Important Dates To Remember

*Election Day

November 4

*Late Start Day

November 5 9:45 a.m.

*Family Reading Night

November 6 6:00 p.m.

*Bob Evans Food Weekend PTO

November 7-9

*PTO Meeting

November 11 6:30 p.m.

*American Education Week

November 17-21

*Late Start Day

November 19 9:45 a.m.

*4th Grade Music Concert

November 20 6:00 p.m.

*Report Cards Sent Home

November 21

*Early Release Day 2:35 p.m.

November 26th

*Thanksgiving Break –No School

November 27 &28

Dear Pepper Ridge Families,

It was wonderful to see so many of you

for Parent Teacher Conferences. We appreci-

ate you taking time out of your schedule to

attend this important event. One of the

greatest indicators of school success is a

strong home and school connection. We are

now entering our prime learning time for the

year. The teachers are in full swing with the

curriculum. Please make certain your chil-

dren are getting a good night of sleep, and

eating a healthy breakfast. It is also very im-

portant to check student’s backpacks and

assignment notebooks to be sure they are

staying organized and on top of homework.

Please don’t hesitate to contact your child’s

teacher if you have any concerns about their

progress. We all need to work together to

achieve success.

On another note... please be aware that as

the year moves on, the weather is also

changing. We do line up in the gym in the

morning and each student needs to have a

book in their backpack to read quietly during

this time. We will continue going outdoors at

lunch recess unless the wind chill, or temper-

ature is below 20 degrees. Students should

wear hats, gloves, and coats so they stay

warm and healthy. Bundle up!

I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanks-

giving holiday season. I am certainly thankful

to be working in such a wonderful school with

such great staff, students, and parents.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Mrs. Edwards

edwards@unit5.org

Sarah Edwards, Principal Karen Young, PTO President

Principal’s Corner

M C L E A N C O U N T Y

U N I T D I S T R I C T 5 Pepper Ridge Press P E P P E R R I D G E E L E M E N T A R Y S C H O O L

2 6 0 2 D A N B U R Y D R I V E

B L O O M I N G T O N , I L L I N O I S 6 1 7 0 5

P H O N E 3 0 9 - 5 5 7 - 4 4 2 3

S P E C I A L P O I N T S

O F I N T E R E S T :

* P L E A S E

R E M E M B E R T O

S I G N I N A T T H E

O F F I C E W H E N

V I S I T I N G

P E P P E R R I D G E

E L E M E N T A R Y .

T H I S I S F O R

T H E S A F E T Y O F

A L L O F O U R

S T U D E N T S A N D

S T A F F M E M B E R S .

T H A N K Y O U !

Veteran’s Day is November 11th. Thank you to all

our American Veterans!

VISION AND HEARING SCREENING November 3, 2014 vision and hearing screenings will take place at Pepper Ridge Elementary. If a student does not

pass either test they will be rescreened. If they do not pass a second time a referral letter will be mailed home. The

letter will ask you to take your child to the doctor for a more thorough evaluation. If you need assistance in any way

please call the school nurse, Jane Tucker, at (557-4684).

Check out the OR Card and join the Pepper Ridge Elementary Facebook Page

Dear Families of Pepper Ridge, Our school is fortunate to have a group of caring adults called the Promise Council that help to support our building. A role this council plays at Pepper Ridge is the organization the Opening Doors Program for our 5th grade students. After experiencing their first fieldtrip through this program, the 5

th grade students wanted to show their appreciation. One of the 5 promises that

the Promise Council believes in is giving back. To show their gratitude, the 5th graders have decided to organize a Hygiene Drive to give back to the Pepper Ridge community. Although this is organized by the 5th grade students, they will be promoting participation from the whole building. Items that could be donated are: shampoo, deodorant, toothpaste, toothbrushes and/or soap. Donations will be collected November 10th-14th. Thank you for giving back to the community!

Nurse’s Note!

In keeping with the Unit 5 policy, I would like to remind parents/students of the following: Any

and all medications must be accompanied to school by a Unit 5 Supervised Self-Administration of

Medication Form. If the completed form is not on file, we are not allowed to administer any medi-

cines. This policy applies to prescription medications as well as over-the- counter medications.

Even mentholated cough drops must have a form on file. Thank you!

P A G E 3

UNITED WAY

NEWS

Thank you for

your

support of our

recent

United Way

campaign.

The students and

staff raised a

substantial amount

to donate. One

reason that Unit 5

supports this effort

is that so much of

the

money raised

benefits children

and families in the

Bloomington/

Normal area.

A huge thank you goes out to the PTO for the amazing

lunch on Parent / Teacher Conference day!

Special Thanks to Mrs. Button, the Appreciation

Coordinator, and all her helpers.

THE PROVEN BENEFITS OF BREAKFAST FOR YOUR CHILD INCLUDE:

>Better overall nutrition and healthy body weight

>Fewer absences and reduced tardiness

>Higher scores on achievement tests

Helpful Hints for Busy Parents

*Get off to a good start

Make sure your child has time for breakfast at home or take advantage of the School

Breakfast. School meals are a convenient, inexpensive and healthy option.

*Keep breakfast simple

Have items available in your kitchen that can easily be put together in the morning:

cereal, milk, toast, cheese, fruit, and yogurt.

*Join your child for breakfast

Be a positive role model-eat breakfast yourself and share breakfast with your child

when you can. Modeling healthy eating supports the development of healthy behaviors

in children. If you are eating poorly or skipping meals, your child is going to pick up on

it. Establishing healthy habits can be very difficult for children who receive mixed

messages.

Parents are the most important influences in their children’s lives!

Family Reading Night is Coming!!

Please join us on November 6th at 6:00 p.m.

All children who attend will receive a free book!

Please plan to join

us for the 4th

Grade Fall

Music Program

on

November 20, 2014.

The performance

begins at 6:00 p.m.

Congratulations 2014-2015 Student Council Members

Carter Bergeron Morgan Spaniol Connor Downing Nathan Hartke

Kaylee Carmichael Grace Anton Konnor Bouman Jenna Judd

Macy Petelin Paige Davis Ashton Hoye

Red Ribbon Week Posters!!!! P A G E 4

Thank you so much to all the students that turned in a poster for the Student Council

Red Ribbon Week Poster Contest. Posters are on display in the hall outside the IMC.

Thanks to the students listed below for taking part in the contest!

Congratulations to our school winners! Our big first place winner is Christian Beal with his

poster “Pugs are Better than Drugs” .

We had a tie for second place:

Gavin Newhouse with “I won’t ‘Puma’ your leg, drugs are bad at any age”

Jayla Pennington with “Drug Free is the Key”

Thanks to everyone that

came to Family Game Night.

What a wonderful way for

our school community to

come together and have fun!

Thanks to all the PTO mem-

bers and the staff that volun-

teered to help that evening!

Unit 5 Superintendent Dr. Mark Daniel is conducting a Listening Tour, making a stop at each Unit 5 school. Parents, staff, teachers and students are invited to attend these meetings, where two essential questions will be asked: 1. What makes your school extraordinary?

2. How can we make it even better?

The goal of the Listening Tour is to bring together students, parents, and staff to

exchange ideas and best practices, as we work to develop our strategic plan.

Dr. Daniel will be hosting this interactive meeting from 5:30 – 7:00 p.m. at Pepper Ridge on December 4, 2014. Please don’t miss this opportunity to share your thoughts and ideas!

The Listening Tour is Coming!

Family Game Night was a Huge Hit!!

Thank you very

much to all the

parents that

donated

supplies and/or

attended the

Fall Parties.

We truly

appreciate

your

involvement in

our school

community!