THE MUSTANG MESSENGER

Before I introduce myself, I would like to extend a tremendous THANK YOU from the entire faculty of Palmetto Elementary School. We have had a tremendous start to the 2024-2025 school year.

It is an honor to return to Palmetto Elementary where my career as an educator began and serve as principal. I have been in education for more than twenty years, all of them in Anderson School District One.

I was blessed to complete my student teaching and begin my career as an educator at PES. I taught fourth and fifth grades at PES for a total of twelve years before serving as Assistant Principal at Concrete Primary School for 11 years.

It is my goal to build and strengthen relationships with all of the stakeholders of PES - students, families, and community members. I hope to work together to ensure our students are safe and grow in all aspects of life - socially, emotionally, and academically.

If you ever have any concerns or questions, feel free to reach out to me via phone or email: koonb@apps.anderson1.org. I look forward to working with the students and families of Palmetto Elementary once again as we grow our leaders of tomorrow!

We will be sending home flyers with your child's artwork and access code for ordering on Oct 28th.

Any 4th or 5th grader interested in joining Palmetto Singers should use the following link to complete a Google Form no later than Fri, Aug 30th. You may also scan the QR code on the flyer that was posted on SeeSaw. bit.ly/4dqVWm5

Membership fees ($20) are due on Friday, October 4th but you can pay anytime between now and then. See the flyer for more details.

Email Mrs. Dodgens at dodgensa@apps.anderson1.org if you have questions.

All 4th and 5th Grade students are invited to join the Battle of the Books Club!

The Challenge: Read 5 South Carolina Children's Book Award Nominees during each quarter.

• 1st Quarter = August 1-October 4

• 2nd Quarter = October 5-January 5

• 3rd Quarter = January 6-March 12

• 4th Quarter = March 13-May 16
  
  

Rewards: For each quarter that you participate in the challenge, you will be invited to the following:

• Special activity at Lander Library

• Free lunch at Burger King

• Time out of class for this field trip

• Membership in the PES Battle of the Books Club

• Being better prepared for 4th and 5th grade

• Relaxation with wonderful books

• Participation in the Battle of the Books competition

We are excited to announce that Palmetto Elementary will be hosting a Scholastic Book Fair from Oct 14-18. Be on the lookout for more information coming soon!

As part of Leader in Me, teachers and students have worked together to create classroom mission statements. Mission statements have long been a part of organizations. They provide a clear path for what the organization wants to accomplish and how they plan to go about doing it.

Yet, rarely does a family take the time to write a mission statement—and what organization is more important than the family? By establishing who you are as a family, how you want to be known, and how you plan to do it, you are practicing Habit 2: Begin With the End in Mind. The process is a great way to practice all of the 7 Habits.

We hope you will use the steps below to create your own Family Mission Statement.

STEP 1

Ask yourself these seven questions:

• How do we want our family to be known?
• How do we want to treat each other?
• What is most important to us as a family?
• What are some of our talents, gifts, and abilities?
• What makes us the happiest?
• What makes us unhappy?
• What kind of home do we want to invite friends to?

STEP 2

Write your Family Mission Statement. Consider all four areas:

• Body (health and physical wellbeing)
• Mind (learning)
• Heart (relationships)
• Spirit (inspiration)

Keep it simple, one to two lines, so the youngest family members can memorize it and find it meaningful. Examples: “We are builders,” “No empty chairs,” “We love each other,” “All for one and one for all,” etc.

STEP 3

Stay on course.

As parents, you are the role models. Keep smiling and getting back on track.

The promise: By writing a Family Mission Statement, the message to your children is that your family is important. You know what you stand for and how you are going to work together to accomplish it.

*Students should not have any types of toys, Pokemon cards, etc. at school. These items cause distractions that often lead to discipline issues.

*Students should be in their classrooms by 8:00 to be considered present. Any students not in class when the 8:00 bell rings is considered tardy.

*Students who are car riders and wish to eat breakfast should arrive at school no later than 7:40. If not in class by 8:00, these students are considered tardy. Students arriving late due to bus schedules will not be counted tardy and will be allowed to eat breakfast.

*Parents picking up students from the back car line will need to report to the front office after 2:30.

*Please be attentive when dropping off and picking up students in the car line. In the morning - Be sure that students have completely exited the vehicle and reached the sidewalk before driving. In the afternoon - Be sure that all children are secured in the car and doors are shut before driving.

*Thank you for helping ensure our students' safety during morning arrival and afternoon dismissal!

Sept 2 - Labor Day (No School)

Sept 3 - Palmetto Singers begin

Sept 9 - PTO Drop-in for parents 7:30-8:30

Oct 4 - End of 1st Nine Weeks

Oct 7-8 - No School for Students

Oct 8 - Professional Development for Teachers

Nov 4-5 - Fall Break

Nov 25-29 - Thanksgiving Break

Dec 20 - Early Dismissal

End of 2nd Nine Weeks

Dec 23 - Jan 6 - Christmas Break

Jan 6 - Professional Development for Teachers