PEN Newsletters

Tuesday evening, the School Board will hold a second public hearing and take action on the Districting Task Force proposal to create electoral sub-districts. Decisions made at this Board meeting and by voters in June could have a far-reaching impact on how PUSD is governed. (Read more…)

PTA? Site Council? Classroom volunteering? Prepare to be an informed participant in your child's educational journey by attending a PEN kinder coffee discussion on May 14. And if your child is going into 5th grade next year, join PEN and Chief Academic Officer Brian McDonald on May 30 for a preview of "Looking at Middle Schools." See below (or check the PEN calendar) for school tours and other upcoming events.

PUSD is making transitional kindergarten available to children turning five between October 2 and Dec. 1, 2012, but parents of older children who turn five before October 2, 2012 have the option of requesting an additional year of kinder for their child. The District may also recommend that some children who enroll in regular kindergarten be considered for the two-year kinder program, based on social and academic assessment.  Board member Kim Kenne asked Director of Elementary Education Kathy Onoye for some specifics, and shared Dr. Onoye's responses.

Board to Vote on Recommendation from Districting Task Force
The PUSD Districting Task Force presented its findings along with a Consensus Map to the School Board in late March. This Tuesday evening (5/8/12), the Board will conduct the second of two hearings on the map, and then deliberate and "provide direction to staff on final approval and adoption of resolution identifying final maps." As part of its discussion on this action item, the Board will consider a set of Potential Adjustments to the Task Force's Recommended Plan, some of which are designed to avoid putting current Board members in competition for the same seats.

Districting Task Force Chair Ken Chawkins is encouraging members of the community to come to the School Board hearings to speak their minds about the Consensus Map and the process of community engagement used to generate the Task Force's recommendations. The Consensus Map is the result of input provided by community members at over 35 community outreach meetings, held all across the district over a period of several months. The Task Force worked for over 10 months to develop the enabling Charter language, and worked hard to avoid factoring current Board politics into its mapping effort. Whether you agree with the Consensus Map or not, the Board's actions on Tuesday could have far-reaching consequences for the way PUSD is governed.  READ POST..

Parent participation: the inside scoop for incoming Kinder parents

Monday, May 14 – Parent Participation 101. Join PEN Program Director Susan Schwartz and Outreach Director Laura Diaz for a discussion about the range of ways parents participate in PUSD schools - from establishing an effective working relationship with your child’s teacher to working with other parents at the school or district level.  (Sidewalk Cafe, 2057 N. Los Robles; program starts promptly at 7 pm.) RSVP to info@penfamilies or call 866-216-7334 for more information.

Upcoming Events

This Week:
Monday, May 7
8:45 am & 2:45 pm – Presentation (at Cleveland Elementary) for parents on PUSD's dual language immersion programs in Spanish and Mandaring Chinese. Contact GATE office (626-396-3600 x88462) for more information.

Tuesday, May 8
9:00 am - Wilson MS tour

5:30 pm - PUSD Board meeting. Elbie J. Hickambottom Board Room.  AGENDA includes report from the Special Education Task Force, districting boundary maps to elect future schoolboard members, and resolutions to issue layoff notices because of an anticipated $13.5 million budget gap in 2012-2013.

Wednesday, May 9
6:00 pm - The Pasadena Sun and SouthernCalifornia Public Radio host a half-hour discussion at Crawford Family Forum about Measure A – whether geographic voting districts should replace at-large elections for the Pasadena Board of Education.The event is free, but RSVP to www.kpcc.org/forum is required.

6:30 pm – Kindergarten Transition, a PUSD informational café for parents of incoming kindergarten students. Presented at Norma Coombs

Thursday, May 10

Friday, May 11
8:00 am – Blair IB tour

Coming up Next Week:
District-level/Community meetings: District Advisory Coundil (DAC) meeting; Transicion al Kinder; "Passport to Charities"
PEN Programs: Parent participation 101 - coffee discussion with Susan Schwartz and Laura Diaz
School tours: Willard, Field, Don Benito, Norma Coombs, Longfellow, PHS, Webster. Hamilton kinder & Norma Coombs new parent orientations
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Passport to Charities Event
May 19, 2012
Maranatha High School

Students and Parents Only 9:00am – 11:00am

Open to the public 11:30am – 2:30pm

The Pasadena Independent Schools Foundation (PISF) is a Pasadena Education Network supporter. PISF invites PEN members to attend its Second Annual Passport to Charities Event. Learn about 45 local charities, including PISF past grantees, and the work they are doing for our community. In addition to the over forty charity booths,  there will be entertainment and food and drinks available from local restaurants, for purchase.