Week 8 Q1 September 30, 2024
It was another great week at PBE! We kicked off the week with our fabulous Student Leadership Team at our morning assembly where Ms. Cohen spoke about this year’s contribution drive and how we are moving forward with our goal. Thank you so much for those of you are able to contribute to PBE. Without the extra funding from your contributions, we would not have the amazing program like San Diego Youth Sciences, Garden instruction, and Arts Attack- just to name a few. We greatly appreciate you!
We also celebrated as Mrs. Reyna and Mrs. Erickson passed on their staff awards and awarded Mrs. Atwell and Mr. Pulido! Congratulations to you both.
Jogging club also kicked off this week. We had so many families and students kicking off their morning right with a little exercise and some endorphins. Thank you, Ms. Weber, for all you do for our PBE students.
This week’s Caught Being a Leader winners were:
- Zion from Mrs. Wilson’s class;
- Ella S., Julian, and Ryker from Ms. Alba’s Kinder class;
- Carter, Breeze, and Mia P. from Mrs. Taylor’s class;
- Goldie from Mrs. Warner’s class;
- Audrey from Ms. Reynolds’ class;
- Annabelle from Mrs. Erickson’s class
It’s great to be a Penguin!
With penguin pride,
Dr. Karon Schnitzer
Dates to Remember
- September 30th- Morning Huddle- all are welcome! 7:50-8:00 on blacktop
- September 30th SSC Nominations are Due
- October 2nd- FOPBE Meeting 5:30 on campus in PDR and virtually using THIS LINK
- October 4th- NO SCHOOL (District’s Non- Instructional Day)
- October 7th- Morning Huddle- all are welcome! 7:50-8:00 on blacktop
- October 11th- Minimum Day- ALL Students dismissed at 12:15 p.m.
- October 15th- SSC- First Meeting of the Year 2:30-3:30 p.m. in the PDR
- October 30th – Halloween Carnival 5:00-7:00 p.m.
- October 31st – Halloween Costume Parade – more details coming soon
Morning Huddles
Every Monday morning, we kick off the week strong by being together for our Monday Morning Huddle. Our student leadership team leads us in the pledges, shares announcements, and celebrates students caught being a leader. This is a time for all to come together and build community. Parents are encouraged to stay and participate. Please plan to stand in the back or on the side so that our students can see the presentation. Morning huddles begin at 7:50 a.m.
Lost and Found
Please be sure and check the lost and found as we will be donating items to homeless shelters on Friday, October 4th.
Jogging Club Has Begun!
Jogging Club starts next Wednesday, September 25th on the Joint Use Field! Enter the field via the gate on Turquoise Street. Please arrive by 7:25am to find your Runner ID card and have a quick warmup. Family and friends are always welcome! ❤️
Jogging Club will be held every Wednesday and Friday at 7:30am, except in the case of rain. No need to sign up or commit; every student has a Runner ID card. Participants receive monthly incentives and mileage achievement awards, plus end of the year awards for top runners.
The grass is often wet in the mornings; we recommend bringing dry socks and shoes to change into.
Parents, we need volunteers to make Jogging Club happen! Please contact Ana Bailon at anabailon85@gmail.com or Sarah Weber at sarah.p.weber@gmail.com to be added to the volunteer list or with any questions.
See you on the field!
School Starts at 7:50 a.m. – Don’t Be Late
Being punctual plays a significant role in their academic success and personal development.
Here’s why being on time matters:
Maximized Learning Opportunities: Our instructional day begins promptly, and students who arrive late miss out on crucial information and classroom discussions.
Building Responsibility: Arriving on time helps children develop a sense of responsibility and respect for their own commitments, setting the tone for lifelong habits.
Minimizing Disruptions: When students come late, it can be disruptive not only for them but for their classmates and the teacher.
Smooth Start to the Day: Students who arrive on time are able to start the day calm and prepared, which enhances focus and engagement in learning.
School gates open at 7:40 a.m. and students can enjoy a free breakfast upon arrival. The Fanuel gate closes at 7:55 and then our campus gates are locked, and our campus is secure. Starting on Monday, September 30th, we will start marking students tardy if they need to come in through the office because the gate is locked. Our family handbook language has not been changed on this policy for several years and yet we have been permitting tardiness for up to 25 minutes. That is 4, 500 minutes per school year that your child is missing valuable instruction. We understand that us adhering to this previously established policy may be a change for some families, so we are giving a one-week grace period before we begin to mark children tardy.
We understand that occasional delays happen, but making punctuality a priority will greatly benefit your child. Thank you for your continued support and partnership in fostering a positive learning environment.
PBE School Site Council (SSC)
Part of the duties of the SSC are to ensure we have an effective school-level parent and family engagement policy. As a component of the school-level parent and family engagement policy, each school shall jointly develop with parents for all children a school-parent compact that outlines how parents, the entire school staff, and students will share the responsibility for improved student academic achievement and the means by which the school and parents will build and develop a partnership to help children achieve the state’s high standards. Please find the 2024-2025 school-level parent and family engagement policy Here. Another important function of the SSC is to ensure that we have strong school and family engagement. Please see the 2024-2025 Family Engagement Policy HERE.
SSC NOMINATIONS are NOW OPEN:
Would you be interested in serving on the Pacific Beach Elementary School Site Council as a parent/community member representative? To nominate yourself or a fellow parent or community member, you may submit your/their name below by Monday, September 30th. School Site Council is composed of equal numbers of staff and parent/community/student representatives who serve a two-year term. The SSC team may conduct monthly meetings to oversee the implementation of various programs in the school, including state and federally-funded programs. The School Site Council is a governing body that is responsible for deciding how to spend of Title l and providing feedback on LCFF funding to improve the instructional program here at PBE. The School Site Council members work together, to set goals, for improving student achievement at the school and allocating the funds to accomplish those goals. For the coming school year, we have two Parent/Community Member openings. The council meets every third Tuesday from 2:30-3:30 virtually and here on campus. This is a two-year position. A year membership term is October 4th, 2024, through September 2026. Agendas for meetings are sent via Messenger and in the principal’s weekly update at least 72 hours prior to the meeting and we post the minutes on our website.
Please submit your nominations today using THIS FORM:
We are a Leader in Me School!
Founded on the belief that everyone has the potential to lead, Leader in Me is a comprehensive PK–12 framework that nurtures student leadership, fosters a culture of trust, and boosts academic success. This proven approach empowers students, educators, and families with essential leadership and life skills, preparing them to excel.
The Cafeteria During Modernization
We have a dedicated menu for those sites undergoing Whole Site Modernization. Without a functioning kitchen, we are limited in our offerings to the students. As well, we are undergoing an Administrative Review this year and are unable to deviate from the menu.
The Modernization Lunch Menu can be found HERE.
FOPBE Contribution Drive Has Begun!
PACIFIC BEACH ELEMENTARY
CONTRIBUTION DRIVE
The Friends of Pacific Beach Elementary (FOPBE) is PBE’s non-profit parent-teacher organization dedicated to supporting students. FOPBE fundraises through various avenues to bring educational and enrichment programs to students, and funds school needs during the school year.
We are reaching out for your help to kick-start fundraising for the 2024-25 school year with our annual PBE Contribution Drive. FOPBE’s current annual budget of approximately $100,000 roughly equates to $320 per student of spending for each of our 312 currently enrolled students. Many of the programs offered at PBE are not provided by or funded by the school district and are instead made available to our students through the fundraising efforts of FOPBE. District funding continues to decrease, and we can expect another cut next year, which makes fundraising through FOPBE above our minimum paramount.
This important fundraiser will help ensure our incredible school and amazing students within continue to benefit from the valuable programs, activities & supplies that FOPBE provides throughout the year, including:
- Whole Child Playground Supervision: $30k – providing social/emotional support, building conflict resolution skills as well as playground safety.
- San Diego Youth Science Classes: $19-23k – providing unique hands-on scientific experiences to each classroom that inspire scientific curiosity within our students.
- Lexia/Achieve 3000 Educational Platforms: $10k – Academic software used by students to enhance and accelerate skills and growth in literacy.
- Teacher Funds: $8k – Discretionary funds used by each teacher for their own classroom needs; this includes pencils, notebooks, folders, and other classroom supplies.
- Class Field Trips: $8k – Funding for field trips for every grade including transportation, entry fees, etc.
- Garden Enrichment: $6.5k – Hands-on garden instruction in our large, beautiful school garden for all grades once a month.
- Library Books: $2k – New books for our school library for students to check out during their weekly library days.
- Arts Attack: $1k – Parent led, monthly art lessons for all grades with video instruction and all art supplies included.
And while a total annual donation of $320 per student across all FOPBE fundraisers would help us meet our current budget, the more we are able to fundraise, the more benefits and support we can provide to our students, teachers and staff. Raising above and beyond the minimum of $320 per student allows us to provide extra San Diego Youth Science sessions for our students, upgrades and renovations to our school garden, additional class field trips, additional funds for our teachers to use within their classrooms, additional art supplies for Arts Attack, and MORE!
Donating is completely optional, and we understand this is a big ask for our PBE families. But if you are in a position to donate more this year, please consider doing so as it would help us exceed our goal!
We also offer some fun incentives for your donation!
TO MAKE A CONTRIBUTION:
- By ZELLE, scan the QR code below.
- By CHECK (made out to “FOPBE”) or CASH, please submit payment to the PBE School Office.
- Or visit HTTPS://FOPBE.ORG to make a donation by credit card or PayPal (please be sure to include your name, your child’s name and teacher with each donation made online).
Friends of Pacific Beach Elementary School
c/o Pacific Beach Elementary School
1234 Tourmaline Street, San Diego, California, 92109
pacificbeachelementary@gmail.com
FOPBE is a non-profit 501(c)(3) – Tax I.D. 33-0549469
All donations are tax deductible and directly benefit our school, students and teachers.
Mission: “To enhance and enrich the learning environment for all students”
Classroom Communications Policy
In order to minimize classroom disruptions, we wanted to share our policy regarding requests for messages to be sent to students during the instructional day. Our policy is to avoid classroom disruptions. We encourage parents to make after-school arrangements with their child prior to the beginning of the school day. Phone call disruptions will not be put through to classrooms. If an emergency message needs to be delivered, parents are asked to email the teacher, and a parent may also call the office where a message will also be documented and delivered to the teacher before the end of the day.
PBE Mission and Vision Statements
We have been working on classroom mission statements. Last year, we took our then current school mission and vision statements and sought and embraced feedback and input from our staff, community, and especially our students. Our mission and vision statements we slightly revised to the following:
Our classes have been working on mission statements too. Ask your child what their mission statement is.
Communication
We believe that strong communication between home and school is vital for student success. We will continue to use our school website, school Messenger, weekly emails of our Penguin Press, and our mobile app, Konstella, to keep you informed about important events, updates, and classroom activities. Konstella: https://www.konstella.com/cd/FYA4UQ).Please ensure that your contact information is up to date in our system so that you receive all communications in a timely manner. Be sure to follow FOPBE on social media (https://www.instagram.com/fopbe and www.facebook.com/FOPBE)
PBE Pledge
School-Wide Expectations
As we strive to cultivate a positive and supportive learning environment at PBE, I wanted to take a moment to remind you of our school-wide expectations, which are:
Be Safe
Be Respectful
Be Responsible
Be Kind
These expectations are not only integral to creating a conducive atmosphere for learning within the school premises but are also fundamental principles that contribute to the overall well-being and development of our students.
In line with our commitment to fostering these values, I encourage you to reinforce these expectations at home as well. By practicing safety, respect, and responsibility in your daily interactions and activities with your child, you not only support their growth and character development but also reinforce the importance of these principles beyond the classroom.
Safety
Please supervise your children if you are hanging out in the front of the school after dismissal. Children are not permitted to climb the trees on school property. If/when they fall, we are liable. I LOVED climbing tress as a child, so please take them to a park off campus so they can explore the tree-climbing fun. We just cannot allow it to happen on school property. Please also be mindful with all the interactions that you engage in while on or near our elementary-school campus. Please refrain from videotaping other peoples’ children unless you have been given permission from the parent. As we teach our students to be respectful to each other we want to practice demonstrating respect in all our interactions with one another as well. Our children are always watching.
Friends of Pacific Beach Elementary (FOPBE)
FOPBE is on Instagram and Facebook! Follow FOPBE to stay up to date about PBE events, announcements, and reminders, plus fun facts and highlights about our wonderful school! Follow FOPBE at https://www.instagram.com/fopbe/ and/or https://www.facebook.com/FOPBE/
Please connect with our parent partners at: pacificbeachelementary@gmail.com
