Pekin CSD - Packwood, Iowa

Additional photos from the 5th Grade Declaration of Independence Escape Room activity.

Additional photos from the 5th Grade Declaration of Independence Escape Room activity.

Fifth graders wrapped up the study of the Declaration of Independence with an escape room. Students had to collaborate and solve four different puzzles using clues during the process. It was an exciting way to review, and for them to work as a team to solve the puzzles.

Good evening! There will be a 2-Hour Late Start for the Pekin Community School District on Friday, February 25, 2022. Pekin Child Care will open at 8:00 AM. No AM Preschool.

Dear Parents, Due to predicted dense fog and slick roads, we will postpone the HS concert tonight and all after school activities. The concert has been rescheduled for Monday, February 28th with the Jr. High starting at 6:00 PM followed by the High School. Thank you!

Second Grade News We recently celebrated the 100th day of school on February 9th. We did various activities in the classroom that included making a necklace with 100 Fruit Loops, writing 100 words, solving 100 basic math facts and stacking 100 cups! For Valentine’s Day the students had to make their own box to hold their valentine cards. We enjoyed seeing the creativity and imaginations that were used by the students. Students are continuing to read to meet their AR goals. Third quarter goals must be met by March 22nd. Please encourage your child to read at home. If your child reads a book at home, they can bring the book to school to take a quiz. The year seems to be going so quickly. Please continue to monitor math homework that comes home almost every night. Mrs. Bradshaw, Mrs. Brown and Mrs. Neff

1st grade update - In reading, students have been working on improving their decoding skills by learning about different types of syllables and spelling patterns. They have been reading lots of books to practice these skills. First gFebruary is an exciting month for our Pekin first graders! We’ve gotten to celebrate Groundhog’s Day, the 100th day of school, and we had Valentine’s parties this week. We will celebrate Twos Day on February 22, and we will finish up the month by having Come Read With Me Day on February 25. Students have been working hard and having fun, and we are already halfway through the third quarter. Readers are working hard on Accelerated Reader goals and are showing so much progress! In math, students are learning addition and subtraction strategies to help add and subtract fluently. They are also working on place value and knowing what numbers are worth in two and three digit numbers. Students are practicing these skills in the classroom through hands-on activities and games. In science and writing, students are learning about arctic animals. Students have learned facts about different animals and are writing reports to show what they have learned. We are looking forward to seeing the progress the students will make throughout the rest of the year. Thank you for helping your first grader at home! Mrs. Brisby Mrs. Heisdorffer Mrs. VanDerHorst

Elementary parents please remember today, Tues., Feb. 15th, is our pie fundraiser delivery date. You can pick up your students' order this afternoon in the elementary lobby. They will be available through conference time tonight, but need to be picked up some time today as I don't have adequate freezer space to hold them overnight. We have a 1:30 dismissal, so if you would like to pick up your children at the same time you pick up your pies please be sure and let the office know so we can communicate that to the teachers and students. Thank you all for your support of Pekin Elem.

Je-Wa-Ke Little League Baseball and Softball Sign-up Information

Good evening Pekin families, This is a reminder to register for parent/teacher conferences through your PowerSchool account. Registration will close Fri., Feb. 11th. Conferences will be held Tues., Feb. 15th & Thurs., Feb. 17th from 3-7 PM. School will dismiss at 1:30 those days. There is no school Fri., Feb. 18th, and no school Mon., Feb. 21st for teacher in-service. Thank you, Mrs. Ledger

Kindergarten has had such a busy month that it’s hard to believe that March is around the corner! During these cold temperatures we have been learning the effects it has on the animals and hibernation. We learned what animals hibernate and where they hibernate, as well as animals that migrate to warmer areas. We did get a chance to “hibernate” with some healthy snacks and fun activities to wrap up the unit. In reading, we are learning about the importance of vowels and consonants-blending them together fluently. We are also learning with Morgan Dickey and Annie Millikin with EET (Expanding Expression Tool) which is a multi-sensory approach to get detailed descriptions and definitions. This also expands the students vocabulary by adding more detail and pulling in prior knowledge. In math we are learning about number sentences and number bonds. We just celebrated our 100th day of school! For this day, we did a lot of fun counting activities, building with 100 objects, exercises, and the best one of all: the kindergarten trading extravaganza! This is where each student brought in 100 identical items to share. Students were able to exchange their prepackaged items with friends. It was fun to watch them interact and reason with one another while exchanging items. Tying into the 100 day celebration, the kindergarten classes joined together to collect 100 items for Noah’s Ark, in Fairfield, and the Richland Food Pantry. The students will be dropping the donated items to the locations later this week. We have been learning about ways to help others and show kindness and this is a wonderful way to think of others. Kindergarten will celebrate Valentine’s day with fun centers and a valentines exchange. We will make our own monster valentine bags in class along with some fun valentine journaling about who we love and why. This was a lot of fun watching the kids sound out their words and create more than just one sentence! We will be starting our unit on Penguins next. This includes writing facts learned about the different types of penguins, habitats and life cycle. It is going to be another busy but fun month in kindergarten as we head into March.

Pekin Banking continues each week thanks to Kortney Heald and Pilot Grove Savings Bank. 5th grade students apply to be tellers and learn real world skills while helping students .

Here is the link for the boys shootout at WACO: http://www.youtube.com/WACOwarriorslive

Best wishes to our wrestlers and Coach Chapman, at Sigourney today, as well as to our basketball players and coaches as they enter tourney play! A special shout out to Mrs. Brown as she also taught and supported our State Speech students! Go Panthers!

Best wishes to our students participating at the State Speech Competition being held this Saturday at Kennedy High School! Special thanks to Mrs. Lane for her professional efforts to prepare them. (I had the honor of watching the Reader's Theater team yesterday...priceless!)

Our 5th grade students were scheduled to perform during the HS basketball games this evening, but unfortunately Mrs. Buch is out ill today. So, we need to postpone this event until Mon., Feb. 7th. The students have worked so hard to prepare for this opportunity to showcase their skills. Please join us Mon. night to cheer them on and enjoy some HS basketball.

January in the Pekin CSD was great! February is going to be even better! Go Panthers!

Online registration for parent/teacher conferences is open from Feb. 1st-11th. Please register through your PowerSchool account. Conferences are Feb. 15th & 17th from 3:00-7:00 PM. School will dismiss those days at 1:30.

Here is your link to order tickets for the Sectional Wrestling meet at Sigourney Feb. 5th starting at noon. Tickets MUST BE purchased online. https://www.iahsaa.org/tickets/

I wanted to remind the Pekin Elementary parents that the pie fundraiser forms and money are due to be turned in Mon., Jan. 31st. Please make sure your form has complete information and payment is included that matches your sales. I truly appreciate your efforts as we try to complete the final phase of our playground expansion project. Anyone who hasn't ordered yet be sure to contact your favorite elementary student or the elem. office. Thank you, Mrs. Ledger