Penn Brook Elementary School

From the Penn Brook Administration

Dear Penn Brook Families,

We hope you had a wonderful weekend.

Please note that we do not have school this Wednesday, November 11, in observance of Veterans Day. We want to take this moment to deeply thank and honor all members of our community who have served or are currently serving in the U.S. Armed Forces. We are incredibly grateful for your sacrifice and dedication.

Please read on for this week's school updates and announcements.

Warmly,

Penn Brook Administration - (978) 352-5785

Principal - Beth Benoit

Assistant Principals - Amy Wahl, Kate (Donlin) Gwisdalla and Shannon Tenney

Penn Brook Office Dianne Collins and Jeannine Dion

Nurse - Collen Wilson and Zinta Gulens

Social and Emotional Learning

November Theme of the Month: Problem Solving

We are continuing our focus on Problem Solving this month! Students are practicing stopping and thinking, collaborating with peers, trying multiple strategies, and reflecting on their choices. Students who demonstrate these skills can earn a yellow "Problem Solving" leaf throughout the month!

4 Easy Ways to Practice Problem Solving at Home:

Ask, Don't Tell: When your child gets stuck, ask "What are 2 different ways we could try to solve this?" instead of solving it for them.
Encourage the "Pause": Teach them to take a deep breath before reacting to a frustrating situation.
Focus on Safety & Respect: Guide them to evaluate solutions by asking if their idea is safe, kind, and respectful.
Praise the Effort: Celebrate when they persevere through a tough challenge or resolve a disagreement peacefully with a sibling or friend.

Thank you for partnering with us to build confident problem solvers at home and at school!

Grade 5 Student Council Updates

Students received a welcome letter confirming their participation in Student Council and sharing which sub-committee they will be working on first! We are so proud of these Grade 5 leaders and their enthusiasm for serving our Penn Brook School community. During their project work/assigned job, they will wear a lanyard identifying that they are a student council member “on the job” helping them take pride in their leadership role and serving as a recognizable helper for younger students and staff.

Students have already begun meeting in their sub-committee groups to tackle some great projects:

Spirit Committee: Working hard on selecting and planning our first school-wide spirit day theme!
Safety Committee: Helped get our Lost & Found completely organized and ready for families to look through during parent-teacher conferences.
Mentorship Committee: Meeting on Monday to launch their new role supporting Kindergarten recess at 11:15 AM (each student will be assigned a specific day of the week).

Thank you for supporting your young leaders at home as they take on these meaningful roles!

Curriculum and Assessment

Kindergarten DIBELS benchmark reading data is now available to view on Aspen starting November 6. You have received an email from Aspen indicating the data is viewable and resources to help if needed. If you have any questions, please email donlink@georgetown.k12.ma.us.

From Special Teachers

Art

November in Art Class- This month, students are exploring exciting art concepts and experimenting with a variety of materials! Kindergarten is discovering the element of line using Play-Doh, oil pastels, paint, and paper cutting. First graders are exploring line and space through colorful hot air balloon artwork. Second graders are learning about value with a Jeff Koons inspired mixed-media Balloon Dog collage. Third graders are creating owl glue drawings and practicing blending with chalk pastels. Fourth graders are exploring radial symmetry through paper relief sculptures, while fifth graders are discovering abstract art by creating their own scratch art paper with paint sticks and oil pastels!

PS. Square 1 Art Order Deadline is November 18th, 2026. Don’t miss out!

Picture Retake Message

Hello,

Please find attached a copy of your Retake Picture Day Notice. We will not be offering preorders for retakes, so there is no preorder code on the notice. Please read below for *more information on how orders are processed from this day.

This notice is to inform families about your upcoming Retake Day. Please blast this out to your family emails, and posting on your school's social media and website works great, too!

Thank you, and please contact me if you have any questions about your upcoming Retake Day.

*Retake day is for new students and staff members, transfer students, or for anyone who may have missed the initial picture day. Additionally, we welcome anyone who was unhappy with their original picture and would like to give it another try. Retake photos automatically replace original photos in school services and yearbook. If a student chooses to retake their photo, please have them return the original picture package to the photographer on picture day. We will replace it at no additional cost.

If this is the first time being photographed, just have the student/staff go to the camera and we’ll create a proof for them that will be sent to the school (and/or to their family email if we have that information). These proofs will be delivered approx. 4 weeks after picture day. An order code will be on the proof along with ordering instructions.

Best,

Amy Cotter

Geskus Studios & Yearbook Publishing

(800) 948-1120

www.wearegeskus.com