PHE's Heart and Soul

"The most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched, they must be felt with the heart." - Helen Keller


Our students continually amaze me with how much they care.  Students have reached out to staff members in support of friends in need.  They have also shown empathy and tolerance for others who may be having a bad day.  Every so often  I am surprised by a student-drawn picture waiting for me on my desk.  Sometimes these treats are "bedazzled" and other times they are written on a piece of scratch paper.  Regardless of the surface used to write the note or draw the pictures, it always warms my heart.  This connection and caring is what I hope to send out with each of my messages, regardless of whether it is written by hand, or typed.

Building Empathy

Students were engaged in activities over this past month that were designed to help them build empathy for others.  April was Autism Awareness month which was kicked off with a school wide assembly followed by Autism Awareness Week. The goal was for students to have a basic awareness of what autism is while understanding that we all are unique and learn differently.  As a bridge from the assembly to our spirit week, students designed puzzle pieces that featured ways to be a good friend.  Puzzle pieces will be on display along the walls of our cafeteria.  To continue on this theme of empathy, we hosted a Soul Shoppe assembly that covered the topic of cooperation.  If you'd like to view a parent information letter, please click here.  A large part of cooperation is making the time to first make sure you are calm and clear to hear the others in your group.  Here is a copy of a worksheet that was introduced to students to help them be ready to cooperate!

PHE Musical
PHE presented our long-awaited musical production, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.  This event was designed to include as many students in our school as possible.  It was absolutely awe-inspiring to see this labor of love come together.  Our TK, K, 1st, and 2nd graders participated as part of the chorus, while our 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders had an opportunity to audition for acting roles.  The many skills students used while participating in this production were conducive to promoting a wide variety of educational goals such as:  literacy, presentation skills, self-esteem, and social skills.  Most importantly, everyone involved had FUN!  Well done, Dinos!


Facilities Master Plan
Many parents have asked for an update on the Facilities Master Plan process.  We have finally completed the information gathering and feedback phases of creating this plan.  The goal of this important project was to create a vision and roadmap for what our district facilities could become.  Several surveys were sent out to parents, staff, and our 5th grade students to seek input on what areas of improvement are most important to us.  Across all these groups, safety and our cafeteria (multi-use room) were deemed high priorities.  Based on this input along with those who attended the Town Hall Meeting in February, revisions were made to our draft site plan.  Through the support of active parents, an area that our school has already begun to align to this plan is the revitalization of our school garden beds. We envision that our garden beds can become outdoor learning spaces to extend our students' learning beyond the walls of the classroom!  To learn more about the Facilities Master Plan process click here.

We are down to the last month of school.  It's incredible how quickly the year flies by.  But there will be lots of learning packed into these last weeks of school.  I hope you are able to join us at one of our upcoming events.  Our community coming together in support of our kids. . . That is the heart and soul of PHE.

Upcoming Events:

• PTA General Meeting 4/30 
• CAASPP Testing 4/29 - 5/17 Parent Resource Page
• PTA Bookworm PJ Party 5/9
• School Site Council 5/16
• PTA Jellyfish Jam 5/17
• PTA Staff Appreciation Week 5/20-5/24
• Open House & Instrumental Music Performance 5/23
• Memorial Day - No School 5/27 
• Field Day 5/28
• Trimester Awards Assemblies 5/29 & 5/31
• 5th Grade Promotion 6/4
• Last Day of School 6/5