Panther Pulse
October 9, 2026
Important and Exciting News
I am proud to share that PENN Elementary has been designated a "Distinguished" school for the second year in a row. This recognition comes from the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) where we earned a VDOE Framework Score of 94.8, placing us in Virginia's highest performance category, Distinguished. The score reflects more than SOL achievement. VDOE's elementary framework combines student mastery, student growth, English learner progress, and chronic absenteeism. Penn is also Fully Accredited and received no federal school-improvement identification. To get a more detailed explanation you can refer to the following link. https://schoolquality.virginia.gov/ This designation is a direct reflection of the partnership and team work between our staff, parents, students, and community. Congratulations to all!
Reminder - Safety First
We have a good opening to the school year and I thank everyone for being patient and taking their time when picking up or dropping off your child. We had the division traffic people out examining our traffic flow this past week and we look forward to their suggestions. Traffic inspectors have told me they did not see anything unsafe, but had some suggestions about parking and dropping off. There will be some tweaking and changing of parking spaces in the near future. Again, I thank you for your patience and helping to keep our students safe.
Fun RUN Saturday October 17th at 9:00 a.m.!
We are having our Fun Run on Saturday, October 17th. Running starts at 9:00 a.m. We have over 250 parents and students who have signed up to run. We will be sending the shirts home next week, prior to the run!! Fingers crossed for good weather! See you on the 17th!
Advisory Council Meets 6-7 pm Thursday Oct 15th
We have our first Advisory Council Meeting of the year on Thursday, October 15th from 6 - 7 pm in the library. All are welcome. We will also have a report from our representative to the Superintendent's Advisory Council on Instruction (SACI). We will also be discussing changes this year including PreKindergarten students the budget as well has a more indepth understanding of being designated a Distinguished School. This is a great opportunity to learn more about PENN and how to help your child succeed.
Chess Club is BACK!
We are very fortunate to again partner with the Silver Knight Chess Academy and provide an opportunity for our students K-5th grade to learn and play Chess. The paperwork for this has been sent home earlier and first meeting is Tuesday, October 14th from 4-5:pm after school. If you are interested here is the link to sign up and pay. www.chessacademy.com
ParentVUE APP - Check in / out
We have instituted a new check in/out system for parents when picking up or dropping off your child. To use the system easily, parents need the ParentVue App on their phone. The App is available either for Apple phones or Android. Get the app, sign in and you will be ready for a smooth pick up or drop off. Thanks,
Veterans Day Celebration
At PENN we celebrate our Veterans every year. We ask all veterans, active duty, retired, former military to join us in this important recognition. This year, on Tuesday, November 10th we start with Pastries for Patriots where veterans and their children can join us in the library for coffee, juice, and donuts from 9:00-9:25. At 9:45 the whole school will have an assembly by the flag pole. Each service will be recognized by our chorus. Please join us and help our student appreciate our veterans.
Thank You,
Dr. Elliot F. Bolles
Principal
Aprale Gonsalves
Assistant Principal
K'Shaki Middleton
Administrative Intern
PENN Elementary, 12980 Queen Chapel Road, Woodbridge VA 22193 - 703-590-0344