Elementary School Newsletter 1.9.2023

Jan 9

Written By PCS

Happy New Year and here's to a great start to 2023. While I may not be into resolutions, I am making a commitment as we come back together for the second semester. I commit to working hard every day to support our teachers and our students. Progress is important, and it continues daily here at PCS as we strive towards academic and social-emotional growth.

The quarter and semester have ended. Report cards will be completed and sent home in backpacks on Wednesday January 11th. If you have not received your child's report card by Friday, please reach out to their teacher and they can then provide you with an electronic copy upon request.

Invitation to serve on the PCS Health and Wellness Committee:
The PCS Health and Wellness Committee is a group of PCS parents/guardians, staff members and other stakeholders who meet every few months to discuss matters concerning the programs that PCS offers for our students and families that impact their wellness as part of our community. We are looking to reorganize this group for an upcoming meeting in early February and are reaching out to anyone who may be interested in participating. Your involvement would require two or three meetings after school this year that would last about an hour. If you are interested or just have questions about the committee, please contact Mr. Doyle. His email address is: kdoyle@premiercharterschool.org.

Pathways:
The quarter has changed and students in grades 2-5 are now in a different Specials class rotation. We have 4 different Pathways (Specials) classes that we are providing this year. Below are descriptions of the courses so that parents are in the know as to what students are learning this year. This information has been provided at the beginning of each quarter to inform parents a bit about each class.

Art with Ms. Hopping (mhopping@premiercharterschool.org)

Hi! My name is Meredith Hopping and I am excited and privileged to be the new Elementary Art Teacher at PCS. Art gives us the opportunity to express ourselves in ways we never thought possible. I'm looking forward to enabling students at PCS to do just that, while also cultivating a love of learning, and passion for the arts. I desire for them to connect what we are doing in art with what they are doing in their other classes, to see how art can connect to everything we do! We also will get a little messy, with paint, clay, and numerous other mediums we will explore throughout the year. But don't worry, as a fellow parent I can assure you, most (if not all) materials will easily wash out! Please don't hesitate to reach out if you have any questions or thoughts you'd like to share with me about your child's art education.

Coding with Mr. Petersen (gpetersen@premiercharterschool.org)
In the coding pathway this year we will continue to learn how to write and assemble computer code for programming. Much of our time will also be spent in designing, building, and refining both student interest projects as well as functional solutions for needs around the school. We will learn 3D design and print student creations out of resin on 3D printers. We will research real world inventors and engineers and follow the engineering process to make better products and make ourselves better problem solvers.

Language and Culture with Ms. Crawford (kcrawford@premiercharterschool.org)
This year is going to be full of amazing things and I can’t wait to learn with you. While in my class you will learn all about different aspects of cultures from around the world. We will take time to research different foods from around the world and recreate them in class. We will learn about different volcanoes and make replicas of your favorites. You will have time to do your own research on what you are interested in about different cultures and create a showcase of what you discovered. I can’t wait to get this year started!

Music with Mr. Padgett (jpadgett@premiercharterschool.org)
In the music pathway this year we will be learning how to perform and compose music in different styles with different instruments! We will be learning how to play ukulele, Orff instruments (xylophone, glockenspiel), boomwhackers, and bucket drumming. With each of these instrument groups, students will create their own songs as well as improvising over some jazz chords with the Orff instruments. We will also be researching different famous musicians from St. Louis and students will get an insight into St. Louis’ rich musical history.

Re-Enrollment now open:

Premier Charter School’s re-enrollment process has begun. We use this data to determine how many students will be pulled for each grade level in our upcoming lottery.

Your response with this form secures or declines your student’s spot at Premier Charter School for the 2023-2024 school year.

Click here to submit your household's re-enrollment.

Please complete by Friday, January 13th, and remember to list every student currently attending PCS from your household.

** Not completing this form will be considered a decline for next school year. **

If you have any questions regarding the re-enrollment process, please reach out to eobrien@premiercharterschool.org.

Upcoming Dates:

January 4-13: Re-Enrollment open

January 12th: Board Meeting 4:30pm

January 16th: Martin Luther King Jr. Day - No School

January 17th: Kids Vision for Life

January 27th: Professional Development Day - No School for students

Thanks and have a great week!