends Tomorrow
Tomorrow is the last day to donate to the Annual Giving Campaign. The Foundation at PCK is raising money to help fix and build a new playground. Our current one is over 20 years old and needs some serious TLC. So far we have raised $31,924! We couldn’t do this without the help of the PCK family. Please consider donating to help our kids have a nice safe place to play.
Thank you to all the families that have already donated:
Brandon Family; Dhulipalla Family; Pasha Family; Mishra Family; Goettsch Family; Bradburn Family; Wooten Family; Sandhu Family; Peterson Family; Jaeger Family; Reppas Family; Rustamov Family; Thompson Family; Bali Family; Venkatakrishnan Family; Williams Family; Graf Family; Smith Family; Brennan Family; Zoz Family; Miner Family Pettinato Family; Ross Family; Dedus Family; Falkenberg Family; Malatesta Family Jemmili Family; Brunner Family; Waltz Family; Trevey Family; Snodgrass Family; Gadayev Family; Landers Family; Dykstra Family; Shimensky Family; Halker Family; Mishra Family; Bryant Family; Choe Family; Craven Family; Myran Family; Novak Family; Reece Family; Strahan Family; Buzanski Family; McClain Family; Manne Family; Jadhav Family; Fox Family; Maisonet Family; Agrawal Family; Steinbeck Family; Sears Family; Berry Family; Moharrem Family; Holloway Family; Skaradzinski Family; Scarlett Family; Langton Family; Anumayam Family; Chilukoori Family; Hasher Family; Schaefer Family; Emmerson Family; Dame Family; Harvey Family; Ibarra Family; Hari Family; Mockus Family; Workman Family; Anderson Family.
Please consider donating at Annual Giving Campaign 2021 | The Foundation at PCK (Powered by Donorbox) or by texting "PCKGIVING" to 801801. Follow the prompts to make your donation.
The Foundation at PCK is a 501(c)(3) and many employers will match donations. Any little bits helps.
Bullying vs Normal Peer Conflict
While our students are learning about bullying prevention this month in character coaching, it is a great time for parents to learn how to tell the difference between bullying and normal peer conflict, as well as strategies to help your student through the ups and downs of friendship. Join us for the next session in our Parent Education Series on Thursday, January 27 at 6:30pm at PCK. This session is led by Dianne Daniels, PCK's character coach. Please RSVP using this form. Parent Education Series sessions are for adults only, and childcare is not provided.
Connecting With Character
Congratulations to the following students who were recognized in last week's assembly for demonstrating outstanding character:
Abby O. - responsibility, courage, dedication
Akshara P. - respect, responsibility, ready to participate
Caitlin F. - courage
Eileen C. - respect, responsibility, honesty
Henlei G. - respect, responsibility, ready to participate, patience
Jack B. - kindness, initiative
Jack D. - flexibility, patience, tenacity
James A. - attentiveness, determination
Kaden L. - respect, responsibility, ready to participate
Michael N. - courage, compassion
Preston G. - respect, responsibility, ready to participate
Sam C. - respect, responsibility, ready to participate
Library Volunteers Make A World of Difference
We are looking for volunteers to help shelve books and offer support during class library times. If you would like to volunteer in the PCK library, sign up here.
Help For Anxious Kids
Is your child struggling with anxiety? Is anxiety interfering with their academics or social emotional well being? If so, our Anxiety Group might be able to help. The group will be led by our school psychologist and will take place during lunch once a week. Students will learn a new coping skill/strategy one week and will put that skill into practice the following week. For more information, please contact the school psychologist at mlasiter@ckcs.net.
Making A Memorable Send Off For Our Graduates
We will have two dress down fundraisers this semester to help raise money for our 8th graders' graduation festivities. The first is Friday, January 21. All students may dress down that day in exchange for $1.00.
"Snow" Much Fun At Recess
Some of our 5th graders had a great time building an adorable snowman during recess last Friday. Sadly, he didn't survive this week's warmer temperatures, but the sunshine brought other fun recess activities!
Stand Up For Safety
Thank you to Tony Le, Ed Styles, and Kamal Malik for being our Safety Dads this week. Our students love seeing dads here keeping our perimeter secure, helping with lunch and recess, and assisting with other activities as needed. Click here to learn more about being a Safety Dad or to sign up.